Immanuel, God With Us
Matthew 1.22-23
25 December, 2005
Today is Christmas Day. Right now there are lots of people in Erie – and
around the world – who are celebrating the day in various ways. But in a day
or two, it will be back to life as normal. There will be no more talk about
angels singing, shepherds keeping their flocks by night or wise men
following some star. There will be no more talk about a baby in a manger or
peace on earth, good will toward men. That is, until next year. For so many,
Christmas will be packed up until next fall when they take it out again and
do it all over. Is that the way that it’s supposed to be? I think that the
answer is obvious. But why? If the celebration of the Incarnation is not to
be limited to one season a year then what does it look like in July? To
answer this we’re going to look at one aspect of the Incarnation. Jesus’
coming was the fulfillment of the prophecy about Immanuel. Jesus’ coming
means that God is with us. But what does that mean? How does it affect us?
That's what we’re going to look at so that, God willing, we can enjoy the
Incarnation throughout the whole year.
The theme of ‘God with us’ is quite rich. It shows up in many different
places in the Scriptures. Let me read a couple of examples. To Jacob God
says, ‘Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will
bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what
I have promised you.’ [Genesis 28:15] To Paul, our Lord said ‘…for I am with
you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city
who are my people.’ [Acts 18:10] Through Isaiah, God said to Israel, ‘… fear
not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will
strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right
hand.’ [Isaiah 41:10] And then there’s this from the Psalms, ‘God is our
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not
fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the
heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains
tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city
of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her;
she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. [Psalm 46:1-5]
You see why I say that this theme is rich.
Did you notice what linked together these examples of the Immanuel
principle? They were all about God’s protection. In these, and other,
instances where this principle is mentioned we see our God comforting and
encouraging His saints. And He does that by reminding them of His presence
with them. Because He is near, because He is with them, they have nothing to
fear. Now, is this limited to protection from things like enemies who want
to harm preaching apostles or mountains falling into the sea? Clearly not.
The particulars mentioned are just specific examples of God’s promise of
protection. What is God protecting His Church from? We are protected from
death in its many forms. God is promising to be with His own to protect us
from natural disasters, evil people and even the devil himself. And even
when the day for us to pass from this life to the next arrives, when we face
that dreaded physical aspect of death, when so many are tempted to give in
to their fears, our God comforts us with His presence. ‘But now thus says
the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear
not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When
you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers,
they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be
burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the
Holy One of Israel, your Savior. … Fear not, for I am with you…" ’ [Isaiah
43:1-3, 5] Immanuel, God with us.
But that does not exhaust this theme. There is more. Listen to how God’s
promised presence with us results in something more than just protection.
‘Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you
and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy…’
[Deuteronomy 23:14] The presence of our God among us brings to us a
responsibility as well as a blessing. Since the holy God is with us, we must
be a holy people. We can have no dealings with sin. That is to be anathema
to us. And our God has been clear in what He means by holy. He has told us
in His Word. And so Peter writes, ‘As obedient children, do not be conformed
to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy,
you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be
holy, for I am holy." And if you call on him as Father who judges
impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear
throughout the time of your exile…’ [1 Peter 1:14-17] Here is a clear call
to holiness and it is a call with teeth because one day we will be evaluated
according to our deeds, with God’s holiness being the standard. Immanuel,
God with us.
This theme of Immanuel finds its climax in Jesus. He is Immanuel. He is God
with us. And so, as part of what we call the Great Commission, He says, ‘Lo,
I am with you always.’ Jesus commissions His Church and promises His
presence. Immanuel. But you’re thinking, ‘Yes, He made that promise but then
He left. He returned to the Father. How is He with us?’ Listen to something
else that Jesus said, ‘And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the
world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know
him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as
orphans; I will come to you. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and
my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
’ [John 14:16-18, 23] Jesus is with us by His Spirit. And that ‘being with
us’ is just as real as when Jesus walked this earth. In fact, in a way, it
is more real. The Spirit of Jesus is here. Our God is still with us.
Immanuel.
Now, take the next step. All of this means something in July. Because our
God is with us, we have nothing to fear. Nothing. So, pick your favorite
fear, the thing that really gets to you at times. And with that fear clearly
in view, hear the word of the Lord. ‘… fear not, for I am with you; be not
dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will
uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ Immanuel. Remember this the next
time you are tempted to fear. Remember this when the evil one tries to
freeze you in your tracks unwilling to take the next step because of some
fear. In this situation, with as much faith as you can muster, pray. ‘Lord,
I feel the temptation. I feel the fear welling up. But I know that you are
my God. I know that You are with me. Help me to be faithful right now.’ And
then, take the next step, confident that Jesus is, in fact, with you to
protect you – because He is. Do you see what this means? Imagine a church
filled with people who are learning not to be afraid. Even when the stomach
is tight and the palms are sweaty, they still take next step forward in
obedience to their Lord. A major weapon in Satan’s arsenal has been
disarmed. All because of the presence of Jesus. He is with us. What can stop
us from fulfilling our calling to be faithful disciples?
But don’t forget that there is that other aspect. Immanuel also includes a
call to holiness. We are to be people whose lives are pure. We are to be
holy. Our God walks among us! I’m going to guess, though, that right now you
’re thinking, ‘But, I’m not holy.’ Yes, I know. Each Lord’s Day we read
something from the Law of God. And each time it identifies yet another
aspect of our failure to be holy people. And we need to see that clearly.
But we don’t stop there, do we? After that, there is our corporate Prayer of
Confession. What is this but our expression of repentance and faith? And
then, that is followed by the Declaration of Pardon. An appropriate
Scripture is read to remind you of the promise of God’s forgiveness to
sinners who repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus. We do this because we
are trying to take seriously the fact of Immanuel. If our God is truly with
us, then we truly need to be holy people. Sinners though we be, we are still
called to be holy. Our failure in this never takes away the call to strive
for that goal. In this day when almost anything goes, we need to be careful
here. The forgiveness of sins that the Gospel provides is not to lead us to
a cavalier attitude toward our sins but rather to a more aggressive dealing
with them. ‘Be holy for I am holy, says the Lord.’
There is one last aspect of Immanuel that I need to remind you of. This
theme of God with us is true and real for us today. Our God is with us. But
our experience of this is incomplete. ‘In my Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. [John
14:2-3] The final capstone of the Immanuel principle is when Jesus returns.
At that point, we will no longer endure this incomplete experience of
Immanuel. When Jesus returns, we will be able to enjoy the presence of our
God in its fullness. Now we see through a glass darkly but then face to
face. It is the reality of this hope that keeps us going.