EMMANUEL-GOD WITH US - IS BREATH-TAKING.
At the commencement of His earthly life the angel from heaven announced, ‘She shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.’ Following this exciting news, he went on, ‘All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying, ‘Behold a virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call His Name Immanuel’, which is translated ‘God with us.’ ( Matthew 1:23) The bible clearly teaches Christ is the virgin-conceived Son, who is the eternal God in the flesh. As a doctor, I regard every babe as a miracle from conception to full term, bearing all the father and mother’s attributes: and infinitely more, when the Babe has all the features of the eternal God.
The Lord Jesus concluded His earthly ministry, having died and majestically risen from the dead, declaring, ‘All authority is given to Me in heaven and earth; then His missionary call, ‘Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded them, with the delightful warranty,
‘Lo, I Am with you always even to the end of the age. ‘He concluded with a hearty ‘Amen, ’meaning ‘Let it be so!’ While our Lord did not use the term ‘Emmanuel’ he asserted that the great ‘I AM’ was for ever with us. I enjoyed His all-pervading presence during my WW11 years, still lingering these 60 plus years.
Psalm 46 is known as a psalm of deep comfort. It commences with ‘God is our Refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ He removes fear even when the earth is removed and the mountains be carried in to the midst of the sea, ‘which may apply to the tsunami, which recently engulfed the shores of neighbouring South East Asia. Then it reaches a new height, asserting that ‘God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved.’ God shall help her at the break of dawn, ’ Then the Emmanuel truth emerges, ‘The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our Refuge.’ How can we believers be lackadaisical, when the Eternal One is by our side? As though cementing the truth, the Holy Spirit repeats it in verse 11.
The word ‘Immanuel’ appears 3 times in the early chapters of Isaiah. No wonder the prophet is the gospel writer of the Old Testament. Of course in 7:14, the best-known reference, ‘The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His Name Immanuel.’ As well as His Deity, His human nature is affirmed, ‘Curds and honey He shall eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.’ (v15). The following chapter tells of the Assyrian invasion, yet the Lord is addressed as ‘Immanuel,’ (8:8) explained only as the presence of Deity. Hence the comforting addition, ‘For God is with us.’ While the Hebrew is ‘Immanuel,’ it throws light on the survival of the Hebrew people, facing the treacheries and deceptions of millennia.
The climax of the comforting truth is in Isaiah 9, ‘Unto us a child is born (Christ’s human form emerging through the processes of childbirth), unto us a Son is given
(His eternal Godhead); and the government shall be upon His shoulder: ‘and then His Name is proclaimed, ‘WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, THE MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, the PRINCE OF PEACE, of the increase of His government there shall be no end. (9:6, 7) Although written 700 years before our beloved Saviour was born, Isaiah foretold Him as Emmanuel.
John warmly spoke of this glorious Person, adding ‘The word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.’ The One recorded in the Old Testament (the Word) appeared in human form (He became flesh), and He lived and developed among us, displaying His matchless glory. His secret oneness with the heavenly Father was shown in His matchless grace and revealed as eternal truth. We see Emmanuel as we search the gospels and ponder their imperishable word.
Paul understood that the Lord was with him when Crispus the ruler of the synagogue heard the word believed and was baptized. (Acts 18:9) He heard the inmost voice of the Lord, when ‘The Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision,’ Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not be silent. I AM with you; no one will attack you to hurt you for I have many people in this city.’ The great I AM is Emmanuel assuring Paul that he would be fortified by that divine presence. Many have lost this sense of His unchallengeable Presence, which we desperately need to recapture. I prize it above all personal achievement or possession.
We urgently need reconciliation to the Lord. Paul taught this in 2 Corinthians 5, the resurrection chapter. ‘God was in Christ (mystery of Immanuel) reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. As believers in the risen Christ, we are reconcilers to our God: which is forgotten truth. Have we lost sight of the mystery of God being in Christ the might Reconciler? Our son John regularly visits Rwanda, marveling after the genocide that many Hutus and Tutsis have forgiven each other, even for horrendous crimes. Reconciliation to God and each other releases frees and blesses. Prove in your home life, church and business community that HE is Immanuel.
Timothy supports this majestic truth, ‘Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh (Emmanuel assumed human form, known as the incarnation), justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.’ (3:16) Truly bible mystery is eternal truth made clear to believers. Emmanuel is a humanly, unfathomable mystery. Heathen religions have expressed their gods and goddesses in brick, mortar or in gold. These are false. However, the true God unveiled His self as Immanuel when He took on the form of a Babe and was made in the likeness of man. Hence, Christmas is extra special to God’s people. He prepared all this for one purpose, namely Calvary, where He bore our sin in His own body on the tree.
Adore Him, your Immanuel- God with you. Let His eternal life flow through you.