Jesus Our Immanuel

Introduction: This morning, we begin focusing once again on the Christmas season. And though it may seem familiar, as we come every year to celebrate the season, there is also some benefit to the liturgical, repetitive nature of advent. Though we don’t hold to a church calendar that we liturgically set up our services, we do take from that idea and celebrate Christmas and Easter seasons, because we are constantly reminded of the implications of who Jesus is. You have heard me say over and over again that everything points to Christ, that the intention of the Scriptures is that it points us to Jesus. As we break off from our normal exposition of the Scriptures, we come back to in these seasons to some of the most important doctrines, doctrines that need to be understood in order for us to understand who Jesus is.

This will be the point of this Advent series. This year, we are going to take a look at five different aspects of who Jesus is. His nature. His offices. His work. We will be looking him being Immanuel, Prophet, Priest, King, and Savior. Each of these reveals who the baby in the manger is. He is much more than just a decoration, a cute story that we tell and get our kids to act out. His birth means something. It means everything.

So, let’s begin by reading about His birth this morning from Matthew 1:18-25.

CTS: The divinity and humanity of Jesus is vital to our understanding of what Christmas is all about.

Background: The Early Church

We begin this morning by looking at what the early church dealt with. You may be thinking, as you rightly should, shouldn’t we let the Bible define what we believe about Jesus. Absolutely. But we also should recognize the church that God has established and sustained for over 2000 years. That doesn’t mean the church always got it right. You see that later on in the need for the Reformation. But that Reformation and all other true reforms of the church is rooted in going back to what the Bible says.

The early church had to grapple with who Jesus was and is. Many differing views began to crop up that tried to make sense of Jesus.

Jesus only appeared to have a human body because of the belief that all matter is evil (Gnosticism/Docetism). The emphasis was on his divinity at the expense of his humanity.

Jesus was the Son of God, but not eternal. He was begotten and created and became “god-like” through his actions. So Jesus was not coeternal with the Father and he was created from nothing.

All of this was an attempt to grapple with who Jesus is. The problem was that the grappling by some was including beliefs that were inherited or popular at the time and being inserted into the biblical basis of who Jesus is. Things that didn’t make sense because of philosophies of the day were tried to be explained away.

This is why it is vitally important that we don’t insert our own biases, cultural views, and worldly philosophies into our doctrines about who Jesus is. And the early church had to then come together and discuss, debate, and eventually make a clear statement about who Jesus was. This came in what is called the first Council of Nicea in AD 325.

This Council was brought forth because of the second view i mentioned earlier. That view of Jesus being created and not coeternal with the Father was espoused by a man named Arius. This view continues on today with certain sects and cults, one being Jehovah’s Witnesses. A man by the name of Athanasius began to debate Arius over this view.

The crucial and gracious work of Athanasius, based on the Scriptures, was that Jesus was completely divine and has been for all of eternity. But he was also fully man. Everything that makes God God was found in Jesus. Everything that makes a human being human is found in Jesus.

Eventually a Council was convened to settle the matter. Arius’ view was rejected and a creed was developed based upon Scripture. In that creed is a clear statement about who Jesus is.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God], Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth];

‌Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man;

‌He suffered, and the third day He rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

So, it was vitally important that this was settled, and they used the Scriptures to do so. To not get the identity of Jesus of who Jesus is will affect how we view ourselves, God, and our salvation. And now we look to the Scriptures to see how important the Incarnation is, that God is with us.

I. The Meaning of Immanuel

Matthew 1:22–23 ESV

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

The definition is found in the text. Immanuel means God with us. The implication of Matthew and the other Gospel writers (which some argue that the first three Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke don’t ever say that Jesus is God. That argument holds no water as we see here very clearly in the first chapter of Matthew). The declaration of Matthew in explanation of his birth is that it fulfills the Isaiah prophecy of Isaiah 7:14.

I’m sure you have heard many sermons over the years from this text. Christmas comes often, but thats ok. What we find here is absolutely crucial for us to understand who Jesus. So let’s break down the phrase GOD WITH US.

A. God

What does it means that Jesus is God? Contrary to Arius and other heresies over the history of the church, Jesus didn’t become God at some point. He wasn’t just a good teacher or just a prophet. Jesus is and has always been God. This is important for us to grasp and one detail we have to get right. Jesus, the Son of God, has always existed in eternity with the Father. It was through the conception of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary that he inherited a body, born on Christmas morning. Jesus didn’t begin to exist on Christmas morning. He became flesh on Christmas morning.

What are some Scriptures that back this up? First, John the Apostles makes it very clear in his first part of his gospel.

John 1:1–3 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

A few texts that focus on the identity of Jesus in the New Testament epistles. make it very clear that Jesus is God.

Colossians 1:19 ESV

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

Philippians 2:6 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Hebrews 1:1–3 ESV

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

It’s pretty clear to see that the NT makes it clear and assumes that Jesus is God, the eternal God. The second person of the Trinity, coeternal with the Father.

B. With us

Now, let’s look at the second part. With us. This is an indication, a continued theme throughout the Bible about God’s presence with His people. We see how he engages with his people in the OT, particularly has he reveals himself to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, and the prophets. It is also seen in the clear motif of the tabernacle and temple, where God chooses to engage his people with His presence.

Now, we see that in complete fullness that Jesus fulfills the presence of God by becoming like one of us and dwelling among us.

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Philippians 2:7 ESV

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Romans 8:3 ESV

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

1 Timothy 3:16 ESV

16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

The key in all of those verses is that God dwelt among us, became like us. That means that Jesus is completely human in every way. In every way that we are human is found in Jesus. Born in the likeness of men. Became flesh. In the likeness of sinful flesh.

Jesus clearly was entirely human. He experienced hunger. He experienced being tired. He experienced emotions of losing friends and angry at the lack of faith. He wept at the death of Lazarus. He bled like us. And he would die like us.

Jesus then is the tabernacle, the temple of God among us. It is in him that we are able to experience a relationship with God. Isn’t that amazing to think about? God humbling himself to be with us, to take on flesh like ours. So, we have a good grasp now of his identity, but why was this so important for Jesus to do? Why did God have to put on flesh for us? It was mentioned in some of the texts I read. Let’s explore that.

II. The Implication of Immanuel

Matthew 1:21 ESV

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The purpose of why Jesus came is bound up in his name. Jesus, Yeshua, means “The Lord is salvation.” We will spend Christmas morning fleshing this out a bit more, but today I want you to see that the Incarnation of Jesus has Gospel implications

A. If he isn’t fully God

We established early on that Jesus is God. But if he isn’t fully God, eternal, and merely god-like, then salvation isn’t possible. If Jesus is just human or a superhuman, he is corrupted and not the perfect sacrifice needed for our salvation. What is said in Romans 5 would not be possible if Jesus was merely a man, because man’s righteousness is seen as filthy rags according to Isaiah.

Romans 5:18–19 ESV

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Jesus has to be God in order to be the perfect sacrifice for sin, without blemish.

1 Peter 1:18–21 ESV

18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Hebrews 9:13–14 ESV

13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

To be God is to be without blemish. He is the only one worthy to be the one-time sacrifice for our sins.

If Jesus isn’t God, he won’t be able to be without blemish to pay for our sins.

B. If he isn’t fully man

But he must also put on flesh in order to pay the ransom for humanity. That was reiterated earlier

Romans 8:3 ESV

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

The law couldn’t save us. We couldn’t be good enough. Jesus took on flesh, sinful flesh (though he was without sin) to pay the just penalty for our sinfulness. That just penalty is death according to Rom 6:23

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, Jesus had to come and pay the wages we deserved for our sin, and in order to do that, he had to be made like us. Jesus came to be with us, and had to be fully human as we are, to live righteously where we could not by being perfectly obedient to the Law, and to sacrifice himself in our place to make us righteous by his own substitutionary atonement. We saw that clearly as we walked through the Passover of Jesus.

If Jesus isn’t fully man, he can’t die to pay the penalty of our sins.

Conclusion:

Athanasius, that guy we mentioned earlier that defended the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus, said this:

“The body of the Word, then, being a real human body, in spite of its having been uniquely formed from a virgin, was of itself mortal and, like other bodies, liable to death. But the indwelling of the Word loosed it from this natural liability, so that corruption could not touch it. Thus is happened that two opposite marvels took place at once: the death of all was consummated in the Lord's body; yet, because the Word was in it, death and corruption were in the same act utterly abolished.”

Salvation’s foundation rests in the incarnation of Jesus. If he is not God with us, he won’t be able to fulfill His role as Savior. This is what Christmas is truly about. God made flesh, to live the life we could not live, obeying the Law and worshiping the Father perfectly, and then died the death we deserved. He rose again to defeat that death for all who put their faith and trust in Him. He was born to die. He was born to raise from the dead. He was born to save you and me, to dwell among us, and to reconcile us back to God.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS? We communicate this incredible hope we have. We get past the cute baby in the manger scene and begin meditating and proclaiming the implications of the incarnation. One very simple way to do this with family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, or strangers is to ask them “What is your favorite part of the Christmas season?” This is a wonderful way to transition the conversation to Jesus.

Don’t let the world, philosophy, or anything else define who Jesus is. We must on the Scriptures, how God reveals himself. It may not make sense in our own human minds, but we trust by faith this is true. The church has stood on these truths for over two thousand years. We must do so as well, as unpopular as it may be. Salvation depends on it!