Jesus: Immanuel
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
What is in a name?
What is in a name?
Hi! My name is Jason Davis.
Many of you know me by JD. When I was in the Navy I was known as “doc,” “chief,” and “Senior” before I retired. Names become someone’s identity. They reveal their character. Who they truly are.
There is a lot in a name. Names are important and they matter. When we say a name, we are speaking of someone’s identity.
If you google most common names in America you would find, James, John, Robert, Michael. I bet you have even met someone by one of those names.
There are many reasons why someone would name their son one of these names. It might be the meaning of the name, or it might be because one of their relatives or ancestors had the name and they wanted to remember them and carry the name on. What ever the reason these names tend to get passed down more often than most.
Kind of like the name Jesus. Maybe not as much today as it did more then 2,000 years ago.
Jesus was a common name. Within today’s time, many would probably not imagine naming a child Jesus. There is too much identity wrapped up in the name.
18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. 20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her 25 but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. And he named him Jesus.
Jesus’s name was not given to Him by His human mother or father.
We saw in the scriptures that heaven sent a message to Joseph through an angel and told him what to name Jesus.
Jesus was not Joseph’s biological child, but He was the child Joseph would help raise.
Thus, the message of what to call Him came to the earthly father from His true heavenly Father.
God instructed Joseph to name the baby Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25)
This name would become His most well-known name.
The name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua which means “Yahweh saves.”
Recall that Joshua delivered the Israelites into the promised land. A man who was fierce and full of faith.
The name Joshua and the corresponding Greek name, Jesus, refers to a person who leads the way into a place of blessing – a person who delivers people from their enemies.
Jesus means “Savior,” “rescuer,” and “deliverer.”
God chose a name for His only begotten Son that means, “Savior.”
Jesus came to rescue each one of us.
We see it clearly in Matthew 1:21
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
The word used here “save” can also be translated as rescue.
Names are important and they matter.
Names are also more then just a nomenclature. Names involve identity.
So, if names matter to us, one can imagine they matter even more to God – the Creator and originator of humanity, in whose image we have been made.
We see throughout scripture the various names of God reflecting His character and attributes.
Each one of them drawing us into a quality of and relational connection with Him that help us to identify who He is in each particular moment and situation.
This allows us to get to know Him better, as well as understand the numerous ways He can work both in and through our lives.
We will look at a few of them later.
Not only does God the Father go by many meaningful names, but Jesus – God the Son – has many names Himself.
Let’s take a moment to think back some 2,000 years ago.
There was no fanfare as you might have seen with a birth in a royal family. But not for Jesus.
He came as a King, and He could have been born in a castle.
Yet he was born in a barn or place were the animals were kept, to parents who were both unknown and poor, and He arrived with little worldly notice.
No one sent flowers. No nursemaid helped with his diapers. And the few gifts that he did receive they were much later. (The wise men didn’t show up till he was a child)
So why should we even give attention to Jesus?
Because heaven’s own heart had beat in the womb of a young woman for the previous nine months. More then likely a young teenager herself, Jesus’s mother, Mary, who was full of faith far greater than the years she had known. Out of her body came God’s omnipotence covered in humanity’s limitations.
He was flesh, bones, sinew, and blood. Yet he was also the perfection of deity.
He felt hunger because He was fully human, yet He would later feed five thousand because He was fully God (Luke 9:10-17).
He grew thirsty because He was fully human, yet He would one day walk on water because He was fully God (John 6:16-21)
Jesus’ birth was like no other, for in Him, God took on human flesh.
He was born of a virgin.
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit so that His human nature might be sinless. His humanity had both a heavenly origin through the power of God’s Spirit and an earthly origin through Mary.
The virgin birth thus circumvented the transfer of a sinful nature.
God sent the Angel Gabriel to make sure that Mary was aware of the special role that Jesus would play in history – and for all eternity.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”
We see here as Messiah and King overall, Jesus has already established the rules of His reign,
Setting the tone through His life.
In His kingdom, neither race nor gender nor wealth nor social status determines our place in Him.Galatians 3:28
28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Christ gives strength to the weak who recognize their weakness and look to Him.
Forgiveness trumps bitterness.
This baby born of a virgin, came not to live and die, but to reign in power and glory.
6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Notice the given. The Son was given by God.
As the Son of God, Jesus already existed, but He came to earth through human birth. That’s why it could be said of Him that He created the universe.
Too many people want to keep Jesus in the manger because they don’t want to deal with His deity.
As long as they can keep Him asleep in the stable, they don’t’ have to reckon with the reality that He’s God on a throne. But He was already God. Thus, the Son had to be “given.”
Paul highlighted the reality of deity merging with humanity in (Galatians 4:4
4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
God sent His Son – the Son was “given” – yet Jesus was “born of a woman.” God became man.
Clearly summarizing the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
The two natures of Jesus Christ from what theologians call the hypostatic union.
This is just a big term that simply refers to the reality that Jesus is made up of undiminished deity and perfect humanity.
He became no less God when He became human. Mary did not give birth to both God and a man.
Jesus was not 50 percent human and 50 percent God. Rather, Mary gave birth to the God-man – God with us, Immanuel.
In Colossians 1:19 we see that:
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
We often see in the Bible that it equates Jesus with God, reinforcing this relationship.
Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the world, and Colossians 1:16 tells us that all things were created by Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is distinct from God the Father in His person, yet equal with the Father in His deity.
He took on human flesh, being born as a baby in a world of darkness.
He came for the purpose of making the invisible God visible to us in history.
Jesus came to earth as the Son of God so that we may know God and experience Him more fully.
One of the ways we can get to know Jesus and the power He offers to give us in our daily lives is through coming to understand His names.
God gave us a Savior we could understand. In understanding Him and getting to know His names, we get to know and understand God all the more as well.
John 1:18 says:
18 No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.
We were never constructed to stand in the presence of His Glory. It’s like staring straight into the sun. It can’t and shouldn’t be done. There’s too much power for a direct stare. (Moses as an example)
So how could God fully revel Himself without vaporizing us?
He is fully revealed in Jesus. To understand Jesus is to understand God.
Jesus took everything there was to know about God and put it on a shelf we could reach.
Jesus is the complete revelation of God.
That’s why you can’t bypass Jesus and get to God.
You can’t skip Jesus and have God.
You can’t deny Jesus and know God.
Jesus is the only begotten Son- the only one.
Jesus is God with us. He is Immanuel.
The name Jesus (“Yahweh saves”) describes what Jesus does;
Immanuel (“God with us”) describes who Jesus is.[1]
It is through Jesus that we get to know God., we discover the depth of His power, and we understand the fullness of His love.
Without Jesus we would be limited in our understanding of God’s full character and would never gain entrance into the presence of God.
No other name of Jesus reflects the nature of God’s heart towards us like the name Immanuel.
Matthew reminds us of this name in (Matthew 1:22-23
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”
All this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
We are given the meaning of the name right in the passage: “God with us.”
But the context of the meaning can only be found in Isaiah, which Matthew referenced here.
If we look back at Isaiah and during the time of this writing about Immanuel, God’s people were being attacked by the enemy.
They were surrounded and were facing disaster. King Ahaz could not see any sure way to victory for himself or his nation.
It is within this fear, anxiety, and dread that God showed up and told King Ahaz that He would give him a sign of victory. No ordinary sign, a virgin would bear a son. (Isaiah 7:1-14).
The prophecy told us that when this sign came about, there would be victory.
This promised sign would be an ongoing reminder of God’s presence with them, in spite of what was attacking them.
The name Immanuel came about within a context of pain, despair, loss, doubt, fear, and chaos. Came to a world in crisis.
This name is not just a reminder during Christmas we sing carols too.
No, this name, Immanuel is a name of comfort when times are at their worst.
What we all need to understand about Jesus is that no matter what we have gone through or what you are currently going through, He is with you.
No matter how difficult the challenges you face, God is with you.
No matter how many enemies attack you – whether internally or externally- God is with you.
Whatever you are facing, struggling with, enduring, or exhausted from, God is with you.
The birth of Jesus Christ is not only the introduction of our Savior in this world: it is also the introduction of God’s promise of victory and His presence in the midst of a painful reality we all know far too well.
Friends, family, brothers and sisters, God is with you.
Jesus came so that we may know God more, have a relationship with Him and fully experience His power completely as He deals with our sins and our circumstances.
No matter what difficulties have threatened to drown you, you can overcome.
No matter what you have gone through, you are not alone.
No matter what challenges you are facing – however big or small- God’s victory is in your grasp because His presence is with you.
You are never facing anything on your own.
Jesus gives us God in the flesh.
Colossians 1:15
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
He is the “exact representation of God.” Hebrews 1:3
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
When we talk about Jesus – Immanuel- we are talking about God himself.
We are not just talking about a man that lived and walked the earth. We are talking about God in the flesh.
We can see Jesus manifesting the fullness of deity, which is God alone, all throughout the Scriptures.
We can see it in the names of God, Jesus exemplifies and embodies them.
Some examples:
The OT, God is called Elohim, which means the Creator God.
The NT tells us that everything has been created by Jesus (Colossians 1:16)
16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him.
We know God as Jehovah, the great I AM.
Jesus came, He said, “Before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8:58)
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”
God is known as Jehovah Nissi, which means He is our banner of victory.
The NT, Jesus said He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33)
33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
God is known as Jehovah Rohi, which means that the Lord is our shepherd.
Jesus came to us as the good shepherd whose sheep know His voice. (John 10:4, 11)
4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
God is called Jehovah Sabaoth. This name refers to Him as the Lord of hosts.
Jesus said that He could have called 12 legions of angels to fight on His behalf; He commands the armies of heaven (Matthew 26:53)
53 Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels?
We know God as El Elyon, meaning the Lord who is high and mighty.
Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, high above. (Ephesians 1:20-21)
20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And we know God as El Shaddai, which means God Almighty.
Scripture speaks of Jesus in the same terms when it says that Jesus Christ is Lord Almighty (Revelation 1:8)
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Jesus is God with us in every way.
If you ever want to know the names of Jesus, just get to know the names of God, because Jesus is the fulfillment of every name of God.
And He has come as Immanuel, “God with us” in order to revel God to us.
So if you ever get confused about who God is and what He is like, all you have to do is remember Immanuel.
Why send Jesus, Immanuel, to us?
Why not just revel Himself as He is?
Because God is transcendent in nature.
He sits outside our realm. He is infinitely distinct from His creation. In another zone.
But God wanted to be with us.
He desired to dwell among us.
This could only occur through the hypostatic union, through the merging of two natures into one person (Jesus) that remain unmixed forever.
Jesus is both divine and human, which is why Jesus can be called both the Son of God and the Son of Man.
The incarnation came to be in order that the Father’s will would be carried out.
A perfect sacrifice was made for the sins of humanity,
And in the midst of that incarnational gift, we discover that God placed Himself into a context, where we could come to know Him in a more personal, intimate way.
He is “God with us,” He is God with you.
Jesus’ names empower and equip you to live out your life to the fullest.
Don’t let this be where you stop getting to know Jesus.
There are many more names.
He is found all throughout Scripture — whether directly or indirectly.
He rescues, supplies, provides, comforts, guides, gives, loves, and goes to battle for you.
From start ti finish there is no place that you can look and not discover Jesus.
He is over all.
He is in all.
He is our all in all.
[1] Ted Cabal et al., The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith(Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1405.