The Coming of Immanuel (Mt 1:18-25)

Introduction:

As we continue in this years advent series entitled, Immanuel: God With Us, we have traced Immanuel from heavens glory in, The Glory of Immanuel from Isaiah 6, where we saw him high and lifted up, worshipped by the seraphim, and filling the temple with his glory, to The Promise of Immanuel, the sign to the wicked King Ahaz showing his absolute sovereignty over all events, even wicked kings, in Isaiah 7, to last weeks glorious prophesy concerning The Domain of Immanuel from Isaiah 9, where Immanuel’s eternal domain of light will forever dispel the darkness of this world’s domain. All these were Old Testament visions of Immanuel with their prophesies yet to be fulfilled.

This morning, we finally come to the New Testament fulfillment of these prophesies and visions as they now become a reality and we gloriously see, The Coming of Immanuel in Matthew 1:18-25.

Text: Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18–25 ESV

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 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). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Main Idea: Because Immanuel is God with us, it was essential that God take on flesh and be born as a human.

Background:

Matthew was written primarily to the Jews with his purpose to declare that Jesus was their promised Messiah and final, eternal King, fulfilling both the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. This is why Matthew begins his gospel with:

Matthew 1:1 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

He then proceeds to provide his genealogy, in verses 2-17, as evidence of his declaration.

I. Miraculous Conception and Concern (18-19)

A. Holy Spirit Conceived (18)

(18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Mary had been betrothed to Joseph - The custom of betrothal was different from “engagement” in modern society. Customarily the parents of a young man chose a young woman to be engaged to their son. A second stage of betrothal involved official arrangements and a prenuptial agreement before witnesses, which was a legally binding contract and could be broken only by a formal process of divorce. This agreement was considered an official betrothal without physical relations, and lasted about a year, at which time a final, consummated marriage took place with feasting and a week long celebration.

before they came together - though she was betrothed to Joseph, they had not yet finished their betrothal period, and therefore were not involved physically, in other words, Mary was a virgin…though this was the case…

she was found to be with child - Mary is about four months pregnant, having spent three months with Elizabeth, her “relative” (Luke 1:36, 56).

Luke 1:36 ESV

36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

Luke 1:56 ESV

56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

from (ek [preposition of source] by means of) the Holy Spirit - Mary’s conception was miraculous. Jesus was placed into her womb by means of the Holy Spirit. How important is the virgin birth?

It is taught clearly and unmistakably in the scriptures in Mary’s encounter with the angel:

Luke 1:26–35 ESV

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

The very word Immanuel demands that both God and Man are involved here and intimately connected and supernatural. To deny the virgin birth is an attempt to deny the supernatural and undermine the redemptive plan of God.

Paul mentions that Jesus was born of a woman in Galatians 4, but he also describes how Jesus, this one who was born as a human, is different than Adam in Romans 5. Because he is not from an ordinary descent from Adam, he is not part of the curse and the sin that is passed down from Adam, which enables him to save a remnant through his sacrificial death, because he himself is sinless.

Millard Erickson states this well: "If we do not hold to the virgin birth despite the fact that the Bible asserts it, then we have compromised the authority of the Bible and there is in principle no reason why we should hold to its other teachings. Thus, rejecting the virgin birth has implications reaching far beyond the doctrine itself."

B. Righteous Response (19)

(19) And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. -

And her husband Joseph - Betrothed partners were referred to as husband and “wife” (v. 20), though they were not yet considered to be married, and having sexual relations during that period was considered immoral.

put her to shame - Sexual unfaithfulness during betrothal was considered adultery, and under the Mosaic law carried the death penalty by stoning.

divorce her quietly - Joseph intended to maintain his personal righteousness, yet he desired to show compassion even though Mary appeared to be an adulteress.

Joseph had every right to think the worst, for up to this point, there has never been a virgin conception.

II. Angelic Intervention and Instruction (20-21)

A. Angelic Explanation (20)

(20) But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Behold - represents Greek idou, used frequently by Matthew to signal emphasis, prompt the reader to pay special attention, or introduce something new or unusual.

The angel of the Lord is Gabriel (cf. Luke 1:26).

appeared to him in a dream - God imparted special revelation through dreams to Joseph (also 2:13, 19, 22), the magi (2:12), and the wife of Pontius Pilate (27:19), as He had to OT figures such as Joseph, son of Jacob (Gen. 37:5–11; 40:5–19; 41:1–36).

Joseph, son of David - Joseph, a son of David, was a legal heir to David’s throne.

do not fear to take Mary as your wife - the angel affirms the union between Mary and Joseph and explains why he should do this…

for (gar [explanatory conjunction]) that which is conceived in her is from (ek [preposition of source] by means of) the Holy Spirit - Mary’s conception was miraculous. Jesus was placed into her womb by means of the Holy Spirit.

B. Hope filled Instructions (21)

(21) She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” - these hope filled instruction are immersed in God’s sovereign power to control all things…

She will bear a son - for certainly, Mary will bear a son.

you shall call his name Jesus - The Gk. equivalent of “Joshua,” meaning “Yahweh is salvation,” or “Yahweh saves.”, which once again shows that Immanuel is named the savour and sin bearer as both God and Man. This he explains next…

he will save his people from their sins - he will for certain, save his people from their sins.

III. Prophesy Fulfilled (22-23)

This is no surprise, if you read the prophet’s Matthew is saying, here’s what they said…

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

All this took place to fulfill - This is Matthew’s “fulfillment formula,” by which he points to an event or teaching of Jesus that fulfills an OT passage, indicating:

(1) a direct prediction-fulfillment (e.g., vv. 22–23);

(2) the intended full meaning of the OT Scripture (e.g., 5:17–20); or

(3) a divinely orchestrated correspondence to Israel’s history (e.g., 2:15, 17–18).

what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: - this was not some contingency plan, it was prophesied and subsequently, is now about to be fulfilled.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). - God is now about to be with us as prophesied by Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

IV. Immediate Obedience (24-25)

Note Joseph’s response…

(24) When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, - Joseph believed and obeyed the divine revelation of the angel, and took her as his wife, thus ending the betrothal period. He did this without question, options, hesitation or risk concerns.

(25) but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

but knew her not - did not have sexual relations with her

until she had given birth to a son - shows that Mary was not divine, but blessed in a way that no other woman was blessed, however, she resumed her normal intimate relations with her husband after the birth of Jesus.

he called his name Jesus - in obedience the the angelic command; it was the husband’s responsibility to name the child, and Joseph in doing so, signified the proposed purpose and work of Immanuel, more about that tonight…

So What?

Do we really understand the essential importance of Immanuel being born of a virgin?

Do we understand that all of Old Testament scripture centers around the coming of Immanuel?

Are we able, in the midst of our festivities, to focus on Jesus the saviour, God in human form, born to go to the cross as our substitute, and therefore revealing the inseparable link between the manger and the cross?