O Come, O Come Immanuel

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.

· Matthew’s gospel is aimed at answering the questions, who is Jesus and why is he important?

· Last week we covered four important titles that are derived from His genealogy.

o Jesus (Savior)

o Christ (Anointed One/Messiah)

o Son of David (King)

o Son of Abraham (A blessing for the world)

· This week we will be looking at what it means for Jesus to be Immanuel (God with us)

o Through the story of Joseph, His adoptive father.

· Matthew 1:18–25 (ESV)

· 3 revelations and 3 choices are made in this passage that reveal to us the important nature of Jesus’s other name: Immanuel.

Matthew 1:18–19 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.

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.

· Though the text reads “the birth of Jesus Christ,” it is really more about His origin according to the flesh. The word used is genesis.

· We can be sure about this because this story is not concerned with His birth as an event, but his conception.

· Jesus was conceived and born of a virgin.

o This doctrine has often received challenge by those who would discredit the Christian faith.

o Unfortunately, there has also been a tendency for Christians to give ground to the skeptics, declaring that this is a non-essential doctrine.

o This could not be farther from the truth. The virgin birth is absolutely essential to the Christian faith.

o Matthew states twice in this passage that Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, and not by any human father.

o This is an important theological point. The Holy Spirit is the efficient cause of all creation. In Genesis 1:2 we find Him hovering over the waters.

· Genesis 1:2 (ESV)

Genesis 1:2 ESV

2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

o He was the breath of God breathed into the man, bringing him to life.

· Genesis 2:7 (ESV)

Genesis 2:7 ESV

7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

7 then the LordGod formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

· What we see in the conception of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit is nothing less than a new act of creation.

o Jesus was conceived in a completely unique way form all men since Adam; he is called the second Adam for this reason.

o Being conceived of the Holy Spirit means that Jesus is free of the spiritual death that all men have inherited from their first father.

§ He was born free of that original guilt…the second man ever to truly live.

o The virgin birth of Jesus Christ means that He is able to be a pure substitute for us. His obedience to the law is able to be imputed to us, and become the basis of true life for us through the same Holy Spirit.

In the Virgin Birth, God declares that Jesus came to save us from our sins.

· Jesus’s conception is a matter of great scandal, for Mary is betrothed to Joseph.

· The ancient Jewish marriage process was quite unlike modern marriage traditions.

o Often arranged, a husband and wife would be engaged according to an agreement between their fathers during their childhood.

§ This engagement could be abandoned if the woman found the man unsuitable or the man found the woman unfaithful.

o A year before the wedding, the couple would be betrothed to one another. This was a preparatory period which was as legally binding as a marriage.

§ Mary and Joseph are called husband and wife.

§ Only a legal divorce could break this agreement.

o It was during this betrothal that it became known to Joseph that Mary was pregnant.

§ We know that this is because of the work of the Holy Spirit as found in Luke’s account, but Joseph does not know this yet.

§ Joseph (and Mary) is put in a difficult position.

· This would be scandalous today, how much more so in Jesus’s day.

o For a woman to be found to be impure during her betrothal had serious consequences accoding to the Law of Moses.

· Deuteronomy 22:13–15 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 22:13–15 ESV

13 “If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then hates her 14 and accuses her of misconduct and brings a bad name upon her, saying, ‘I took this woman, and when I came near her, I did not find in her evidence of virginity,’ 15 then the father of the young woman and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of the city in the gate.

· Deuteronomy 22:20–21 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 22:20–21 ESV

20 But if the thing is true, that evidence of virginity was not found in the young woman, 21 then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

o This was a death penalty offense because purity was of the utmost importance to God’s people.

· Now, the Romans did not permit the Jews to practice capital offense, but the disgrace that such a violation would result in was as serious as serious could be.

o Mary, however, is not the focus here…Joseph is, and Joseph is a character that is worth examining.

o He is often called “silent Joseph” because we have no record of any of his word.

§ This makes his actions the chief way that we come to know his character.

§ He has a difficult choice to make.

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

· Joseph is a just man—this disallows him to take Mary as a wife.

o To his knowledge, Mary has betrayed their marriage and engaged in an impure, adulterous relationship with another man.

o The Law of Moses forbids such conduct to be overlooked.

§ Obedience requires him to divorce her.

· Joseph is also a compassionate man—his character is marked by mercy and grace as much as they are justice.

o He loves Mary and does not bear any ill intent toward her, despite her apparent betrayal.

o Though she would be worthy of public disgrace, Joseph is not willing to put her to shame in such a way.

· His solution, the only one which will satisfy justice and mercy, is that he will divorce her quietly.

This would have been the end of the story. A broken relationship. If it were not for God’s intervention.

Matthew 1:20–23 ESV

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).

· Joseph is wrestling with the decision he must make when God intervenes.

· Matthew 1:20 (ESV)

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.

· Joseph sees no other way forward because he is unable to see the bigger picture (what God is actually doing). He is making the best decision he can with the information he has available.

This is the reality of a life lived before God. At times we will be confronted by God in His Word, in ways that reveal the bigger context in which we are living. They challenge what seems right to us and we have to make a decision in light of what God’s Word commands us to.

· The angel reveals the truth of the matter of Mary’s pregnancy and gives Joseph clear reason to change his course. In the course of the angel’s message, some important things are revealed about the coming of Jesus.

· He calls Joseph, “Son of David.”

o This is a revelation of Joseph’s critical importance to the incarnation of the Messiah.

o Joseph is of the line of David, a direct descendant of the ancient king.

o This is important because Jesus is called “Son of David.”

§ Joseph becoming Jesus’s adoptive father is the reason why Jesus is able to be included in the line of David.

· Jeremiah 23:5–6 (ESV)

Jeremiah 23:5–6 ESV

5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

· He says, “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife”

o This is a direct statement about Mary’s purity and suitability to become Joseph’s wife.

§ He need not fear that marrying her will cause him to become guilty of law-breaking. It is God’s intention that Joseph become Mary’s husband.

· “That which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit”

o Joseph receives the missing information that would have made the difference in his decision-making process.

o What seemed like a scandal is actually supernatural.

· The angel then gives Joseph a command.

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

· Joseph is commanded not only to marry Mary, but to take Jesus as his son.

o This is made clear in the command to name him.

§ Naming children in the ancient Jewish culture was the perogative of the father. (Zachariah and John the Baptist)

o His name shall be Jesus, reiterating the purpose for which He is born.

· Matthew now interjects to communicate the meaning of these things for us. This whole saga of the virgin birth, and of Joseph’s choice is linked to a prophecy that was made 700 years previous.

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).

· Matthew is declaring to us that Jesus’s birth is the fulfillment of the virgin birth prophecy of Isaiah 7.

· Isaiah 7:1–25 (ESV)

Isaiah 7:1–25 ESV

1 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 2 When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. 3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. 4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 thus says the Lord God: “ ‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. 9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’ ” 10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 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. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” 18 In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures. 20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also. 21 In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey. 23 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns. 24 With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.

1 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 2 When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

3 And the Lordsaid to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. 4And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6“Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,”

7 thus says the Lord God: “‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. 9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’”

10 Again the Lordspoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.”

13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” 18 In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures. 20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also. 21 In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey. 23 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns. 24 With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.

· The kings of Syria and Northern Israel joined forces to invade Judah during the reign of King Ahaz.

· God sent the prophet to Ahaz to offer a gracious blessing to him.

o Deliverance (7:7)

o God’s offer came with two warnings (7:9, 10).

· Ahaz rejected God’s grace in order to pursue his own ends by entreating Assyria to come.

o He couched his rejection in false piety (7:12).

· Ahaz was faced with a difficult position and made the situation to find his own way forward, inviting Assyria to come save him instead of seeking the Lord.

Ahaz is the epitome of the self-made man. His attitude was one of wanting nothing to do with God. He wanted to be the master of his own fate…as we all do at times.

· God is not so easily dismissed.

o He gives Ahaz a sign anyway.

o God promises that the virgin will give birth to Immanuel

§ However, this birth will be a sign of God’s presence not to bless, but to judge.

§ Assyria will oppress Judah instead of delivering it.

· What this makes clear to us is that God’s presence with us is a fact of existence and not a matter for us to receive by faith…God is present with us whether we like it or not.

God is Immanuel. If we reject His deliverance for one of our own, we may be successful for a time (in the short run).

o Ahaz was delivered from Rezin and Pekah, but he fell under the control of Assyria instead.

We often seek deliverances of our own making, and these sometimes have some measure of success.

Drink, drug, money, career, education, family…all give some level of deliverance perhaps. But they never last. They cannot match what is promised by God to those who trust Him.

· 2 Corinthians 4:17–18 (ESV)

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 ESV

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

o Immanuel means that God is present to bless us but rejecting that He is still present to judge.

· Now, this prophecy to Ahaz was fulfilled in his lifetime, as chapter 8 shows. (Maher-shahel-hash-baz).

o But chapters 9 and 11 seem to present this prophecy as still waiting fulfillment.

· Isaiah 9:6–7 (ESV) He will establish an eternal kingdom.

Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

· Isaiah 11:1–10 (ESV) He will bring judgement and eternal peace to His kingdom.

Isaiah 11:1–10 ESV

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. 6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. 6The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

· The birth of Jesus Christ is a super-fulfillment (another fulfillment) of the Isaiah 7 prophecy.

· It is another, greater fulfillment in that God is again extending the Immanuel promise to his people, to be blessed or to be judged.

Matthew 1:24–25 ESV

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.

· Matthew completes the story of Jesus’s miraculous origin by describing Joseph’s reaction to the message of the angel.

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.

· Joseph’s impeccable character is demonstrated in one simple response: obedience.

· He had a choice, the same as Ahaz.

o His way or God’s—Joseph chooses God’s way.

There is a beautiful poetic symmetry between Joseph and his namesake. Joseph is arguably the main character of the last arc of Genesis, but his story is interrupted by the story of Judah’s impurity with Tamar. But at the end of Genesis we see that Judah is given the scepter (birthright) and not Joseph.

In this, we see that Joseph served the purposes of God by preserving Judah. Because of Joseph, Judah’s line would produce King David and later Jesus Christ. Joseph was serving the purposes of God in order to redeem His people.

Now, many centuries later, another Joseph is protecting that line so that the work of redemption can finally be accomplished in Jesus Christ.

· Matthew’s gospel reveals that Jesus is from the line of David by Joseph, but not of the flesh of David.

o David’s descendants had failed live up to their high calling, or even David’s legacy.

Flesh could not deliver us…only God could do that, and so Jesus was born into the world in a supernatural act of the Holy Spirit.

We must be careful to remember that our hope is not in flesh and blood: In kings or prophets; in politicians or preachers…but in Jesus Christ alone.

· Jesus is the promise Immanuel (God with us).

o The story of Ahaz shows that God had prepared us for Jesus’s coming beforehand so that we would recognize the sign and respond accordingly.

o God is present with us in Jesus Christ and this means we must reckon with Him.

· Isaiah 8:14 (ESV)

Isaiah 8:14 ESV

14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

· He was with Ahaz as a sign, but He has come to us in person.

· Some people will respond as Ahaz did, with indifference, but to do this misses the true point of this Immanuel.

· Jesus Christ is God With Us. It is the truth; embraced or rejected.

o He came in the flesh, and he has sent the Holy Spirit to remain with us.

· Christmas is a declaration of this Immanuel promise and its call to the whole world.

o To those who believe Jesus is Immanuel, God with us to bless and save.

o To those who do not receive Him Jesus is Immanuel, God with us to call us to repentance and faith (for there is no other name).

o To those who finally reject the call Jesus is Immanuel, God with us to judge in righteousness.

· If we would be faithful, let us follow the pattern of Joseph.

o Let us submit our lives, our plans, our emotions to Him.

o Let us give our hearts to loving his ways and our minds to obedience to His commands.

· Let us remember that Jesus is Immanuel in every season.

o In times of loneliness and suffering, He is with us for comfort. He brings light into the darkness.

· Let us respond to Jesus our Immanuel with gratitude for his blessings; avoiding the temptation to ascribe the good in our lives to good fortune or hard work.

O Come, O Come Immanuel

Introduction

Jesus’s Scandalous Origin (Matt. 1:18-19)

God’s Intentions Revealed (Matt. 1:20-23)

Joseph’s Character Displayed (Matt. 1:24-25)

Conclusion