Immanuel: The Gift of God With Us
Christ’s Gifts to the Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Today’s Reading from God’s Word
Today’s Reading from God’s Word
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.”
Introduction
Introduction
This is the season when we talk a lot about gifts.
We wrap them carefully.
We exchange them gladly.
And in many ways, gifts express love, thoughtfulness, and care.
But we also know something else to be true.
A gift—no matter how generous—cannot replace presence.
You can give a gift and still be far away.
You can send something meaningful and still be absent.
You can provide what someone needs and yet not truly be with them.
That’s why some of the most painful moments in life are not about what we lacked—but about who was missing.
And as we think about our heavenly Father, it’s not all about what things He has gave us, it’s about who God gave us.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about Christ’s gifts to the church—how He equips His people, how He builds His body, how He provides everything necessary for ministry and growth.
But this morning, I want us to step back and say something more foundational.
Before Christ gave leaders,
before He gave Scripture,
before He gave ministry,
before He gave mission—
Christ gave Himself.
And if we miss that, we miss everything.
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.”
That word—Immanuel—is not poetic decoration.
It is the heart of the gospel.
It means that God did not remain distant.
God did not speak from afar.
God did not send instructions and stay removed.
God came near.
That’s what made the incarnation such a shock.
The problem humanity had was not merely ignorance.
It was not simply moral failure.
It was not a lack of religious effort.
The problem was separation.
And God’s answer to that problem was not a rulebook.
It was presence.
So this morning, I want us to look at the Immanuel promise—from Isaiah to Matthew—and see why the greatest gift the church has ever received is not what Christ gives us to do, but who Christ is to us.
Because everything else the church has—
every tool,
every role,
every calling—
only works because God is with us.
And that changes everything.
Why the Immanuel Promise Was Necessary
Why the Immanuel Promise Was Necessary
Let’s go back to Isaiah 7. King Ahaz is reigning over Judah.
To understand the Immanuel promise, we need to understand who Ahaz was.
Ahaz was not a godly king who had a bad day. He was a faithless king facing a frightening moment.
2 Kings 16:2-4 introduces us to Ahaz:
2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God like his ancestor David
3 but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even sacrificed his son in the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.
4 He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
Ahaz:
Did not walk in the ways of David
Adopted pagan practices
Even sacrificed his own son
This is not a man seeking God’s will.
This is a man far from God.
Now add the crisis.
5 Then Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah came to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but were not able to conquer him.
They want to overthrow Ahaz and install a puppet king in Jerusalem.
Judah is cornered. The threat is real. And fear spreads quickly.
Isaiah tells us that the king and the people were trembling
2 When it became known to the house of David that Aram had occupied Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in the wind.
That image matters.
Because when fear takes over, faith collapses.
God sends Isaiah to Ahaz with a message.
And it is not, “Prepare for war.”
It is not, “Negotiate wisely.”
It is this:
4 Say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Don’t be afraid or cowardly because of these two smoldering sticks, the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and the son of Remaliah.
And then God does something astonishing.
He invites Ahaz to ask for a sign.
11 “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God—it can be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”
Any sign. Anywhere.
In other words: God gives Ahaz every opportunity to trust Him.
But Ahaz refuses. He says,
12 But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”
That sounds spiritual. It isn’t.
Ahaz has already decided to put his trust in Assyria.
2 Kings 16:7-8 - He plans to buy protection from a pagan empire instead of relying on God.
His refusal is not humility—it is defiance disguised as faith.
And it is right there, in that moment of unbelief, that God speaks the Immanuel promise.
13 Isaiah said, “Listen, house of David! Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God?
14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign:
In other words: You won’t ask for a sign—so I will give one anyway.”
And the sign is not a strategy.
It is not a treaty.
It is not a military victory.
It is a child.
14 See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.
A promise that one day, God Himself would come near.
Why This Matters for the Church
Why This Matters for the Church
This tells us something vital about God.
God does not wait for perfect faith before acting.
God does not withdraw because of fear.
God does not abandon His people when leaders fail.
Instead, He moves toward them.
Immanuel was spoken into:
Fear
Failure
Compromise
And that’s why it still speaks powerfully today.
God Entered Our Condition
God Entered Our Condition
Now, let’s go to Matthew 1:21–23
Isaiah promised that God would be with His people.
Matthew tells us how God kept that promise.
Not symbolically. Not spiritually. Not from a distance.
But personally.
When the angel speaks to Joseph, the announcement is direct and purposeful.
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
That name—Jesus—means “The Lord saves.”
But then Matthew adds the explanation.
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.”
Matthew wants us to see something clearly.
Jesus did not merely bring God’s message.
Jesus is God’s presence.
This is what makes the incarnation so staggering.
God did not remain in heaven and send instructions.
God did not send an angel to fix the problem.
God did not speak from a distance.
God took on flesh.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
He entered:
Our weakness
Our temptation
Our sorrow
Our suffering
Our mortality
1:14: dwelt literally means, “He pitched His tent among us.”
God moved into the neighborhood.
And this matters deeply for the you and me.
Because the real problem humanity faced was not simply ignorance.
It was not a lack of effort.
It was not even a lack of religion.
It was separation.
Sin had created distance.
And distance could only be healed by presence.
That’s why Matthew ties salvation and Immanuel together.
Matthew 1:21 - “He will save his people from their sins.”
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:23: “God is with us.”
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.”
Those are not two ideas. They are one.
A distant God cannot save a broken people.
And don’t miss this:
God did not enter our world at its best.
He entered it at its worst.
A poor family
A suspicious pregnancy
Political oppression
Violence and instability
Immanuel did not come to a throne. He came to a manger.
Because God did not come to be admired. He came to redeem.
Christianity Can Only Be From God
Christianity Can Only Be From God
And it is why Christianity is different from every other religion.
We do not climb up to God. God came down to us.
We do not earn His presence. We live in it.
The church is not built on human effort. It is built on divine nearness.
And every act of ministry,
every word of hope,
every step of obedience—
flows from this truth: God is with us.
And if Christ truly came to be with us…
Then the greatest gift the church has ever received is not what He gives us to do— but who He is to us.
And that changes how we understand everything else He gives.
The Greatest Gift to the Church is Not What Christ Gives, But Who He Is
The Greatest Gift to the Church is Not What Christ Gives, But Who He Is
By now, we understand this much:
Isaiah promised God with us.
Matthew declared God has come.
Now we need to see what that means for the church.
Because this week as we think about about Christ coming into the world, we need to remember there is more:
It’s about Christ remaining with His people.
We often talk about the gifts Christ gives the church—and rightly so.
Paul tells us that Christ gave:
Apostles and Prophets
Evangelists, Shepherds and teachers
He gave Scripture. He gave ministry. He gave us a mission.
But here’s what we must never forget:
Those are not the greatest gifts.
They are secondary gifts.
Because before Christ gave the church anything to do, He gave the church Himself.
Listen to how Paul describes the church:
22 And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
The church is not:
An organization Christ advises
A mission Christ sponsors
A movement Christ supports from a distance
The church is His body. The Church is us, which means:
Christ fills us
Christ governs us
Christ is present in us
Here’s the danger we face as churches. We can talk about:
Vision Plans
Growth
Ministry and Strategy
And slowly begin to act as if Christ is assumed rather than relied upon.
We can be busy and still live like Christ is distant.
We can be organized and still forget His nearness.
So this point needs to be said plainly:
The church does not succeed because it has good tools.
The church thrives because it has a present Lord.
At its heart, the church is about:
Christ’s mission
Christ’s truth
Christ’s grace
Christ’s fullness in us
Everything else flows from that.
Without Christ’s presence:
Leaders burn out
Ministry becomes mechanical
Unity fractures
Vision becomes pressure
But with Christ’s presence:
Weak people serve with confidence
Ordinary acts become eternal
The church grows into His fullness
The greatest gift Christ ever gave the church is not a plan.
It is His presence.
It is not a role. It is His rule. It is not a resource.
It is Himself.
And if Christ truly is with us—
Then that changes how we live, how we serve,
and how we face the future.
And that brings us to one final truth.
As We Close...
As We Close...
Immanuel Did Not End at the Manger
Immanuel Did Not End at the Manger
Isaiah promised that God would be with His people.
Matthew declared that God came in Jesus.
Paul showed us that Christ fills His church.
Now we need to hear one final truth.
Immanuel did not end at the manger.
When Matthew opens his Gospel, he tells us:
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.”
And when Matthew closes his Gospel, Jesus says:
20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
That is not an accident.
Same promise. Same Christ. No expiration date.
We have not gathered todahy to simply remember that Christ once came.
We gather because He is still here.
He is with us:
When we worship
When we serve
When we struggle
When we step into the future
The presence that began in Bethlehem now fills the body of Christ.
And that changes how we face everything ahead.
We do not face a new year alone.
We do not carry the mission on our own shoulders.
We do not depend on our strength, wisdom, or resolve.
We move forward with Christ among us.
So:
Stop worshiping as if Christ is distant.
Stop serving as if you are on your own.
Stop fearing the future as if God has stepped away.
The greatest gift the church has ever received is Immanuel—God with us.
If Christ is truly with us…
Then the only faithful response is to trust Him, follow Him, and live in His presence.
