Jesus Our Emmanuel

Looking beyond the Christmas Holiday

As Christians, we know that Christmas is only a holiday that points to something greater. The emphasis we want to recognize and celebrate is the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Our joy, hope, and celebration are in the One who came from heaven to earth to be the fulfillment of God's promises to the world. And in Jesus, we find all the security, comfort, and joy that we will ever need in this life.

Our Advent Series will focus on three aspects of the Incarnation

First, we will take a close examination of the Virgin Birth. Next week, we will focus on the Deity of Jesus Christ and the Trinity. And finally, we will look at the concept of Jesus' full Humanity, Obedience, and Victory of the Cross.

The Virgin Birth is an essential aspect of our Christian Faith. Without it, we do not have a Gospel to tell. We believe in it because Scripture pushes us to receive it as true. The Incarnation reflects God's all-powerful and unique character and His solution toward the only way to deal with sin.

It also reminds us that God is present with us and knows the human experience.

The Virgin Birth

Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He was conceived without any male help, and the Virgin Birth has occurred only once. Mary remained a Virgin during her pregnancy. Mary was simply the chosen vessel to carry the pregnancy to birth.

As we approach God, we will find a significant number of things that will defy our human understanding and experience. For example:

God created all things by His power and word.

God has no beginning or end. He is eternal

Although the Incarnation defies the typical human experience, it fits within the supernatural character of God. We must approach God with faith. Hebrews 11:6

Our primary for receiving the Virgin Birth is rooted in the veracity of the Bible. We believe in the Virgin Birth because Scripture forces us to think that way about Jesus's birth. Consider the teaching of the Gospels.

The Virgin Birth in the New Testament

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke give us the most detailed description of the birth story. Both tell us that Mary was a virgin, betrothed to Joseph. Before they came together, she was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mark's Gospel may not give us a birth account but gives us a unique and uncommon way of describing Jesus' relationship to his parents according to a Jewish context. In Mark 6:33, Jesus is not called the son of Joseph, as would be expected, but rather the son of Mary.

Identifying a son by his mother was highly unusual, and perhaps disparaging, in a Jewish context.

Wright, .D. F., and .J. S. Wright. "Virgin Birth." Ed. D. R. W. Wood et al. New Bible dictionary 1996 : 1226. Print.

John's Gospel does not include a birth story but describes Jesus in the most magnificent terms. John reminds us that Jesus existed before the creation of the world.

Even the Apostle Paul taught this. Paul is careful to describe Jesus in terms of a virgin birth context. In Galatians 4:4, he distinguished the birth of Jesus with the birth of Ishmael. When speaking of Ishmael, he uses a verb that describes a birth associated with a husband. But when speaking of Jesus, he deliberately chooses a verb that describes birth in general.

This is particularly marked in Gal. 4:4, where 'God sent forth his Son, coming (genomenon) from a woman'. By contrast, in 4:23 Ishmael 'was born', gegennētai (from gennao).

Wright, .D. F., and .J. S. Wright. "Virgin Birth." Ed. D. R. W. Wood et al. New Bible dictionary 1996 : 1226. Print.

So we see that the New Testament forces us to think this way about Jesus' birth. Let's take a closer look at our primary text in Matthew 1:18-25.

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.

In four descriptions, Matthew informs us that Mary was a virgin.

Betrothed - Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Betrothal shares similarities with being engaged to marry but is legally binding. Canceling a betrothal through infidelity, abandonment, or death could be grounds for divorce or becoming a widow.

Before they came together - Joseph and Mary did not engage in promiscuity.

Conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit - Joseph had nothing to do with the conception of Jesus.

Joseph did not "know" her until she had given birth - Mary remained a virgin during pregnancy and giving birth. Only after did Joseph and Mary come together as husband and wife.

How does Matthew make sense of this supernatural event? He does so by quoting from Isaiah 7:14.

Isaiah 7:10-25

If you recall our recent sermons from Isaiah, you will recall that Isaiah gave this message to King Ahaz around the year 720 BC. The Northern Kingdom, Israel, began to align themselves with the Assyrian Empire to threaten Judah's people. God gave King Ahaz a timing sign. By the time it takes for a woman to become pregnant, give birth, and the child becomes of an independent age, God will remove the threat of Assyria and Israel.

Why would Matthew see a connection to this portion of Isaiah? When telling the story of Jesus, the NT writers were compelled by the Spirit and Jesus to re-read the OT with different eyes. Consider the revelation that Jesus gave to the men walking on the Emmaus Road in Luke 24:17-27.

Authority of the OT "Law and Prophets" - As it is written, foretold, the scriptures

Matthew's Gospel was written primarily to an audience of Jewish heritage, as evidenced by the multiple references to the OT quotations and the lack of explaining Jewish things as does Luke's Gospel. More than 60 OT pointers/quotes, approximately 40 of these quotes cite that it had a "fulfilling" aspect (it is written, have you not read, the scriptures, law, and prophets).

For the early church, the Old Testament was not an ancient history book, but an exciting read for which they saw God currently acting in their lives as the fulfillment of God's promises. Like their ancestors in earlier periods, the early church read the scriptures with anticipation and the idea that they were also partakers in God's History's grand story. But in the case of the early believers in Christ, they had a direct revelation from Jesus and the Holy Spirit concerning these connections. But something greater was occurring with this new Emmanuel. A literal virgin would give a supernatural birth to a savior. And this Savior would be physically present with God's people.

The All-Powerful Nature and Plan of God for Humanity

If Jesus is not virgin-born, we miss a great deal about the supernatural quality of Christ and God's salvation.

The birth narratives have as their centerpiece the entrance of the supernatural into ordinary human life. Something is about to happen at God's initiative, unprecedented in the history of the world. It is a new beginning and one that shall endure: The baby to be born "will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:32–33). As the title "Immanuel" entails, it is the permanent coming of God's presence in the person of his Son.

The reason for this divine intervention is for the redemptive well-being of creation: more specifically, as Jesus' name implies, "to save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). The fact of God's unique presence in Jesus' birth makes unassailable the promise of salvation to Israel and the world. The virgin birth glimpses the extent of God's love for people; of course, how the Son's earthly life ended is necessary to picture its extent fully.

Buckwalter, H. Douglas. "Virgin Birth." Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. electronic ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996. 800. Print. Baker Reference Library.

Although the Virgin Birth is supernatural, it is also the birth of a full human. Scripture emphasizes that Jesus was fully human, not just a resemblance of being a human. Christ took on flesh so that He might become the Unique One through whom God would bring salvation. He became Human for the sake of Humanity.

Emmanuel, God with Us, as Salvation

In Joseph's dream, the angel gave specific instructions concerning the naming of Jesus. Joseph received the privilege of being the earthly father figure for Jesus. The father typically had the privilege of naming the children, but in this instance, Joseph receives the name and is not allowed to choose for himself. This is God's plan. It will go forth in His way and in His time.

The names of Jesus come from the God's salvation history. Jesus is a variant of Joshua, "God saves". Joshua was the successor to Moses and led the people out of the desert into the promised land. But in this instance, the angel gives the fuller meaning. Jesus will save His people from their sins.

The gospel writer connects the announcement of Jesus' birth with the prophecy of Isaiah 7. In the original context, God sent a comforting word toward Judah and King Ahaz that God would protect and preserve them from their enemies. He comforted and reminded them with the sign of Emmanuel, God with us.

We must remember that this Old Testament prophecy took on a greater and fuller meaning. God, through Jesus, took on human flesh to dwell among them. Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus present among his people, teaching them, calling them, correcting them, healing them, and comforting them. They received the comfort of his presence among them while on the earth.

But the gospel story takes a surprising turn. Emmanuel tells his disciples that He must go to the cross to give his life as the solution for their greatest enemy, sin. God with us is Jesus removing our sin and the judgment of sin from us so that we may be with God. God with us is the Gospel. We were separated from God, but by grace, through faith, we have peace with God. We are brought near so that we may declare God with us has brought us to himself. And now, for those in Christ, we live with God in my life.

How many of you can say that most assuredly? "God with us" is the open-door to having God create in you His good work of salvation. He brings the repentant person into the place of peace, relational peace with God.

Emmanuel, God with Us, as Comfort

But Emmanuel also includes the element of His comforting and encouraging presence. The night before he leaves them, he reminds them through the New Meaning of the Covenant Meal through the Passover meal. He then reminded them that He would not leave them without his presence. He would send the Holy Spirit to with his believers.

John 14:15–19 ESV

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Jesus reminded his people that Emmanuel would continue. It would not stop in any manner for those who are in Christ. Emmanuel, God with us, is how we live life until we see God face to face after this world. This world will often seem like Emmanuel is not the case. We may be tempted to cry out, "Where is Emmanuel? I am hurt. I am weak. I feel lost. I don't feel the presence of Emmanuel!" Through faith, we declare to our feelings and situation that God is with us, even in this difficult moment.

The Desire of Emmanuel

Christ desires to be with those believers, both those who need comfort and those who need to repent. Consider the opening chapters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. For the church at Laodecia, we read that some believers had grown into a situation of neglecting God, living in sin, and living as estranged people of God. They were lukewarm.

Revelation 3:20–21 ESV

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

God promises the repentant heart, which opens the door to Christ will experience the living presence of Christ. Christ, who stands outside at the door waiting to be invited, longs to express "Emmanuel" to those who have pushed God out through neglect or rebellion.

Our future in Christ is Emmanuel

And when we look at the ending of the book of Revelation, Christ promises that the end of the story will be the great Emmanuel. Even though the book contains challenging symbolic imagery, the big story is plain. God wins, and all that is against God is defeated. Those who are in Christ and preserve through life with faith will most assuredly experience the great and glorious ending.

Revelation 21:3 ESV

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

The Bible comes back to that vision of Eden. The present earth and heaven give way to a new heaven and earth. And the picture is of Emmanuel setting up the fullest and most eternal reality. God's dwelling place is no longer just in ancient Israel, the ancient temple but is with humanity. God dwells with his creation, and they with him. And every instance of sin and its effect are passed away eternally.

Our present suffering includes our Emmanuel

Paul reminds the believers of the incredible glory of God through Jesus Christ. We used to live in darkness but now live in the light. But he pauses to remind us that we await the future glory in a sometimes painful reality. We have a treasure, but we hold it in jars of clay.

2 Corinthians 4:7–12 ESV

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Paul's words might seem more depressing as he lists the many ways this life is a jar of clay. But every instance of life is an opportunity for the life of Jesus Christ to be manifested. Yes, it can be manifested even through our cracked jar of clay bodies and lives. And the cracks of life work toward producing in us the more excellent life of Jesus Christ.