The Promises of Love Fulfilled By Emmanuel

The Promise of Love is Fulfilled By Emmanuel

December 12, 2021 AM

This morning I would like for us to consider a promise made because of the love of God.

Isaiah 7:14NASB95

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

A promise fulfilled when Jesus was born:

Matthew 1:21–23NASB95

21“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for 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 “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.”

Matthew 1:18–25 NASB95

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of 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 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “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.” 24And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

For God, love meant being Emmanuel — being here among us

Experiencing our heartaches

Experiencing our temptations

Experiencing death for OUR sins

So, because of His great love for us, God sent His only begotten Son that He might be Emmanuel — God with us.

Emmanuel also fulfils the promise of ...

Hebrews 13:5–6NASB95

5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 6so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

Matthew 1:18–25 NASB95

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of 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 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “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.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

A Promise Made

A. We believe that all Scripture is from God, and that no one Scripture is more “inspired than another.”

1. It is all from God.

2. It is all equally inspired.

B. But there are certain verses in the Bible that stand out more than the rest.

1. These verses in Hebrews underscore the blessings of the Bible.

C. And then we also read in in our text in Hebrews: “… for He Himself has said.”

1. It is God who has made this statement.

2. It is God who promises, and He has never broken a promise.

3. Nothing is more important than that we study what God has said.

D. How important it is that we study the Scriptures?

1. There may be a verse in the Scripture today that would give you great comfort and exactly fit your need for this moment, but if you are not familiar with it, it does you no good.

2. You are like a prisoner in a dungeon with a pile of keys in front of you.

3. One of those keys will give you your freedom, but if you don’t know what you have, you will never have freedom.

3. There may be a sickness in your soul, but if you will not search the great pharmacy of Scripture for the very precise medicine of what “God has said” to you, you will still remain sick!

F.So, I want to encourage you to embark on a systematic reading or study of God’s word beginning January 1, 2022.

F. This morning as we study the Scripture, we find a very powerful promise attached to what God has said:

1. “I will never leave you!”

G. That is my theme this morning:

1. If you are a child of God, the Lord will never, never leave you, and He will never, never, never forsake you!

H. Did you count how many times I said never?!

1. Five times, for that is how many negatives are inferred in our text.

I. Listen to him saying to you right now:

1. I will never, no I will never leave you, and I will never, never, never forsake you!

J. In understanding the power of this promise, first let us consider who it is that promises us this.

When The Lord Promises

A. It is the LORD who promises that He will NEVER leave us, nor forsake us.

B. When you or I make a promise, we try with all our power to keep that promise.

1. But even the most faithful person will find that he has broken a promise.

2. He will find himself unfaithful.

3. The scripture says:Romans 3:4 (TPT) ... God will always be proven faithful and true to his word, while people are proven to be liars. This will fulfill what was written in the Scriptures: Your words will always be vindicated and you will rise victorious when you are being tried by your critics!

C. God is the only one that has ALWAYS kept his promises.

1. And always will because He is infinite.

2. Man will fail in his words, even if he is the most sincere and honest and upright person, because he is finite.

D. We may forget to do something that we promise, but God does not forget.

1. God cannot forget!

2. The only thing that God forgets is our sins when we repent of them!!

3. He has thrown them into the deepest sea!

F. But man is a liar. Man is unfaithful.

1. How many watching today have NEVER lied, — even unintentionally?

2. We may not have intended to do so, but we have all lied; we have all been unfaithful, but NOT God!

G. But God is faithful to keep his promise.

1. Think of it!

2. He made a promise not to forsake you, and He did all that He had to do to secure it!

H. He said I will NEVER forsake you!

1. But you and I deserve to be forsaken.

2. We deserve to be forgotten of God.

3. We deserve the same fate as the wicked one himself.

I. Have we not sinned the same sins as Satan?

1. Have we not lifted our heart up with pride against God?

2. Haven’t we thought of ourselves on a higher level than we ought to?

3. That was Satan’s sin.

4. That is why God cast him out of heaven!

5. Have you ever thought that God should have done something differently in your life than what He did?

K. Think about your position in life, for example.

1. This scripture in Hebrews says, “Let your lifestyle be without covetousness (that is greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions); ... be content with such things as you have.”

L. Have you ever thought that you should have a better position in life?

1. Maybe you have said, “Well, I should have a different job,” or “I should have more money,” or “I should have been born into a better family!”

2. Have you ever thought that?

3. I believe we all have.

M. Brothers and Sisters, that is covetousness.

N. Who is it that gave you your family, your job, and your money?

1. Is it not God that provides all things?

O. Satan’s sin was covetousness.

1. He wanted a higher position.

2. Because of that, he was banished from heaven.

3. Do you understand that you and I deserve the same fate?

4. We deserve the flames of hell!!

5. WE DESERVE ETERNAL, UNENDING, TORMENT IN THE LAKE OF FIRE!!

P. But wait a minute!!

1. Look at what God has promised instead to those who turn to Him in humble repentance!

2.When you put your faith in the LORD.

3. He makes a promise to you.

4. Though you and I deserve the flames of torment, God has made a promise that He cannot break because He is faithful.

Q. Do you realize what it took for God to keep his promise?

1. God is holy, and there was a great price to be paid.

2. How can God be holy, and still allow a sinner into heaven?

3. It seems impossible to us, but God has done it and remained holy.

R. Yes, He gave the best that He had: He gave His only Son.

1. He sent Jesus to be God in human flesh — Immanuel.

2. He gave His Son as a sacrifice for us.

S. Now think of this.

1. Some horrible mad man has committed a terrible crime against you.

2. For example, let us imagine that Osama Bin Laden, a known murderer, is on trial.

3. Then one of the fathers in our congregation steps forward, and says, no, do not take this man, instead, take my son!

T. This sounds unthinkable, but that’s what God has done for us.

1. He has given his Son for us, we are just as guilty as the worst of criminals.

2. We all deserve the flames of hell.

3. And God has given His Son that He might keep His promise of love for a sinful humanity!

U. Jesus Christ suffered pain, agony, and separation from His Father, that He might keep His promise.

1. Now, how could he ever leave us with the price that has been paid?

2. God is faithful to keep his promise. It is the LORD that will NEVER leave us!

V. Now let us look at a second truth:

1. My second point is really not expressed logically at all, but it perfectly gets my point across.

2. It is this:

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!!!!

A. Look at the word “NEVER” in our text.

1. It is a powerful word!

B. God will NEVER leave you! He will NEVER forsake you.

1. We cannot fully comprehend this promise, but let us try to imagine being forsaken by God.

2. The pandemic has taught us the horrible feeling of loneliness.

So many millions, tens of millions of people suffering in loneliness

But even worse id the utter loneliness of being apart from God.

3. We can’t begin to imagine what it would be like if we were utterly forsaken.

C. Because you and I have never been alone.

1. We have never been forsaken.

2. There has always been the presence of the Lord in our lives.

2. Even when we weren’t looking for Him or even wanting Him — He has been there.

4. We see his majesty in His creation.

5. We see His witness in this Book!

6. We have never been alone!

D. Only one man has ever been utterly alone and forsaken!

1. Listen to the words of Scripture:

2. Matthew 27:46 (NKJV) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

E. Yes, our precious Lord was completely forsaken!

F. Now He was not just forsaken by man, no that has been the fate of many men.

1. Many thousands of men were crucified in the Roman Empire.

2. Many thousands of men have been forsaken by family, friends, and love ones.

G. But only one man could cry out to God to say that He was utterly forsaken!

1. Only one man has been forsaken of God!

2. The Man, Christ Jesus!

2.From the cross He said the words of:

3. Psalm 22:6 (NKJV) But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

H. Our precious Lord called himself a worm!!

1. A worm!

2. That is what it is like to be forsaken of God.

3. Yes the Creator of the Universe, the precious Son of God, said, “I am a worm!”

4. He was forsaken by all people, but much worse, infinitely worse, HE WAS FORSAKEN BY GOD.

I. Aren’t you glad for that word “NEVER!?”

1. Aren’t you glad that God protects us?

2. He says I will NEVER leave you, I will never forsake you!”

J. He has promised that His presence will go with us.

K. The same presence:

1. That Moses experienced when he saw the bush that was not consumed — God’s holy presence.

2. That the children of Israel saw at Mount Sinai when the mountain was blanketed by the sounds of thunder and a very loud trumpet and flashing lightening — God’s awesome presence.

3. That Joshua saw as he looked at Jericho and beheld the Angel of the Lord, the preincarnate Christ — the Captain of the Armies of God.

4. That Ezekiel saw when he saw the wheel in the middle of the wheel.

5. That Isaiah saw when He saw the Lord high and lifted up with the train of His regal robes filling the temple.

6. That Daniel’s 3 friends (Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah) and King Nebuchadnezzar saw when the Hebrews were thrown into a fiery furnace burning 7 times hotter that designated specs — God’s presence turn the fiery furnace into a temple of praise aflame with the shekinah glory of God.

7. That Daniel experienced when he was thrown in the lion’s den — God’s protection.

8. That the disciples saw when Jesus was transfigured before them.

9. That John saw on the isle of Patmos.

L. That presence — God’s presence — will never leave will never forsake the child of God.

M. My final point is really an application of this truth.

Be Content

A. Because God will NEVER leave us, we should be content with Him alone!

Because God has fulfilled His promise of love through Emmanuel, let us be content.

B. Isn’t this what the text says?

1. Read Hebrews 13:5b “… be content with what you have...”

C. We never have to look further than the Lord for our satisfaction!

1. We CAN be content.

2. We need no more than what we have today to be happy.

3. All we need is the Lord.

4. BE CONTENT!

D. So many people are always looking for tomorrow.

1. They live for tomorrow.

2. And others live for yesterday!

3. They are not content.

4. They are not resting in the Lord.

E. We need to live for today.

1. For NOW.

F. We should not covet yesterday or tomorrow, but live for the Lord TODAY.

He’s All We Need

A. Because He is all we need.

B. Do you believe that?

1. Do you trust in Him?

2. Does He satisfy you?

C. You can never know happiness until you have trusted everything to Him!

1. Rest in Him.

2. Trust Him!

D. He will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER leave you!!

1. You are His possession.

2. He has bought you with the blood of His only Son.

3. He will NEVER leave you.

4. He has promised!!

Have You Experienced Emmanuel?

A. Are you aware of His presence?

B. If not, come to an altar and ask to be made aware.

C. If you are aware then I don’t have to ask — you will want to come and bask in His presence.

VII. Contact

Contact us!

New Life Family Church

167 Wesley Mountain Drive

Blairsville, GA 30512

Call or Text: 706-781-6142

www.NewLifeBlairsville.org

[e-mail]

facebook.com/NewLifeBlairsville

God’s promise in Isaiah is that He would come to dwell with His people and to rescue them. This is fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ, who is known as Immanuel, God with us. Jesus made a great sacrifice, giving up the splendors of heaven to come to earth. But He did more than just live among us, because of His great love, He provided a way for us to have eternal life. Jesus became the Savior of the world.