As we look together at this familiar
account, we see here that two names are given to the Lord
Jesus in this little passage that we've read. The first being
the name that the angel came and told Joseph that he would
be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.
And then Later on, we read in verse 23, how that, behold, a
virgin shall be with child, which is then because the angel had
said that Mary was a child of the Holy Ghost, and then Matthew
The writer of the Gospel explains to us that this was a fulfillment
of the prophecy, a prophecy that was made 700 years earlier by
Isaiah, Isaiah 7 and verse 14, where it says, Behold, a virgin
shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall
call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with
us. So here we have two different names given to our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. Interestingly, a very different
amount of times they're used. The word Jesus in verse 21 appears
in the Bible 970 times, just over 970 times. But yet this
word Emmanuel that we have in verse 23, it is the only occasion
it occurs in the New Testament. And it appears just twice in
the Old Testament, which is once in Isaiah 7, where it's quoted
from, therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold,
a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name
Immanuel. And then in chapter 8 of Isaiah,
it speaks of O Immanuel. Two times in the Old Testament
and once in the New. And yet, a very important name.
And Matthew expounds, interprets to us the real meaning of what
Immanuel means, being interpreted, God with us. And so as we gather together
tonight, I want to meditate, as the Lord helps, on this word
Immanuel. Immanuel, God with us. It's interesting that, as I said
earlier, the angel tells us that his name should be called Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. And really,
this is the link, really, to how the Lord, that God, could
be with us. You see, there's a sense in this
Immanuel, God with us, God dwelling with us. But how could God dwell
with us? if God did not first deal with
our sins. You see there's a beautiful text
in Isaiah chapter 57. Isaiah 57 verse 15 it says for
thus saith the high and lofty one that in habitus eternity
whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place. with him also that is of a contrite
and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive
the heart of the contrite one. So here in Isaiah 57 verse 15
it tells clearly that God the Holy One dwells in heaven in
a high and holy place but he also dwells with his people. And this is a wonderful thought
to lay hold of. You see, at Christmas time, we
give presents to one another and we unwrap them and see their
worth. But there can be this, you could
receive presents and some perhaps don't get unwrapped. They just
still stay wrapped up perhaps. You don't get round to wrapping
them up sometimes, they get forgotten. Well, you see, there's so many
blessings in the Word of God and God's people sometimes, as
it were, don't unwrap the blessings that there are in the Gospel
to actually consider what it is that thou shalt call his name
Immanuel, which being interpreted is God. with us. How can God be with us? God,
who is holy and exalted and so pure and holy and separate from
sinners, how can he dwell in us? Well, the key then is that
he shall save his people from their sins. He's going to change
the heart. You see, you think of it naturally. If you go to somebody's house
and you might say, I felt really at home at those peoples. I felt
really at home. And what do you really mean by
that is you shared their values and their likes and their dislikes
as it were. You had an affinity with them.
You felt one with them. How can God who is holy dwell
in the hearts of human beings without first changing them.
You see, if they're just desiring the flesh and the lust of the
flesh and the pride of life and wrath and anger and malice, if
that's what's going round their heart and jealousy and hatred,
if all those thoughts are going round in their minds, what concord
have they? What union have they with a holy
God? But you see, the Lord Jesus has
come to save his people from their sins, to change them. and
to give them a new heart, one that hungers and thirsts after
righteousness, one that seeks to know the Savior, and then
you see He comes and dwells. And it's interesting in this
verse that I've quoted in Isaiah 57, it gives two key qualifications
or characteristics of a true child of God. I dwell in the
high and holy place with Him also that is of a contrite. A
contrite. What is a contrite? It's one
that's sorry. If you're very contrite, you're
very sorry for your sin. You see, it's one thing to be
a sinner and to be really sorry for it. It's another thing to
be a sinner and to be proud of it, to relish it and to delight
in it. And you see, God's people, they
sadly are still sinners, but they hate it. I dwell in the
high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite heart. sad, that sorrows over sin, blessed
are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted, and of a
humble spirit. You see, the very nature of Satan
is pride. He was thrown out of heaven,
we read in Isaiah, because he was proud. He wanted to be as
God. And he was thrown out. Pride, you see, is so much the
nature of Satan. It's the nature of our hearts
by nature. But a contrite and a humble spirit. Well, we have
then this wonderful truth. They shall call his name Immanuel. The only time it appears in the
New Testament. But how important. God with us. Think of it. The God that created
the universe, the God that is from eternity past to eternity
future with his people. What a gift, what a wonderful
gift, God with us. And you see, outside of Christ,
God is against us. He is angry with the wicked every
day. What concord can there be between God and hell-deserving
sinners? There can be none. But because of this wonderful
name, Jesus, he shall save his people from their sins, not just
condemn them in their sins, but save them from their sins. What a difference. You see, you
could have God that came and just condemned us because we're
breakers of the law and that would be just. But he didn't
come to condemn. I came not to condemn the world.
but I came to save the world. For he came to save his people
from their sins. But then, you see, you could
have this idea that God would save his people, he would save
them out of their sins, and then they would just, as it were,
go on on their own. No, we clearly see here that
the purpose of God, his name would be called Emmanuel. He
would be with his people. He would dwell with them. He
would delight to be with them. It's not just a case of saving
them and then telling them to live somewhere else, just somewhere
other place. No, to save them and then to
be with them. And surely this is the greatest.
This is the sense of of God being one of us. You see, So important
as you look in John's Gospel as it starts, you see, it says
that the John's Gospel, chapter one, and the word was made flesh
and dwelt among us. It dwelt. He lived and he lives
in his people with those that have had their hearts changed. Oh, they still have sin in their
hearts. But sin is an unwelcome visitor. It's unwelcome. They hate it. They want to be
rid of it. They want it to be gone. They
hunger and thirst after righteousness and the God of heaven dwells
with such people and comforts their hearts. Those who are not
impressed with their own greatness, those that are humble, humble
followers of the Lamb. You see, this is the great message
that we have at this, we particularly think of at this time. Emmanuel,
God with us. He's with his people. He's going
before them. He's with them in their daily
walk. He's with them in their struggles
with sin. He's with them in their great
dilemmas as Nathanael was under that fig tree and told that the
Messiah has come. And then they said, he said,
can any good thing come out of Nazareth? come and see God with us." You
see, Nathanael met God, met the Lord Jesus, and he was completely
changed. He was completely changed. All
his things about not any good coming out of Nazareth was gone.
It was immediate, you see, in John's Gospel. He says very clearly,
John chapter 1 verse 49 Nathanael answered and said unto him Rabbah
thou art the son of God thou art the king of Israel. You see
because Jesus showed that he knew him he was with him. And
you see all through these the Gospels as Jesus interacted with
people with with with Nicodemus that came to Jesus by night he
talked to him and Nicodemus was willing to come to him, you see,
even though he was God, yet he was approachable and he was able
to speak to him. And clearly Nathaniel did become
a true child of God. Nicodemus, sorry, I meant Nicodemus
did become a true child of God. And then you have different characters. You have the woman of Samaria
in John's gospel, the woman of Samaria coming with her water
pot and Jesus talking to her and and telling her and opening
up something of her sinnership and yet you see in love and mercy
towards her talking about living waters, God with us. When the Messiah will come he
will tell us all things says the woman of Samaria, I that
speak unto thee am he. God with us and what a difference
that made. how it changed her attitude,
how it changed her thought pattern and her priorities. Behold, a virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his
name Immanuel. Yes, it's not recorded many times,
any other time in the New Testament, but the truth is true. He is Immanuel. He is with his
people. He is able to help them and go
before them and to deliver them. Because you see, and indeed at
the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 28, verse 19, it says,
Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Ghost, teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you. And lo, I
am with you always. All way, even unto the end of
the world. Amen. You see, Emmanuel, God
with us. And the disciples were very distressed
when he spoke of leaving them. And he said, if I go away, I
will send a comforter. You will not be alone. I am with
you. And you see, this is a wonderful
truth that we need to lay hold of. It can be as a present unwrapped. And we don't see the value of
it. We don't see the beauty of it. We don't gain the benefit
of it. We leave it wrapped up. And so many of the promises,
the precious promises in the Word of God, and the truths of
the doctrines in the Word of God, we can leave them just wrapped
up in a cupboard, as it were. We don't open them, and we don't
enjoy them, and we don't really be blessed by them as we realize
this wonderful truths that are in the Word of God. which being
interpreted is God with us not against us like he was out of
Christ when we're standing without a substitute then he's against
us. But as we come with true confession
as he works in our heart that true contrition for sin he then
becomes with his people not to not to mock them for their sin
but to Like as a father pitieth his children. Like as a father
pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Another
wonderful time it was with Martha and Mary when Lazarus had passed
away. Lazarus had gone and but Jesus
came you see. It seemed too late to them but
God was with them. And he demonstrated, I am the
resurrection and the life. He had power over death. But
this was but a foretaste of the fact that he has power over death
for all of his people. What happened to Lazarus was
but a foreshadowing of something that will happen to all his people.
They shall all be raised up, a glorious body, having neither
spot nor wrinkle. God with us. And it made such
a difference, didn't it? Let me just perhaps close with
a sweet word from Thessalonians. The two Thessalonians, sorry,
the second epistle of Paul to Thessalonians chapter two and
verse 16. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God, even our father, which hath loved us and hath given
us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort
your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. His name shall be called Emmanuel,
God with us. Amen.