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Behold Immanuel (Matthew 1:23)- Pastor Kenneth Collins Maple · Fairview Presbyterian Church (PCA) Sermons

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  We come to the service of the Word now. We've
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  heard a lot of the Word, but we'll continue now
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  with the preaching of God's Word. And so I would
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  invite you now to take your Bibles and open up
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  to Matthew chapter 1, verse 23. I'm actually
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  going to read a bit of the surrounding context.
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  Your bulletin says Matthew 1, 23. I'm going to
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  read 18 through 25. Now the birth of Jesus Christ
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  took place in this way. When his mother Mary
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  had been betrothed to Joseph before they came
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  together, she was found to be with child from
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  the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph being
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  a just man and unwilling to put her to shame
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  resolved to divorce her quietly. but he's as
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  he considered these things behold an angel of
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  the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying Joseph
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  son of David do not fear to take Mary as your
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  wife for that which is conceived in her is from
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  the Holy Spirit she will bear a son and you shall
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  call his name Jesus for he will save his people
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  from their sins all this took place to fulfill
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  what the Lord had spoken by the prophet behold
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  the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and
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  they shall call his name Immanuel which means
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  God with us when Joseph woke from sleep he did
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  as the angel of the Lord commanded him he took
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  his wife but knew her not until she had given
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  birth to a son and he called his name Jesus Let
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  us pray again Father we thank you for the message
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  of the word and now as we study it we ask that
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  you would grant us Understanding that we would
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  know Jesus more and that we would always live
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  for him this we ask in his name amen Why do you
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  have the name that you have do you ever think
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  about the meaning of your name or how you got
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  it Maybe you were named after somebody. You were
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  named after a relative, keeping a good name alive.
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  Maybe you were named after a biblical individual.
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  Maybe you're a Sarah or you're a David. You're
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  a Matthew. You're an Elizabeth. Maybe you're
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  a Jehoshaphat. I can only hope to be as cool
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  as someone with the name Jehoshaphat. Maybe you're
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  named after a celebrity. I'm named after a celebrity.
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  Kenny Rogers. And as a boy, I thought that was
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  pretty great because there was a pitcher for
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  the Texas Rangers who in 1994 threw a perfect
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  game and his name was Kenny Rogers. My parents
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  told me, not that Kenny Rogers. But what's in
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  a name? Last Sunday, we looked at Gabriel's words
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  announcing to Mary that she would have a child.
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  Conceived by the Holy Spirit and the child's
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  name would be Jesus We have the same here in
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  our text today from verse 21 And if the name
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  of Jesus isn't clear enough the angel provides
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  the reason for the name Jesus will save his people
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  from their sins I mentioned last Sunday how I
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  wanted every single person in the sanctuary to
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  be able to exit the sanctuary knowing Jesus and
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  knowing what the name of Jesus means. And that's
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  what I want for you today as well. Know this,
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  the name of Jesus means Yahweh saves. You see,
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  friends, we are all sinners in need of grace.
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  We have all fallen short of the glory of God,
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  but the very name of Jesus tells his mission.
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  Just like your name means something, Jesus's
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  name means something, and it's full of significance.
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  Jesus does what his name means. But Jesus in
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  the Scriptures, he's referred to by many names.
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  Jesus is called the Christ. He's called the Messiah.
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  He's called the Savior. He's called the Son of
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  God and the Son of Man. Jesus is called Redeemer.
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  Jesus is called friend. But what this text does
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  is reaches far back, all the way back to the
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  time of Isaiah, 700 years in the past, to Isaiah
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  714, to show us yet another name, that of Immanuel.
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  You see, ever since, ever since God created man,
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  he has made promises to mankind, specifically,
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  After Adam and Eve sinned and all of humankind
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  is brought under a curse, God promised a redeemer.
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  And along the way throughout the scriptures,
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  God continued to remind his people of the promise
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  of Immanuel. And so we get to Isaiah and we read
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  this clear version of the promise, behold, the
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  virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they
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  shall call his name Immanuel. And so the Christmas
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  story comes to life. The Virgin Mary gives birth
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  to Immanuel, just as Jesus's name has significance.
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  So the term Immanuel does too. And it doesn't
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  so much describe what Jesus does, as much as
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  it describes who Jesus is. Jesus is God with
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  us. Now it is true that God is a spirit. God
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  is omnipresent which means God is always with
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  us. This is communicated throughout the scriptures.
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  Isaiah 41 10, do not fear for I am with you.
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  Joshua 1 9, have I not commanded you be strong
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  and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not
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  be dismayed. Why? For the Lord your God is with
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  you wherever you go. Psalm 23, even though I
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  walk through the valley of the shadow of death
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  I will fear no evil. Why? For you are with me
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  your rod and your staff they comfort me So God
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  is always with us, but something special happens
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  with Jesus With Immanuel Jesus moves into the
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  neighborhood if you will and tabernacles among
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  us Jesus fully God born of a woman takes on human
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  nature Jesus is the God man and his arrival is
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  what the whole world had waited for. Matthew
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  shows us this. Matthew shows us that the Immanuel
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  Isaiah is talking about is none other than Jesus,
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  the embodiment of Immanuel. And because Jesus
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  has come in the flesh, he knows exactly what
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  you're going through. Jesus knows exactly what
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  each and every one of you is going through because
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  Jesus came into the miseries of this life. Jesus
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  was tempted in every single way as we are, yet
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  without sin. And so you can trust Jesus, friends.
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  You must trust Jesus. He has come, he lived a
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  perfect life, and he died a sacrificial death
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  for you. And so today, recognizing the wonder
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  of Immanuel, I want us to behold him. I want
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  us to behold Immanuel. You might say, what does
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  it mean to behold Immanuel? Friends, when you
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  see the words behold in scripture, something
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  noteworthy is about to happen. It's an interjection.
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  It's an exclamation. It's like God is saying,
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  look, pay attention. In this text, God is fulfilling
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  the promises of old, that Jesus comes in the
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  flesh to save us from our sins. And this text
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  is saying, look to Jesus, the author and perfecter
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  of your faith. Friends, at this time of year,
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  there's a lot to behold. There's beautiful decorations.
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  There's lights. There's incredible sounds, sounds
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  of worship. There's gifts that are given. So
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  many things to behold, but above all of these
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  things is the reason for the things. It's Immanuel.
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  And so look to him in faith, friends. He's the
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  only one. He's the only way that we can be saved
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  from our sins. But I also want you to know this
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  today, that as Immanuel came once, so he will
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  come again. As a matter of fact, many, several
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  of the carols that we sing, Christmas carols,
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  have an understanding of the second coming of
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  Christ, too. Think about O come, O come, Emmanuel.
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  PCA Pastor Joe Holland says this of that hymn.
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  This hymn is expectant and forward -looking in
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  its composition. It declares the first advent
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  of Jesus even as it stokes our desire for the
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  second coming of Jesus. We live in the inaugurated
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  kingdom of God that is hurtling towards its great
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  consummation at the end of all things when Jesus
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  will come again to judge the living and the dead.
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  This is why I argue, he says, that we should
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  sing this hymn all year long. It is indeed said
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  in the first coming of Jesus, but its real power
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  is in the repeated emotive call, O come. O come,
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  that places on our lips the longing of our souls,
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  a hope we share with the saints in the Old Testament,
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  our expectant wish that Jesus will come quickly
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  and wipe away every tear from our eyes and make
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  all things right. You see, when Jesus comes back
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  or when we go to him, our faith shall be turned
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  to sight. That we who we behold in faith We will
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  see, friends, Christians, you will see Jesus.
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  Just like Mary, and just like Joseph, and just
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  like the shepherds, we will see Jesus. Somebody
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  asked me recently, is Jesus still a man? Does
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  Jesus still have a body? And the answer is a
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  resounding yes, absolutely, as Jesus came once.
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  his first Advent so he will come again. Jesus
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  has not left us. Emmanuel has not ceased being
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  Emmanuel, for you remember, you remember what
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  Jesus told his disciples after his resurrection
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  but before his ascension. He said behold, and
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  there's that word again, behold I am with you
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  always, even to the end. of the age, Jesus reminds
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  us that he is Immanuel. Church, continue to behold
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  Immanuel, God with us, and trust the promises
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  of God because they all find their yes and amen
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  in Christ. And as Christ came once, his first
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  advent, so he will come again. Let us pray. O
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  come, O come, Emmanuel, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
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  But in the meantime, help us to behold you, bind
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  our hearts to yours, cheer our spirits, and fill
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  us even now with heaven's praise. This we pray
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  in Christ's name. Amen. Amen. Our fifth lesson
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  comes from John chapter one. John chapter 1 verses
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  1 through 5 to begin. In the beginning was the
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  Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
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  was God. He was in the beginning with God. All
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  things were made through Him, and without Him
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  was not anything made that was made. In Him was
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  life, and the life was the light of men, the
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  light shines in the darkness. and the darkness
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  has not overcome it. 9 through 15. The true light
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  which gives light to everyone was coming into
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  the world. He was in the world and the world
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  was made through him, yet the world did not know
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  him. He came to his own and to his own people,
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  did not receive him, but to all who did receive
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  him, who believed in his name, he gave the right
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  to become children of God who were born not of
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  blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
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  will of man, but of God. And the Word became
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  flesh and dwelt among us. And we have seen His
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  glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father,
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  full of grace and truth. John bore witness about
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  this and cried out, This was He of whom I said,
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  He who comes after me ranks before me, because
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  He was before me. Verse 19. And this is the testimony
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  of John. When the Jews sent priests and Levites
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  from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you? He confessed
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  and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the
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  Christ. And they asked him, what then? Are you
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  Elijah? He said, no, I'm not. Are you the prophet?
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  And he answered, no. So they said to him, who
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  are you? We need to give an answer to those who
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  sent us. What do you say about yourself? He said,
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  I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
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  Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet
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  of Isaiah said.