WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:03.899 I love the music of Christmas for September, 00:00:04.219 --> 00:00:11.599 whatever month this is. We received an email 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:15.460 message from Ted Esler this week that the Lord 00:00:15.460 --> 00:00:17.899 wonderfully preserved them from what could have 00:00:17.899 --> 00:00:20.320 been a life -threatening situation in Sarajevo. 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:23.160 The only heat they have in their home right now 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:26.039 is in a wood -burning stove. And in the middle 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:29.079 of the night, their dog began barking. And it 00:00:29.079 --> 00:00:32.109 woke them. And he found that the house was on 00:00:32.109 --> 00:00:36.590 fire. And that it had just begun, but it had 00:00:36.590 --> 00:00:40.350 begun at an area near the propane tank that they 00:00:40.350 --> 00:00:43.130 had, which was so hot he couldn't even put his 00:00:43.130 --> 00:00:46.170 hand on it. And had he not gotten the fire out 00:00:46.170 --> 00:00:48.549 when he did, the house probably would have exploded 00:00:48.549 --> 00:00:52.130 with the loss of their lives. And so we're grateful 00:00:52.130 --> 00:00:55.590 for that. And as we learned that provision of 00:00:55.590 --> 00:00:58.229 God for them, he asked us to pray for him tomorrow. 00:00:58.709 --> 00:01:00.909 because he will be going this next week with 00:01:00.909 --> 00:01:05.590 50 Sarajevans on a retreat, the purpose of which 00:01:05.590 --> 00:01:09.409 is primarily evangelistic. And so he asked us 00:01:09.409 --> 00:01:12.590 tomorrow on Monday to especially remember him 00:01:12.590 --> 00:01:15.510 and this retreat in prayer. And I'm going to 00:01:15.510 --> 00:01:18.930 ask you to do that, if you will, please. I had 00:01:18.930 --> 00:01:20.489 heard that Steve and Mary Lynette were going 00:01:20.489 --> 00:01:22.849 to be in our services today. I don't know if 00:01:22.849 --> 00:01:24.989 they are here. Are you here? There you are. I've 00:01:24.989 --> 00:01:27.700 been looking for you. It's nice to see you this 00:01:27.700 --> 00:01:30.099 morning, all the way from California, suffering 00:01:30.099 --> 00:01:34.599 back here in Minnesota. Steve and Mary were missionaries 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:38.560 in the Taliabo, and were there again this last 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:42.060 summer. And right now, he's studying at the seminary, 00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:46.260 at Master's Seminary, and on the staff of Grace 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:48.079 Community Church. We welcome you this morning. 00:01:48.140 --> 00:01:51.640 God bless you. I'm going to ask you to open your 00:01:51.640 --> 00:01:54.840 Bible with me, please, to the book of Matthew. 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:57.739 and the first chapter as we begin our Christmas 00:01:57.739 --> 00:02:08.500 series, Names with Christmas Glory. Matthew chapter 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:14.360 1, I'm going to read verses 22 and 23. All this 00:02:14.360 --> 00:02:17.800 took place to fulfill what the Lord had said 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:20.919 through the prophet, the virgin will be with 00:02:20.919 --> 00:02:24.310 child and will give birth to a son. and they 00:02:24.310 --> 00:02:28.550 will call him Emmanuel, which means God with 00:02:28.550 --> 00:02:31.449 us. There was a book written a number of years 00:02:31.449 --> 00:02:35.449 ago by the title, Are You Running With Me, Jesus? 00:02:36.590 --> 00:02:38.870 I didn't like the book. It was not a good book, 00:02:38.889 --> 00:02:40.949 but I was intrigued by the title, and it stuck 00:02:40.949 --> 00:02:44.270 with me all of these years. And I have good news 00:02:44.270 --> 00:02:46.430 for you this morning. The answer to that question, 00:02:46.469 --> 00:02:48.530 if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:02:48.849 --> 00:02:53.080 is yes. Jesus is running with you. in your race 00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:57.300 of life. The first name that we look at in this 00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:00.360 Christmas series is the name Emmanuel, which 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:04.719 means, as Matthew notes, God with us. Matthew 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:07.680 writes frequently about the Old Testament being 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:10.599 fulfilled in the life and ministry of the Lord 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:14.340 Jesus Christ. And what he says in these verses 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:16.919 is not a contradiction between what he has recorded 00:03:16.919 --> 00:03:20.780 in the earlier verses of the angel's word to 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:25.099 Joseph. Joseph was told to call the baby Jesus. 00:03:26.460 --> 00:03:28.939 Here we see his name will be called Emmanuel. 00:03:30.659 --> 00:03:33.639 The name Emmanuel was not intended to be a personal 00:03:33.639 --> 00:03:37.599 name. It is a constitutional name. That is, it 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:42.379 describes the makeup, the nature of this one 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:47.599 whose name was to be called Jesus. He is God 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:53.199 with us. The name Emmanuel reassures God's people 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:57.659 that He is with us in all of the seasons of life. 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:02.539 To appreciate what Emmanuel means, I'd like for 00:04:02.539 --> 00:04:05.039 us to look at it from four angles this morning. 00:04:06.180 --> 00:04:08.500 The first significance we want to see is the 00:04:08.500 --> 00:04:11.599 historical significance of the name Emmanuel. 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:16.699 Obviously, Matthew says, the prophet has said, 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:20.310 the virgin will be with child. And as most of 00:04:20.310 --> 00:04:24.889 you know, that is a prophecy of Isaiah. So would 00:04:24.889 --> 00:04:27.850 you turn back to the Old Testament book of Isaiah, 00:04:28.829 --> 00:04:32.730 please, and the seventh chapter where we're introduced 00:04:32.730 --> 00:04:37.209 to this prophecy. It helps to understand a bit 00:04:37.209 --> 00:04:41.089 of the historical context of this prophecy that 00:04:41.089 --> 00:04:45.329 is given in verse 14. In the time of the prophet 00:04:45.329 --> 00:04:52.259 Isaiah, Syria, and Israel were attacking Judah. 00:04:53.279 --> 00:04:55.660 You say, how is that? How is Israel attacking 00:04:55.660 --> 00:04:59.459 Judah? Well, you may recall that in 930 BC, there 00:04:59.459 --> 00:05:03.660 was a division of the nation. There was a northern 00:05:03.660 --> 00:05:07.279 kingdom that assumed the name Israel, or Samaria, 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:11.300 or Ephraim, and there was the southern kingdom 00:05:11.300 --> 00:05:15.879 that assumed the name Judah, or Jerusalem. They 00:05:15.879 --> 00:05:20.189 had a separate line of kings. The southern kingdom 00:05:20.189 --> 00:05:25.110 was faithful to the line of David. The northern 00:05:25.110 --> 00:05:27.709 kingdom followed after a rebel whose name was 00:05:27.709 --> 00:05:32.009 Jeroboam. His descendants and then others as 00:05:32.009 --> 00:05:35.750 well, beyond his descendants, ruled over the 00:05:35.750 --> 00:05:39.569 nation of Israel to the north. All of them were 00:05:39.569 --> 00:05:43.430 ungodly kings and the nation was an idolatrous 00:05:43.430 --> 00:05:47.170 nation. At this particular time, the time of 00:05:47.170 --> 00:05:51.709 Isaiah and this Time frame is about 200 years 00:05:51.709 --> 00:05:56.089 after this division. It's about 735, 734 BC. 00:05:57.730 --> 00:06:00.790 The northern kingdom Israel aligned itself with 00:06:00.790 --> 00:06:05.689 the nation of Syria, or Aram. Its capital was 00:06:05.689 --> 00:06:10.490 Damascus, as it still is today. They were concerned, 00:06:10.569 --> 00:06:13.029 those two nations, were concerned about a growing 00:06:13.029 --> 00:06:15.529 power to the north and to the east by the name 00:06:15.529 --> 00:06:20.329 of Assyria. whose capital later was Nineveh, 00:06:20.750 --> 00:06:24.970 where Jonah went to preach. They were concerned 00:06:24.970 --> 00:06:28.449 about this growing power out there, and so they 00:06:28.449 --> 00:06:30.889 sought to put pressure upon the king of Judah, 00:06:31.110 --> 00:06:35.790 whose name was Ahaz, to align himself with them 00:06:35.790 --> 00:06:41.810 against Assyria. But Ahaz did not trust these 00:06:41.810 --> 00:06:44.589 people. In fact, they attacked Jerusalem to try 00:06:44.589 --> 00:06:48.379 to put pressure on Ahaz. They could not take 00:06:48.379 --> 00:06:52.980 the city. And Ahaz did not trust these two. And 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:56.360 so he decided that he would send a message to 00:06:56.360 --> 00:07:00.680 Assyria, to the king whose name was Tiglath -Pileser, 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:05.319 and ask him to come to help him against the king 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:10.660 of Israel and the king of Syria. Isaiah was dead 00:07:10.660 --> 00:07:15.720 set against that. He said, it is wrong, Ahaz, 00:07:15.819 --> 00:07:20.610 for you to go to the king of Assyria to ask for 00:07:20.610 --> 00:07:27.290 help. Turn to the Lord, not to the king of Assyria. 00:07:28.689 --> 00:07:31.529 Now that's the historical context for what we're 00:07:31.529 --> 00:07:34.170 going to read. Chapter 7 of Isaiah, beginning 00:07:34.170 --> 00:07:37.990 in verse 1. When Ahaz son of Jotham the son of 00:07:37.990 --> 00:07:42.189 Uzziah was king of Judah, king reason of Aram, 00:07:42.389 --> 00:07:46.000 or Assyria, And Pekah, son of Remaliah, king 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:48.519 of Israel, marched up to fight against Jerusalem, 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:52.160 but they could not overpower it. Now the house 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:55.220 of David was told, Aram has allied itself with 00:07:55.220 --> 00:07:58.759 Ephraim. So the hearts of Ahaznes people were 00:07:58.759 --> 00:08:01.220 shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken 00:08:01.220 --> 00:08:05.639 by the wind. Then the Lord said to Isaiah, go 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:09.899 out, you and your son Shiar Jashub. to meet Ahaz 00:08:09.899 --> 00:08:12.139 at the end of the aqueduct of the upper pool 00:08:12.139 --> 00:08:14.899 on the road to the washerman's field and say 00:08:14.899 --> 00:08:19.939 to him, be careful. Keep calm. Don't be afraid. 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:23.980 Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering 00:08:23.980 --> 00:08:27.939 stubs of firewood, because of the fierce anger 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:32.000 of reason and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 00:08:33.090 --> 00:08:36.190 Aram, Ephraim, and Remaliah's son have plotted 00:08:36.190 --> 00:08:39.289 your ruin, saying, let us invade Judah. Let us 00:08:39.289 --> 00:08:42.190 tear it apart and divide it among ourselves and 00:08:42.190 --> 00:08:45.769 make the son of Tobiel king over it. Yet this 00:08:45.769 --> 00:08:49.789 is what the sovereign Lord says. That will not 00:08:49.789 --> 00:08:53.250 take place. It will not happen. For the head 00:08:53.250 --> 00:08:55.649 of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus 00:08:55.649 --> 00:09:00.370 is only reason. Within 65 years, Ephraim will 00:09:00.370 --> 00:09:05.799 too be shattered. as a people. The head of Ephraim 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:09.419 is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's 00:09:09.419 --> 00:09:13.120 son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:16.799 you will not stand at all. I want to tell you 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:19.100 something. That sentence that was spoken to Ahaz 00:09:19.100 --> 00:09:23.059 is as legitimate today as it has ever been. If 00:09:23.059 --> 00:09:26.559 you and I do not stand firm in our faith, we 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:32.100 will not stand at all. And Ahaz was greatly shaken. 00:09:33.500 --> 00:09:37.179 Again, the Lord spoke to Ahaz. Ask the Lord your 00:09:37.179 --> 00:09:39.759 God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:42.840 or in the highest heights. But Ahaz said, I do 00:09:42.840 --> 00:09:45.460 not ask. I will not ask. I will not put the Lord 00:09:45.460 --> 00:09:49.639 to the test. Then Isaiah said, hear now, you 00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:53.039 house of David. Is it not enough to try the patience 00:09:53.039 --> 00:09:56.259 of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 00:09:57.100 --> 00:09:59.679 Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. 00:10:00.189 --> 00:10:02.789 The virgin shall be with child and will give 00:10:02.789 --> 00:10:07.070 birth to a son, and will call his name Immanuel. 00:10:08.250 --> 00:10:10.929 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough 00:10:10.929 --> 00:10:13.830 to reject the wrong and choose the right. But 00:10:13.830 --> 00:10:16.269 before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong 00:10:16.269 --> 00:10:18.230 and choose the right, the land of the two kings 00:10:18.230 --> 00:10:21.629 you dread will be laid waste. The Lord will bring 00:10:21.629 --> 00:10:23.789 on you and your people and all the house of your 00:10:23.789 --> 00:10:26.149 father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke 00:10:26.149 --> 00:10:30.659 away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria." 00:10:30.659 --> 00:10:32.399 Well, the prophecy goes on, and I don't have 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:34.899 time to read it all, but I do want you to notice 00:10:34.899 --> 00:10:37.639 the historical significance of this occasion. 00:10:40.179 --> 00:10:43.700 God offered to Ahaz a sign if he wanted to sign. 00:10:44.899 --> 00:10:47.419 And Ahaz said rather pompously, oh, I wouldn't 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:52.299 tempt the Lord with a sign. And so the Lord says 00:10:52.299 --> 00:10:55.370 to Isaiah, I'll give you a sign anyway. that 00:10:55.370 --> 00:10:57.409 I can be trusted, and that you don't need to 00:10:57.409 --> 00:11:00.250 go to the king of Assyria for help. The virgin 00:11:00.250 --> 00:11:03.029 will conceive and bear a son. And you will call 00:11:03.029 --> 00:11:05.669 his name Emmanuel, and that means that I am with 00:11:05.669 --> 00:11:13.230 you. God is with you, Ahaz." Now, it's interesting 00:11:13.230 --> 00:11:15.330 that when Isaiah wrote this prophecy, he used 00:11:15.330 --> 00:11:18.429 a Hebrew word here that can mean, and does mean, 00:11:18.610 --> 00:11:22.250 a young maiden. It doesn't have to mean a virgin. 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:27.779 The reason for that is that there was probably 00:11:27.779 --> 00:11:32.080 an immediate fulfillment in that day. Indeed, 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:34.620 as you go on into chapter 8, it seems that the 00:11:34.620 --> 00:11:40.419 son that God promised as a sign to Ahaz was a 00:11:40.419 --> 00:11:43.860 son that was shortly after this born to Isaiah 00:11:43.860 --> 00:11:47.080 and a prophetess who was at this moment still 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:53.149 a virgin. He was not married to her yet. And 00:11:53.149 --> 00:11:57.990 that son who was born became the sign to Ahaz, 00:11:58.629 --> 00:12:01.870 that God was with him. And God said before that 00:12:01.870 --> 00:12:05.149 boy knows enough to reject right and to choose, 00:12:05.389 --> 00:12:07.909 to reject wrong and choose the right, before 00:12:07.909 --> 00:12:10.970 he's one or two years of age, both of these kings 00:12:10.970 --> 00:12:14.149 that you're dreading today will be out of here. 00:12:14.990 --> 00:12:18.929 And indeed, within two years after this prophecy 00:12:18.929 --> 00:12:23.779 was given, both of those kings were dead. because 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:29.779 Assyria came down and attacked. You see, God 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:32.580 has a way of proving himself, and he did in that 00:12:32.580 --> 00:12:35.379 age. The historical significance is that that 00:12:35.379 --> 00:12:38.240 prophecy had a fulfillment in that day, in Isaiah's 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:41.580 day, but God, God had something greater in mind 00:12:41.580 --> 00:12:46.879 in that prophecy. And we see that it has direct 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:50.679 reference to one who would be born hundreds of 00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:55.419 years later. to a virgin. And when Matthew writes 00:12:55.419 --> 00:12:58.039 about this, he uses a word that does not mean 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:01.000 a young woman. It means a young woman who has 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:04.340 never known a man. There is no mistaking it in 00:13:04.340 --> 00:13:07.179 the New Testament that he is saying that it is 00:13:07.179 --> 00:13:11.019 a prophecy of a virgin birth, and that that was 00:13:11.019 --> 00:13:16.559 fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. Having briefly 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:19.340 looked at the historical background and significance 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:22.980 of the name Immanuel, that it meant in the days 00:13:22.980 --> 00:13:25.799 of Ahaz that God was with His people and He would 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:30.080 deliver them. Let's secondly consider the salvational 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:34.700 aspect and significance of this name Immanuel. 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:42.440 That returns us to Matthew chapter 1. In the 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:46.059 verses just preceding the prophecy that Matthew 00:13:46.059 --> 00:13:52.029 points toward, The angel says to Joseph regarding 00:13:52.029 --> 00:13:56.470 Mary that he is to not be afraid to take Mary 00:13:56.470 --> 00:14:00.090 as his wife because what is conceived in her 00:14:00.090 --> 00:14:04.009 is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth 00:14:04.009 --> 00:14:06.649 to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus 00:14:06.649 --> 00:14:11.389 because he will save his people from their sins. 00:14:14.860 --> 00:14:17.620 The historical significance of the name was that 00:14:17.620 --> 00:14:20.419 God would be with His people to save them from 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:26.080 the threat of their enemies. But the New Testament 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:28.759 significance of this name, as applied to Jesus, 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:31.980 is found in this, that He is with us to save 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:37.639 us from our sins. God was with His people in 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:41.580 that day in their spiritual yearnings. They longed 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:46.030 for deliverance and for God's intervention. And 00:14:46.030 --> 00:14:51.549 He came to be with them in a most unique sense. 00:14:52.710 --> 00:14:55.649 It had never been done before, nor is it repeatable 00:14:55.649 --> 00:15:00.929 how He came. God Himself came to be with them 00:15:00.929 --> 00:15:08.710 and with us through the virgin birth. And in 00:15:08.710 --> 00:15:12.470 doing so, He identified with us in our humanity. 00:15:13.289 --> 00:15:18.509 while he was protected from our sin. Adam's sin 00:15:18.509 --> 00:15:23.330 is counted through the male seed. And because 00:15:23.330 --> 00:15:26.929 Jesus was born without the participation of Joseph, 00:15:27.789 --> 00:15:31.730 therefore he was not legally a sinner through 00:15:31.730 --> 00:15:38.529 Adam. And God so protected Jesus in the womb 00:15:38.529 --> 00:15:42.669 of Mary that he did not inherit from her her 00:15:42.669 --> 00:15:49.190 own sin. sin, so that he was holy from his conception, 00:15:50.309 --> 00:15:56.889 fully human, fully God, and holy, and thus able 00:15:56.889 --> 00:16:00.950 to be the one who would save his people from 00:16:00.950 --> 00:16:05.970 their sins. Jesus Christ was Emmanuel in the 00:16:05.970 --> 00:16:12.210 fullest sense of that meaning. Bible dictionary 00:16:12.210 --> 00:16:16.169 says, Matthew rightly recognized that hope for 00:16:16.169 --> 00:16:19.269 restoration through the house of David reached 00:16:19.269 --> 00:16:24.129 its ultimate fulfillment only with Jesus. With 00:16:24.129 --> 00:16:28.649 the coming of Jesus, God is with us in the most 00:16:28.649 --> 00:16:35.470 profound sense. Not only is God with us in the 00:16:35.470 --> 00:16:39.980 birth of the Lord Jesus, But in the continuing 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:43.340 ministry of the Lord Jesus to us and His presence 00:16:43.340 --> 00:16:47.100 in our lives throughout this age, He is with 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:53.559 us. He is with us to save us from our sins. And 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:57.799 that is why He came just as the angel announced. 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:02.799 Philip Yancey, one of my favorite authors, writes 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:05.319 these words. This is the key to understanding 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:09.289 Christmas. I believe that we live in parallel 00:17:09.289 --> 00:17:13.710 worlds. One consists of lakes and barns and politicians 00:17:13.710 --> 00:17:16.609 and shepherds watching their flocks by night. 00:17:17.130 --> 00:17:20.789 The other of angels and sinister forces and places 00:17:20.789 --> 00:17:25.230 called heaven and hell. One night, in the cold 00:17:25.230 --> 00:17:30.309 and dark, those two worlds came together. God, 00:17:30.509 --> 00:17:36.579 who knows, know before or after, entered into 00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:40.900 time and space. Could it be true this story of 00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:43.960 a creator descending to be born on one small 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:48.559 planet? If so, it is a story like no other. Never 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:50.940 again need we wonder whether what happens on 00:17:50.940 --> 00:17:53.700 this dirty little tennis ball matters to the 00:17:53.700 --> 00:17:56.799 rest of the universe. Little wonder, a choir 00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:00.220 of angels broke out in spontaneous song, disturbing 00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:04.039 not only a few shepherds, but the entire universe. 00:18:04.829 --> 00:18:09.950 Because when Jesus was born, He was born as God 00:18:09.950 --> 00:18:16.049 with us. And He was with us to save us from our 00:18:16.049 --> 00:18:21.910 sins. But that brings me to a third significance 00:18:21.910 --> 00:18:25.049 as we consider this name, Emmanuel. And that 00:18:25.049 --> 00:18:29.210 is the eternal significance of the name. Because 00:18:29.210 --> 00:18:32.470 the name has a meaning that stretches into eternity 00:18:32.470 --> 00:18:36.019 yet to come. with the new heaven and the new 00:18:36.019 --> 00:18:38.980 earth. I'd like you to turn in your Bible to 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:44.759 Revelation chapter 21, all the way to the end 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:47.019 of the New Testament, to the book of the Revelation. 00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:55.440 Chapter 21. In this chapter, John has a great 00:18:55.440 --> 00:19:00.950 vision of the new heaven and the new earth. And 00:19:00.950 --> 00:19:04.069 he sees the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming 00:19:04.069 --> 00:19:08.230 down from God out of heaven. And in verse 3, 00:19:08.730 --> 00:19:12.730 he says, I heard a loud voice from the throne 00:19:12.730 --> 00:19:17.309 saying, now the dwelling of God is with men, 00:19:17.950 --> 00:19:22.589 and He will live with them. They will be His 00:19:22.589 --> 00:19:27.750 people, and God Himself will be with them and 00:19:27.750 --> 00:19:33.119 be their God. Now, although the name Immanuel 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:36.000 is not used here, the meaning of the name is 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:39.980 very clearly spoken here. God Himself will be 00:19:39.980 --> 00:19:44.759 with them and will be their God and they shall 00:19:44.759 --> 00:19:47.440 be His people. And what is John talking about? 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:50.980 He is talking about the eternal presence of God 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:53.980 with His people in the new heaven and the new 00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:56.700 earth and in the new Jerusalem in particular. 00:19:57.740 --> 00:20:00.980 that God will dwell with us there in the most 00:20:00.980 --> 00:20:05.960 profound sense, the eternal significance of the 00:20:05.960 --> 00:20:09.720 name Immanuel. Matthew Henry comments with these 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:14.359 words, it is a matter of wonder that a holy God 00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:16.839 should ever dwell with any of the children of 00:20:16.839 --> 00:20:20.740 men. The presence of God with his people in heaven 00:20:20.740 --> 00:20:24.059 will not be interrupted as it is on earth, but 00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:28.819 he will dwell with them continually. It is for 00:20:28.819 --> 00:20:31.279 this reason and because of something that is 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:33.680 said in the eighth chapter of Isaiah that we 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:37.180 didn't have time to look at, that heaven is sometimes 00:20:37.180 --> 00:20:42.339 referred to as Emmanuel's land. Because it is 00:20:42.339 --> 00:20:46.079 the place where God will be with us in the most 00:20:46.079 --> 00:20:52.400 profound and eternal sense. Anne Ross Cousin. 00:20:52.589 --> 00:20:55.970 was a pastor's wife 150 years ago, and as she 00:20:55.970 --> 00:21:00.109 sat sewing one evening, the sermon of a great 00:21:00.109 --> 00:21:03.890 Scottish preacher by the name of Samuel Rutherford 00:21:03.890 --> 00:21:07.849 was going through her mind. She took several 00:21:07.849 --> 00:21:12.069 phrases from that sermon of Rutherford and created 00:21:12.069 --> 00:21:16.369 a hymn that we sometimes still sing today. This 00:21:16.369 --> 00:21:19.869 is the hymn that was sung at the bedside of Charles 00:21:19.869 --> 00:21:28.049 Spurgeon before he died. in 1892. The sands of 00:21:28.049 --> 00:21:31.250 time are sinking. The dawn of heaven breaks. 00:21:32.210 --> 00:21:36.589 The summer morn I've sighed for. The fair, sweet 00:21:36.589 --> 00:21:40.309 morn awakes. Dark, dark hath been the midnight. 00:21:40.470 --> 00:21:45.329 But day spring is at hand. And glory, glory dwelleth 00:21:45.329 --> 00:21:50.500 in Emmanuel's land. The bride eyes not her garment, 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:54.619 but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:59.000 at glory, but on my king of grace. Not at the 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:02.259 crown he giveth, but on his pierced hand. The 00:22:02.259 --> 00:22:09.500 land is all the glory of Emmanuel's land." You 00:22:09.500 --> 00:22:11.720 see that place that you and I will spend eternity 00:22:11.720 --> 00:22:14.940 is called the place where God will be with us. 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:21.710 And thus rightly, Emmanuel's land. But there 00:22:21.710 --> 00:22:23.809 is a fourth significance that I want us to see 00:22:23.809 --> 00:22:27.130 before we stop this morning and this has to do 00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:30.250 with us personally. The personal significance 00:22:30.250 --> 00:22:36.990 of the name Emmanuel. This name has rich meaning 00:22:36.990 --> 00:22:42.309 for you and for me. Matthew begins his gospel 00:22:42.309 --> 00:22:46.640 by saying that Jesus is the one who is God with 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:53.180 us. You remember how he ends his gospel? He has 00:22:53.180 --> 00:22:55.579 the Lord Jesus Christ making this statement, 00:22:56.279 --> 00:23:03.039 and lo, I am what? With you, always, to the end 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:07.140 of the age. You see, this gospel of Matthew is 00:23:07.140 --> 00:23:10.849 about Emmanuel, God with us. Not only was he 00:23:10.849 --> 00:23:13.410 with us in his birth to save us, but he is with 00:23:13.410 --> 00:23:17.369 us always to the end of the age. And what does 00:23:17.369 --> 00:23:21.750 this mean that he is with us? It is not merely 00:23:21.750 --> 00:23:24.369 that he is present as though we were to take 00:23:24.369 --> 00:23:28.150 record of attendance and mark him present. But 00:23:28.150 --> 00:23:31.690 it means that he is present and active and working 00:23:31.690 --> 00:23:36.049 in our lives. You see, that was the special word 00:23:36.049 --> 00:23:40.779 for Joseph in Matthew chapter 1. Joseph was afraid. 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:45.779 Mary was with child. He could not understand 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:49.519 how this could be. How this one that he loved, 00:23:49.859 --> 00:23:52.980 to whom he was betrothed, would be unfaithful 00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:58.779 to him and be with child. His only thought was 00:23:58.779 --> 00:24:00.920 that he had to put her away privately. He didn't 00:24:00.920 --> 00:24:02.880 want to embarrass her publicly. He didn't want 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:07.390 to bring shame to her. But he was afraid. And 00:24:07.390 --> 00:24:09.809 so the angel came to Joseph, and what did he 00:24:09.809 --> 00:24:16.609 say? Do not be afraid. And what had Isaiah said 00:24:16.609 --> 00:24:23.230 to King Ahaz? Do not be afraid. You see, the 00:24:23.230 --> 00:24:26.789 name Emmanuel is a name that should say to you 00:24:26.789 --> 00:24:32.410 and me, you don't have to be afraid. As you pass 00:24:32.410 --> 00:24:37.690 through the trials of life, God is with you. 00:24:39.430 --> 00:24:42.170 When you pass through persecutions and the mockings 00:24:42.170 --> 00:24:45.390 of people who do not appreciate your faith and 00:24:45.390 --> 00:24:50.490 your integrity, don't be afraid. God is with 00:24:50.490 --> 00:24:54.809 you. As you pass through the deep valleys of 00:24:54.809 --> 00:24:57.549 life and the loss of someone or something that 00:24:57.549 --> 00:25:00.210 is dear and precious to you, you don't have to 00:25:00.210 --> 00:25:05.660 be afraid. God is with you. When you are confused 00:25:05.660 --> 00:25:07.619 and there are question marks in your mind, and 00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:12.500 you say, what am I to do? Or where is God in 00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:19.200 this? The answer is, Emmanuel. God is with you 00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:27.640 right then. Do not be afraid. A little girl once 00:25:27.640 --> 00:25:32.240 said to her mother, Mommy, I like you better 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:37.250 than I like God. The mother was a little nonplussed 00:25:37.250 --> 00:25:39.029 by the statement. She said, oh, honey, you mustn't 00:25:39.029 --> 00:25:42.250 say something like that. The little girl said, 00:25:42.329 --> 00:25:44.849 yes, mommy, I really do. I like you better than 00:25:44.849 --> 00:25:48.349 God. And her mother, rather shocked by this time, 00:25:48.430 --> 00:25:50.049 said, well, honey, what makes you say something 00:25:50.049 --> 00:25:52.890 like that? She answered very simply, because 00:25:52.890 --> 00:25:59.670 I can hug you. But do you see that in this name, 00:25:59.690 --> 00:26:05.420 Immanuel, God becomes huggable? He's not merely 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:07.680 the mighty sovereign creator of the universe 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:10.240 who's out there who knows us and knows all things 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:13.880 and controls all things. He is the one who came 00:26:13.880 --> 00:26:19.259 and is with us. And in Jesus we may embrace Him 00:26:19.259 --> 00:26:24.880 and know Him and trust Him. Let me ask you a 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:27.339 question. If you were thoroughly convinced that 00:26:27.339 --> 00:26:30.480 Jesus Christ was standing with you, what would 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:35.450 make you afraid? Would you be afraid to witness 00:26:35.450 --> 00:26:37.569 to a relative who might turn around and mock 00:26:37.569 --> 00:26:41.269 you because of your faith? If Jesus were standing 00:26:41.269 --> 00:26:45.529 there with you Would you be afraid of some physical 00:26:45.529 --> 00:26:50.069 danger? If Jesus was standing there with you 00:26:50.069 --> 00:26:55.170 at the moment Would you be willing to go to a 00:26:55.170 --> 00:27:00.029 foreign culture as a missionary? If Jesus was 00:27:00.029 --> 00:27:08.750 with you Would you be afraid to die if Jesus 00:27:08.750 --> 00:27:13.670 was right there with you? You say, well, no. 00:27:13.809 --> 00:27:15.509 If Jesus was right there, I wouldn't be afraid 00:27:15.509 --> 00:27:18.250 of any of those things. You see? That's what 00:27:18.250 --> 00:27:23.650 the name Emmanuel tells us. He's here. He is 00:27:23.650 --> 00:27:28.130 with us. And therefore, we don't have to be afraid. 00:27:30.220 --> 00:27:33.019 And we can trust Him to be at work in our lives 00:27:33.019 --> 00:27:35.819 and expect Him to be at work and look for Him 00:27:35.819 --> 00:27:40.200 to be at work. Therefore, we must allow Him to 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:43.619 be at work by submitting to His Lordship moment 00:27:43.619 --> 00:27:48.519 by moment. Wonderful significance in the name 00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:51.839 Emmanuel, a name that is filled with Christmas 00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:55.680 glory that encourages us in every season of life. 00:27:57.410 --> 00:28:00.269 The historical significance of the name God with 00:28:00.269 --> 00:28:08.490 us is that He keeps His promises. He kept His 00:28:08.490 --> 00:28:12.930 promises to Ahaz, although Ahaz did not trust 00:28:12.930 --> 00:28:18.369 Him. The salvational significance of the name 00:28:18.369 --> 00:28:21.029 is that He will save us from our sins. We don't 00:28:21.029 --> 00:28:25.500 have to be afraid of the past. We don't have 00:28:25.500 --> 00:28:27.779 to be afraid of the future because the eternal 00:28:27.779 --> 00:28:30.779 significance of the Name is that He keeps us 00:28:30.779 --> 00:28:35.279 secure forever and will dwell with us. And we 00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:40.900 will be His people. And He our God, for all of 00:28:40.900 --> 00:28:44.680 eternity to come. The personal significance of 00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:47.000 the Name is that we don't have to be afraid of 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:50.500 the present. Whether it be in our service or 00:28:50.500 --> 00:28:53.759 in our suffering, whatever it be, He's with us. 00:28:55.079 --> 00:28:59.039 JB Phillips tells the story of an angel describing 00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:02.039 the splendors of the universe to a newcomer, 00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:08.099 a new angel. This is in his imagination. Past 00:29:08.099 --> 00:29:12.079 the whirling galaxies and the blazing suns, these 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:16.359 two crossed the infinite distances of space to 00:29:16.359 --> 00:29:22.190 a galaxy of 500 billion stars. The senior angel 00:29:22.190 --> 00:29:25.509 pointed to a small sphere that was turning slowly 00:29:25.509 --> 00:29:29.869 on its axis. It looked like the dirty little 00:29:29.869 --> 00:29:33.970 snowball to the little angel, whose mind was 00:29:33.970 --> 00:29:36.170 filled with the size and glory of all that he 00:29:36.170 --> 00:29:40.410 had seen. But the angel said, watch that one 00:29:40.410 --> 00:29:43.910 particularly. It looks very small to me, said 00:29:43.910 --> 00:29:46.009 the little angel. What's so special about it? 00:29:48.140 --> 00:29:51.420 He listened in stunned belief as the senior angel 00:29:51.420 --> 00:29:55.319 told him that this planet, small and insignificant 00:29:55.319 --> 00:30:00.720 and not overly clean, was the renowned visited 00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:06.539 planet. Do you mean, said the little angel, that 00:30:06.539 --> 00:30:10.660 our glorious prince stooped so low as to become 00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:14.039 one of those creeping, crawling creatures on 00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:17.859 that floating ball? I do, said the senior angel, 00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:20.339 and I don't think he would like you to call them 00:30:20.339 --> 00:30:23.900 creeping, crawling creatures. For strange as 00:30:23.900 --> 00:30:27.759 it seems to us, he loves them. He went down to 00:30:27.759 --> 00:30:31.160 visit them, to lift them up to become like him. 00:30:32.700 --> 00:30:36.140 The little angel looked blank, for such a thought 00:30:36.140 --> 00:30:41.359 was beyond his comprehension. Well, my friend, 00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:45.839 that's what the name Emmanuel means. It means 00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:51.700 that this has become the visited planet. God 00:30:51.700 --> 00:30:55.799 is with us. It means because of that, you and 00:30:55.799 --> 00:31:00.119 I don't have to be afraid in this world. Because 00:31:00.119 --> 00:31:09.640 He is Immanuel. He is Immanuel. Let's pray. There 00:31:09.640 --> 00:31:13.319 are some of us afraid this morning. Issues in 00:31:13.319 --> 00:31:19.690 our lives. have so grown and mushroomed that 00:31:19.690 --> 00:31:23.069 we fear we're going to be caught up, carried 00:31:23.069 --> 00:31:31.529 away. Others may be afraid of people, afraid 00:31:31.529 --> 00:31:36.390 of the future, what it holds. Will you this morning 00:31:36.390 --> 00:31:39.349 reach out and take a hold of this name, Emmanuel, 00:31:40.950 --> 00:31:44.349 and draw it to your breast, hang on to it, and 00:31:44.349 --> 00:31:52.509 realize what it means to you. And if you would 00:31:52.509 --> 00:31:54.809 like to have someone to pray with personally 00:31:54.809 --> 00:31:57.890 after the service, some of our staff and elders 00:31:57.890 --> 00:32:00.109 will be over here by the Christmas tree on my 00:32:00.109 --> 00:32:03.990 right. After the service, they're available to 00:32:03.990 --> 00:32:06.430 pray with you, and I invite you to come and to 00:32:06.430 --> 00:32:09.869 take them by the hand and say, I need someone 00:32:09.869 --> 00:32:12.069 to pray with me. This is not a counseling time, 00:32:12.069 --> 00:32:15.539 but it is a prayer time. And as others are walking 00:32:15.539 --> 00:32:18.299 out, you can go get some personal help and find 00:32:18.299 --> 00:32:23.920 a friend to pray with. Lord Jesus, thank you 00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:29.220 for being Emmanuel to us. Thank you for the great 00:32:29.220 --> 00:32:32.240 prophecy spoken by Isaiah hundreds of years before 00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:37.359 your birth. Thank you for your coming in such 00:32:37.359 --> 00:32:42.890 a miraculous way and for the purpose. of saving 00:32:42.890 --> 00:32:47.150 us from our sins. Thank you that for all of eternity 00:32:47.150 --> 00:32:51.609 to come you will be with us and dwell with us 00:32:51.609 --> 00:32:57.309 and that even right now you are with us speaking 00:32:57.309 --> 00:33:02.589 the words as were spoken to Joseph do not be 00:33:02.589 --> 00:33:07.609 afraid. So may we go from this place this morning 00:33:07.980 --> 00:33:10.559 with that sense of confidence and joy in our 00:33:10.559 --> 00:33:18.339 hearts that you are with us. This we pray in 00:33:18.339 --> 00:33:23.779 your blessed and lovely name. Amen. I'm going 00:33:23.779 --> 00:33:25.720 to extend the right hand of fellowship this morning 00:33:25.720 --> 00:33:28.299 to a number of people. And if I read your name 00:33:28.299 --> 00:33:30.000 and you're in this service, I invite you to come 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:32.980 over to this side of the auditorium and to stand 00:33:32.980 --> 00:33:35.180 there so we can come by and take your hand and 00:33:35.180 --> 00:33:37.279 shake it and welcome you into our church family. 00:33:37.630 --> 00:33:41.549 Bonnie Arneberg, Steve Brown, Mary Beth Daly, 00:33:41.789 --> 00:33:47.269 and come as I call your name. Sherry and Stu 00:33:47.269 --> 00:33:52.430 Erdenberg, Melanie and Rick Helm, David Isaac, 00:33:52.750 --> 00:33:55.609 Rick and Tammy Kelly, John and Tracy Kolbrek, 00:33:56.049 --> 00:34:00.009 Adele Kunde, Don Rubiolo, Gail and Mike Teegarden, 00:34:00.450 --> 00:34:03.589 Joel and Sue Varberg, Mike and Therese Vogt. 00:34:04.210 --> 00:34:06.269 Come and shake them by the hand, won't you, and 00:34:06.269 --> 00:34:08.420 greet them. and welcome them into our church 00:34:08.420 --> 00:34:11.599 family. Let's stand together now as we are dismissed 00:34:11.599 --> 00:34:14.179 in prayer. And once again, if you would like 00:34:14.179 --> 00:34:16.340 to pray with someone, we'll have some folks standing 00:34:16.340 --> 00:34:18.500 right over here who will be able to pray with 00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:21.440 you. And now, Lord, dismiss us, I pray, with 00:34:21.440 --> 00:34:24.380 the blessing and the joy of Emmanuel in our hearts, 00:34:25.280 --> 00:34:26.920 for Christ's sake. Amen.