Immanuel Jesus
Matt 1:18-25
1.
Merry Christmas! Christmas is most widely and joyfully celebrated in the whole
world than any other day. Two groups of people celebrate Christmas: one with
reason and the other without reason. We are blessed that we celebrate Christmas
with reason, for Christmas is the reason of our salvation, liberation,
regeneration, and happiness now and forever. If there is no Christmas, we will
be still in darkness, sin, anxiety, and misery.
2.
In this Christmas, I sent you a card that has no picture but only letters: ¡°Emmanuel¡±. God sent an angel to the struggling Joseph,
clarified that Mary¡¯s baby is the Son of God conceived by the Holy Spirit, and
gave the name of the baby: ¡°She will give birth to a son, and you are to give
him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.¡±(21) Jesus means Savior. But another name was
given: ¡°The virgin will be with child and
will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.¡±(23) It means ¡°God
with us¡±, that is, ¡°Imma-nu-el¡±. It
is the quotation of Isaiah¡¯s Messiah prophecy in Is 7:14. Therefore, if you
really believe and welcome Jesus as your own Immanuel, this Christmas will be a
great blessing to you!
3. Then, what is Immanuel?
Why is Jesus Immanuel? What does it mean that Jesus is your Immanuel? There are
many humans with us. In this sinful world, it is a great blessing that we have
some humans with us: our family, friends, neighbors, brothers and sisters in
the Lord. Without them, our life would be lonely and miserable. Among so many
humans in the world, only a small number of people are with us. Those who are
genuinely with us and for us always are not many. They are precious people for
us, and it is God¡¯s providence for us to get along with them in this life as
strangers.
4. However, because humans
have limitations, no human is able to be with us and for us always. They come
and go. They are for us but sometimes against us. They have their own concerns
and interests. They have their own life. Even husband and wife cannot be with
each other always. We may not demand everything if we cannot give everything
for them. Sometimes we feel that we are alone in the midst of so many people
around us.
5. Jesus is able to be with
us always, because he is God. You depend on some stronger people than you, but
even he is not so strong. A small child said to his strong father: ¡°It¡¯s awfully
dark, but I¡¯m not afraid because my papa is here!¡± Then, his papa replied like
this: ¡°Yes, dear, it is dark indeed, but I also am not afraid because my Father
is here!¡± Even as a father, we cannot protect our family often simply because
we are weak. Even we cannot protect ourselves. We need someone who are strong
enough and love us with his life. Jesus is God, and he gave offer to us: ¡°I am the gate; whoever enters through me
will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.¡±(John 10:9)
Jesus promised that He will be your Shepherd when you enter through His gate
and become His sheep. He gave another offer to you: ¡°Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by
itself; it must remain in the vine.¡±(John 15:4) Jesus promised that our
life will be guaranteed to be fruitful and happy if our life remains within
Him. Also he promised that Jesus will be your friend if you obey Him in John
15:14-15. Only thing that Jesus requires you to make Him your Immanuel is to
believe Him, because if you don¡¯t believe you cannot follow Him.
6. It is a free offer by
the grace of God, but it is the best offer to your whole life ever. So many people
in the past and present have accepted this offer and enjoy Immanuel. So
powerful God loves me and He is always with me! Then, why are we afraid of
anything? God promised His Immanuel to Joshua: ¡°Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,
for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.¡±(Joshua 1:9) God
promised His Immanuel in Messiah prophecies to Isaiah: ¡°So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous
right hand.¡±(41:10); ¡°Fear not, for I
have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be
burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.¡±(43:1-2) When Livingstone¡¯s friends
asked him not to leave mission for Africa, he
read the last verse of Matthew: ¡°Surely I
am with you always, to the very end of the age.¡± When he returned to England after 16 years of mission, though he was
very weak because of 27th jungle fever and his arm was seriously
wounded by lion, Livingstone read the verse again to the students of Glasgow University. In this Christmas, may Jesus
be your Immanuel! Then, you will be very courageous and strong in any
situation. And, you will never feel lonely!
7. Sometimes, do you doubt
that Jesus is your Immanuel? Do you feel that He is not with you in some
difficult and lonely times? A Christian had a dream, where he saw two sets of
footprint. He asked Jesus what it is. It was his life¡¯s journey with Jesus. And
in the middle he found only one set of footprint and he protested why Jesus
left him in his difficult time. Jesus answered that I carried you on my back
because you were so hard to walk. Jesus does never leave us. Only problem is
our unbelief and independence. Often we try to walk alone. Christmas is the
greatest blessing to you and humanity! Believe that Jesus is your Immanuel, and
He will be with you always, not only in this Christmas season or some moments
but also in your whole life and in any situation, even when you forget and
leave Him! Merry Christmas again! Merry Immanuel-mas!
