IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US

1. Immanuel, God with Us

a) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

b) The majesty of Immanuel is described this way in John 1:1-5. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

c) All that majesty chose to become intimately acquainted with us by humbling Himself into the confines of a human body so that He could dwell among us and show us the grace and truth of who the Father is (John 1:14). Have you ever really thought about an infinite God choosing to spend nine months in the womb of one of His creations? He then spent 33 years experiencing the human experience. Scripture records that He was hungry, thirsty, and tired. For every emotion we have had, Jesus has experienced it. Great joy and also great sorrow. Jesus could have miraculously appeared on the earth in any way He chose, but He choose to fully know our human experience.

d) Why? So that we might know God fully. He came to be a living, breathing expression of the Father. This is the gift of Christmas. His life, everything He did and said, was designed to speak of the Father’s extravagant love and heart for His people.