“The Birth of our Lord – God with Us”
Matthew 1:18-25
“‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” [Matthew 1:23]
Omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent are three words that describe the fullness of God. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present [i.e., everywhere always]. In His omnipresence, however, He is with us in one sense [by faith] but not with us in another [by sight]. That is what changed in His First Coming. God became tangible, to touch and hear, in the birth of His Son Jesus Christ. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” [John 1:14]
God incarnate [“invested in flesh, embodied in human form” - Webster’s dictionary], is what is described in the Gospels, and particularly in our Matthew passage this morning. God became man, “embodied in human form” in the Person of Jesus Christ. “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” The absolute fullness of God came in the birth of a baby over two thousand years ago. He became the intimately tangible “God with us” [Immanuel] in the physical touch and voice of Jesus.
The name Jesus is Joshua in Hebrew and means salvation. It is the name of our Lord because He saves His people from their sins. This is His unique office. Jesus, God incarnate, would be “born of a virgin,” to die for the sins of the world. John the Baptist declared, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Back in Genesis on Mount Mariah where Jesus would be crucified thousands of years later, Abraham spared his own son Isaac and prophesied, “God would provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” [Gen 22:8, KJ].
It should be noted that Christ [Messiah in Hebrew] is Jesus’ title, not His last name. Christ means anointed. Jesus is the Anointed of God and came to anoint us with His Spirit. He firstly takes away our sins and then fills [anoints] us with His Spirit. This is His twofold ministry and is revealed in His name and title: Jesus [“salvation”] Christ [“anointed”].
Jesus Christ most certainly is our “God with us” today [Immanuel] in a special and tangible way by His Spirit that indwells us.
