God With Us
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Intro: This verse has been a source of great interest to me lately.
One of the titles or names He was given was Emmanuel.
It has fascinated me why Jesus was never called this name by anyone in the Scriptures – ever!
Verse 21 of Matthew 1 says, “…and thou shalt call his name Jesus…”
Not once in the New Testament is Jesus ever called or referred to as Emmanuel.
There are many names by which the Lord Jesus Christ was called.
· Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
He was never called “Wonderful.”
He was never called “Counsellor.”
He was certainly never called by the men of his day “The mighty God.”
That phrase “God with us…” speaks volumes!
I mean, it is loaded statement!!
Let’s break this phrase down and see what it means.
I. God With Us speaks of His Unprecedented Incarnation
The Bible is filled with references to the doctrine that God became man.
This was the fulfillment of ancient prophecy
· Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
This prophecy was about to be fulfilled.
John 1:1 and John 1:14 are crystal clear
· 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
· 2 The same was in the beginning with God.
· 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
· 14 And the Word was made 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.
· 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
· John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
II. God With Us Speaks of His Undeserved Interaction
God has always wanted to be with us. What a mystery!
Let’s be clear about one thing – God moved toward man way before man moved toward God!
From the beginning of the world, God desired to be with man.
I honestly do not understand why He would desire to be with us.
· Man is self-centered.
· Man is slow.
· Man is sinful.
Even man’s righteousnesses are as filthy rags.
It blows my mind why He would, but He did.
A God that is so big that He has to humble Himself to behold the things in Heaven!
Psalm 113
· 5 Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,
· 6 Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
· 7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
· 8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
NOTE:
God got His hands dirty when He CREATED us – Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
God got His hands dirty when He CONVERTED us – Psalms 40:2 He brought me up…out of the miry clay,
God got His hands dirty when He CORONATED us! – Psalm 113:7, 8 lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes
God got His hands dirty so we could lift up clean hands!!
Psalm 24
· 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
· 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;
You might say, Preacher, I don’t know about that!
Paul said it like this:
· 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
God had this unexplainable desire to be with us!
A. By His Conversing in the Garden
· Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
B. By His Company in the Ark
· Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
C. By His Communion in the Tabernacle
· Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
· 22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
In the Old Testament, God had a Temple for His People.
In the New Testament, God had a People for His Temple.
· Acts 7:48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
· Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
D. By His Comfort in the Fire
· Daniel 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
III. God With Us Speaks of His Undeniable Indwelling
One of the greatest miracles ever known is when God became man and “dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
One of the greatest days in history is when a baby was born and we called his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
But can I tell you of another unbelievable miracle?
It wasn’t just the fact that He CAME.
God was not just “with us” during His earthly life and ministry.
He said in Hebrews 13:5 …I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
To me, one of the greatest miracles is the fact that HE’S STILL HERE!! He never left!!
I’m talking about the continual, abiding aspect of God and His indwelling of the believer.
A. The Indwelling of God Himself
· 1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
· 1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
· Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
· 1 Corinthians 14:25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on [his] face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
B. The Indwelling of God’s Son
· John 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
· John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
· 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
· Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
· Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
C. The Indwelling of God’s Spirit
John 14
· 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
· 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
· 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
· Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
· Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
· 1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
· 1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
· 2 Timothy 1:14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
· 1 John 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
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