Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. Isaiah 7:14; 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. Matthew 1:23
There
is no one in history that has been given more names or titles than Jesus
Christ. Throughout the pages of Holy Bible over 100 names and titles are given
to Jesus. And whether He is called "Bright morning star, Wonderful
Counselor, the Root of Jesse, the Alpha and the Omega, or the Lamb of
God", each of these names and titles is rich with meaning. They all say
something significant about who Jesus is. However, the name
"Emmanuel" is more significant than the other names of our Lord. This
name, which Matthew refers to in his Gospel (Matthew 1:23), was first given to
Jesus by the prophet Isaiah 700 years before His birth (Isaiah 7:14).
To
know the purpose why Matthew used this name of our Lord in his Gospel we need
to go back to the Old Testament book of Isaiah. The word “Emmanuel” which
Matthew interprets to mean “God with us” appears three times in two Old
Testament passages; both in Isaiah. Both are set in the context of God’s
promised deliverance of the Kingdom of Judah at time of great national peril.
Isaiah was sent by God and gave assurance that God would deliver the people,
not for Ahaz’s sake the king of Judah, but for the sake of the Lord’s own
faithfulness to his people.
So,
when Isaiah was sent to Ahaz, God offered the king a “sign” that the message
was authentic. Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not
enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child
and will give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel. Isa 7:13-14 (NIV).
So, the enemies of God were told, “Devise your strategy, but it will be
thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us
(Emmanuel!) (8:10)
My
dear friends this morning, are you going through the storms of life? Are you
going through the storms of sickness or bereavement or pain? Are you going
through the storms of loneliness or desertion? Whatever storms you're going
through, listen today: God is with us! He has come to dwell, He has come to
reside with us! God is with you! For the parentless: He is the everlasting
Father. For the lonely one: He is the omnipotent Companion that is with us
wherever we go, whatever we do. For the sick, for the lonely, for the deserted,
for those going through the valley of death “Emmanuel” is with us.
London’s Bunshill cemetery is one of the famous cemeteries in the world.
It's a place where many famous people are buried - Charles Wesley is buried
there, Isaac Watts the great hymn writer, Daniel Defoe the author of Robinson
Crusoe - but opposite that great graveyard is the chapel of John Wesley and a
monument erected to him. Also across that road is John Wesley's house, where on
March 2nd 1791 Wesley opened his eyes and exclaimed for the very last time,
upon his deathbed, these words: 'The best of all is this: God is with us'. He
could have said various things, but he said that the best of all is this: God
is with us. Yes He is with us to save us and to protect us.
