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Sermon
by Rev. Tom Ramsay
Jesus:
Immanuel and Savior Matthew
1:18-25 Being a parent or
grandparent to a newborn baby is quite a wonderful moment. If you are ever
around such people you will recall them cooing, aaahhing, and very seriously
observing every movement the baby makes. Out of their mouths come the most
interesting comments: “I think the baby
has its mother’s mouth.” “I think the baby has its father’s eyes.” Then, around two or three
years old you will hear these comments:
“That child sure has its mother’s patience.” “:That child sure has its
father’s inquisitiveness.” The point being, each baby
born has some of the father’s genes and some of the mother’s genes. Today is
the fourth Sunday of Advent and we prepare to celebrate the birth of a baby, a
miracle of gigantic proportions! A
human child in every way, being born of that young girl named Mary, with all of
the human characteristics and genes of His mother that every baby ever born
has. Yet, there was something
else about Him that was different from any baby born before or after Him. This
baby had the genes and characteristic not of an earthly father like you and me,
but the characteristic and persona of God Almighty, His Heavenly Father. This baby was Immanuel, Jesus Christ, who came to love us and
save us from our sins and eternal death as well as give us true joy, hope and
peace! Immanuel: God with us! Jesus Christ: Savior/Messiah! Truly human and truly divine! Truly man and
truly God! Whether you are a Christian
and have heard this account of the birth of Jesus many times or are a person
who is going to hear it for the first time today, what Matthew describes in
these scripture verses has profound implications for you and for your better
understanding and celebration of His birth tomorrow, Christmas Day. From these verses of God’s
Word we learn:
First of all, it is vital
to know that the virgin birth of Jesus gives validity to the truth of the
incarnation. (verses 18-20). How many of you have seen
the new movie just released entitled, “The Nativity Story”? It is quite good
compared to how Hollywood normally portrays biblical themes on film. The
reality of what Mary and Joseph experienced in person, questioning and
wondering about the visitation of the angel and the subsequent isolation and
gossiping/slander by their friends and relatives, plus the hardship of the
travel to Bethlehem and their fleeing to Egypt were effectively portrayed and
very impressive. Luke describes it this way for
Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you and for this reason the
holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.” Jesus was truly a miracle
baby. Jesus was the greatest miracle of all time! God Almighty, the creator of the
entire universe interjected Himself into our time and space. In a supernatural
act of almighty power God enabled this young virgin girl to be pregnant with
God’s only begotten son. It is vital and important that you believe that Jesus
was born of this young virgin named Mary. Without a miraculous, supernatural
conception there would not be a miraculous, supernatural Jesus. Without a
miraculous, supernatural Jesus there would not have been a miraculous,
supernatural salvation act on the cross which is the essence and centrality of
Christianity. If Jesus had been conceived
like everyone else on earth then He could have been replaced in that manger
with either Mohammed, Buddha, or thousands of other wise and prophetic men or
women who have come along over the ages who taught moral and ethical truths to
live by. But, the miraculous birth
proved that Jesus was God in human form come to this earth to fulfill the
prophecies declared by the Old Testament prophets (verses 22, 23). Matthew was recalling the
prophetic word spoken by the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before, that this
baby would be called Immanuel, God with us! Wow, the amazing and
awesome truth that God Himself came to this earth in human form to live amongst
us! This is what the apostle, John, was underscoring when he wrote: “In the beginning was the word and the word
was God. He was with God in the beginning. The word became flesh and lived for
awhile amongst us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The eternal, infinite,
unchangeable God, full of wisdom, goodness, holiness, power, justice, and mercy
came to be with man, to be with you and me. Jesus
said, “If you see me you see the Father; the Father and I are one.” Jesus, in the fullness of
His humanness, experienced every emotion of joy and pain under the sun. Every
temptation, every fear, and every worry you or I ever experience on this earth,
yet never sinning. This baby, Jesus, was the
ultimate fulfilling of God’s sovereign word of the promised covenant He made
with His people centuries earlier. God accomplished this by leaving His perfect
holy and sinless heaven and humbly coming to our imperfect sin-filled world by
being born in a manger, a true example and perfect humility that Paul describes
in Philippians 2:5-8. So, on this Christmas Eve
Sunday, you see anew that the little baby Jesus we are to adore, worship and
whose birthday we celebrate tomorrow, is indeed now, has been and will be
forevermore Almighty, sovereign God in human form. And, the virgin birth also
demonstrates that God is in control of everything in all areas of life, but
particularly in His work of redemption for His beloved people:
Therefore, how can any of
us so lightly take His birth? How can we so haphazardly make reference to
Jesus? How can we so quickly remove Him from the celebration of Christmas? The world certainly does! We must not. For
it has been supernaturally made known to us that that small baby, who was
wrapped in clothes and lying in that manger, was none other than God Almighty
in human form. Immanuel! God with us! There is a very specific
reason why Jesus came to this earth, our world that we live in, from birth to
death. Jesus Christ came to this earth as Savior to redeem God’s people from
death, to save them and to give them eternal life (verses 21, 24-25). The angel made it very
clear to both Mary and Joseph that the baby was to be named Jesus. The meaning
of the name Jesus has profound significance for God’s people. Joshua, Jehovah
saves; the Lord saves. The Hebrew word means Messiah, the anointed one. The
Greek word means Christ, also the anointed one. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the Messiah,
the Christ, and the Anointed One who saves God’s people from their sins. Remember, the angel who
appeared to the shepherds in the fields that first Christmas night declared, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy.
Unto you has been born this day, in the City of David, a Savior who is Christ
the Lord.” The apostle, Peter, in his
great confession, declared that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living
God. Jesus Himself gave self-testimony and affirmed His Messiah-ship
frequently; “I who speak to you am the Messiah,
the Christ... I came to save what was lost. I came that they may have life eternal.” The New Testament writers
never hesitated to refer to Jesus as the Savior and the Messiah: “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified,
both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). In
referring to Jesus, “Salvation is found
in no one else, for there is no other name under the sun given to men by whom
they must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “Here
is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance, ‘Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners’” (I Timothy 1:12).
“This is love, not that we loved
God, but that He loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”
(I John 4:10). There is overwhelming
evidence in scripture that Jesus truly is the Messiah. He is the Savior because
He was the only perfect and sinless sacrifice that God’s holy justice demanded
for the sins and rebellion of man. Jesus Christ paid the full penalty for your
sins on the cross of Calvary. Jesus has redeemed your soul. Jesus has saved you
from eternal death. I ask you, on this day
before Christmas 2006, have you received this greatest Christmas gift of all?
Do you see your Savior when you contemplate or see that baby lying in the
manger? Do you think about Jesus and His life giving love for you as you hustle
and bustle through the busy Christmas day? My friends, if you have
placed your faith and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and have
received Him as your personal Savior you are the recipient of the greatest gift
you will ever receive. If you want the assurance that your sins have been
forgiven and that you will be guaranteed eternal life then you must believe
what the Bible says about this baby born in a manger, and trust in Him as your
personal Lord and Savior. When you do, when God
brings you into that personal relationship with Him you will experience joy and
peace and hope that are wonderfully transformational in your life. And
Christmas will have a totally new meaning for you. I urge you, I entreat you, and
I implore you. Do not let another day
go by. Don’t let another Christmas season pass without settling this most vital
decision. Invite Jesus Christ into your heart and life. Receive Him as your
Lord, Savior, Messiah. As one rests in the reality
of this amazing truth that Jesus is Immanuel and your Savior and Messiah, many
blessings flow abundantly upon you. You experience the wonderful gift of an
ever growing and intimate relationship with your Creator God. Why? Because Jesus perfectly revealed Who
God is and that His love is unconditional and merciful. That God’s will for you
is perfect and that nothing can thwart its fulfillment in His perfect timing.
Jesus examples for you how you are to live and think and speak so that you
please, honor, and glorify God. Jesus empowers you through
the indwelling Holy Spirit to do God-honoring works for mercy and compassion
that bless all those around you. So, in the midst of the very joyful
celebrations you will experience tonight and tomorrow, keep ever most in your mind
that when all the wrapping paper and empty gift boxes have been put away, when
all the decorations have been taken down, the wonderful truth of Christmas will
still be powerfully present. Jesus Christ, our Savior,
our Messiah is still active and vitally involved in your life and the lives of
multitudes around the world who claim Him as Immanuel, God with us. |