Skip to main content

Immanuel, God With Us!



The beautiful scenery in this video reminds me of my visits to Israel, which have nurtured a further appreciation of the life and walk of our Lord. The video focuses on the Sea of Galilee where the Messiah performed many of His miracles. With the singer Joshua Aaron, we can raise our voices and sing:

Hallelujah to the One who made His home among us and took our sin away,
Oh Hallelujah, He has torn the veil that separated, to bring us face to face,
Oh Immanuel, Oh Immanuel, Oh Immanuel,
God with us!

Jesus' birth was prophesied by Isaiah centuries before:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Matthew states that the birth of Christ is a fulfillment of this prophecy in his Gospel:

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord, through the prophet, saying: "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 1:22-23

 While many contested His divine nature as He walked on earth accusing Him of blasphemy, others believed He was the Messiah, the One promised of old. Those who walked closely with Him during His years of public ministry witnessed His attributes which confirmed He was indeed Immanuel. In John chapter 6 we read of an altercation among His wider circle of followers regarding His identity and when Jesus asks the twelve disciples if they also want to go away, Peter replies:

"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." John 6: 68-69

What is the significance of Immanuel's birth to humanity?

God came to be with us and walk in our midst so He could take our brokenness upon Himself and become the ultimate atoning sacrifice for sin:

But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. Hebrews 10:12

When we receive Him into our lives, He becomes God in us through the Holy Spirit and imparts new life and peace. His presence heals and restores the weary and plants the seed of His eternal love in our hearts. As one writer put it:

You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father's face and tell Him you have received His Christmas gift. John R. Rice

This Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Immanuel, may we contemplate the purpose of His coming and remember:

This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven. Acts 1:11

Immanuel will come again to set up His kingdom on earth. Jews, Christians and the nations will be united in an unprecedented way and peace will come. Oh Immanuel!

Happy Christmas to one and all!
xxx


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Mystery that is Macedonia

When I first came to Macedonia on a visit in 2001, I found this little country so intriguing and breathtakingly beautiful that I happily accepted the invitation to return for a longer period. That ‘longer period’ has now extended itself to several years during which I have had many enriching, memorable experiences. I thought it might be interesting to jot down a few observations about the difference in culture. I appeal to my Macedonian readers not to misunderstand my intentions. What I have observed are customs and habits which are as normal to you as breathing and sleeping, but to someone from an entirely different culture, they are both interesting and noteworthy. It is always thrilling for me to explore how various nations function and it is nothing short of a privilege to experience a foreign culture first-hand. Hospitality Macedonians are a friendly, hospitable people. I do not know how many times they have almost literally killed me with kindness. Indeed, I have often...
8 comments
Read more

Is Belief In God Blind Faith?

Stephen Hawking famously said: There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark. Comparing the human brain to a computer, he firmly declared his atheistic stance. Dr John Lennox’s reply to this statement turned it on its head: Atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light! Who has the correct perception? Are we just living in a sphere of darkness without God or can we find evidence for God’s light and creatorial power? Evidence for God’s existence The order and design of creation. This is the most compelling sign in my opinion. I cannot look at the beauty and detail of creation without marvelling at the Creator. In the 1980s theoretical biologist, Dr Hans Meinhardt, began to wonder how the beautiful patterns of shells formed. As he researched, he discovered that the rules which govern the formation of the patterns in nature such as leaf arrangements, sand dunes and snowflakes, were the s...
Post a Comment
Read more

Showers of Blessing

Cyprus has not had as much rain this winter as others in the past, yet spring showers can still fall somewhat unexpectedly. How refreshing, particularly after days of high dust levels from African winds! The Bible uses the imagery of spring rain to teach us notable principles. 1. Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, as raindrops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass. Deuteronomy 32:2 God desires us to be energized by His teaching and words in the same way the grass is revived by showers of rain. His Word imparts life to those who open their hearts as fertile soil for spiritual seeds. How receptive are we to God's living Word? On several occasions, the Lord added to the end of His parables the phrase, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear!' In other words, 'Pay special attention to My teaching!' We hear much around us, but do we filter out the background noise and really listen? Let his Word rain down on our souls and revive us!...
Post a Comment
Read more