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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


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