Free Bible study on Immanuel – God With Us

Knowing God by Name Series

Text: Isaiah 7:14-16

Introduction:

Just for fun, I thought we might begin with a little Christmas humor.
Q: What did the reindeer say before telling his joke? A: This one will sleigh you!
Q: What do you get when you combine a Christmas tree and an iPad? A: A pineapple.
Q: What do you call an elf who sings? A: a wrapper!
Q: Why was Santa’s little helper depressed? A: Because he had low elf esteem.
Q: What do you call Santa’s helpers? A: Subordinate clauses
Q: What do you call an obnoxious reindeer? A: RUDEolph.
Q: What nationality is Santa Claus? A: North Polish.

For a number of weeks this Fall, we have been exploring the many names for God that are revealed in the Bible.
For me, it has been such a refreshing and inspiring adventure to discover more about God and how God has chosen to reveal Himself.
As we have seen in our study, God didn’t randomly reveal a new name, rather He always chose the right moment when the situation God’s people were in demanded that they have a fresh understanding of who their God really is.
The same is true with the revealing of the name we are going to explore today: Immanuel – God with us.
We may be familiar with its use in the birth narrative in Matthew’s Gospel, but we may not be aware of the circumstances surrounding its first use in the Old Testament.
As we explore the implications of the meaning of Immanuel – God with us, I want to ask three questions.
The first question is: What did Immanuel mean to Isaiah the prophet?
The second question is: What did Immanuel mean to Matthew the apostle and gospel writer?
And the third question is: What should Immanuel mean to me and to you?

What Immanuel Meant to Isaiah
So, let’s deal with the first question: what did Immanuel mean to Isaiah?
Well, if you turn to Isaiah chapter 7, you find that Isaiah is speaking to Ahaz, King of Judah.
Even though Ahaz was the king of God’s people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, King Ahaz was an evil man – he did not faithfully follow God’s ways.
King Ahaz was a man who was known to sacrifice his own children to false gods.
So when you know the character of the man that we’re dealing with here, we may be surprised by the way that God deals with him.
So what was going on in the ancient world at that time?
The Assyrian Empire, which was one of the superpowers of that day, was increasing in its world influence and world power.
And because that, Syria and Israel – two nearby nations to Judah, wanted to form a coalition with Judah in order to oppose the onslaught and the growing power of the Assyrians.
They made a proposition to King Ahaz, but King Ahaz wavered.
He didn’t know whether to join this coalition or not, and because of his hesitation Syria and Israel turned against him – they decided that they were going to punish him for his lukewarmness.
They decided to depose him and to put another king upon the throne of Judah so that they could have their way.
Hearing the news that Syria and Israel were against him, King Ahaz trembled in his boots.
Ahaz sent a delegation, with articles of gold and silver from the temple, to hire the King of Assyria to protect him from Syria and Israel.

It was then that God sent Isaiah the prophet to King Ahaz to try to get him to rely on God rather than on the King of Assyria.
Isaiah basically said to him: “Look, Ahaz, if you would only put your faith in God and put everything into His hands, then you would be alright and God would take care of you.”
The Bible says that Isaiah was to tell Ahaz: “Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs (Syria & Israel) of firewood…” (Isa. 7:4)
As I mentioned, those two kings intended to invade Judah, but Isaiah was instructed to tell Ahaz: “Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘It will not take place, it will not happen.” (Isa. 7:7)
Isaiah actually invited Ahaz to test God by asking God for a sign that the message Isaiah was bringing him was indeed from God.
But Ahaz, in all his pride, in all his stubbornness, refused.
But God would not take his “no” for an answer and had Isaiah give him a sign anyhow: 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 Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. (Isa. 7:14-16)

Amazingly, God did not withdraw his promise just because of a king’s unfaithfulness and unbelief.
God was faithful to the remnant of those people in the nation of Judah who were faithful to Him.
Basically, God was saying: “I’m going to send this child, whether Ahaz fails Me or not, and this child will be born. A virgin will conceive, and his name will be called Immanuel.”
And so, there was a child born in Ahaz’s day – it wasn’t the Lord Jesus, but it was a child that was the sign for Ahaz and the people of Judah.
One chapter later, in Isaiah 8, we read: Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (which means “Hurry to the spoils” or “He has made haste to the plunder”). Before the boy knows how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” (Isa. 8:3-4)
That child was to signify that the God of all grace is with His people.
Amidst all the trials, tribulations, and pressures that the nation of Judah faced, even though their king buckled under the pressure of human men and kings and politicians, God remained faithful to His people.

That’s what Immanuel meant to Isaiah – it was a child that would be born in his day that would signify the deliverance of God’s people.
That child would signify divine hope, God’s grace, God’s faithfulness in the midst of human weakness and failure.
But for Isaiah the meaning of Immanuel – God with us – didn’t stop with the child being born in Isaiah’s day, it also looked forward to the day when Jesus would be born.
We read in Isaiah 9: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isa. 9:6-7)
So for Isaiah, the predicted child who represented “God with us” had a meaning for Isaiah in his time, and for another time in the future.

What Immanuel Meant to Matthew
Now let’s address the second question: What did this name “Immanuel” mean to Matthew?
This is what the Bible says in Matthew chapter 1: This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Mt. 1:18-24)

An artist once drew a picture of a winter twilight, the trees within the picture were heavily laden with snow, there was a dreary, dark house in the background that looked lonely and desolate.
Right there, in the midst of the storm, all that could be seen was a dark black house shadowed with the silhouette of these trees.
It was a sad picture, but then with a quick stroke – just one quick stroke – with a yellow crayon, the artist simply put in a streak of light coming from the window.
The effect was transforming, it was magical, because the entire scene was translated into a vision of comfort, a vision of cheer.

The passage from Isaiah 9 we read a minute ago includes these words a few verses earlier: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”
Jesus was like a streak of light, cutting the darkness – Jesus is the Light of the world.
That is what the name “Immanuel” meant to Matthew.
Just as the first Immanuel in Isaiah chapter 7 was to signify the hope of Israel, so the birth of Christ, Our Immanuel, would signify hope and deliverance.
The birth of both “Immanuels,” the first and the second, signify God’s presence is with His people.
In Matthew’s understanding the coming of Jesus was God’s most important fulfillment of the Isaiah prophesy.
The world had waited 700 years for this final fulfillment.
Jesus’ coming was truly good news.
Jesus is God’s saving act among His people.
Jesus is God with us.
Jesus is the light of the world – a light shining in the darkness.
So that’s what “Immanuel” meant to Matthew.

III. What Immanuel Should Mean to Us

The final question for us then is: What should “Immanuel” mean to us?
Did you know that God’s most frequent promise in the Bible is “I am with you?”
When God asked Moses to go back to Egypt and free His people, Moses was hesitant but the Lord said, “I will be with you.” And God was there with him.
When Joshua took over the leadership after Moses, he was younger and inexperienced but the Lord said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Josh 1:9)
Jesus last words with His disciples, after giving them the great commission, were: “Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” (Mt. 28:20)
This is God’s promise to us today – Immanuel, God with us.
Jesus promised to give us the Holy Spirit, who now dwells in us.
Wherever we are, He is there with us. God is with us all the time.
We may not feel His presence, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
In tough times, when you lose your job or your health, or when you face financial difficulties, the Lord is still there with you.
David, the Psalmist, says in Psalm 9:9-10 “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
In Psalm 23:4, David wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”

God is very determined to stay with us, and be our companion in life.
The big question is, “Are we willing to let Him?”
God will not force Himself into our lives – He respects our right to choose.
Not everyone loves God’s presence.
Some would prefer to walk their own way.
Others are simply not interested.

Many of you are familiar with this famous painting by Michelangelo called “The Creation of Adam.”
Thousands line up for hours at the Vatican to view this painting of God and Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
What I want you to notice is the truth about our relationship with God that Michelangelo tried to communicate in this painting.
Perhaps you have looked at this painting for years and have never noticed the subtlety.
If you look carefully at the painting, you see that the figure of God is extended toward the man with great effort.
God twists His body to move it as close to the man as possible.
God’s head is turned toward the man, and his gaze is fixed on him.
God’s arm is stretched out, and His finger is extended straight forward, stretching to reach out to the man.
You can sense God’s great desire to close the gap between Himself and this man.
Michelangelo wanted to express God’s determination to reach out to and be connected with the person He has created.
God is as close as He can be, but having come that close, God allows just a little space, so that Adam can choose.
God waits for Adam to make his move.
Now, study Michelangelo’s painting of the man.
His body reclines in a lazy pose, leaning backward as if he has no interest at all in making a connection.
His arm is partially extended toward God.
All he would have to do is lift a finger, but he looks indifferent, not interested.
Michelangelo’s point was – it is not that man loves God and seeks Him, but that God loves man and seeks him.
God is the One making the effort and ultimately, the coming of Jesus – Immanuel – proves it.

This is God’s desire – He wants for you and me to draw near to Him. Will we?
God is closer than we think.
And when we feel distant from God, guess who moved? We moved.
If anyone shows a lack of effort in the relationship between us and God, it is not God.

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Philip Yancey, in his book called PRAYER, writes, “When I am tempted to complain about God’s lack of presence, I remind myself that God has much more reason to complain about my lack of presence.”
God is still reaching out to us today – wherever we are – in church, at home, at school, in our office, in the hospital room, in the car…God is with us and is reaching out to us all the time.
Let’s marvel at the fact that the virgin was with child and that child was Immanuel – God with us.
Let’s welcome God into our lives and never let Him go.
Let’s live with courage and confidence, knowing that God is always with us.
–David Owens

Resources:

Knowing God by Name, David Wilkerson, Chosen Books, 2001, 2003

Immanuel – God With Us, Sermon by David Legge, preachtheword.com

Immanuel – God With Us, Sermon by Christian Cheong, SermonCentral.com

Children’s Sermon: What’s In A Name?

Will all the children please come forward and join me here in front?

I would like for each of you to tell me what your name is.
Do any of you know why your parents gave you that name?
Did you know that every name has a meaning?
Do any of you know what your name means?

My name is David and it means “beloved of God.”
I looked up a few of your names and here is what they mean:
Elijah – The Lord is my God f. Benjamin – Son of my right hand
Elisha – God is My Salvation g. Sophia – wisdom
Paige – Young Servant h. Josie – Jehovah increases
Robert – Brilliant Fame
Gabriella – God’s Bravest Woman

What names have been given to God’s one and only Son who was born in a manger?
Jesus – God Saves – We know that Jesus saves us through His death on the cross for our sins and His resurrection from the dead.
The name I want us to think about today is another name that was given to Jesus – the name is Immanuel – can you say it with me…Immanuel.
Immanuel means “God with us.”
God wants us to know that through Jesus, God came to earth and was with us.
And if we believe in Jesus then He lives in us and is always with us.

Have you ever been afraid when you are all by yourself?
We need to remember that we are never all by ourselves, because God is always with us.
Our God is Immanuel – God with us.
So as you go through this Christmas season and as you think about baby Jesus being born in a manger, I want you to remember that Jesus continues to be with us, not as a little baby, but as the one who helps us and the one who keeps us from being alone.
Jesus is Immanuel – God with us.

Snack and color sheet