Immanuel: God with US
Matthew 1:18-25
Main Idea: Christmas is the disruptive good news that Christ saves us from sin and frees us from fear.
I. Christmas is the Fulfillment of God’s Plan
Jesus’ birth was not an accident of history but the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan of salvation. Matthew specifically sees the fulfillment that Christ would be born in the line of David, and that he would be conceived and born of a virgin (cf. Isa. 7:14).
The birth of Christ was the incarnation of God: it was God taking upon himself humanity—a mystery, a wondrous mystery, to be believed in rather than to be defined… Infinite, and an infant — eternal, and yet born of a woman — Almighty... supporting the universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms.
~ Charles Spurgeon, “His Name - Wonderful!”
II. Christmas is the Assurance of God’s Presence
The angel’s announcement to Joseph and the circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ are disruptive and a complete overhaul of his life and future. “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” ~ C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock
In the face of this disruption, Joseph trusts that this child is indeed ‘Immanuel’ - God with us. Two implications of this good news:
We do not have to fear (1:20; cf. Isa. 41:10)
We can embrace the cost of following Jesus (cf. Mt. 16:24)
III. Christmas is the Promise of God’s Pardon
The crucial significance of the cradle at Bethlehem lies in its place in the sequence of steps that led the Son of God to the cross of Calvary… the Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity – hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory – because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard or will hear.”
~ J.I. Packer, Knowing God
