Sermon - Immanuel - Littleby Baptist Church - December 6, 2020

On any given Sunday I will call Jesus several different names. That statement alone sound pretty bad. Ok, moving on, I tend to call Jesus names such as Lord, Savior, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Lord and Savior, and Jesus Christ throughout my time up front each Sunday.  

If you use that great theological resource Google, ok it is not that great of a theological resource, but if you use it you can find many different lists of names and titles for our Lord Jesus. One of the lists I looked at had 102 different names for Jesus.

This morning I want to focus on one of His names, that fits the season and is found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”

Then while Mary was found to be pregnant and Joseph was contemplating what was the best course of action for him to take and angel appeared to him and quoted Isaiah’s prophecy that was from the late eight century BC.

Matthew 1:23

“See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”

Joseph was going to see an amazing prophecy unfold and name the boy, Immanuel, ‘God is with us.’

‘God is with us.’

Simple words with profound meaning. If there was ever a doubt about God being with us, it was put to rest with the birth of a little child. As we head into the Christmas season let us take a look at some verses that reinforce that our God is with us. 

Deuteronomy 31:6

“⁶ Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.”

As Moses’ time leading the people of Israel was drawing to an end, he reminded the people that he was just the spokesperson. It was God who is with them and it is God who will still be with them as they enter the promised land.

Moses was saying that there is no reason to be afraid, there is no reason to let the fear of the future stop you… for the God who was with them so far is the same God that will never leave you or abandon you!

These words were given to the people of Israel as they were attempting to conquer the fear in them. Words that reminded them that they were not alone.

Joshua 1:9

“⁹ Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Here the Lord is speaking directly to Joshua, a man who stood his ground against the nation of Israel when they did not want to enter the promised land. Joshua was a man who trusted in his God and he still needed to be reminded that his God is with him wherever he goes.

God is not with us only when we are sitting here at church or reading our Bibles at home. Our God is with us wherever we go. He is with us at work, the store, the doctor’s office… our God is with us everywhere. As a follower of Jesus, we are NEVER alone.

Psalm 23:4

“Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff-they comfort me.”

The rod and staff are tools of a shepherd that are used to protect the sheep. David was declaring that even during the darkest events in his life, the knowledge that his Lord, his Shepherd, was with him brought the needed comfort.

Our God knows exactly what we are dealing with. He is not surprised by our circumstances and He knows what lies ahead. Being the Good Shepherd that He is, our Lord is with us and His Peace is on us. We need to trust in our Shepherd, our Lord, our God.

Matthew 18:20

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.”

In Jesus’ own words we are told wherever two or three come together in the Lord’s name that He is with us. When we come together as a church family to celebrate our King, He is with us. When a family spends time praying, our Lord is with them. When believers come together, unified in their faith in the One True Savior Jesus, there should be no doubt that He is with them.

Our Lord is right here with us now, He will be with you as your pray over your food later today, and He will be with you always.

Matthew 28:19-20

“¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

In these verses Jesus is Commissioning the Disciples to go out and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them how to live. A task that has been given to all of us, but Jesus reminds them that He is with them always until the end of the age.

There is no limit on when Jesus is with His people. Him being with us is not limited to when we are talking to Him or worshipping Him. It is not limited to when we are in groups of two or more. It is not limited by time in any way. If Jesus is our Lord and Savior, He will be with us until the end of time. He will be with us as we walk this earth, and He will be there when we get to Glory. There is no limit on our Lord being with us.   

Romans 8:37-39

“³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul is letting us know that there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the Love of our God. Death, life, angles, demons, the struggles of today, or the unknown future ahead of us. Nothing can separate us from the Love of Jesus. This love has no limit, no boundary, it cannot be stopped.

God’s Love for us, which was embodied in that sweet little baby is what ensures that He is with us. That love cannot be broken by any outside force, it cannot be broken by our sin, and it will not be broken by our Lord.

The Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord has paved a way for our Salvation and an eternity in His presence. It is that Love that makes God being with us possible. Immanuel is the embodiment of Godly Love.

Galatians 2:20

“²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

If you have repented of your sins, turned to Christ, and are following Him… you have been crucified with Christ. Your old self is gone, you are a new creation, but what is even better than that is that Christ lives in you!

Think about that for a moment. If you are a new creation and Jesus is living in you, there is absolutely no way that He will ever leave you of forsake you.

If you are a Bible believing follower of Jesus, you will never be alone! Jesus gave His life for you out of His unending love. He is living in you as you live out your faith as a child of God.

Ephesians 3:16-19

“¹⁶ I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, ¹⁷ and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, ¹⁹ and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Verse seventeen states ‘that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.’ As our faith grows, as we walk with our Lord day in and day out. While we grow more and more dependent on the King of Kings, He will be at home in our hearts. Meaning that Jesus will be part of our lives. Not just on the surface, but deeply rooted in every aspect of our lives. As Christ dwells in us it becomes more and more evident that we are not of this world but are children of God.

Verse nineteen ends with ‘may you be filled with the fullness of God.’ If Christ is fully dwelling in our hearts and we are filled with His fullness, our attitude, our behaviors, and even our thoughts will be led by the Wisdom, Knowledge, and Love that comes from Jesus.

As God is with us our lives become increasingly His and it does not stop on this side of eternity.

Revelation 21:3

“³ Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.”

When we are in Glory, we will dwell with our Lord for all of Eternity. There will be no more pain, sorrow, grief, or death. In Eternity we will be able to fully feel the Love that the Creator has for His creation.

What an Awesome feeling that will be to feel our Lord’s Love for us radiate from His presence. What a Glorious day that will be when we can physically dwell with our Lord and Savior.

The future before us is bright, but it all starts with the birth of a little child. A child with the name of Immanuel, meaning… God is with us.

As we celebrate the Birth of our Lord, remember that He is with you. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. You Lord Lives in You and you will never be alone.

Immanuel, God is with us!  

God Bless,

Robert