God with Us
“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”).” Matthew 1:21-23
The prophet referred to here is Isaiah, and the prophecy is from Isaiah 7:14, which says: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”. This prophecy was originally given by Isaiah to Ahaz, king of Judah, to assure him that God would deliver Judah from an imminent attack by Aram, which was allied with the northern kingdom of Israel. This deliverance in Isaiah’s day was the initial fulfillment of this prophetic word, but as Matthew points out, its ultimate meaning and ultimate fulfillment is found in the birth of Jesus and in God’s deliverance of all of humanity from our bondage to sin.
At this time of year, one of the things that readily comes to mind is “presents” as in gifts. But today (and every day) I want you to think about it as “presence” as in: God with us!” And if you use both words and actually think about His presence as a present, you’re talking about the greatest gift ever given—no comparison. As it says in 2 Corinthians 9:15: “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” It’s insanely great; it’s incomprehensible; it’s beyond all we can hope or ask for. It’s the one gift we can truly call awesome. It’s the gift that never ends; it’s the gift that never fails to satisfy. It’s so great it’s indescribable!
Think of it. God—the creator of the universe; the maker of heaven and earth; the author of life, clothed Himself as one of us, sharing our humanity. And through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection He provided for us redemption, the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life.
Are you experiencing the presence of the Lord in your life?
Having begun as a guest speaker in 2005, Dan was appointed Interim Pastor in 2008 and has been serving Maple Root Baptist ever since. As a small group leader and Chaplin for the Connecticut Tigers, Dan has a heart for the lost and the God that saves them.