Title: God with Us / Matthew 1:18-25
Contents The four weeks before Christmas are Advent, a time to repent of our sins and prepare for the coming of the Lord. That is why the color used by the church at this time is also purple, the color used for Lent. Purple is the color of preparation and penance.
Although we celebrate and rejoice in Christmas, if we think deeply about the meaning of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, coming to this earth in the flesh, we should rather welcome this day reverently and quietly. In Easter, we should celebrate and rejoice in celebrating our victory over death to our heart's content, but we should remember that day with remorse as Christmas came to suffer.
In today's New Testament text, it says, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall call his name Immanuel" (verse 23). The word "Immanuel" is Hebrew and means "God with us." This verse is quoted from Isaiah 7:14. At that time, the king of Judah was Ahaz, who was bewildered by the invasion of the Syrian Ephraim allies from the north. It was an imminent crisis in Judah.
At that time, the prophet Isaiah appeared and told the king, "Be careful and be quiet... Do not be afraid and do not lose heart." These are the words given to the king. As one of the ways the prophets communicated God's word, they used to give their newborn children symbolic names. For example, the prophet Hosea named his daughter “Lo-Ruhamah,” meaning a person without mercy, and prophesied that God would not show mercy to Israel. It prophesied that the relationship as a people would be broken.
However, the birth of a new baby named Immanuel is certainly an encouraging prophecy, and it must have been a source of unspeakable courage, especially for King Ahaz, who was in crisis. Unfortunately, however, King Ahaz did not believe the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah and did not follow his command. That is why he caused Judah's misfortune.
Matthew, who witnessed the deeds of the young Jesus of Nazareth, was moved by the Holy Spirit in the upper room of Pentecost after he ascended to heaven, and also witnessed the amazing expansion of the church and the miraculous works that took place there It is certain that it has been done. The work of salvation, which could not possibly happen without God's presence, spread from people's hearts to their hearts like an agent's fire.
At the time when the Gospels were written, religiously, they were persecuted by Judaism, and politically, they were also oppressed of their faith under Roman oppression. To testify that the birth of Jesus Christ was the birth of "Emmanuel" at such a time would have been unspeakable comfort and courage to those who believed in Jesus.
Matthew does not end with revealing that God is with us at the beginning of his Gospel, but again at the end of his Gospel. “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
Today, while waiting for Christmas, we remember the name of Emmanuel Jesus and praise God, who is with us, who does not forsake us even in this generation where the powers of darkness rule. The God who comes to us when we are in crisis, the God who comes to us as the king of righteousness and fairness when we groan in the midst of injustice, unfreedom and inequality, the God who comes to us as the king of peace when we tremble and fear in the turmoil and heavy rain The God who is the shadow of escape when the storm comes, the God who comes as the Lord of salvation when we are drowning in sin and despair, He comes and is with us, giving us comfort and courage. “The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you, and you will not fear woe again” (Zep 3:15)
So, let's take a look at some of what it means to us that "God is with us".
First, that God is with us means that He will forgive us all our sins and that He will have fellowship with us.
Because man is a sinner who disobeys God, God cannot be with sinners, so he cannot accept us as his people. Man, who is full of sin, cannot stand before God's holiness and cannot endure it. Only when God forgives our sins can we stand before God.
In Isaiah 6, there is a scene where Isaiah is called. He saw the Lord sitting on a high throne, with six-winged angels standing there. They sang, "Holy, holy, holy, is the whole earth, O LORD of hosts, full of his glory." Then Isaiah cried out. "It's a bad thing, now I'm dead. I live among people with dirty lips, and I see the Lord of hosts, my King, with my own eyes..." (Isaiah 6:5). But one of the seraphs took a hot stone from the altar with fire tongs and brought it to Isaiah's mouth, saying, "Look, it has touched your lips, and your iniquity is gone, and your sins are gone." This experience of Isaiah simply tells us that we cannot stand before a holy God, and that we die just to see his glory. But now, when he was about to call Isaiah to use him, he first cleansed him from his sins and then met him.
To have a holy God with us like this means to wash away all our sins. Without the washing of sins, God cannot be with us. Therefore, the birth of Jesus Christ and His becoming Immanuel is a declaration that our sins are forgiven and that He has saved us and accepted us as His people.
Example) Example of a saint who ate someone else's chicken and suffered from guilt
Korean mafia's KAL bomber murder trial - Go to the end of the earth and kill me
The Devil's Persistence - Binds Us with the Bonds of Sin - God is with Us - Forgiveness through the Atonement of Jesus Christ
Second, that God is with us means that He gives us courage and victory.
God made a promise to Moses when he was called from the flames of the bush on Mount Horeb. "I will certainly be with you." With this promise, Moses was able to stand before Pharaoh, and he was able to lead the people out of Egypt, cross the Red Sea, and pass through various difficult hurdles in the wilderness.
God also spoke to Joshua when he called Joshua to be Moses' successor. “Wherever you go, the Lord your God is with you.” So he became a strong and courageous leader of the nation of Israel and was able to win consecutive victories in the Canaan occupation war. Psalm 23, as we know it well, says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your staff and staff comfort me.” It is a common confession of all believers that if God is with us, wherever we go, there is no fear of what may happen. Even the disciples of Jesus, who were so cowardly, when the Holy Spirit promised by the Lord came upon them, they were changed in a wonderful way, and they did not fear death, but boldly fought against all injustice.
The apostle Paul felt that the presence of God in his life enabled him to do anything. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Therefore, we must boldly overcome trials by relying on the power of God who is with us.
Third, that God is with us means that the riches of God fill us in.
According to John 15, "If a man is in me and I am in him, he will bear much fruit... If you are in me and my words are in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you" (verses 5-7). Said. When Christ is with us, His riches are ours.
Finally, God's presence with us means that God calls us to be His servants.
By working with Moses, he was called a worker in the exodus, and by working with Joshua, he made him the vanguard of the occupation of Canaan, and by working with Isaiah and Jeremiah, he was appointed as a prophet who prophesied the word of God in those days. Jesus promised his disciples that he would be with them to the end of the world, making them his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
“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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19- 20).
God is with us today to call us to be servants of his kingdom. Therefore, we must go forward and proclaim God's righteousness and love on this earth. God will leave us when we receive the grace that God has given us and do not go forth as workers. We should strive to be witnesses of Christ according to the power and talents God gives us. For those who work hard, God fills them with more abundant power and grace with blessings.
Beloved, the birth of Jesus Christ is a reminder that God is with us today. But have you ever experienced that God is actually with you? If you have not experienced such an experience yet, it is probably because you are so engrossed in yourself and in the affairs of this world that you pass by without being aware of the God who is standing next to you.
Now, let's lift our eyes from the world we've been preoccupied with and look to God with us. Then suddenly we will find joy. You will find overflowing gratitude. The moment I find God looking down on me from behind me, my narrowed eyes will widen and my petty heart will know tolerance and love. I hope this Christmas will be an amazing season to experience the presence of God. May the peace, joy and blessings of the Lord Emmanuel overflow to you.