Title: Immanuel/Matthew 1:18-25
A foreign magazine asked its readers what was the most difficult loneliness to bear. The most common answer was “being alone”.
What is loneliness? Solitude is being alone. Murder is something that cannot be left alone. Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good for a man to be alone, says the Lord God; I will make him a helper.”
A child who is alone is called an orphan, a woman who lives alone is called a widow, and a person who lives alone is called a solitary person. However, the problem is that there are people who are not lonely even though they live alone, and there are people who are lonely even though they have husbands, wives, parents, and children.
There are people who are happy even if they are poor; there are people who are unhappy even if they live well; there are people who are comfortable even if they are low in status; and there are people who are anxious even if they are high in status.
We find here that loneliness and unhappiness and anxiety are not necessarily established or determined by visible conditions.
Even if you spend 365 days with someone, you will feel happy when that person benefits you and is comfortable with you.
We discover in the Bible that it is the Lord who is with us forever, never leaves us for a moment, and makes us happy.
Today's text describes that event as 'Immanuel'.
This text is one of the accounts of the birth of Jesus.
The plot of this text is that an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and foretold the birth of the baby Jesus and what he would do. Let's look at the two works of Jesus delivered by angels in the text.
1. It means that He saves His people from their sins.
Verse 21 says, “You will give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The meaning of “Jesus” is that Jehovah is salvation. Verse 21 reveals who Jesus is and what He will do when He comes.
Jesus is the Savior who saves His people from their sins. And Jesus came to save the people.
When you ask why you believe in Jesus, the answer varies from person to person.
Some people said that if they believed in Jesus, the troubles stopped and they believed in Jesus. Some people believe because the company is doing well, some people believe because they can have a son, and some people believe because a job path is open.
Reminds me of an old story.
A man fell into a pit while walking on a deep mountain pass. I was screaming to save people, but one person passed by and looked down at the person in the pit and said, “It’s a shame, because of your past life, you should resign. After a while, another person passed by, looked down and said, "I knew I would, I may have told you to be that careful... It's always best to be careful." After a while, someone looked down and said, “Wait a minute. I will rescue you.” He took me out of the pit and brought me out.
The first was Shakyamuni, the second was Confucius, and the third was Jesus. Jesus came to this earth to save His people from their sins. This land is like a pit of danger and suffering, figuratively. No one in the history of mankind has ever set out to save mankind by throwing himself up. Only Jesus came because of that. People revered as saints, such as Buddha Confucius Socrates, Genghis Khan as a hero, Napoleon, etc. They died either naturally or in war. But Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. He came to save us, died, and rose again.
Charles Robert Darwin was an English biologist. His theory of evolution became the basis of modern science. One day, W. C. Fegan, who works to help poor children, moved into Darwin's neighborhood. When Darwin heard about Peggan's business, he gave up his building to use as a child-relief business. A year later, Darwin said to Pegan: "You did more in just a few months than we did in years. We could never edify the drunkard, but you made the drunkard disappear from our village. Science has a place in life, but But the Christ you believe in can save you."
Peggan was a preacher and social worker for the Brotherhood of Christ in England. Who can change our society and who can deliver people from sin? Only Jesus. There is only Jesus.
As the American physicist Robert Jarnes McCraeken said, "I have come to three conclusions: first, that salvation is not found in science, and that there must be a moral revival. Third, that there is no life-giving religion." There can be no moral revival.”
That's right. There are many religions on this planet. But there is no religion other than Christianity that gives life. Since life is more precious than the world, saving this life is the most precious and valuable thing.
American steel king Andrew Carnegie donated US$2.5 million to the British emperor at the time, with the following conditions: "Give this money as a prize to the person who saves someone's life. If someone dies while saving another's life, give it to his wife and children."
Jesus came to this earth to save His people from their sins. Amen
2. It is Immanuel Issiah.
Verse 23 says, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall call his name Immanuel." Immanuel is a nickname for Jesus. Isaiah 7:14 says, "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you as a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
Immanuel is a compound word of three words. Im (im together) Manu (us) and El (God) joined together to become Immanuel. We find two miracles in verse 23.
The first is that a virgin will conceive and bear a son. In Luke 1:31 and below, an angel came to Mary and delivered the message of God: “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” In Luke 1:34, Mary is surprised to answer, saying: “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” Not knowing the guy here means no sexual contact.
But we should note the angel's words in verse 35. “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” The birth of Jesus was an event that was accomplished through the words of the Holy Spirit, power, and the power of God, not a man-woman relationship.
Second, God is with us. That is, God came as a man and dwells with man. It is impossible for God to become human just as man cannot become God. But the birth of Jesus Christ broke the barrier between God and man.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, there are countless events in which God was with man. And there are countless promises to be together. And all those promises were fulfilled through the incident of Immanuel, when Jesus came to this world in a human body.
In Genesis 18:1, there is an account of God's visit to Abraham's house. But the amazing thing is that God came as a man. He talked with Abraham and was treated with hospitality. And in Genesis 18:33, it says, "When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he went away immediately." This event was a foreshadowing of the future incarnation of God, the event that would come as a man, and it was an example of Immanuel.
Even now, God is with us. And we will be together forever. People can be together in the past. We can still be together. But we can't be together forever. This is a human limitation and a limitation. But the Lord, Emmanuel, is with me in the past, now and forever.
Hymn 429 is a song written by John Henry Newman in 1833. Let's pay attention to the lyrics of verse 3. "Lord, who guided me before, help me in the future when I am a Lieutenant Colonel Heomsan in front of me"...
In Matthew 28:20, Jesus said, "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." The Lord who came as Immanuel promises that he will not leave us until the end of this world and will be with us as Immanuel. We should praise and give thanks to God who was with us before and who is with us in the future.
In Westminster Abbey, England, there is a monument to the Wesley brothers. The monument is engraved with three words.
First, the world is my parish. Second, God bury your workers in the ground, but your work continues. Third, the best thing in the world is that God is with us.
That's right. The happiest thing, the most beautiful thing, and the best thing in this world is that God is with me.
The 'Knob' of northern Guatemala say, "My soul dies" when expressing love. So, according to their logic, love is what I die. God died because he loves us. If I love God, then God. Christmas is the day when God, who loves us, came to die for us. We are people who love God. Then kill my emotions, kill my stubbornness, kill my pride. And sacrifice me. You should be able to give
A rich man went to heaven, and an angel took him to a place where there was a hut and a large palace. Of course, the rich man thinks that the palace is his home, but the hut is your home. He is surprised, why is the hut my home? Then he asked, whose house is that palace? The angel's answer was, "That palace is the house where my servant lives." Then the angel answered, "He who served as a servant in your house sent us enough materials to build a big house, but he couldn't even build a hut with only the materials you sent. How can you build a big house with the materials you didn't send?"
It's a story someone made up, but let's give worship, praise, thanks and gifts to the Lord who came for me and to the Lord who is always with me.
The Lord, Emmanuel, has been with me over the past year. Protected, guided, and protected. The Lord, who is Emmanuel, is still with us. And we will be together forever. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, don't doubt, trust and work with all your might. Amen