Title: News of Immanuel (Matthew 01:18-25)
The past 13th was a happy day that we will never forget in the history of our nation. I would like to evaluate that it is the first step toward unification achieved in 46 years for the representatives of both sides to sign an agreement that shows the coexistence and reconciliation of mutual visits and mutual cooperation, including the declaration of mutual non-aggression, led by the prime ministers of South and North Korea. Of course, it is true that both problems are unknown. One is the fact that North Korea has never mentioned the nuclear issue, and the other is that no one knows when the reunification of the two Koreas will be achieved.
However, as long as we believe in the providence of God, who is the ruler of human history, we must do our best for unification with great hope and perseverance. This Christmas, the news of signing a joint agreement between the two Koreas is a hugely realistic Christmas gift from God. This country, where the normal political, economic, social and cultural development of both sides is delayed due to the pain of separated families and the suffering of those who have left their hometowns in the North, should be reunified as soon as possible.
Under the background of the nation = history as described above, we should know that the greatest gift that can be given not only to our people but also to all mankind is the "News of Immanuel". Matthew 1:23 says, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall call his name Immanuel.
First, the message of Immanuel is that God Himself became a human being so that humans could know it.
God is spirit. Since the fall, it is said that human beings with a physical body cannot see him, and if they see him, they die. God has a unique (unique) way of being = God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each rank had an independent individuality, personality, and distinct role, but there was no intermixing or hierarchy between each rank. The biblical confession of one God who has three persons is a super-logical and super-rational confession of faith.
The news of Immanuel, who existed as God the Son (Word) before the foundation of the world, took on the form of a creature (God) and came into history (incarnated), and the news of Immanuel, who made it possible to know God in the pain, is the greatest good news for mankind. .= Second, the news of Immanuel is the news that God, who is human, came into history as the Lord of salvation.
Humans, descendants of Adam and Eve, did not have the right way to solve their sin problem and be saved. Christ came into this history as a sinless man to pay the price for sin (Hebrews 4:15). “This is the one who will save his people from their sins.”
God the Son came as "Jesus" =. That is, the news that He will come to save His people from their sins. Ultimately, we must confess that the beginning and completion of salvation is entirely on God's side. We humans come under grace only by believing and obeying God's redemptive work.
The fact of salvation is wholly the sovereign grace of God.
That is why Jesus Christ said in Mark 10:45, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” And Peter = “The Lord (you) is the Christ (Savior), the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) He made a great confession of faith.
This fact is the news of Immanuel that God the Son came into history as an intercessor, or savior, to become the way for human salvation.
Jesus Christ, who came in the flesh, became a friend of the poor, the sick, the marginalized, and tax collectors who self-proclaimed sinners in the short life of 33 years, and ultimately died on the cross to complete the work of the Savior of mankind. . And he rose and became the way of hope for those who believe in him. This great news that the prophesied Lord of Salvation is coming is the message of Immanuel.
Third, the message of Immanuel is that the Lord of salvation, Jesus Christ, is with us even now.
In the second half of Matthew 28:20, He promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus Christ is the message of salvation, comfort, hope, joy, and victory. Therefore, he is the truth, the way. Life, resurrection, victory, eternal life and heaven.
If we believe and depend on him as our Savior, we become children of God and we live in God and with God in the guarantee of eternal life. You must believe that eternal life begins here and now. In other words, the experience of faith in the case of Immanuel must be the beginning of life in heaven. This news that God is with us even now is the news of Immanuel.
Finally, we must remember clearly that God with us must have an experience of "I, God-with-me, with me. Faith is based on the original individuality." Therefore, in the Apostles' Creed, the expression "I believe ..." is the framework of its structure.
Before the Christmas of the Savior, this news that "God is with us" should first become an experiential event that "God is with me".
Christmas without a specific relationship with the individual “me” may be a mere anniversary of a historical retrospective or memory of the past, but it is not an event that brings new life, change, and salvation to each of us individually. Therefore, understanding the correct meaning of Immanuel's message will be the right way to welcome the Savior's Christmas.