THE WORD: “And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1: 21-23
THE POINT: Emmanuel, God is now with us! We, as sinful humans, couldn’t go to God, so He came to us.
He became one of us by being born of a woman. But Mary was no ordinary woman, she was a virgin, having never known a man intimately.
Then who was the father of Jesus? God Himself was the father of Jesus. This occurred by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, which makes Jesus the Son of God! Jesus was called Emmanuel—God with us.
But the meaning of this name goes far beyond His physical presence during the 33 years that He walked this Earth. His name, Emmanuel, God with us, is indicative of His purpose.
Jesus Christ did not come just to be with a few people for a limited period of time. He came in order that He might be with all people throughout the eons of time.
Jesus means savior, and what He saves us from is sin. Jesus Christ delivered us from the source of sin—Satan with his evil nature. Our sins have been forgiven, and we are now free from sin! Hallelujah!
How did Christ do this? He accomplished this through His sacrificial death upon the cross! Jesus Christ defeated Satan upon the cross.
He removed the barrier that separated us from God, and paved the way for God to become one with us.
God desired to be with us, not merely as an external presence, but rather as an internal presence. Christ came so that God could reside in us and abide with us forever! Therefore, Christ can now be our Emmanuel!
THE APPLICATION: God is Spirit, and as such, He desires to reside within you. Therefore, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Spirit of Christ enters into you.
His Spirit is joined to your spirit and you are made one spirit with the Lord. At that moment, Christ becomes your very own Emmanuel.
Christ is no longer outside of you, far removed from you. He has become one with you, and now resides within you by His Spirit.
This means that God is now with you! Do you consider Him as your Emmanuel, or do you still see yourself far removed from Him? Are you still trying to get closer to Him? Do you find yourself praying for Him to be with you?
This separation mentality must cease! If you have received Christ, then His Spirit has come to abide within you . . . forever! You have become a recipient of His indwelling presence—His very life. God now resides within you. And that means you too can call Him Emmanuel!
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THE PRAYER: “Dear God, In the past I have tried to get closer to You. I have prayed for You to be with me.
But Your Word says that Jesus has become my Emmanuel—God with us. So once I receive You, You come to live within me, not to walk beside me, but to reside in me.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that I now have God within me through Your indwelling presence. Truly You are my Emmanuel!”
By Dr. Lewis Gregory/https://www.sourceministries.net/go/
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