"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us. Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son, and they called His name JESUS",
-Matthew 1:23-25.
Immanuel, God with us! What a name! What a profound statement!
Motivated by holy love, Almighty God, Immanuel, left heaven and humbled Himself by becoming a man through the means of a tiny baby for the purpose of redeeming us from sin and reconciling us to Himself! And this "Baby" changes everything! God, Immanuel, walked and lived among men revealing Himself to us in a way that we could relate. It was Immanuel that initiated the means of reconciliation into a personal and intimate relationship with Him.
It is only through the Person and His name can we be forgiven and saved from our sin and the wrath to come. "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved", -Acts 4:12.
"For whoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved", -Romans 10:13. "Having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation", -Romans 5:9-11.
Immanuel is Jesus Christ! The moment we, as sinners, repent of our sin and in faith trust Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord, God is with us! God is with every saint for all of eternity! "I will never leave you nor forsake you", -Hebrews 13:5. This is a foundational truth for our strength, security, and sanctification. God with us!
"And this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all. . . .", -1 Timothy 2:3-6.
Immanuel! This is the true gift of Christmas! "The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord", -Romans 6:23. Immanuel is Jesus Christ! Jesus came to live a sinless life, die a sacrificial death, and experience a victorious resurrection for your salvation and reconciliation. "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation", -Romans 10:9-10.
I present to you the gift of hope, peace, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. I present to you, Immanuel! Jesus Christ! God with us! If you have not already, will you receive this gift--Jesus Christ?
Merry Christmas!