Matthew 1:23 (NKJV). “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” translated, “God with us.”
In the Old Testament, the people could not see God face to face because of His holiness. The sin of men had separated them from God. Therefore, God’s presence was in the form of a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day. The knowledge about God was passed down by oral tradition, and the law has taught them about the holiness of God and caused them to know their inadequacy in standing right before God. Therefore, it drove them to seek after the grace of God. The coming of Jesus was the good news that they had been waiting for.
John 1:18 (NKJV) No one has ever seen God. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
In His wisdom, God established a covenant with Abraham so that His only Son could walk among men rightfully and be the ultimate sacrifice for humanity. Jesus came to declare to man the good news of the Gospel, the character of God, and the power of God when He ministered among the people.
Hebrews 1:1-3a (NKJV) God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, two has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power,
Jesus was the Word that became flesh and walked among us. It was a declaration and revelation of who God is because Jesus told His disciples that if they saw Him, they also saw the Father. Jesus has put on display everything there is to know about God. Jesus and the Father are one, and Jesus is the exact image of the Father and the brightness of His glory. We will not have an accurate picture of God without Immanuel.
The Word of Jesus carries power because the whole world was put into place by His Word. The same power uttered during creation was available when He was walking on earth. The written Word of God has the same power. Therefore, we should put our trust in the Word because it is the Word of God that gives substance to our faith.
God has promised never to leave or forsake us. Today, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead dwells within believers. We will experience Immanuel, God with us, when we know that all talents that God has belong to us in a covenant relationship. The idea of Immanuel, God with us, is also proven through the diversity of activities that He is working in and through us by the Holy Spirit.
Sermon Series: Christmas (2023)
以马内利：神与我们同在
马太福音 1:23 “必有童女怀孕生子，人要称他的名为以马内利。”（“以马内利”翻出来就是“神与我们同在”。）
在旧约时代，人们因为神的圣洁而无法面对面见到祂。人的罪使他们与神隔绝。因此，神的临在在夜间以火柱、白天以云柱的形式出现。对神的认识是靠口耳相传的，律法教导他们认识神的圣洁，让他们知道自己的不足无法站在神面前。因此，这促使他们寻求神的恩典。耶稣的降临是他们一直在等待的好消息
约翰福音 1:18 从来没有人看见神，只有在父怀里的独生子将他表明出来。
神以祂的智慧与亚伯拉罕立约，使祂的独生子能够行走在人类中间，并成为人类的最终献祭。耶稣来到人们中间传道时，是为了向人们宣扬福音的好消息、神的品格和神的大能。
希伯来书 1:1-3a 神既在古时借着众先知多次多方地晓谕列祖, 就在这末世借着他儿子晓谕我们；又早已立他为承受万有的，也曾借着他创造诸世界。他是神荣耀所发的光辉，是神本体的真像，常用他权能的命令托住万有。
耶稣是道成肉身，行走在我们中间。这是对神是谁的宣告和启示，因为耶稣告诉祂的门徒，如果他们看见了祂，他们也就看见了父。耶稣展示了有关认识神的一切。耶稣和天父原为一，耶稣是天父的真像和祂荣耀的光辉。没有以马内利，我们就无法对神有准确的认识。
耶稣的话语具有力量，因为整个世界都是通过祂的话语而建立的。当祂在地上行走时，也具有祂创造万有时所发出话语同样的力量。神的话语被记录下来也具有同样的力量。因此，我们应该相信神的话语，因为神的话语为我们的信心提供了实底。
神应许永远不会离开或抛弃我们。今天，神格的第三位格圣灵住在信徒里面。当我们知道神所拥有的所有才能都在圣约关系中属于我们时，我们就会经历以马内利，神与我们同在。以马内利，即神与我们同在，也通过祂在我们里面所做的和圣灵通过我们所做的各样活动得到了证明。
讲道系列：圣诞节
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