O Emmanuel
December 19, 2021 Anno Domini
O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, the anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God. Amen.
When you are sick it is a blessing to have a doctor with you. Oh, sure you can read the internet and play doctor, but you are not a doctor. You have not studied all the amazing systems of your body. You are not schooled in pharmacology. You can tell when something is wrong with your body, but you are no doctor, no matter how much time you’ve spent on the internet. So, to have a doctor, who desires your health, who is gifted with healing, who is not only with you, but for you is a real blessing.
The Word Emmanuel means “God with us” but let me ask, “Do you really want God with you?” He is omniscient – that’s a big church word meaning He’s got better eyesight than Santa Claus. He knows you’ve been naughty. God knows what you have or have not done. He knows what you watch on Netflix and what you read in that last novel. He knows how many glasses of wine you had last night and what you thought as that young woman walked by.
Do you want that God with you? Would you want a doctor treating you for an illness who didn’t really care for you, who had no compassion for you, but only saw what you did wrong? Imagine how that might go. Your blood pressure is a little high and the doctor says, “Well, if you weren’t so fat you wouldn’t have this problem.” Or as your doctor confirms you have lung cancer she says, “This is your own fault. You smoked all those years. You deserve to die this way.”
Most people think that God is good (and He is.) Most believe that He created the heavens and the earth and us and that He is in charge. Most of us have a general sense of right and wrong which logically that means our Creator instilled in us His will – honor your mom and dad, don’t murder, sex is only for marriage, don’t steal, speak well of your neighbor, and don’t covet your neighbor’s life. Every culture in every place generally abides by those rules, although we have gotten fuzzier with each passing generation.
If that is what you think of God would you really want Him to be with you? The only way you can answer that question “yes” is if you know for certain God is for you. If He is simply the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, the Author of right and wrong, you would not want him near you. His judgment of you would make a doctor calling you fat seem like a compliment. He would have every right to sentence you to hell and never ever be with you.
Let me juxtapose two verses of God’s Word to convince you that you want God with you. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14, ESV) Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:20–21, ESV)
Isaiah’s prophecy of the Virgin Birth said the baby would be named Immnauel – God with us. The angel Gabriel, who certainly knew God’s Word and promise, told Joseph to name the baby – Jesus. The name Jesus means the Lord saves us. From Jesus we learn that God wants to be with us because God is for us.
You do not want a sinless perfect almighty omniscient God with you – He would damn you and kill you. What you want and what you have in Jesus is a God for you, a God who takes your sin on Himself to take it away.
When Jesus is with you and the Devil brings up your sins, Jesus says, “I’ve got those.” He carried your sins to the cross. When you are fearful of hell or being judged guilty and cast off by God Jesus says, “I’ve got that.” On the cross He suffered hell. He was cut off by His Father and damned in your place. When you fear death Jesus says, “Been there, done that, beat that.” Jesus walked out of the cemetery three days after He was buried. He’s never going back, and He has promised that everyone who believes in Him will live even though he dies.
I’ve told you what most people think about God. Oddly. Most people think God is for them, but if you ask, “Why?” they have no answer. They hope God likes them. They hope they have been good enough. They hope God is like their grandpa who gives out gifts no matter how much his children and grandchildren neglect him and only show up when they want some money.
There is only one way to know God is for you. His name is Jesus. The Father gave His only begotten Son for you. God took up residence in the womb of Mary for you – and that’s a dangerous place. God took your sins upon Himself and that’s a damnable place. God went to hell for you and that’s a lonely place. God died for you and that’s a sorrowful place. God did all that for you in Jesus. If you seek God anywhere else than in Jesus, you will wish you never prayed for God to be with you. But in Jesus you can pray with confidence, in your sin, in your suffering, in your death, “Oh Come Emmanuel, come and save me.” You can rejoice in Emmanuel because God is not only with you, He is for you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.