CONVERSATIONS ABOUT JESUS: NAMES OF JESUS - IMMANUEL

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT JESUS (NAMES OF JESUS)

Immanuel (Matthew 1:23)

Based on Ann Spangler’s Praying the Names of Jesus

 

The Name

·      The name “Immanuel” appears twice in the Hebrew Scriptures (OT), once in the New Testament. 

·      Literally translated “with us is God.” Matthew’s Gospel says, “God with us.” 

·      When our sins made it impossible for us to come to him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sin’s disruptive power, in order to cancel its claim. 

·      In Jesus, we see how extreme God’s love is. It’s personal. It’s intimate.

 

The Key Scripture - Matthew 1:22-23

 

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
    which means ‘God is with us.’”

 

Understanding the Name

·      The name “Immanuel” first appears in Isaiah 7:14 as part of a prophetic word that Isaiah spoke to King Ahaz of Judah. (Judah was the southern kingdom.) At the time, Syria & Israel (the northern kingdom) had formed a coalition against Assyria. 

·      Isaiah urged Ahaz to trust in the Lord, rather than appealing to Assyria for help against Syria & Israel, who were threatening to invade Judah for not joining their coalition. 

·      Ahaz didn’t listen, and Isaiah proclaimed: “All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

·      Matthew cites this prophecy, applying it to Jesus. 

·      God has a persistent desire to dwell with His people. In becoming a man, Jesus, He did so in a unique way. 

·      Immanuel, God with us, to rescue, to redeem, to restore our relationship with Him. 

 

Questions

·      How have you experienced “Immanuel” – God being with you in your life?

·      Matthew begins & ends his Gospel with the promises that God is with us. How would you life be different if you began and ended each day with the firm belief that God is with you? 

·      What does this title of Jesus reveal about his nature?

Take Aways

·      God promises to be with us. 

·      God is persistent in pursuing you. 

·      God is present in the great sufferings and in the great joys. 

·      God lives in us and through us.