Immanuel Brought Forth

(Matthew 1:21 NKJV) “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

December 25 is the day when much of the world celebrates Christmas. This festival is based on a commemoration of the birth of Christ. The Bible doesn’t specifically tell us to celebrate this day, but while Jesus has the attention of so much of the world—and especially while they give us a holiday to celebrate; let’s invest some quality time to reflect on the one whose birth so many people are rejoicing in today.

(Matthew 1:22–23 NKJV) So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: (23) “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Jesus’s birth was foretold and promised by God many hundreds of years before it happened physically. So not only has the world celebrated his birth for 2,000 years, many anticipated and looked forward to it for hundreds of years beforehand. The following is what God promised through Isaiah the prophet about 700 years before it happened:

(Isaiah 9:6 NKJV) For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

“A child is born.” This part of the prophecy refers to the birth of an infant—the son of Mary.4 God told king Ahaz that he would give the sign of a virgin birth:

(Isaiah 7:14 NKJV) “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

The idea of a virgin giving birth leaves us in no doubt as to whom the mother is. She is the mother of the “child”—the human side of Jesus. Nevertheless, Isaiah’s prophecy would have prompted people—including us—to ask the question: “Who then would be the father of this child?” After all, if a virgin were to give birth, no human could be the father. So when God says, “A Son is given,” he is saying that not only would a child be born—a normal flesh and blood baby coming from the womb of a woman on earth—but that his own Son would be “given” to the world. This is evidenced in the sign of the virgin birth.

In Isaiah 9:6, the Holy Spirit next mentions “government.” Jesus was both Lord and Christ at his birth (See: Luke 2:11); he was sent by God to earth to rule it:

(Revelation 12:5 NKJV) She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.

Jesus was born Lord; he lived as Lord, but was killed. Thankfully, when he arose, God again declared that he is Lord:

(Acts 2:36 NKJV) “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

In Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus, he went on to say some more about his government:

(Isaiah 9:7 NLT) His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

Jesus (the Living Word of God) may have “a rod of iron”—an inflexible scepter of authority—but that doesn’t mean he is a tyrant, or that he will rule for any selfish reasons. But it does mean that God’s word is forever fixed and settled, both on earth and in heaven. God has committed himself to live by it; and we would be wise to allow his word to rule us too, and to learn to cooperate with its stated principles and directives, etc.:

(Psalm 119:89 NHEB) Lord, your word is settled in heaven forever.

(Isaiah 45:23 NLT) I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me.”

(1 Peter 1:25 BSB) But the word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.

In truth, Jesus’s rule is the only way world peace will ever come; he is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). What’s more, “fairness and justice” will characterize his kingdom—along with love, life, faith, hope, joy, goodness, etc. Jesus is the truly benevolent ruler, the rule of whose kingdom we long to see in dominion over the whole world. Thankfully, his love of justice will see the truly evil tyrants brought down and punished while the humble are exalted:

(Isaiah 61:8 NKJV) “For I, the LORD, love justice …”

(Luke 1:52 KJV) He hath (has) put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

For us, it is absolutely reassuring that God has unequivocally stated in his eternal and unbreakable word that Jesus will rule the universe forever: “His government and its peace will never end … for all eternity” (Isa. 9:7 nlt).

Currently, Jesus may not be in control of the whole earth and everyone in it; but God has promised that he will make this happen: “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:7 nkjv. See also: Heb. 2:8).

Today as we celebrate Jesus’s birth, and contemplate his amazingly humble entry to this world, let’s remember who he is, what he has done, and his destiny: “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”—God’s ordained eternal ruler of the universe.

Our response to the Jesus of today should be like John’s:

(Revelation 1:10–18 NKJV) I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, (11) saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last” …

(12) Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, (13) and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. (14) His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; (15) His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; (16) He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

(17) And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. (18) I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

Remember; Immanuel means, God with us! He is with you right now, by his Spirit and living Word.

P.S. This is what the angel said about Jesus: “He will save His people from their sins.” Do you need to be saved from your sins today? If you haven’t yet fully surrendered to Jesus, this is your day to do it. He came to give you life; if you ask him, he will forgive you, expunge your past, completely cleanse your conscience, enable you to be born again; and he will give you his Holy Spirit to empower you to live in a way that pleases him.

Scripture says that if you receive Jesus, he will give you the right to be God’s very own child. And it says that if you confess Jesus is your Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead—as proven today by billions of people who testify that they have met him, confirming that he cannot be dead—you will be saved. God’s word also says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13 nkjv). Call on Jesus today. (To help you with this, an explanation of salvation, some scriptures to ponder, and a sample prayer for salvation are included towards the end of this book.)

If you are already a Christian, but still feel you need to be saved from your sin. … In other words, you know you are saved and forgiven for your past, but you are struggling to overcome persistent sin; Jesus is still the answer. He can save you from that sin too; you certainly cannot save yourself from it:

(Proverbs 20:9 ESV) Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?

(Romans 6:14 NKJV) For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

(To help you with overcoming sin, and with living a completely holy life without the excruciating self-effort of religious self-flagellation, I have written a book entitled, Sweatless Holiness.