Who Is He Jesus and Immanuel

Please stand for the scripture reading this morning.

Isaiah 7 14.

1st Timothy 1 5 through 17.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.

Behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name

Emmanuel.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world

to save sinners Whom I am the foremost.

But I receive mercy for this reason that in me as the foremost Jesus Christ Might

display his perfect patience as an example to those Who were to believe who

were to believe in him for eternal life?

To the king of the ages immortal invisible the only God be honor and glory forever

and ever.

Amen.

Maybe seated.

Well,

good morning.

Thank you for venturing out this morning among the sickness.

I asked you to open your Bibles to Psalm 67

and also make your way to Matthew 1.

I'll read both and hopefully we'll capture both themes here.

Lord willing it is if

my Math is correct.

It.

Is a week from Christmas Eve and so we have the pleasure to

Talk about the first coming of our Lord.

It is a pleasant time of the year.

Is a joyous time of the year.

It is a happy time of the year and anything that has much

Anticipation like Christmas does right we anticipate it being a happy season.

Sometimes it could be the most depressing season.

And so how important it is for us to remind ourself of what Christmas truly is.

And I love Psalm 67 in light of what Christmas really is.

I think it is such a joyous a happy Psalm in light of what Christmas truly is.

And so let us read that let us capture that joy and let us go on to Matthew

1.

Psalm 67.

To the choir master with stringed

instruments.

A psalm a psalm.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us.

Salem.

That your way may be known on earth.

Your saving power among all Nations, let the people's praise you.

Oh God, let all the people's praise you.

Let the nation's be glad and sing for joy.

For you judge the people's with equity and guide the nation's upon the earth.

Salem.

Let the people's praise you.

Oh God.

Let all the people's praise you.

The earth has yielded its increase.

God our God shall bless us.

God shall bless us.

Let all the ends of the earth.

Fear him.

Matthew 1 18 now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way when his

mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together.

She was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit and her husband Joseph being a just

and on being a just man and Unwilling to put her to shame.

Resolved to divorce her quietly.

But as he considered these things behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying

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.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the Prophet.

Behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel

which means God with us.

When Joseph woke from sleep.

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.

He took his wife but knew her not until she had given birth to a son and he

called his name Jesus.

Oh God in heaven.

What a wonderful thing That the Son of God took on flesh true God true

God true flesh true flesh and This God taken on flesh.

His name is Jesus.

His name is Emmanuel.

This Jesus has a forgiver of his people's sins.

He shows himself to be a God of all grace.

And so I pray God that this Christmas season Lord, we would remember that we are celebrating

this mystery that God you took on flesh and Ransom us from our sin.

We praise you and we thank you and may we not be so nearsighted to Forget or to be blinded

to these realities that are around us, but let us rather Celebrate you in light of them.

Thank you Lord for this Christmas season.

Thank you for the joys that come with it.

Thank you for joy and worship that we can have because of this Christ in Jesus name.

Amen.

Well, I I want to start This sermon off the same way that pastor Tim started last week by

asking who is Jesus as we are Celebrating the first coming of this Jesus.

It is a right question to ask and it is a good question to answer.

That's a good question to answer each day.

But especially as we consider this Christmas season that as I said is so pregnant with joy and

and happiness.

But can so quickly let us down into depression.

And so we must ask who is Jesus?

How you answer Has implications of how you're living your life right now in this moment.

It's what you're thinking what you're doing has implications for your whole existence of how you know or how

you understand Jesus Christ from Nazareth.

Anyway, as you see here We can we can get a great understanding of who Jesus is you see these two names that are set

out before us.

You see verse 23 Matthew 1 behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall

call his name Emmanuel so Jesus is Emmanuel.

This Son of God is Emmanuel, which means God with us.

That's one of the names we get.

That's one of the the answers to who is this Jesus?

Well, his name is Emmanuel.

He is God with us that that word Emmanuel you should hear the word eminence and

eminence.

It means to be for God to be near us or to be with us, right?

So as you hear the word Emmanuel think of the word Eminence right that God is near and of course as

you consider eminence think of the other word that typically goes along with it.

And that is God's transcendence.

That is God is far off or he's not one of us or he's far distant.

But yet at the same time God is truly near us as well and so as we consider as

we look at Emmanuel or eminence of God your mind should be considering the Transcendence of God or

God being far off and as you consider these two Seemingly contradictory things you

ought to marvel and say how can this be?

Who is this Jesus that we can truly call God with us in light of God's ultimate?

Transcendence.

This is a name of Jesus.

He is Emmanuel God with us.

How is God far off?

How is God near?

And you see another another topic or another thing.

I want to look at an answer today is his name in verse 21 She will bear a

son and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people

from their sins.

And so we see his name is Jesus.

That's who he is.

He's a savior of his people's sins.

And so we have all these things coming together to rest on Christ God's eminence God's

transcendence and God's dealing with sin through forgiveness all these things are

coming together happily in a nice tapestry of Glorious revealing of who God is

that we need to stand and marvel at this Christmas and have that joy joy joy That

comes with the season, but of course just like everything in life These things are

sadly mistaken both by our culture by the world around us and in encroaches.

Even in our own hearts we can mistaken it as well.

So as we look into this what it means for us, let us look at how we easily

Misunderstand it or how it's been misunderstood because this is how God uses Misunderstanding by

the way, it's not like he's not powerful enough to stop misunderstanding.

He allows it so that his great that the great truth can then be fully revealed even in it.

It's how is let's take the first one transcendence.

Misunderstood if God is Jesus is Emmanuel God with us and that denotes his transcendence as well.

How is it misunderstood?

How is transcendence misunderstood again?

God is Transcendent he is outside of us.

He is he is to use very biblical language.

He is most high over creation so much so that our minds cannot fathom.

Just how much he is not of this creation.

I remember talking with an unbeliever.

And one of the things major things he had against God is that he couldn't he couldn't use his five

Senses to get a hold of God, right?

He couldn't he couldn't touch God can't see God with his eyes.

He can't he can't taste them.

He can't smell them.

Can't do all those senses.

And so he says well, why should I then believe in him?

And so what he was wanting is a God that was not transcendent.

And if he had a God that was not transcendent, he would not be God.

He would then just be part of his creation.

He would just be one part of his creation like everything else, but God is unique in that he is

far above.

He's far outside.

He is not of his creation.

He is.

Transcendent.

Now that's been twisted and misunderstood.

Modern man.

Then.

Concludes that God is unknowable, right?

I mean it kind of makes sense logically you could see how you could get there, right?

If God is so far Away from us or distant then he must be

unknowable.

We can't know him and in the post modern man takes that and they say there is no God.

Right, and that's a logical step from there too, right?

If God is unknowable.

Well, what's to stop us from just simply saying he there is no God at all.

And so we have a society or a culture around us that stemming from the misunderstanding of

God's Transcendence of being far above us that he is unknowable and it then equates to there is no

God where atheism Flourishes in our society today.

And the implication of that now remember what's the third theme right?

Transcendence.

Eminence right and then sin how God deals with sin in his creation.

And so what's the implication of sin and creation if we don't believe that there is

a God who is here?

Well, I live as I please.

There's no authority over me.

I do as I please.

There is no God who's near he we can't know him.

He's too distant.

He doesn't know about my sin.

I'm my own authority.

So sin then becomes Nothing or at least it comes centered

in your own authority as as an individual.

That's where sin that's where sin lies in this Misunderstanding

Psalm 14 one speaks to this the fool says in his heart.

There is no God.

They do abominable deeds.

There is none who does good.

Again I've said this before but there is no such thing as your modern -day Atheists back in this time

atheism.

This is a beside the point and I'm still trying to work through this in my brain.

But atheism is a Christian Heresy and there's a lot there but

atheism only comes exists after Christianity has been abandoned.

It only comes in the in the in the fabric of Christianity.

It's very unique without Christianity.

There is no atheism.

There's a lot there.

I probably shouldn't have said it and but it's nevertheless true and so here in Psalm 14 one.

It's not literally talk about your modern -day atheist.

That doesn't even exist.

It's talking about a person who lives as if God doesn't exist.

Right.

He lives in a life of sin as if God is not there not present doesn't see.

Perhaps another Psalm to help us with that concept is Psalm 94 7 and they say after talking about

sin.

They say the Lord does not see the God of Jacob does not perceive.

So.

Misunderstanding of transcendence.

God's transcendence is God is so far above us that he does not know or care about

sin and.

And this can easily be in your life too as a Christian, right?

Because I don't want this to be a bunch of bashing on the the people who aren't Christians, right?

How easy for it is it for us to have a corner of our life that we allow to be?

Autonomous from God as if it doesn't flow forth from who he is, right?

How much of us say that we'll give everything else to God but there's a corner in which we allow just the fester

and be Autonomous or our own authority as if God cannot see that aspect, right?

It is a very Natural thing within our depravity that we would live as if God is too far to

notice a certain thing or in general Right that he is not near.

So that's the misunderstanding of God's transcendence and so we can go on the other ditch and misunderstand

God's eminence.

That God is so near right transcendence.

He's far off Eminence he's so near we can misunderstand the nearness of God.

That he's so near and not separate that he is one like us.

There's no separation.

In fact, he's just like us and we can look at Eastern philosophy with pantheism.

Right pantheism literally is God and creation are one you can't separate them.

If God is so ingrained in nature and I have these natural desires.

They must be okay.

That's where sin gets equated here, right?

We're talking about that third category.

There's sin.

Well, if God is one with nature and I have these natural desires.

Well, if I have them they must be all right, I can give in to them.

Something is sin only when I call it sin.

There is no outside God Transcendent God imposing his authority on me.

Maybe perhaps a Christianized version of this sentiment is God just loves me so much.

He just wants me to be happy.

I think we've all heard that before.

Or when we don't bother to bring every thought and action Captive to

Christ, we just assume that God is with us in it.

Jew 4 says ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality

and deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ and so there's that one ditch

right God is so transcendent.

He doesn't know about my sin, right?

You get that.

He's so Transcendent.

God does not know about my sin.

It's too far off to care or.

The second ditch is God is so eminent.

He doesn't care about my sin Transcendent, he doesn't know Eminent, he just

doesn't care About my sin.

He knows about it, but he doesn't care.

Those are the two ditches that we see before us.

And I want to before We see how Jesus Emmanuel

Leads us safely between these two ditches on a very good road.

We must first see that even before Jesus came the first time in his birth

God was totally Transcendent and totally imminent at the same time

and he doesn't and never has never will wink or ignore Sin

this has always been who God is and it as we see this here in Scripture it will then we'll see

how Jesus comes and makes a Beautiful display of who God is in light of his transcendence eminence

and sin not being ignored.

So again, we need to understand that even before Jesus came God has always been totally

Transcendent always been totally imminent and never ignored or wink

at sin.

Psalm 97 9.

There's here's this transcendent God right here.

Psalm 97 9 for you.

Oh Lord our most high over all the earth you are

Exalted far above all gods see that transcendence there.

You are most high.

It's not like just God's lofty a little bit high like a king on earth.

But he is most high exalted high above we can't even fathom how high God is.

Psalm 97 1 on the same psalm, you know what the the context of that psalm is is

not to get lost in his Transcendence to where now his eminence doesn't make any sense.

But psalm 97 1 says the Lord reigns in his loftiness.

Let the earth rejoice.

So we could see that the transcendence of God being so high above is not detached from his eminence.

But it intimately comes together in the fact that in his exalted status.

He reigns intimately on.

Earth.

He's not detached from earth.

In fact, his transcendence is a power of reigning in which he is intimately on earth

reigning.

The Lord reigns.

God's transcendence does not reveal God's absence ever.

But his absolute power over all the earth and He

intimately or eminently reigns in that power.

You see how they beautifully come together and With his eminent reign listen to

this with his eminent reign.

God does not ignore or wink at sin.

God's reign is not an unrighteous reign over his earth.

He does not ignore or wink at sin in his eminence with

creation.

Psalm 7 11 says God is a righteous judge.

See that the lofty one the high up one.

He is a righteous judge.

And a.

God who shows indignation every day.

So we can see he's a revealer of his hatred of sin every day.

God has always been eminent or near earth in his reigning and his reign can be

Defined as a hatred and a working against sin wherever

he finds it.

We read this often.

But let's look at it in this Particular context.

Go to Romans 1 if you would Romans 1

God is transcendent and he's also eminent in his reign over creation.

And we see that's always been the case even before Jesus.

Look at verse 18 of Romans 1 for the wrath of God is revealed

from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness

Suppress the truth and so God has always been near to earth

and he is always Hating sin and working against it his wrath is revealed in

the revealing of sin.

This is how God has always been intimately close with creation in his hatred and working against the

wickedness of sin.

And look at verse 24.

So therefore in Romans 1 therefore God gave them up in the lust of their hearts, right?

We see it again in verse 26 for this reason God gave them up in verse 28.

Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God God gives them up to these things.

This is God gives up Society and people's it to go deeper into their insanity of

sin as a revealing of his hatred of sin and of his wrath.

It's rightful for us to be sad over the state of the culture of the world

today as opposed to how we known it historically.

Again, I always feel the need to say not that you know, Western culture has all ever been perfect and and everything.

But nevertheless it has been much more beautiful at one point and it's it's okay to get sad over the

state of affairs that we See it in but at the same time don't think for one moment that God is not revealing himself.

Don't think for one moment.

God doesn't have a purpose and why he has allowed it to be where it's at.

He is revealing himself in this age.

Just as much as he revealed himself in any other age and that is his wrath and hatred

against sin.

He is imminently Involved with his creation today just as much as he was and he has a purpose and how he

reveals his workings against sin and of course it culminates

it culminates in Final judgment right where God is intimately

aware of his creation in which he will finally judge all wrongdoers.

He Jesus returns as as eyes.

Fire.

Right.

He sees all things.

Nothing is past his gaze.

He knows all sins He is nothing is in the dark corner.

We cannot hide anything from our God.

But he is intimately aware of every single Wickedness that has ever that will ever

happen on this earth.

He is involved He understands he sees it and he will one day finally

Judge it in holy fury.

So God is not.

Distant.

He is transcendent and powerful and he reigns in imminence and he works

tirelessly against sin wherever it is.

I like what the second London Baptist confession of faith says in

chapter 2 paragraph 1.

The Lord our God is one the only living and true God.

He is self -existent and infinite and being and perfection.

His essence cannot be understood by anyone.

But him he is a perfectly pure spirit.

He is invisible and has no body parts or changeable emotions.

He alone has immortality dwelling in light that no one can approach.

He is unchangeable immense eternal Incomprehensible Almighty in every way

infinite.

Absolutely.

Holy perfectly wise.

Holy free completely absolute.

And I'm gonna read the last pair the last sentence of this paragraph at the same time.

He is perfectly just and terrifying and his judgments.

He hates all sin and will certainly not clear the guilty.

So we see that there's a God who is awesome in power and imminently

involved in his hatred of sin an Absolute and

transcendent power.

God made heaven and earth and he is a most imminent Avenger and judge against all who would try

to deface his masterpiece with sin.

That's what God is doing.

He made all things really good.

Beautifully good and anyone who would try to deface such a beautiful thing deserves a holy wrath of

God.

And that's his eminence on display.

Now, hopefully I've depressed you just enough.

Hopefully I've depressed you just enough.

Especially you who are in sin and do not know Jesus.

Especially you who think that God doesn't see your sin that God doesn't care about your sin and that you will somehow

Escape his holy fire.

You will not he will he hates it and he does not wink at it.

He doesn't ignore it and he doesn't wink and ignore at you old Christian who has sin that you just kind of let

go.

Because perhaps you can just kind of separate that as a separate category.

No, our God hates sin and that's why Matthew 1 is so beautiful.

That's why as we consider this God.

This is this is why as we consider his coming.

We are filled with joy joy joy.

Because this God who hates sin so much has revealed himself in Jesus who is Emmanuel God with

us.

But he his name is Jesus the one who will what save people from

their sins.

Look at first Timothy go to first Timothy.

This is good and right and worthy of all meditation.

Enjoy this Christmas season.

Look at what Paul says in first Timothy 1 15 the saying

first Timothy 1 15.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.

That Christ Jesus came into the world.

Not to ignore sin.

Not to wink at sin not to judge mercilessly over our

sin.

Like he will the second time but Christ Jesus came into the world to save

sinners.

This is needs to be.

Beautiful to you for those who have placed your faith upon this Christ that he is came He's

came took on flesh and saves sinners.

Paul says of whom I am the foremost.

Look at that The present tense I am the foremost.

Paul doesn't say I was Since I am the foremost.

So he's considering the joy joy joy of Christmas and the beautiful Happiness that should flow

forth from this doctrine of the first coming of Jesus.

Consider the fact that he came to save you Oh sinner present tense of your sins.

He is a Savior He has saved he is saving and he will save so why

would we ever have a moment any Christmas season where we're not full of joy that he has came to

save me from my sins.

I Am the foremost and he came to save verse 16, but I

received.

Mercy.

For this reason that in me as a foremost Jesus Christ might display his perfect

Patience as an example to those who were to believe in Jesus for

eternal life.

This is what it means that Emmanuel God with us came to save.

From.

God's holy wrath.

To give what he says eternal life.

What is eternal life if someone were to ask you what does it mean?

What does eternal life even mean?

How could how would you answer that?

How would you answer that in a few short sentences?

What is eternal life that this Jesus has has came and given to those of his people who he's

forgiven of sins?

Well in John 17 3 he says and this is eternal life that they know you the only true God and

Jesus Christ whom you have Set.

So, you know what eternal life is it is to be forgiven of sins that separate you with God to where you don't

know and With that those sins forgiven, you know God intimately you are

close to God.

He is near intimately with you and you know him that is eternal life.

Jesus Christ came as a baby to die as a man to forgive sinners.

Finishing sins ending sins so that you can be near and know God.

So eternal light eternal life is God's eminence being sweet to you.

When you hear that God is near you don't grimace.

You don't say you don't want to hide under a rock like Adam and Eve.

Eternal life is is here in the eminence of God and it is of the sweetest joyous song of

worship to you.

Oh God is near in Jesus.

Eternal death.

I know what death is eternal death is Sin

and God's wrath Abiding on you so that eternal death is God's

eminence being very bitter to you but since Jesus is

God with us the forgiver of people's sins we can rejoice this Christmas.

The nation's can rejoice this Christmas because he has drawn near to forgive us of our sins.

Not end us in our sins not to look away from our sins.

But rather to see it in his son and forgive us of our sins.

So with that I'm out of energy.

I'm gonna read Psalm 67 again, I'm saying I'm not gonna make a lot of comments

on it but we'll see how it goes, but let's see the joy again the happiness of Christmas

again in this psalm in which again Psalm 67 verse 1.

It is beautiful as you consider this context as you read this chapter

this psalm.

Notice verse 1.

I'm gonna make comments that May God right usually we see in the psalm.

It's Yahweh.

You know the capital L -O -R -D, which is Yahweh.

That's God's covenant name here the psalmist Intentionally uses the word God

and that is it's like it's God is not just the God of Israel.

But he's the God of the nations and this is what Jesus came to do to be is to provide forgiveness for

the nations.

He says may God be gracious to us that is the world and bless us and make his face to shine

upon us.

You see instead of his frown instead of his negative disposition against us instead of his wrath that

Continuously abides on sinners in which we just talked about and got depressed over.

This is the God who instead is gracious and blesses and his face shines

upon us.

That your way in verse 2 your way right your intimacy the way you

Reign that your way may be known on earth your saving power Among

all nations not as wrathful indignation every day.

But notice the contrast here that this is the God who's revealed himself and is saving power among all the

nations who have defied him let the people's.

Instead of.

Weeping and gnashing of teeth like we see in Scripture a lot, right?

The weeping over God's judgments the gnashing the anger over God's judgments.

Here we see let the people's praise you.

Oh God, let all the people's praise you.

I hope that you sing the hymns today and that you'll sing this hymn coming up saying God.

I could have been weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Instead I am singing praises to you.

What God is this Jesus that would show his face your face upon us in such a

happy way.

What a God we have.

Verse 4.

I like how it's not just simple.

It gets to the emotion of it right in verse 4.

Let the nations be glad.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy.

For your for you judge the people's with equity and guide the nations upon the earth.

There's a lot there.

But what an awesome thing it is that God judges the people with equity and the nation's

can be rejoicing and glad.

Why.

Because Jesus has taken our guilt and shame so that God can show his judgment in

total and instead of us weeping and gnashing and Judgment and wrath because of that judgment

because Jesus Christ has taken on our sins and our judgment we can see that great judgment

outpouring forth from him and we can rejoice and Sing with happiness because of

our Lord Jesus Christ the forgiver of sins.

Let the people verse 5 praise you.

Oh God.

Let all the people's praise you.

The earth has yielded its increase.

God our God shall bless us.

God shall bless us.

Let all the earth ends of the earth.

Fear him, you know what?

It means to yield the increase.

It's it's alluding to plant life, right.

You you plant and then you want an increase from that, right?

But obviously that's not the the the direct context here the direct context it's an analogy towards the idea that

God is looking for an increase on the earth an increase of righteousness.

God still reigns on high and he still hates sin every day and he is still

ending sin.

Every day that hasn't gone away.

It's not like God all of a sudden doesn't care about sin.

No, he intimately does care.

He is yielding a great full of Righteousness in Jesus Christ.

Are you among that number?

Have you looked to Jesus Christ for salvation?

Are you looking to Jesus Christ today right now?

Oh believer and I'll have you found your joy and happiness in the fact that he has taken your sins away.

So you can joyfully proclaim the excellencies of his forgiveness this Christmas season.

Are you doing that?

Oh Unbeliever, I know there's a few in here.

Would you turn away from your sin now and go to this Christ this Christmas season?

Would you stop the insanity of your sin thinking it'll give you happiness and joy?

It will not it'll only lead to disaster and wrath because God is intimate in his wrath upon

you.

But do you know that there's a Savior who has came?

He's Emmanuel.

He's God with us and he is the forgiver of his people's sins.

Won't you be his people and believe upon him with the Saints and cry?

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty the one who has came and forgave his people

of their sins.

Let us pray to our God.

Thank you Oh Lord.

For truly you are not a God Who is so far off that you're not imminently

near.

When said God in your transcendence you have a power that is revealed.

No one can contend with you.

No one can stay your hand.

No one can stop your powerful revealing Lord.

And in your reign and in your sovereignty Lord you are working against sin.

But what a great reality it is that in your working against sin You have offered a a love

offering a peace treaty in Jesus Christ who is truly God with us, but one who forgives.

Again, Lord, what an amazing thing that you don't wink at sin.

You don't ignore it.

And you didn't come to completely end us.

Judgment.

But instead Lord you have came to do away with our sin through him.

So let us all Lord I pray that you'd give us a heart of belief upon the Savior.

We would look upon him in faith.

And that faith is realized in the fact that we don't just believe in once and then we just go on with our sin.

But instead everything we give to you and say God don't take it.

And may I just live a life of gratitude for this great gift of love you've given to us to me

and Jesus.

I pray God that the people here would be encouraged.

That they would see that this is a great time of year to be happy and full of joy With the

nation's as we consider this kindness that you have given to us.

And I pray for those who do not know you God.

Oh that may they see the happiness of your people and may it just be contagious.

May they say that my sin doesn't give me any of this that I see in These people and may they

respond in faith to Jesus knowing that he is Lord He reigns and he is worthy

of all.

Worship, thank you for being so good to us in him in Jesus name. Amen.