God With Us
December 29, 2024 Preacher: Kevin Godin Series: Matthew - The King in His Beauty
Scripture: Matthew 1:18–25
Sermon Transcript:
20th century Christian author C.S. Lewis famously said,
“Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”
The result has been a legacy of disappointment and sorrow. Mankind, in its rejection of God, has written a history of brutality and callousness that inevitably ends for each person and each kingdom, ultimately in dust and ashes. But as we saw last week, even in the midst of this chaos of sin and death, God was working.
His ancient promise of salvation for all who looked to Him in faith has stood firm throughout history, like a lighthouse on a rocky shore during a raging storm. The wind howls and waves crash but the light never goes out. The word of God remains a steadfast beacon, giving hope to all who look to it and are guided by its light to safety.
That safety and salvation finds its realization in Jesus Christ—the one who lived, died, and rose again to fulfill the greatest promise that God would save His people from their sins. This promise is not just for a distant past or a future hope; it is for us, right here, right now. The light of God’s word pointed Old Testament believers forward to Christ, just as it now points us back to Christ and to His second coming. They sailed in the night, and for us the morning has begun to dawn, but it is the same light, and this is the promise: those who put their faith in Jesus will be saved.
Salvation has come to the world in Jesus Christ. This is what Matthew is telling us and it is the main point of our message today,
Those who put their faith in Jesus will be saved.
Jesus Christ is unlike any person who has ever walked this earth. He is not merely a great teacher, a moral example, or even a divinely chosen prophet. He is not just a king or a religious leader. In Christ, God has come down to rescue His people. Jesus, the Son of God became a son of man, so that the sons of men, could become the sons of God. Jesus is God in the flesh.
At the end of verse 17, which we looked at last week, Matthew introduced Joseph as Mary’s husband, but said Jesus was born of Mary. As we pick up in verse 18, Matthew is going to explain why.
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. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
This story is so familiar we often overlook its shocking nature. Mary and Joseph are real people living through extraordinary events with no knowledge of how things will unfold. Mary is likely between 14 and 16 years old and Joseph is probably in his late teens or early twenties. These are young people just beginning their life together and they find themselves at the center of the most remarkable set of events in the history of the universe.
They are betrothed, which was a legally binding contract to be married, so it was a firmer commitment than what we think of as an engagement. Then suddenly, Mary is found to be pregnant. Imagine Joseph's heartbreak and confusion. We know Mary was faithful, but how could Joseph know that? This is a serious situation. According to Jewish law adultery during betrothal was punishable by death. Deuteronomy 22:23–24 says,
23 “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, 24 then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones…
Historians tell us that by this time stoning was rare, but the consequences remained severe. Marriages were not formed based on personal or romantic relationships; they were social and economic contracts between families. Illegitimate births corrupted inheritance rights, confused kinship connections, and brought shame on the family. Mary’s pregnancy wasn’t just a private matter between her and Joseph. For a woman to commit adultery was a crime against society.
Roman law at this time required men to divorce unfaithful wives. They weren't Roman citizens so that wasn’t required, but it would have been expected. God never requires divorce, but even Jesus allows for it in the case of sexual unfaithfulness. There are circumstances where divorce is justified, but none where infidelity is. This young man is faced with serious decisions that will impact the lives of many people.
Joseph, however, is a merciful man and he chooses to do it quietly. He decides on a path that will minimize her humiliation. That is a courageous act because by choosing not to publicly accuse her, people would likely assume he was the father. Like Jesus, Joseph was willing to endure shame and ridicule to protect his bride. The difference is that we are guilty of having been unfaithful, but as Joseph is about to find out, Mary is innocent. In verse 20 God intervenes.
20 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.
God reassures Joseph that Mary has not been unfaithful. The child she carries is conceived by the Holy Spirit. This revelation changes everything. Joseph learns that the situation he sees as a scandal is actually the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan.
The angel addresses Joseph as “son of David." This connects Joseph to the royal line of David, underscoring that Jesus is the promised King, the Messiah who fulfills the covenant God made with David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, which says,
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
The angel commands Joseph to take Mary as his wife and name the child, signifying Joseph’s legal adoption of Jesus, placing Him in the line of David’s legal lineage. We see the uniqueness of the situation in that God sends the angel in a dream to give Joseph special revelation.
In this whole Gospel, there are only six times God gives special revelation in a dream. Four of the six are to Joseph regarding the birth and protection of Jesus. The fifth is to the wise men, also regarding the birth of Jesus. The final one is to Pontus Pilate’s wife concerning the death of Jesus.
All six involve key events in the life of Jesus while on earth. These are extraordinary circumstances. God may use our dreams, as He does other experiences to remind us of truths we know, but we should not expect messages through dreams or other special revelations, and we should be cautious about those who claim to have them.
Matthew’s focus isn’t on Joseph’s dream, but on the fulfillment of the Word of God. He mentions the dream in the context of emphasizing the fulfilment of the promise given in Isaiah Chapter 7. Joseph doesn’t receive a personal message, but an announcement of a promise given in the Scriptures. The angel tells Joseph,
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Joseph is told to name the child Yeshua, which translates into English as Jesus or Joshua. The name means "The Lord saves." The name Jesus describes His mission. He did not come merely to teach, heal, or perform miracles, although He did all those things. His primary mission was to save His people from their sins.
Like a lifeguard on a beach, He doesn’t stand on the shore shouting instructions to dying people. No, he dives into the turbulent waters at great personal risk, pulls them from the brink of death, and carries them to safety. Jesus didn’t stand at a distance from our sin; He dove headfirst into the chaos of this broken world, giving His life to save us.
Sin is the greatest problem we face. Sin separates us from God, brings guilt and condemnation, and leads to death and eternal condemnation. Sin is the root cause of all the problems the world is so desperately trying to solve. Poverty, injustice, brutality, and crime are all fruits that spring from sinful hearts. Sin isn’t “a” problem, it is “the” problem.
This fallen world is like a house with a cracked foundation. No matter how beautifully we paint the walls, decorate the rooms, or furnish the space, the house remains unstable. Over time, the cracks spread, and the structure begins to crumble. This is the nature of sin—it lies at the very foundation of our lives, corrupting everything we build on it. No human effort can repair it, but in Jesus God offers us a new foundation, a new birth and a new life with God.
Nothing we try to build on this old foundation will stand. Our sinful selfish hearts are beyond repair, we need new hearts, and that is something only God can create in us. That is what Jesus offers. By the grace of God, we are born again and receive Jesus by faith. In Christ, our old heart is crucified, and we are raised to walk in newness of life. In Him we are transformed from lovers of self to lovers of God.
Imagine what the world would be like if everyone loved like that. There would be no theft, no lying, no murder, no covetousness, no injustice. It is sin that corrupts us and everything around us. The world refuses to see this because it refuses to acknowledge and submit to God. Instead, it puts its hopes in sinful men and aligns its resources to solve the problems that sin creates while refusing to acknowledge sin as their source.
The world suggests many solutions—education, politics, self-improvement—but none of these can ever solve the problems they seek to address because none of them are able to address the root of them. Politics, economics, philosophy, medicine and every other human effort can never provide a solution. At best, they can provide tradeoffs. Every policy that improves one situation will inevitably make another worse. Only God has the power to create a new humanity and a new age.
Ultimately, the world does not have answers to the most important questions. In the end, a world in rebellion against God is a society filled with pain, sorrow, and injustice. It is a world that ends with the death of every person. That is what makes the Gospel such good news. Jesus doesn’t come from this world; He came from heaven into this world. The angel’s declaration points us to the heart of the gospel: Jesus is the Savior from sin.
Tragically, some present a distorted view of Christ, one who serves as little more than a ticket to worldly success. They imagine He came to boost our careers, health, wealth, or even to be a self-help formula for better marriages, businesses, and friendships. Yet Scripture never guarantees such things. Jesus did not die to make us prosperous in worldly terms; He came to save us from God’s holy wrath against sin. The hope He offers is not relief from life’s hardships, but rescue from eternal condemnation. This results in a life filled with hope, peace, and joy, but not necessarily an easy one, as our ultimate reward lies not in this world, but in the eternal life to come.
There is no salvation from the world without suffering. To save us, God Himself entered our world of pain and brokenness to fulfill His ancient promise. Verse 22 says,
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
The angel has just told Joseph to name the child Jesus, and now he adds that He shall be called Immanuel, quoting the prophecy from Isaiah 7:14. These names reveal profound truths: "Jesus" tells us what He will do, save His people from their sins, while "Immanuel" tells us who He is, God with us.
Sin’s most devastating consequence is the separation it creates between humanity and God. In the garden, Adam walked with God in perfect fellowship, but sin shattered that intimacy, introducing a distance that reverberates throughout the Old Testament. A cloud on Mount Sinai, a curtain in the temple, and the intercession of priests all testify to a barrier that sinful humanity cannot cross. The Old Testament ends with a longing for resolution: how can sinful people be reconciled to a holy God?
In Jesus, God answers that question. He bridges the infinite chasm between God and humanity by taking on human flesh. In Christ, God and humanity are brought together. This union of divine and human natures means Jesus is truly God and truly human. He remains eternally God, yet He lived as one of us, experiencing every aspect of human life. This miraculous reality enables Him to represent us before the Father, while also having the power to give new life.
In His own person He reconciles man and God, destroys the power of sin, and secures the promise that we will once again see the face of God and dwell with Him forever. Jesus is truly “God with us” Although the apostles and New Testament writers never call Jesus by the name Immanuel, they unceasingly declare that is who He is.
Philippians 2:6-7 says,
…though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Colossians 1:19 says,
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Hebrews 1:3 says,
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
In John 14:9-10 one of Jesus disciples asked Him to show them the Father,
Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"?
It was Jesus who stretched out the heavens like a curtain and laid the foundations of the earth. It was His hands that scattered the stars and fixed the sun and moon in their courses. He is the one who commanded the oceans where to stop and raised the mountains in their place.
It was Jesus who walked with Adam in the garden, and called Abraham to the promised land. He was in the burning bush and led His people through the wilderness in a pillar of fire and separated the sea for them to cross. Jesus is Yahweh, He is God almighty, the creator and sustainer of the universe. Yet in an act of incomprehensible love, in this child conceived in Mary’s womb, He has come to be with us. Through Christ God is not just near us, He is with us. John 1:14 says,
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
It was impossible for us to go to Him, so in love and compassion, He came to us. We could never approach or behold the fullness of the divine glory in our sin, so He came in the weakness of flesh to save us. Speaking of the apostles, 1 John 1:1–2 says,
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us.
His entire life was a revelation of God to the world. He not only died to save His people, He was born to save them. It is a tremendous thing to contemplate the awesome majesty of almighty God. To know God brings us to our knees in worship, but to know Him as God with us. To know Him as one who loved us and gave Himself for us so that God would not be against us, but for us, that should lift us to our feet in praise and joy that knows no bounds. Our Lord God is with us.
He is with us in our humanity and our weakness. Hebrews 4:15–16 says,
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus came from heaven to live the life we are called to live and He did it perfectly. He never sinned and we can trust Him to deliver us from our sins. He is with us in our salvation. John 3:17 says,
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
He was killed, crucified on a cross to take away our sins. He bore the wrath of God that we deserved, reconciling us to God. But on the third day, He rose from the grave and through His resurrection, He conquered sin and death, securing eternal life for all who trust in Him. Our sins may be great, but they need not separate us from God any longer. There is more love in God than sin in us, and Jesus came to save sinners.
He is with us in our daily lives. By faith in Jesus, we are united with Him and His Spirit is within us. Paul describes this in Galatians 2:20,
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Because He is eternal, He is “with us” forever. In Matthew 28:20, after commissioning believers to go into all the world making disciples, Jesus says,
20 … behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
He has promised never to abandon those who put their faith in Him. We can live in this world knowing He will never leave us, but the most glorious promise is that because of Jesus, when this world ends, we will be with God in the world to come. It is then our fellowship with Him will be completely restored and we will enjoy His fellowship for all eternity.
We learn what this will be like in Revelation 21:1–4,
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Heaven is not glorious because of any inherent beauty it possesses. It is glorious because God is there. To be saved and to enter heaven is to have every barrier between us and God removed. This is what we receive when we put our faith in Jesus Christ.
The world spends billions of dollars on gifts and decorations. They sing holiday songs and feast in celebration, but the glory of Christmas is something only one who believes in Jesus can understand. It has nothing to do with tinsel and stockings and everything to do with worshipping the God who loved us so much He came to be with us, so that we could be with Him.
Our feeble human minds can never fully comprehend such mysteries of God. How does the immortal clothe Himself in mortality? How can the Infinite become an infant? We don’t know. We are left in awe and wonder, grasping at the edges of a truth that surpasses our understanding. But, it is in this very mystery that we find the deepest reasons to worship Him and to trust Him. For in His incarnation, we see the lengths to which God will go to redeem His people, to bridge the chasm that sin has created, and to bring us back into His glorious presence.
Consider the magnitude of this truth, Jesus left the glory of heaven to rescue us. "God with us." Is the essence of the gospel. It speaks of God’s condescension, His willingness to enter into our weakness, to walk among us, to suffer with us, and ultimately, to die for us. This is the heart of the Christian faith, the foundation upon which all our hopes are built. How can we not be moved by such love? How can we not respond with faith and obedience?
Verse 24 says,
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
When faced with an amazing revelation that there is no way he fully understood, Joseph was obedient. When faced with circumstances that made him look foolish, he believed. Joseph trusted God and Joseph’s obedience is a model for us. What other than faith and obedience would be a rational response to such wondrous things as Christmas?
Like Joseph, who did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, our response must also be to believe God’s promises, even when they defy worldly logic and bring potential shame. It is in our faith and obedience that we find the true meaning of Christmas and the true expression of our love and devotion to Our Lord who came from heaven to save us.
As we leave this week and reflect on the real meaning of Christmas, we will be filled with awe and drawn into a deeper meditation upon the glory, grace, and love of God in Jesus Christ. May the astonishment of Christmas never leave us our entire life for its message is the good news every true Christian proclaims and yet even the greatest preachers are incapable of fully communicating its glory. So, I will finish with the words of Charles Spurgeon, who when reflecting on this passage, captured its reality far more eloquently than I can. He said,
“I do not expect this morning to be able to set forth all the meaning of this short text, “God with us,” for indeed, it seems to me to contain the whole history of redemption. It hints at man’s being without God, and God’s having removed from man on account of sin. It seems to tell me of man’s spiritual life, by Christ’s coming to him, and being formed in him the hope of glory. God communes with man, and man returns to God, and receives again the divine image as at the first. Yea, heaven itself is “God with us.” This text might serve for a hundred sermons without any wire drawing; yea, one might continue to expatiate upon its manifold meanings for ever.”
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