Emmanuel, Jesus The Son

Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 1:31.

 

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:21-23). The angel confirmed to Joseph that the pregnancy of Mary was by the Holy Ghost and that the child that would be born by her would be as prophesied by Isaiah the prophet. The angel gave the name of the child to be Emmanuel which means that the God of creation, power, all might, and all possibilities is with us. “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:31-35). Jesus reigns now evangelically in our hearts, and He will reign everlastingly over the world in the future.

 

        1.      THE REVELATION AND RECOGNITION OF ETERNAL EMMANUEL AS SON

Matthew 3:16-17; John 1:33-34.

 

• The Revelation of the Eternal Christ, the Son of God – Matthew 16:16-17; Isaiah 9:6-7; Micah 5:2; Colossians 1:16-17. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:16-17). When you leave all behind and come to follow the Lord Jesus Christ like Peter did, the Father makes a revelation to you that leaves you with no doubt about the Sonship of Christ. This revelation is not received from books or given by any human knowledge, but the Father Himself reveals His Son to us. It had already been prophesied and the revelation comes now by prophecy that Christ is the Son of God. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7). “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2). These prophecies talk about the same Christ Jesus, the Emmanuel who would rule over the house of Israel. Jesus did not come into existence just at the time of His birth, He had been from the eternal past. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16-17). Christ had existed before creation and all things were created by Him. Christ is eternal and everlasting, and when you are a real child of God, the revelation comes to you by the word of God and by the Father in heaven.

 

• The Recognition of the Eternal Conqueror, the Son of God – Matthew 27:54, Acts 9:2; Luke 1:35; John 14:25-27, 43-44. “Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:54). Christ had conquered, and because of that conquering power, the eternal conqueror proved Himself, and even the unbelievers who stood by acknowledged that He was indeed the Son of God. “And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:2). Christ encountered Saul of Tarsus on his way to Damascus and conquered him. Christ will conquer in and through your life and you will recognise that He is the One that comes to conquer.

 

• Our Realization in the Eternal Captain, the Son of God – Romans 1:3-4,17; 2 Corinthians 1:19-20; Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 2:9-11. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,” (Hebrews 2:9-11). Christ tasted death for everyone as the Captain of our salvation. Once Jesus becomes the Christ in your life, He will become the Conqueror in your life, and He will become the Captain of your salvation leading you out of sin into the salvation of the Lord.

 

 

2.     THE REDEMPTION AND REGENERATION BY EMANCIPATING EMMANUEL, THE SON

John 20:30-31; Acts 8:35-39.

He is the Redeemer, Emancipator, and the One that regenerates, converts and changes our lives from the inside to the outside because He is the emancipating Emmanuel.

 

• The Redemption Provided by Jesus, the Everlasting Emmanuel – Romans 3:2426; Colossians 1:13-14; Titus 2:14; Galatians 3:13-14. Christ came to redeem, set us free, and move us out of all our deprivations and bring us into fellowship with God, reconciliation with God, and into a new life that we now live after the pattern of the life of Christ which is redemption. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Romans 3:24-26). Redemption can be found and experienced only in Jesus. It requires you to come out of your sins and repent, and repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ brings redemption unto you and you become justified. You were condemned, damned, and doomed, but because you now have Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you become justified freely because Christ paid the full price for your guilt and condemnation. Instead of you dying eternally to pay the penalty for your sin, Christ has died for you and now you can be saved. “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” (Colossians 1:13-14). When Christ comes into your life, He translates and transfers you from the kingdom of darkness into His own kingdom, and you have a present redemption from the point of repentance and faith in the Lord. “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:14). Christ redeems us from all iniquity, external and internal, secret, and habitual. If you have been redeemed, there will be no iniquity in your life anymore. If there is iniquity in your heart, action, mouth, habit, interaction, and relationship, you don’t have the redemption of Christ. When we are redeemed by Christ, He makes us peculiar, different, and distinguished from the people around us and our lives become distinct, unique, and above reproach. When you are born again, you are redeemed and justified, your life becomes new, and you become so peculiar in the goodness of God that you are zealous of good works.

 

• The Regeneration Performed by Jesus, the Eternal Emmanuel – Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 1:5-6. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” (Titus 3:5). There are people who pride themselves in the works of religion, in the works of their traditional belief, in the money they have given or other works they have done, thinking that they are redeemed and saved by that. Regeneration and righteousness do not come by the works of righteousness; when God saw that all we do could not save us, He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We come to the eternal Christ for Him to cleanse and redeem us from our past way of life. After salvation, the habit of sinning does not continue. The first time you come to Christ in true repentance and faith, He washes you, cleanses you, and changes the pattern of your life. But there is more. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Christ gave Himself for the church to sanctify and cleanse us. When you are saved, the external sins that you have been committing are washed away and you are reconciled with God, and after that, He sanctifies you and cleanses you with the washing of water by the word in a definite experience of sanctification. Christ wants the church to be holy in the heart, in the home, in the secret, and in the public. If you don’t allow Christ to do this, you waste His coming, death and the purpose of His coming into your life.

 

• The Restoration Promised Through Jesus, the Emancipating Emmanuel – Acts 3:19-21, 1 Peter 1:9-12, 2 Peter 1:3-4; Ephesians 3:8-9. What Adam lost, Christ the second Adam has come to restore unto us. Christ came to restore unto us the purity, perfection, and likeness unto God and innocence that was lost. If something has changed for the negative in your life, and you are no more righteous, pure, and holy, Christ has come to give you a restoration. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21). Your sins will not be blotted out by religious activities or empty confession of salvation while sin remains in your life but by repentance. “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.” (1 Peter 1:9-12). “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:3-4). Christ has come to restore the innocence, salvation, righteousness, pure life, pure heart, and divine nature that we lost in Adam, and now He has given us all things that pertain to righteousness and godliness.

 

3.     THE REFORMATION AND RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH EMPOWERING EMMANUEL, THE SON

Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 9:10,12,14-15.

 

• Repentance in Fulness Before the All-Knowing Emmanuel – Mark 1:14-15; Luke 19:8-10; 1 Timothy 5:24; Rev 2:4-5,14-16. Our repentance must be in fulness as we forsake everything that we know will not please God, whether small or great, common, or uncommon. “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15). You cannot have the good news until you drop the bad news of your life. As a sinner, your life is sending the bad news of your sins and commitment to Satan to heaven, and you need to drop that before you can receive the Good News. “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:810). If you are sincere about repentance and you hate what you have done, you will be making use of the things you stole but you will make your restitution. Christ declared salvation upon Zacchaeus after he repented and demonstrated a willingness to make restitution of all that he had obtained illegally.

 

• Reliance by Faith on the All-Pardoning Emmanuel – Acts 20:20-21; 26:18-20; James 2:17, 20, 26; Romans 10:9-10. “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:2021). Repentance toward God must come first and then we can have faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:17, 20, 26). Faith relying on the mercy of God and believing the gospel without the work and evidence of repentance is dead, and dead faith cannot be saved.

 

• Remembrance of the Faithfulness of Jesus, the All-Sufficient Emmanuel – Revelation 3:14; 2 Peter 1:15-17; Jude 1:17; Revelation 19:11-16. Christ is faithful, and our faith is based on His faithfulness that He will do what He has promised. “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;” (Revelation 3:14). Christ is faithful, and if you repent from your sins and rely on Him, He will save you, restore you, and transform your life. “Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.” (2 Peter 1:15). Always remember that Jesus is faithful, that the promises will be fulfilled, that the faithfulness of God reaches heaven, and that whosoever will come to Him with repentance and call upon Him will be saved and transformed. “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;” (Jude 1:17). Don’t live your life in forgetfulness of the words that have been spoken. When temptations come and the devil and your flesh are pushing you to sin, remember that the soul that sins will die. People generally don’t live victoriously because although they have heard the words that were spoken, they don’t remember them at the time of temptation. Our victory, salvation, and security remain on the fact that we remember the spoken word. “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” (Revelation 19:11). Christ is faithful and true. Remember His word, repent and believe the gospel and you will be saved. If you have found the victorious life difficult and impossible in your life, remember His word and come to Him for restoration and renewal.