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Immanuel - God with Us

December 07, 2014

Passage: Matthew 1:1-24 Speaker: Pastor Lukus Counterman Series: Christmas 2014

Length: 55 mins 32 secs Plays: 3013

Speaker: Lukus Counterman - This morning we will spend time reflecting upon Immanuel. The name surfaces in Isaiah 7 as a prophecy, and then again in Matthew 1 being attributed to Jesus. Immanuel simply means “God with us.” Now, Jesus was never called “Immanuel” (Matt. 1:23) as a proper name; instead, the term is a metaphor for the fact that in Jesus, God is present “with” his people in a whole new way. As you fold through the pages of the Bible, there are different ways in which God was with his people: God was present in his “Shekinah” or dwelling via the pillar of fire and cloud in the exodus. He was present on his throne between the wings of the seraphim above the ark in the Most Holy Place. God was present in his Son during his life on this earth. God is present via the Holy Spirit during the church age. And God will be present physically and in full reality throughout eternity (Rev. 21:1-22:5).1 The presence of God is an important theme in scripture. That’s why Jesus our Immanuel is so important.