Immanuel

 

By Pastor Young Joon Park

December 28, 2008

 

 

Matthew 1:23

 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

 

This prophetic word was fulfilled completely through Mary and Jesus.

 

Immanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל "God [is] with us)

 

What is the real meaning of Immanuel in our life?

 

Episode 1.

Jim and his family visited his mother’s house to have a dinner together with his mother one day. His mother prepared the dinner and set the dinner plates on the top of the baby grand piano with uncomfortable chairs around it.

Jim asked her about the dining table set that he bought for her. She answered that she gave it to someone since she did not need it. And they set down around the baby grand piano dinning table, and then he noticed that the dinner plates were old. He asked about the new dining plates and silver set that he bought her, and the same answer was the same that she gave them away with the same reason of not need them.

 

So Jim ended up being upset and left her home with sadness and anger at the same time feeling being rejected and lack of love from his mom.

 

He invited his mom for Christmas dinner at his home on Christmas day, but he did not even expect her to come. But she came for the dinner together. He was a little surprised, because he was not even expecting her to come.

She pulled out some stuffs from her bag and showed them to Jim. They were cards that he made and gave to her when he was in his elementary school.

He was surprised that she kept them to this date. And she said that she is keeping all the stuffs that he made for her. So he was shocked at the fact that she still kept the things that he made for her when he was young.

 

So he had asked his a question as to why she did not keep his expensive gifts that he bought her, but gave them away to someone even though she was keeping old stuffs that he made for her such a long time ago.

 

Her explanation – her x-husband gave her expensive gifts only when he was having an affair with other woman. So to her mind, expensive gifts meant separation from the relationship.

She has gotten rid of the gifts since she did not want to lose the relationship with his son. She had a big wound in her inner being and definitely she needed inner healing.

 

We all want to stay in the good relationship continually.

 

I did not realize how much I missed my son after he married.

He was a big part of my life, and now I cannot see him everyday.

 

We all want to spend time together and stay together, but we cannot live with our children and stay together continually after they are grown up and married.

 

Whenever I visited my mother, she was so happy, because she misses me.

 

 

I. God loved us first

 

1 John 4:19

We love, because He first loved us.

 

Even our Father God wants to have the relationship with us.

He is crazy about you and me, but we could not have relationship with Him because of our sin.

 

1. The hindrance of the relationship with God

 

When Adam & Eve were fell into sin,

 

   1) We were separated from our Father God.

Ephesians 4:18

being darkened in their understanding, separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

 

We were all separated from Father God, and there was no life at all, but the death.

 

   2) We were the enemy of God.

Colossians 1:21

And although you were formerly alienated from God and were enemies in mind, engaged in evil deeds,

 

We were the enemy of God and became satan’s children, so we would face the eternal perish and the great judgment.

 

   3) We were dead.

Ephesians 2:1

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

 

   4) We followed the wrong spirit

Ephesians 2:2

in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

 

   5) We were by nature children of wrath

Ephesians 2:3

Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest

 

Our life was full of darkness, so we could not avoid the wrath of God.

 

   6) Our the eternal hell

Revelation 21:8

But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 

The testimony: 23 minutes in the hell

 

2. The only the Solution for the relationship

 

Because of His love is so great that is why He came in flesh to identify Himself with us.

He is falling in love with you and me deeply.

 

   1) Jesus has to become a Man.

Hebrews 10:3-4

3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

 

Acts 4:12

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved

 

Jesus is the only One God appointed from Genesis 3:15.

And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise Him on the heel

 

 

   2) Jesus became a flesh

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

The Word is God. God Himself became flesh as a Man.

We can see Him directly, talk to him personally, and have a relationship.

Without the form of Man, there is no way to have the relationship with Him because of our sin. He literally lived among human beings without any wall.

Jesus Himself is God’s Glory. In His life there it was full of grace and truth.

 

The Word Himself should be become as our flesh, and manifest His Glory through our daily life.

 

Jesus’ Blood has finished my sin permanently.

Hebrews 10:12

but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.

 

   3) Jesus has been tempted in all things as we are.

Hebrews 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

 

Jesus Himself has gone through the exact same as we go through our life with what we have to deal with everyday, so He is the only One that understands us correctly.

He has been every area that I have gone through.

 

   4) Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life.

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

 

Jesus removed the first wall between God and us.

 

Invitation: Jesus is the only One for the salvation.

                 Jesus is the only One for our Christian life.

 

 

II. God is with us in every area.

 

Hebrews 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

 

Our God is taking care of us way beyond what we can imagine.

He is everywhere wherever you are.

 

1. Jesus has been all hard situations for you

   1) Jesus was rejected by Mary

Luke 1:34

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

 

This news was shock to Mary from the very beginning, but she accepted it right away.

She had a moment of hesitance about the pregnancy.

 

We have a sad news recently that mother killed her toddler girl and dumped it outside and claimed as a missing child. There are so many people who were rejected at the moment of pregnancy in various reasons.

 

One thing we know that each baby will be hurt from the mother’s womb, and from that moment satan works inside of each baby builds up the ungodly concept through his evil spirits.

 

Almost everyone has the inner issue from the beginning of life.

 

Jesus was there for you too.

 

 

Please remember Jesus’ teaching for the satan’s strategy and Jesus’ strategy for our life. There is no exception of his strategy.

 

   2) Jesus was rejected by Joseph

Matthew 1:19

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

 

I heard people argue over the children between men and women among the married people and among the singles as well. Even those arguments are really the problem of the family value, also there is no more moral value among them.

In many cases, many children are rejected from mom and dad through the wedlock, adultery and ugly multiple relationships with all kinds of immorality.

 

Lord, Your Grace and Mercy on USA right now.

 

It is a mess.

 

There are so many single moms with baby without father.

So many kids are raised by their moms alone without their fathers.

 

Jesus was rejected and abandoned by Joseph until the angel Gabriel spoke to him.

We really need each and every father to encounter with the Lord.

 

Were you in this situation in your life? Did you grow up without your father?

Jesus was there for you too.

 

   3) Jesus was rejected from Joseph & Mary’s families

Luke 1:39, 56

39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,

56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

 

She left her family, visited Elizabeth and stayed with her for 3 months.

This signals the hint of the possible problem of the rejection even persecution, so she needed to understand the Will of the Lord and His strength during the time.

 

We could not see the circumstances of Joseph in the Bible, but we could see the moral level those time.

 

We could see many dysfunctional families in America. They hate each other, then how much more children will be affected by this surrender. This America needs the massive inner healing and deliverance ministry.

 

Jesus was there for you too.

 

   4) Jesus was rejected from other

We could not see in this area through the books of 4 gospels when Jesus was in Mary’s womb. According to the moral value in that time, they were not in easy situation, so it is safe to assume that many people were against Mary, Joseph, and their parents, but the biggest target by far was Jesus.

 

Whole village was against Jesus.

Jesus was there for you too.

 

    5) Jesus was in danger of life

Matthew 2:16b

…and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the Magi.

 

Misunderstanding for the time –

the Magi came to the house (Matthew 2:11) not at the animal barn

Jesus was there at least for 8 days in Bethlehem, because they visited the temple for the circumcision ceremony for Baby Jesus (Luke 2:21-38).

So the Magi visited Jesus at least 8 days afterwards.

And then they fled Egypt.

 

This is very urgent matter to Mary and Joseph, so Baby Jesus was affected about the danger and urgency by them. Many cases infant baby or toddler would be shocked by that environment. Specially people who were born during the war time, they are suffering by torment.

I was born during the Korean War.

 

Jesus was there for you too.

 

   6) Jesus fled to other country in the middle of night.

Matthew 2:14

So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.

 

Again Jesus as an infant baby fled to other country in the middle of night.

Jesus started His earth life very tough way.

 

We had all different kinds of the difficult time here and there even without us knowing what is wrong or right because of early age.

 

Jesus was there for you too.

 

2. His Name is Immanuel for you

Matthew 1:23

 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

 

He has been in all points tempted as we are.

He did for us.

I just share only the baby in the mother’s womb and an infant situation today,

But there are whole a lot He is Immanuel every age of your life until our last breath on earth.

 

Let’s see what He has done for us and what He is going to do in our life.

 

Isaiah 46:3-4

3 Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,

And all the remnant of the house of Israel,

You who have been borne by Me from birth

And have been carried from the womb;

4 Even to your old age I will be the same,

And even to your graying years I will bear you!

I have done it, and I will carry you;

And I will bear you and I will deliver you.

 

He never off His hand from our birth until we die.

   1) You have been chosen from the beginning

Ephesians 1:3-4

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

 

   2) You have been created by the Lord’s Hands as His workmanship

Psalm 139:13-15

13 For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your Works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was

woven together in the depths of the earth,

 

   3) You have been calling to the wholeness

Luke 4:18-19

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed

19 To proclaim the favorably year of the Lord.

 

The poor

The captives

The blind

The oppressed

 

   4) You have been invited in His healing and the deliverance

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 

It is a time to come to the Lord and lay down everything, these inner problems, that you have been carrying all for so many years and receive Him in your secret place that needs to be healed and the deliverance by Him.

 

We need to be done step by step until the Lord comes.

So start it with baby who was in the mother’s womb

 

 

III. Conclusion

 

 

1 John 3:8b

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

 

Jesus came to destroy the entire devil’s work in our life.

You have a hope to be healed and free from it.

Almost every human being has wounded from the mother’s womb.

Some symptom

  1. doubt of existence or no value of life
  2. low self-esteem
  3. uncontrollable anger or sadness
  4. unreasonable depression or suicidal thinking
  5. Unworthy feeling about his or her gender
  6. any unreasonable turmoil
  7. and there are many other symptoms

 

One young man who just married

He could not control his anger. He felt so shame himself.

Through the counseling ministry

 

His mother was pregnant with him in wedlock.

His mother did not like this baby because of so many problems.

She had anger toward her baby in her womb.

He was being hated by her mother from her womb.

He did not do anything wrong, but she hated this baby even it was her mistake.

 

Finally this young man forgave her during the counseling, and was freed from this anger problem.

 

We all have different level of inner wounds here and there, and we are effected by it in our personal life, Christian life, marriage life and social life.

 

Because satan tries to steal, to kill and to destroy us as Jesus warned in John 10:10.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Immanuel or Emmanuel or Imanu'el (עִמָּנוּאֵל "God [is] with us" consists of two Hebrew words: אל (El, meaning 'God') and עמנו (Immanu, meaning 'with us');

Standard Hebrew ʻImmanuʼel, Tiberian Hebrew ʻImmānûʼēl).

It is a name used in the Bible in Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8.

It also appears in Matthew 1:23 in the Christian New Testament.