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Emmanuel

“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 1:22-23)

Who would ever have imagined that the prophecy found in Isaiah 7:14 had reference to the Lord Jesus Christ? We are so spiritually dull in this body of flesh that before we are capable of understanding prophecy, we must see it fulfilled. When we know even as we are known, we will see how that all the Scriptures speak of him whose name is Emmanuel (Luke 24:27, 44).

This name, “Emmanuel”, is only found three times in the Word of God (Isaiah 7:14; 8:8; and Matthew 1:23). But it is a name full of instruction and comfort to believing hearts. Emmanuel is God with us. Emmanuel declares the union of two natures in the Person of our Savior. He is both God and man in one glorious Person, as perfectly God as though he were not man, and as completely man as though he were not God. We must never lose sight of this great, foundation truth of the gospel. Jesus Christ is a man, just like us, only without sin. Yet, he “is over all, God blessed forever” (Romans 9:5), “God manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). He must be both God and man, or he could not be our Savior.

Someone said, “God could not suffer, and man could not satisfy; but the God-man both suffered and satisfied.” Our Savior is a man. Therefore he is sympathetic with us. But he is not at all limited by his humanity. “In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). Therefore he is able to save all who trust him.

Emmanuel is our Savior’s name! Through a virgin’s womb He came,

Fully God and fully man, without sin, God’s holy Lamb!

Christ came here to save His own; and His work He’s fully done! –

See Him yonder on the throne, Christ, Emmanuel, God the Son!

Don Fortner

Pastor Fortner’s