Call His Name Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:06.240 Our scripture reading this morning comes from the Gospel According to Matthew, The Gospel 2 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:10.710 according to Matthew Chapter One. We're going to begin in the eighteenth verse and 3 00:00:10.750 --> 00:00:14.550 run through the end of the chapter, but the focus of the sermon is 4 00:00:14.669 --> 00:00:18.789 going to be on one verse right in the Middle. The sermon text propers 5 00:00:18.910 --> 00:00:24.820 Matthew Twenty one, but I wanted to read the entire passage, so I'll 6 00:00:24.859 --> 00:00:28.980 focus on one twenty one. But let's give our attention to the reading of 7 00:00:29.059 --> 00:00:33.020 God's Word in the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter One, beginning in the 8 00:00:33.100 --> 00:00:39.210 eighteenth verse. Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. After 9 00:00:39.329 --> 00:00:42.929 his mother, Mary, was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, 10 00:00:43.570 --> 00:00:47.770 she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, 11 00:00:47.890 --> 00:00:51.240 being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, 12 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:56.000 was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, 13 00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:59.719 behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying 14 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:03.989 Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you marry 15 00:01:04.030 --> 00:01:08.269 your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit 16 00:01:08.989 --> 00:01:14.230 and she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, 17 00:01:14.790 --> 00:01:18.700 for he will save his people from their sins. So all this was 18 00:01:18.780 --> 00:01:22.500 done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the Prophet, 19 00:01:22.620 --> 00:01:26.219 saying, behold, the Virgin shall be with child, embarrassn and they 20 00:01:26.260 --> 00:01:32.340 shall call his name a man Nuel, which is translated God with us. 21 00:01:33.250 --> 00:01:37.049 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did is the angel of the Lord, 22 00:01:37.129 --> 00:01:40.969 commanded him and took to him his wife and did not know her till 23 00:01:41.010 --> 00:01:45.969 she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus. 24 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:49.920 Thus, farthest reading of God's holy word, the grass withers in the flower 25 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:55.200 fades, but the word of our Lord endears forever. Please be seated. 26 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:09.870 Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we thank you for this record of Your Nativity, 27 00:02:10.710 --> 00:02:15.659 of your birth. We're mindful, Lord, in particular, of course, 28 00:02:15.780 --> 00:02:20.979 in this season where we celebrate your birth, of the hope of your 29 00:02:21.060 --> 00:02:25.340 people through all the many centuries waiting for your appearing and, as we've Sung, 30 00:02:25.460 --> 00:02:30.289 oh come, oh come, a Manuel, Lord Jesus, we look 31 00:02:30.370 --> 00:02:35.969 forward with eager expectation to the day of your return. Well, we pray, 32 00:02:36.009 --> 00:02:39.210 as we turn our attention to the reading and the preaching of your word, 33 00:02:39.969 --> 00:02:43.650 that you would give us your grace, that we might set our eyes 34 00:02:43.889 --> 00:02:49.199 on things above where you are, that we would set our hearts on your 35 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:54.039 kingdom, that you would fix us in our bodies and our souls and our 36 00:02:54.080 --> 00:03:00.150 words, our deeds, our actions are reflection our meditations, even the thoughts 37 00:03:00.310 --> 00:03:04.789 of our subconscious in our sleep. We pray that you would focus at all 38 00:03:05.509 --> 00:03:10.189 on the great, glorious thing that you have done for us. Help us, 39 00:03:10.270 --> 00:03:14.460 Lord, to understand why it is you came into this world as you 40 00:03:14.580 --> 00:03:20.219 did. Give us the ability, Lord, to see how desperately we needed 41 00:03:20.340 --> 00:03:25.099 you to come to save us. Help us to understand the depth of our 42 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:31.569 being, Lord, what blessed hope you've given us through your forgiveness of our 43 00:03:31.650 --> 00:03:37.810 sins and give us great joy. We pray, in every trial and every 44 00:03:37.889 --> 00:03:42.479 adversity, that the day is coming, and soon will be, when you 45 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:49.800 will return and glory and our prayer, oh come Emmanuel, will be made 46 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:54.949 fully complete. And so we pray, Lord, that the words of my 47 00:03:55.110 --> 00:04:00.590 mouth and the meditations of our hearts would be pleasing to you and that you 48 00:04:00.629 --> 00:04:03.789 would build us up in the inner man, that we might be perfectly and 49 00:04:03.990 --> 00:04:09.189 more perfectly faithful unto you, for we ask it, Lord Jesus, in 50 00:04:09.270 --> 00:04:23.339 your most holy name, Amen. In the play Romeo and Juliet, William 51 00:04:23.420 --> 00:04:30.329 Shakespeare shows us this scene where Juliet laments the fact that her family and the 52 00:04:30.490 --> 00:04:36.009 family of her beloved Romeo are enemies. She wishes that they had different names, 53 00:04:36.050 --> 00:04:40.279 so they had different families, so that they could be allowed to marry. 54 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:44.360 And she says very famously, she says, Tis but THY name, 55 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:48.600 that is my enemy. Thou art thyself, though, not a montague. 56 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:55.189 WHAT'S MONTAGUE? It is not hand or foot, nor arm, nor faced 57 00:04:55.230 --> 00:05:00.629 or any other part belonging to a man. Oh be some other man name. 58 00:05:00.550 --> 00:05:04.990 What is in a name? That which we call by any by a 59 00:05:05.189 --> 00:05:10.180 rose by any other name would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, where 60 00:05:10.259 --> 00:05:15.420 he not Romeo called, retain that dear perfection which he owns without that title. 61 00:05:15.459 --> 00:05:20.259 Romeo. DOF THY name and for that name, which is no part 62 00:05:20.300 --> 00:05:29.889 of Thee, take all myself. What's in a name? Juliet asks in 63 00:05:30.089 --> 00:05:35.720 her teenaged infatuation that Shakespeare shows us. She thinks that names are an important 64 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:43.480 she thinks that names aren't integral to who we are. But in that I 65 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:46.920 would say she is wrong. We tend to think that names are just sort 66 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:51.589 of things we call one another and we forget or don't see so often how 67 00:05:51.829 --> 00:05:58.670 very important names are, in particular in scripture, and as you read the 68 00:05:58.750 --> 00:06:04.300 Bible, you find that names are exceedingly important. They really help you understand 69 00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:10.420 every just about every narrative of scripture. For instance, I think it's very 70 00:06:10.540 --> 00:06:16.939 interesting that in the Hebrew King Saul's name means asked for. Saul means asked 71 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:23.089 for. We read in First Samuel that the people asked for a king rather 72 00:06:23.129 --> 00:06:27.529 than heaven. God is their king, so God gave them King asked for. 73 00:06:30.089 --> 00:06:33.040 And you can take the son of David, the son of David's his 74 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:39.079 name, Solomon, literally means peaceful, and we read that the reign of 75 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:43.120 the son of David was the most peaceful and prosperous era in all of this 76 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:49.029 reals history. In a sense, Solomon's very name gives us a prophecy of 77 00:06:49.189 --> 00:06:55.189 the greater son of David, the Prince of peace, the true Prince of 78 00:06:55.269 --> 00:07:00.509 peace, who would rule over God's people forever, bringing eternal peace to this 79 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:04.660 world, as he brings peace between God and man. Names, you see, 80 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:13.540 are very important. For instance, I named my boy Benjamin because it 81 00:07:13.740 --> 00:07:17.889 means in Hebrew Daddy's right hand man, and I wanted my boy to know 82 00:07:18.129 --> 00:07:24.449 all the days of his life that I named him that because he is is 83 00:07:25.050 --> 00:07:29.250 my right hand man. I want him to always know that and he can't 84 00:07:29.290 --> 00:07:34.279 avoid it now. And so here in our passage this morning, we see 85 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:41.639 that God tells Joseph, Jesus is human stepfather, that he has a specific 86 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:46.509 name for the son of God. This child was born to be the divine 87 00:07:46.670 --> 00:07:50.589 king of the Jews, the Messiah, the Prince of peace, the savior 88 00:07:51.069 --> 00:07:57.709 of humanity. And God wants Joseph and Mary and US and, perhaps most 89 00:07:57.750 --> 00:08:03.220 importantly, Jesus, to know that God the father has a special calling for 90 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:09.819 God the Son, and that calling is embodied in the name Jesus. And 91 00:08:09.980 --> 00:08:15.129 so, since this is the first Sunday in the twelve days of Christmas, 92 00:08:15.410 --> 00:08:18.730 if you ever pay attention to that, the twelve, first day of Christmas 93 00:08:18.769 --> 00:08:22.689 is Christmas Day. The twelve day of Christmas is the day before epiphany, 94 00:08:22.730 --> 00:08:26.279 or January five. Most people don't pay attention to that, but I like 95 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:31.639 it. But anyhow, since this is the first Sunday in Christmas. I'd 96 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:35.559 like us to spend some time this morning to consider what it means that God, 97 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:39.679 the father, wanted the savior king to be named Jesus, and will 98 00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:43.149 do that in three parts. First, I want us to see that the 99 00:08:43.309 --> 00:08:50.149 Lord is salvation, second, that the Lord planned salvation and third, that 100 00:08:50.269 --> 00:08:54.389 the Lord Completed Salvation. The Lord is Salvation, the Lord planned salvation, 101 00:08:56.059 --> 00:09:05.059 the Lord Completed Salvation. Now the first part of Matthew is all about names, 102 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:09.139 and I think that we tend to look at the first part of Matthew, 103 00:09:09.179 --> 00:09:13.490 Chapter One and see it is this boring list of begats. Right, 104 00:09:13.009 --> 00:09:18.769 so and so begetts so and so Begett so and so because we got so 105 00:09:18.970 --> 00:09:22.129 and so and we can't even pronounce all those names and what have you. 106 00:09:22.690 --> 00:09:26.200 Right, Abraham Begot Isaac Isaac, but got Jacob. Jacob Begat Judah and 107 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:31.080 his brothers. Jude Begat Pereis Paris, but got Zara by Tamar Part Perez 108 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:35.080 Begot Heron Hezzr, an, environment Roman and D Avenue, and we just 109 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:41.309 kind of blow over it because it seems like a bunch of well, boring 110 00:09:41.389 --> 00:09:48.309 names. But really all of this apparently boring stuff in the first part of 111 00:09:48.470 --> 00:09:56.259 Matthew's first chapter is all here to remind us of the Gospel. There is 112 00:09:56.340 --> 00:10:01.539 not one word in scripture that is superfluous. It's all there for a reason, 113 00:10:01.580 --> 00:10:03.659 and so if you see a list like this, you need to think 114 00:10:03.980 --> 00:10:09.490 why is this list here? And it's here to remind us of the good 115 00:10:09.610 --> 00:10:15.929 news that runs throughout the Old Testament and specifically it's here to remind us of 116 00:10:16.049 --> 00:10:22.000 God's faithfulness to his people throughout their history. The names in this list all 117 00:10:22.120 --> 00:10:26.639 point us to various ways in which the Lord has been true to his promises. 118 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:31.399 If you peruse the lists, I know that you'll find that just about 119 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:37.149 every one of those names brings to mind something that either your quickwitted memory or 120 00:10:37.309 --> 00:10:41.629 your Bible concordance will help you find and you'll say, Aha, I know 121 00:10:43.070 --> 00:10:48.789 that story. All of these stories, Abraham, Isaac Jacob, Boaz and 122 00:10:48.950 --> 00:10:54.179 Ruth, Jesse, David Solomon, they all bring to mind stories from covenant 123 00:10:54.220 --> 00:11:01.539 history that testified to the Lord's goodness to his people. And this is what 124 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:05.169 Matthew wants us to have in mind as we begin to read a Gospel. 125 00:11:05.090 --> 00:11:13.690 The whole story of Man and Israel points to and testifies of the faithfulness of 126 00:11:13.809 --> 00:11:18.480 God to his promise to redeem and provide for his people. So, far 127 00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:24.759 from being boring, this genealogy is given to us by the evangelist to remind 128 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:30.879 us up front of God, God's faithfulness to Israel throughout all history, from 129 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:35.429 the very beginning of the covenant days all the way down to the days of 130 00:11:35.549 --> 00:11:39.230 Matthew and I and our days as well. It's to remind us of God's 131 00:11:39.350 --> 00:11:45.230 faithfulness. But the list of names is also given to remind us of the 132 00:11:45.429 --> 00:11:52.860 purpose of so much of the Old Testament, namely that we are sinners in 133 00:11:52.059 --> 00:11:58.059 need of a savior. Each of the stories of these people in the first 134 00:11:58.100 --> 00:12:01.490 part of Matthew, chapter one is the story of a sinner. I think 135 00:12:01.529 --> 00:12:05.610 I've mentioned this before, but I always like to repeat it, that one 136 00:12:05.649 --> 00:12:11.210 of the most beautiful things about the Bible, in contrast to every other religion 137 00:12:11.250 --> 00:12:18.320 in the world, is that all of our so called heroes of the faith 138 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:26.320 are losers. They're all wretched, wretched sinners, and the Old Testament was 139 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:31.710 given both to testify to us of our sinfulness as well as to testify to 140 00:12:31.870 --> 00:12:39.870 us of a promise making promise keeping God, who always delivers his people. 141 00:12:41.029 --> 00:12:46.340 And so as we come down to the twenty first verse in this first chapter, 142 00:12:46.500 --> 00:12:52.019 we're still ready to hear more about names. And sure enough we find 143 00:12:52.100 --> 00:12:56.820 right here another name that testifies to us of God's faithfulness, and that name 144 00:12:56.379 --> 00:13:01.129 is Jesus, the name that Joseph has told that he's to name the child 145 00:13:01.289 --> 00:13:07.330 that the Holy Spirit conceived in his Virgin Fiance Mary. And the reason that 146 00:13:07.490 --> 00:13:11.570 this name testifies to us of the faithfulness of the Lord is because of what 147 00:13:11.730 --> 00:13:18.840 the name means in Hebrew. The name Jesus, or the way you appnounce 148 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:24.159 it in Hebrew, is a Shuwa. The name Jesus Means Yahweh, or 149 00:13:24.279 --> 00:13:31.629 the Covenant Lord Himself Is Salvation. The Lord is salvation. That's what Jesus 150 00:13:31.629 --> 00:13:37.029 is name means. And so the name of this soon too be born Messiah 151 00:13:37.309 --> 00:13:43.820 is the Very Gospel summarized for us in one word. Well, how is 152 00:13:43.899 --> 00:13:48.860 that? How do I explain that? Well, it's the case because it 153 00:13:50.019 --> 00:13:54.860 brings to mind all of the promises of the Old Testament that the Lord would 154 00:13:54.860 --> 00:13:58.330 save his people. You go all the way back to the beginning in Genesis, 155 00:13:58.370 --> 00:14:03.490 chapter three, verse fifteen, the Lord Catches Adam and Eve in their 156 00:14:03.690 --> 00:14:09.289 sin and he comes into the garden with the purpose to curse the serpent, 157 00:14:09.690 --> 00:14:13.879 curse the woman and curse the man and to give them all the consequences for 158 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:22.039 their rebellion and sin against the Lord. And yet, and this is really, 159 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:28.549 really important in fact, I would say you probably are going to misunderstand 160 00:14:28.669 --> 00:14:35.990 the biblical narrative as a whole unless you get this little factoid before in Genesis 161 00:14:35.110 --> 00:14:41.179 three, before the Lord Pronounces Judgment on the man and his wife, he 162 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:46.820 promises them a deliverer. He curses the serpent and he said that there's going 163 00:14:46.940 --> 00:14:52.370 to be a dis send into this woman who will crush Satan's head and lift 164 00:14:52.529 --> 00:14:58.490 the curse from humanity. And it's something of an asside. Do you see 165 00:14:58.769 --> 00:15:03.529 how powerfully important that is? I mean, think about the consequences of this 166 00:15:03.730 --> 00:15:07.320 for your reading of scripture. If you if you think about it like this, 167 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:18.720 God reveals an intention to redeem and bless his people before he tells them 168 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:30.070 about the consequences of their sin. You've sinned. I'm going to give you 169 00:15:30.110 --> 00:15:37.580 a deliverer eventually, but right now you have consequences. That is really powerful 170 00:15:37.620 --> 00:15:45.620 as we think about our view of God. He promises forgiveness and acceptance apart 171 00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:50.250 from what we deserve, and he does so in the face of our deepest 172 00:15:50.289 --> 00:16:02.570 sins and most shameful guilt, right there in the beginning. This name Jesus, 173 00:16:02.610 --> 00:16:07.679 also calls to mind the Covenant with Abraham in Genesis Chapter Fifteen. There 174 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:12.399 God ordered the man to cut a bunch of animals and half as a seal 175 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:18.669 of the Covenant, and this was done to show what happened to the covenant 176 00:16:18.710 --> 00:16:22.750 violator if he was unfaithful. In other words, Abraham cut these animals up 177 00:16:23.230 --> 00:16:27.230 in the day that you sin against me, you're going to be like them. 178 00:16:30.269 --> 00:16:33.419 But before Abraham can finish the deal, because you have to walk through 179 00:16:33.539 --> 00:16:38.019 the pieces to seal the covenant. Before he can do that, God knocks 180 00:16:38.059 --> 00:16:45.779 Abraham out and God passes between the pieces. And God did this for Abraham 181 00:16:45.940 --> 00:16:52.129 to show him that the Lord himself would take the punishment that awaited Abraham and 182 00:16:52.250 --> 00:17:00.250 all's descendants when they sinned. God is going to take the punishment for the 183 00:17:00.409 --> 00:17:10.000 sins of God's people. The name also brings to mind David's psalms where the 184 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:14.119 Psalmist, as we saw, a little while ago, struggles to understand how 185 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:18.230 the Lord could love and forgive a man who was such a sinner as he 186 00:17:18.509 --> 00:17:23.069 was. God had chosen David to be the king of Israel and had loved 187 00:17:23.109 --> 00:17:29.829 him even in the face of all of his repeated sins. And never forget, 188 00:17:30.579 --> 00:17:34.339 when you read the story of David or read his psalms, that this 189 00:17:34.579 --> 00:17:41.740 is the longest biography and scripture after that of Jesus, and that David's story 190 00:17:41.059 --> 00:17:45.890 is the story of a man who, though he received great, awesome and 191 00:17:45.289 --> 00:17:52.730 credible promises, turned out to be one of the most awful sinners in scripture. 192 00:17:55.569 --> 00:17:59.559 And in the face of this, in the face of this, this 193 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:04.960 great king was regularly overwhelmed that the Lord could somehow find a way to forgive 194 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:12.349 him and give him the promises that he'd been given when he'd sins so horribly. 195 00:18:12.430 --> 00:18:18.509 He just couldn't understand how that could be. And he tells us in 196 00:18:18.630 --> 00:18:22.430 the Psalms. He says, I know the sacrificial system is insufficient, but 197 00:18:22.630 --> 00:18:30.420 I don't know how God's going to save us. So you see, the 198 00:18:30.500 --> 00:18:38.779 name Jesus points to all the promises of salvation throughout scripture. The Lord is 199 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:47.009 salvation. And now an angel appears to David's great great grandson, Joseph the 200 00:18:47.130 --> 00:18:52.890 carpenter, and he tells them that this long expected savior, this Messiah, 201 00:18:52.930 --> 00:18:56.400 would be born to his virgin fiance, just as Isaiah had said, and 202 00:18:56.599 --> 00:19:02.319 Isaiah Fourteen, when he said the Lord himself will give you a sign. 203 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:07.039 Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call 204 00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:17.029 his name Emmanuel. Okay, so how is this Jesus to be the one 205 00:19:17.069 --> 00:19:22.710 who was promised? Well, again he tells us, in the name Jesus, 206 00:19:22.750 --> 00:19:27.980 and again that name means Yahweh, or the Lord is salvation. But 207 00:19:29.099 --> 00:19:37.809 this begs the question, doesn't it? How is Yahweh Salvation? Well, 208 00:19:37.890 --> 00:19:45.609 we read that right there afterward in Matthew Fort Verse Twenty Three. He is 209 00:19:45.849 --> 00:19:49.930 salvation because he is Emmanuel. He is God with us. Or literally, 210 00:19:51.650 --> 00:19:59.160 the name Emmanuel is like is means Elohim, is with us. He loo 211 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:03.000 him is the Old Testament name of God that's used to Connot God as the 212 00:20:03.160 --> 00:20:08.430 omnipotent creator. He is the one who made all things in the space of 213 00:20:08.589 --> 00:20:14.150 six days by the word of his power, and all very good. Elohim 214 00:20:14.309 --> 00:20:18.789 is the name of God to Connote the idea that he is utterly transcendent and 215 00:20:18.349 --> 00:20:25.579 so far above us that we could never know him unless he revealed himself to 216 00:20:25.740 --> 00:20:30.259 us. He is the God who is so holy and terrifying in his glory 217 00:20:30.579 --> 00:20:34.700 that the angels themselves cover their faces when their face him, and Isaiah was 218 00:20:34.890 --> 00:20:40.890 cast into utter terror when he had his vision of Heaven in Isaiah Chapter Six. 219 00:20:42.049 --> 00:20:51.599 But, as the Lord revealed to Isaiah, this same unapproachable creator would 220 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:57.640 become a Manuel God with us, the creator of the universe would take on 221 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:03.200 the nature of a man, be born of a virgin, come to dwell 222 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:07.750 with his people, be punished in their place and die for them so that 223 00:21:07.789 --> 00:21:12.269 they might be right with God. This Immanuel, this Jesus, is the 224 00:21:12.470 --> 00:21:18.819 Lord God, Omnipotent himself, and he has come to save his people from 225 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:25.900 their sins. The great one who has the power to speak everything into existence 226 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:36.970 just with a word, became a baby. Our sins, you see, 227 00:21:37.809 --> 00:21:47.359 or so terrible that only by exercising the very power of creation, the omnipotence 228 00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:52.519 of the Lord God Almighty, could God take away our guilt and sin. 229 00:21:53.440 --> 00:22:03.190 Your shame is so awful that only the divine omnipotent son of God, with 230 00:22:03.470 --> 00:22:07.990 all of his power and strength, could take your shame from you. And 231 00:22:08.789 --> 00:22:15.190 because he loves us so very much, the father in heaven sent his own 232 00:22:15.390 --> 00:22:21.180 son, as God himself, as a manual, as this Jesus, this 233 00:22:21.500 --> 00:22:30.529 baby, so that the Lord could be your salvation. So in the first 234 00:22:30.569 --> 00:22:36.769 place we see that the Lord is salvation, and the second place I want 235 00:22:36.769 --> 00:22:41.650 us to see that the Lord planned salvation, and we see this in the 236 00:22:41.730 --> 00:22:45.319 first part of our verse and the verse before it. He says, Joseph, 237 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:49.000 son of David, do not be afraid to take to you. Marry 238 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:53.319 your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit, 239 00:22:53.640 --> 00:23:00.230 and she will bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus. 240 00:23:00.670 --> 00:23:06.750 The Angel Tells Joseph not to be afraid. The child that Mary carries 241 00:23:07.309 --> 00:23:12.420 is the answer to the promise that that Isaiah was given and Isaiah Chapter Seven, 242 00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:17.859 verse fourteen, that the Virgin would conceive and bear a son. But 243 00:23:18.059 --> 00:23:22.019 more than that, it's the fulfillment of the whole section of Isaiah that runs 244 00:23:22.059 --> 00:23:27.529 from Chapter Seven all the way through chapter nine. I want you to listen 245 00:23:27.609 --> 00:23:33.130 again to a bit of what we read earlier in the service from Isaiah and 246 00:23:33.170 --> 00:23:37.089 nine, he says, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan 247 00:23:37.490 --> 00:23:42.119 and Galilee of the gentiles, the people who walked in darkness have seen a 248 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:45.920 great light, those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death. 249 00:23:45.960 --> 00:23:51.359 Upon them a light has shined. For Unto Us, a child is born, 250 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:55.400 unto us, a son is given, and the government will be upon 251 00:23:55.480 --> 00:24:00.029 his shoulder and his name will be called wonderful counselor mighty God, everlasting father, 252 00:24:00.470 --> 00:24:04.349 Prince of peace, of the increase of his government in peace, there 253 00:24:04.390 --> 00:24:08.549 will be no end upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to 254 00:24:08.630 --> 00:24:14.299 order it and establish it with judgment and justice. From that time forward, 255 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:22.339 even forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Here 256 00:24:22.420 --> 00:24:26.769 we see that this savior, this Emmanuel, is indeed the Lord himself. 257 00:24:27.970 --> 00:24:33.210 We see here that he's also the son that was promised to David and second 258 00:24:33.329 --> 00:24:37.970 Samuel, where the Lord promised a future son of David who would establish his 259 00:24:37.130 --> 00:24:42.000 throne forever. But not only does this, does this son of David, 260 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:48.400 this Jesus, fulfill these prophecies? In fact, he fulfills all of them. 261 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:52.109 From Genesis Three Fifteen, through the histories, through the writings, through 262 00:24:52.269 --> 00:24:57.589 the many promises of the prophets, Jesus is always the answer to the hope 263 00:24:57.630 --> 00:25:04.910 of God's people. Every promise of salvation, every promise of a better sacrifice, 264 00:25:04.950 --> 00:25:10.859 all those promises of the restoration of Israel and the hope for day of 265 00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:15.579 the Lord have come about in Jesus. And the reason I'm reiterating all of 266 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:21.380 this is there's an important point here, and that is this. Our God 267 00:25:22.609 --> 00:25:30.650 is the Lord of History. Our God is the Lord of History, and 268 00:25:30.809 --> 00:25:37.799 not just history in the abstract, but history in the concrete, the Lord 269 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:45.880 of your history and mine. As Paul reminds us in Romans Chapter Eight, 270 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:51.789 Verse Twenty Eight, our God is now and always has been, in the 271 00:25:51.910 --> 00:25:56.869 business of working all things together for good for his people. He is working 272 00:25:56.910 --> 00:26:07.819 all of the events of history together to bring his people to himself. In 273 00:26:07.980 --> 00:26:14.259 Ephesians Chapter One, verses three and four, Paul says this blessed be the 274 00:26:14.339 --> 00:26:17.900 God and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with 275 00:26:18.059 --> 00:26:22.289 every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, in Christ, just as he chose 276 00:26:22.410 --> 00:26:30.089 us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and 277 00:26:30.170 --> 00:26:37.799 without blame before him in love. Do you hear that phrase? Before the 278 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:47.039 foundation of the world, God chose a people for himself and set his love 279 00:26:47.150 --> 00:26:51.670 on them. Before he set the stars in their places, before he lit 280 00:26:51.710 --> 00:26:56.069 the Sun Aflame, before the first bird flew or the first fish swam, 281 00:26:56.589 --> 00:27:03.660 he had loved his people and determined to overcome our wickedness and send his son 282 00:27:04.140 --> 00:27:11.900 to save us from our sins. That, my friends, is an important, 283 00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:18.890 powerful, life altering sort of thought. May just think about it. 284 00:27:21.450 --> 00:27:32.200 Jesus has loved and known you before you were conceived. Imagine what it means 285 00:27:32.599 --> 00:27:37.920 that all of the events of your life, all of them, not just 286 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:41.000 the high points, but even the lowest of lows that no one knows but 287 00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:48.430 you, all of them, have been directed by God in some incomprehensible way 288 00:27:48.910 --> 00:27:52.710 to bring you to know him and, having come to know him, to 289 00:27:52.869 --> 00:28:02.180 grow in grace with him. He has planned your salvation from before the beginning, 290 00:28:02.220 --> 00:28:11.059 and this is a huge, huge, huge encouragement. When our faith 291 00:28:11.099 --> 00:28:19.250 is weak or when our assurance is gone, when you feel alone, when 292 00:28:19.289 --> 00:28:26.529 you think that maybe God is forgotten you, when all seems lost, that 293 00:28:26.650 --> 00:28:30.720 when you think your way is hidden from the Lord or that maybe he's just 294 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:37.319 gotten so sick of you that he's kicked you out, remember that he has 295 00:28:37.480 --> 00:28:47.990 brought you to the place where you find yourself now, wherever your life has 296 00:28:48.029 --> 00:28:52.190 led you. Though it isn't God's fault that you sin the way you send, 297 00:28:53.190 --> 00:28:57.460 and though it isn't God's fault that events have turned out so terribly, 298 00:28:57.619 --> 00:29:06.339 or whatever the case may be, nevertheless, God has allowed these things to 299 00:29:06.539 --> 00:29:17.490 happen so that you could be where you are today. And today God has 300 00:29:17.609 --> 00:29:25.720 you in the palm of his hand. Today, therefore, you are at 301 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:33.960 the very best possible place you could be today to receive God's perfect blessing that 302 00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:45.150 he has for you today. That is an amazing thought. He is Immenuel, 303 00:29:47.589 --> 00:29:52.500 even in this low spot, whatever this may be. Today, before 304 00:29:52.700 --> 00:29:59.059 the foundation of the world, the Lord God Omnipotent, knew that you would 305 00:29:59.059 --> 00:30:02.859 be in the bind that you are in today, and he has bent, 306 00:30:03.140 --> 00:30:07.130 twisted, formed the entire history of the earth, all the affairs of men 307 00:30:07.410 --> 00:30:18.529 and angels, to provide for you to day. Jesus is Elohim with you 308 00:30:18.490 --> 00:30:23.519 and he is governing the world to bless you. He knew you from before 309 00:30:23.559 --> 00:30:30.519 he created time and even now he is with you and by the power of 310 00:30:30.640 --> 00:30:40.269 the Holy Spirit, he is in you. Now, perhaps this doesn't seem 311 00:30:40.309 --> 00:30:48.430 so great, maybe this idea doesn't really move you will consider this. Just 312 00:30:48.630 --> 00:30:53.859 as it took the infinite power of God himself to take the punishment for his 313 00:30:55.019 --> 00:31:02.339 people, it is also taken the entire flow of human history to save you. 314 00:31:03.529 --> 00:31:10.690 He has been at work since the beginning to bring about the circumstances of 315 00:31:10.849 --> 00:31:18.640 your salvation. No aspect of your life, not one microsecond, has been 316 00:31:18.680 --> 00:31:26.000 outside of his loving care. There is a Gospel Truth that you are more 317 00:31:26.079 --> 00:31:33.710 sinful than you could ever imagine, and it is taken all of this to 318 00:31:33.910 --> 00:31:37.750 bring you to God, and only the eternal purpose of God and his all 319 00:31:37.910 --> 00:31:48.700 powerful love could deliver you. But maybe you don't see yourself as being that 320 00:31:48.900 --> 00:31:55.700 bad. Maybe you think that you're pretty much all right and yeah, you 321 00:31:55.779 --> 00:32:01.410 don't really need God's forgiveness. Well, maybe you can think that, but 322 00:32:01.529 --> 00:32:09.890 I can tell you that someday everything won't seem so rosy. Someday you'll look 323 00:32:09.970 --> 00:32:15.569 around and you'll find that your laughter is turned to morning and your joy to 324 00:32:15.690 --> 00:32:22.680 gloom. And when that happens, remember that there is a God who loves 325 00:32:23.400 --> 00:32:30.470 his people. There is a God who turns the sorrows and miseries of life 326 00:32:30.470 --> 00:32:38.630 into joy and Thanksgiving for his people. When you get so low and you've 327 00:32:38.789 --> 00:32:49.099 lost hope, have hope inness that if you turn to Jesus and sincerely ask 328 00:32:49.220 --> 00:32:58.339 him for His forgiveness and his love, then you're already his. In the 329 00:32:58.380 --> 00:33:04.410 day of your despondency, turn to Jesus and ask him for his love, 330 00:33:04.809 --> 00:33:09.049 and be assured no one who calls upon the name of the Lord is forgotten, 331 00:33:09.450 --> 00:33:15.319 no matter how low you may be. I can assure you of this 332 00:33:15.559 --> 00:33:19.599 truth. He has done it for me and he'll do it for you. 333 00:33:22.359 --> 00:33:28.750 So we see that the Lord is salvation and the Lord has planned salvation. 334 00:33:28.910 --> 00:33:31.150 And finally, in the third place, we see that the Lord has completed 335 00:33:31.710 --> 00:33:38.029 salvation, and we see this in the last part of our verse. He 336 00:33:38.109 --> 00:33:45.259 says you should call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from 337 00:33:45.259 --> 00:33:50.819 their sins. Now the last phrase in this verse is a quote from the 338 00:33:50.859 --> 00:33:53.779 hundred and Thirtieth Psalm, from Verse Eight. It's the Psalm we read earlier 339 00:33:53.859 --> 00:33:59.210 in the service, and here we see that the psalmist cries out to God 340 00:33:59.490 --> 00:34:04.849 because he sees the great weight of his sins in the Psalm David. His 341 00:34:05.009 --> 00:34:08.010 sin, as in in the is it in the depths of sorrow over what 342 00:34:08.130 --> 00:34:13.400 he's done. He knows that if the Lord were to remember all of his 343 00:34:13.599 --> 00:34:19.920 many sins that he would be lost. But in a hundred and thirty psalm 344 00:34:20.039 --> 00:34:25.989 he also tells us that he knows that somehow the Lord will take away his 345 00:34:27.150 --> 00:34:31.630 sin and forgive him. He doesn't know what it is, but he's confident 346 00:34:32.869 --> 00:34:37.230 that the Lord will forgive him and give him peace in his heart. He 347 00:34:37.469 --> 00:34:40.940 says, I wait for the Lord. My soul waits. And in his 348 00:34:42.099 --> 00:34:45.340 word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who 349 00:34:45.340 --> 00:34:51.940 watch for the morning, yes, more than those who watch for the morning. 350 00:34:52.610 --> 00:35:00.449 We see the confidence and the hopeful expectancy of the center. He doesn't 351 00:35:00.449 --> 00:35:04.210 know what great new thing God's going to do to prove that he saved, 352 00:35:04.570 --> 00:35:13.079 but he resolves to wait to find out. And finally, after waiting and 353 00:35:13.239 --> 00:35:16.920 waiting, the psalmist turns and he encourages God's people. In verses seven and 354 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:22.469 eight, the last two verses of the Psalm, he longs for the salvation 355 00:35:22.710 --> 00:35:25.949 of the Lord, like a parched man in the wilderness longs for the cool 356 00:35:25.989 --> 00:35:31.150 spring water, and he urges all of his brothers and sisters to be con 357 00:35:31.590 --> 00:35:37.980 Fiden, for the Lord will save them, he says, he shall redeem 358 00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:47.460 Issril from all his iniquities. And now in Matthew, we find that the 359 00:35:47.579 --> 00:35:53.210 angel comes to Joseph and he quotes this psalm to let him know that the 360 00:35:53.250 --> 00:36:00.010 day David had waited for has come. The hope for salvation has come in 361 00:36:00.130 --> 00:36:05.079 the form of this little baby whose name is the Lord is salvation, a 362 00:36:05.800 --> 00:36:12.159 man you all has come, and now the Lord will do this great new 363 00:36:12.320 --> 00:36:17.710 thing that the psalmist waited for so many centuries before, though, the second 364 00:36:17.869 --> 00:36:22.949 person of the Trinity, the Son of God, Very God, a very 365 00:36:23.110 --> 00:36:29.230 God. Nevertheless, out of the great love that he has for his people, 366 00:36:29.269 --> 00:36:35.139 he left the glory of Heaven and took on the form of a slave, 367 00:36:35.179 --> 00:36:38.900 as Paul says, so that he could serve our greatest need. And 368 00:36:40.260 --> 00:36:45.980 he serves our need by taking the place of those that the father has given 369 00:36:45.059 --> 00:36:51.730 him on the cross of calvary. He died that we might live. He 370 00:36:51.889 --> 00:36:55.849 became the final, perfect sacrifice for us so that all of our failings could 371 00:36:55.849 --> 00:37:02.320 be washed away and forgotten, just like David Hope for on that cross, 372 00:37:02.639 --> 00:37:10.000 Emmanuel, the Creator with us for the full weight of our sin so that 373 00:37:10.119 --> 00:37:15.909 we'd never have to bear it. And then, having taken it, he 374 00:37:16.070 --> 00:37:22.550 died, he rose again and even now is seated at the right hand of 375 00:37:22.630 --> 00:37:30.820 his father. And by his resurrection and ascension, Jesus proves to us that 376 00:37:30.980 --> 00:37:37.139 our salvation has been completed. That's why he said on the Cross it is 377 00:37:37.099 --> 00:37:45.929 finished. He has finished the work and now he rules in heaven and, 378 00:37:45.969 --> 00:37:52.849 having saved us, he has promised to bring us through every trial and temptation, 379 00:37:52.329 --> 00:37:57.369 to bring us through every sorrow and struggle, so that we will never 380 00:37:57.489 --> 00:38:01.840 be lost, no matter what difficulty we face. As Paul says in my 381 00:38:02.119 --> 00:38:09.320 favorite verse in Scripture, he works all things together for good for us, 382 00:38:12.639 --> 00:38:16.389 and nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is 383 00:38:16.469 --> 00:38:22.150 in Christ, Jesus, Our Lord. Having saved us, he will never 384 00:38:22.190 --> 00:38:30.179 ever let go of us. So listen as we bring it in for a 385 00:38:30.219 --> 00:38:37.460 landing. When you're worried that you've sinned too greatly, when Satan, the 386 00:38:37.619 --> 00:38:42.489 adversary, comes against you and accuses you and rubs your nose and all of 387 00:38:42.610 --> 00:38:49.849 your failures, or if one of his servants does it. Remember, Jesus 388 00:38:49.889 --> 00:38:58.960 is salvation. He has saved his people, he has paid the full price 389 00:38:59.719 --> 00:39:05.480 for all of your guilt and shame. And though it may seem unbelievable that 390 00:39:05.599 --> 00:39:09.070 with all of that guilt and shame, he will still accept you, it 391 00:39:09.389 --> 00:39:15.829 is true. You're already forgiven, accepted and loved. There is nothing that 392 00:39:15.989 --> 00:39:20.550 can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ, Jesus, 393 00:39:20.829 --> 00:39:27.619 for he is your salvation, he planned your salvation, he is completed your 394 00:39:27.820 --> 00:39:31.940 salvation. And so, when you sin, when you do evil, terrible 395 00:39:32.099 --> 00:39:37.179 things, when you feel like you are so dirty and nasty and awful because 396 00:39:37.219 --> 00:39:44.849 of your sin, when you are so ashamed and guilty over what you've done 397 00:39:44.969 --> 00:39:51.489 that you can't even open your eyes or lift up your head turned to God, 398 00:39:52.599 --> 00:39:59.679 turn to God and remember that Jesus loves you so much that he took 399 00:39:59.719 --> 00:40:04.960 the guilt for that sin. Turn to God and thank the father of lights, 400 00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:08.750 from whom every good and perfect gift comes, that Jesus has a raised 401 00:40:08.869 --> 00:40:16.269 your shame and has become your salvation. Juliet asked what's in the name? 402 00:40:19.590 --> 00:40:24.139 Well, here's what in the name of Jesus. You can know the Gospel. 403 00:40:24.500 --> 00:40:29.500 You can know that it's true that when you were dirty and guilty and 404 00:40:29.739 --> 00:40:36.449 lost and hopeless, the Lord of the universe, the creator of all things, 405 00:40:37.489 --> 00:40:44.050 came down as a little baby that he might be God with you. 406 00:40:47.769 --> 00:40:54.559 And as we enter this New Year, remember that this is the Christians Christmas 407 00:40:54.599 --> 00:41:00.360 message. It's not warm fuzzies, necessarily, it's not a hot cup of 408 00:41:00.440 --> 00:41:05.269 cocoa. It's that the god of the universe lay down his life because you 409 00:41:05.349 --> 00:41:10.909 are more valuable than his life, and he took his life up so that 410 00:41:12.030 --> 00:41:15.869 he could reign for you, because you are so valuable that he will not 411 00:41:15.949 --> 00:41:22.659 let a hair or hair on your head fall without his express permission, and 412 00:41:22.780 --> 00:41:27.300 I think that's good news. Amen.