Series: Incarnation Day
Text: Isaiah 7:14
Title: The Gospel in a Word
Audio on Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/pj-12202020-isaiah-7.14 [accessed 24 DEC 2020].
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Introduction
Which of these 17 predictions fulfilled in the birth of Christ receives the greatest emphasis by far in the Scriptures?
“396. The virgin Mary will
conceive a child through the Holy Spirit….
400. Mary will bear a son,
Jesus…
401. He will be God,
participating in the divine nature…
402. Mary’s child will be
the Son of God…
403. His incarnation will
bring the presence of God to men (type: tabernacle-temple)…
404. Yet He will have been
with the Father from all eternity…
405. He will come from
heaven as the bread of life (type: manna)…
406. But He will be man,
springing from the seed of woman…
407. His deity will be
veiled in flesh (type: veil of the tabernacle)…
408. He will come from the
Semitic branch of humanity…
409. Within this branch,
His descent will be from the family of Abraham…
410. His family will be
non-Levitical (type: Melchizedek)…
411. He will come rather
from the royal tribe of Judah…
412. He will be a shoot
springing from the household of David, establishing his house forever…
413. He will be a sprout
from the specific Davidic offshoots of Jehoiachin and Zerubbabel…
414. He will be born in
Bethlehem…
415. The angels of God
will worship Him at His birth…”
— J. Barton Payne, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, pp. 72, 291–293 (Is. #24–25), 294 (Is. #30), and 480 (Mt. #4); cp. also pp. 645–646, “Summary A: The Biblical Predictions in the Order of Their Fulfillment,” 13. “Life of Christ,” numbers 396–415 (related to the birth of Christ).
Note: 32 books of the Bible contain predictions that “His incarnation will bring the presence of God to men (type: tabernacle-temple).” This is Payne’s prediction number 403, pg. 645. The only other prediction that even comes close to involving this many books of the Bible is number 412, which is found in 15 books: “He will be a shoot springing from the household of David, establishing his house forever.” (pg. 646) When it comes to the full verses involved in these predictions there is no contest: Number 403 totals 936, number 412 totals 56. If we eliminate numbers 397–398 — predictions about John the Baptist — the total is 1,068 full verses. Number 403 is found in 87.6% of the full verses predicting various aspects of the birth of Christ, and 48.4% of the books of the Bible. God’s emphasis on this prediction in His inspired Word is unmistakable.
Transition
Preaching entire chapters or books of the Bible in one sermon has been done, but takes very special approaches. Preaching paragraphs and verses from the Word of God is the norm. Preaching on one word found in the Scriptures is quite different. Doing so sharpens our focus, forces us to slow down in our study, to pause, to dig in, and dig deep. Meditation on one word of the Bible can be done profitably. There are words in the Bible of which it may well be said that they contain the Gospel: “The Gospel in a Word.”
Outline
I. Immanuel — What This Word Is
II. Immanuel — What This Word Means
III. Immanuel — What This Word Does
I. Immanuel — What This Word Is
This Word is a Name. This Name is unlike any other name that is named among men. This is the Name prophesied by Isaiah that the One born of a virgin would be called.
Even such an eminent one as John Owen would deny this. He explains the Hebrew name “Immanuel” prophesied in Is. 7:14:
“…that is, he shall be God with us, or God in our nature. Not that that should be his name whereby he should be called in this world; but that this should be the condition of his person,—he should be “God with us,” God in our nature. So are the words expounded, Matt. i. 20–23….His name where he was to be called, was Jesus; that is, a Saviour. And thereby was accomplished the prediction of the prophet, that he should be Immanuel; which being interpreted, is, “God with us.” Now, a child born to be “God with us,” is God in that child taking our nature upon him; and no otherwise can the words be understood.”
— John Owen, “A Brief Declaration and Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity: as also of the Person and Satisfaction of Christ” (1669), in The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold, 16 vols. (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, n.d.; 1965 reprint ed. from 1850-1853 ed. by Johnstone & Hunter), II:415; on Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at https://www.ccel.org/ccel/owen/trinity.vi.html [accessed 19 DEC 2017]; and on NTS Library at http://ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/John%20Owen%20Vindication%20Doctrine%20of%20Trinity.pdf [accessed 19 DEC 2017], pg. 39.
Pardon me, Brother Owen, if I call my Savior “Immanuel.” Please forgive me for disagreeing with you while I sing of our “Immanuel.”
“O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”
— Latin hymn, trans. John M. Neale
“O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel.”
— Philips Brooks
“…glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's land.”
“…the Lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's land.”
— Samuel Rutherford
There is another occurrence of this Name in Isaiah where it is obviously a Name, and where its meaning is made clear.
Is. 8:8–10 — 8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. 9 Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. 10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.
II. Immanuel — What This Word Means
“God with us”
This is not only spelled out for us in Isaiah 8, but also in the New Testament in Matthew’s Gospel.
The Greek spelling in Matthew 1:22–23 — 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 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.
This is not the omnipresence of God. This “withness” of God intended in the Name “Immanuel” is not His everywhere present being that is true for everyone, and every aspect of His creation since God brought it into existence, long before this prophecy was spoken or fulfilled.
Neither is it the immanence of God. What is meant by “God with us” is not the reality of God’s pervasiveness throughout the created universe. That is always true even apart from the Incarnation.
What then does “God with us” mean?
What this must mean is nothing less than the unique and miraculous supernatural event that we refer to as the virgin birth of the Savior Jesus Christ, our Immanuel.
This has been taught, and the opponents of this Scriptural truth has been ably answered by such as J. Gresham Machen, E. J. Young, Allan A. MacRae, and Charles Lee Feinberg.
What does the “God with us” mean for us?
“The concept of “God with us” was often reiterated by Jesus. He told his disciples that where two or three gathered in his name he would be present (Mt 18:20). Before his ascension, he assured them that he would be with them until the end of the age (28:20).
He spoke also of the
promise of the Holy Spirit, who “dwells with you, and will be in you” (Jn
14:17), who will abide with them forever (v 16). The “God with us” indwelling
is spoken of in Colossians 1:27, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” In the
consummation of all things, as shown to the apostle John, the Lord said:
“Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself will be with them” (Rv 21:3).”
— “Immanuel” (unsigned
article), Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible,
eds. Walter A. Elwell, and B. J. Beitzel (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), 1:1022.
The full significance of what this Word means is prayed for by the One who bears this Name.
John 17:20–26 — 20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
III. Immanuel — What This Word Does
God has united Himself to His people forever in the Person of His Son.
What this word “Immanuel” does is a unique and miraculous work of mediation that could not be done any other way.
What the Son of God became in the incarnation by taking to Himself a human nature made him “the man Christ Jesus,” and as such, the one and only “Mediator between God and men.” (1 Tim. 2:5)
Let there be no mistake about this!
1 Tim. 2:5 — For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Law and Promise, sin and the Seed, Mediation and the unity of God all come together in Galatians.
Gal. 3:19–20 — 19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
The author of the book of Hebrews rings the changes on this reality.
Heb. 8:6 — But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Heb. 9:15 — And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Heb. 12:24 — And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Conclusion
“He laid his glory by, And wrapped him in our clay; Unmarked by human eye, The latent Godhead lay; Infant of Days he here became, And bore the loved Immanuel’s name.”
— Charles Wesley, A
Selection of Hymns for Public Worship, by William Gadsby (London: Gospel
Standard, 1987), #37
“Tune your harps anew, ye seraphs; Join to sing the pleasing theme; Saints on earth, and all in heaven, Join to praise Immanuel’s name. Hallelujah! Glory to the bleeding Lamb!”
— J. Evans, Gadsby #93
“Go worship at Immanuel’s feet; See in his face what wonders meet, Earth is too narrow to express His worth, his glory, or his grace.”
— Isaac Watts, Gadsby #142
“‘Tis finished!” our Immanuel cries; The dreadful work is done. Hence shall his sovereign throne arise; His kingdom is begun.”
— Isaac Watts, Gadsby #168
“There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel’s veins, And sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains.”
— William Cowper, Gadsby
#160
“Richly flowed the crimson river, Down Immanuel’s lovely side; And that blood will you deliver, Whensoever ’tis applied.”
— Richard Burnham, Gadsby #157
“Now the full glories of the Lamb Adorn the heavenly plains; Sweet cherubs learn Immanuel’s name, And try their choicest strains.”
— Isaac Watts, Gadsby #207
“Hail, great Immanuel, all divine! In thee thy Father’s glories shine; Thou brightest, sweetest, fairest One, That eyes have seen or angels known.”
— Isaac Watts, Gadsby #264
“Eternal Spirit! heavenly Dove! Enter and fill this place; Reveal Immanuel’s matchless love And open all his grace.”
— Samuel Medley, Gadsby #367
“The gospel’s a message of peace, We oft by experience have felt; ’Tis filled with Immanuel’s grace, And sweeps away mountains of guilt. O sweet revelation divine! Delighted, we’ve heard its contents; All through it our Jesus does shine. A lover of all his dear saints.”
— Richard Burnham, Gadsby #460
“Of all the crowns Jehovah wears, Salvation is his dearest claim; That gracious sound well-pleased he hears, And owns Immanuel for his name.”
— William Cowper, Gadsby #969
“O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”
— Latin hymn, trans. John M. Neale
“O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel.”
— Philips Brooks
“…glory, glory dwelleth n Emmanuel's land.”
“…the Lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's land.”
— Samuel Rutherford
“Lo! God, our God, has
come:
To us a Child is born,
To us a Son is given;
Bless, bless the blessed morn!
O! happy, lowly, lofty birth!
Now God, our God, has come to earth.
Rejoice! our God has come,
In love and lowliness;
The Son of God has come,
The sons of men to bless;
God with us now descends to dwell,
God in our flesh, Immanuel.
Praise ye the Word made
flesh;
True God, true man is He;
Praise ye the Christ of God;
To Whom all glory be!
Praise ye the Lamb that once was slain,
Praise ye the King that comes to reign.”
— Horatius Bonar, Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church
(Bethlehem, PA: Provincial Synod, 1923), #166.
[Sermon preached 20 DEC 2020 on Isaiah 7:14, “The Gospel in a Word” (Incarnation Day series), by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]
Resources on Immanuel and Isaiah 7:14
Steven Barabas, “Immanuel,” The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, gen. ed. Merrill C. Tenney (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1967), pg. 371.
Craig L. Blomberg, “Matthew,” Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament, eds. D. A. Carson, and G. K. Beale (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), pp. 3–5.
Wick Broomall, “Immanuel,” Baker’s Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1960), pg. 280.
Harry Bultema, Commentary on Isaiah, trans. Cornelius Lambregtse (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1981; from Dutch orig., Practische Commentaar op Jesaja; Muskegon: Bereer, 1923), pp. 107–108.
A. B. Davidson, “Immanuel,” A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James Hastings (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, n.d.; 1988 reprint from 1898 original by T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh), 2:454–456; on Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/b24749163_0002_201710/page/n477/mode/2up [accessed 18 DEC 2020]; PDF file on Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at https://ccel.org/ccel/h/hastings/dictv2/cache/dictv2.pdf [accessed 18 DEC 2020]. Note: The article in the 1909 edition by C. W. Emmet reflects the liberal theological trend that was becoming more prominent during the late 19th and early 20th century. Unfortunately this is the edition to be found on Study Light at https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hdb/i/immanuel.html [accessed 19 DEC 2020].
Arthur Walwyn Evans, “Immanuel,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, eds. James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1939), on International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Online (Study Lamp Softward, LLC, 2015) at https://www.internationalstandardbible.com/I/immanuel.html [accessed 18 DEC 2020].
Charles L. Feinberg, “The Virgin Birth and Isaiah 7:14,” in Is the Virgin Birth in the Old Testament? (Whittier, CA: Emeth, 1967), pp. 34–48; republished in The Master’s Seminary Journal 22:1 (Spring 2011), pp. 11-17; on The Master’s Seminary at https://www.tms.edu/m/msj22c.pdf [accessed 1 JUL 2018].
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg, Christology of the Old Testament and a Commentary on the Messianic Predictions, 4 vols., 2nd ed., trans. T. Meyer, and J. Martin, in Clark’s Foreign Theological Library, New Series, Vols. VIII–IX, XIX–XX (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1854–1858, 1861), II:44–54, 59–66; on Google Books at https://books.google.com/books?id=0VUyWWar2YUC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 19 DEC 2020]; on Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/christologyoldt03henggoog/page/n55/mode/2up [accessed 19 DEC 2020]; and on Project Gutenberg at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30608/30608-h/30608-h.htm [accessed 19 DEC 2020].
“Immanuel” (unsigned article), Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, eds. Walter A. Elwell, and B. J. Beitzel (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), 1:1020–1022.
“Immanuel” (unsigned article), The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, eds. James Strong and John McClintock (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1880); on Biblical Cyclopedia at https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/I/immanuel.html [accessed 18 DEC 2020].
J. Gresham Machen, The Virgin Birth, 2nd ed. (New York: Harper & Row, 1930), pp. 287–297, see also pp. viii, 10, 64–65, 312–315, 317–319, 323, 368, and 375.
Allan A. MacRae, Biblical Christianity (Singapore: Christian Life, 1994), pp. 105–108, s.v. “Letter 44, 1952, Jesus in Isaiah 7:14,” and “Letter 45, 1970, Almah (Virgin) in Isaiah 7:14.”
Allan A. MacRae, Studies in Isaiah (Hatfield, PA: Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, 1995), pp. 25–29.
John Owen, “A Brief Declaration and Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity: as also of the Person and Satisfaction of Christ” (1669), in The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold, 16 vols. (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, n.d.; 1965 reprint ed. from 1850-1853 ed. by Johnstone & Hunter), II:415; on Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at https://www.ccel.org/ccel/owen/trinity.vi.html [accessed 19 DEC 2017]; and on NTS Library at http://ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/John%20Owen%20Vindication%20Doctrine%20of%20Trinity.pdf [accessed 19 DEC 2017], pg. 39.
J. Barton Payne, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy: The Complete Guide to Scriptural Predictions and Their Fulfillment (New York: Harper & Row, 1973), pp. 72, 291–293, s.v. Is. #24–25, 294, s.v. Is. #30, and 480, s.v. Mt. #4.
William Smith, “Immanuel,” The Classic Bible Dictionary, ed. Jay P. Green, Sr. (Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Trust Fund, 1988), pg. 550–551.
Merrill F. Unger, Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody, 1957), pp. 312–313.
W. E. Vine, Isaiah: Prophecies, Promises, Warnings (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971), pg. 35.
E. J. Young, The Book of Isaiah: The English Text, with Introduction, Exposition, and Notes, 3 vols., in The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, series ed. R. K. Harrison (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965, 1969, 1972), I:283–291.
E. J. Young, “Immanuel,” The
New Bible Dictionary, eds. J. D. Douglas, F. F. Bruce, R. V. G. Tasker, J.
I. Packer, D. J. Wiseman (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962), pg. 556–557.
