Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
In this passage of scripture, Isaiah is writing over 700 years before Jesus is even conceived, at a time when his country, the nation of Judah, is being attacked by two other nations, Syria and Ephraim. Through Isaiah, God makes a promise to Judah to deliver them from their enemies, and he even offers to give the king of Judah a sign, any sign, no matter how big, to prove it. When King Ahaz refused to ask God for a sign, God was not happy with his response and told him He would give him a sign anyways. What is that sign? “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Now, Isaiah continues in verse 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Within three years of this prophecy, their enemies were routed by the Assyrian army. But was the prophecy fulfilled? Continued...Click "Read More" Below...
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
In this passage of scripture, Isaiah is writing over 700 years before Jesus is even conceived, at a time when his country, the nation of Judah, is being attacked by two other nations, Syria and Ephraim. Through Isaiah, God makes a promise to Judah to deliver them from their enemies, and he even offers to give the king of Judah a sign, any sign, no matter how big, to prove it. When King Ahaz refused to ask God for a sign, God was not happy with his response and told him He would give him a sign anyways. What is that sign? “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Now, Isaiah continues in verse 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Within three years of this prophecy, their enemies were routed by the Assyrian army. But was the prophecy fulfilled? Continued...Click "Read More" Below...
Fast forward over 700 years, to about 3 BC, to a carpenter named Joseph who decided to quietly put away his recently betrothed fiancé because she is pregnant with a child that is not his. Because of this choice, Joseph is visited by an angel in a dream who tells Joseph that he should not be afraid to complete their engagement and be married because Mary is pregnant by the Holy Ghost. In other words, the child would be a miracle from God. Then the angel tells Joseph something very significant about this child, he is to be named Jesus, and then the angel refers to the passage from Isaiah 7:14.
Matthew 1:19-25
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
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.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Apparently the prophecy was not complete in Isaiah’s day, because an angel from Heaven declares that Jesus is the true fulfillment.
Remember, God’s promise through the prophet Isaiah was that he would deliver his people. And now in Matthew’s gospel we are shown, that the prophecy is being fulfilled because this child was about to enter the world. There are two names in reference to this child which Matthew mentions which are both significant to who this child is and what that means for us today.
First of all…JESUS - for he shall save his people from their sins.
The first name is what his actual name would be – Jesus. Sometimes you might see it referred to as Yeshua, which is more of the Greek rendering. The name Jesus was a very common name, like John or Joshua is today, but it had a lot of significance to the Jewish people. The name Jesus was actually the greek version of the name Joshua, which we see in the Old Testament. Both Jesus and Joshua means “the LORD (Jehovah) saves.” The name reminded the Jewish people of their ancestor Joshua who, 1200 years earlier, delivered the Israelite people into the Land God had promised them. The image of Joshua is one of a person who took refugees wandering in the dessert and, by God’s strength, gave them a home, a land flowing with milk and honey. Joshua was used by God to fulfill God’s promise to his people.
Now the angel tells Joseph there is a new Joshua, a new deliverer, this Joshua/Jesus will deliver us from a different kind of wilderness to a different kind of Promised Land. The angel even says it explicitly, “for he shall save his people from their sins.” The wilderness we will be delivered from is our sin, which poisons us; it poisons our relationships with others, and most importantly it poisons our relationship with God. And unfortunately, all of humanity suffers from the same condition.
Isaiah himself later wrote,
Isaiah 64:6
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Jesus as the new Joshua would deliver us from our sins. For those who believed in him, He would cleanse the poison from within, and make us pure, restoring our relationship with God. He would bring healing into the inward parts of our life and in our relationships with others. This is why the Old Testament is so important in understanding who Jesus is, and why it is important to look at the prophecies about him.
The name that the Angel told Joseph to name the baby to be born, “Jesus”, was more than a name… it was a statement about who He would be. He would be the Lamb for sinners slain. He would be the sacrifice on Earth’s and Heaven’s altar. Through him, the Lord would save us. Through Him, the Lord would deliver us from our bondage to sin.
The Second name is Immanuel (of Emmanuel) – God is with you.
The second name which the Angel reminded Joseph was just as important. The angel said He would be called Immanuel, which means God is with us. Jesus would fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah spoken 700 years previously. This baby being born was God coming to earth to be with us. The angel already told Joseph the child was miraculously conceived by the Holy Ghost; in other words, the child was both divine and human, and because of this, this child was to be called God with us. We put these two together and it points to an amazing reality, God had come in the flesh as a person. God came to visit earth in a bodily form. Think about that… the infinite, all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe came as a human child, vulnerable, defenseless, and dependent on others to meet his needs. It is just as mind blowing for us today to imagine that through Jesus, God was with us, as I’m sure it was for Joseph back then also. A passage from the Bible reminds us of this truth of God in this child.
Colossians 2:9
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
This is the amazing truth about the story of Jesus’ conception and birth. God is literally with us in the bodily form of Jesus. This is where Christianity diverges from all other world religions. Most religions believe in a God that is a supreme being of the universe. Most people would agree with that. But the miracle of Jesus’ birth and what is central to the Christian faith is that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. God coming down to live in an earthly body.
1 Timothy 3:16
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
But what is the purpose of the dual names for this child being born? Jesus was the given name for this child. The name Jesus combines the words “Jehovah” and “salvation” into one word. So the Angel wanted THIS NAME for THIS CHILD because the child was Jehovah bringing salvation to the world. But again, why the second “name”? Read again Matthew…
Matt. 1:21-23
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
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.
The second reference is what “they” (maybe those in the world who truly knows who he is) would call Him. When they look at Jesus, the utterance from those who know his identity is to understand that “God is with us.”
Remember, though, Emmanuel may be the name of recognition that God was with us in the flesh, but the Name of Jesus is still the name used for salvation.
Acts 4:12
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Water baptism after the cross was always performed by calling on the NAME of JESUS. The titles of Matthew 28:19 was never used at all, but even in that verse, there is a singular “name” being referred to. Find a church today to have your sins washed away by baptism in the Name of Jesus!
Matthew 1:19-25
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
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.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Apparently the prophecy was not complete in Isaiah’s day, because an angel from Heaven declares that Jesus is the true fulfillment.
Remember, God’s promise through the prophet Isaiah was that he would deliver his people. And now in Matthew’s gospel we are shown, that the prophecy is being fulfilled because this child was about to enter the world. There are two names in reference to this child which Matthew mentions which are both significant to who this child is and what that means for us today.
First of all…JESUS - for he shall save his people from their sins.
The first name is what his actual name would be – Jesus. Sometimes you might see it referred to as Yeshua, which is more of the Greek rendering. The name Jesus was a very common name, like John or Joshua is today, but it had a lot of significance to the Jewish people. The name Jesus was actually the greek version of the name Joshua, which we see in the Old Testament. Both Jesus and Joshua means “the LORD (Jehovah) saves.” The name reminded the Jewish people of their ancestor Joshua who, 1200 years earlier, delivered the Israelite people into the Land God had promised them. The image of Joshua is one of a person who took refugees wandering in the dessert and, by God’s strength, gave them a home, a land flowing with milk and honey. Joshua was used by God to fulfill God’s promise to his people.
Now the angel tells Joseph there is a new Joshua, a new deliverer, this Joshua/Jesus will deliver us from a different kind of wilderness to a different kind of Promised Land. The angel even says it explicitly, “for he shall save his people from their sins.” The wilderness we will be delivered from is our sin, which poisons us; it poisons our relationships with others, and most importantly it poisons our relationship with God. And unfortunately, all of humanity suffers from the same condition.
Isaiah himself later wrote,
Isaiah 64:6
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Jesus as the new Joshua would deliver us from our sins. For those who believed in him, He would cleanse the poison from within, and make us pure, restoring our relationship with God. He would bring healing into the inward parts of our life and in our relationships with others. This is why the Old Testament is so important in understanding who Jesus is, and why it is important to look at the prophecies about him.
The name that the Angel told Joseph to name the baby to be born, “Jesus”, was more than a name… it was a statement about who He would be. He would be the Lamb for sinners slain. He would be the sacrifice on Earth’s and Heaven’s altar. Through him, the Lord would save us. Through Him, the Lord would deliver us from our bondage to sin.
The Second name is Immanuel (of Emmanuel) – God is with you.
The second name which the Angel reminded Joseph was just as important. The angel said He would be called Immanuel, which means God is with us. Jesus would fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah spoken 700 years previously. This baby being born was God coming to earth to be with us. The angel already told Joseph the child was miraculously conceived by the Holy Ghost; in other words, the child was both divine and human, and because of this, this child was to be called God with us. We put these two together and it points to an amazing reality, God had come in the flesh as a person. God came to visit earth in a bodily form. Think about that… the infinite, all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe came as a human child, vulnerable, defenseless, and dependent on others to meet his needs. It is just as mind blowing for us today to imagine that through Jesus, God was with us, as I’m sure it was for Joseph back then also. A passage from the Bible reminds us of this truth of God in this child.
Colossians 2:9
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
This is the amazing truth about the story of Jesus’ conception and birth. God is literally with us in the bodily form of Jesus. This is where Christianity diverges from all other world religions. Most religions believe in a God that is a supreme being of the universe. Most people would agree with that. But the miracle of Jesus’ birth and what is central to the Christian faith is that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. God coming down to live in an earthly body.
1 Timothy 3:16
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
But what is the purpose of the dual names for this child being born? Jesus was the given name for this child. The name Jesus combines the words “Jehovah” and “salvation” into one word. So the Angel wanted THIS NAME for THIS CHILD because the child was Jehovah bringing salvation to the world. But again, why the second “name”? Read again Matthew…
Matt. 1:21-23
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
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.
The second reference is what “they” (maybe those in the world who truly knows who he is) would call Him. When they look at Jesus, the utterance from those who know his identity is to understand that “God is with us.”
Remember, though, Emmanuel may be the name of recognition that God was with us in the flesh, but the Name of Jesus is still the name used for salvation.
Acts 4:12
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Water baptism after the cross was always performed by calling on the NAME of JESUS. The titles of Matthew 28:19 was never used at all, but even in that verse, there is a singular “name” being referred to. Find a church today to have your sins washed away by baptism in the Name of Jesus!
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