"Immanuel." Word of Grace Devotion with Pastor Joe Marquez

12/22/2014

The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of December 22, 2014

Immanuel

Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Beloved, Immanuel is a Hebrew word meaning "God is with us." We find that the Gospel writer Matthew who addressed primarily a Jewish audience, referred to a prophecy from the Old Testament, more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus, in Isaiah 7:14: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” {Matthew 1:22-23}

Jesus Christ fulfilled that prophecy because he was fully man yet still fully God. He came to live in Israel with his people, as Isaiah had foretold. The name Jesus, incidentally, or Yeshua in Hebrew, means, "The LORD is salvation.”

The word Immanuel appears only three times in Scripture: Isaiah 7:14, 8:8, and Matthew 1:23, yet we find numerous other references to God being with us.

Before his ascension to heaven, Jesus made this promise to his followers: "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20). That promise is repeated in the last book of the Bible, in Revelation 21:3.

Before Jesus returned to heaven, he told his followers that the Holy Spirit would dwell with them: "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, (John 14:16). Again, God the Holy Spirit will be with us.

Beloved, remember the promise given to us hundreds of years ago from Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This week remember that Jesus is Immanuel and He is ALWAYS with us!

I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you!

In Him,

Pastor Joe

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Senior Pastor
Joe Marquez

Beloved, we are soon to once again celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the human Son of man and the divine Son of God. He is one hundred percent human and one hundred percent God.

While there were many people instrumental in the birth of Christ, this morning we will look at His birth through the eyes of Joseph, His legal father. There is not too much known about the man who would care for Christ as He grew up. We know that Joseph was possibly a carpenter but most importantly we know that he was a righteous man who did the right thing.

When others would have ran away from a responsibility that was not even their own, Joseph stood steadfast and remained faithful to the end. We can learn much from his character and apply his attributes of faithfulness, purity, and perseverance to our own lives.

May you have a Blessed Christmas week and may Christ always be at the center of your lives!

P.S. Come back this evening as we look at the birth of Christ through the Gospel of Luke!