Immanuel, God with us! -Summary- (Matthew 1:18-25)

December 12, 2025Key Verse 23: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’” The world is constantly changing. The economic situation is deteriorating, trade wars are raging between nations, and military conflicts seem endless. We are bombarded with bad news incessantly. This situation makes us pessimistic. But today I want to share some good news that will bring us joy and confidence. 1. Joseph’s God-pleasing decision (18-19) Matthew proclaims this good news to us:“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph but not yet married, she conceived by the Holy Spirit, even though he had not slept with her.” (18) In those days, marriage consisted of two stages: betrothal and wedding. The betrothal was considered a marriage contract between a man and a woman and lasted about a year. The wedding was celebrated with the groom bringing the bride home and the wedding feast taking place.Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but they were not yet married. Mary was a devout woman and had lived chastely until then. Her betrothed, Joseph, was also a devout man.He had not yet married her. He knew that she was not pregnant by him or any other man. Since Joseph did not know the exact reason for Mary's pregnancy, he did not condemn her as an adulteress and did not want to expose her. He wanted to break off the betrothal secretly so that she could have a second chance.  2. The Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus (20–25) Our God lives! He has not forsaken Joseph. He sent him his angel. The angel appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (20–21) We should not judge people superficially by their appearance. We should see them through God’s eyes and highly value God’s approval. If we are God’s children, we are His princesses and princes. If we embrace this truth wholeheartedly, we will experience the wonderful Kingdom of God. The angel explained to Joseph that Mary would conceive through the Holy Spirit. Many people do not want to believe that Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit. The first thing we can say about Mary’s pregnancy is that God is the almighty Creator.The angel of God spoke to Joseph: “What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”From a human perspective, it is impossible for a virgin to become pregnant without the involvement of a man. But for God, nothing is impossible. He created heaven and earth from nothing. God said that Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph thought of Almighty God, all his doubts vanished like smoke in the wind. Our everyday worries also disappear when we think of Almighty God. Secondly, through Mary's pregnancy, we can recognize the merciful God.The angel of God said to Joseph, “You shall name this child Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (21b).“Jesus” means “God is salvation.” God is not only almighty but also merciful. He has compassion for us, who live in sin and must ultimately die. God had compassion for us. That is why he sent Jesus Christ to redeem us from sin and the power of death. All people need God's grace, forgiveness, and deliverance from the power of death. God is merciful to us all. He sent us Jesus Christ to forgive us and free us from the power of death.Our Jesus is the merciful God. He humbled himself, came into the world as a man, took all our guilt upon himself, and died on the cross. That is why the Apostle John said, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). When I was preparing with all my might for the college entrance exam, I occasionally thought about my death. In those moments, I lost the motivation to continue studying. But I pushed that thought aside and kept studying, so that I passed the exam with honors and was able to study thanks to a scholarship. Above all, though, through attending a student church, I found faith in Jesus Christ and received eternal life. Thirdly: God is Immanuel in Jesus, God with us.The angel said to Joseph, “He shall be called Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God with us” (23b). This name means that God is with us in Jesus. Through Jesus Christ, we receive many blessings from God: forgiveness, eternal life, resurrection, the kingdom of heaven, and much more. But God's greatest blessing is that God is with us in Jesus Christ. Imagine if God had said to us, "I want to give you eternal life, the Kingdom of Heaven, and great success in this world. But I don't want to be with you because you have little interest in me as something external."How would we react? Many would say, "Yes, that would be wonderful!"But God's greatest blessing is that God is with us. If God is not with us, all the blessings of the world are of no use to us. But when God is with us, the Kingdom of God is wherever we are. Even in our greatest suffering, God is with us. We thank God that in Jesus, he is our Emmanuel God, God with us. May this God always be with us and richly bless us in Jesus Christ!