Emmanuel: God WITH Us (The Gospels & Acts)

The New Testament begins by linking Jesus of Nazareth to the Old Testament patriarchs and the dynasty of King David, immediately proclaiming Him as the long-promised Messiah (Matthew 1:18). Overflowing with the phrase, “in fulfillment of,” Matthew’s Gospel substantiates this claim by citing events throughout Jesus’ life which fulfilled Messianic prophecy.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus began their public ministries with the statement, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is here. The Messiah has arrived. Here. Now. Emmanuel: God is with us. Everything since the fall in the garden has led to this very moment. He came to His own, and they didn’t recognize him (Isaiah 53:3 and John 1:11).

First-century Jews understood that the Messiah would be God in human flesh, living amongst His people. Here again, Matthew begins by citing the prophet Isaiah’s account of the virgin birth and the divinity of the Christ child. The Apostle John takes it even further in his Gospel’s first chapter, explaining that the Word was with God and the Word was God…and a few verses later, that Word became flesh and dwelt among us. To the writers of the Gospels, there was no question: Jesus is the Messiah, and the Messiah is God. Skeptics often argue that Jesus never claimed to be God, but the opposite is actually true. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus’ claims of divinity created intense conflict between himself and the corrupt religious leaders of his day.

What does it mean that Jesus is God in the Flesh? Messiah’s purpose was to represent humanity as the perfect advocate between God and man. The Gospels demonstrate a beautiful example of God “walking a mile in our shoes.” The Messiah understands our weakness because, like us, he has faced every temptation ever to plague man, yet he never sinned. The Messiah was a perfect, flawless human, and his ultimate sacrifice on the cross satisfied every aspect of God’s righteous justice, restoring the breach between God and ma.

More powerful words have never been said, and they perfectly explain the Messiah's mission. The kingdom of God is here! Won’t you be a part?