Resource Detail

2025 Christmas Message #2

IMMANUEL

Matthew 1:18-25

Key Verse: 1:23

1. What do we learn about Mary’s stage of life (“pledged to be married”) and her relationship with Joseph (18)? What does Mary’s pregnancy “through the Holy Spirit” reveal about the nature of Jesus’ birth? What decision does Joseph make regarding Mary, and what does this tell us about Joseph’s character (19)?
2. How does God’s message reshape Joseph’s understanding of the situation and his identity (20)? What is the meaning of the name “Jesus,” and what does it reveal about his mission from God (21; Is 53:4-6; Jn 1:29)? What can we learn about God’s plan of salvation (Jn 3:16-17; Rev 7:10)?
3. Why is it significant that Jesus’ birth “took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet” (22; Is 7:14)? What does the name “Immanuel” teach us about the nature of God and His love toward humanity (23; Jn 1:14)? What does Joseph’s obedience reveal about his faith and character (24-25)?
4. Why is it important to remember the fulfilment of God’s promise through the birth of Jesus? What aspect of your life right now most needs the message that God is with you? How can you create space to welcome Jesus into your heart more deeply this Christmas season?

2025 NYUBF Christmas Message #2

Still Immanuel

Matthew 1:18-25

Key Verse: Matthew 1:23

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”

(which means “God with us”)

Last week, we heard a wonderful first Christmas message from shepherd Andrew Forbes. His closing words still echo in my mind. “Do not let the lineage of faith stop with you”. It was challenging to me. I pray I can also pass this faith and grace on to those around me and to the next generation.

The key verse for today’s message is verse 23. Last Tuesday, there was a homecoming service for Becky. She has returned to her eternal home. Where is that home? Apostle Paul said, “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is,” (Colossian 3:1) See the three words in the middle between two commas, “where Christ is”. Paul had no greater expression than this. It reveals the place he yearned for most because that is where his most beloved one, Christ is. I believe Becky has also gone to be where Christ is. Today’s passage is about God coming down to where we are. God became a man to bring us to where He is. Mattew starts his book with this Immanuel message, and he wraps up his book with the same promise. “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b)

This is amazing truth, but often times, we are too familiar with them. So, they lose their impact. I pray that God will help us today that we receive the words with fresh wonder, as if it’s for the first time.

Part 1. Joseph

Look at verse 18. “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.”

Jewish custom back then was unique. When a couple were engaged, they became legally binding as a husband and a wife. And they waited for about twelve months before living together. This year-long waiting period was the sweetest time in their lives looking forward to being together. Every morning Joseph greets Mary, “Good morning, Mary, my sweetheart!”. Then, Mary would blush and say “Hi, Joseph.”

There is no doubt they loved each other and were happy. But a tragic moment came along. Mary is pregnant. She has a baby before they come together. Obviously, Joseph knows he is not the father.

Imagine Joseph’s heart. We don’t know how long it is between verse 18 and 19. Between the discovery of her pregnancy and the decision to divorce. It could be several days or weeks. It’s silent but there must be a fierce storm and earthquake in Joseph’s heart. It’s truly a heartbreaking betrayal. Those nights were filled with agony, anger, sorrow, and jealousy. It must have felt like death. Because there is no pain like the betrayal of a loved one. Joseph in the Old Testament was betrayed by his brothers. Now, Joseph in the New Testament faces a betrayal that cuts even deeper.

What would you do if you were in Joseph’s shoes?

I think of the book “The Scarlet Letter”. As in the book’s opening chapter, Joseph had every legal right to drag Mary to the town square. He could have stood her before town’s people. He could have demanded an answer. “Who is the father?” “Who is the fellow sinner?” “Speak!” He could have let the village gossip destroy her. He could have let the stones fly, if not physical stones, at least the stones of scorn, forcing her live like Hester Prynne in the book, wearing a badge of shame, the scarlet letter “A”, for the rest of her life.

Ther was turmoil in Joseph’s mind during those long, dark nights. The hurt. The confusion. And the Law demanded justice. But, then we read verse 19. “Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.”

Here is the turning point. Joseph was a man of truth, and he was also a man of mercy. He chose not to expose her. He chose to absorb the hurt.

If he divorces her quietly, do you know what happens? The townspeople will talk. They will count the month. When the baby is born, and Joseph is gone, the rumors will go around. They might whisper that he was the one who got her pregnant and then abandoned her. They might call him a scoundrel who took advantage of a woman and then left. By deciding to cover her “sin”, Joseph was choosing to take the shame upon himself.

In this decision, we see a shadow of the Christ who was yet to be born. In Joseph’s agony, we see a preview of the gospel, the glimpse of the character of the One who is full of grace and truth.

Why did God allow Joseph to endure those sleepless nights? Why let him suffer that feeling of betrayal before sending the angel? God could have sent his angel right away. Perhaps God was preparing Joseph’s heart to be the earthly father of Jesus. Because of those nights, Joseph learned what it means to cover sin with love. He learned the cost of forgiveness. He tasted, in a small way, the cup that his adopted Son would one day drink to the dregs.

Part 2. Jesus

While Joseph thought about these things, God broke the silence. Verse 20-21. “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins”

God revealed the truth of Jesus’s conception. Joseph thought the child was a fruit of sin. But, the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The baby was the fruit of divine promise, the long-awaited hope of Israel.

The angel gives the child a name, Jesus. The name means “The Lord saves.” At this, we must ask the question. What does He save us from?

The Jewish people of that time were desperate for a savior. They wanted a political messiah. They wanted salvation from the oppression of Rome. They wanted salvation from high taxes, from the abuse of soldiers, from the humiliation of being conquered people. Today, we are not so different. We want salvation from our circumstances. We want God to save us from financial trouble, from sickness, from difficult relationships. If the angel had said, “He will save his people from Rome,” or “He will save his people from poverty,” the crowds would have cheered. But the angel said, “He will save his people from their sins.”

In a sense, this is the hardest part of Christmas. We need salvation from our sins. The greatest enemy of God’s people is not out there. It is within us. The most tragic thing about us is not what happens to us, but what happens in us.

Romans 1:21 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” It goes on (Romans 1:29-31), “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.”

To be honest, we did not glorify God. We did not like to contain God in our minds. We wanted to please ourselves, but this self-seeking only destroys us.

Several years ago, one day, I got a DM. “Do you know my mom?” The sender was a 23-year-old Korean girl. I knew her mom about 20 years ago. I replied, “Yes, I know your mom. How is she?” Then she goes “Haven’t you heard about my mom?” “No, what happened?” “My mom is not here anymore.” The story goes. Her mom had become pregnant when she was just 18. Although she married after high school, she divorced a few years later because her husband cheated on her. She raised her daughter and a baby son by herself for several years, but her ex-husband eventually took the children. She lived in sorrow for years. Later, she remarried, but that marriage also ended up being broken. Meanwhile, her ex-husband became a transgender, which took away even her mom’s position. At the age of 34, she ended her own life. Sadly, her daughter followed her mom’s path. She also had a baby at 18, married, and divorced. Even 8 years after her mom’s death, she wanted to know how her mom had lived. While tracing her mom’s life, she even reached out to me.

These stories broke my heart. In the world without Jesus, there are so many tragedies. We see how sin ruins lives. When we see such pain, and when I look at my own darkened heart, we feel helpless. Who can help us?

15 years ago, on August 5, 2010, a copper mine in Chile collapsed. 33 workers were trapped underground. 700 meters underground. There was no exit, no way out, no sunlight. They had only small amounts of food. After two weeks passed, nobody could remain hopeful of their survival. They only prayed somebody could penetrate the ground and pull them up. And the family and friends never gave up. On October 13, after 69 days, the rescue team drilled through 700 meters and pulled them up one by one.

This is exactly what Jesus did. We are totally trapped under our sins with no hope and no exit. But Jesus penetrated our world by becoming a man to save us from our sins.

“He will save his people from their sins.” Only Jesus can save us. Only Jesus can restore broken lives.

Part 3. Immanuel

Matthew continues. Verse 22-23. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel: (which means “God with us”).”

God’s answer to our sins was a baby. Incarnation. His Presence.

We need to understand how radical this is. In the Old Testament, the Jews would not even pronounce the name Yahweh. It was too holy, even terrifying. But, here, the infinite God, the Alpha and the Omega, steps down into a human life.

Compare this with the scene in Exodus. After the people sinned by making the Golden Calf, God was angry. He told Moses, “I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites…. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way…. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you.” (Exodus 33:2-3)

God essentially said, ‘I will give you the blessing. I will give you the land. I will give you whatever you want. But I will not go with you. I cannot be with you. My holiness is too great for your sinfulness. If I were with you, I might destroy you.’

This word humbles us. An unbelieving person might hear this and be glad. ‘Thank God! He makes me rich, healthy, handsome, famous, and successful. And he leaves me alone so I can be free!’ But, we know that no matter how wonderful things we can have, without God, it’s nothing. But, sadly, the reality is that there is a huge distance we cannot overcome between a Holy God and us, sinners.

But, at Christmas, this has changed. It is no longer “I will not go with you.” Now, God says, “I am coming down. I am moving in. I am with you”. I’ll be Immanuel. This Immanuel is not a visit. It is not a temporary weekend trip. It is an eternal presence. God’s presence would not destroy me? No, Jesus did not come to judge us.

Think of the woman caught in adultery. She was dragged into public disgrace. People squeezed stones to punish her. She regretted. But it was too late. Everyone was waiting for the answer of one man, Jesus. “Stone or Not!” Jesus said. “Stone her.” She deserved to die according to God’s righteous law. But Jesus added. “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7b) At this, people began to go away one at a time. Jesus asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir” she said. But, she was wrong. There was one man left. One man remained standing before her. Jesus was the only one who could stone her. In fact, he was the very one who should have executed justice, because he himself was the law giver. But Jesus said, “Then neither do I condemn you,” “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11b) Jesus forgave her. It’s a beautiful story, but frankly, it leaves us with question marks. Is forgiveness of sins so simple? Where is justice, then? How could the woman believe she was really forgiven?

I imagine, later, she would stand again before this same man. But this time, He is on the cross. He is suffering. He is mocked. He is beaten, flogged, and nailed. She sees the innocent blood running down the cross. She watches His body trembling, hears His painful breath. Then, she hears the same voice that she heard before, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34a) Finally, she comes to realize. Her forgiveness was given in exchange for His life. Her forgiveness was not free. Jesus was paying her debts on the cross.

This is Immanuel grace. His Immanuel grace never changes. Rather, it changes us.

Matthew, the author of our passage, was a tax collector. No one, including himself, had hope for him. But Jesus called him and made him Saint Matthew. Peter was weak. He ran away. He denied Jesus three times. “I don’t know him.”, ”I don’t know.” “I do not know him.” He failed. But Jesus made breakfast for him as if nothing had happened. He only asked. “Do you love me?” “Do you love me?” “Do you love me?” It was such a tender restoration. Peter finally became Peter, the Rock.

How about Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector? Imagine the joyous look in his repentance. See Samaritan woman with five husbands. She left her water jar and exclaimed. “Come, see this man!” Even look at the thief on the cross. A life of crime, no second chance left. But Jesus says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Immanuel Jesus came for all these moments. Immanuel Jesus made all these wonderous, wonderful moments, possible. And these still happen in our lives.

We might worry. “What if I mess this up? I am still a sinner.” Yes, we stumble. Yes, we fail. But listen to the promise. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) John also said, “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1b) Jesus loves to the end. Nothing can stop Him. If he’d ever stop, he did not start at all. Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us”. This is what Bible says.

I have shared this before, but I think it’s worth reminding every year. The Chinese character for righteousness is composed of two parts: the figure of a lamb on top of the character for me. The Lamb over me. Whenever God looks down at us, this is what He sees. The Lamb of God covering us. God sees us through Immanuel Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:21b says, “in him we might become the righteousness of God”

When I prepared today’s message, I realized that this is my fifth time delivering Christmas messages, five years in a row since 2021. Out of those five, three were on the same subject – Immanuel. I wondered why God has me meditate on Jesus’ birth over and over again. Maybe it’s because I’m the person who needs the message the most. The woman who took her own life, I mentioned earlier, was the person I wanted to marry when I was in college. I deeply cared about her, but I didn’t share the gospel with her. I met her daughter last month, but I still struggled to share the gospel. I was just overwhelmed with darkness. For a long time, I despaired over my own unbelief and my own many sins.

But, as I meditate on Jesus again, He still comes to me as Immanuel. He is still Immanuel. His love and grace are still with me. I confess my salvation is only in Jesus. One song lingers in my mind.

“In Christ alone. I place my trust. And find my glory in the power of the cross. In every victory. Let it be said of me. My source of strength. My source of hope. Is Christ alone.”

This Christmas, like Joseph, let’s wake up and welcome our Savior. Let us embrace this radical Immanuel grace!

Praise the Lord - Still Immanuel, Jesus. Amen.