Called to be Emmanuel

December 13, 2020 Background Scripture: Matthew 1:18 – 25 Lesson Passage: Matthew 1:18 – 25 A person’s name in the original language was not just a label. The word had a meaning that was being ascribed to the person. If the word meant bright, it was assumed, or hoped, that the person would be intellectually astute. If the word meant red, it is possible that the person had a reddish complexion or hair. This is one of the things that made prophecy obscure; some words were descriptive, and some words were formal names. It was not easy to discern what was what based on the context or the time in which it was spoken or written. Hence, this was one of the difficulties with a passage from Isaiah’s prophecy, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Adding to the difficulty of understanding prophecy is that it was often fulfilled in the immediate future of the original recipients and then again later for all recipients. The word Immanuel literally means “God with us”. Were the original recipients expected to look for a child that was given the name Immanuel? Was any group that received this prophecy expected to look for a child so named? According to the gospel of Matthew, no one should have expected to find a child by that name as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. According to Matthew, the literal meaning of the word, Immanuel, described the fulfillment of the prophecy. Immanuel means “God with us”. The prophecy was totally fulfilled when God lived among Israel in bodily form. To someone who is not of the Christian faith, this would sound more like the stuff mythology is made of. Why would God, with all the attributes ascribed to Him by Hebrew literature, lower Himself and live among morally and spiritually corrupt people? Could God do that and still be considered God? Doesn’t the thought that a person should strive to elevate their own character to a moral and spiritual level acceptable to God make more sense? It would make more sense if people could change their moral and spiritual character to align with God’s demand for holiness. However, when people lack that ability, then there is no bridge between mankind and God. Mankind’s moral and spiritual bankruptcy leaves us in an eternally hopeless situation. That’s why the meaning of the name, Immanuel, is of such importance to us. The phrase “God with us” helps us to see Jesus for who he is. Only then can we embrace his mission and accomplishment for mankind. Jesus didn’t just come to be with us, he came to save us from our sin. It was not enough for God to be with us. God had to become what we were, so that we could become what He is. Mankind had no bridge between God and us. Therefore, God had to become the bridge that could reconcile mankind to Himself. Sin had caused the chasm of separation between God and mankind. God’s judgment of sin required the death of the sinner. Jesus had to come into the world as a part of mankind. He had to be brought into the world without sin. Jesus had to live a sinless life as a part of mankind. Then, Jesus had to accept being a sacrificial offering for sin to fulfill the righteousness of God. Having accomplished all of this, God raised him from death and elevated him above every living creature. Aside from Jesus, every human being born into the world was conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity. We were born into a situation leading to eternal damnation. For all who put their hope in him, Jesus is the offering for sin that grants eternal life. There is no wonder that during the season when we celebrate Jesus’ birth into the world, we see and sing about Emmanuel. Indeed, we were delivered because God was with us. Robert C. Hudson November 21, 2020

Called to be Heir

December 6, 2020 Background Scripture: Matthew 1:1 – 17; Hebrews 1 Lesson Passage: Matthew 1:1 – 6, 16 – 17; Hebrews 1:1 – 5 For some families, genealogy is everything. When nobility is a part of the family, genealogy is indispensable because it is needed to show the clear line of secession from one generation to the next. Matthew and Luke both offer genealogies of Jesus. Luke’s genealogy is significant because it clearly delineates the humanity of Jesus by tracing his lineage back to Adam, the first human. Any question about Jesus’ humanity can be answered by referring to the genealogy provided by Luke. Matthew’s genealogy is interesting for several reasons. First, in a very unusual way, Matthew’s genealogy includes five women. Four of them could have been viewed as scandalous. Those four could have been viewed as contaminating the Jewish bloodline of the Messiah. Three of them involved matters of indiscretion. A second observation of Matthew’s genealogy is that it follows the royal lineage starting with King David. Most of those listed were either king of united Israel or king of Judah, after the kingdom was divided. The final one third of the genealogy takes place after the crown has been cast down in Babylon, but it still follows the lineage that was heir to the crown of Judah. It is this observation that brings us to the topic of this lesson, “Called to be Heir”. What does it mean to be heir of a crown that has been cast down? Nothing if the crown remains that way. The prophets of God made it clear that is not the final outcome. The kingdom will be restored. Upon restoration, the proper ruler will be enthroned. However, the prophecy goes well beyond the restoration of Judah as a sovereign nation. Judah will be restored as sovereign over the entire world. The throne of Judah will be reestablished as the sovereignty over this earthly kingdom. The heir of such a kingdom must be properly identified and recognized. Matthew’s genealogy resolves all of that. Is that the end of the story? Not hardly. Restored Judah will be much more than an earthly kingdom with human subjects. It will be an everlasting kingdom and the subjects will be human and angelic. All spirits and powers will become subject to this kingdom. This is where the writer of the Hebrew epistle helps us to grasp what is to come. Angels and other spirits and principalities are only subject to God. They are sent to be servants of God who sometimes intervene in human situations. For them to be subject to this throne, the one who rules from it must be God or an Heir of God. Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He was born into this world as a child and therefore was made lower than the angels. (This is where the old Baptist preachers would say "He came down through forty and two generations”.) Although Jesus had a human mother, God is his Father. After the Calvary event where he secured eternal salvation for mankind, God raised him from the dead and gave him a name that is above all names. At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and recognize that he is heir to the eternal throne. Jesus is a descendant of David and because of it will reign over mankind. Jesus is the son of God and because of it will reign over angels, principalities and every other kind of spirit. As son of David, Jesus is heir to the throne that is prophesied to rule over all the earth. As son of God, Jesus is heir to the eternal throne that rules over the entire creation and every living creature. In Jesus, both thrones become one, and he is the sole heir to it. Robert C. Hudson November 21, 2020