Order Of Service

Matthew 1:23

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Introduction

It is always a homiletical challenge to preach on the last Sunday in the year. Should the sermon be a continuation of the Christmas theme? Should the sermon be a recollection of the blessings received in the year that’s about to pass?  Should the sermon be about going forward into the New Year? How does the content fit with the Watch Night sermon and the first sermon of the New Year? With God’s help, I think this sermon will be befitting for this last Sunday of 2025. Ok, enough of the homiletical metatalk.  Let’s get to the sermon.

In this text, Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14. He sees the birth of Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy.  One of the greatest truths of Christmas - and there are many - is that God made Himself flesh and came to be with us. Matthew states that His name shall be Emmanuel.

In the tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare had Juliet to ask, “What’s in a name?” She further stated, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  Juliet’s implication was that names are not that important.  She was wrong. Her love for Romeo caused her to make a statement that was true only in her case.  She loved Romeo and did not care about Romeo’s family’s name, which was synonymous to an enemy to her family.

Names are important! No one wants to live on a dead end, but have no problem living on a cul de sac. No one would eat hog guts, but chitterlings are now a delicacy. Let’s face it, dining on escargot sounds a lot better than eating snails.      

I say again, names are important, especially to the ancient Hebrews. Perhaps, there is no nation which paid more attention to the bestowal of names than the Hebrews. They treated titles the same as names. Sometimes, titles and names were merged. When people changed their behavior or their outlook on life, their names were also changed. Hebrew names were often compound words which made a complete sentence. It was common for an individual to have several names to describe their several attributes and titles. In the Bible, there are more than 256 names and titles given to Jesus, in an effort to reveal to us His majesty, His deity, and His humanity.

Earlier in Matthew 1:21, the angels instructed Joseph to name the child, Jesus. This is no contradiction.  Jesus specifies “what He does” – God saves. Emmanuel specifies “who He is” – God with us.

Exposition

1. God Has Been With Us During The Hard Times Of This Year.

(Sickness, Bereavement, Disappointment.)

(He Did Not Abandon Us.)

(Through It All, He Was There.)

(He Provided Support As A Good Shepherd Provides For His Sheep.)

2. God Is With Us Now To Provide Joy, Peace And Contentment.

(He Provides Unspeakable Joy.)

(He Provides Peace That Surpasses All Understanding.)

(He Provides Contentment As He Plans To Give Us Something Better.)

3. God Will Be With Us In The New Year And That Gives Us Blessed Assurance.

(He Is The Same Yesterday, Today, And Forever.)

(He Blesses Us Year After Year.)

(His Steadfastness Is Worthy Of Our Total Praise.)

Closing Thoughts

Jesus means God saves. How does God save?  He saves by being with us. How did He get with us? He was born as a human of a virgin. He could not be Jesus if He had not become Emmanuel. The Savior had to come among us to save us, just as a life guard has to dive in to the water to save a drowning man. Thank God He came to save us.

Give God Glory! Give God All The Glory!     

End Notes

1. Hebrew names were often a combination of words that made a complete sentence. Many ended with “Jah” or “El.”  Both are words for God. Thus, we have Elijah, Samuel, Nathaniel, Daniel, Ezekiel, Gabriel, and many other examples. Emmanuel or Immanuel is formed by combining “Immanu”, which means “with us” and “El”, which means “God”.

2. The phrase “being interpreted” implies that Jesus is not only the Savior of the Jews, but also of all people. Why should the classical Hebrew be interpreted or translated? So, that all people may know Him as Lord and Savior.

3. I can’t help but mention that the main problem in Romeo and Juliet was the lack of communication. Nobody was talking to anybody. The tragic end of both of these young lovers was the result of the absence of clear, intentional communication. This play could be considered a cautionary tale to motivate us to communicate better, whether in families, in the church, or in business organizations. The lack of communication was the root cause of this tragedy.

Copyright © 2025 By James C. Ward

All Rights Reserved