God is With Us
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All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:14 NLT
The Lord prophesied the coming of Jesus through Isaiah, who lived more than 700 years before Jesus arrived. Jesus would be referred to as Immanuel (or Emmanuel) that means that God is with us. Isaiah also prophesied the torture, death and resurrection of Jesus. (Isaiah 53) God’s Son came as one of us because only the blood sacrifice of a sinless human could pay the price for our penalty of sin. Jesus paid that price through His death on the cross. His resurrection has made it possible for us to be spiritually born-again, receive the Holy Spirit and live eternally in His presence. God did all of this for us because He loves us and wanted us to be with Him. We can know God!
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV
God Wants Us to Be With Him
So, we celebrate Christmas (the birth of Jesus) in awe that God loves us and wants us to be with Him! Jesus came to rescue us from Satan’s domain, not to live in a state of numbness, neutrality or defeat, but to live in victory against the schemes of the devil. God wants us to enjoy a relationship with Him that is more powerful than we can imagine! That relationship doesn’t begin when we die and go to Heaven. It begins the moment we repent of our sin and turn to Jesus. To ignore His presence is to misunderstand the reason Jesus came. He came because God wanted to be with us now and for eternity!
I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do. Joshua 1:9 NET
We are Created in God’s Image as Family
God created us in His image– to know Him intimately as children in His Family. Even after Adam and Eve sinned, God came to them, offering reconciliation. Throughout the Old Testament, God kept assuring people that if they would trust Him like a child and obey Him as Father, He would be with them. He would protect and guide them. Everything God promised in the Old Covenant was pointing forward to the New Covenant through Jesus. He is Immanuel, our Redeemer who brings us into right relationship with God! Now we can sit at God’s Family Table and enjoy His presence through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Understands
Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem of a virgin girl named Mary. As an adult He experienced ridicule but refused the lies hurled at Him. The Lord Jesus, Immanuel, only accepted the truth from His Father, God. We must do as He did, knowing that God loves us dearly and has brought us close to His heart. Jesus didn’t own a house or transportation while He lived on earth. He worked hard to take care of His widowed mother, but knew what it meant to trust His Heavenly Father daily for everything. In poverty or in financial prosperity, God is with us! Jesus saw the evil sin of mankind and was tempted as we are, but He never sinned. And yet, Jesus had such immense compassion for us that He took our curse of sin upon Himself on the cross so we could go free!
Spend Time With Immanuel
Immanuel came to us! God didn’t send His Son, Jesus, to condemn us, but that through Him we would be rescued from our curse of death and given eternal life– in His presence! (John 3:16-17) That is the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! God has always wanted mankind to be close to Him, and if we say yes to Jesus– we are very close! Through Jesus, God is with us! His Spirit lives in us giving us eternal life so we can have a real personal relationship with Him. (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-30 NIV
God is with us! In all the wonderful celebration of Jesus’ birthday, let’s remember that Jesus is our Immanuel. Spend time with the One who came to bring us into God’s presence. Thank Him deeply from the heart. Worship and obey Him as King. And share the immeasurable gift of the Good News of our King with others! God is with us!
I pray you have a blessed Christmas Day and a blessed New Year in 2026 as you trust in the powerful, transforming, life-giving, loving grace of God through Jesus Christ!
