Love Comes Near: An Advent Bible Study, Dec. 13th Read Matthew 1:22-25 Write Matthew 1:23 Matthew 1:23 - " 'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,' which means, 'God is with us.'" "In Matthew's telling of the birth story of Jesus, he is adamant about point- ing to the birth of Jesus as specific fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. There are five different times in Matthew, where he says something like what we see in verse 22: 'All this took place to fulfill'" Read Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the virgin is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." "When these words were originally uttered hundreds of years earlier, it would have been impossible to predict that God would fulfill them as he did. And Matthew's mission is to show the unity of God's plan, by emphasizing the unity between the Old Testament and the New." ----- "What additional detail does Matthew give in verse 23, that's missing from Isaiah 7:14?" The definition of Immanuel, "God is with us." ----- "Why do you think Matthew is sure to mention this detail?" Maybe because people reading it wouldn't know it means "God is with us." ----- "What does Joseph do after he wakes up from his encounter with the angel? Write down the specific ways Joseph was obedient." Joseph took Mary as his wife, had no marital relations with her until her son was born, and named the son Jesus. ----- "Love Comes Near "I think it's important to remember that God has always been Immanuel. He has always been with us. This title for God is used in the Old Testament. It's a name for God's sovereign intervention and defense of his people. But, in Jesus (especially with Matthew's emphasis in verse 23) our eyes are open to its new depth in meaning. Yes, he's with us. But, now he's *with* us. He's here, with skin on, breathing the same air, in and out. "While the name 'Jesus' (our Savior) points to what he will do (save us), the name 'Immanuel' points to who he is. He is God with us. And when you hear his name this Christmas, when you sing 'O Come Immanuel' in your caroling or Sun- day worship, I pray you are renewed in your awe of it. I pray your heart ex- plodes with thankfulness over this new layer of nearness we have received by his arrival on earth. "How do you see these two distinct aspects of Immanuel today? In what ways do you see his sovereignty in your life and in the world? In what ways do you feel him close to you, like he's a guest at your dinner table?" God is with us at all times in his Holy Spirit, which seeks to keep us close to Him. But Jesus is our savior and lived and taught and died so we may grow nearer to God and that we may be forgiven our sins. Lord knows that I am a sinful wretch, a selfish being who takes care of himself (not so well, act- ually) before considering others. If I put God first, I am sure I would do a better job of putting others first also. That would be His sovereignty in my life if I could just do it. I don't know that I keep Jesus close at hand as much as I should, as if he were a guest to dinner. Maybe because of my current habit of being up late at night, we don't even end up having dinner it seems like normal folks do. Sometimes Jamie and I will join each other at the table, other times she will eat in her room and I will either eat with her there or by myself at the table. I wish we could eat at table more often, and remember you better Lord, by saying grace at the table, inviting you to be a part of our meals. I am going to try to mend my ways so that I am up better during the daytime hours and see if that helps. Lord, I miss Jamie's company. Please help me to make my life so I can do a better job of being her companion and boyfriend. Thank you, Lord. Amen.