Immanuel

On this fourth Lord’s Day Sunday in Lent, the final Sunday in the month of March and the eve of its closing, we pause. We pause to look back at the grace and goodness of God in each of our lives.

Regardless of how our lives have been, in spite of the times of deep trials and hardships, amidst those moments when we were crushed and felt as though we could not go on, those lonely hours when we could feel the cold, gripping hand of the deceiver, trying to take away all faith and trust in Jesus, we are here today. We all are here, wholly and solely due to the saving grace of our all-seeing, all-knowing, all-hearing and all-seeking Heavenly Father. We are alive in Jesus and not held captive by the clever, wily deceiver, because of the wonderful, powerful, work of grace wrought on that cross, on Calvary’s Hill. I have learnt and am learning, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, the undefeatable and indefatigable power of the living, saving, shed Blood of Jesus.

I personally know of people, believers, who love and serve the Lord faithfully and dearly, who have found these words of William Cowper’s hymn, ‘There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood’, to be barbaric, offensive and utterly gross.

There is a fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood,

Lose all their guilty stains.

It has been explained to me that the mere thought of a fountain of blood, and being drawn from the veins of Immanuel, God with us, turns them off. I don’t know if you are one who is turned off also, but I do know that however we receive this hymn, it does bring us unmitigated facts about the shed Blood of Immanuel. Who is Immanuel? The prophet Isaiah prophesied about the coming of Immanuel.  Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7: 14. 

God has fulfilled this prophecy and this is revealed to us in Matthew’s Gospel. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, God with us. Matthew 1:  22 - 23. Are we not blessed in this hour, abundantly blessed at that, because we too can boast most confidently in Immanuel, God with us?

Let us, in this hour and time, remember that God is with us in His form and choosing. Let us bask in the beauty, power and grace of the Living Word, as we seek to realize, in us and in others, the presence of Immanuel, God with us. Will you bask in the Living Word, as we receive each by faith with thanksgiving?

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14. May we, by faith, know, show and live daily in this truth. Immanuel still dwells with us. 

If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them. Numbers 14: 8 – 9. May we in trust, know, show and live daily in this truth. Immanuel is with us so we do not need to fear the enemy.

But now be strong, Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD, and work. For I am with you, declares the LORD Almighty. This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear. Haggai 2: 4 – 5. 

May we, in stubborn belief, know, show and live daily in this truth. Immanuel is surely with us, so that we own the strength of His Spirit, and not the strength of the enemy called fear.

It is precisely because Immanuel is with us; the Living Word is with us; Jesus is with us, that the works of the Powerful Blood of Immanuel are ceaseless.

Tomorrow, we want to extract from the eighteenth century hymn, treasures, invaluable gems, which are ours to receive and allow to change our lives.