Emmanuel: The King Is Here and You Are Never Alone

Introduction

Sunday, December 7, 2025, a service at Elim Church. Pastor Cathy continues her Christmas series with a second part on the birth of the King. A hidden King, who came once to reign in hearts, and who will come again to reign over the whole universe.

Her theme fits in one word: Emmanuel, "God with us." She wants you to see the beauty of this King who chose to become fully human without ever ceasing to be fully God. Not to stay in abstract theology. To tell you this: in your storms, in your temptations, in your grief, in your loneliness, this King came all the way down to you. He is with you. You are never alone.

Article outline

1. A King who comes twice
2. The testimony of Joseph and Mary: a supernatural birth
3. The incarnation: 100% God, 100% man
4. Why this is vital for your salvation
5. Isaiah 9:6: four titles for the eternal King
6. Emmanuel: the King is with you in your loneliness and temptations
7. What you can do this Christmas

1. A King who comes twice

Pastor Cathy starts by reminding you what she laid out the week before. Jesus is a hidden King. He came once, 2,000 years ago, in a stable in Bethlehem. The world did not recognize him.

He inaugurated this first reign. But it can't be seen from a distance: it's an inner reign, in the heart of those who receive him. For 2,000 years, this reign has been spreading, heart by heart, as men and women become Christians and let Jesus reign in them.

Then the second coming will happen. This time, he will no longer be hidden. He will reign as a visible King over the whole universe, physically and spiritually. Not only in heaven, here on earth too. This will be his glorious reign, described in Revelation 19 through 21.

To illustrate this moment, Pastor Cathy mentions the oratorio Messiah by George Frideric Handel. An oratorio over two hours long, with solos, choruses, and above all the famous Hallelujah Chorus, "Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigns," drawn from Revelation. Tradition says that when King George II of England first heard it, he stood up, moved. The whole court rose behind him. Ever since, whenever the Hallelujah Chorus is performed, the audience stands. An earthly king rises because another King, the true one, is beginning his eternal reign.

2. The testimony of Joseph and Mary: a supernatural birth

How was this King born? Two testimonies come together in the Gospels.

Joseph's testimony, in Matthew 1:20-23. An angel appears to him in a dream and says: "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins." And Matthew adds: "Now all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,' which is, being interpreted, 'God with us.'"

For Joseph, the truth becomes clear: Mary is pregnant, but this is a supernatural birth that comes from the Holy Spirit. It's a miracle. The child's name is even given by the angel. And this birth had been foretold 700 years earlier by the prophet Isaiah.

Mary's testimony, in Luke 1:26-35. The angel Gabriel is sent to Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to Joseph. He tells her: "Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and give birth to a son, and shall name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High... He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his Kingdom."

Mary objects: how can this be, since she does not know a man? The angel answers: "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God."

Pastor Cathy points out what this child's identity reveals. Son of the Most High, so the Son of God: he is divine. Heir to David's throne: he is an earthly king, in the messianic line. His reign will have no end: he is eternal, so not merely human, since David's descendants have all died. This Messiah-King can only be a divine being who lives on forever.

3. The incarnation: 100% God, 100% man

Jesus' birth is not a normal conception. This is what theology calls the incarnation: the act of God taking on a body. From the Latin caro, carnis: flesh.

Divinity and humanity meet together in Jesus. There has never been a being like him. He is unique. And here Pastor Cathy puts a question to the congregation: how do you picture this union? 50% God and 50% man? Mostly God? Mostly man? Or 100% of both?

The right answer is the last one. Jesus is fully God and fully man. Not a blend, not a mixture. Two complete natures in one person.

This is not a modern invention. This theological debate lasted nearly four centuries in the early church. It was settled once and for all at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, whose creed confesses that Jesus Christ is "truly God and truly man... recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation."

Cathy mentions several historical distortions. For example: the idea that Jesus was an ordinary human until his baptism, when the Holy Spirit descended on him and made him become God, then left him at the cross because "you can't kill a god." Or the position of Jehovah's Witnesses: that Jesus is less than God, a very powerful angel. Every major cult deviation touches this point: the divinity and humanity of Jesus. It only takes a small shift on this question to drift entirely into error.

4. Why this is vital for your salvation

Why isn't this debate merely theoretical? Because your salvation depends directly on it.

Pastor Cathy breaks it down. To save you, you need a mediator. That mediator has to be both God and man.

He has to be God, because the sacrifice for your sins must be perfect, without sin. Only God is perfect. Another human (even someone who loved you enough to die in your place) cannot save you, because he carries his own sin. Neither can an angel: he can protect you, but he cannot die for you.

He has to be man, because the sacrifice requires a body. God as spirit cannot die. He had to take on a body, to become one of us, so that death would be possible. He also had to represent the whole human race before God.

In Jesus, you have both perfectly united. He represents the whole of humanity because he is truly man. And he offers a flawless sacrifice because he is truly God. That is why (and only why) he can save you.

This is also what makes the incarnation so overwhelming. Pastor Cathy quotes a line often attributed to Athanasius of Alexandria and repeated by C.S. Lewis: "The Son of God became man so that man might become a son of God." An infinite God became a finite man. An eternal God took on a mortal body. And he took it on forever: Jesus became man for eternity. Even today, in heaven, he is still man, a glorified man, but a real man, with a resurrected body.

5. Isaiah 9:6: four titles for the eternal King

Seven hundred years before Jesus' birth, the prophet Isaiah had already announced the cosmic scope of this reign. Pastor Cathy has the congregation read Isaiah 9:6-7:

"For a child is born to us. A son is given to us; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on David's throne, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this."

Four titles for one child.

• Wonderful Counselor: filled with the immense wisdom that governing requires.
• Mighty God: a child, yes, but he is Mighty God. His divinity shines through.
• Everlasting Father: a royal title, evoking both kingship and a reign without end.
• Prince of Peace: the ruler who will finally establish lasting peace.

Pastor Cathy puts the question to the congregation: are you happy with the government of France? Is China's government maybe better? A strong dictator? She points out that when humans become kings, they almost always become dictators. Democracy has exactly one real advantage: it lets you get rid of dictators who overstay. But it isn't very good at establishing justice and peace.

The good news is that one day the Kingdom of God will come. A just kingdom. A kingdom of peace. A glorious kingdom. And the King will be Jesus.

And there's more still. The Bible says that we will reign with him as heirs, as sons and daughters of God, as the King's bride. Pastor Cathy insists: everything you're going through today (trials, difficulties, moments you didn't ask for) is the King's training ground, teaching you to reign. Wake up. Take hold of your position. Take your trials with joy, because this is the school of royalty.

6. Emmanuel: the King is with you in your loneliness and temptations

The King will come back to reign gloriously. But today, in your life which may not feel glorious at all, you might be telling yourself: "I'm suffering. Where is he?"

Pastor Cathy describes a painting. A boat in the middle of a terrible storm, sinking. And someone asleep on board. That's the picture you may have of Jesus at times: he's there, but he seems asleep. He doesn't react.

The worst part, she says, is not the difficulty itself. It's the loneliness. When you're all alone in what you're going through, you feel hopeless. But Jesus says: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you." (see Isaiah 43:2) You are not alone.

That's what Christmas is. Jesus came to join you. He carries the name Emmanuel, "God with us." Divinity entered humanity to tell you: be at peace, I am with you. It doesn't matter whether you're grieving, facing financial hardship, sickness, disability, or heartbreak. Emmanuel means Jesus entered your situation with you.

Second piece of good news: facing your temptations, you have someone who understands you. Hebrews 4:15-16 says: "For we don't have a high priest who can't be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let's therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need."

Maybe you've never thought of it this way: Jesus was tempted in every way just as you are. Money, sex, everything that can trouble you. He didn't pretend. He tasted every temptation you face. He knows tiredness, hard work, grief (the Bible suggests his father Joseph died, and Jesus worked until age 30 to care for his family). He knows rejection. The Bible calls him a "man of suffering, acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3).

That is why he can sympathize with you in your struggle. He never lets you fall. He never allows you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. And he listens to your prayers like a close friend, who cares for you day after day.

7. What you can do this Christmas

Pastor Cathy closes with a very concrete call. The end of the year is busy. It's good to eat good food, celebrate, receive gifts. But let go of what needs to be let go.

The most important thing is to worship Jesus, to give him your time, to welcome him into your heart, and above all to let him reign over your heart. Jesus came to proclaim the Good News. Now it's your turn to proclaim it, and to bring others into his Kingdom.

Key takeaways

• Two comings, one King. Today he reigns in hearts; one day he will reign visibly over the whole universe.
• Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. Two complete natures in one person, as confessed by the Council of Chalcedon (451).
• Your salvation depends on this dual nature. A man was needed to represent, a God for a perfect sacrifice.
• Emmanuel, "God with us." In the storm, the loneliness, the temptation: you are never alone.
• Your trials are a school of royalty. The King is training you to reign with him one day.

Personal application

1. Where does Jesus seem to be "asleep" in your life right now? What does "Emmanuel" mean for you in that exact situation?
2. Do you truly confess Jesus as fully God and fully man, or does your mind lean toward one over the other?
3. Which temptation feels impossible to carry today? What changes, knowing Jesus faced it before you and knows your weakness?
4. How could your current trials become "the King's school" instead of just a burden?
5. This Christmas, what are you willing to let go of, to give Jesus your time, welcome him, and let him reign?

Verses cited

• Matthew 1:20-23 - the announcement to Joseph, Emmanuel
• Luke 1:26-35 - the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary
• Isaiah 9:6-7 - Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
• Hebrews 4:15-16 - a high priest who sympathizes
• Isaiah 53:3 - man of suffering
• Isaiah 43:2 - when you pass through the waters, I will be with you
• Mark 14:22-25 - the Lord's Supper
• Revelation 19 through 21 - the eternal reign of the King

FAQ

What does "Emmanuel" actually mean?

"Emmanuel" literally means "God with us" (Matthew 1:23, quoting Isaiah 7:14). This isn't a pious slogan: it's a reality. In Jesus, God entered our humanity to share our condition, down to tiredness, sorrow, and temptation. Even today, through his Spirit, he is present with you in the hardest situations you face. You are never alone.

Why does it matter so much that Jesus is both God and man?

Because your salvation depends directly on it. A true man was needed to represent humanity before God and to die in a body. A true God was needed to offer a perfect, sinless sacrifice of infinite worth. An angel, an ordinary man, or a "half God" Jesus could not redeem you. Only a mediator fully God and fully man can do it, and that is exactly what Jesus is.

The Council of Chalcedon: why talk about that today?

Because the major modern doctrinal deviations almost always touch this same point: the person of Christ. Some groups turn him into a man who was made divine at his baptism, others into a superior angel, others into a God who never truly suffered. The Chalcedonian Creed (451) set the marker: Jesus is truly God and truly man, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation. It's a compass that keeps you from drifting.