God With Us

Matthew 1:18-22

Jody Robertson

December 14, 2025

The Bible clearly shows that God is holy, meaning He is other than us. He is completely powerful (omnipotent), present everywhere all at once (omnipresent), and knows everything (omniscient). That is well expressed in 1 Timothy 6:15,16. In Acts 17:25-28, Paul is speaking to Greek philosophers in Athens. He takes them from where they are in their understanding of God to the God of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He points them to God, on whom we are totally dependent. God, the creator of the entire universe. (Hebrews 11:3)

But we find this picture of God to be uncomfortable, in fact, scary. We can well identify with the children of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai. They preferred for Moses to approach God on their behalf. For them, God was unapproachable. 

However, God has approached us and still does. In 1 Timothy 3:16, Paul says that God has come to us “in the flesh.” Paul admits that he doesn’t understand this, calling it a “mystery.” The Virgin Mary asked how this was to happen. The angel just said it would be a work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord planned for when it would happen, describing it as “the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4). Why Jesus came is expressed in John 3:16. Out of His love for us, Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sin. (John 3:16, John 1:1-3, 10-14, and Hebrews 2:14,15) 

When the Lord Jesus came as a baby, He appeared in a way that was not intimidating to us. Note that while He came for us, He did not come against those other people we may not like. He came and is available for everyone. He came to take the place on the cross of all who will believe. 

Now Hebrews 13:5, 6, and 8 assure us that God is always with us. It is true that at least at times we may not feel that He is with us. But His presence is not dependent on our feelings. Nor is it dependent on our circumstances. Hebrews 4:14-16 assures us that the Lord Jesus, having experienced fully what it is to be human, understands our weaknesses. Therefore, we can confidently come to Him and be assured of receiving His mercy, grace, and help.

 Elton Nelson