Ⅱ
" 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel' (which is translated, God with us)"—Matt. 1:23:
A
Jesus was the King-Savior's name given by God, whereas Emmanuel was the King-Savior's name called by man—v. 23.
B
Matthew is a book on Emmanuel—God incarnated to be with us—vv. 21- 23.
C
Emmanuel is all-inclusive—Phil. 1:19:
１
He is first our Savior (Luke 2:11), then our Redeemer (John 1:29; Rom. 3:24), then our Life-giver (1 Cor. 15:45b), and then the all-inclusive, indwelling Spirit (John 14:16-20; Rom. 8:9-11).
２
Actually, the content of the entire New Testament is an Emmanuel (Matt. 1:23; 18:20; 28:20; Rev. 21:3), and all the believers in Christ, as the members of Christ, are a part of this great Emmanuel, the corporate Christ (1 Cor. 12:12; Col. 3:10-11).
D
The practical Emmanuel is the Spirit of reality as the presence of the consummated Triune God in our spirit; His presence is always with us in our spirit, not only day by day but also moment by moment—John 1:14; 14:16-20; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Tim. 4:22:
１
He is with us in our gatherings—Matt. 18:20.
２
He is with us all the days—28:20.
３
He is with us in our spirit—2 Tim. 4:22:
ａ
Today our spirit is the land of Immanuel—Isa. 8:7-8.
ｂ
Because God is with us, the enemy can never take over the land of Immanuel—v. 10; cf. 1 John 5:4; John 3:6.
４
We can enjoy the presence of the Triune God in gathering together for the teaching of His holy Word—Matt. 18:20; 28:20; Psa. 119:30; Acts 6:4.
５
We enjoy grace and peace through the Spirit as the presence of the Triune God—Gal. 6:18; Acts 9:31.
６
The Spirit's leading and witnessing are His presence—Rom. 8:14, 16.
７
We enjoy the dispensing of the Triune God through His presence as the Spirit—2 Cor. 13:14.
E
To live with Christ as Emmanuel, we need to be in His divine presence, which is the life-giving Spirit as the consummation of the Triune God— Gal. 5:25:
１
To live with Christ, we still live, yet not by ourselves alone but by Christ living in us and with us as Emmanuel; the Triune God cannot complete His intention to dispense Himself into our being outside of us; therefore, His being with us must be inward—2:20.
２
Emmanuel is our life and person, and we are His organ, living together with Him as one person; our victory depends upon Emmanuel, the presence of Jesus.
３
If we have the Lord's presence, we have wisdom, insight, foresight, and the inner knowledge concerning things; the Lord's presence is everything to us—2 Cor. 2:10; 4:6-7; Gal. 5:25; Gen. 5:22-24; Heb. 11:5-6.
Morning Nourishment
John 14:17 …The Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive,…but you know Him, because He abides with you and shall be in you.Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Matthew is a book on Emmanuel—God incarnated to be with us. The practical Emmanuel is the Spirit of reality (John 14:16-20). When Peter and the other disciples heard the Lord’s word in Matthew 18:20 and 28:20, they may have wondered how the Lord would be with them…They may have considered that the Lord would continue to be with them physically, and this may have made them quite happy. But in John 14 the Lord Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever” (v. 16). Then in verses 17 and 18 the Lord indicated that He would become this Comforter. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 1, “The Triune God to Be Life to the Tripartite Man,” pp. 302-303)
Today’s Reading
In Matthew 28:20 the “I” is Emmanuel. In John 14 the “I” who will come in verse 18 is the Spirit of reality in verse 17. There is a progression in the divine revelation from the Gospel of Matthew to the Gospel of John. Today the Spirit of reality is Emmanuel. In Acts and the Epistles, the Spirit of reality is the very presence of the consummated Triune God in our spirit…The Triune God cannot complete His intention to dispense Himself into our being outside of us. Therefore, His being with us must be inward.To live with Christ, we need to be in His divine presence (Gal. 5:25a),… [which] is the life-giving Spirit, [or]…Emmanuel, who is the real, practical Jesus, the Triune God with the tripartite man. In order to walk by Christ as the life-giving Spirit, we must live with Christ as a person, who is Emmanuel. Today Emmanuel is the very life-giving Spirit, who is the consummated Triune God as His presence with us moment by moment…He is not only with us outwardly but also with us inwardly in our spirit every minute of the day. We do and say things one way when we are alone, but when we have someone else with us, we do and say things differently…If we realize that another One is with us, everything we do, such as shopping, will change.
There are very few Christians who walk, live, speak, and do things with Emmanuel as another One with them. We have the doctrine of Emmanuel, but we have very little experience of Emmanuel. If we had more experience of Emmanuel, we would not do many of the things we do today, such as gossip… The presence of the Lord changes our life. We all must have the realization and sensation that the Lord Jesus, who is our Savior, is also Emmanuel. He is the Triune God with us, the tripartite men. We should not say or do anything in ourselves or by ourselves. We need to experience Emmanuel.
Living with Christ is not I living alone but with Christ living in me (2:20)… You must realize that you are no longer living alone, but Christ is living with you and in you. When you have this sensation, it will revolutionize your entire life. To live with Christ, we still live, yet not by ourselves alone but by Christ living with us as Emmanuel. The name Immanuel is first mentioned in Isaiah (7:14; 8:8). Many Christians address the Lord as Jesus and Christ, but few address the Lord as Emmanuel. We must learn to call our Lord “Emmanuel.”
Emmanuel is our life and person, and we are His organ. As His organ, we live together with Him as one person. The Triune God lives together with the tripartite man…If we lose His presence, we are defeated, but if we have His presence, we have the victory. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 1, “The Triune God to Be Life to the Tripartite Man,” pp. 303-305)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 1, “The Triune God to Be Life to the Tripartite Man,” ch. 9