Sermon Resources - Dr. Toby Holt
Does the God who made the universe actually want to be near you? In this sermon on Matthew 1:18-25, the birth of Jesus Christ, Dr. Toby B. Holt traces the meaning of the name announced to Joseph: "they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us" (Matthew 1:23, NKJV). The Reformed tradition reads this as the heart of the incarnation, the eternal Son taking real human flesh to dwell among His people. Yet the angel gives a second name with a saving purpose: "you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21, NKJV). God comes near, and He comes to save.
0:00 — More Than Watching From Afar. God does not merely observe us; in Christ He comes to be with us.
4:08 — The Great Bookend. "God with us" (Matt 1:23) opens the Gospel that closes "I am with you always" (Matt 28:20).
9:14 — "You Shall Call His Name Jesus." He will save His people from their sins (Matt 1:21).
10:12 — Joseph's Obedient Faith. A righteous man believes the angel and takes the child as his own.
20:49 — God With Us in Every Trial. When others leave, Emmanuel remains.
Questions This Sermon Answers:
1. What does the name Immanuel mean in Matthew 1:23?
Matthew translates the name for his readers directly: "they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us" (Matthew 1:23, NKJV). The name, drawn from Isaiah 7:14, declares that in the child born of Mary, God Himself has come to dwell among His people. The Reformed tradition reads this not as God merely sending help from a distance, but as the eternal Son truly present in human flesh, fulfilling the promise that God would be with His covenant people.
2. Why was Jesus given the name "Jesus"?
The angel tells Joseph the reason plainly: "you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21, NKJV). The name Jesus (from the Hebrew Yeshua) means "the Lord saves," and the NKJV margin notes it literally means "Savior." The name itself announces His mission. He came not chiefly to teach or to model behavior, but to save His people from the guilt and power of their sins, which He accomplished at the cross.
3. What is the doctrine of the incarnation in Matthew 1:18-25?
The incarnation is the truth that the eternal Son of God took to Himself a true human nature. Matthew shows the child "conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 1:20, NKJV), fully God yet truly man. The Westminster Confession (8.2) states that the Son took "man's nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin," so that two whole natures are joined in one Person. This child is God with us.
4. Why does Matthew emphasize the virgin birth?
Twice Matthew stresses that Mary conceived apart from a human father: she "was found with child of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 1:18, NKJV), and the angel confirms "that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 1:20, NKJV). This fulfills Isaiah 7:14, quoted in verse 23. The virgin conception guards both Christ's full deity and His sinless humanity, marking Him from the moment of conception as the promised Savior rather than an ordinary descendant of Adam.
5. How is Joseph an example of obedient faith?
Joseph is called "a just man" (Matthew 1:19, NKJV), and when the angel speaks, he simply obeys: "Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife" (Matthew 1:24, NKJV). At real cost to his reputation, he believes the word of God and takes the child as his own. Reformed teaching sees here that genuine faith is not passive sentiment but trust that acts in obedience to God's revealed word.
6. How does "God with us" connect the beginning and end of Matthew?
Matthew opens with the promise "God with us" (Matthew 1:23, NKJV) and closes with the risen Christ's words, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen" (Matthew 28:20, NKJV). Dr. Holt calls this "the Great Bookend." The Gospel begins and ends with the presence of God in Christ. What is announced at His birth is secured by His death and resurrection and pledged to His people until He returns.
7. Is Jesus fully God and fully man?
Yes. Matthew presents a child conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20) who is also named "God with us" (Matthew 1:23, NKJV). The Westminster Confession (8.2) confesses that in Christ the divine and human natures are "inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion." He is true God, so He can save; He is true man, so He can stand in the place of His people. He is one Person forever.
8. What sins does Jesus save His people from?
The angel says He will "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21, NKJV), not merely from circumstances, enemies, or suffering. The Reformed tradition understands this to mean salvation from sin's guilt, its condemnation, and its enslaving power. The deepest human problem is not external but moral: we have sinned against a holy God. The name Jesus declares that this is precisely the need He came to meet, by bearing His people's sins Himself.
9. How does Matthew 1:23 fulfill Old Testament prophecy?
Matthew states the birth happened "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet" (Matthew 1:22, NKJV), then quotes Isaiah 7:14. The sign given to Judah centuries earlier finds its full meaning in Christ. Reformed interpreters, following Calvin, see the New Testament as the unveiling of promises made long before, so that the whole of Scripture points to the coming of the Son who is God with us.
10. What comfort does "God with us" give in trials?
Because the name is Immanuel, "God with us" (Matthew 1:23, NKJV), believers are never finally alone. Dr. Holt notes that when others leave, Emmanuel remains. The same Lord who came in the flesh promises, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20, NKJV). The incarnation is not only a doctrine to confess but a comfort to lean on, since the God who saves His people also remains present with them in every trial.
Key Theological Points:
1. God Came to Be With Us, Not Merely to Watch From Afar
The Christian God is not a distant observer. In Christ He enters His own creation and dwells among His people. Matthew states it as the meaning of the name: "they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us" (Matthew 1:23, NKJV). The incarnation is God closing the distance Himself. He does not send a message about salvation from heaven only; the Son takes flesh and comes near. This is the wonder Joseph is told to expect, that God Himself will be present in the child Mary bears.
2. The Name Jesus Reveals His Saving Mission
The two names in this passage interpret each other. Immanuel tells us who the child is, God with us; the name Jesus tells us why He came. "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21, NKJV). Salvation from sin is the purpose of the incarnation. God comes near in order to redeem, and He does so by bearing sin Himself at the cross. The presence of God in Christ is therefore a saving nearness, aimed at rescuing a people from guilt and judgment.
3. The Incarnation Joins True God and True Man in One Person
The child is "conceived of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 1:20) and named "God with us" (Matthew 1:23), yet He is born of Mary as a real man. The Westminster Confession (8.2) confesses that the Son took human nature, so that two whole natures, divine and human, are joined in one Person without confusion or change. This is essential for salvation: as God, the Son has power to save; as man, He can stand in the place of His people. Only one who is both can be Immanuel and Savior at once.
The Scripture Text: Matthew 1:21-23 (NKJV)
"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'"
Continue studying: explore the full Gospel of Matthew sermon series, or browse the complete Reformed Sermon Archive.
About The Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt serves as the third President of New Geneva Theological Seminary (Colorado Springs, CO), founded 1993. An expository preacher with over 1.9 million sermon downloads on SermonAudio.com, Dr. Holt brings over 17 years of pastoral experience to his verse-by-verse Bible teaching. New Geneva offers fully online Reformed theological education — M.Div., Th.M., D.Min., and other degrees.
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