O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL
One of my favorite aspects of the Christmas season is the anticipation, preparation, and waiting for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Christian church, centuries ago, called this time of waiting a “Longing Expectation.” Today, we prepare and wait with joyful anticipation because we know in full that Jesus was born to save us, and hopefully, we have received the salvation and peace of His advent. This joyful anticipation was not the case for those living in what Old Testament scripture calls “in the land of darkness…” Consider the Context of Isaiah 7-11 as an example.
King Ahaz ruled Judah during a time of deep spiritual decline, embracing idolatry and rejecting trust in God. When Judah was threatened by an alliance between Syria and Israel, the people were gripped with fear. Instead of relying on the Lord, Ahaz sought help from Assyria, even paying them with treasures from the temple. Through Isaiah, God called Ahaz to choose faith over political survival, promising that the enemy threat would fail. Ahaz refused to believe, and the consequences were severe. The very nation he trusted would later invade and devastate Judah. But in times of distress and oppression against the Jews, God still gave the sign of a coming child, pointing to a future, faithful king and ruler from the line of David whose rule would never end. It is in these harrowing times that God speaks promises of hope, deliverance, and justice through the coming Messiah:
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.Isaiah 11:1-3 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.”
1st Century
God’s people received most Messianic prophecies during the 8th-4th BC centuries. Then, after the last prophecy in Malachi, no more prophecies are recorded in the Bible, a time span of about 400 years. In the 1st century, things weren’t much different from what they were 400 years earlier, as described in the book of Malachi. Many religious leaders had grown complacent or corrupt, and centuries of unfulfilled promises left people weary, disillusioned, and spiritually numb. Though Israel had received God’s law and prophets, they repeatedly fell into cycles of sin and injustice that led to foreign domination and exile, echoing earlier captivities in Egypt and Babylon. The people of Israel continued to live in darkness, but this time under Roman occupation, burdened by heavy taxes and military oppression. Israel was without a shepherd, king, or prophet. By this time, faith had withered, hope was fading, and much of humanity had grown cold to God. Yet, a longing persisted…
Into this bleak, broken, and dark world, a light suddenly rose, a voice broke through the silence…after centuries of waiting, and without warning, the light of the world was dawning on the horizon of human history… An angel appears to a priest named Zechariah to bless him with the promise of a child in his old age. Meanwhile, Mary of Nazareth, in Galilee, had also received a visit from the angel, Gabriel, who said she too would conceive and give birth to a son, and his name would be Jesus. By the time Elizabeth and Zechariah had their child, Zechariah was mute for 9 months because he did not believe this could take place. But then God gave him the ability to speak again and named his son John the Baptist.
Luke 1:67-79
Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: 68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. 69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, 70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. 71 Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. 72 He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant—73 the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. 74 We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live. 76 “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. 77 You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. 78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
The wait was over - the longing, groaning, and waiting was about to see fulfillment…the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us…
Jesus Reveals - Luke 1:76-79
Darkness in the NT is often figurative for the moral depravity of our world and in us as sinners, and spiritual ignorance.
John 8:12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
The light has come. In His appearing, we may find our way out of darkness (captivity of sin) because His life is a revelation of truth, and the truth sets you free (we are saved). We may know and no longer be ignorant because Emmanuel God with us, illuminates who God is and how to know Him. THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE!
Jesus Rescues - Luke 1:71-75
Our savior king comes to destroy and deliver us from the works of the devil.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." Hebrews 2.14-15 (NIV)
The cave where Christ was born was not merely a sanctuary, but a fortress. He was, quite literally, born in "enemy territory," his birth nothing short of an "exultant explosion." In the words of C. S. Lewis, "Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage." The story of Christmas is not a cozy fairy tale but an exhilarating romance about a king who came to claim His rightful throne and rescue His beloved. If we miss this aspect of Christmas, we risk "missing the point of Christmas" altogether. It is not just that Christ came into the world to offer salvation, to atone for our sins, to welcome us into the family of God: He came to vanquish evil, scatter darkness, defeat death. When He drew His first breath, the depths of hell trembled. -Ryan W. Smith, Winter Fire, p 48.
Jesus Redeems - Luke 1:67-70
To redeem means to gain or regain possession of something by paying a price, which involves liberating or rescuing from captivity, bondage, or an obligation. More specifically, being “redeemed” means being bought back for a price. Redeem here is synonymous with salvation. Our salvation required Christ’s death as its cost. Redemption is God’s gracious act to rescue his people from evil, trouble, death, and bondage.
Imagine you are stuck in captivity and darkness, longing to be rescued, but decades pass and no rescue. Hope would fade, and despair would set in…No one is coming to save, no one to claim you…but then Jesus was born…
The classic Christmas hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, captures the longing for Emmanuel to come fulfill these messianic prophecies and promises.
The text for "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" comes from a 7 verse poem that dates back to the 8th century AD. It was used in a call-and-response fashion during the vespers, or evening service, and is particularly appropriate for the Advent season…This ancient Advent hymn originated in part from the “Great ‘O’ Antiphons,” part of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Advent liturgy. On each day of the week leading up to Christmas, one responsive verse would be chanted, each including a different Old Testament name for the coming Messiah. -Hymnary.org
1 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appears.
2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go.
3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
4 O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave.
5 O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death's abode.
6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the nightand
turn our darkness into light.
7 O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease,
and be yourself our King of Peace.
We sing this hymn in an already-but-not-yet kingdom of God. Christ's first coming gives us a reason to rejoice again and again, yet we know that all is not well with the world. So, along with our rejoicing, we plead using the words of this hymn that Christ would come again to perfectly fulfill the promise that all darkness will be turned to light. The original text created a reverse acrostic: “ero cras,” which means, “I shall be with you tomorrow.” That is the promise we hold to as we sing this beautiful hymn.
Jesus Returns
In addition to its anticipation of Christ’s birth, the hymn can also be interpreted to refer to the Second Coming. Van Trapp’s alternate text expounds on this theme:
O Come, Messiah, come again
And rid the world of death and sin.
Return Thou risen Savior and King,
That heav’n and earth at last may sing.
(Hymnal for Worship and Celebration: Word Music, 1986).
Let us not overlook the refrain, the short chorus:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
This is a call to our souls, to one another, and adoration to God to rejoice, rejoice. By the time the church would finish singing this hymn, they would have encouraged themselves, one another, and honor God by rejoicing 14 times. 7 reasons to rejoice 14 times while we wait for Christ’s return.
Closing
Christmas is a season of groaning and gladness. Longing and celebrating. We are glad he came, but we long and groan for the fullness of His glory, for His return. But before this happens, God bids us to return first. God bids through Christ for you to know the ransom has been paid, redemption has been made, salvation has come, the rescue mission is still underway, and the way to be free from sin and know God has been revealed. God bids for you, your family, and your friends to receive Jesus. So we sing O Come O Come Emmanuel, but for you who are not in a relationship with God, He calls you to come home to Him.
Discussion
What is one thing from the message that resonated with you?
What kinds of darkness (personal, cultural, spiritual) do you see in King Ahaz’s time? How do you see similar darkness today?
Why do you think King Ahaz chose political survival over trusting God, even after God offered him a sign?
What consequences have you seen, personally or culturally, when trust in God is replaced with self-reliance?
Why is it significant that God spoke His greatest promises of hope during Judah’s darkest moments?
How does knowing Jesus fulfills centuries-old promises strengthen your faith when God feels silent?
How does viewing Christmas as a rescue mission rather than a cozy story change how you celebrate it?
What additional notes did you make during the sermon?
What area of your life feels like it’s still in darkness and how can we pray together for Christ’s light to shine there?
The most important decision you will ever make!
If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life, we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready, say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!
We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!