God With Us

Good evening, welcome to New Horizon. Merry Christmas Eve Eve.

Read Matthew 1:18–25.

Pray.

Immanuel- God with us.

Perhaps this is understood in a general, somewhat shallow way. God was born in flesh. God was with us.

God. We celebrate what God has done.

Us. We celebrate what was done for our benefit.

Really important word in the middle of the phrase, a preposition that ties God and us together. With.

I wonder if we have thought through the implications of the name Immanuel- What does it mean that God is with us?

1. God has revealed Himself to us.

God has not merely walked among us, God has made Himself known.

We are meant to SEE that God is present with us.

We are to recognize Jesus as the presence of God in our midst.

Jesus is not meant to be a stranger, hiding His identity.

To be with somebody assumes a presence.

We must see that the birth of Jesus reminds us that God is present with us, whether we are aware of His presence or not.

Ali disappearing when she was a child. She claims to have always known where her family was.

We often lose sight of God. But God reminds us that He is with us, He hasn’t lost us.

Takes us to our next point.

2. God is enduring alongside us.

The preposition “with” suggests a passing of time.

God by or beside us- suggests presence that can be gone immediately.

Sustaining us.

“Are you still with me?”

Teaching our children to walk- from knowing we are with them, to questioning if we are with them.

Romans 8:38–39- “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The most terrifying aspects of our existence- life, things to come, spiritual beings.

3. God is on our side.

God is working for our benefit.

“Who are you with?“

John 3:16- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

God thusly loved the world- God loved the world BY sending His Son. He proves His love, He shows His love.

Don’t know where you are this evening. God has proven His love. Do you have eyes to see it?