God Sacrifices for Us

Introduction:

Emmanuel - 4 facets/truths

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.”

God Pursues— Isr. rebel, not faithful, persistent iss… God came down INTO our mess to save!

Jesus can relate— Jesus was fully human && divine… He can relate on exemplary level & exp. same joy & loss that we do

This week >>

God Sacrifices for Us

The story of Emmanuel is one wherein God comes down not to a palace or a throne but to a animal feeding trough in a dirty barn to live the life of a poor traveling preacher.

Jesus was pre-existent as the second person of the Trinity.

Gosp John: talks about his relat. w/ Father as eternal. Prov8 sees wisdom as before beg. of time!

He existed since before the found. of earth! Also God; also worthy of worsh

You could put it: The riches of heaven (ovr spirit realm) @ dispos.

However… AP says:

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

What’s more amazing: Jesus who had co-unity and co-omnip. & co-omnisc within Godhead set aside some of those divine “perks” to be mortal.

He enjoyed the intimacy & relat. w/ Father; perfect rule & respon.; all-knw, all-pwr, ev’presnt! And yet…

AP records this truth in poetic form (Php 2) —

Philippians 2:6–8 “[Christ] who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

Like the most dramatic Undercover Boss scenario ever cooked up.

Not just CREATED the company, but made that atoms that make up the building’s structure & organs in workers’ bodies.

Hebrews 2:10–11 “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God… should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”

This amazing truth (Cmas Eve): God calls us family; he WANTS us to be found in His family.

& Jesus came to make ‘family’ possible!

Jesus sacrificed SO that we could receive the benefits of being family of the creator-God.

God came in the form of a man, laying down divine rights, riches, & status to humbly serve others & even give up his life for all humankind.

Emmanuel means that God sacrifices for US.

The application of this theol. princ. quickly forms.

And if He laid down his divine rights and status & even life… how much more we?!

A Life of Sacrificing…

Lots of people want to live for Christ, but very few today want to die for Him.

Yet he calls us to take up our Cross, to come and die, to xp true life by casting aside what we often feel is the most important things.

I could preach an entire sermon on each one of these points!

The first thing I am called to sacrifice is >>

My Heart

Going to have to think Biblically about this one

Not talking about just feelings/emo.

Your ‘heart’ stands for anything that you value: money, possessions, etc. Matthew 6:19-21

X echoes this same idea in his S.o.M…

Matthew 6:19–21 ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths & vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths & vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

JC’s challenge here in SoM is for his hearers to consider what we hold most dear to us—& make sure those things are given back to God, their distributor.

The best way to ‘store treasure’ in heaven is by letting it go; giv’ it away for God’s use.

MANY in day & age see their bank acct. as only theirs; 401k as only THEIRS; games, tech, 4whlrs, vehicles as THEIR OWN.

Use them, grow them, fine tune them, sink $ into them… that’s it.

But calls us to STEWARD well HIS gifts. They belong to him foremost.

God calls us to sacrifice some of our treasure so that our neighbor will have more & God’s work can be complete!

AP says to readers in Philippi:

Philippians 4:15, 17 “...Not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only… Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.”

Money part of it; but extra stuff we amass. Culture of excess!

How many prs shoes to you have? How many feet; diff types of occ.?

How many vehicles; cards; tools; sweatshirts; mugs… w/e the thing!

Christ didn’t lay down his life so I can just keep amassing for m’self!! Blessed to be a blessing!

BTW: No hard/fast % placed on this giving. AP says “pray about what feels right”

Even MORE amzngly, ear. church says ppl couldn’t wait to sell things & give $ or give what needed.

Acts 2:44–45 “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”

Again, this was not imposed upon or pressured out of early X-foll’s! No rules, just seeing need & meeting one.

“But pastor, that would req. changing my budget, my buying habits, my whole life??” “Yes. Yes it would.”

God calls us to sacrifice what we love (often money!) Also, >>

My Hands

The ‘hands’ represent any talent or skill that you’ve learned or God has given to you.

MyCRA class - your SHAPE (spir.gif, hrt.pass, abil., pers., exp.)

God gives us a wide variety of talents and abilities; certain tasks and talents that come naturally or that we have sought to learn in His great wisdom.

God has already prepared you to serve him; no need to have a grand calling/moment. Right-now gift!

Also, doesn’t have to be front-ctr. {brag on Beth?]

A.Peter talks about talents; 1st ltr, ch.4:

1 Peter 4:10–11 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.”

No matter the ‘level’, nor the quality, nor the ‘type’ of gifting…

Rather than seek new talents, ask “How can I use my giftings to serve Christ?”!

<mech./trade (donate time); bus. owner (off. serv'ce for sing. mom?); teacher (only get pd? tutor?); writer (enc’g.? skit/play?) >

<kind, calm, reass. (toddlr); welcoming, fun (greet!); learned, deg. (teach)>

Doesn’t have to consume your life; but given priority — should happen!

A.John reminds us to have an ACTIVE faith:

1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

We need you — youth, kids (RR, GM), Men’s, SM!!

We have a process to get to know (myCrossR), love to see you foll thru & serve JC as He served.

We should sacrifice our Heart, Hands… >>

My Whole Body/Self

Sacrificing ‘my whole self’ is giving God my desires & preferences.

Oft’times your comfort!

We too often put limits on God.

Growing up, afraid to be call’d as M. “God, I’ll serve you as long as you don’t call me to X country.”

Lots of pressure in AG to be cal’d as Miss. haha Real concern for a teenager. lol

HOWEVER, I acknowledge today as an adult that that’s not a healthy way to relate to God. On MY TERMS!

No matter the big faith that I have or the desire for the answered pryr, need to come to God on His terms.

He does ask us to intercede and to come to him and to believe fervently, but…

Well, X gives us the best example of this mindset while He was in Gethsemane, before his crucif.:

Matthew 26:39 “Going a little farther, [Jesus] fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.””

Jesus, wracked w/ anxiety, fear over future torture asks for a different route!

Did Jesus lack faith? Did he let his fear control him?

In faith, he turns his desires over to God and says the amazing words, “not my will, but yours”!

How many times do you choose NOT to do something because you “don’t feel like it”?

Have that convers. w/ them — stand outside in _weather at _event — lead/serve in _ ministry — sitting w/ some1 wouldn’t naturally include/don’t know — do church when X guest spkr — Being last in buffet line — helping some1 move — shoveling neighbor’s walk/drivewy

We are bles’d/curs’d that we can operate on what we FEEL like/don’t feel like & can get by. (not surviving)

However that feeling will rarely point you toward going out of way for some1 else.

But THIS is the ethic of the cross.

If Jesus hadn’t considered the whole world before himself, he may have rejected the cross.

Emmanuel means that God sacrifices for US.

And if He laid down his divine rights and status & even life… how much more we?!

Practice Serving

Start volunteering your time in an area you have a skill/talent!

Ask & discuss w/ spouse: are we putting God first in spending/resources?

Area we can donate old items or needed things for good cause, to help?

Start serving others; in a way that you wouldn’t normally serve.

Deuteronomy 6:4–6 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.”

Give your Heart, Mind, Soul & Strength to Jesus this Christmas.

If u want to talk more about what this looks like; I’d happy to guide you into wisdom or direct your Gifting; talk to you about your calling.

Salvation call?