2018 // GOD WITH US

WELCOME

We hope you had an awesome Christmas

How many of you got what you wanted?

How many of you did not get what you wanted?

How many of you are excited with the presents you bought yourself with all the stuff you returned?

So, the big question is, “NOW WHAT?”

What do we do with this next year?

If 2017 has been terrible, how can we take initiative to make it better?

If 2017 was amazing, how can we continue in that pattern?

If 2017 was whatever, how can we get out of that funk?

What will we do?

What goals will we set?

Most importantly, where is Jesus in all of this?

We celebrated Christmas, the birth of the child whose name was Jesus, or in God’s terms, IMMANUEL, God With us

But how is that going to take shape in our lives?

Where is the Gospel on our list of priorities?

Or will our hearts be crowded with the stuff we received

How does Jesus effect our posture throughout the journey of 2018?

The stuff that moth and rust can destroy

The stuff that crowds our closet

The stuff that makes us claustrophobic

Let’s take a look at what I believe God wants to do in our hearts this year.

Matthew 28 NKJV

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” 11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

PRAY THAT THE FEAR OF GOD WOULD BE REAL, BUT THAT IT WOULD BE BALANCED WITH JOY. JOY THAT HE IS WITH US ALWAYS. THAT HE IS THE GOD THAT CAME NEAR, AND THE GOD THAT REMAINS. THAT THIS FACT WOULD CHANGE OUR PERSPECTIVE OF 2018.

Matthew 28:1–8 NKJV

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

MATTHEW 28:1-

As the third day was upon the grave and the body of Jesus Christ

We see Mary Magdelene and the other Mary coming to the tomb

They were there at the cross

They were there when they laid Him in the tomb

From the other Gospels we know that they had brought spices to complete the burial process of Jesus

As soon as they approach the tomb, we read here, that their was an earthquake caused by the arrival of an Angel

Just like every instance in the Bible where an Angel meets humanity

It causes an instant fear

A fear of what could possibly follow

A fear of what God was putting together behind the scenes.

Check out what the Angel does:

He comes on the scene

Rolls back the stone

And sits on it

This Angels countenance was on another level

It was like lightning

Powerful

Bright

Illuminating

His clothing

White as Snow

This caused the Roman Guards, who were trained to kill within a 6 foot radius, to shake in fear and become like dead men.

Notice how the Angel turns

To the women, He encourages them:

He says:

Do not be afraid

I know that you have come seeking Jesus

The same Jesus that was crucified

He is not here

for He is risen

as He said would happen

Come, check out the place where the Lord lay

But not only that, Go quickly

Tell His Disciples

That He is risen from the dead

Indeed, He is going before you into Galilee

There you will see Him

Look at me, Believe me, it is imperative.

Check out the response of the women:

So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy

Ran to bring His disciples word.

Church, sometimes what God is doing among us is scary

But think about it:

What God does is not normal

YOU THINK THE WOMEN WERE EXPECTING JESUS TO BE GONE?

YOU THINK THEY

Remember they had come to finalize the burial process.

How He directs us is not normal

YOU THINK THEY HAD PLANNED TO GO TO GALILEE THAT DAY?

It was 90 miles away, and they had not prepared for the trip.

What He has for our lives is not normal

YOU THINK THEY WOULD EVER BE ENTRUSTED WITH SUCH VALUABLE INFORMATION?

Their voice in society did not matter

WHAT GOD DOES ON THE DAILY SHOULD ENCOURAGE US TO KEEP GOING

WE SHOULD TREAT THE PERFECT PLAN OF GOD WITH FEAR AND GREAT JOY

THIS FEAR AND JOY SHOULD DRIVE US TO ACTION

Because

JUST LIKE THE WOMEN

We must realize that our marching orders are not normal

We have been entrusted with some very powerful news

News that’s not normal

News that scares people to death

News that would empower the church and disarm hell

They

Matthew 28:9-

CHECK OUT WHAT HAPPENED

Matthew 28:9–10 NKJV

9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

If there was any doubt in Mary Magdelene and the other Mary’s mind

They would have had 30 hours to think about it

They would have traveled 90 miles to their destination

While they were traveling

In the midst of contemplating everything the Angel had said

In the midst of their curiosity of what God was doing

In the sorrow, the fear, the emotional roller coaster of the cross

Jesus met them

Who?

Mary Magdelene, the woman who had had 7 demons extracted from her soul

Jesus comes alongside of them

Mary Magdelene, the woman who had had 7 demons extracted from her soul

Mary, the mother who had birthed her son, only to see Him crucified

To them, Jesus came near

To these two women, Jesus came alongside

To them, He said, “Rejoice”

There wasn’t any other word they needed to hear but, Rejoice

Jesus had come near

Jesus was with them

Before they could preach the Good News

Before they could do what the Angel had instructed them to do

Before they could _________________

Jesus, in his resurrected body says “Rejoice”

These women responded to the risen Lord by prostrating themselves in humility and worshipping Him with gladness.

Once their heart was positioned correctly

He confirms that what the Angel had said was indeed TRUE

DO NOT BE AFRAID

GO AND TELL My brethren to go to Galilee

FOR THERE They will see me

It was the same encouragement they had recieved from the Angel

But now, it was from the very mouth of God the Son

It was confirmation to what they were called to do

This was a real life event, and like real life, anytime God is Blowing people’s minds, there is opposition.

While God was blowing people’s minds, other people were trying to figure out how to disprove what they had seen with their own very eyes.

Church it is not normal for God to speak to us

It is not normal for us to have this type of relationship with the Lord

It is not normal for Him to present to us a better option

It is not normal to have a God who cares about our every move

But you know what is normal

To find our flesh fighting against everything that God desires for our lives

However, almost simultaneously, Satan will use the force to prevent you from growing in faith, and you will end up robbed of the joy Jesus had in store for you.

If God wants purity, you better believe your flesh will fight against it

Matthew 28:11

If God wants trust, you better believe that your selfishness will want to take control

If God wants peace, you better believe your anxiety will rage when you come to a crossroads

Church, when satan sees a transformed life, he will use the flesh to fight for what the Spirit has redeemed.

He will do whatever it takes to divert you from growing in the Lord

While Jesus was confirming who He was, IMMANUEL, and who He would be, IMMANUEL

The enemy was busy trying to disprove irrefutable evidence

Matthew 28:11–15 NKJV

11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

As the women continued trusting the word of God and continued on their journey

Back at the grave site

The guards wake up from their dazed and confused state

They come to the city

They meet up with the Chief Priests

They inform them of everything that had happened.

The Chief Priests then gathered all the elders together to seek counsel

What did they decide to do with this news?

Exactly what they decided to do with the news of Jesus throughout his entire ministry

They used treason to lay hold of him

They used a misinterpretation of their law to accuse him.

They slandered him before Pilate

Now, they bribed the soldiers to lie in order to continue their unbelief.

Notice how, it isn’t the atheists, or the skeptics, it is the religious of the day

Those who prided themselves in the law that explicitly encouraged them:

Not to lie

Not to bare false witness

Not to slander

Not to bribe people

Church, this is one thing that needs to stop

Do not lose your testimony on behalf of a silly disagreement

We must stop misrepresenting God by removing His Son from the equation

Do not lose close the doors of ministry on behalf of a non-s

If we are image bearers of God, we must bear the image of the fullness of the Godhead

We should be actively working towards holiness, God the Father

We should be actively working towards sacrificial living, God the Son

We should be actively be being filled with the Holy Spirit

One way we an do this is by doing exactly what the guards did:

Seeing the Angel

Hearing his words

Seeing the faith of the women

Seeing the Stone rolled away

Peaking into the grave and noticing that the body was gone

AND STILL REMAINING AS DEAD MEN IN THEIR TRESPASSES

ARE WE LIKE THE GUARDS WHO SEE GOD WORKING AND REMAIN DEAD BOTH PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY.

Are we going to see the Son of God doing miracles in the lives of others, but not believing He could do it with us?

Are we going into 2018 with the lack of faith that we had in 2017?

Are we going to see others worshipping Jesus, while we bench ourselves in the game of life?

Matthew 28:

Matthew 28:16–20 NKJV

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The eleven disciples, notice how there was one missing:

We can be that guy

We can go from seeing, hearing, and being a part of Jesus’ ministry

To missing out on the kingdom

One dude, Judas, fully missed it

But look at the text

It says that from the 11, some worshipped him, and some doubted

HOW LORD?

But this is a full blown possibility for us today

We may not be doubting that He is the Christ

But we may be doubting that His plan is greater than ours

We may not be doubting our salvation

But we may be doubting that He is with us

Let’s allow the words of Christ to season 2018