God With Us Always

Offering

We have an approximate date for the chairs to arrive. Looks like mid-march we will have them.

When we began we laid out this rationale...

And this plan...

Since then, we have had 71 chairs sponsored. That means that you all are praying for 71 of your friends to come to know Jesus.

Our goal was and remains 100 people being prayed for. I know there are some of you who haven’t jumped in yet, but intend to do so. We are setting a cut-off date for January 20th. That’s 3 Sundays.

Shortly after that, we will be emailing a prayer guide to everyone who has given us names of those they are praying for, so as a church we can be praying in unity for those in need of the gospel.

As I have said more than once, the prayers are more important than the money. The chairs will get bought. They have been. The sponsorship is about putting skin in the game and in a tangible way declaring to God that you are passionate about the lost being found.

We set a goal of 100 chairs being sponsored. We are 29 away. That is good news, and a great challenge. 29 more people to be prayed for. 29 people who don’t know the hope that you have, and we have the chance to, in unity, bring them before the throne of grace.

I don’t think there are any of the forms back there, but I know you all have a connection card. I will keep you updated over the next few weeks where we are at.

Pre Jab 1

Some things are permanent…some are temporary. The Starbucks in Washougal is out of eggnog flavor for lattes. December 30th. 5 days after Christmas and the joy of eggnog is behind us. If you like that kind of thing.

Jab 1

2 Minutes

A White Elephant Exchange…3 batteries…

My favorite part of this kind of event? The focus becomes the presence of others rather than the presents you get.

Jab 2

2 Minutes

That is also why I so love a Christmas Eve service. In the midst of all the chaos, a reminder of his presence.

Jab 3

Today we come to the end of our Christmas series. What did it mean that Jesus was Emmanuel? God With Us. We discussed how in the incarnation (God becoming man), Jesus proved God’s desire for fellowship with man. We showed how he identified with us, suffered like us, and ultimately suffered for us. The Question we then should ask is, “So what?” Why does it matter that God entered time and space two thousand years ago?

I mean, sure it reveals a lot about who God is, but how does it change our story today?

I would suggest that it matters tremendously because of a promise made by Jesus as (to all objective viewership) he was leaving.

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

After raising from the dead and leaving his disciples a clear mission (mission statement), he promises them that in his departure, he will always be there.

Transition: Saint Patrick’s Breastplate

5 Minutes

One of my favorite gifts this year…Ancestry.com. Now I’m waiting for the results, but one thing I am nearly positive of is a strong German and Irish heritage. Partly because of this, I have always been drawn to Irish culture and stories. Especially where they intersect the story of Jesus.

Despite there being a real challenge sorting fact from fiction in his story, the narrative around Saint Patrick has always been fascinating to me.

It may seem a few months early for a Saint Patrick sermon, but when have I ever worried about that. As a couple of astute members pointed out to me, we began Advent a week later than everyone else. It happens.

Basic St P story

The legend is...

This has become a famous prayer associated with the one who brought the good news to Ireland.

There is a small section near the end which has certainly become the most quoted part. Even if you didn’t know who it was attributed to, you have probably heard this either in part or in whole.

I find it to be a great reminder, summarizing what we have discussed over the past few weeks, and the greatest truth of all: Not only was God with Us in Christ, but God continues to be with us…always.

Transition: Christ with me

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

2 Minutes

So I would like to use that portion of a prayer as a bit of a template this morning regarding the impact of Emmanuel on us today.

Christ Before and Behind

5 Minutes

Christ before me, Christ behind me,

The one who is with me, knows my past and is using every moment for my Good and His Glory, and knows my future and holds it in his hands.

It brings to mind Gideon, a man who God would use in the time of the judges to rescue his people.

When we meet Gideon, he is hiding. A coward.

In fact when the angel of the Lord calls to him, Gideon gives us his own commentary on himself:

Judges 6:14–16 ESV

And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

Judges 6:14-

God knew who Gideon was.

God knew what it would take to bring him along.

God knew what he would then do through him.

God knows who you are. He knows all you have done, all you have thought, and all your deepest intentions and motivations.

Recalling 1st Baptist in Bend...

And he knows what it will take to bring you along.

Recalling Christmas at Shore Acres

And he knows what he can do through you

History of scripture, and this church is peppered with men and women who (underserving) allowed God to work and remarkable things came from it.

Christ In Me

5 Minutes

Christ in me,

We have spent several weeks before…and next week we will return to our study in Ephesians looking at exactly what this means. The idea of Christ in Me is far too big to capture in a single point of a single sermon, but for a refresher on what we’ve already covered and a preview of where we will go, just allow yourselves to be reminded of just what Paul has to say about this in one of his letters:

We are Chosen

Adopted

Awaiting an inheritance

Sealed

Filled with the knowledge of God

Members of his body

Though we were dead, we are now alive, and citizens of a whole new kingdom

And that was just the first half! Starting next week we will see how we are:

Called and equipped to serve,

Rooted,

And transformed to be a servant, victorious, and beloved by God.

Might I encourage you to read through Ephesians front to back if you haven’t recently. And if you have…you should do so once more.

For the sake of proving Ephesians isn’t an anomaly let’s look elsewhere for a moment:

2 Corinthians 4:6–7 ESV

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

2 cor

Today, recognize the treasure you have in this “Jar of Clay”.

Christ Beneath and Above

5 Minutes

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

The one who is with you is not simply a man, but the great I AM who is not unable to do all he has promised. and more.

As I walk this life I have many who walk beside me (or have walked). My wife. My kids. The Elders. The deacons and other ministry leaders. The staff at Youth for Christ. Family, friends, I could go on… however, there are limits to their power and capacity.

Not so with Emmanuel.

Christ beneath me:

1 Corinthians 15:51–57 ESV

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 cor 15:51-

We have victory through Christ over death

Christ above me:

1 John 5:13–15 ESV

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

1 John 5:13-

This is not a “Name it and claim it” moment, but confidence that when we are in line with the Father in our prayer, he is not only willing but able to see it through.

Christ on my Right and Left

5 Minutes

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

The one who is with us walks beside us, a constant presence to counter our anxiety and be a companion to our sorrow.

Can I state the obvious? Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes it frustrates us. Sometimes the people in our lives who should support, oppress. Sometimes the people who should comfort, harm. Sometimes we are those people (though always with good reason…). Sometimes we don’t have people when we think we should.

John 16:32–33 ESV

Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:

In the hours before his death, Jesus tells his disciples something profound which has ramifications and an example for us.

We are not faithful perfectly to Christ.

He knows it, and yet also recognizes he is never alone because the Father is with him.

He tells us this to show us we have the same thing!

People will let you down. You will be alone when you shouldn’t be, and hurt when you should be comforted. And it shouldn’t surprise you. “In this world you will have tribulation”

But Emmanuel has over come the world.

So take heart. Enjoy the grace and blessing you do have, Let God fill the gaps where you don’t have. In Christ we have a companion in our sorrow, and assurance in our anxiety.

Christ at Rest and at Work

5 Minutes

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

The one who is with us has called us to rest and to labor with him.

Let’s go back for a moment to the very promise we are discussing this morning. It comes on the heels of a mission. God has invited us in to his mission to reach the world with his love. This is evangelism, but it is also daily demonstrating God’s love in the moment by moment.

Colossians 3:17 ESV

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Col 3:

Each one of us goes to work, to serve our families, or to otherwise engage the world around us. This is our work for Christ. To do those things in the name of Jesus with thankfulness.

Patrick’s prayer reflects that mindset. When I rest, I rest in Him. When I arise, I rise in Him. Christ in a call to those who might follow him says it this way:

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-

describe yoke

This is the upside down nature of the kingdom. Along the lines of the servant will be the greatest, somehow In working with Jesus, in taking his yoke…we find our rest.

Christ in Us

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

5 Minutes

The one who is with us is not with us in Spirit only, but in every person who bears his image.

These phrases are not to imply that people can be Jesus. FYI, not going to happen.

What is implied here is that every person you come in contact with, today and every day, is an opportunity in 2 way.

It is an opportunity to see Jesus in others.

tells us that God created man in his own image. This means every person you encounter is an image bearer of the creator of the universe. It is one of the primary rationales offered by God as to why we love our neighbor and don’t harm them. They represent God to the universe (whether they like it or not!).

Some people bury it more than others. That is our challenge and calling, to see that spark under all the mess. When we do, I promise you this: your heart for evangelism, service, and mercy will increase exponentially.

It is an opportunity for others to see Jesus in you.

Imagine living this prayer out. That every eye that sees you and every ear that hears you…sees and hears Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14–16 ESV

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

So our call then is to not simply enjoy Emmanuel but extend him.

2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

2 Cor 5:20-

Conclusion: I Arise Today

2 Minutes

Patrick’s prayer concludes like this:

I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.

Because of the one who is with us, because of his presence, because in Christ, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, we can lean into God not just as the almighty creator of the universe, bold, brilliant, all powerful, and holy, Awesome but unapproachable, but like John at that last passover meal we can lean into the shoulder of Jesus, God with us. As the writer of Hebrews will say:

Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:14-

Pray