Immanuel God with Us ALL

We have spent the fall focusing on love. We began in October focusing on God’s love for us and the need to deepen our love for Him. Then November was all about loving each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. December has been about loving those around us.

All the love we have for and from God, the love we have for each other and the love we should show others is available because of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. We celebrate Immanuel, God with us. As we read through the birth of Jesus in the gospels this morning, please focus on who God chose to reveal Jesus to and who they might represent

. Let’s start in with Joseph.

Matthew 1:18–23 NIV

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Matthew

Carpenter

Working Class, man. Followed the law of God, and went about his business.

Luke 1:30–33 NIV

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Luke 1:

Young Woman

Last week Rob Harrell went through this passage stressing to us that nothing is impossible with God. But I want you to realize the implications of this, God chose a virgin, probably a teenager to be the mother of the messiah. Through her he revealed that Jesus would be the king forever.

So we have a working man, and a young woman. Who else did God show he was with at the birth of Jesus. I don’t have time to read all of , but you remember the story of the Magi. Here is the kicker verse.

Matthew 2:11 NIV

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew

Magi

Luke 1:26–38 NIV

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

:

Magi

Kings

Wise Men

Astrologers/ Scientists

Foreigners

Sometimes, we get caught up that Jesus came for the lowly and poor which he did, but he also came for the rich and intellectuals. I think we miss this sometimes, but it is important when you are listing the groups Jesus came to save and to show that God is with us.

Non Jews

Shepherds, Poor, Young Men, Farmers

Poor

Now let’s read the birth of Jesus story in Luke. This is the one we are all most familiar with, but don’t let familiarity stop you from seeing what God did at the manger.

Forgotten

Ignored

Luke 2:1–20 NIV

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Shepherds

Poor

Forgotten

Ignored

ALL Humans

Don’t we all fit into one of those categories at some point? Man, woman, rich, poor, ignored, young or old, but just in case you don’t think you fit into one of them, listen to the beginning of the gospel of John.

John 1:1–5 NIV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Children

Matthew 19:14 NIV

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Mark 10:14 NIV

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Luke 18:16 NIV

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

God with us All

Poor

In him was life and that life was the light of all mankind.

Forgotten

At the birth of Jesus, we are all welcome. Jesus, God saves, came for each of us to show that God is with us. Immanuel. Do you understand the implications of that. God is with us! He is not off in some distant throne room watching us like we are on TV. He is with us. He did not create everything and then step away to see how bad we could mess it up. He is with us. When we are

Ignored

What does that mean to us?

At the birth of Jesus, we are all welcome. Rich, poor, man, woman, child, North American, South American, Asian, European, African, Australian, forgotten, ignored, or lonely.

Jesus, God saves, came for each of us to show that God is with us. Immanuel. But just like any and every gift it must be received. We can choose to ignore that God is with us or we can choose as Joseph, Mary, the magi, the shepherds and all other believers have done which is to receive the God’s gift of Jesus. If you have not received that gift I pray you do now. If you would like to have someone pray with you or talk to you we have a prayer team that will be located to my left during the last song and will remain there after the service as well. Because Jesus came so that we could all be restored to the right relationship with God. So we could truly be with Him. So we could receive the full implications of Immanuel God With Us.

Do you understand the implications of that. God is with us!

God is not off in some distant throne room watching us like we are on TV. God is with us!

He did not create everything and then step away to see how bad we could mess it up. God is with us!

When we are hurting we are not alone. God is with us!

When we are hurting, grieving, sick, God is with us!

When life feels like it is more than we can handle, God is with us!

When our families seem to be falling apart. God is with us!

When the world seems to be falling apart, God is with us!

Friends, GOD IS WITH US!

Now that is something to celebrate this Christmas season!

Since God is with us all then we need to make sure everyone knows that. We need to be the angel proclaiming to all Do not be afraid, I bing you good news of great joy for all people. Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!”

So, as we enter the week of Christmas, but so much more than that as we enter into the rest of our lives. We need to be proclaiming to All Immanuel, God is with us! We need to reach out to those we like, those we don’t like, those we spend time with, those we usually ignore. As Damaris reminded us a few weeks ago, we need to be reaching out to help serve and love the least, the last and the lost. Not just during the Christmas season, but from this day forward.

You are not alone.

WHY? Because IMMANUEL, God is with US!

We should share the gospel with everyone

Prayer

We should love and serve everyone