Sermon Tone Analysis

Welcome

Thank you for joining with us this Christmas Eve.

This is a time that we set aside as a celebration of the coming of Jesus, the Son of God, who was born of a virgin in the small town of Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.

I hope that as we are gathered here this evening, you will be able to take these moments to focus or re-focus or be renewed in your understanding of our amazing God and King.

Prayer of petition- asking the Lord to make His presence known to us.

Songs of Celebration-

Scripture Reading

Mt 1:1

Sing Carols of Praise-

Scripture Reading-

Immanuel- God with us

The reality of the presence of God in our lives has been the focus of my thoughts and meditations since the beginning of the Advent Season.

God- Omnipresent is not limited by time or space.

We ought not to limit Him by thinking of Him as we think of anything that has been created.

All that is created exists in one time and in one place.

Even the things are that are incredibly vast have limits.

God however is not limited.

Hell is not the absence of God, in the sense that He is not present.

Hell is the absence of

God is everywhere, in the sense that He is near all things, over all things, not constrained by time and space.

Listen to how the apostle Paul, communicated this to the people of Athens, as they worshipped idols, even one named the “unknown God”.

Acts 17:

It is important for us to think properly about God.

Example:

The young man at camp that told me, “I’m pretty much done with God.”

I had to correct Him.

It isn’t our choice when we are done with God.

If God wants us to be His, we cannot refuse His call on our lives.

We who believe in Him are called to abide in Him.

Be with Him.

Example: Kurt used to say to me, “are you with me?”

He wasn’t asking if I was there.

He knew I was there, but he was making sure I understood his instructions and his desires and I was ready to work to accomplish his will, his way.

God, since creation has always been with us, but He wants to have us with Him.

He sent His Son, in the flesh, to reveal Himself to us in a way that we can better understand Him and He proved that He understands us in every way possible and therefore, sympathizes with us.

Immanuel- with us . . . is GOD.

We really need to correct our twisted thinking, twist it around and correct it- We must become small (as we are) and He must increase and be everywhere, in all aspects of our lives and recognized as being sovereign over all things (as He is).

He alone is worthy of preeminence in our hearts and minds.

Our mindset should be to ask ourselves, “Do I have room in my life for this or that as I exist in the presence of God today?”

We should plan our lives having the attitude in our hearts and minds to say, “As I go about my life with you Heavenly Father, this evening, tomorrow, every moment of every day I know that you are with me.

Rather than having the attitude, which says, “Where can I find room for God in my busy schedule, my job, my neighborhood, my school, my family, my thought life, my giving etc. . .

?”

As we trust in Him, believe Him and abide in Him, cognizant of His presence, He bestows upon us, His Hope, just as the Scriptures testify took place in the lives of Elizabeth and Zechariah, and His Peace existed in the life of Simeon as he saw the infant Jesus as He was presented in the temple.

When we are awakened to the reality of God with us joy fills our hearts and soul as it did to John the Baptist even while he was still in his mother’s womb.

All of this took place, because GOD is LOVE, and His love was shown to us in that He sent His Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

So I invite you to . . .

Practice the Presence of IMMANUEL- God with us!

Worship Him as He is- Savior, Redeemer, Lamb of God, Light of the World, Bread of Life, Living Water, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

God has graciously revealed Himself in a way that our finite minds can at least begin to understand.

THANK YOU, GOD OUR FATHER!