December 6, 2020 - God with Us!

because what I want to do, but let me just start reading and I'll tell you what I want to do and then we'll find out if I actually get there.

will read the Christmas story in Matthew Matthew Chapter 1 Verse 18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born his mother. Mary was engaged to Joseph. But before the marriage took place while she was still a virgin she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit Joseph. She was engage was a righteous man and didn't want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to break the engagement quietly. As you consider this an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream Joseph son of David. The angel said don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife for the child within her is conceived of Holy Spirit and she will have a son and you can name him Jesus for he will save his people from their sins all of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his Prophet. Look the Virgin will conceive a child. She will give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel which means God is with us. When Joseph woke up he did is the Angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary to be his wife, but he did not have sexual relations with her until this her son was born and Joseph named him Jesus.

It was a revelation that took place.

when Jesus came to his revelation of Jesus is amazing, but

U&I there's two parts to this first off. I don't know. We if we realize how offensive that is. Just so many people. God With Us How is that possible? Why would the Divine come to something so profane and pick on flash that is? It you can't wrap your brain around that.

But for you and I who have accepted that Jesus Christ came in the flash that he suffered and died and rose again and is coming back to judge the living and the dead a we have a different understanding.

And the understanding you and I need to have is that God is with us.

God

where I'm hoping to get to today is is I want us to understand what we experienced already this morning.

This is the god of the universe has the one who spoke in the world came to be the one who is old time outside of time and space the one who is beyond the unknowable. God has made himself known.

And God is with us. It's go hard.

Question I ask myself the question. I want you to ask yourself.

is am I with God?

So today we're going to look and try to understand hopefully grasp a little bit better hopefully experience it more God who is with us

And then I'm hoping we'll get to that question that we can ask ourselves and the day-to-day of everyday. when it's usually hustle and bustle of the season and now it is quarantine and isolation.

And we lose our peace for our joy. or a lot of

I want us to be equipped to say Amaya with God.

And then obey what Holy Spirit tells us.

So let's pray. Heavenly father. I want to thank you that you are God.

And Lord, I pray that we would be have a little bit more of that Revelation today.

You reminded that that relation is available to us whenever we bow our head whenever we serve another whenever we love like Jesus that Revelation is available to us.

Lord give us the tools. We need to examine our hearts and our steps. To realize that you are our King and that's a really good thing. In Jesus name we pray. He-Man

I'm thinking about my life. I I think the most powerful times I've had with God or in places where people gather.

There is something to be part of a 10,000 men crowd who are singing at the top of their lungs and you can't hear yourself sing because the person next to you is drowning you out. There's something that just shakes your soul when you're in that kind of environment. There's something that happens when we even the few of us gathered here together in this place and we sing the song and then we we realize that we can blast each other your favor and peace and then there's something that happens.

Progressive I think the most profound fruit times I've had with daughter when I'm on my knees alone.

When I'm singing my heart out and it's off key, and I don't have a clue what I'm doing and God shows up.

The way we talk about God the way I talk about God the way that we we we take him. For granted like he he becomes like Santa Claus or becomes like the Greek God Zeus and it's that's not who God is.

God is God.

He spoke in the world's came into being.

He imagined atoms and what the stuff that makes up that in the stuff that makes up fats and the stuff you ordered like most of everything in the universe is made of nothing. A speed between space that's all we know but there's something there.

Godfather that

any thought of that outside of time and Alternate sent to space that mean that that doesn't hurt your brain. You're not thinking hard enough.

He's the one who came as a baby.

He's the one that comes when we call for help. He's the one who gives us the joy and the peace and the patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control we need

I need cares enough about you to interrupt your day if you just notice.

God

haven't started my notes yet anyway. When was the last time you found yourself in awe of God? Play Sunday Morning. Okay, when was the last time before Sunday morning? You found yourself in awe of God.

We need. To be a regular part of our day-to-day of everyday.

I found it the more I see curious the more I'm in awe of God. The more I want to experience the more I'm in awe of God the more I'm in the moment the more I'm in awe of God.

Because curious people are never bored and boring people are never that curious. Bored of people not boring boring people are bored, but bored people are never curious.

stories happen in the experience any momentum daily boob needs to happen. Actually need conflict a good story has to have conflict.

And miracles happen in the moment. It was moments when you become acutely aware that God is here.

That's when chains break. That's when lives get restored. That's when miracles happen.

I want to encourage you to Marvel at the mystery of God.

God is a mystery. If you think you got them all figured out you're not thinking hard enough.

Paul says into the Romans in Romans 11 he says Oh how great are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge? Of God how impossible it is for us to understand his decisions in his ways or who can know the Lord's thoughts who can nose and knocked to give him advice was ever given to him so much that he needs to pay back for everything comes from him and exists by his power and it's intended for his glory all glory to him forever. Oh, man.

We need to think of God as our father. We need to think of Jesus as our friend. We need to have those understandings because that's how he's revealed himself to us, but we can never forget.

The Marvel at the mystery of God.

We can never afford to not be in awe of our creator.

The other names of God that needs to keep our understanding of God and balance with everything else.

Because when we approach God, yes, we approach him with freedom and confidence we can come before because of what Jesus did on the cross not because of anything we've done. Because of what Jesus did we can approach him in freedom and confidence but the writer of Hebrews, LOL says the worship Him acceptably with all reverence for our God is a consuming fire.

Never lose the reference never we can call that the fear of God. I that understanding that he is Holy Holy Holy the goal Earth is filled with his glory.

But those times knows experience at the Academy. Just something we experience once in the past.

It's an ongoing continual Revelation that we need to have the week understand. We can never know the unknowable God and yet we know him because he's revealed himself.

And he's revealed himself through on his way through his word. So we need to study that but he's revealing himself to us.

Don't lose that revelation of the mystery of God. Don't think you got them all figured out don't think you've you know what he's going to do.

Cuz he's the one that spoke in the ocean opened. They walk through.

He's the one that gave them bread from heaven and quail when they want to meet.

He's the one that did it everything possible. Become is a babe in a Manger to live life perfectly as an example that I sent it to die in our place and by his blood. Purchased every pride of every nation.

From every tribe and every niche.

Never lose the eye of God.

God is with us.

But we need to understand that he has revealed himself to us. The unknowable. God has made himself known.

And one of the best ways that he's done. That is through Jesus Christ. Jesus said if you seen me you seen the father.

He said I and I only do what I see the father. Do I only say what I see the father say Jesus is the exact representation of the father. Let me just give you a few small examples to encourage you to study this up more to get a better revelation of God. Jesus You like the party?

Matthew 11:19 the son of man on the other hand feast and drinks and you say he's a glutton and drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners but wisdom is shown to be right by its results. The father he rejoices over you with singing.

For the Father the Lord your God is is living among you he is a mighty savior. He will take Delight in you with gladness with his love. He will calm all your fears. He rejoices over you with. Joyful song Zephaniah 3 17

Jesus loved his friends.

John 15:13 240 no greater love has this for a man than to lay down one's life for one's own friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. Father calls you the apple of his eye. So I'm 17 728 show the wonders of your great love. You who saved by your right hand and those who take refuge in you from their food. Keep me as the apple of your eye hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Jesus didn't come to condemn the world John 3:17. Jesus Is God sent his son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. The father is not angry at you. Look at Isaiah 54 9 to 10 just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would not let the let a flood cover the Earth. So now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you for the mountains may move in the Hills me disappear, even then my faithful love will remain my Covenant the blessing will never be broken. There's a lord who has mercy on you.

Aren't you glad all God's promises are yes, and amen? That was for the Jewish people like that. It's for me today and for you today. Jesus healed all who were oppressed by the devil acts 10:38. And you know how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy spirit with power and then Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. For God was with him. The father forgives all of your sins and heals all of your diseases Psalm 103:2 to three. Let all that I am praise the Lord. May I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

That is the god who is with us.

He's a guy that's revealed himself with a love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and gentleness and faithfulness and self-control

and it's his spirit that grows those things in US. So that we become more and more exchange transform to be more and more like Jesus.

God is with us.

You and I need to Marvel at the mystery because the Bible tells us we become like those we worship. I think it was Isaiah that said they become like those logs that they worshipped. Yeah wrong, Isaiah will get there.

God is with us. We need that time of all inspired revelation.

But I think the balance for us is to understand. Yeah, he is with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother but our role in that is am I with him.

Am I with him?

I know I'm not with him if I don't have love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control.

I think we've all had times when we recognize.

We haven't been with him.

Every decision we made out of fear.

We've seen lead the terrible results.

Every time we put ourselves ahead of what God wants us to do.

You have those stories. Let me tell you one of mine.

When I was in grade 7 my sister started dating the guy she was going to marry.

The thing about Dan is everyone in the school was a little bit of a breed of a dog getting on his bad side. Not saying he was a bully but the police were afraid of them. And I was not bullied at all in high school junior high and High School. Which made me a little bit.

I pick on the boys suit anyway.

when we Two years later. I was in grade 10. 6ft 185 lb in our grade 10 class was going to play the great 12 class that Ben and Jacqueline were part of wearing play for hockey and I was playing a lot of hockey at the time. And because no one would touch me on the floor. I got kind of aggressive with a few people in the corners stuff like that. It was all good. Like we left it on the floor. It wasn't like anything. Whatever.

What I didn't know. was Dan was trying to Dad had a friend who was Howard going through a really tough time.

And then was trying to do everything you could to get this friend to come to youth group and to get him to come to church because his friend needed help.

Then eventually got him to come over to our house for supper. By that time Dan was inviting people over for supper. and

this friend hold me. That the reason he wasn't coming to youth group for to church was he thought that I was going to beat him up?

Like how ridiculous is that? I laughed it off, right? We play hockey aggressively and we just leave it on the ice. It's not a big deal.

It was a big deal for him.

I remember the day I heard you took his own life.

aunt

It was the day I gave up hockey because I figured I would pick I have to be a Christian not a hockey player.

What we do and what we say make a difference in the people's lives around us.

How we act and how we show. Do them makes a difference?

I know I'm not the only like this friend had problems. I'm not saying I was the cause of them more that it's all on me. I am saying I woke up to the fact that if anything was I couldn't let anything be in my life. demigod look bad

I've had to relearn that several times in my life.

God give me a wife who likes to ask, but would Jesus think.

God Is With Us regardless of what we do or don't God is with us. Am I with him?

my with him

I Think Jesus cleared the temple on two different occasions

John shows and you did that at the beginning of his ministry in the synoptic gospels I'll put it at the end of his ministry the last week of his life

I think you did it twice

it wasn't that he looked and got angry and blew up in the moments like he was there a day ahead of time and he came back the next day and did what he was going to do John says he took the time to make a whip to go and chase them out.

They were money changers in the temple in the court of the Gentiles.

And he said he would my house will be called a House of Prayer. Kick them out.

I don't know if you caught that. They were in the court of the Gentiles.

Court of the Gentiles with a court in herod's Temple that we're non-jews to go the place where people who sought after God would goes to meet with him in the temple. They couldn't go into the holy of holies. They could go into the holy place. They couldn't go into the place of the congregation, but they could be there and these people we're keeping them from eating God.

And that's what offended Jesus so much.

That's why he did it twice.

So when we asked ourselves am I with God the question we need to be asking ourselves and I keeping others from knowing Jesus.

Are my actions and my attitudes keeping people from a deeper revelation of God in their lives?

listen

God has given us the ability to confess and repent if he's brought someone to our mind. that we've gotten in the way of them coming to know Jesus a little bit better and got a whole lot more.

It's confession and repentance. There is Grace enough for all of us. There is grace is sufficient. We don't need to beat ourselves up. We don't need condemnation. There is no condemnation in Christ. It's just a chance to say God. Okay. You are God. I'm cleaning up my life. I am going to be at I'm going to be a good witness for you because I'm telling you guys. We are a witness for God.

What we can control is are we a good witness or a bad Witness? Do we get in the way of what God wants to do or we working with what God wishes wants to do but God is with us and my with him.

Sometimes it's personality.

I know my personality offend some people and I just I don't want to push them away from God and so I'll do what I need to do to make it right, but they got to take me or leave me. I don't care. long it like

if somebody like an example of someone is left the church because of something you said to them.

What do you need to ask God? It it did it. Just one. Did you speak the truth into did you speak the truth in love? Because it volume did was speak the truth and you push them away. Oh my goodness repents. What if you spoke the truth in love if it hurt you more to say than for them to hear and they took offense that you're you're clear.

God is with us or we with him.

I got a whole different sermon here that I could probably preach.

North navigation

There are other things that happen in life that can make us.

Make a tougher to realize that God is with us and make it difficult for us to know that we're with God.

And that's typically around.

I'm going to call it in but we need to learn to embrace the mystery of God.

Doctible marveling at the mystery when we're just in awe of God. I'm talking about embracing the mystery of God, which when life doesn't make sense and yet we choose to trust that's what I'm talkin about.

because In order to embrace the mystery. We need to give up our right to understand so that we can have the peace that passes understanding.

We need to live on a fender that God so we can trust him in all things so that we can have. Peace.

And we don't need to look to what he's doing and not too much left undone because otherwise we'll lose our peace.

Is if this season of life has taught me anything it is that I need to have peace at all times and in every circumstance.

and and go to that Isaiah 60 then go back to their Because Isaiah 60 tells us to Arise & Shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rise is on you see the darkness covers the earth like a thick Darkness over its people but the Lord Rises you up in his glory and appears to you Nations will come to your lights and Kings to the brightness of your Dodge. What God's been telling me and showing me what brings that light. The people is my peace. My peace that I can have my piece that I can share my piece that other people want.

I've had conversations with people that would not darken the doors of the church and then pulled me so but when I tell him I will I want to help people at peace at all times and in every circumstance. They want my web address. How do you do that?

We need peace.

And we don't we won't have keys if we don't embrace the mystery of God if we want answers when we want answers if we want to understand when there's just no understanding at this point.

Love that verse Jesus. Talking to his disciples. You said you don't understand now, but it's later on you'll understand. I need that on my kitchen door something remind myself

need to give up our right to understand so we can have peace that passes understanding when were faced. With a situation that doesn't make sense. We can start asking God why? And it's not the why there's a wire that says God. I want to know you better. Tell me why this is happening. And there's a why that's and why of accusation that says God if you were good this one happen. Why is this happening?

The first one is okay. The second one stay away from okay God's big enough if that happens. There's confessions repentance. Just remember confessing.

Promise peace that passes understanding but we want to sweet one understanding.

What is scripture say Philippians 4 67 don't be anxious about anything pray about everything with prayer and petition and Thanksgiving present your requests to God and the peace of God that transcends all your understanding will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus.

Give up your right to understand. You might get understanding later right now. What you need is peace. He's told us to seek peace and pursue it. So guess what your speaking fee should give up your underwear over your right to understand. You don't have to understand everything in this life.

Worry about nothing pray about everything and be thankful.

You need to live an offended at God.

No good thing will God withhold from those who walk uprightly?

Amen, what happens when that doesn't happen?

What happens if you're doing your best to walk uprightly and doing everything you're supposed to do and then your life doesn't line up with scripture because that scripture tells us. He's not going to withhold anything good.

Jesus told his disciples in John 6 that in this world. You're going to have trouble.

Because I pulled you these things so that you may have peace in this world. You will have trouble but take heart I have overcome the world.

Don't live offended at God.

His ways are higher than your ways his thoughts are higher than your thoughts understand. He will turn it around for good, but he thinks generationally. He's a god of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and you want to God from the last 5 minutes ago. I'm sorry, you still there? It just not on his time table.

I don't know why God told us to lay everything down in 2001. Do we go nine 2005 and we moved to this. Alma size of Red Deer in New Zealand in and I don't know why we went there. I don't know what but boy our son's going to school there and it's so great to have friends down there that are looking for him now. I don't know. I don't know if that answers all the Y but it's it's just awesome.

We all know that we will all have seasons don't make sense.

John was in jail, John the Baptist was in jail, and and he heard Jesus was saying I came to release the prisoner and John sat in jail, and he why should we should we expect someone else? Are you the one?

in Jesus's response was blessing or those were unoffended because of me

you didn't say life is going to make sense you said blessed are you if you just trust

he will make it you use you will make it you'll make it through

embrace the mystery

I live on a fender that God

Number 3 we need to look to what he's doing and do not not looked. What's I'm done.

What do I mean by that carry on and Philippians 4 8 and 9 finally brothers and sisters. Whatever is true. Whatever is Noble whatever is right, whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things whatever you have learned received heard from you or seen in me put into practice and the peace of God will be with you.

Oh you and I need cheese at all times and in every situation.

We are promised to have his peace.

Pure promise that he is always with us. He will never forsake us we are told God is with us God is with us.

Will you be with him?

Will you Marvel at the mystery of God, will you embrace the mystery of what he leads you into what he is supporting you in the middle of it. He's going to help you through it all. If you have eyes to see you will see his hand at work.

If you're looking to what's left on Don if you're offended at him for what he's bringing you through if you're like you are a witness for something. That's not a good test. Mm.

Confession and repentance understand God is good. He's going to bring you through. He's going to bring us through. He'll bring us through this time.

Yeah.

I still got 449 that's not even close to 12. Where on Earth.

1149

I have no idea how long I reach it to let you up the videos afterwards. Like how did people sit that long. That's ridiculous. I preached that one.

Got encouraged me to think about what seeds I've been planting during this time of covid-19. And when I sat down and wrote down all the things that I've done that are seeds I was blown away by how much I've already got done because I was starting to look at I got a course that I should have launched two months ago that I still haven't looked at the launch Before Christmas probably go to a new year now, but I haven't got that done my app is out but it's not on Google because they want it tested by a hundred people around the world now and so anyway, but instead of looking at all that stuff that was undone. I took the time to write down the things. What is God had me do during the season. How is he? How how how does he want me to plant seeds in this time? What seeds are good. Have you been planting during the season? Are they are they seeds that are going to bear fruit in your family in your friends in your relationship in your business in and what he wants you to do.

Time of famine is the time to plant seeds when God is telling you to plant seeds. Isaac did it and he got a hundred fold return. You won't be doing that if you don't take time to Marvel at the mystery and take time to embrace the mystery when God doesn't make sense in the middle of it.

That's the message.

But I want to leave you with a I'm going to read the Nicene Creed. And I'm going to change the words wherever they say I believe. Or we believe I'm going to change it to embrace the mystery. And it's a very interesting read. You can show that up on the screen. As we embrace the mystery of one God the Father the Almighty maker of heaven and Earth all that is seen and unseen. We embrace the mystery of one Lord Jesus Christ the son of God, eternally begotten to the father God from God light from light true God from true God begotten not made being one with the father through him. All things were made for us and for our Salvation, he came down from heaven and by the power of Holy Spirit, he became incarnate from Virgin Mary and he was made men for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate you suffered death and was buried on the third day. He rose again in accordance with scripture. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father. He will come in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. We embrace the mystery of Holy Spirit the Lord The Giver of Life who proceeded from the father with the father and the son he was worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We embrace the mystery of one. Holy Universal Apostolic church. We embrace the mystery of one baptism for the forgiveness of sin. We Embrace The Mystery of the Resurrection from the dead and the life of the world. That is to come on man. What you Marvel at the mystery of God? Will you embrace the mystery that he leads you into in this journey that we call life? There is joy in the journey when you learn to trust God in the middle of all the chaos. Let's pray. heavenly father I pray today for those who I realize that their living offended at God. And they haven't trusted him. With what he's entrusted them with.

I pray Lord that your grace would be a bandit in their lives and in their hearts right now Lord God.

Holy Spirit have your way in all of our Lives. I asked Lord that you would give us the words to say the attitudes to show I pray Lord God we would have that desire to know you even better Lord God and experience you even more I pray Lord God that this place would it would from Lord. We would want to meet together to experience you together and God we would never be disappointed when we take the time to meet together with you. I pray Lord got that any fear that we have that when we've been making decisions with would go in the name of Jesus and the Lord that Faith would arise that we lord would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living we would see your work and in your will done in our lives Lord that the good work that you started will be completed in us and we thank you for that Lord God right now Lord. I pray most of all for peace. At all times and in every circumstance help us to seek peace and pursue it not so that we don't have trouble but in the middle of the trouble not so that we we look good in front of others, but tell her that others would know you that they would want that piece that we have and can share with them. And in the name of Jesus. I asked that Lord that would just become a revelatory thing for us. And for everyone peace peace peace. Peace. Peace Lord for us and our children and all who are far off for us and our children and their children and their children Lord that that your peace would be upon us and flow through us the others Lord God and we pray for this province. We pray for this country speak. Your piece would be upon it for God that your wisdom would reign supreme. That fear would not be given a place of dominance anymore and in the name of Jesus. Even if it is given a place to Donna dominance God we can see your goodness in the land of the living right now God we pray for all those who are suffering with covet Lord. We we first this curse in the name of Jesus. We pray for the families who are morning people who have died from it family members who have died Lord be with them in the middle of it. Give them peace that they can't understand but no comes from you. I pray Lord God for those that are leaders guy that you would give them wisdom and Grace and Lord Lord case in at all. I can't imagine the pressure that any one of them is under God right now Lord. I Thank you that they have chosen to be in The Inn at this time and Lord God you have put them there in this time the Lord help us to stop complaining and start praying for them in the name of Jesus. And Lord guide me your peace rain in this place in ring through Us in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Thank you so much Pastor Trevor for that word. And and I really just pray that it resonates to each and everyone of you and that as you were with people this week that you would share it, but you would just continue to pass it on from Once the next because people in your life are craving God right now, they may not know it but they are craving his peace. They are craving his love they are craving his Joy was just be that person for them and just find that way to share God. I'm waiting just have a couple announcements as we're wrapping up today.