Christmas: Immanuel God with Us
Notes
Transcript
What do I want them to know? God is with them, transforms them, and gives them a purpose
Why? It gives hope
What do I want them to do? Believe and trust in God, everyday
Why? It gives hope
ME/WE
Have you every asked the question, “Where is God?”
“Where is God?”
If find yourself or have found yourself asking this question. You find yourself in the same shoes as DAVID, MOSES, the Nation of Israel as we will see in a moment, and others in the Bible.
It is common question that comes up every once in awhile in every humans since the beginning of time has asked....
We ask “where is God?”
When do we ask this question? When does this question get raised? Hey God I have a question
Do we ask this question after we went to the doctors office over something we thought was an issue but we received a week later news from our doctors a GOOD NEWS there is not thing to worry about you have clean bill of health? NO
Do we ask this question when she said yes to dating or marriage? NO…
WE INSTEAD SAY THERE IS A GOD!
He has provide to meet my needs, it is not good for man to be alone and he has provided a helper.
No we do not ask the question when we you receive Good New of good health, or a when we receive a raise or God reveals to us the way we should go, OPENS A DOOR FOR US IN OUR JOURNEY IN THIS WORLD..
So when do we ask this question, “Where are you God?”
WE ASK THIS QUESTION WHEN WE ARE IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS.
Situation where we DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE....
Prov 29:18
Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.
Maybe it is a question you have asked in 2020…where is God
If you find yourself or have found yourself asking this question....you find yourself asking the same question that the Nation of Israel asked in 0 A.D. at the right before the birth of Jesus
Why were they asking this QUESTION…the nation of Israel, God’s people asking question?
IT WAS BECAUSE THEY WERE IN THIS IMMENSE DIFFICULT SITUATION....A SITUATION THAT HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE AND WORSE FOR THE LAST 1000 years as they as nation walk away from God, not just sinned, but walked away from God and worshipped other God’s there nation....God we do not need you (God made a promise if you continue to walk away from your creator, it will not go well for you).....
They watched form 1000 B.C. to 0 A.D.
Nation after nation, Persians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Rome…capture, enslave, and oppress them.
At 0 A.D. when the nation of Israel was not hardly a nation, they were small and living under the oppression of Rome....the people of God were wondering “where is God”
WHERE ARE YOU GOD???? OUR SITUATION IS DIFFICULT
HOW WE ANSWER THIS QUESTION OR HOW THIS QUESTION GETS ANSWERED FOR US IS SO BIG
CAMP OUT HERE
I want us to camp out here…to know the the magnitude of this question
How we answer the question “where is God” or how it gets answered for us will either sow one of two seeds....
This question always has seeds with it, seeds we choose to plant, the choice it’s whether we sow seeds or not, it is what seeds we sow....THE CHOICE IS NOT NO SEEDS
What are the seeds we can plant?
1. We can SOW seeds of HOPE then we let those seeds germinate and grow will bring the fruit of joy, peace, and life....If this question is answered in hopeful way, a way that is promising, we will plant seeds of hope that will lead to joy, peace, and life
2. OR We CAN SOW SEEDS OF DOUBT that if left to grow will lead to DEATH and DEPRESSION
Not necessarily Physical death though that can happen...
But a greater death a SPIRITUAL DEATH....There is greater death than physical death, it’s spiritual death
How many people die, is OFTEN NOT OVER SOME THEOLOGICAL ISSUE THAT THEY HAVE....instead it happens when they encounter a difficult situation....divorce, singleness, persecution, financial crisis…they doubt God will come through for them....this doubt leads to not trusting God leads to not obeying God leads to not believing in God…a SPIRITUAL DEATH
....Doubting when left to grow will lead to DEATH
Or it will lead to depression....I know this first hand....many of you know my story in my 20’s I faced clinical depression and the root of it was DOUBT....I doubted God would provide for me, I doubted my call as a pastor, I doubted what God said about me…I thought I was a sinner and not a saint…and I was depressed.
I had to preach the Good News, Correct News to the Bad news.
This is how big this question is…this question is not a question about what do you want to eat after church or where do you want to watch the Browns game....it is a huge question
WHERE IS GOD?
SO HOW DOES GOD ANSWER THIS QUESTION OF WHERE IS GOD 2000 years ago and for us today?
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
WHERE IS GOD? WHERE DOES GOD SHOW UP 2000 years ago?
- Does He appear in a burning bush like He did with Moses? NO
- Did He appear in a whisper like He did with Elijah? NO
- Does HE come down riding down on a golden chariot as a military conquering king, ruling the day, overthrowing ROME
WHERE IS GOD?…IN A MANGER.... FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME THAT GOD APPEARS in a manger as a baby
what!?! WHY!?! This does not make sense....why would God come as a human baby???? let’s pause on that question one for a minute
Not only does he come as a baby…He does not even come from an elite humanly speaking class…He does not come from earthly royalty....
.......plus He is born Jesus of Nazareth....Nazareth was that nothing town....small itty town....and the name Nazareth means city of sticks or city of the branch
Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Why a no nothing town? A couple reasons to show God’s kingdom is an upside down kingdom People were expecting the Messiah to come from this elite class but …It is a kingdom for peasants and kings, a kingdom for in the worlds eyes nobodies and somebodies....
Also, it fulfills a prophecy.
Jesus has to come from this city. It just makes sense Jesus would come form Nazareth
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
Jesus is the branch, the comes from the city of the branch, that comes to bear great fruit that was prophesied about 600 years before Jesus..
BUT WHY A BABY? (I get Nazareth) WHEN WE THINK WHERE IS GOD WE DON’T THINK HUMAN BABY… WHY
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
WHY DOES JESUS COME AS A BABY (God could have come all different ways, why as a human?), WHY DOES GOD COME AS A HUMAN?
The scripture text gives us 2 reasons.... (it is the story of Christmas and Easter)
God Comes to Be With US. He is Immanuel God with us.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God moved into the neighborhood to be with us, you and with me.
The reason why God came as a human baby, the reason why GOD came as a baby is to be with us in our stuff, in our mess, in our junk....to feel what we feel, to relate to what we can relate to.
He is not as modern beliefs have said…way up there…no he is right here.
Think about this...God creator of heaven and earth…left heave, left perfection, left the place were the Cubs always win, the Browns always win, no crying, no tears, streets of gold....JUST TO BE WITH YOU, ME, US and I don’t know
Why would God do such a thing? Why would he leave heaven…why would he come down to the muck and mire that we are in? TO BE WITH US IN THE BROKEN WORLD?… WE DON’T DESERVE IT....IT IS BECAUSE HE LOVES US....and HE KNOWS WE NEED HIM.
Do you know what hope, peace, and joy this gives us???
No matter what we are going through God is with you
Whether it is 2020 or 2030 God is with you
- Whether you are happy or sad GOD IS WITH YOU
- Whether you are mad or bad God is with you
Whether you welcome Him in or try to force Him out God is with you
That you can stand with courage and confidence no matter what you are going though
THAT GOD IS WITH ME
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
Some of you need to hear that today, whether you are here at the church or online.
It is has been a hard year…and God wants you to know, He is with you....
One of the greatest presents we receive at Christmas is His presence....His presence is more than enough.
Many of us know this when going through difficult it is His presence that got you through.
How did you get through? How did you have have hope? God was with me.
This is what Joseph Mohr wanted the people of Austria to know in on Christmas Eve of 1816…after they had recently been taken over by Napoleon in a violent way that left many people starving, poor, destitute.
He wanted them to know that though they are going through hardship that God was with them. They need not doubt.
It is at that time on Christmas Eve of 1816 that Joseph Mohr penned the words to Silent Night.
A song reminding us that God is with us
Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!
Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love's pure light;
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
What Joseph Mohr was instilling in the people of Austria....IS I KNOW THE SITUATION IS DIFFICULT BUT GOOD NEWS GOD IS WITH US IMMANUEL....WE HAVE HOPE....
I don’t know where you are at today but God wants you to know that God is with you.
Some you might be thinking in the room or online or in the future....Yes, God is with them, but He could never be with me…there is not exception clause in there that God can be with everyone in the world…but you don’t know what I have done… God does and there is nothing that His love cannot overcome....or yes, God is with me when I am good....If he can only be with you when you are good, you’re sure out of luck and so are you.
But has anybody anybody ever thought this way?
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God came to be with you at Christmas....
Where is God? HE is WITH YOU
But that is not all…the Christmas story is not just that God is with you, which is WONDERFUL by itself....it’s gets much better because the Christmas Story is not just God being with you HE IS FOR YOU
2. God is for you for His glory
And not only is He for you, He has the power to do something about it....He is not for you like we are FOR the BROWNS rooting them on....INSTEAD HE HAS TO POWER TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT OUR SITUATIONS.
AS
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
I love how Jonathan Edwards describes this verse to mean
Our bad things to turn to good
Our good things will never be taken from us
Best yet to come
How do we see this in the Christmas story play out?
We see God take care of worst situation....the worst situation all humanity faces....and what is that situation?
SIN, that leads to death and seperation between us and God....we are not reconciled to our father..
AND THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO TO OVERCOME IT...
BUT I HAVE GOOD NEWS.
What’s the Good News?
Let’s read Matt 1:21
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
The Good News is God is for us some much that he takes care of our biggest problem of SIN, DEATH, and SHAME..
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
GOD IS FOR US
When we ask the question “where is God” we can say He with me....and it is even better He is for me…by taking saving me from my sin
As 1 Cor 15:53-55 says “Death no longer has a sting in my life…it has been swallowed up in victory”
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?”
Even better news God doesn’t stop being FOR YOU IN SALVATION, SAVING YOU FROM SINS....GOD does say I saved Tom and not He is to figure the rest of His life out.....NO GOD IS CONTINUALLY FOR YOU....IT IS DOES NOT STOP OUR SALVATION....
He
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
God is continuing to be FOR YOU to make you more and more like Jesus…more and more full of life, peace, and joy....
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
This is who God is
US
WHEN WE GET THE QUESTION TO RISE IN OUR MIND “WHERE IS GOD?” We can look to Christmas Story and our stories and say I know where MY GOD is…the ROCK OF MY SALVATION...
He is with ME
He is FOR ME
HE IS WITH ME
HE IS FOR ME
That not matter what situation you are facing NOW or in the FUTURE you can SAY....I know it might be difficult…I know it be what I thought it would be....BUT I KNOW MY GOD IS WITH ME and HE IS FOR ME....I don’t need to DOUBT but DEPEND upon HIM....
When we do this we will get HOPE, LIFE, PEACE, and JOY
Small Group Questions
What are you looking forward to this Christmas?
Can you remember a time you asked the question “where is God?” Can you tell us about it?
Why would God being with us bring us hope?
Why is doubting deadly or depressing?
Is it hard for you DEPEND upon God?
6. Who can you share the Christmas story with?