Sing The Good News! -- O Come, O Come Emmanuel: Our Prayer of Expectation and Assurance -- 12/19/21
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Introduction
Introduction
Recap of Series
3rd Sunday Prayer Emphasis - discernment of God’s will for our church family
Acknowledgement of sources if necessary
Come Emmanuel
Come Emmanuel
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”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Jesus is God with us
Jesus is God in us
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
We are created for Union with God
John 17:20–23 (NIV)
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
In complete union - unity - oneness with God - that then translates into unity with each other.
Eldredge: praying hands Illustration
Application:
We mourn in lonely exile until the Son of God appears . . .
There is a mourning and a longing until Jesus comes again to make all things new.
There is a mourning until the life of the Son of God is fully formed in our lives . . .
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Where do you need the life of the Son of God to be formed in your life? Where do you long to see the life of the Son of God formed in our church family?
We can say to Jesus, Come Lord Jesus, and form your life in this area of my life. Come Lord Jesus and form your life in this are of our church family.
Pray:
Let us pray . . .
O come Emmanuel, I believe you are alive in me. Form me into your image. I give myself completely to you, Jesus, to make me like you.
Sing:
O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
Come Wisdom
Come Wisdom
Isaiah says of Jesus: The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord
The apostle Paul adds to this
but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Jesus is the Wisdom of God alive in us.
Isaiah tells us the Jesus is our Wonderful Counsel
How does Christ counsel us in our everyday life? Primarily, through the His Word and the Holy Spirit. We hear or read God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit, who is the life of Jesus in us locks in our mind and heart to what he wants to teach us our how he wants to guide us. Our Jesus is a Wonderful Counselor. He knows all, controls and sustains all, he is available to us 24/7.
James the brother of our Lord Jesus wrote these words,
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
God is for us, not against us. He wants us to flourish. He knows we need wisdom and he has give to us the life of Jesus in us to provide us with wisdom to love and obey him which always leads to our wellbeing.
Application:
In what area of your life do you need need the Wisdom of God today? Where do you sense that our church family needs the Wisdom of God?
We can say to Jesus, Come Lord Jesus, be my wisdom in this area of my life. Come Lord Jesus our wisdom in this are of our church family.
Pray:
Let us pray . . .
O come Wisdom, I believe you are alive in me. Form your wisdom in me. I give myself completely to you, Jesus, to shape my life according to your wise guidance through your Word and by the Holy Spirit.
Sing:
O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
Come Mighty God
Come Mighty God
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; … and his name shall be called … the mighty God. (Isaiah 9:6)
Have your ever been afraid that Jesus, just might not come through for you? Fear not, Jesus is our Might God.
Sometimes we hear it said, “God will not give us anything that we cannot handle.” We trust that what people mean to say is, "God will not gives anything we cannot handle without Him." We know through personal experience that God often, by design, gives us more than we can handle by ourselves. Our loving Father spends our whole life teaching us to depend not upon our own strength, our own intellect, and our own resources. He intentionally allows us to be in situations that require of us more than we have to give . . . so we will turn to him to supply that which we are lacking.
John 15:5 (NIV)
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing” - nothing that will ultimately bring glory to God and secure your wellbeing. Apart from Jesus we can only do things for our own glory that will ultimately lead to our humiliation before God. God saves us from ourselves by from time to time and sometimes for long periods of time giving us more than we can handle so we learn complete dependency on our Might God who lives in us.
It is interesting that our hymn directly associates Jesus with the appearance of Yahweh on Mount Sinai to Israel. In Ex 19 we read:
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.
Jesus is Yahweh come in flesh and blood to keep his covenant promise to save his people from their sins.
Remember, it was on the morning of the third day, Jesus with might and power arose for the dead! Jesus is our Mighty God rising in triumph over sin, death, and hell. We are held safely in His Almighty hands.
Application:
Are you in a situation today that is more than you can handle. Your Mighty God, Jesus is there to give you everything that you are lacking.
We can say, Come Lord Jesus, be my might God in this area of my life. Come Lord Jesus be our mighty God in this aspect of our church family.
Pray:
Let us pray . . .
O come Mighty God, I believe you are alive in me. Show your might and power to deliver me from all my sin, all my disappointments, and all my adversity. I give myself completely to you, Jesus, make me completely dependent on your mighty power for the honor of your glory and my wellbeing.
Sing:
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
Come O Branch of Jesse
Come O Branch of Jesse
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The angel Gabriel gave this message to the virgin Mary,
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.”
Though the line and lineage of David appeared to be decayed and dead, yet a little sap still lived in the dry roots, and a little sapling sprang out of it, a lad in Nazareth who grew up before the Lord as a Tender Plant from the stump of Jesse. [1]
In the coming of Jesus, Yahweh was faithful to his covenant promises to King David to establish King David’s throne forever (2 Sam. 7:16).
We can trust that Jesus, our Branch of Jesse will keep his promises to us too. There are many wonderful promises in God’s Word to which Jesus will prove faithful and true, but perhaps not is more important than John 11:25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
It is upon this promise that we can state with confidence,
I am not my own but, but belong - body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. [2]
Application: In what area are you struggling to believe that Jesus will deliver on all his good promises to you? Where are we struggling as a church family to believe that Jesus will show himself faithful and true our church family?
We can say,
Come Lord Jesus, show yourself faithful and true to all your the promises of your Word. Come Lord Jesus fulfill all the good promises of your Word for our church family.
Let us pray . . .
O come Branch of Jesse, I believe you are alive in me. Grow within me deep confidence that you will fulfill all your good promises to me. I give myself completely to you, Jesus, I belong to you Lord - body and soul in life and death. You are my faithful Savior who will surely keep all your promises to me.
Sing:
O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
Come Key of David
Come Key of David
Jesus says these words in the Book of Revelation to the church in Philadelphia
Revelation 3:7–8 (NIV)
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
This fulfils the prophesy of found in Isaiah 22:22
I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
The result of Jesus’ possession of the key of the House of David is that he can irreversibly open and shut the door. Christ, David’s descendant, can grant access to God’s presence and messianic kingdom and he our Key of David has open to us us access to God and His Kingdom. [3]
Jesus tells the saints in Philadelphia
Revelation 3:11–12 (NIV)
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it.
O weary soul, Jesus says hold on to what you have! What do we have to hold on to? We have the our union with the Life of Jesus in us; which is the evidence that we belong to him. We we are tired, troubled, discourage, in pain, sick, or dying Jesus says “hold on to me” you are safe in my Mighty arms, I am coming soon to save you completely and you will be crowned with glory in my presence.
For I am . . .
The Bright and Morning Star
The Bright and Morning Star
Before the rising of the sun, before the dawn of time I am your “Bright and Morning Star.” who leads you out of the darkness into my glorious light.
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
John 8:12 (NIV)
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Come King of Nations
Come King of Nations
And so shall we join our voices with the voices of those who “held own to what we have”and have proven themselves victorious by the word of their testimony and the blood of the Lamb, and we shall lift our voices in praise
Revelation 15:3–4 (NIV)
“Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
O Come to Emmanuel
O Come to Emmanuel
In all His Names Jesus communicates to us that he love us, that He is 100% commited to our total wellbeing, and he want us to experience his deep love for us every day of our lives and then forever into eternity.
Jesus calls to us and says, “O come, O come to me Emmanuel”
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Would you stand pray with our words and in song to our Emmanuel, God with us.
Pray:
Key of David we come to you, hold us safe until we see you face to face. Bright and Morning Star, we look for the glory of your presence shining upon us and through us. King of the Nations, we pledge to you our loyal devotion. Help us to do your will until you show yourself to the world as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Amen. [4]
Sing:
5 O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death's abode. [Refrain]
6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light. [Refrain]
7 O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace. [Refrain]
[1] Morgan, R. J. (2009). He shall be called: 150 names of jesus and what they mean to you. New York City, NY: FaithWords.
[2] HC Q&A 1
[3] Mangum, D. (Ed.). (2020). Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament (Re 3:7–13). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[4] Morgan (2009).