A Thrill of Hope: God With Us

ORDER:

Visioneering

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

Psalm 66:5 TPT

Julia Roberts

Isaiah 9:6 is used on Christmas Cards all over the world… you’ve seen it, but I want us to look at it closely to see it differently today.

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE.

Matthew 1:18-25 NLT (read story)

Message Title: God With Us

BC/AD - Time Measured

Jesus really lived, he’s not ficticious.

Messianic Prophecies

Silver Dollar/ Texas

Matthew 1:18 - Virgin Birth, Conceived by the Holy Spirit

Matthew 1:20 NLT

Point #1 Jesus IS GOD!

Point #2 Jesus Is GOD, with US

Jesus Immanuel (Jeffrey Michael)

Psalm 14:7 ...

Psalm 40:16...

Psalm 51:12 ...

Luke 2:30… Simeon

EGG of the WOMAN, SEED of GOD

1 Peter 1:23 NLT ?

John 1:1 ESV

John 1:14 ESV

1 John 4:2-3 ESV

2 John 7…

A Thrill of Hope Slide

Hebrews 2:14 NLT…

End where started…

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Garden of Eden… Adam & Eve Convo…

COMMUNION:

1 Corinthians 10:16–17 ESV

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

VISIONEERING + FASTING + PURSUIT NIGHTS:

We’re also starting the year with a new series that we’ve titled: VISIONEERING - Engineering your life around a God-size Vision.

People without Vision will perish… but with vision, people flourish!

One of the best ways I know of to grow in Vision is through the Spiritual Discipline of Fasting.

So to start out the New Year, our church will be taking part in a 21 Day Fast to recalibrate and press into the things of GOD, from January 3 - 23rd.

During those first 3 weeks of January, we will be hosting Pursuit Nights each of the first 3 Wednesday here in Needham Chapel.

1hr, laser focused prayer & worship nights. 7-8pm

If there are those who want to linger longer, you’re welcome to do so, but I know many of you have babies and bedtimes and school and such.

I would like to ask everyone who considers Authentic Church your home church to join us as we recalibrate our lives with a season of prayer & Fasting.

By the way, if the only time you pray and fast is if we do it as a church body, you will lack the power that you need for the life God has called you to lead.

I fast at least a day or two a week. I do not fast because I’m the pastor of Authentic Church… although I believe all pastors should fast. Fasting is a spiritual practice that was embraced by the early church…

For the season of Advent, it was the practice that many churches would fast leading up to Christmas at the expectation of Jesus, which is a good thing (as long as you don’t make it a religious duty, but a spiritual discipline of being hungry for more of GOD).

Fasting is Unplugging from the World, Prayer is Plugging into GOD.

Dieting changes the way you look, but fasting will change the way you SEE.

So I encourage you to put that on your calendar and plan to join us!

INTRO

Man, I love the Authentic Family. Hopefully you came from a great family… but either way, I’m so greatful for the Spiritual Family we have here. What a year it has been!

Our scripture for the 2021 was out of Psalm 66:5 TPT

Psalm 66:5 TPT

Everyone will say, “Come and see the incredible things God has done; it will take your breath away! He multiplies miracles for his people!”

If you haven’t filled out a Miracle Card yet, we invite you to do so and pin those up at the end of service today.

We’re in week two of our Christmas Series that we titled “A Thrill of Hope”

I don’t know how your year has been but I think we’d all agree the world needs more hope.

In fact, I think Julia Roberts said it best…

“The Last two years have been hard on us all”…

We all need more HOPE.

JULIA ROBERTS QUOTE:

The last two years have been hard on us all.

We all need more HOPE.

We can all use some JOY and we all have REASON TO HOPE… because JESUS… GOD is with us!

*If you have your Bibles, you can turn to the Book of Matthew, chapter one

*Matthew is the first of the 4 Gospels… Gospel means GOOD NEWS. They are 4 different view points of the same story about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

*Jesus wasn’t just a good man or a good prophet or a good teacher, Jesus was is and will always be GOD.

*My mission today is to open the text and ask for illiminiaton from the Holy Spirit for fresh revelation that leads to transformation.

*The transformed life in Christ is full of joy and blessings to great to quantify, and the God of JOY, the GOD who Brings HOPE is here and wants to meet with you today.

PRAY

KEY TEXT: MATTHEW 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25

New Living Translation

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[a] quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[b] for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel,[c]

which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

MESSAGE TITLE: GOD WITH US

POINT# 1 - JESUS IS GOD

Matthew 1:18 (ESV)

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.

I have found that when God is birthing something, it can feel out of order.

Supernatural blessings are not able to be explained with science.

Your faith and my faith is SUPERNATURAL.

I underlined the text to make a point… Mary carried Jesus. It was her EGGS, but Jesus was God’s Seed.

EGG from a Woman. SEED From God.

The Egg had to come from a WOMAN. But the SEED needed to be from GOD.

Iniquities (Sins) were passed down through men.

Over 10x in the Old Testament it talks about the iniquities of the Fathers go to the 3rd & 4th Generations

It never says, “The iniquities of the mothers”

INIQUITY was Passed from the FATHER.

Jesus was BORN of a WOMAN. But not of a MAN.

Why?

So he could be fully human, and fully God.

The Deity & the Humanity of Christ.

JESUS was FULLY GOD, but FULLY HUMAN.

GOD WITH US - The Diety of Christ

AD & BC

The whole world marks time by the first Christmas (The birth of Jesus)

The whole world bears witness to the birth of Christ, that they mark their calendars by his birth.

People talk of time and say so many years “BEFORE CHRIST”… BC, and so many years, AD.

AD does not mean “After Death”… if it did we would have a 33yr gap in the calendar.

AD: Anno Domini (latin words for “the year of the Lord”—the year Jesus was born).

The WHOLE WORLD marks time as BEFORE CHRIST was born, and once after He was born, we are in the 2021st year of OUR LORD.

10 of the 300 Prophecies of the Messiah:

Genesis 22:18 - Lineage of Abraham

Numbers 24:17 - Lineage of Jacob (Abraham’s Grandson)

Isaiah 11:1 - Lineage of Jesse

Jeremiah 23:5-6 & 2 Samuel 7:12-13 - Lineage of King David

Micah 5:2 - Born in Bethlehem

Isaiah 7:14 - Born of a Virgin

Psalm 72:9-10 - Worshipped by Shepherds & Foreign Kings

Jeremiah 31:15 - Refers to King Herod murdering the children

Hosea 11:1 - Live in Egypt for a season

SILVER DOLLAR VISUAL

There are more than 300 prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament. These prophecies are specific enough that the mathematical probability of Jesus fulfilling even a handful of them, let alone all of them, is staggeringly improbable—if not impossible.

Peter Stoner, Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena College, was passionate about biblical prophecies. With 600 students from the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Stoner looked at eight specific prophecies about Jesus. They came up with extremely conservative probabilities for each one being fulfilled, and then considered the likelihood of Jesus fulfilling all eight of those prophecies.

The conclusion to his research was staggering. The prospect that anyone would satisfy those eight prophecies was just 1 in 10 to the 17th power.

10 to the 17th Power:

"Let us try to visualize this chance. If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all of the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state.

"Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one?

Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote using their own wisdom."

POINT #2: God Is With You

ISAIAH 7:14 - ISAIAH THE PROPHET

*this is a quote from Isaiah 7:14 -

Isaiah the Prophet had more prophesies about the coming messiah than any other prophet.

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

IMMANUEL MEANS: GOD WITH US

JESUS vs. IMMANUEL

Why did they call him JESUS if Isaiah said his name would be Immanuel?

Immanuel was not intended to be a proper name that people would call him… it was intended to be the description of what he would be: GOD WITH US.

My proper name is Jeffrey Michael Peterson

Jeffrey means - Heavenly Peace

Michael - Who is like God or a Gift of God

JESUS is his proper name in the English, translated from his Hebrew name: YESHUA, and it describes not only WHO he is… but WHAT He would do. GOD IS SALVATION.

Immanuel - GOD WITH US

Jesus is from YESHUA, JOSHUA.

If you recall in Numbers 13, Moses gave Joshua his name. Joshua in the Old Testament wasn’t named Joshua by his parents. His given name was Hosea, the son of Nun.

Moses changed the name of Hosea son of Nun to Joshua

Hosea means "salvation". Moses changed his name to Joshua because it means " Jehovah is salvation".

Jesus name is Yeshua in Hebrew, means SALVATION, and it is one of the names of God.

The Hebrew word “yeshua” means salvation. It is one of the names of God. It is only with this understanding that we recognize Jesus’ name, Yeshua, throughout the Old Testament.

The Gospels were written in Greek, which means we lose some of its Hebrew context. The prophecies around the infant Jesus are one example of such treasures “lost in translation”.

In biblical Hebrew, a name of a person or town was more than just a unique identifying title. It spoke of their calling or destiny.

Moses means “drawn out”, like he was drawn out of the water by Pharaoh’s daughter. Then, he was used by God to draw Israel out of Egypt.

Jesus – which in Hebrew is Yeshua. Yeshua - SALVATION– Jesus – was God’s promise to the world.

Oh, that the salvation (Yeshua) of Israel would come out of Zion! (Psalm 14:7)

Let those who love Your salvation (Yeshua) say continually, “The LORD be magnified! (Psalm 40:16)

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation (Yeshua) and sustain me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:12)

Eight days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph went to the Temple. They met Simeon who was waiting to see the Messiah, according to God’s promise made to him. Upon meeting baby Jesus, Simeon proclaimed:

For my eyes have seen Your salvation (Yeshua), which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES and the glory of Your people Israel. (Luke 2:30-32)

JESUS IS SALVATION.

HE IS GOD WITH US.

Jews in Israel will not refer to Jesus as Yeshua… they refer to him as YESHU the leader of Christianity.

But as you read the Scripture, you do find that people did identify him as “God with us.”

DEITY OF CHRIST MAKES CHRISTMAS DIFFERENT THAN JUST A HOLIDAY.

THE DIETY OF CHRIST IS WHAT MAKES CHRISTIANITY DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER FAITH.

RELIGION is Man’s attempted to get to GOD. Christianity is GOD coming to man.

I don’t like using that WORD “RELIGION” when referring to Christianity.

No other religion can say our founder is GOD.

HE is GOD.

GOD became MAN.

He was born of incorruptible seed.

The Seed had not been corrupted.

GOOD NEWS: When you believe Jesus, you are “BORN AGAIN”

Did you know that when you’re born again, you’re born of incorruptible seed?

1 Peter 1:23 (NKJV)

having been born again, not of [a]corruptible seed but [b]incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides [c]forever,

JESUS wasn’t a Messenger… he was the message.

God didn’t send us a Messenger in Jesus.

GOD brought a message himself.

He became human.

John was a Messenger… Jesus was the Message.

God didn’t send someone to redeem you… He redeemed you Himself.

John 1:1 (ESV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

*the Word is referring to JESUS.

John 1:14 (ESV)

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.

*Jesus became flesh.

*the Only BEGOTTEN

1 John 4:2–3 (ESV)

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

*Jesus came in the flesh… became a human.

2 John 7 (ESV)

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.

*Jesus came in the flesh.

Why is it important to believe that Jesus - GOD - became a human?

Because if he didn’t really become HUMAN, than he couldn’t really die and pay the penalty for my sins.

He had to become a HUMAN to pay for my sins.

JUDGE in a Small Town

Friend got a speeding ticket.

Thx for dismissing the speeding ticket.

I didn’t dismiss it… I paid it.

I didn’t want you to pay it… I wanted you to do your judge thing…

Were you guilty? yes I was…

Justice demanded that the penalty be paid. If I’m a righteous JUDGE, I can’t dismiss the charges for you… but I can pay them for you myself.

The World Attacks these two facts:

Jesus was Fully GOD

Jesus was Fully Man.

If he wasn’t fully God, he couldn’t pay for my sins.

If he wasn’t fully Man, He couldn’t really die… and his penalty of death redeemed us. He was the SACRIFICE that PAID for our sins.

ENDING: THIS IS THE Greatest Story Ever Told - GOD WITH US!

IT’s the GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD, and the impact of this man JESUS… how he lived, how he loved, how we delivered, set free, healed restored and RESURRECTED FROM THE GRAVE speak to His Greatness.

It’s the Greatest Story ever told… and it’s all TRUE.

JESUS… HE IS “GOD WITH US. “

JESUS is distinguished from any other figure because he doesn’t just tell you what to do - He gives you THE POWER to do it.

PnumaCristos - Christ IN YOU.

Filled with His Holy Spirit.

He came and showed the WAY of LIFE, then empowered us to be carriers of HIS SPIRIT to not just know what He said, but to DO WHAT HE DID.

He says, I want you to FORGIVE… then I’m gonna help you do it.

I’m gonna tell you to LOVE your enemies, then I’m going to help you do it!

I needed more than a prophet, I needed JESUS!.

Hebrews 2:14 NLT

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

THE FATHER GAVE THE SON, The SON GAVE HIS LIFE, and Gave us the HOLY SPIRIT, the HOLY SPIRIT gives us power and victory and helps us know GOD our FATHER and Live, walk and love like His Son.

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

CHILD & SON - SEE IT DIFFERENTLY:

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Unto us a CHILD (HUMAN) is Born.

Unto us a SON (Son of God) is Given.

I NEED JESUS

I didn’t need a religious teaching… I didn’t need a moral teacher… I needed JESUS - Emmanuel… GOD WITH US.

I have needs that have a degree and a dimension that are so specific that Jesus is the only one who meets the criteria who can meet them.

I’m grateful JESUS was BORN, for ME!

HEALING

I needed someone who gave me more than HOPE… someone who gave me HEALING.

So I can be healed in areas that medicine can’t reach.

If you don’t HEAL from people who hurt you, you’ll bleed on those who didn’t cut you.

You don’t need a doctor… you need Jesus.

HOPE:

When your body is hurting, you take medicine… but what do you do when your heart is hurting?

You take medicine when your body is hurting, but what do you take when your heart is sick?

The bible says that HOPE DEFERRED makes the HEART SICK.

What do you take when HOPE is GONE? What do you take when your HEART is sick?

What do you take for that pain? I NEED A HEALER.

JESUS is the only one who can truly heal the areas of our lives that medicine can’t reach.

I NEED GOD WITH US. I NEED JESUS.

I need more than a prophet to tell me how to live RIGHTEOUS…

I need a SAVIOR to help me when I’m not living RIGHT.

I don’t need someone just to tell me what NOT to DO… I need a SAVIOR who FORGIVES me when I know what I ought to do, yet I didn’t do it.

I need forgiveness.

I need my slate washed clean.

I need my record expunged.

I need a FRESH START AND A NEW LIFE…

I Don’t just need a Christmas Message… I need CHRIST.

I NEED JESUS.

There was more in the manger than a baby. It was GOD with us!

There’s a degree of exclusivity and distinctives that Jesus offers that nobody else can offer.

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t need some prophet who could pontificate some principles… I need to more than WHAT TO DO… I need the POWER to do it.

JESUS - GOD WITH US.

There was GOD. There was US. Humanity hasn’t gotten better in time… humanity hasn’t evolved much in being more loving.

THE “US” needed our CREATOR GOD to put things back together again.

So GOD, CAME DOWN, in the form of a MAN named JESUS.

GOD: Adam & Eve “Son, your bride has sinned”

I’m so sorry to tell you this son, but your bride had sinned. She’s going to die.

We know that didn’t happen… Adam & Eve

But I think a conversation like that did happen… between the Father and the Son.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHcJAglXDHo (29:30)

JESUS: Who Do YOU Say He Is In Your Life?

Matthew 16:13–17 (ESV)

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

“Who do you say that I am?” - Jesus is asking you this question today…

Your answer determines your eternal destination.

A Good Man?

A Prophet?

A Good Teacher of Morals?

COMMMUNION

OTHER SERMON THOUGHTS

ENDING - ADVENT

VISIUAL of LIGHTING CANDELS, Expectation, and seeing that LIGHT grow.

Growing up, we would have an Advent Wreath. And the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas, our anticipation and excitement grew with each time another one of the 4 candles would be lit, signifying that we are get closer to Christmas.

The season of Advent is such an incredible opportunity to lean into the experience of anticipating Christmas… The moment that Jesus, the light of the world, came to earth to bring salvation to those in darkness.

You know, waiting patiently is rarely easy, and waiting during tough times is even harder.

If we’re being honest most of us have had seasons in our lives, where we’ve been waiting for what feels like a long dark winter... and maybe that’s where you are right now… waiting and waiting.

When you are in a season of waiting it can seem like a season of darkness, waiting for the light to shine... and then waiting some more.

Let me encourage you today that the darkness won’t last forever.

When we think of Advent, we think of “Waiting”… but the word Advent actually means: COMING.

ADVENT: Means “the arrival, the appearance, and literally “The Coming of Jesus”

So this season really isn’t about waiting it’s in true anticipation of the light that has come and will surely come so don’t lose sight of what you’re waiting for expect light to come into your life because the light of the world has come

Jesus said in John 12:46

“I have come into the world as a light so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness”

Let me encourage you today... keep your hope in the Promise. Keep your eyes on the light of the world this advent season.

Even if all you see is just a glimmer because he’s with you, even when you can’t see him.

And HE is coming… HE WILL carry you through this time.