[Illustration]**The Horse Whisperer was a movie based upon the work of Monty Roberts. Monty Roberts’ secret of his horse whispering involves his getting into the corral with an untamed mustang and...When asked his secret, he says, The animals need to be with others so much, they would rather befriend the enemy than be left alone.
[Illustration]**Could you imagine dying alone? Glynn Wolfe died alone…in Los Angeles…he was 88. No one came to claim his body; the city paid to have him buried in an unmarked grave—sad, but not an unusual event in larger cities. Glynn’s situation was unique, however, because he was no ordinary man. He held a world record. If you look in The Guinness Book you will find him listed as the Most Married Man, of 29x...—and he died alone.
**A Gallop Report indicated “Of Americans who ate dinner last night, the percentage who ate alone was 22%.” **Mother Teresa once said, “The biggest disease today is not leprosy or cancer. It’s the feeling of being uncared for, unwanted—of being deserted and alone.” It has become more traditional for the Christmas season to be about loneliness than anything else.
[Illustration] A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: "The big sissy."
According to Erickson, who did a lot of research in child development, states that a baby’s first developmental stage is one of trust. A baby learns this of course from contact with his or her parents.
If a mom and dad give a newborn familiarity, consistency, and continuity, then the child will develop the feeling that people are reliable and loving and the world is a safe place to be. The first way an infant achieves this ability is letting mother out of sight for the first time without incurring anxiety.
Imagine yourself as a baby, lying in your crib, and momma leaves. You see her evaporate over the crib’s edge and she is gone. But mom comes back, and you are glad! This gone-and-back-again, gone-and-back-again creates snapshots you place in your inner photo book by which you compare and test and learn to rely on things. This predictability is how we learn to establish trust. If trust has been built for the child, it becomes a feeling we use in trusting others as well as ourselves. When trust develops within a child he feels secure about himself and loneliness is not much of an issue.
But if parents do not care for their child appropriately and perhaps even harm the child, then the child will develop mistrust. This will later lead to problems of dealing with other people.
Also, if the parents are overly protective and respond to a child’s every cry, a child will learn to be overly trusting and believe that no one would harm them. This can then lead to boundary problems and lack of knowledge about personal safety
Loneliness would seem to be rooted way back to our infant days and we can still be living it out today. BUT there is good news! Isn’t it wonderful that God knows all about us psychologically and in our totality. God knew what it would take to bring us into a relationship with him regardless of our past. Even before the baby had born, the angel said he would be called a name we needed to know him as, “Immanuel” –the most trusting name we could have. “God with us” is a name we need every day!
You see, if the Christmas season brings to the forefront feelings of loneliness for you to have to deal with, for that reason alone, this message is for you!
Christmas Heals Our Loneliness. For all the questions loneliness brings, Christmas answers in one word: “Immanuel.” Today and from now on, will you let Immanuel mean, “You are never alone!”
Immanuel was first spoken of by Isaiah. He prophesies that an unmarried young woman within the royal house would shortly marry and conceive. Her son would be called “Immanuel”. This prophecy was made in the presence of King Ahaz. Ahaz was calling out to Assyria for political assistance and protection. The prophecy stated that before the child was old enough to eat solid food the Assyrians would lay waste the lands of Aram and Israel, which they did, not even two years later.
The "sign" of that Immanuel’s birth revealed that the All-Sovereign and All-Knowing God has the situation completely in hand! The prophecy was meant to rebuke King Ahaz’s unfaithfulness in relying on Assyria instead of totally on God.
This prophecy wasn’t just given to King Ahaz, but to the house of David. In the fullness of time, another “Immanuel”, the Messiah-Child would be born through David’s lineage. He was to be a symbol of God’s salvation for His people—not simply from physical foes of that day, but ultimately from shackles of sin.
The Messiah is God’s final purpose in the flesh! His virgin mother would conceive, give birth, and his name will be called “God with us!”!
Isaiah’s promised Immanuel will possess the land, thwart all opponents, appear in Galilee of the Gentiles, and be a great light to those in the land of the shadow of death. He is the Child and Son called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”, whose government and peace will never end as he reigns on David’s throne forever. That was Isaiah’s turn.
Then it became Matthew’s turn.
Matthew’s Immanuel IS the Messiah! Matthew displays Jesus as “God with us”, as THE Immanuel. When Jesus begins his ministry, Matthew sees him as bringing in the kingdom and fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah’s Immanuel. Matthew sees Jesus’ life as God making Himself present with His people. Jesus is GOD WITH US, and God wants us to know He is with us and for us because of Jesus.
No greater blessing can be conceived than for God to dwell with His people. Jesus promises, just before his ascension to be with us to the end of the age, that He will return to share the Messiah banquet with his people.
John gives us a deeper insight about what Immanuel means when he states: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…He came unto his own, but his own did not receive him.”
Jesus was on his very own from the beginning, but he was never alone. Many circumstances in his life he was seen alone, but listen to this one testimony of Jesus given to his disciples recorded by John in chapter 16 verse 32,
“…a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.”
We often think of Jesus hanging on the cross, pleading with God, “Where are you? Why have you abandoned me?”
Jesus hung on that cross alone, the sin of the whole world turned the Father’s face away from him and he was separated from God in that moment, forsaken; HE was left there alone, so YOU wouldn’t have to be! IMMANUEL!
And just days later, Jesus knew the importance of that moment when he states the words to his disciples, “I will never leave you nor forsake you!” And that’s the good news for us! Immanuel!
It was Isaiah’s turn to speak. It was Matthew’s turn to speak. Now it is your turn to speak!
You have had times when you have felt hung up to dry, out on a limb, on the back burner, left in the shadows, back-staged, top-shelved, abandoned, deserted, all alone…but there is good news for you today “Immanuel”—God IS with you! You are never alone!
The message of that first Christmas came in to our loneliness to take it away and replace it with the Spirit of “Immanuel”! That is what God wants for you. Christmas can heal you of your loneliness! Immanuel!
[Quote] Joni Eareckson Tada, a parapalegic who continues to live her life for the Lord testifies, “You don’t have to be alone in your hurt! Comfort is yours. Joy is an option. And it’s all been made possible by your Savior. He went without comfort so you might have it. He postponed joy so you might share in it. He willingly chose isolation so you might never be alone in your hurt and sorrow.”
[Illustration] On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, one native American tribe would practice a rite of passage and would take him into a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods…by himself…all night long.
Can you imagine that every time a twig snapped he had visions of wild animals ready to eat him. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what predator’s sounds were being masked. No doubt it would have been a terrifying night for many of us adults!
After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw trees, plants, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy’s father… he had been there all night long.
There is no better way for a child of God to learn how He is always with her than by allowing her to face the tests of life? We are never alone! Immanuel! God is always with us! though God’s presence sometimes goes unseen.
If we took the time, would any of you have a testimony of Immanuel? of how God has been with you? for reasons yet unknown, how God saw fit to spare you?
[Quote] In the article "Johnny Cash Approaches Judgment Day with Faith," Cash spoke about his drug use:
I used drugs to escape, and they worked pretty well when I was younger. But they devastated me physically and emotionally and spiritually. That last one hurt so much: to put myself in such a low state that I couldn’t communicate with God. There’s no lonelier place to be. I was separated from God, and I wasn’t even trying to call on him. I knew that there was no line of communication. But he came back. And I came back.
Life is extremely fragile and unpredictable. We must prepare for that certain day when we will each enter eternity.
You can either live life without “Immanuel” and take your chances, or you can be prepared to meet Him and live everyday without loneliness or fear of death!
If you died today, do you know for certain you’d go to Heaven? You can know that absolutely! John wrote, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you might know that you have eternal life…" [1 John 5:13]
The promise of JESUS CHRIST, IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US, didn’t just come on that first Christmas! The promise is for you and for your family members, and for generations to come. Can you hear Immanuel speaking to your heart today? Have you heard Immanuel’s voice? He is here, and He is with us! Do you know Him today?
When asked his secret, Monty Roberts said, The animals need to be with others so much, they would rather befriend the enemy than be left alone.
If you feel lonely, you don’t need to befriend an enemy! Your greatest Friend is Immanuel! And He is always with you.
If you are needing to know Immanuel this morning in a greater way and He has been speaking to you, would you come and kneel and pray during this final song? I want to give Immanuel some time to work in you; will you give Him that time too?
