THE MOST PRECIOUS GIFT
“IMMANUEL”
Lighthouse Worship Center
Dec. 21, 2008
My sermon this morning, this Sunday before Christmas is simple & not long. Yet, I feel it so profoundly in my spirit. It may be a little different than what you may be expecting but really it’s not different than what one may be expecting if you think about it this morning.
What is it that makes Christmas so precious? I know you’re thinking, “What a silly question! Its because of the birth of Jesus Christ!” Well you’re right! It is the advent, the coming of the Messiah. Yes, it is all of that! But I want to bring it down a little closer than that, a little more personal than what you might have thought about before.
You see up till this point there was no way “YOU or I” could ever stand in the presence of God almighty, God Himself. If you were not a Priest of the Tribe of Levites then you couldn’t stand in “GOD’S PRESENCE!” The Priest could stand in “GOD’S PRESENCE!” by virtue of his calling, but the nature of God, at that point wouldn’t allow someone like “YOU or ME” to stand in “GOD’S PRESENCE!”
But when the advent happened, when the coming of Jesus was birthed among us then it all changed, everything changed for all time to come as well as for all mankind to come.
I want to take you back a long time before then. To a time when man and God had a fellowship that was UNRESTRAINED, UNADULTERATED, UNFAILING, UNFALTERING, UNASHAMED, UNABASHED, & UNRELENTING!
In Genesis 3:9 we see that God liked to go the Garden in the cool of the evening & would commune with the greatest of His creation. That which He was most proud of & pleased with.
Let’s talk a moment about that Creation. What was it that made THIS CREATION SO SPECIAL? All of His Creation lived & breathed in one way or another. All of His Creation was beautiful in it’s own right.
But, this creation had “UNIQUE QUALITIES” not given to the other creations. “UNIQUE QUALITIES” setting this Creation apart from the others. This creation had a “DISTINCT PATH & A DISTINCT HONOR”. This creation was “ABOVE” all other creations. This creation was “SPECIAL” in that He gave this creation the opportunity of “CHOICE!”
With that “CHOICE” came a responsibility that none of the other creations had. He was so pleased with this particular Creation that everyday in the cool of the evening He would go to spend time with this Creation.
But we go to a day that was different than the other days. This day was different & unique for something had changed & changed drastically. This particular day something was wrong. Something had happened to hurt that most precious of creations, something that would cause “DIVISION” from the Creation to the Creator, this most precious of Creations.
In Genesis 3:9, God came to the Garden to walk in the cool of the evening with His most precious of Creations but they were not to be found.
For whatever had happened caused this “PRECIOUS CREATION” to see themselves as they were not to see. They had taken & made a “CHOICE” & ABUSED” it while listening to a (LIE) causing this division between God & Creation.
They even hid themselves from the Creator & He had to call out to them. He spoke out in the “DEAFENING SILENCE OF FEAR”. He called out to His creation saying, “ADAM, WHERE ARE YOU?”
Finally His creation answered Him revealing what He already knew. The Creator, so disappointed & hurt, banned this creation to the earth until a time was right to make “RESTORATION COMPLETE & FULL FOREVERMORE!”
It was in this day & time that the “RESTORATION OF MAN” was to be made through the “SACRIFICE OF AN INNOCENT” whose blood was to be shed for another’s guilt.
You see from the moment God banned man from the Garden till that moment in Bethlehem, there was a GULF, A GREAT SPAN, A SEPARATION OF CREATOR & CREATION, THAT MOST PRECIOUS OF CREATIONS GOD MADE, MANKIND! EVEN WOMAN WOULD “BEAR THE COST OF DIVISION”, EVEN THE WORLD ITSELF!
Then in the birth of Jesus Christ, as a baby, the time was made perfect for the change to take place! It was in the “WISDOM & LOVE OF GOD” that man was given freedom from sin. Till this point his sin was only (COVERED) by “A” sacrifice but now his was sin was no longer to be (COVERED) but it was to be MADE CLEAN, WASHED & CLEANSED BY THE REDEEMING BLOOD OF A SAVIOR!
What happened that was most important for man was not “JUST” the Birth in & of itself, it was not “JUST” that someone could “HEAL”, & not “JUST” give “PEACE” but it was that someone could “HEAL”, give “PEACE” & bring “FORGIVENESS THROUGH ATONEMENT!”
IT WAS THAT SOMEONE WOULD “PAY FOR THE SINS OF THE CREATION, MAN” WHO “COULD NOT RECONCILE HIMSELF” WITH THE CREATOR!
IT WAS THAT SOMEONE WOULD BRING MAN BACK INTO “RECONCILIATION & RESTORATION” WITH THE CREATOR: GOD!
IT WAS THAT SOMEONE WOULD BRING MAN BACK INTO THE “PRESENCE OF GOD!”
IT WAS THE ONLY WAY IT COULD HAPPEN!
FOR IN THAT MOMENT IN BETHLEHEM WAS BORN UNTO US, WHAT IS DESCRIBED IN ISAIAH 9 & IT IS WRITTEN...
“FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, UNTO A SON IS GIVEN &
THE GOVERNMENT SHALL BE ON HIS SHOULDER & HIS
NAME SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR,
MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE.
OF THE INCREASE OF IS GOVERNMENT & PEACE
THERE WILL BE NO END...”
But in Isaiah 7:14 it is written...
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give a you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive & bear a Son, & shall call His name IMMANUEL.”
Now go with me to Matthew 1:23
“...and they will call Him IMMANUEL, which means ‘God with us.’ ”
Throughout time up until this point only a few could stand in the “PRESENCE OF GOD” But now through the “ADVENT” all mankind could stand in the wonderful, glorious “PRESENCE OF GOD!”
Up until this point only a few who were “PRIESTS” called of God could stand the “PRESENCE OF GOD”! People like yourselves had to go to a “PRIEST”, taking a sacrifice to the “PRIEST” & the “PRIEST” was the only one who could stand in the “PRESENCE OF GOD” & offer Sacrifice for YOU! There was a go-between for man to God! BUT NOW, EVERYTHING WAS CHANGED & DIFFERENT!
NOW, YOU HAVE AN “ADVOCATE”, NOW YOU HAVE A “SAVIOR”, now you have “IMMANUEL” meaning “GOD WITH US” indicating “HIS PRESENCE” is AMONG US!
NOW THROUGH THE “ATONING BLOOD” OF JESUS CHRIST & “FORGIVENESS” THROUGH THAT BLOOD YOU CAN STAND IN THE “PRESENCE OF GOD” & EXPERIENCE THE “GLORY OF GOD” IN A PERSONAL WAY & SENSE!
NOW “YOU” CAN APPROACH THE THRONE “BOLDLY” AS IN (HEBREWS 4:16) AS A “CHILD OF GOD!”
THAT IS “PART & PARCEL” OF WHAT THE ANGELS WERE REJOICING & SINGING ABOUT IN THE HEAVENLY HOSTS! THAT IS “PART & PARCEL” OF WHAT THEY WERE PRAISING GOD ABOUT!
THEY KNEW WHAT THE “ADVENT’ WAS BRINGING & WHAT IT FULLY MEANT FOR MANKIND! THEY KNEW THAT “SALVATION FOR MAN” WOULD BE FULLY REALIZED!
THE ANGELS KNEW “GOD’S LOVE” FOR MANKIND & THE “BROKENESS” HE FELT OF THE “LOSS OF THEIR CONDITION” & THE “FAILURE” OF HIS GREATEST OF CREATIONS!
THEY KNEW THAT MANKIND WAS BEING “USHERED BACK” INTO THE “PRESENCE OF GOD” THROUGH THE “SHED BLOOD” OF HIS SON BORN THAT DAY AS A BABE IN SWADDLING CLOTHES!
THEY KNEW THAT ON THAT DAY “REDEMPTION” HAD COME FOR MANKIND ALL THROUGH THE “PRESENCE OF GOD” IN “IMMANUEL!”
OH, HOW THEY MUST HAVE FELT THE EXCITEMENT OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING AS THE “PRESENCE OF GOD” WAS COMING IN THE “EMBODIMENT” OF HIS SON!
OH, THE REJOICING FOR GOD’S PLAN MUST HAVE ECHOED THROUGHOUT ALL THE GALAXY EVEN RESONATING IN THE HALLS OF HELL!
FOLK, AS JESUS IS THE “EMBODIMENT OF GOD” THEN WE HAVE “HIS PRESENCE” AMONG US!
OH, THE “GLORY OF THE ADVENT”, THE EXCITEMENT OF THE SHEPHERDS AS THEY SAW THE ANGELS SINGING, THE STAR DIRECTING THEM TO WHERE THE “EMBODIMENT OF GOD’S PRESENCE” TOUCHED EARTH, AT THAT MOMENT I BELEIVE THE “GATES OF HELL” BEGAN A SHAKING THAT DIDN’T STOP TILL JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED, DIED, WENT DEMANDING THE “KEYS TO LIFE & DEATH” & ROSE FROM THE GRAVE FOREVERMORE & THEN THE “EMPOWERMENT OF MANKIND” THROUGH THE “INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!”
OH, THE PLAN THAT BROUGHT IT DOWN TO MAN!
TO THIS POINT THE “PRESENCE OF GOD” HAD LIMITED ACCESS! YOU HAD TO GO THROUGH ANOTHER TO GAIN A LIMITED ACCESS. BUT NOT ANYMORE!
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ANOTHER MAN! NOW YOU CAN APPROACH GOD YOURSELF THROUGH “JESUS CHRIST” BECAUSE THE VEIL HAS BEEN RENT FROM TOP TO BOTTOM OPENING UP THE ACCESS OF THE HOLY OF HOLIES IN THE “PRESENCE OF GOD!”
YOU SEE THROUGH THE ADVENT OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST GOD HAS BECOME APPROACHABLE TO MANKIND BECAUSE OF THE PRICE PAID THROUGH THE ATONEMENT OF JESUS’ DEATH & RESURRECTION!
THAT PRESENCE OF GOD HAS BROUGHT TO MANKIND A BOLDNESS & A POWER THROUGH GOD TO BECOME MORE THAN CONQUERORS TO BECOME OVERCOMERS!
All that happened on that day of His birth. We celebrate His birth but we celebrate so much more that just His birth. Paul said if we believe in Christ Jesus alone we are among men most miserable.
What Paul was saying is that if we believe “ONLY IN HIM & NOT HIS ATONEMENT & RESURRECTION” then we’ve missed it all. I can show you 100’s & 1000’s of people who “BELIEVE IN JESUS” but they’re miserable because they don’t know or haven’t accepted the whole picture of what took place on that day.
Millions are celebrating the birth of a child & not the birth of their SAVIOR! They are celebrating the birth of a Child & not the “PRESENCE OF GOD!”
FOLK, THIS MORNING WE CELEBRATE MORE THAN JUST THE BIRTH OF A CHILD! WE CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF A SAVIOR & THE MANIFEST PRESENCE OF GOD TO MANKIND!
Prayer
