Immanuel - God with us
Topic: Our Greatest Need is fulfilled because Jesus is with us
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.
Matt 1:18-23 NIV
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 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. 21 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."
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-which means, "God with us."
(Isaiah 7:14 - 8:8)
Immanuel
"Immanuel" the Hebrew word meaning "God with us" it expresses the wonder of the incarnation, that God "became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14).
God is constantly trying to communicate with us, to show himself to us in all the ordinary events of our lives.
Somewhere in our lives there is the ’angels song’ telling us the God is with us.
There are times when the volume is louder than others. Maybe a lot of the time we try to block it out, prefer not to think about it or we simply prefer to concentrate on some other ’sound’ inside us that is easier for us to deal with.
Examples
1. How is God with us? In the lives of others. - From More Real Stories for the Soul
All I needed was a little peace and quiet—just an hour or so. Just a cup of coffee and time to think. And just a quiet spot. The fuss and flutter of the holidays had upset my schedule, and most of my tasks remained undone. The Christmas cards weren’t in the mail; the gifts were unwrapped—most of them unpurchased—and holiday preparations at church were percolating.
Only careful, disciplined planning, I reasoned, would enable me to survive the season.
So I chose a little café that served European pastry and a variety of coffees. Its atmosphere was quiet, with soft classical Christmas music in the background. Patrons sat at bistro tables, reading novels or working on crossword puzzles. Here, I thought, I can spread out my calendar, make my “to do” lists, sip my coffee, and schedule the milliseconds between now and December 25.
I only had an hour. But I no sooner entered the café than I heard a familiar voice. An old friend, Dan Cronk, having little to do that morning, had decided to enjoy a pot of tea and a basket of breads. There he stood, tray in hand, looking wistfully, delighted to see me and obviously hoping I’d invite him to sit down.
I didn’t want him to join me, for he was a talker, able to rattle away for hours on hypothetical abstractions from his brilliant but rambling mind. There he stood nonetheless. “Well, hello Dan!” I said with a broad smile. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” “Didn’t have much goin’ on this morning, and I thought a pot of tea would cheer me up. Meeting someone?” “Well, no … Actually, I’m not … er … Want to join me?”
“Sure!”And down he sat.
For the next hour I sat there, head nodding and stomach knotting, listening to him pour forth. My planning calendar rested unopened on the table, and my blood pressure slowly increased in steady increments. I silently cursed the impulse that had chosen that particular café on that particular day at that particular hour.
The hour passed, and I cleared my throat. “Well, Dan, it’s been wonderful seeing you again. I have to go now, but I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.”
He looked deeply into my eyes, and I noticed for the first time that his were soft, tender, vulnerable. He smiled and reached his hand across the little table and laid it atop mine.
“I’m so glad we ran into each other today,” he said quietly. “Thanks for taking time for an old man. I was feeling pretty blue this morning, and I guess I just needed a friend. You know, sitting here with you has felt like … well, it’s been like pulling up to a blazing fire on a cold night. I feel so … so warm now. Thanks for letting me join you.”
That incident took place years ago, and Dan is now in heaven. But I’ve thought of his words many times since. They were so simple, yet the more I mull over them the more profound they seem. I’m always tempted to allow the holiday to deteriorate into nothing more than jingling bells and jangled nerves. Dan reminded me that Christmas isn’t decorations, deadlines, and dashing through the snow. It’s a time for giving ourselves—specifically, our time—to someone with greater needs than our own. And we do it in honor of the Baby who did the same for us, the one called “ ‘Immanuel’—which means ‘God with us’ ” (Matthew 1:23).
Time for friends and fellowship in Jesus’ name.
It’s like pulling up to a blazing fire on a cold and lonely night.
2. How is God with us? In the lives of the neglected.
A you girl with downs syndrome was give the ability to communicate by way of learning to type on a keyboard in the early days when computers were only a novelty.
Researches have discovered that learning disabilities can be overcome with alternate learning programs and techniques. Many such students should not be written off or overlooked because of mans inability with current standards
One such student shocked researchers who communicated that God had spoken to her in her head; she was asked what God had said to her. She said that God said I love you to.
3. How is God with us? – He with us in Disaster
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you...
Isaiah 43:2
4. How is God with us? God is showing himself all the time through happenings and events in our lives, in nature and in the world which speak of him.
Application
Maybe God has sent some kind of special sign to you and whereas perhaps everyone else dismisses it as a plain and ordinary, or doesn’t even see it amongst all the other stars – you see it and God is asking you to begin a journey to find him.
Things to Remember
1. If God is with us, Then God is with you. If God is with you, Then there is no reason to fear evil - Psalm 23
2. If God is with us, then we have power over the old and all things will become new.
3. If God is with us, then we have victory over our past and victory over sin
4. If God is with us we have a great future!
5. If God is with us, then who can be against us.
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:28-31
6. If God is with us, then 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."[a] 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39 (NIV)
Most Christians know the story of the first martyr Stephen. Almost two-thousand years ago, an enraged mob entrusted their cloaks to Saul of Tarsus as they stoned Stephen outside Jerusalem’s wall.
This faithful servant died with his eyes turned to heaven beholding the face of Jesus as he forgave his persecutors with his final breath, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin" (Acts 7:60b).
Several years later, that same Saul, now called Paul, was beheaded because he refused to stop preaching the gospel he had rigorously persecuted in his younger years. In his final jail cell, Paul wrote to his friend Timothy, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Tim 4:7)
Fourteen hundred years later, the reformer John Huss was burned at the stake for believing that individuals should interpret the scriptures themselves, apart from the Church’s authority.
As he died, Huss boldly prophesied that "in one hundred years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed." One hundred years later, Huss’ prophecy came true, when Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany.
In 1945, the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis for his stand against Hitler’s tyranny. The last words Bonhoeffer spoke on this earth were filled with confidence, "O God, this is the end for me, the beginning of life."
What gave these four, and countless other unnamed martyrs, the strength to face death?
- God was with them
Countless martyrs have taken this truth to their final breath, knowing that they cannot be harmed by those who destroy their physical bodies.
We have that same assurance. We are protected by an all-powerful, all-loving God who was willing to send his son to death to have a relationship with us.
7. If God Be For Us -Mike Payne
He said... If God be for us who can be against us,
who can separate us from His mighty hand?
If God be for us... who can be against us?
we can win the battle if for God we stand
Goliath stood there boldly, defying Gods army
there stood little David, but he didn’t stand alone.
He said, "In the name of the Lord, I come against thee"
He slew that giant with a sling and a stone
He said... If God be for us who can be against us,
who can separate us from His mighty hand?
If God be for us... who can be against us?
we can win the battle if for God we stand
The lions were roaring, fierce and hungry
Daniel knew the one he served would bring him out.
The king cried, "Daniel, has your God delivered thee"?
Daniel cried, "The Lord has shut the lions mouth".
He said... If God be for us who can be against us,
who can separate us from His mighty hand?
If God be for us... who can be against us?
we can win the battle if for God we stand
Summery
A miraculous birth took place in a manager two thousand years ago.
Because of this, Jesus disciples found and experienced God our creator.
Because of this, the poor, the neglected, the common man for two thousand years have experience and celebrated that God was with them
Because of this, we as followers somewhere along the line have recognized that God is with us.
Because of this, God is able to come to us and we can know his presence, know his spirit that lives with us, in us.
Because of this we can live is this crazy evil days we all face.
Let all celebrate that Immanuel is with us not only this holiday season but for all eternity
