Christmas Conspiracy/“Reclaim Christmas” Series
Give More Presence
Bruce B. Miller
Give More Presence
Some of you hate the holidays. You just want to get through them as emotionally unscathed as possible. Others are too busy to slow down and celebrate. We can so easily miss the deep significance of Christmas. We know the story, but its very familiarity dulls us to the life changing truth. And so not only do we miss Christmas, but worse we miss out on the power of Christmas in our lives.
The Christmas Conspiracy is about seeing the deeper significance of Christmas and finding the joy that can be ours. This series is rooted in the desire to experience the true meaning of Christmas. We are joining thousands of Christians in hundreds of Churches calling for a Christmas Conspiracy. Often the word “conspiracy” is used in a negative light, but we mean it in the positive sense of a group of Christ-followers willing to re-think traditional Christmas in light of Jesus coming to the world. The point of Christmas should be to celebrate Jesus. Last week we talked about celebrating Jesus by blessing others, meeting more needs. Today we are talking about celebrating Jesus by giving more presence, not the wrapped kind, but being present with another person. God gave us the gift of his presence out of incredible love. We too can show his love by giving the gift of our presence.
Presence is a huge theme through the whole Bible. In the Garden of Eden we enjoyed God’s presence as Adam and Eve walked and talked with God. But when they ate the fruit disobeying God’s one command, they lost his presence. Humanity was banished from God’s holy presence in the Garden. On our own we could never find the way back to paradise. We could never reopen the doors to the Garden to once again experience the life giving presence of God.
Since then God has reached back to us. God appeared to people such as Noah and Abraham. In Exodus God manifested his presence by a pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness. The book of Exodus culminates in the coming of God to express his presence in the Tabernacle. Later he was present in the temple, especially the Holy of Holies.
But at Christmas something unprecedented happened. At Christmas, God came to earth. The Christmas child is God with us. He alone can reopen the doors to paradise. He alone can bring us back into God’s holy, safe, life giving presence. In a sense, “God with us” is the story of Scripture in summary. The key covenant statement of relationship, “I will be their God, and they will be my people,” is sometimes called the “Immanuel theme.”
Names are powerful. Many of you parents spent months searching for just the right name for your baby. As important as names are today, they were even more significant in ancient times. In Hebrew your name and existence were almost the same. Your name is who are you, your identity, your reputation. In the Bible, names are crucial in grasping a person’s significance. Today we will consider one of the names of Jesus that conveys an important promise to us.
Immanuel - Do you know where this name comes from? It’s from an ancient story. Immanuel taps into the deep, major theme of presence runs from Genesis to Revelation. In troubled times, true security and peace are found in Immanuel.
The origins of Immanuel come 700 years before the Christmas Baby was born. Open your Bible to Isaiah chapter 7, right in the middle of your Bible. Our God is Lord of history. He arranges events so that prophecies can have multiple fulfillments. The prophecy of Immanuel was fulfilled both partially in Isaiah’s day and fully by Jesus at Christmas.
Go back in time with me to Isaiah’s day. Under King David and the nation was united, but by Isaiah’s time has divided into two countries: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. In 735 B.C., Isaiah found himself thrust into the middle of an international political crisis. For almost a decade, the Assyrians, under Tiglath-Pileser III, had been expanding their empire. Syria and Israel formed an alliance against Judah. In this crisis God sent Isaiah to address Ahaz, the king of Judah. You need to know Ahaz is not a godly man. He does not want to hear the word from God. Isaiah gives the prophecy of Immanuel to Ahaz and the house of David.
A sign for Judah
Immanuel in Isaiah is a sign of both blessing and judgment. The most famous verse is Isaiah 7:14 where we find the prophecy, but we need to see it in its context. Let’s walk through the story. Pekah king of Israel and Rezin king of Syria had formed an alliance with Ephraim and were threatening to invade Judah. When Ahaz and his people heard of the alliance, they were scared to death, shaking like trees in the wind. At this point the Lord instructed the prophet Isaiah to assure Ahaz of God’s protection. Put yourself in Ahaz’ shoes. Humanly, in his fear, it makes total sense to Ahaz to form an alliance with Assyria. But God says he will protect Judah. Ahaz should trust in God, not Assyria. Through his prophet Isaiah, God said:
4 ’Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood. ... 9b If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ” Isaiah 7:4,9b
Ahaz struggled to trust God because he wanted to put his confidence in an alliance with the powerful Assyrian empire. God gives a sign, not just to Ahaz, but to all Judah, called the house of David. The sign shows God’s displeasure with the king’s choice to trust Assyria rather than Him.
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. 16 But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. Isaiah 7:14-16
A young woman would soon give birth to a boy whom the mother would name Immanuel (meaning “God is with us”). Before the child grows up, the Syrians and Israelites would be defeated. It is common for Old Testament prophecies to have both a partial fulfillment in history and a complete fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Isaiah’s prophecy of Immanuel is partially fulfilled in his day and completely fulfilled by Jesus at Christmas. Amazing!
In Isaiah’s time who was the young mother? Who was the child? Depending on your translation, Isaiah 7:14 may say a virgin will conceive or a young woman will conceive. Which is correct? Was there a virgin birth before Jesus? Studies in Hebrew, the original language of Isaiah, show that the word, almah, while generally meaning “young woman,” is never used of a married woman in the Old Testament. So the word denotes a post-puberty, but unmarried, young woman. It would be understood in Hebrew society that such a woman would be a virgin. The older English word “maiden” comes very close to the same meaning. Thus almah could include both the meaning of a young woman who conceives in a natural way for the first time and a virgin who miraculously conceives without a man.
The prophecy came true. Before the child was grown, in 732 B.C., Tiglath-Pileser III, the king of Assyria, destroyed Damascus, conquered Syria, and killed Rezin, the king of Israel.
Ahaz was in serious trouble. Foolishly he trusted in the Assyrians rather than in God. Under pressure we too can be seduced into finding security in something or someone other than God. Forming a partnership with someone who has more power, market share or cash makes human sense. Flash back to growing up years. If a bully is threatening you, it makes sense to make friends with the biggest guy in the school. When danger, trouble and fear overwhelm us, we get tempted to look for security in this world. But God provides us security from danger in the supernatural promise of Immanuel. It is God’s presence that gives us security and peace.
The sign of Immanuel given to Ahaz was not only for that day. It looks forward to a future messiah who will be born not just of a young woman, but of a virgin without a man, who will not only be a sign of God’s presence, but will literally be the presence of God. As you keep reading in Isaiah chapters 8 to 11, you see that this promised child will be called Wonderful Counselor, b Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. Obviously this child is more than a mere human baby. Isaiah’s prophecy is both an initial sign in his day and a future sign fulfilled in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Then and now, true security from all danger comes in God’s presence. We are to trust in God’s presence rather than in “Assyria.” 700 years later Matthew refers to Isaiah’s prophecy at the birth of the Christmas Baby.
The incarnation of God
In Matthew we will see that Immanuel is the very incarnation of God. It is the ancient story that gives context to Christmas. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 1 and verse 18.
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. . . . 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.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25
There are great distinctions between the Immanuel of Isaiah’s day and Immanuel, the son of Mary. The one symbolized deliverance from foreign oppression, the second is the Deliverer from the devil. The first represented God’s presence for a few years; the second Immanuel lives forever. The first Immanuel was a reminder of God’s presence. The second Immanuel is “God with us” in an infinitely superior sense. He “fulfills” Isaiah’s Immanuel prophecy completely.
The Christmas baby is the God-man. This is radical, deep truth. God invaded earth. The all-mighty, infinite God became a man. Immanuel is the truth of incarnation. Without incarnation there is no salvation. We could not get back to God. He had to come to us. We could never enter the full presence of God apart from Jesus Christ. Jesus is utterly unique. He is God and yet human. In one person full deity and full humanity are united. This is why later Immanuel could pay for the sins of humanity on the cross. He could stand in our place as our substitute because He was one of us. His death carries infinite significance because He is fully God. God did not send a representative. He came Himself. God became one of us and yet remained God.
You have probably never heard of the island of Molokai. Well, it’s located in the state of Hawaii. And it has quite a history. You have to go back to the late 1800’s to understand its significance. You see, back then, there was no cure for the highly contagious and deadly disease called leprosy. A horrible dreadful disease which today is curable, but it wasn’t back then. In order to keep the disease from spreading and creating an epidemic, the government would send lepers to a colony on the island of Molakai where they would be isolated from those who were not infected with the disease.
In 1873, a young, brave Catholic priest named Father Damien volunteered to spend his life serving the people secluded on the island of Molokai. When he arrived, he was startled to see people who were not only suffering physically, but socially, and emotionally, and spiritually. In the leper colony he saw extreme drunkenness, immorality, abuse, and an overall sense of hopelessness. What he saw were people who desperately needed to know the answer to a question we all ask... where is God? They needed God’s presence in their life.
And so, in 1873, Father Damien lived among the 700 lepers despite knowing the dangers, and realizing the inevitable results of so much personal contact with a highly contagious disease. He built hospitals, clinics, and churches and built some 600 coffins. And the whole while he was giving them the answer to that question... where is God?
Whenever a church service was held, Father Damien would stand up in front of the lepers, and he would warmly and lovingly address them as "my dear brethren." But then one morning in 1885, at the age of 45, in a calm clear voice, instead of "my dear brethren," he began with, "My fellow lepers, I am one of you now."
You see it was out of love that a humble priest became one of them. Out of love he gave those lepers a gift that would change their life for all of eternity. He shared the answer to the ever present question... "Where is God?" And the only way he could give them the answer is by becoming one of them.
The Christmas baby is Immanuel. He became one of us to save us from our “leprosy.” God came to be with us. True security from real danger comes by trusting in God’s supernatural provision of Immanuel. There is no more astounding truth than Immanuel: God with us. God literally came to dwell with us.
To dwell with us
Listen to how the Gospel of John uniquely tells the Christmas story in two short sentences. John one fourteen says,
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14.
Reflect for a moment on this phrase. The Divine Word, Jesus, who is the eternal God became human flesh and lived on earth with us as one of us. Trying to comprehend this deep mystery has brought many brilliant theologians to their knees. Jesus the God-man is a wonder. Christ Fellowship affirms with the ancient Council of Chalcedon that;
“Jesus Christ is perfect in Godhead and perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man . . . He is of one substance with the Father as God, he is also of one substance with us as man…. is made known in two natures without confusion, without change, without division, without separation. The distinction of the natures is in no way taken away by their union, but rather the distinctive properties of each nature are preserved. Both natures unite in one person. They are not separated or divided into two persons, but they form the one and only Son, Only-begotten, God, Word, Lord Jesus Christ...”
Theologians refer to this as the hypostatic union: fully God and fully man, united in one person with two natures forever, undiminished deity and perfect humanity. I call all of us to wonder, marvel and worship before the one and only Word made flesh, God with us. The Word showed God’s glory to us.
We have seen that God came to earth in a unique way at Christmas as Immanuel. Jesus was literally God on earth. But then he left ascending back to his Father. How is God present today?
God promises to be present with us today
Today we have the promise of presence. In one sense salvation is restoring us to the presence of God. When you trust in Immanuel, Jesus Christ, he promises to send God the Holy Spirit to dwell with you always.
Accept God’s invitation to be present in your life
In the busyness of the holidays, in the rush of the shopping, in the midst of the despair and loneliness, in the middle of the turmoil we all face from time to time. God invites you to receive the gift he has given the world, a gift he gave by becoming one of us. He became a human. He took on our leprosy, our sin. Ultimately and eternally he answered the question that plagues all of humanity. Where is God? God is with us. That is the gift of Christmas, a gift we can accept or refuse - the gift of Immanuel, God with us. Today, this Christmas, accept God’s invitation to be present in your life. He will. If you do not accept God’s gift of Immanuel, God is not with you. The Bible says,
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. Romans 8:9
You receive the gift of God’s eternal presence by believing in Jesus Christ. The Bible says,
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.
This Christmas, today, if you have not done so, I urge you to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. God will come to be present with you.
Once you accept God’s gift, He sends His Spirit to be with you as the presence of God. In the Spirit, Jesus is with you always. He promised in the last line of the Gospel of Matthew:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b
If you are a Christ-follower, if you have the Spirit of God in you, are you living in the presence of God? Like Ahaz, in the face of fearful trouble, we can look to “Assyrias” for security. God promises you his presence. He is with you. The concept of “with you” is richer than merely occupying the same room. Think what it means in a persuasive speech, when the speaker asks, “Are you with me?” The point is agreement. Think of what it means when the captain of the team gives a stirring speech at half time and then asks, “Are you with me?” Obviously the players are in the same locker room. The point is commitment. The truth that God is “with you” conveys more than simple presence. He is on your side. He fights for you. He is with you. This is the truth of Christmas. As a believer, trust God’s promised presence to be with you.
Trust God’s promised presence to be “with you”
God is with you. God is with you to comfort you in trouble; to bless you in trials and to sustain you in suffering. God will never leave you or forsake you. You need not fear because God is with you. This Christmas God is with you. He is with you when your money runs out, when you are depressed, when family lets you down and hurts you. Jesus said to his disciples:
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. John 14:16-17.
You can know that God is with you. The classic assurance in Psalm twenty-three holds true.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; Psalm 23:4.
You can find peace and security by trusting in God’s presence. This season many will turn to alcohol to dull the pain; many will spend money they don’t have to find joy; many will look for satisfaction in illicit sexual intimacy. All these will leave you empty and worse. What is your “Assyria” that you are tempted to trust instead of God’s presence?
Not only does God promise to be with us today through his Holy Spirit, but he also promises that we will be with him forever.
God promises that we will be with him forever
We have confidence that one day we will be with the Lord in the fullest sense. The Bible ends in Revelation 21 with the theme of presence begun in the Garden. The Scripture assures us in John’s vision:
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. Revelation 21:3
If you have trusted in Jesus Christ, then one day you will dwell with God in his kingdom. One day we will be in the unhindered, unfiltered, full presence of God. I can’t wait.
God shows his amazing love for us with his presence from the original presence in the Garden to Eden, to his restoration of presence through Jesus Christ. So this Christmas, in view of God’s presence with us, it makes sense to celebrate Immanuel by being present with others. We can appropriately celebrate the coming of God to earth by being present with others. By being physically with others, we are incarnating Christ’s love as his representatives. This Christmas give more of your presence to reflect the love of God in giving his presence to us at Christmas. God is present to others through us. We are the body of Christ, his hands and feet.
The Apostle John understands the power of physical presence. In his second letter he wrote to his friends,
12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 2 John 12.
There is something about being face to face that is so much more powerful than simply reading a card or an email, so much more meaningful than opening a box. Contrast the gift of a present with the gift of your presence.
This Christmas how could you give the gift of presence? Think about the people closest to you. What time will you spend enjoying your wife or husband, just the two of you? In the craziness of holiday shopping and preparations, the whole season can go by without a married couple taking time for just the two of you. My wife Tamara and I love sitting on the couch in front a warm fire. To have open-ended time to talk, just to be together, is rich and important, life giving.
What about presence with children, if you have them with you? Sometimes you are sharing the same physical space, but you are not sharing your lives. Each person is watching their own screen, absorbed by the video game, football game or movie. What about giving your presence in such a way that you connect your lives together? You share life. It is your undivided attention, your presence, that your children crave, much more than your monetary gifts.
What about your parents or other relatives? Maybe it is worth investing the funds to take a trip to go be with them over the holidays. Sometimes the investment in travel to be present is worth more than several gifts bought at a store.
Do you have a relative or friend that is confined? Perhaps they physically or emotionally cannot leave their home, hospital or care facility. How fitting it would be to visit them as Jesus came to be with us. Go to the jail. Go to the hospital, care facility or apartment. Be with them. Share their space, their food, their friends, their life. Jesus became one of us, eating with us, wearing our clothes, sharing our life. Could we not do the same for another and be Jesus to them?
This Christmas let’s conspire to give more presence. It is your presence that communicates love in a way few other actions can. It is personal. It not only gives your time, but your attention and love. You give of yourself. Money cannot buy presence. Only you can give your presence. We can represent Jesus as his hands and feet. Others can see Jesus in us. God came to be present with us at Christmas, this Christmas let’s give more presence.
To view this sermon, visit: http://www.christfellowshipeldorado.com/sermon/give-more-presence/
