GOD IS WITH US... IMMANUEL
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I. I HAVE NO GREATER JOY IN THE WORLD THAN TO BE WITH SOMEONE...
A. Some of my greatest joys in life have been just being WITH SOMEONE...
To hear their heart, to feel their pain... to laugh, to cry together...
B. I love to play music with others. Sometimes the music is awesome as it all
comes together, the all the music is WITH THE OTHER MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS.... wow... with...
C. Have you ever sat down with a friend? Skipped rocks across the water?
Ate a meal together?
D. WITH...
Association, company,possession, like-minded, agreement
E. UNITY
ONE, HARMONY,SIMILAR, SOLIDARITY, ACCORD
F. I want to be WITH GOD!
II. JESUS IS THE SON OF MAN THROUGH MARY AND THE SON OF GOD
THROUGH OUR HEAVENLY FATHER...
A. GOD HAD A PLAN... GOD WANTED TO RESTORE FALLEN MAN...
MAN'S FALL HAD BEEN A DISAPPOINTMENT TO THE CREATOR.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
B. I WANT MORE THAN TO BE WITH GOD...
I WANT GOD TO BE WITH ME...
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is,
God with us.
III. GOD LOVED HIS CREATION, GOD LOVED TO VISIT AND BE WITH HIS
MAN AND WOMAN IN THE COOL OF THE EVENING...
A. GOD MADE MAN AND SAID: IT IS GOOD...
Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light
from the darkness.
Genesis 1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together
of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the
light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that
moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and
every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle
after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind:
and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold,
it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
B. THEN ONE DAY GOD SOMETHING HE DIDN'T LIKE...
Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should
be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
C. GOD MAN WOMAN FROM ADAM'S RIB...
HOW BEAUTIFUL... A HELP MATE TO BE WITH MAN...
D. GOD ALLOWED ADAM TO NAME THE ANIMALS...
GOD CALLED EACH ANIMAL FRONT AND CENTER TO ALLOW ADAM
TO NAME THEM...
IV. GOD DESIRED SOMEONE TO BE A FRIEND,
GOD WANTED TO BE WITH MAN...
AND GOD DESIRED MAN TO WANT TO BE WITH HIM...
Gen. 1:26 God said: LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE...
A. God would leave His busy schedule to come down and walk and talk with
His creatures --- man and woman...
Genesis 3:[8] And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in
the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence
of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
B. HOW SPECIAL THOSE EVENINGS MUST HAVE BEEN WITH THE CREATOR
AND HIS CREATURES...
C. GOD AND MAN TOGETHER...
D. When Adam and Eve sewed together the fig leaves --- they were trying to bypass
God's plan and substitute MAN'S REPAIR SYSTEM...
E. GOD'S REPAIR SYSTEM POINTED TO THE BLOOD OF A REDEEMER...
Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of
skins, and clothed them.
V. ONE OF THE FIRST DYSFUNCTIONS OF THE FIRST FAMILY HAD TO
DO WITH REAL WORSHIP VS. DOING THINGS MANS WAY...
ABEL WAS WITH GOD...
A. THE DYSFUNCTION OF CAIN HAD TO DUE WITH WORSHIP STYLES...
God made proviisions for grain offerings... the issue is attitude:
OF THE FRUIT OF THE GROUND VS. FIRST???
Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the
fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
[4] And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.
And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
B. ABEL WAS WITH GOD ON THE SAME PAGE,
CAIN WAS ANGRY BECAUSE HIS BROTHER WAS WITH GOD,
AND HE WAS NOT...
Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not
well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule
over him.
C. ABEL'S BLOOD TESTIFIED HE WAS WITH GOD...
VI. BY FAITH ABRAM BUILDS A SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD...
A. God told Abram to UR... Break with the old crowd...
B. Can you imagine renting a U-Haul and telling them, I AM NOT SURE WHERE
I AM GOING, I WILL LET YOU KNOW...
C. ABRAM CHANGES TO ABRAHAM... ABRAHAM IS A MAN WITH GOD...
Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and
make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
[3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and
in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
D. Every where Abraham goes you find him BUILDING AN ALTAR and
DIGGING A WELL...
E. ABRAHAM'S NEPHEW LIVED IN SODOM-GOMORRAH...
Genesis 18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward
Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
F. ABRAHAM IS WITH GOD AND MAKES A PLEA FOR HIS FAMILY...
VII. ON A LONG DARK NIGHT A SON FLEES HOME... HE IS RUNNING FROM THE
ANGER OF HIS BROTHER... THE BOY'S HOME IS DYSFUNCTIONAL...
EVERY THING APPEARS TO BE AGAINST HIM... GOD IS WITH HIM...
A. Isaac and Rebecca had raised a family "NOT WITH EACH OTHER"
The home was divided and torn...
B. ESAU IS A BITTER ANGRY MAN...
HIS DESCENDANTS THE EDOMITES WILL BE KNOWN AS BITTER ANGRY
PEOPLE.
C. The Hunter has made a VOW... I will kill you...
D. WHILE RUNNING IN FEAR JACOB DID NOT KNOW GOD WAS WITH HIM...
Genesis 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night,
because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put
them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
[12] And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top
of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending
on it.
[13] And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of
Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to
thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
[14] And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad
to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee
and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
[15] And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou
goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I
have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
[16] And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this
place; and I knew it not.
E. I WILL NOT LET GO... GLUED TO YOU...
PRINCE WITH GOD --- AND WITH MAN...
Genesis 32:9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my
father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to
thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
Genesis 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with
him until the breaking of the day.
[25] And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow
of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with
him.
[26] And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let
thee go, except thou bless me.
[27] And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
[28] And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for
as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
VIII. GOD MOVED A LITTLE SLAVE GIRL TO BE WITH A SICK MAN...
THE SICK MAN WAS HOPELESS AND HELPLESS UNTIL THIS LITTLE
GIRL JOINED WITH THIS MIGHTY GENERAL'S HOUSE.
A. God knows how to get His Plan before the eyes of the NEED...
2 Kings 5:2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought
away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on
Naaman's wife.
[3] And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet
that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
[4] And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid
that is of the land of Israel.
B. AFTER THE MIRACLE, NAAMAN ACKNOWLEDGES GOD...
2 Kings 5:15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and
came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no
God in all earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy
servant.
C. NAAMAN SAYS: I HAVE TO GO BACK TO A PAGAN COUNTRY,
BUT MAY IT BE KNOWN I AM WITH THE ONE AND ONLY GOD...
2 Kings 5:17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to
thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer
neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord.
[18] In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth
into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and
I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house
of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing.
IX. THE GREATEST LESSON OF PAIN, HURT AND ABUSE IS FOUND IN
THE LESSON OF JOSEPH...
A. JOSEPH LIVED IN A MEAN AND CRUEL WORLD...
NOTHING SEEMED TO GOD RIGHT...
B. THIS DREAMER WAS MOCKED AND ABUSED...
C. BRAGGART... SELF-WILLED...
Hated by brothers... selfishness
Thrown in the Pit... SEPERATION...
SOLD INTO SLAVERY... destitution...
Purchased by Potiphar... TRAPPED
THROWN INTO PRISON AS AN INNOCENT MAN... ABASEMENT
Genesis 39:2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man;
and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
Genesis 39:3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the
Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
Genesis 39:5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him
overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the
Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon
all that he had in the house, and in the field.
Genesis 39:6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not
ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly
person, and well favoured.
Genesis 39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy,
and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
Genesis 39:23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was
under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did,
the Lord made it to prosper.
X. GOD HAS BIG PLANS FOR HIM TO BE WITH US AND US WITH HIM...
BUT GOD DESRIES US TO BE WITH EACH OTHER...
Psalm 133:1 A Song of degrees of David.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
[2] It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard,
even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
[3] As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of
Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Philip. 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being
of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let
each esteem other better than themselves.
CONCLUSION:
Let us build a bridge for others to COME TOGETHER... GOD BE WITH US...
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Pass it on?
