Emmanuel “God with us”
Matt 1:18-25
1. GOD WITH US IN THE FLESH
1 Tim. 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness, far exceeding our understanding
1. He appeared in a human body.
2. Was approved by the Spirit.
3. Was seen by angels.
4. He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples.
5. Was believed in all over the world.
6. Was received up into glory.
7. The Word became flesh and blood, and lived among us.
8. We saw the glory with our own eyes.
9. It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of kindness and truth.
10. It is certain that death ruled because of one person’s failure.
11. It’s even more certain that those who receive God’s overflowing kindness and the gift of his approval will rule in life because of one person, Jesus Christ.
12. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
A story about what Christmas really is:
The "W" in Christmas
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations: extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six-year-old. For weeks, he’d been memorizing songs for his school’s winter Pageant. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there’d be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.
So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.
Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn’t expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment--songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son’s class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row/center stage held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message: Christmas Love.
The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her--a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W." The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one’s mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W." Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and then we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: "CHRISTWAS LOVE" And, I believe, He still is.
May we keep this first and foremost during this busy holiday season?
2. GOD WITH US AS A REDEEMER.
Acts 20:28
a. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock.
b. Over the The Holy Spirit has put you in charge of these people.
c. To feed the church of God.
d. To guard and protect them for God’s church which he acquired with his own blood, e. God himself thought they were worth dying for. Which he bought with his own blood.
f. Realize that you weren’t set free from the worthless life handed down to you from your ancestors by a payment of silver or gold which can be destroyed. Rather, the payment that freed you was the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
3. GOD WITH TO BRING US TOGETHER OR RECONCILE.
2 Cor. 5:19
A. In other words, God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity.
B. He didn’t hold people’s faults against them.
C. He has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others. He has committed to us the message of reunion, reconciliation.
The movie that helps us think about life and our meaning in life is real;ted here:
In the classic film "It’s a Wonderful Life," Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, a young man who goes through a serious crisis managing his deceased father’s savings and loan. He comes to doubt his own worth to
anyone, and concludes it would have been better for the world if he had never lived. While Bailey is contemplating suicide, his guardian angel appears and reveals to him just what the world would have been like
without him. The difference is remarkable. Because he wasn’t there to save his brother’s life when they were children, his brother wasn’t around to save the lives of many sailors during World War II. And without his
efforts to make loans available to working-class people, many had to bring up their families in sordid conditions. The theme of this movie, featured so often on television during this season, is an important one. It reminds us of how easily we can lose sight of our importance to others, and of how we can greatly underrate the significance of our own life. The longing for a sense of significance is probably the most intense desire we carry through life. We each want to know that we’re making an impact on the world, and that our efforts are really needed. Without this conviction, like George Bailey, we become despondent.
4. GOD WITH US IN ALL FULNESS. Col. 2:9
a. For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
b. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly.
c. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him.
d. All of God lives in Christ’s body.
e. Each of us has received one gift after another because of all that the Word is.
f. The Teachings were given through Moses, but kindness and truth came into existence through Jesus Christ.”
g. We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, this endless knowing and understanding— all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.
h. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
i. From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
5. GOD WITH US AS AN EXAMPLE. Philip. 2:5-6
a. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
b. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God?
c. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Although he was in the form of God and equal with God, he did not take advantage of this equality.
d. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Here is a stoy that shows people are watching us. When William McKinley was President of the United States, he had to make a decision about the appointment of an ambassador to a foreign country. Two candidates were equally qualified. While McKinley was still a Congressman, he had observed an inconsiderate action by one of the men. He recalled boarding a streetcar at the rush hour and getting the last vacant seat. Soon an elderly woman got on, carrying a heavy clothes basket. No one got up to offer her a seat, so she walked the length of the car and stood in the aisle, hardly able to
keep her balance as the vehicle swayed from side to side. One of the men McKinley was later to consider for ambassador was sitting next to where the woman was standing. Instead of getting up and helping her, he deliberately shifted his newspaper so it would look like he hadn’t seen her. When McKinley noticed this, he walked down the aisle, graciously took her basket, and offered her his seat. The man was unaware that anyone was watching, but that one little act of selfishness would later deprive him of perhaps the crowning honor of his lifetime.
6. GOD WITH US AS A COMPANION. 2 Cor. 6:16
A. Can God’s temple contain false gods?
B. Clearly, we are the temple of the living God.
C. As God said, "I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people."
D. Each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way: I’ll live in them, move into them; I’ll be their God and they’ll be my people.
E. For you are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
F. I will be their God, and they will be my people."
7. GOD WITH US ALWAYS. Matthew 28:20
1. I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
2. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.
3. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.
4. Be happy with what you have because God has said, "I will never abandon you or leave you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can mortals do to me?"
5. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote, "God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?"
6. Be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.
7. Be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you
Something I got from a friend that I believe will help us understand God is with us. The Twelve Days of Christmas story. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge that won’t come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember. The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments. Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke &
John. The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. (The Pentateuch) The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments. The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed. So now the next time you hear this carol it will have more meaning.
