MT 1:20 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."
MT 1:22 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."
Philippians 3:10 Paul said, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
Recently I heard on the radio of a hockey coach who was criticised because each of his players had an earpiece. During the match he would call game plans to the players and they would adjust their game accordingly.
After much criticism the coach changed his tactics and drilled his players with the game plan and they went out onto the field and played without the earpieces and still won.
In both cases the players were very aware of their coach and followed his plan.
In both cases when they won the game - which they did - they knew that their coach was happy with them.
Either way the players were aware that the coach was with them.
Our scripture reading this morning exposes for us the name for Jesus - Emmanuel which means God is with us.
Sometimes people seem incredibly alert to the voice of God - sort of like the hockey players who had the earpieces - it as if God were talking directly to them - for others they have a deep sense of the will of God and as they live out their lives in response to what they discern His will to be they have a sense of God’s benevolent smile on their lives.
Both have a relationship with God - both are seeking to obey his will and both relationships are valid.
In the Old Testament we find Moses going up Mount Sinai to very directly relate to God -
EX 24:15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire EX
on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
EX 34:33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
With Moses we find a man who had ready access to the presence of God -
But we know that in scripture this is not always the case.
For example take Job who suffered terribly in silence.
JOB 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.
JOB 2:9 His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
JOB 2:10 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Job in the midst of all his troubles did not have a close up cell phone type relationship with God.
But he trusted God and he trusted his relationship with God even in the midst of trouble and apparant silence.
Matthew chapter 1 verse 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."
This morning I would like to encourage you that God is with us in Jesus Christ and also to discuss how that is characterised and how that can effect your life.
Let us revisit then:- Philippians 3:10 Paul said, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
Paul points to a desire that all of us have in our hearts and that is to know God/
In the world and I suspect often in the church there are two mistaken attitudes towards God. One is an unhealthy fear of God - This fear manifests itself in a kind of paranoia - it is tied up with a low self esteem and ends up saying - I am no good and God could never love me and I can’t even face the consequences of what that means so I will live in this cocoon apart from God. The second is an overfamiliarity with God that expresses itself in a sense that God loves me and wouldn’t do me any harm so I can live any old way I want. I often equate this attitude with the attitude of the little boy who rides his bike and discovers that he can ride it with no hands - then no feet - then no eyes - then CRASH!
Neither of these positions produce a healthy relationship with the living God.
Last week my final point was the cross - the importance of the cross for the Christian.
It is the Cross that ushers in the possibility of a relationship with God.
John Bunyan once said of his own life:-" I was made to see again and again, that God and my soul were friends by his blood, yea, I saw that the justice of God and my sinful soul could embrace and kiss each other, through his blood. This was a good day for me. I hope I shall never forget it. "
The cross is the meeting place between you and God.
Each time you sin - each time you feel you have strayed it is the cross that will act as the agent of restoration. At the foot of the cross you will find God’s faithfulness and God’s incredible love for you. Why oh why are christians so proud that they refuse to come to the foot of the cross and humbly remove their worldy sin stained garments and put them in the hands of a loving God who longs to purify and cleanse them.
There is little point in considering what it means to have a relationship with God unless you begin with the work of the cross. This is not just the work that happenned when you became a christian or a communicant member of some church or anything like that. This is the current work of the cross on your life your awareness of your utter dependence on the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The kind of thinking I am talking about here is found in Galations chapter 6 verse 14: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
For Paul the cross of Jesus Christ is absolutely central.
The truth is that we cannot walkj in the power of the Holy spirit unless we are right with God through the cross of Jesus Christ. You can’t have a Holy Spirit without Holiness and we cannot have holiness without the cross.
That said - What are some of the means by which we can relate to our Lord Jesus - If God is with us - how can we relate to him?
Paul said, Philippians 3:10"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
I don’t think we can overestimate the degree to which we encounter Christ when we share in his sufferings. In fact not only do we encounter Christ in such a position but we are in fact changed to be like him in such a position.
How do we share in Christ’s sufferings?
Christ suffered by aligning himself to the poor - spending time with sinners - without sinning - speaking with the religous leaders of the age and daring to speak God’s truth - He criticised the powerful - He stopped for children and blessed them with the love of God. He spent time with God and out of his relationship with God he raised the dead - healed the sick and walked on water.
He fed the hungry and was not mindful of himself or his reputation.
Shakespare once said in Richard the third -
O momentary grace of mortal men,
Which we hunt for more than the grace of God.
So many of us today struggle for the approval of others ahead of God.
Jesus did not deliberately upset others as some do in some kind of defiance.
No. Rather it says of him:- Luke chapter 2 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Note that God is mentioned first.
This was written at the beginning of his ministry - eventually as he grew in favour with God he fell out of favour with some men.
Paul mentions that he wants to share in the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.
That suggests to me that when you are doing the kind of things Jesus did - out of the inspiration that Jesus enjoyed there is a fellowship with God that occurs.
Let me give you two examples:
The first is from scripture:-
MT 25:40 "The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Can I just share with you an account from a book by Delora Winders a woman who herself was healed by god. Note as I read this how she is in relationship with God as she ministers to another.
This woman came fopr healing of arthritis and the Lord spoke to me the word, "Unforgiveness."
"Is there someone you need to forgive or to ask forgiveness of?" I asked her.
There was a sweet expression on her face as she said, "No."
I wanted to believe her for she looked like such an honest, sincere person.
But the Lord said, "No - unforgiveness."
So I asked her again, "Is there someone you need to forgive or ask forgiveness of?"
"No," she answered, a puzzled expression on her face.
"It just can’t be," I thought, for she appears so confused at my questions.
As I began praying for her the Lord spoke to me and said, ,"I said unforgiveness, You don’t pray a general prayer. I said unforgiveness."
I stopped praying and said to her, "I’m sorry but the Lord is showing me there is unforgiveness in your life."
Tears started rolling down her cheeks and I felt as though I was badgering her. Yet the Lord had spoken it and I had to stand on it.
Finally, I said, "Lord you’re going to have to show me what to do."
Then the Lord spoke the word, "Brother."
So I asked her, "What about your brother?"
She looked holes through me.
"You do have a brother?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"Is there a problem between you?" I questioned.
"No." She replied.
"Has there been a problen between you?" I questioned.
Then she said emphatically, "No I x’d him out of my life a long time ago!"
I was shocked.
"What do you mean you x’d him out?"
"I just x’d him out," she said.
"Because you had a problem?" I questioned.
\"Yes, but it doesn’t bother me," she replied.
"Look at your legs, yout feet- do you want to get rid of this artheritis?" I asked. "Then you are going to have to forgive your brother or ask his forgiveness." I tod her.
She glared at me.
"Do you want to be free from your arthritis?" I asked.
"Yes." She said.
But for a minute she had some questions in her mind whether she wanted to pay such a price in order to be healed of the arthritis. She wasn’t sure it was worth it.
"Are you willing to forgive him? Ask him to forgive you?" I asked.
"Yes." She answered.
"How long have you had this arthritis?" I inquired
"About 12 years," she replied.
"When did you and your brother have your problem?" I asked.
"It’s been about 12 years," she replied.
Then it hit her like a bomb. Suddenly she realised what she had had just said.
"You are going to forgive him because the Lord spoke it," I said.
"Yes." She said.
Then I prayed with her and said. "Now you are going to have to either write or call your brother and talk to him about this and tell him you have forgiven him and ask him to forgive you, " I instructed.
"No I don’t have to do that," she informed me.
"Yes you do," I emphasised.
"No I won’t need to call or write him - he only lives two doors away from me," she said.
Only two doors away yet full of bitterness toward each other for twelve years. And the bitterness toward each other for 12 years. And the bitterness caused her to be crippled with Arthritis.,
Later, a friend who knew the situation between the woman and her brother explained the problem to me. Their fight with each other was over a mere $3,000 which each thought they should have received when their Mother died.
This friend told me, "That woman could buy and sell half of this city she is so rich."
Several times during this conversation Deloras mentions what she feels that god is saying. Notice she is not over confident but the situation confirms that indeed she is hearing from God.
The kind of relationship we enjoy in this kind of situation is what Paul is talking about when we experience the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.
There is a fellowship that comes with god that happens when we are about his business.
At the end of Matthew chapter 28 verse 20 Jesus says and lo I am with you always. Again the promise of his presence is offered in the context of service - in this case making disciples.
I believe that this is one of the most neglected considerations when people talk about knowing the presence of God.
One of the ways then that you can know the presence of God is being about God’s business.
It is when you are doing what He would have you do that you come into a sense of his presence.
Some people say they are closest to God in the garden. I don’t believe that for a minute. I am not saying you can’t pray in the garden but if you are not living your life according to His will how can you be close to God in a garden? I think people confuse peace and tranquility with the presence of God.
Another way you can experience the presence of God is in prayer and worship.
In the scriptures you find a number of examples of people encountering God in prayer.
2 Chronicles chapter 5 verse 13 13 The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang:
"He is good;
his love endures forever."
Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.
This following examples shows the power of god as prayer and worship combines.
AC 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.
As I said earlier there is also moments in our lives when God seems to be silent.
Things may not be going that well - we are being faithful to God but not everything is going well. At times like this we may feel that we have lost the presence or favour of God.
Job must have felt like that.
But we have this wonderful assurance in Matthews Gospel:-
MT 1:22 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."
Knowing that God is with us - and knowing that we have great moments with God should propell us to move forward in obedience to God knowing that He is indeed with us.
What is it that God would have you do in the week ahead?
What ever it is move forward in confidence knowing that the risen Christ is with you if you are obeying God.
Dare to do great things for God for a great God is with you.
Let us pray.
