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Content type: Sermon Poem / Prayer Service / Tribute Incomplete Biography
Body: A pre-Christmas preparation. Encouragement, so that we may see ’The Gift’ first, rather than the gifts! Christmas will soon be with us, and the thought of all that goes along with the season may bring to some dread. The thought of all the things that must be done is enough to make anyone feel a little dejected. The idea of giving gifts to celebrate Christmas is still a wonderful idea, but today society has taken gift giving a little overboard. The cost involved in the average home is enormous. Gifts have become more important to some than the real GIFT. The excitement, and the joy of seeing a child or a loved one opening a gift does make all the hustle and bustle worthwhile, but have we taken gift giving too far? Who can give the biggest gift? Who can give the most expensive gift? Who can give the most attractive gift? When we recognize the real meaning of Christmas it must fill us with delight; it is so wonderful to realize that God gave the Gift of His Son to a lost world. This is why we celebrate at this time of the year. I want us to think about the name given to our Savior, both in prophesy by Isaiah, and as recorded by Matthew in his account of the Angel visiting Joseph – the name ‘Emmanuel’. Isaiah 7:14 “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.” 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.” There are four thoughts I would like to speak to this morning, each centered around the glorious truth that Emmanuel has come – GOD WITH US; and He is with us not only at Christmas but 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. As we are nearing the time when we remember the birth of our Lord Jesus, we must start with the FACT of GOD WITH US - IN THE FLESH. I. EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US - IN THE FLESH This truth is fundamental to everything else. It is such an amazing truth that Paul, who had so much revealed to him by the Lord, called it a mystery! I Timothy 3:16 “most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh”, [Holman] The Contemporary English Version expresses this thought given in John 1:14 “The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.” [CEV] The NIV reads. “The Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” [NLT] How amazing! This is The Word who was in the beginning, the One who spoke the creation into existence, and He became a human being, and made His home with us – the Creator making ‘his home among us’! WHAT A GIFT! As we prepare to celebrate the ‘babe in the manger’, let us not forget, Jesus, laying aside the glory He had with the Father – the worship of the adoring angelic host – the sinless perfection of heaven - He came and dwelt among us ‘full of grace and truth’. The Apostle Paul picks up this point and leads us further, as he addresses the Philippians’ Philippians 2:8 “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death - even to death on a cross.” This points us on to the reason he was GOD WITH US - IN THE FLESH. He came here to identify with us, and live a spotless life so that He could die for us and become GOD WITH US - AS REDEEMER EMMANUEL, WE WORSHIP YOU! II. EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US - AS REDEEMER Because we were unable to save ourselves, He came to bring salvation to us. Good works were marred by our sinful nature, so they would not do. Silver and gold, and all that it represents could not pay the price of our salvation; one soul is of more value than the total wealth of the whole world. Sin had to be dealt with by death! Here we have the death of the perfect substitute in our place. Our salvation was purchased with His blood. Let us not forget that this is a vital part of the true meaning of Christmas! What a gift that has been given to us! Let’s look at how Peter expresses it. I Peter 1:18-19 “You must know that you were redeemed from the useless way of living inherited by tradition from your forefathers, not with corruptible things such as silver and gold, 19 But you were purchased with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a sacrificial lamb without blemish or spot.” [Amp] Paul also makes clear the purpose and price of the purchase. The purpose was to ‘purchase – the church of God’. The price was ‘His own blood’. Acts 20:28 “the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” [NKJV] This is the best gift anyone can have at Christmas, or at any other time. It is also the best news to share with others during this special season – look at what Paul has to say in, II Corinthians 5:19 “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” [NLT] Can you imagine giving someone an introduction to the Lord Jesus Christ, and them having the Gift of Eternal Life! Wouldn’t that be the best Christmas gift ever for them. EMMANUEL, WE PRAISE YOU! It really is an astounding fact that He didn’t share just a portion of Himself with us when we were born again, but He has given us everything we need, and more! He has given us Himself; GOD WITH US - IN ALL FULLNESS. III. EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US - IN ALL FULLNESS Colossians 2:9-10 “In Him the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” [Holman] What a gift! This is about God actually being with us! Not at the end of a telephone line to a call center in heaven (sorry the lines are all busy now, please call later). Not being represented by some mighty angelic being (they wouldn’t really understand us as they have not lived as we do). Not on some wonderful television screen with a transmission from some celestial studio (what if we had a power outage in the middle of an important Divine Discussion?) No! We now have GOD WITH US - IN ALL FULLNESS. The limit to what we receive is governed by how much we draw from Him! He is with us - IN ALL FULLNESS. To help us appreciate this, the Lord did not simply give us a manual, although we do have one in the Bible, but to aid our understanding He came right where we are – just like we are – knowing us through and through and seeks to reveal God to us! Look at what John says. John 1:17-18 “The law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” [NLT] Not just a manual but EMMANUEL! A manual can be good and helpful, but it is even better when we have someone to explain it to us, and God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth! John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” [NIV] For us to comprehend what this really means is too much for us to take in, but our lack of full understanding does not prevent us from possessing the reality in our daily lives – not just at Christmas! We enjoy many things in our lives each day without an understanding. We switch on lights and have no worry about the source. We get into our cars, without knowing how they really work. Modern technology has taken this even further – an email from my phone can be on the other side of the Country in seconds. I don’t understand how this can happen, but I enjoy using it! If we use such things without understanding, why can we not simply accept, and enjoy what God has provided for us freely, as a gift. With us today, and every day is GOD - IN ALL FULLNESS. HOW AMAZING! AND HOW TRUE! EMMANUEL, WE THANK YOU! To help us appreciate this, the Lord has gone even further than being born on earth in human form, He now comes to live in those who have experienced the ‘New Birth’. We can now know in our daily experience GOD WITH US – ALWAYS. IV. EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US - ALWAYS One day, at the close of a service at a small church, a lady went out saying ‘the Lord wasn’t here today’. Could she have been correct? The Lord has clearly stated that He will be present when two or more meet in His name. Do we always meet in His name? As I look around the congregation, I can with confidence, that we do. So, was she right? I would rather believe God’s promise, than a person’s feelings. God’s Word is sure and certain, and does not depend on our feelings, but on God being unchangeable. He has made some wonderful statements to His people about His being with us, such as II Corinthians 6:16 We are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." [NIV] It is a fact that God wants to be with His people. When the Children of Israel came out of Egypt, the Lord showed them how to make a place for Him to meet with them as they journeyed – the Tabernacle. Later He showed them how to build a Temple in which they could meet with Him. Now He has us, the Church, where He delights to meet with His people. What an incredible gift – the gift of His continual presence. And let’s remember what the author of the book of Hebrews says, Hebrews 13:5-6 God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” [NLT] And the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, Matthew 28:19 “Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [NLT] What a Gift, the gift of His abiding presence. This must surely cause us to say EMMANUEL, I GIVE MYSELF TO YOU! Jesus was God. Emmanuel, God with us. If we cannot believe that then the rest of our faith is worthless. But the other side to Jesus is that while He was all God, He was also all man. It was Martin Luther who said, “The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that God sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding.” And he was right. It’s very difficult for our human minds to comprehend the concept of God becoming one of us, especially while remaining God at the same time. God, while maintaining His divinity, while holding on to His deity, became a person just like you and me. The Almighty Creator of the galaxies confined Himself to a teenager’s womb. The One who had been spirit took on the form of a breakable, pierce-able body. The One who invented man put Himself through the human process of being born, being weaned, and learning to walk and talk. Max Lucado puts it in an unforgettable way. He writes, “Jesus may have had pimples. He may have been tone-deaf. Perhaps a girl down the street had a crush on Him or vice versa. It could be that His knees were bony. One thing’s for sure: He was, while completely divine, completely human. For thirty-three years He would feel everything you and I have ever felt. He felt weak. He grew weary. He was afraid of failure. He was susceptible to wooing women. He got colds, burped, and had body odor. His feelings got hurt. His feet got tired. And His head ached.” That is mind-boggling to us, isn’t it? In fact, it almost seems irreverent to think of Jesus that way. We want to clean up the stable where He was born. Like Lucado says, we want to keep the sweat from running in His eyes. We want to pretend that He never snored or blew His nose or hit His thumb with a hammer. We feel uncomfortable picturing Him anyway other than with a clean robe of white and a halo of light around His head. To think of Him otherwise just doesn’t seem right. But we must see Jesus as Jesus was; He was God becoming a man. God had to deal with our issues. He had to work through our struggles. He had to endure our hardships. He had to cope with our frailties. He took on flesh. He became a man. It’s incredible to think that Jesus would step down from His mighty throne in heaven to make a manger His bed. It’s incredible to think that He would exchange the worship of flawless angels for that of a bunch of poor shepherds. It’s incredible to think that He would trade in the security of being spirit to put on a robe of flesh and feel our pain and face our temptations. It’s incredible to think that God would ever choose to make Himself a man. But He did. Throughout Scripture, God promises to be with his people. Moses told the Israelites, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of men, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you” (Deut. 31:6). God promised Joshua, “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous” (Josh. 1:5-6). “Then David said to Solomon his son, ‘Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. For the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you’” (1 Chron. 28:20). “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear…. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Ps. 46:1-2) God is with you. The same promise is given to every child of God in this world today. In EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE of life, God is with you. God will not always remove our difficult circumstances, but He will always supply us with what we need to go through adversity: strength, courage, comfort, peace, and hope. To the one who is afraid remember, Emmanuel, God is with you. To the one who is lonely sing praises, Emmanuel, God is with you. To the one who is grieving believe, Emmanuel, God is with you. To the one who is discouraged give thanks, Emmanuel, God is with you. Jesus is our Emmanuel, our greatest gift! Emmanuel, God with us, the gift that never stops giving!
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