Emmanuel
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The main point of it all is this:
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."
I believe this is one of the main pillars of the Christian faith! I believe it is the fact that makes
Christianity unique. It is the fact that makes our faith relevant to our lives.
The exceptional characteristic about our gospel is that God is with us!
John 14.8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9 Jesus answered:
"Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has
seen me has seen the Father. ''
God stepped out of eternity and into mortality. He became part of his creation. That is most
significant event in history.
Creation is dynamic event. To make something out of nothing is pretty incredible. But for an all-
powerful God, it is nothing.
Parting the Red Sea and the Jordan River – making the sun stand still – bringing down the walls of
Jericho – raising people from death – raining fire down from heaven. These are all inconceivable
events to us. But for an all-powerful God, again these are simple things.
But for that all-powerful God to step into his own creation and become part of it – without losing
control of it all – that is truly beyond all comprehension.
But what does this mean for us? How does this affect our lives? It means this –
God has established a permanent presence among his people. GOD IS WITH US!
In times past, God would visit with his people.
In the Garden of Eden, God would come down and walk with Adam and fellowship with him.
In the Old Testament days God would meet with the priests in the Holy Place of the Temple.
He met with Abraham and Moses and various prophets.
And on several occasions, His presence filled the Temple and tabernacle so much that the people
were overcome with is glory.
But at the birth of Jesus, God’s presence was established among men in a new way.
First, He physically came in the manifestation of Jesus. God walked on our streets and visited our
homes and touched our children.
Then, when Jesus ascended back into heaven, God remained in the form of His Holy Spirit among
men. He has established his presence IN US.
John 14.16 ''And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever
- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.''
God is with us.
Jesus said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Mt 18:20
This is the principal feature here. God is with us. His presence is here with us.
If we meet in His name, and He is not here with us, then we are just having a memorial service to
honor him. BUT, if he is here with us, then we are having an experience with God.
Having a church service without his presence is like kissing a picture of your husband or wife. It’s a
nice gesture, but it’s not the same thing. It’s like admiring a picture of a pizza. That may express
your love for pizza, but there is no nutritional value in it and no satisfying taste. It’s just not the
same.
Listen, God loved you so much – He desired fellowship with you so much – that he manifested
himself in physical form in order to establish his presence with you.
Without His presence we are just godless. We think of godless people as those outside of the
church, but godlessness is simply carrying on your life without conciousness of God. Many of us do
this.
The 2nd Commandment says7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain...''.
Taking His name means to call yourself by His name. (like marriage) If you call yourself a
Christian, you'd better be walking in His presence.
Are you walking God or just working for Him?
God is with us!
If he is here, that means his power is here – his glory is here – his love is here. That is powerful.
When Jesus was here in physical form, the disciples could sit down with the God of the universe
and talk with him. They could touch him. They could enjoy his presence. Can you imagine that?
But we can do the same. He is here in spirit. His presence is here, because he said it would be.
“Where two or three are gathered…”
Jesus is here – God is with us!
I want each of you to just close your eyes for a moment. We are too accustomed to dealing only
with what we see. Close your eyes and just tune in to the presence of God in this place. Stop
depending on what you see, and trust in what you cannot see.
Just imagine his hand on your head. Imagine his arms around you. Imagine his whisper in your
ear. He is speaking his Word to you.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world."