It is good to be with you once again during this Advent season. I hope that all of you are having a wonderful time during this holiday season.
Things seem to be going pretty well at work, and for this I am thankful to the Lord. I received a good performance review yesterday, so I am happy about that. I am also thankful to the Lord that I have been feeling pretty good lately.
In prayer this week, please pray for those who feel lonely and depressed during the holiday season. During this time of joy and gladness, some people don't feel very happy. Let us pray that these folks will feel the presence of Jesus in their lives in a special way in the days to come.
Let us continue to be in prayer for peace in this troubled world. The situation in Burundi is not going well. I just heard this morning that U.N. peacekeepers might have to be sent in to keep the country from deteriorating into further violence. Pray for peace. Also, continue to be in prayer for peace in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and South Sudan.
During this Christmas season, let us pray that the message of Jesus will reach all around the world. Pray especially that the Gospel might reach Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sudan.
For the past weeks, we have been in a series of message concerning the Advent season. Today, we will continue with that series by looking at a familiar passage of Scripture.
When the angel Gabriel announced the coming of Jesus to Mary, Mary expressed her willingness to be used by the Lord to bring about the Lord's will in the world. However, when Mary became pregnant, this would have caused quite a problem. Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and Joseph was not the father of Mary's baby.
The Bible says in Matthew 1:19 that Joseph had decided to break off his betrothal to Mary as a result of her pregnancy. However, this is not what God had in mind. He wanted Joseph to be the man who would help to bring up Jesus in this world.
One night, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel told Joseph to take Mary as his wife because, "that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." This is exactly what Joseph did. He was faithful in his obedience to the Lord.
Matthew 1 verses 22-23 state that all of these events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ took place in order to fulfill what had been foretold by the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah said that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a son. His name would be Immanuel which means God with us.
I would like us to just think about what the phrase "God with us" means. How is God with us in Jesus?
First of all, God sent His Son the Lord Jesus into the world to redeem the world from sin. John 3:16 is the clearest statement of this. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Jesus was literally God come into this world in human form in order to redeem this world from darkness and sin.
To me, this is a concept that is difficult to grasp. The God of all creation left the glories of Heaven to come in the form of a helpless infant. He loved us so much that He identified with us in our humanity. He came to live a holy and sinless life so that He could be the one to bear our sins. He came to show us how to live and how to have a right relationship with the Heavenly Father. God is truly with us in the person of Jesus Christ.
I also think that God is with us in the person of Jesus is a personal sense. I know that Jesus is with me in all of the struggles that I have faced in life. I've had some hard times in the last few years. However, I was able to make it through those rough times because Jesus was with me in the midst of the hardship. He was there to provide comfort and strength even in the darkest moments. Without Him, I would never have made it through.
Jesus is with all of us. He wants each and every person on this planet to put their trust in Him and seek His help, comfort and guidance. Jesus will be with you in the good times and the bad times if you will call out to Him and ask Him to aid and help you.
God with us in Jesus Christ also means that there is hope for this world. The world is really messed up right now. I think that there is no question about that. There are wars in many nations. Many people are trapped in poverty. No country in this world is free from trouble. However, in the midst of all of these problems, there is hope in Jesus.
If the people and the nations of the world would trust in Jesus and obey those things that He has revealed, the world would know peace and goodness. God with us in Jesus Christ lived and taught all that is good and right. If the peoples of this world would look to Jesus, what a difference it would make. Jesus taught the way of compassion and peace.
Because Jesus lived and walked among us, there is hope that people everywhere will turn to Him and follow the path that He has set before us.
God came to be with us in Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that He did. I am so glad that someone told me about Jesus when I was just a small boy. Since that time when I invited Jesus into my life as Savior and Lord, Jesus has lived in my heart guiding me and leading me.
This same Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. God in Christ wants to be your Savior, Friend and Lord. He invites each and every person to put their faith and trust in Him. Jesus invites you to repent of your sins and receive His forgiveness. He invites you to follow wherever He would lead.
When you know Jesus as Lord of your life, you will truly understand the fact that God is with us. You will know that God is with you everyday of this life and into eternity.
Next week, we will conclude our series of Advent messages. Please note, the sermon will appear on Christmas Eve this coming week since the library where I post the sermons is closed on Christmas Day. Next Wednesday, there will not be a review. Instead, I will post a few of my Christmas recollections of special times. I will post the verses as usual on Monday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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