His Name Is Emmanuel

 This is a Christmas Advent sermon based on Matthew 1:23 and presents some answers to the question, "What does it mean to say, 'God is with us.'?" The message presents three answers that are explained. The phrase represents God's self-revelation, His abiding presence, and the promise of His Holy Spirit. A video recording of the worship service in which this message was preached can be viewed by clicking here.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

It isn’t very easy to come up with new Christmas messages year after year! As I was looking through some old notes, I felt impressed to rework a sermon I had done years ago in my previous church. As I continued to look, I discovered that I had preached a similar message for my first Christmas here at Wayside in 2009. (Just in case you didn’t remember!) The title of that message was, “Is God Still with Us?” In both of those messages I asked the question, “What does it mean to say, ‘God is with us?’” Eleven years ago I gave four answers to the question by looking at various Scripture passages that included the phrase “God with us” in some form or variation. Today, I want to provide some additional answers to the same question by looking at more passages of Scripture which include some form of the phrase, “God with us.”

I.          “God with Us” refers to His special revelation.

Exodus 3:18 ^(NKJV)  … you shall come, … to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.'

The context of this verse includes Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. God revealed himself to Moses and revealed his name, “Yahweh.” God tells Moses that He has seen the affliction of the people of Israel and has come to deliver them.

(v. 16) He also tells Moses to go to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt;

So in this passage in Exodus, we read about God revealing Himself to Moses. “I Am Who I Am.” We read about Moses telling the people “God appeared to me.” And, we read what he is instructed to tell Pharaoh, “God has met with us.” All of these aspects together emphasize the fact that God was revealing Himself. When “God is with us,” He is revealing Himself to humanity.

One of the foundational truths of the Bible which I have mentioned many times is this: God is a self-revealing God. He doesn’t leave us to stumble and grope in the dark hoping against hope to discover Him by some random miracle. The Bible repeatedly describes how that God reveals more and more of Himself to humanity.

Hebrews 1:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ²  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

The writer of Hebrews begins his letter by affirming the process of revelation that has taken place. God spoke by prophets, and finally by His Son whom He sent into the world. The God of the Bible is not like the pagan deities, shrouded in darkness, unknown and unreliable, but He willingly reveals Himself so we can know Him and know His desires for us.

II.        “God with us” refers to His abiding presence.

A. He is present in the journey of life.

Exodus 33:16 (NKJV)  For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth."

This is much later in the Exodus story. God has brought the Israelites out of Egypt and they have been at Mount Sinai to receive the Covenant of Law. The people have sinned by making and worshiping the golden calf. God has told Moses to take the people up to the land He had promised them, but He would not go with them. They are a “stiff-necked” people and the Lord may consume them if He is to come into the midst of them.

But, in verse 15, Moses says to the Lord, “If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” In v. 16 he continues by asking, “How will anyone know we have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us?”

God had earlier promised He would send an angel with them. But Moses knows that isn’t enough. He insists, if God isn’t with them, they might as well stay where they are. Moses also knows that it is the supernatural presence of God that sets His people apart from everyone else on the face of the earth. Look at the second half of verse 16. “So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth." There is no substitute for the presence of God.

B. He is present in times of battle, and adversity.

Numbers 14:9 (NKJV)  Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them."

The context of this verse includes the sending of the 12 spies into the land of Canaan when the Israelites were ready to enter the land promised to them. 10 spies gave an evil report of gloom and doom, while 2 of them (Caleb and Joshua) gave a good report. This passage in 14:9 is part of the response by Caleb and Joshua as they tried to convince the rest of the people that they should and could conquer the land because God was with them.

It doesn’t matter how big the foe, when God is with us, we are greater than any enemy! It doesn’t matter how bad the circumstance or adversity, if God is with us, we can make it.

Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

There is no substitute for the presence of God when we find ourselves in the middle of adversity, tragedy and even sorrow.

C. He is present when His people obey His commands.

The abiding presence is not just for the children of Israel when they are facing battles with the enemy. His presence is also promised to His people when they obey His commands.

Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) ¹⁹  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

How important it is for us to be obedient to the Lord if we truly want His presence to be with us.

III.       “God with us” refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit.

All of the references we have used so far, have been promises and statements made to men long ago in different times and cultures. We certainly have the right to read those promises and apply them to our current circumstances, but there is one promise of God’s presence that specifically includes all of us today. It comes from the words of Jesus, but it refers to a promise He was making for believers of all ages until His return.

John 14:16-17 (NKJV) ¹⁶  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- ¹⁷  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Conclusion:

In the Scripture passages we have looked at today we have learned that the phrase “God with us” speaks about His self-revelation to mankind, and it speaks about His abiding presence in all kinds of circumstances and situations. God has used prophets and scribes to record promise after promise of His abiding presence in all sorts of life’s situations. His presence always included every provision necessary for the fulfillment of God’s purposes in that situation. God also gave His own Son as an additional revelation of Himself in human form in order that we might experience the physical presence and know what it is like to have Him with us. We obviously did not experience that physical human interaction with God in the flesh, but we are living in the era of the Spirit – the One Jesus promised before leaving this earth, who would be “with us and in us.”

If I understand Scripture correctly, we will be facing darker days in the future than we’ve ever faced before. It is comforting to know that GOD IS STILL WITH US!

I want to close with this interesting little story I came across.

Many of you know the name Karl Barth, who was a well-known theologian from Switzerland who lived from 1886 to 1968.

(Today's Best Illustrations – Volumes 1-4) Karl Barth, the famous theologian, was on a streetcar one day in Basel, Switzerland, where he lectured. A tourist to the city climbed on and sat down next to Barth. The two men started chatting with each other. "Are you new to the city?" Barth inquired. "Yes," said the tourist. "Is there anything you would particularly like to see in this city?" asked Barth. "Yes," he said, "I'd love to meet the famous theologian Karl Barth. Do you know him?" Barth replied, "Well as a matter of fact, I do. I give him a shave every morning." The tourist got off the streetcar quite delighted. He went back to his hotel saying to himself, "I met Karl Barth's barber today."

The question I ask myself and each of you today is this. Do I know God well enough to recognize His presence in my daily circumstances?

Our closing song today is a very short chorus, but it conveys the message of His name, Emmanuel.

We will sing it twice.

Emmanuel

The Blood that Speaks

This sermon is based on Hebrews 12:24, which mentions that the blood of sprinkling "speaks better things than that of Abel." This message was provided for a worship service in which the Sacrament of Communion was administered following the sermon. It discusses what it means to say that the blood speaks of better things. To view a video recording of the worship service in which this sermon was given, please click here.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

I decided to break away from the series of messages I was doing on Renewing the Mind so we could focus our thoughts on the sacrament of communion today. More than likely, we will return to the series after the holidays.

Here is a question for you to ponder: “Who is one person you would love to hear give a message or a speech?”

It’s quite possible that many different individuals will come to your mind. There are plenty of well-known people that have impressive abilities for speaking. If I asked you to not only think of people who are living today, but also include anyone in the world who has lived in the past, that would bring many more people to our minds. In fact, it might be hard to narrow it down to one or even a few.

In trying to make up our minds, we might not only consider the relative popularity of the speaker, but we might want to focus on those who have a particular kind of authority or power. Maybe wealth and “success” would be a major factor in our choice.

I recently finished reading about King Solomon in my personal Bible reading. Wouldn’t it have been awesome to have the privilege of listening to King Solomon – a man declared by God to be the wisest man who ever lived? Some people might choose Moses. On and on we could go, suggesting the famous people of history we would have liked to hear.

The passage Scripture we are looking at today does not describe a person speaking great eloquent words, but it describes something else that is speaking. In verse 24, the Scripture tells us that the blood “speaks better things than that of Abel.”

For our message from God’s Word today, I want to speak to you about the “Blood that Speaks.”

I.          The blood speaks about Jesus.

Jesus – Mediator; The person is Jesus and the role is Mediator.

In verse 24, immediately before the phrase about the blood that speaks, the author writes about Jesus and identifies Him as “the mediator of a better covenant.” It is written in such a way that we can clearly assume that the “blood of sprinkling that speaks” (v.24b), is the blood of Jesus.

In Heb. 8, the writer mentioned the mediatorial work of Jesus.

Hebrews 8:6 ^(NKJV) But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

In this verse, the pronoun “He” refers back to the term, “High Priest,” found in verse 1. Again, it is obviously referring to Jesus. Jesus’ role as Mediator requires the sprinkling of blood, which is the very next phrase in 12:24. The purpose is to show the comparison between what Jesus does and what Moses did in the Old Covenant, and it helps define His role as mediator.

Hebrews 9:15, 19-22 ^{(NKJV) 15} And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. ¹⁹ For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰  saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you." ²¹ Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. ²² And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

1 Timothy 2:5 ^(KJV) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

You already know that a mediator acts as an arbitrator between two enemies to bring peace and reconciliation. I am so grateful for the fact that Jesus is my personal Mediator with God because of His blood that was shed.

II.        The blood speaks a welcome.

“You have not come … You have come.” (vv. 18, 22)

When I began to look at the other verses leading up to verse 24, I was struck by the contrast that the author is trying to portray for us.

Hebrews 12:18 ^(NKJV) For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest,

(Compare with Exodus 19:16-19) I’m not going to read it, but it gives the physical descriptions of what took place at Mount Sinai. The original mountain (Sinai) was a physical mountain that could be touched, but they were ordered not to touch. It symbolized the awesome distance that existed between a holy God and a sinful people.

Hebrews 12:22-23 ^(NKJV) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, ²³  to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

In stark contrast to that OT scenario, they now have come to Mount Zion. “Have Come” (KJV, “are come”) – perf. tense; gives idea of completed action. It is portrayed as though they have already arrived at the heavenly Jerusalem. It is established, but not yet. Mt. Zion was the term used in the OT for Jerusalem, but it is used here to speak of “the New Jerusalem” or “The City of God.” I couldn’t help but feel the contrast between the mountain they weren’t allowed to approach and the new mountain they not only can approach, but are welcomed, or invited. It is an invitation not only to the city of God, but all of the other blessings that go along with that city.

(Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) – …a series of nine descriptive phrases identifying the place and the people that represent the Christian’s true destination.

“innumerable company of angels”

Revelation 5:11 ^(NKJV) Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,

“general assembly and church of firstborn”

(Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) – Elsewhere in the NT, “firstborn” is used as a title of Christ himself (see in this letter 1:6), not of his people, but it recalls the OT description of Israel collectively as God’s “firstborn son” (Ex. 4:22; Jer. 31:9). Here it may well be intended to include God’s true people of both OT and NT eras.

“God – the Judge of all”

(Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) – The reference to God as judge then prompts a second mention of the redeemed, now described as “the spirits of the righteous made perfect”—a phrase probably to be understood especially (but not exclusively) of the OT saints ….

“spirits of just men made perfect”

(Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) – …redeemed human beings in heaven … They have been “made perfect” in the sense that we have so often seen in this letter … in that their salvation is now complete.

III.       The blood speaks of better things.

“speaks better than that of Abel” (KJV, “better things than that of Abel”)

It is interesting that the writer brings up the OT character of Abel in this setting. Why? The reference to Abel, who was killed by his brother Cain (both sons of Adam & Eve), is probably the only other time in the Bible where the blood is characterized as speaking. In the case of Cain and Abel, the Lord told Cain that his brother’s blood “cries out to me from the ground.”

Commentary writers have suggested that the blood of Abel was speaking “condemnation” and “vengeance.” But, the blood of Jesus speaks of “better things.” That is, redemption, forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation.

Colossians 1:14 ^(KJV) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Colossians 1:20a ^(KJV) And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself….

Conclusion:

Whenever we talk about something inanimate that is speaking, we obviously are talking in figurative terms.

Today we have been considering the ways that the blood of Jesus speaks and what it could be saying to us. The author of Hebrews is giving us a lesson about what the blood has to say to us and it is a message of joy because it speaks to us of our mediator, it speaks to invite us and welcome us to join the company of the redeemed, and it speaks a better message than the blood of Abel who was murdered. Rather than condemnation and vengeance, the blood of Jesus speaks of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation.

Before we share the sacrament of communion today, let us sing a very familiar song: The Old Rugged Cross

Renewing the Mind - #3

This is the third sermon in a series of messages focusing on the importance of having a Christian/biblical worldview of life. We are bombarded every day with the philosophies and values of the secular, godless world in which we live. Far too often, Christians have accepted the views and assumptions of the secular world rather than applying biblical truth to every area of life. This sermon addresses the topics of science, psychology and sociology. You may view a video recording of the worship service in which this sermon was delivered by clicking here. 

Written excerpts:

Colossians 2:8 ^(NKJV) Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

Introduction:

I have given a couple of messages so far on the topic of “Renewing the Mind,” which addresses the matter of being transformed away from a worldly pattern of thinking to a biblical pattern of thinking. We have been using the term “worldview” to represent the lens through which we look to interpret the world we live in.

I shared a few definitions of “worldview” with you last Sunday, and I want to share some additional descriptions today.

(The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity) Worldviews are both visions of life and visions for life. They are both descriptive of the world… and prescriptive for the world…. worldviews tell us both what the world is and what it ought to be….

A Christian worldview is only Christian in so far as it is biblical. The Bible answers for us the ultimate worldview questions: (1) Where are we? We live in the creation that God calls into being, wisely structures and lovingly guides by his creative Word. (2) Who are we? We are special creatures called to love, worship and image God in our faithful stewardship of this creation. (3) What’s wrong? We are broken in our relationships with God, each other and the creation because we have fallen into sin and now serve false idols rather than the true God. (4) What’s the remedy? God has lovingly chosen to redeem us and the whole creation by making a covenant with Israel and fulfilling that covenant in the incarnation, cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In the message last week, I mentioned that I would be using a list of disciplines or categories of study in order to show how a Christian worldview impacts each area. I tried to cover the disciplines of theology, philosophy, and ethics last week. Today, I will continue using that same list provided by an organization called, “All About God Ministries,” in order to discuss three more disciplines.

One of the observations I would make before considering the next three disciplines is this: All of these areas of study are intricately interconnected. It seems impossible to consider any one area very deeply without bringing up questions that are related to the other disciplines.

I.          Science

Science – The search for truth regarding the material universe.

There are separate fields of study that fall under the general discipline of science, such as: Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and many others.

The scientific method is a series of steps used by scientific investigators to answer specific questions about the natural world… The steps of the scientific method are as follows: Observation, Question (I wonder if, how, why…), Hypothesis (I think it is, will, ...), Experiment, Results, & Conclusion; repeat.

The scientific revolution began with the assumption that the world had been divinely created in an orderly way and therefore could be studied (The Truth Project, Focus on the Family). Some pioneer scientists such as Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton and others truly believed they were discovering truths about the world that God had designed and created. To them, facts about nature and the universe provided reasons to praise the Creator.

There are a number of questions that the scientific method cannot answer, namely any questions about the earth’s history. That is because any phenomena that has already occurred cannot be subjected to repeated experiments, testing and observations. When it comes to science (the study of our material universe), there are various times when some assumptions must be made in order to proceed. Secularists and atheists naturally bring assumptions that are antagonistic toward any idea of a Creator. Christians hold assumptions that presume the existence of a Creator/Designer. The one area where that distinction is the most pronounced is the question of the earth’s origin. The beginning is something that only happened once and cannot be repeated like a scientific experiment to be observed and recorded. Therefore, scientists look at the evidence available (or we might even call it the testimony of nature) and draw their conclusions from the testimony/evidence.

The atheist looks at the evidence and declares, “It’s obvious, this proves that everything evolved from nothing.” The creationist looks at the evidence and declares, “It’s obvious, this proves that everything was designed by a Master Designer for a purpose. Each of them has interpreted the evidence through the lens of his worldview.

One evolutionist was quoted as saying, “Biologists must constantly keep in mind that what they see was not designed, but rather evolved.” (Francis Crick in The Truth Project). Crick is essentially admitting that biologists must remember that they are always interpreting what they observe through the lens of a secular worldview, and must not allow themselves to fall prey to any ideas inconsistent with that worldview.

Conservative Christians trust the Bible in matters related to science even though the Bible is not a science textbook. In other words, the Bible doesn’t use scientific terms or vocabulary when describing various phenomena in the world of nature. Professing Christians who are more liberal in their view of Scripture would claim that the Bible is certainly reliable whenever it speaks about the nature of God and the matters of salvation, but contains errors when it speaks about matters of history or science. Their willingness to make this concession seems to be a result of their acceptance of evolutionary theory and a desire to blend it with the Bible.

Before we move on, let me simply share a few of the verses that give us a biblical view of our natural world.

Colossians 1:16 (NKJV) For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

Amos 5:8 (NKJV)  He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The LORD is His name.

Psalm 19:1-4a (NLT2) ¹ The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. ² Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. ³ They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. ⁴ Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world…

If we truly possess a biblical worldview of science, then the more we understand about the material universe, the greater our adoration of the Creator will be.

II.        Psychology

Psychology – The search for truth regarding human nature.

The word “psychology” comes from the Greek word for soul (ψυχή, psyche).

Understanding human beings and human nature through a non-Christian worldview has produced claims that people are merely a higher form of animal. Any reference to a soul or spirit is to be understood in the same manner that any other animal has soul and spirit. The mind is nothing more than chemical processes in the physical brain. In this secular understanding, humans and human behavior is defined in the same way as animal behavior. (stimulus/response)

In the Christian view of human nature, we understand that human beings are clearly distinct in many ways from the animal world. Yes, there are some similarities, but there are some extremely critical differences.

 Genesis 1:27 (NKJV) So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

The Christian view accepts the Bible’s description of soul, spirit, mind and body. The Christian understands human beings to be a combination of physical (material, natural) and spiritual (supernational) qualities. The Apostle Paul asserts that humans are more than just a material body when writing to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One example of the difference between secular and Christian approach to psychology is observed in regards to guilt. The usual secular/non-Christian viewpoint would define guilt simply in terms of “feelings” and point to outdated standards of church, family, or society as the cause. The remedy is to change the oppressive standards to set the guilt feelings free.

The Bible view, on the other hand, recognizes both “feelings of guilt” and actual/real guilt. According to the Bible, human beings have an inherited problem with sin that began with Adam and Eve. We refer to the condition as inherited depravity or original sin.

Romans 5:19 (NKJV) For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.

Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV) “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

While there may actually be times when over-active guilt feelings are generated by the unbiblical expectations of a particular social group, not all guilt feelings can be dismissed as such. There are clearly times when we feel guilty because we are guilty. We feel guilt because we have violated the moral law of God and insisted on having our own will. The Bible’s remedy for guilt is confession, repentance, and faith. The result of such steps will be peace.

Romans 5:1 (NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

III.       Sociology

The final area of consideration for today is the field of sociology.

Sociology – The search for truth regarding social structures.

Dr. Del Tackett, in The Truth Project, identifies six social structures or social relationships as family, labor, church, state, community and the human-divine. Christian and non-Christian worldviews acknowledge the existence of such structures, but differ on their origin, purpose, and authority.

The Bible teaches us in the very beginning chapters of Genesis that human beings are social beings and not meant to be alone.

Genesis 2:18 (NKJV) And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."

Atheistic worldviews that propose evolution as the explanation for human life also accept evolution as the explanation of social structures. If all of these structures just evolved by time and chance, then none of them are sacred. The Bible clearly teaches that each one of these relationships were designed by God and are given specific roles and responsibilities by God.

In this verse in Hebrews, obligations and responsibilities are identified for those in submission and those in authority.

Hebrews 13:17 (NKJV) Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

If human beings are created by God with an eternal soul and intrinsic worth, then it matters whether any of the social structures tend to destroy the individual for the “benefit” of the whole. On the other hand, from a biblical point of view, each individual has certain responsibilities for the benefit of the social structures of which he/she is a part. However, if every person and every social structure just evolved by chance, then nothing is sacred, and everything is dispensable.

Conclusion:

We should be getting a picture by now of how important it is for Christians to acquire a biblical view not only about how life is, but also how life should be. Truth affects every area of life. It really matters whether we believe God is the author of truth or if truth can be whatever we say it is.

Finally, I would remind us again that being a Christian and living as a Christian is more than praying a prayer of faith in Jesus, but it includes adjusting our lives and our world to come into alignment with God’s eternal truth as revealed in His Word. It really is imperative to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Closing Song: I Then Shall Live