God with Us (Matthew 1:18-25)

Advent 4 (19^th December 2010)

Theme: God with Us (Matthew 1:18-25)

 

Our theme today is a declaration of the fact that God is present in our world. Before the coming of Jesus into this world, people already believed that there was God, but very often this God was thought as being a transcendent God, meaning a God who was doing his work in his world from a remote distance.  The common belief was that this God had to be called upon or invoked so that he would be involved with what was happening in this world.  It was also a common belief that there were many gods under one chief god in heaven.  The smaller gods were assigned to do different tasks. So if somebody wanted to irrigate his farm he could call upon the rain-god; if one is sick he would call upon a healing god. There were gods of the mountains, the seas, the lands, etc.

In the old days everybody believed in a god of some sorts. There was nobody who didn’t believe in a god or spirit. Atheism, as we know it today, is only a modern phenomenon.

It was into this world of so many beliefs that God gradually showed himself.  He first revealed himself to the Jews, and even that revelation was done in a gradual process, taking over thousands of years - from Abraham, to Moses, to the prophets, and eventually to Mary and Joseph.  And when God finally revealed himself to the full, he not only showed himself, but gave himself to us in a form of a baby.

Our practice of giving at Christmas came about from this idea of God giving himself for our salvation.  I am sure many of you receive gifts during this Christmas time.  On Friday night some of us were at St. John’s Church, and towards the end of our Carol Service some of you came forward with your gifts for the Penan community.  Giving is good but the sad thing is that the real reason for giving has been lost among people of today’s society.  So that is why people tend to be more focused on the commercial aspects of Christmas than on the spiritual aspects. In most places today you will find that supermarkets, department stores and shopping malls are packed with people leading up to Christmas, with millions of dollars being spent on presents and food.

However, this I want to remind you again that there is even better present to be received at Christmas, than those items made of metals, wood or plastics: it is the baby Jesus.  So let us pause for a moment in this busy time of year to think about one of the names of Jesus.  We need to look at this name “Immanuel” and find out what it means for us now and for the year 2011 as we seek to serve him in our lives, our church and our communities.  Ask God to help us see Christmas for what it really is - i.e. the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Let us ask him to speak to each one of us in his own special way and help us to get to know him as Immanuel this morning.

Our proclamation verse says, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us" (Matthew 1: 23). Immanuel, one of the names of Christ, is only mentioned 3 times in Scripture. Twice in Isaiah and once in Matthew 1:23.  It is an old Hebrew word literally meaning “With Us God” or “God with us” It is a simple and yet an incredible name.  I say that it is an incredible name because for so many people in this world, God so far away. There are others who say that God is non-existent.

What it mean for the believers?  First, it is a reminder that Jesus is divine. In this baby born that first Christmas, was God - the Creator of the world.  Do you see in this name, the name of the Almighty God?  At the end of the name “Immanuel” is “El”. This is the Hebrew name for the Almighty God. 

Second, it is reminder to us that Jesus is a Man.  God cannot come into this world and meet us face to face as Almighty God.  It will be too much for us to take.  It will be just like you approaching a group of birds feeding on the ground.  You approach the birds with good intention to befriend them.  But when the birds see you coming close to them they fly away.  They are frightened of you because to them you look huge and dangerous.  You could never walk among the birds unless you became a sparrow or pigeons, flew down among them and shared their life.

That was the situation faced by God, and the only way he could befriend and save men is to become like one of them. That was what he did when Jesus was born on Christmas day. Since the beginning of time, God loved us, and yet we would keep away from him. So, he sent Jesus to walk among us - as God and Man. 

Jesus was God and Man in the same body.  As “the Man”, he understands all about our human emotions, needs and temptations. And as “the God”, he can meet every one of them. As such the best present that we could ever receive at this time is Jesus himself.

I want you to think about it: this that God gives us is a gift “that he is always with us” - It is forever and is it is personal.  God’s gift is forever.  The material gifts that we receive from our friends will be worn out or gone one day.  For the time being we can enjoy them, but their lifespan is numbered.  If you receive fruit or cakes this Christmas, they will only last a few days. But God’s gift to be with us is for ever. Christ promised his followers when he left them, is that “Surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”  When you look at the Christians, they have Immanuel because the Holy Spirit of God dwells within them. God is with them forever.

God’s gift is personal and intimate.  If someone gives you a shirt or dress for Christmas, the closest it can come to you is to touch the outside layer of your skin.  You can wear it all the time because you need to clean it.   When the gift of God is with you, he is present in you. Jesus Christ didn’t come to earth as Immanuel to live in the church building or somewhere, and every now and then come into contact with us when we desire his presence.   He came in order to dwell in us and to have a relationship with us.  Through his Holy Spirit, Christ comes to live in us. Paul writes in Gal 2:20 like this: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Paul had given his life over to Christ’s control. He lived for Christ, he lived with Christ and he lived under Christ’s control.  That is what it means to enjoy God’s gift of his Son Immanuel. God wants to come and live with us intimately. We can keep him at a distance if we want, but he wants to live in us intimately.

I don’t know what 2010 has been like for you. What has your relationship with God been like? Have you been holding God at a distance?  Have you been keeping away from him? Don’t hold this precious gift at a distance: embrace Christ as your Lord and Saviour. As Lord, you will have to submit your will to him and follow him. Allow him to dwell within you and in so doing to change you into the person he wants you to be. Rely on him, become dependant on Him in every aspect of your life so that you can say with Paul - “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”.

I also want to tell you that God’s gift is practical. It meets our physical and emotional needs and this gift also helps us to cope with life problems and burden.   What are the implications of him being with us?  First, it means that he understands the things we struggle with.  Heb 2: 18 describes it like this: “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” - Christ knows what it is like to be tempted.  He understands what we are struggling with as normal everyday people and he can sympathize.  Not only can Jesus understand what we are going through: he also helps us to overcome obstacles in life and enable us to conquer them.

Now as we look at this year we may feel rather dismayed because we have done so little.   Some of us have not been to church as often as we like to be. Some of us may feel rather weak and frail because we are getting older or because of illness.  Others have their own reasons for not giving or doing their best. Remember that in all our struggles, God is with us.  And he sympathizes with us.  

Now, as we look to the year 2011, don’t let the burden of 2010 hinder us from giving our best serving the Lord. I know that some of you feel that you have done enough: may be 2011 is a time to let go and move on to another ministry.  I want to tell you that as long as we are still alive on earth, God is not yet finished with us.  He still has some use for us.

I also know that some of you have not made any effort to give yourselves to serve in the church from the moment you were baptised.  May be you need to rethink your position, and offer yourselves either as helpers. May be you don’t want to start by being leaders – start as helpers.  I want you to always remember that Jesus is with you, and he wants you to serve him and his church, and his people at large.  Take the opportunity to use 2011 as a new beginning.

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