THE NAME ABOVE ALL MAMES.
Matthew 1:18-23.
INTRODUCTION:
1. There are many names given to Lord Jesus in the Bible, each of them gives us a fuller and clearer picture
of what He is and what He means for us. The very name Jesus means "God saves" He is God's promise
to deliver us! He is the Messiah, the Christ, "anointed one", our Lord, King and we are His people.
2. Any time is a good time to look at the person of Lord Jesus, but it seems right at this time of year as most
Christians think of the birth of Christ. In today’s text, we realize how the angel of the Lord prepared Joseph
and Mary for the birth of the promised Messiah.
3. God gave the prophecy of Emanuel in a crisis situation. According with Isaiah 7:2 the King of Judah was
as overwhelmed, scared but God send the prophet Isaiah to tell him do not be afraid. When God said “do
not be afraid it is because someone was faced any problem or difficulty. Immanuel guarantee us that in
difficult times we are not alone we have a heavenly Father, His comfort is in the Lord Jesus.
4. When was the last time you felt the presence of God in your life in a special way? I don’t mean only the
time when you know that He is with you. I think that you know that God is everywhere. When did you last
fell in your heart the Lord personally, closely living in you? Having an assurance of His presence
encourage us to overcome adversity and work on His kingdom.
BIG IDEA: IMMANUEL IS THE FULFILLMENT GOD’S PROMISE OF HIS PRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE.
I. IMMANUEL IS THE FULFILLMENT GOD’S PROMISE OF HIS PRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE WHO
WANT WORSHIP HIM.
A. How can we describe the presence of God? The Bible teaches that God is omnipresent, which means
He is everywhere. But He is not present in all places in the same way, God is only with His people, I
mean with followers of Christ and sometimes He reveals Himself to believers in special ways. In the
life of a believer, the Father is always present Exodus 33:14. As believers we know that God is with us
anytime anywhere.
B.
People who look for the presence of God enjoy worship Him. The wise men from the East came to
Jerusalem to seek the Messiah because they wanted to worship Him Matthew 2:2. The Lord says that
those who seek Him will find Him. I believe that if people are truly seeking God, He will reveal Himself
to them. The real message of Christmas is, "Let us worship." That is what the wise men came to do
and that is what we should be doing as well.
C.
In the Bible the presence of God is usually connected with His desire to bless those who want honor
and worship Him Matthew 18:20. Just as something wonderful happens when God's people get
together and study His Word, something extraordinary happens when God's people get together and
sing His praises. Now this verse is not saying that God only shows up when people worship, because
God is omnipresent. Sometimes worship can be a sacrifice but we should still worship.
D.
We can describe the presence of God as "a God who is revealed by the Holy Spirit to our spirit with
the specific purpose of encourage, help, support, inform, warn, teach and reveal the meaning of the
Bible. You can find God anywhere. When the decision of fellowship with other believers is taken, to
worship Him, to hear the Word of God, this is a very good option.
II. IMMANUEL IS THE FULFILLMENT GOD’S PROMISE OF HIS PRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE WHO
REMEMBER GOD’S ACTS IN THE PAST.
A. Do you remember how did the Lord work in your life in the past? Time after time in the Bible we see
that whenever God calls someone into His service, He first reminds the person of His enduring
presence. According to Exodus chapter 3, God revealed His presence to Moses through the burning
bush. If Moses had heard only a voice, he probably not have went to Egypt to set the Israelites free
Exodus 3:5.
B. After Moses, Joshua saw the Lord in the form of a soldier. Joshua had the responsibility of lead the
Israelites into the Promised Land Joshua 5:13-6:5. King David loved to be in God's presence see
Psalm 27:4. That is a wonderful thing to get. David was a boy but he was aware of the presence of
God in His life.
C. When the Lord Jesus called Simon Peter as the apostle He performed a miracle and seeing the power
of the Lord, Peter knew that he was in the presence of the Son of God. When Peter saw this, he fell at
Lord Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Supported by His presence,
he walked on water and defended the Lord against Roman soldiers Matthew 14:26-29, 26:50-51. But
away from the Lord, Apostle Peter denied knowing Him Matt 26:69-75. Because of the presence of
God Apostle Paul continued preaching the gospel in the face of persecution Acts 9:3-5.
III. IMMANUEL IS THE FULFILLMENT GOD’S PROMISE OF HIS PRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE FOR
ENCOURAGE US.
A. We are encourage to live holy lives in the presence of our Holy Father. Being in the presence of God
inspires us to make good decision and empowers us to overcome challenges. Feeling His presence
reminds us how He worked in the past and gives us His perspective. The presence of the Lord helps
us to see life from His viewpoint.
B. We need to be tell again the reason for our confidence. Each time God calls us into action, He
Encourage us to be strong because He is with us. Victory is not about our abilities, our strength, skill,
gifts, and dedication; it has to do with the presence of God. We can be strong because God will be
strong in us.” God knows how difficult life can be, and He knows every detail of each struggle we will
ever face.
C. Immanuel: God is with us, God came to us. It is really the heart of the Christian faith and the Christian
life. All other religious basically tell you that you must do something, but the Bible says it is done, done
for you at the Cross, paid for by the blood of Lord Jesus Christ. Being a Christian is not simply
following a creed; it is having Christ himself live in you and through you, giving you the strength to be
the man or woman He has called you to be.
D. The message of Christmas is God with us. That is important to know, especially during those times
when we are going through great difficulty. But the Bible encourage us to trust in God. It is great to
know that God is with you wherever you go. The Bible never teaches that we will have problem-free
lives as followers of Christ. But the Bible does teach that we never will be alone Matthew 28:20.
ACTION POINTS:
1. Make the Lord's presence a priority in your life. Submit your life to God's control so He will reveal you the
way He chooses. Do not miss one of the greatest blessings of life, learn to live with the knowledge that He
is always with you.
2. Remember that sometimes the Lord reveals his power in a unique way. Having an awareness of His
presence will give you energy to overcome adversity. Seek the guidance and power of the Lord for victory
in any situation. Our God never changes. He is still willing to talk to His people and give power to obey.
3. No matter how you feel about your Christian life right now, I have a reminder for you: The message of the
Lord Jesus really is "good news of great joy." Emmanuel, God is with us!
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