WCMC Candlelight
What's the matter, move away from her cuz you make a face that some of you may know I mean scary pretty the pastor here at Wesley Chapel and some of you may know this something may not but then wife and I we have two horses and I've become kind of a horse nut over the last few years. Anyway, not to say I'm a horse whisperer or anything like that. But but we started rescuing some horses. And one thing I found out through that experience is right. It's whenever we get a horse, we don't know what they know. Usually they are not while right but they say no stuff, but we don't know what they know. So we have to start training with them start working with them as though they don't know anything like we don't know anything, right? So we have to be on the same page with him. Right? So we have to start with the basics, even though they may be one of our former racehorse, you know, so he says he knows a lot more about being a witch right Amen on the same page the very Foundation of stuff if you ever been around horses or not or pretty much any kind of man eating human beings, right? We respond to one thing in life as pressure right pressure moves us wherever we want to go in the horses the same way the pressure moves us, but look for the horses to use that right that pressure to move the horse to get the horse to to do what comes naturally to him or her in this case. You want the worst to really understand how fantastic they are. Cuz if you don't know horses are But they don't know that if they don't know that they could go that you can be great together, then. They're just going to like I just want some hey some water. I can't leave me alone, right? That's all I want is you just leave me alone. Give me some. Hey give me some water and don't bother me. But that that's kind of a life right in order for them to be like to be able to do all the fancy stuff in for my wife. She uses them in therapy for her to be able to trust him around a kid and what we what do you have to do to have a horse to be able to do that? If you don't trust them, right and they have to be able to trust you. So usually the way it works is that we try to leave the first thing we always start off with his building the connection and we use that pressure thing to teach them to connect with horse. Right? We teach them the way that they avoid pressure is me. I'm the source of relaxation. My wife is right, like where the where the where the place if you want peace come to me. That's what we teach him. Right? We teach him lately move away from it and then we will remove it. They look at us and they're like I was running from that rope. Had me scared to death. But there you are and they'll stop running notice stop and walk over to you. Like how you doing? Thank goodness. It's gone. It will scare me to death. Do we have to teach the horse to be with us? First before they can do anything for us before they can jump the barrels or or run around the poles or do any of that stuff before they can do any of that. I don't have to be out by themselves that the best place for them to be is actually right here next to me.
Very similar thing about what we understand about Jesus. Is the best place for us to be is for him to be with us, right?
Since right before Easter, so what comes Christmas? And Christmas is the time when we remember God is with us with us has to come before before us. We have to get this part that he is actually with us before the for us that he did for us on Easter before really matters cuz we don't have that connection with them then dying for our sins on the cross. We don't really get it. After we get the fact that he came to be with us. And so that's what I want to talk to you about tonight, raise your hand if you would and no that's not a but you know why those questions and don't really ask for an answer but raise your hand if you would if you ever prayed the prayer God be with me or are you in or are we were about to knock on the door to pick up a girl for prom or or whatever it was we were like, ew, please be with me. I'm scared to death, right? We've been prayed that prayer and a whole lot of stuff to it that God be with me. But what do we mean when we pray that God be with me? What do you mean? What do you mean by that? How is God being there in that moment going to make a difference? Doesn't make a difference. Does it really make a difference to me? If you going to get you out of the problem that you're in? Is that why you pray that God be with me right now?
What is the problem gets worse? Is bronchitis worse? Is that mean that he didn't hear your prayer or did he doesn't care? Does it mean either one of those?
What happened? Is it a new question isn't a new thing to wrestle with if you wrestled with it. I have we all have. Nothing. I just came up with earlier this week. end of the line of ancient Christmas carols that we just sang Oh Come O Come Emmanuel That's all I'm dates back to the 8th Century that song for quite those lyrics for quite a while back. Then they weren't Carol's likely singing now, they they chanted songs the change it and if it was not like we would think of is singing Christmas carols at all. Those lyrics are based in Scripture that goes even further back. The God Is With Us, O Come Emmanuel, I'll just give you a heads up. If you're tired of me coughing into this microphone already me to do. So, I've been dealing with this sinus thing for quite a few weeks now and just ask for your patience with me. And then thank you for that means god with us. We find that in in scripture exactly the gospel of Matthew explicitly. It's later than that. They each of the gospels if you may not know this but each of the Gospel of Matthew Mark Luke and John written to a different audience right different it was intended for different groups of people Matthew was written to the Jews. It was written to people who had to a predominantly Jewish audience right who have been waiting for this promised Messiah that the Jews were waiting for a christ to come. They've been waiting for a hundreds of thousands of years for this price to come. So the most important thing that Matthew pulls out in his gospel when he talks about the birth of Jesus is is the prophetic moments those the times where where Jesus is connected to the Old Testament. Jesus of the of the New Testament is actually the Jesus the Messiah of the Old Testament. Did we win waiting for that's what Matthew Britt built it up again. It's completely in there. One of the most iconic pictures ever write the Matthew don't even record it. But he says in Matthew 1:21 to give birth to a son and you were to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. He wrote. All this took place to fulfill with the Lord. It said through the prophet one of these prophecies that have been been declared about Jesus years ago. The Virgin will be with child and she will give a name we give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel. Which means God With Us who's significant thing God With Us that part there in the quotation marks that the Virgin will be born with child and give birth to a son that that is related to the front with the prophet Isaiah wrote get this 740 years before. 740 years before Jesus was born. This was written. It says I don't have it on the screen. But therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign the Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and we'll call him and manual that was written seven hundred forty years before Matthew. before Jesus
the fact that it was prophesied 740 years before it happened should be reason enough to give your life to follow him. That should be a lot like somebody predicting it 740 years before it happened bear.
for some of us that in enough
What would it take for you today to give your life to follow Christ? Who did take?
Back at the first Christmas. I do remember after the birth of Jesus you remember who showed up some Shepherd's right? They are. They worshipped when they got there. They worship with Mary and Joseph then they went back to the fields. And what do they do when they got back to the fields? I told everybody they were singing they were there having a good week. They wrote the song Go Tell It on the Mountain right now.
What sent them back for Joyce? Or the you know sometime later we celebrated in January. Usually that these these Wise Men Travel hundreds of miles to Common worship this baby Jesus. They brought gifts.
Because those wise men to fall at their knees and worship Jesus, what would do that? What could possibly do that? It wasn't a guy that was far away. I mean who would be motivated by some distant half interested. nobody no, this was God. This wasn't this wasn't just a watching over you kind of got this was a god with you. This was Emmanuel. And it changed everything. The word became flesh. That's what the Gospel of John records. It is the word became flesh and lived Among Us. live with his people now for some of us, this is all too much to believe this dude like far out like it's 2
I know because I was there where you are, if you're one of those folks who see this is just too much I was there. Christmas is one of those one of those times though. Where are your highs and your lows are magnified? Or if you experience that are not. But I mean if things are going well in your life, then Christmas is fantastic. I mean you got gifts falling out the door. You got everything everything is great. But if life isn't going so well. Christmas is also one of those times or it can be the hardest times for many people who are going through difficulty like perhaps you're missing somebody for the first time this season. It takes it hard makes it very hard. We can't get it off or mine. when we love to experience God this season, but we can't get out of that. That's not that difficult.
Maybe you just don't really feel his presence. I mean, you know, there's a person sitting next to you. You can feel them but you don't feel the presence of God.
So you're not so sure.
If anything you might feel far from God actually during the season. Brothers were going through some some some really difficulty. I mean it if he's with me then where is it? And God is with you then show up right now and he's not showing up there. What's wrong?
If he's with me, why is it so hard? Why why is everything going seem to be going against me if he's with Emmanuel God is with us. If that's true, then why why why does it seem like
Why is it why is it seem like he's not.
And then there are others of us. Actually don't want God to be with us, but that's the last thing that I want is God to be intruding himself into my life. Cuz life is pretty good after everything I've done and what I'm about to do frankly. I would want God and looking over my shoulder.
If he's here, he's probably pretty upset with me. So it'd be good if you wasn't.
Wherever you are in that before the end of Arts worship tonight. We're going to share Holy Communion and we're going to sing with some Candlelight before you walk out the doors tonight. I pray that you know that he is with you. I pray that you know that he is with you. He always has been and always will be. knowing that a manual can change your life promise you that
Luke 1:28 where it all started The angel went to her. That's Mary right and said greetings greetings you or a highly favored the Lord is with you now, and if you don't know the story, he's just a friend who just told Mary that she's going to have a baby. I can only imagine and I didn't think that's my wife. But you're my daughter. I can only imagine the thoughts of a 13 year old girl, if she were told that she's pregnant. Especially if she's a virgin I can't imagine the thoughts that are racing through her head. I mean the fear the lord are you kidding me? Like I can't imagine.
That's Mary. She just heard this news.
Yeah be terrified alone. Who would understand that you talk to? tell this to
this is exactly where Emanuel comes into her life. God with you right now right now right where you are. Maybe maybe you feel alone. Emmanuel tell his shoe that that he is your companion God is your companion. Maybe you're sick Emmanuel as your healer. Emmanuel codes comes in your life as your healing. His presence brings healing itself. Maybe maybe it's that you're feeling lost and without Direction. He is your god Emmanuel. Leeds also lead your life if you're hurt you also bring you hope. If you're weak he wants to be your strength. If you're if you're stuck in the Sin he wants to be a savior. He's the only one who's going to want to be all of those things Paul the Apostle. He wrote to the church in Corinthians. He said he described the god in this way and in chapter 1 verses 3 through 5. He said he described God as the comforter who comforts Us in all our troubles. Play God is a god of comfort who comforts Us in all our troubles so that we can Comfort others. This word that he's described here, right this word para Callao. This word of comfort is God coming along side of us. Like literally they told us in the midst of our difficult in our hardness the harness of life that God is with you literally beside you now parrot Kaleo. I know in my life when I fail to see God in the difficulties. When the storms of life is supposed to be honest, it's pretty easy to be thankful and everything is going good. Right? I mean, it's pretty easy to recognize God when everything's right when everything is positive when everything is good when you get the bonus check when you when you get that extra that check comes in the mail that you weren't expecting you like that praise the Lord. Praise the Lord then but in the time of difficult when it's hard when life is kicking it right in my life. It is always been hard to see those. He got it working my life in those times. I'm just trying to survive. I'm just trying to get through the day. I'm consumed with whatever the problem is trying to avoid it trying to get out from under it. But I want to tell you.
When we don't see Jesus because of our storm. There's a story in the Bible about that. One of the disciples. Jesus goes walking out on the water to his disciples and one of them is that
Jesus go out Peter gets out of the boat starts to walk on water.
Do you see that? That's Peter doing that? Then what happened? He saw the waves. It's all the storm. He saw the circumstance. He took his eyes off of Jesus and he saw a situation that should tell us something that if we can just focus in the midst of your storm. If you can just focus on Emmanuel God With Me No matter how difficult and painful. It is focus on Jesus. Not your problem. Emmanuel he is with you he wants to be The answer to all those every whatever your situation is. He wants to be the solution. They don't want you to find figure out the solution to be it. Used to be at for you.
Better be in the storm with Jesus. But anywhere else without it. Been anywhere else without it. So just hold home phone. If you're in the storm one of the best ways to reset things so you can so you can see him. It's not focus on the storm that you're in but instead look back and remember how he's delivered you in the past. That's certainly found. To remember that God was with me then. Back then when that happened he showed up. Like right now, I don't can't figure it out right now things seem overwhelming, but then he come through did he make a difference? It's just easier to look never hindsight's 20/20 you say that all the time right? Maybe you don't but I say it all the time in my life has moved better looking backwards perspective on our life and we can when we're right in the middle of it. We miss so much for a ride in it before you can just take a second and look back at how faithful he has been good. He has been gracious. He has been throughout your life for this I give you encouragement in the midst of the storm that your face.
In the moment, I get it. We're just trying to survive. But boy is he working boy. Is he moving if you can just see it. One person I think of him in scripture whenever I think about this is Joseph you do remember the story of Joseph. He was he was a favor leave the youngest of the family baby in the family for the favorite Child. Sorry all y'all that's just the way it worked out as a favorite child in the family and there was no bones about he told all his brothers how much my favorite he was right as brothers fake love hearing about that so much that they want to kill him and but instead of killing, why was the slave who got arrested for doing something? I didn't do any got thrown into prison, right? One thing after another he was supposed to get out of prison. You didn't the way it happened. I was just a little chaotic events in in Joseph life, but when he did get out, Genesis chapter 39 tells us the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love in the Lord made Joseph a favorite with a prison Warden even in the even when everything is going wrong it seem like everything is going wrong for Joseph. God was with, was always with looking back in my long life my personal life. I can tell you that when I saw when I knew our marriage was struggling with my wife and I don't have a clue how to love my wife. I have no clue.
The God was there with me. God was willing to show me how to love my wife.
He heard a cry of desperation in that in that event that something happened would never want to go through again. It brought us both to faith in him and his son Jesus in the worst thing that ever happened to us.
When we agreed to it to live our lives in ministry, right? I was going to go to Seminary, but but they had the time of my life. She was at home raising two little kids. And and I was I was I was teaching school. I want to make a school teacher. I would make that much money. I knew that I would go to Seminary but had no idea how we're going to pay for it and I can tell you this day that I went to Seminary for 5 years 6 years every semester. It was enough money there to pay for the tuition. Every semester. I don't think think back about it. I don't believe that we ever wrote a check of hours for any of scimitar. endeavor But in the whole six years we never spent a dime that the god provided all the way through people like the strangers would say your in seminary hear this.
out of the blue God chose he's blessed me. I'll never deny.
So when I come to Christmas Eve. When I come to Christmas Eve to see that that God came to be with us Emmanuel.
If that's true. If it's true that God wants to be with me. He wants to be with you. What time is it? What's the appropriate response to that? the god of the universe
He's always been there. And the last one he always will be he'll be there when something happens. We'll be there. Whatever comes next. If you could look at it till tomorrow or 5 years from now. What would you see what we have? No clue do we have no idea. I have no idea who's who in this room is going to have cancer. With no idea who in this room is going to find out some troubling news about their marriage. Who's going to be married right now? Can't imagine.
Don't know where you going to work or if you'll be working or you'll be like one of those pleasantly retired people. They just get to do whatever they want. Have all that free time to go fishing. How to retire people laughing because they know you don't have any time to go fishing when did when she was told that she was with child right? Like what she look forward to wow. What do I do now? How do I tell Joseph? How do I tell my parents? Are we going to do this?
What will my family say?
We don't know at the time, but she didn't know at the time was all what happened to Jesus. Like like when she would be there at the cross. I didn't know that that was coming.
Wow, if she'd only known right? But what you want you've done at you to know? Maybe if we knew the future what we do other than Lord be with me right there. Lord be with me. Romans chapter 8 Johnny's favorite scripture passages here who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine?
Or nakedness not sure how that fits in with all the others but I get hardship persecution famine making this so not sure I don't know how that would separate us from God, but it might danger or sword. What's going to separate us from the love of God in Christ. No in all these things. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us for I'm convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor demons present nor the future nor any powers. Neither the height nor depth nor anything in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ. Jesus our lord nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ. Nothing When God says, I'm in Manuel or my son and Manuel is coming to be with you. There's nothing that can separate that from you.
God is with you. today yesterday tomorrow he's there and all he wants is a relationship with you. All he wants is for you to acknowledge Him. And so you lead me I'll follow you.
Nothing can separate you from him doesn't matter. What doubts you may have. It don't matter what what mistakes you made a made with disappointments you have it doesn't matter what what failure or what sin you committed. It doesn't matter. None of that can separate you from God's love for you in Christ, but he wants to hold you up. He wants to be your Emmanuel.
They never leave you nor forsake you but you would never be alone no matter what life may bring. on Christmas or the day after
He is. He was and he always will be with you.
There's no question about that. If you've lived enough life, you know that you can look back and see the times where God has moved in your life and in we can sleep. Well if he's been there then Then he'll be there again. So there's no question about God wanting to be a manual for you with you question is Are you with God?
Are you walking with him? is there are you taking him places where he wouldn't want to go? Are you just going wherever he wants the league?
Play this Christmas you experience Emmanuel.
or Jesus we love you.
We thank you for your goodness and your grace. We thank you that you are Emmanuel.
this night And others Lord we get to be in your presence and to celebrate you. The no matter what life is bringing our way.
the good news is that you were here.
And that's not changing.
We love you Lord, and we thank you. Amen. Amen. We are going to share and Holy Communion together. We will do that and as you come up to receive the elements tonight.
We will also on your way to your seat will give you a candle that you'll take back to your seat with you.
We have gluten-free elements for you. If you need those, we also have some packaged elements for those of you who would prefer to have that as well. So.
Know that the table is this is the Lord's table and he wants you to he wants to share himself with you. So you don't have to be a member of this church or any church. This is his offering for you and you would like cheers himself with you tonight and not in Holy Communion. So everybody's welcome.