Guitar Jams: MAX LIFE Ezine Lesson -- "CHRISTMAS: Immanuel--God With Us!"

I hope you are enjoying an awesome Christmas season! It's such an awesome time of the year. There are so many aspects of the Christmas Story that just blow me away---like the virgin birth, the fact that God announced the birth of Christ-not to the kings, rulers or religious leaders of the day-but to the outcast, lowly shepherds in the field. And how about the fact that he was born in nowhereville Bethlehem-in a barn!   Amazing� I'm also always blown away by the whole orchestration of events that God sovereignly worked out so that at just the right time-Christ would be born in such a way that fulfilled every prophecy about the birth of Christ. There are so many fascinating things about the Christmas Story.

In this months teaching I want to explore one of the aspects of Christmas that has really grabbed my heart this year. I just can't get over it. It's awesome. It's the concept of "IMMANUEL."

Matthew 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" -which means, "God with us."

We know Mary and Joseph named the baby Jesus, which is perfect because it means "Lord Save Us!" (Matt. 1:21). So-why does the Angel make a big deal about the calling him IMMANUEL, God with us?

Just as a side note: Immanuel was a "title" - like "Prince of Peace", "The Way", "Lion of Judah", etc. His "name" was to be Jesus, but the "Immanuel" told us something about what he would do and accomplish.

Okay� back to the main thought� Why call Jesus "Immanuel, God with us" anyway? Hasn't God always been "with us"?

Jeremiah 23:24 "Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?" says the LORD."

God is omnipresent-He's everywhere, all the time. He fills all of creation with His presence-But here's the deal---even though God is "everywhere" in creation-He's still SEPARATE from it� He's not PART OF IT.

But with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, God became PART OF His creation� He become one of us � IMMANUEL "God With Us,"   Do you see the difference� and the significance of that?

If we were all together at a gathering and I said, "Do we all believe that Jesus is here with us tonight?" We'd all nod our heads and say, "Yes." But then if Jesus actually walked through the doors and spoke to us� THAT would be a whole different thing wouldn't it? All of a sudden, He's not just here, He's with us.

John states it perfectly in the opening verses of his gospel. He writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning� The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-2, 14).

Here's why that's such a HUGE deal� because God is HOLY! God's holiness cannot tolerate SIN-period. Study the Old Testament and your appreciation for this goes way up! God was totally unapproachable. Even in the Temple where God "lived"-things were sectioned off so that no one could even get close to the inner most part of the temple 00the Holy of Holies-where God's presence resided. Only the High Priest, on the Day of Atonement (a very special Old Testament Jewish religious day) after he had undergone tons of ritual purification ceremony-could enter the Holy of Holies. He would enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of a spotless sacrifice and perform a ritual that atoned for the sins of Israel. But even though he was the "high priest" and had "purified" himself-he wore bells on his garments and had a long rope tied around his ankle when he entered. Why? So that people outside could tell if God struck him dead! The bells would quit ringing� and they could pull him out with the rope! Pretty freaky eh? Yes, God was/is HOLY! God's holiness is the reason Hell exists-a place of eternal separation from God. But here is the wonderful, mysterious, and glorious part of the Christmas story--God's holiness is also the reason that Jesus put on flesh and came to dwell with us.

You see, God was torn between His love for us and the righteous demands of His own holiness. His love declared, "I must be reconciled to my people! I love them and want to have a relationship with them!"   At the same time, His holiness declared, "Sin is intolerable, and death is the only remedy." This is where the beauty of the Gospel lies. God the Son-perfect in every way-would put on skin� he would become one of us� fully human and yet fully God. He would live among us-sinless and at the appointed time he would become the perfect sacrificial lamb. In his death on the cross-Christ appeased both the Holiness of God and the Love of God. His death paid, perfectly, the price for all of humanity's sin (past, present and future), and thus it made it possible for us to be reconciled to God. When Jesus died on the cross the huge, thick curtain that separated the rest of the temple from the Holy of Holies (the place where only the High Priest could enter with bells and a rope around his ankle) - ripped in two-totally opening the way for people to enter. It was a declaration! God was saying, "My holiness has been appeased! My son has taken the fall for all of you! Now we can be together---not because you are perfect, but because you are forgiven!"

So, that's what I've been thinking about this Christmas. And it just blows me away. I hope it encourages you and strengthens you in your faith! Have a great Christmas!

Blessings,
Pastor Brad