READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l Best of all, God is with us.
What really is the true Christmas story?
Unwelcome news disrupted his well-thought-out marriage plans. Numb with incomprehensible disappointment, Joseph heard from God’s angel that the child in his fiancée Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was not to fear, but to take Mary home as his wife. (vv18-20) “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (vv21-22) Though anticipating derisive public backlash, Joseph obeyed God remarkably. He made Mary his wife but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus. (vv24-25) In so doing, Joseph played his part to fulfil God’s perfect salvation plan for the world, as prophesied 700 years before Christ’s birth in Isaiah 7:14 “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Immanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”
How can we, two millennials after that first Christmas, keep faith when God changes everything we were hoping and planning for?
1.Embrace God’s Promises – IMMANUEL: GOD WITH US (Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14) was a symbolic hope of God’s presence in Israel’s dark times, a golden age where the Son of God would bring judgment on the wicked and blessing on the righteous; when a king from the line of David would reign wisely and do what was just and right in the land. (Jeremiah 23:4-5)
God changes mere human plans for His divine purposes. Jesus was born of Mary as God’s huge mission to rescue mankind from sinful peril. As Immanuel He helps us overcome any predicament we may be in. Looking past social stigma, Joseph chose to embrace Baby Jesus as God’s promised Messiah. We too can trust Jesus as Immanuel to save us from our sins, and be with us always.
2. Know That Jesus Is With Us Always – The LORD promised before His ascension, “I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Joseph was assured by God when his marital plans were displaced. Likewise, there is much Joy and Peace for us today in knowing that Jesus our Redeemer is alive and with us in our present-day struggles. Are we surrendered wholeheartedly as a permanent dwelling for the LORD, so that even if our careful plans pan out in unsettling circumstances, we are confident that God is with us? We would do well to remember Immanuel when we await results from a medical checkup, face pressures at work, or grapple with a crisis at home. As Brother Lawrence, in his book ‘The Practice of the Presence of God’ put it, “The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God…finding constant pleasure in His divine company…in all seasons at every moment.”
3.Obey God by Faith and Not by Sight – Despite disruption to his wedding plans, foreseeable disgrace in raising a child not his own, and a mind-boggling angelic bidding, Joseph remembered God’s faithfulness. He trusted God’s prophetic promises and walked by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) When we obey the Holy Spirit’s prompting, God can use a simple act of faith for His glory. Pray for opportunities and divine appointments to share the true story of Christmas with someone. The LORD Immanuel can surprise us when with simple faith we obey His call.
Despite life’s uncertainties, God is sovereign in His will and reliably constant. Abiding in Christ, we can overcome the worries of today in anticipation of the possibilities God will do for us tomorrow. With his final breath, John Wesley at 88, uplifted those surrounding him with faith that pleases God: “Farewell. The best of all is God Is With Us.”
(Sermon notes by Marjorie Tan)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- What is one key takeaway for you from this message?
- Share a time when your plans were changed, and you felt unsettled. How did you respond to it?
- What is one practical way to remind yourself of God’s presence with you every day?
- Share a time when you had to Obey God by faith and not by sight.
- Who can you share this promise of Jesus Christ in this Advent season?
