TEARS OF DISAPPOINMENT - Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 (Message @NCC Kingstowne 3/7/10)

TEARS OF DISAPPOINMENT

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

This morning, I don’t want to preach a safe message. I want to share a dangerous message, a message that will take us out of our places of comfort. I want to share with you this weekend, what God has laid on my heart.

REFRAME THE SERIES: Last weekend, Pastor Mark kicked off the Tears Series, by going through the book of Job and talking about the TEARS OF SUFFERING. This weekend, the Campus Pastors at each of our locations continue this series by tracking with our reading plan with Jeremiah, we are going to be talking about the TEARS OF DISAPPOINTMENT.

Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Cry, and you are probably reading the book of Jeremiah. This gloomy prophecy about the conquering and exile of Israel is enough to send anyone searching for some spiritual Prozac.

-After coming out of the book of Job, Jeremiah is a real pick me up. Seriously, you can juxtapose Job with Jeremiah, what we saw in Job, is someone who went through the challenge of suffering that was not by his own choices or anything he could control, and we see the result being redemption and restoration. We also see a group of “friends” that surrounded Job in the worst time in his life, who may have brought some grain of truth with what they said, but ultimately they were off the mark and Job prayed for and forgave his friends for their misguided words.

-As Pastor Mark shared about Job last week, he gave 3 reasons why we suffer. 1. by-product of some sin in our life and God is disciplining us, 2. It is a spiritual attack 3. It is a test

-As we approach Jeremiah, we see someone that was commissioned by God to speak rebuke to a nation who were going to suffer consequences because of their willful choices, wickedness and disobedience. In other word, those that Jeremiah was called were suffering because of sin in their life, what a reminder to us not to take sin lightly and we will suffer and pay the consequences for our sins now or down the road. So, instead of turning towards God, the people were living pagan lives and worshipping idols. While God never had forsaken Israel, Israel forsakes God...again all suffering is NOT connected to sin but in this case Israel was suffering for their sins.

Listen to Jeremiah 2:13 - “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!

-A Cistern in ancient times was a place that held water in case of times of draught came along, it would be place to hold their supply of water. God was saying these cisterns were cracked and had no water.

-This is what happens when try to live outside of faith in God…cracks in our faith and nothing else holds water.

-Jesus makes reference to the Living Water, John 7 that can be found when follow Him through the Holy Spirit, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as^[c] the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

-The true source of life is found when we follow Christ. He is the only one that can truly sustain us!

- As we read through Jeremiah, we see that Jeremiah is torn between two great loves. He loves God and serves God as a prophet with great passion. He also loves the people of Israel, with the heart of a shepherd, a pastor, I believe in many way he fulfills the role of a prophet and priest for the nation, and he is terribly sorry to see what they will have to go through.

- I forgot where I grabbed this article from, but I want to share it with to give you an understanding of the value of tears.

THE VALUE OF TEARS
The old Puritans used to pray for "the gift of tears." Have we considered ourselves to have reached a higher plateau or echelon of spiritual experience? Oh to realize the value of tears in God’s Kingdom. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” The Holy Scriptures places this principle clearly, shall we neglect it? Ask the Prophets, Apostles, or the Lord Jesus Himself, their ministries were bathed in tears.

“E. M. Bounds in the Christian Advocate once wrote; a tearful ministry is at a premium in the Bible; however, it may be discounted by our gospel of fun, which seeks to make people feel good and laugh heartily. God's Hebrew prophets were serious men - men of the tearful eye and of the tearful heart. Jeremiah was the weeping prophet who wanted his head to be water and his eyes a fountain of tears that he might weep day and night.

I grew an avid sports fan, more specific a fan of the Pittsburgh sports teams…which include NHL Hockey the Penguins, NFL Football team the Steelers and the MLB the Pirates…the first two has brought me tears of joy, especially over the last couple of years…The Pens have won the NHL Stanley Cup, and Steelers have recently won the Vince Lombardi trophy, however my beloved baseball team the Pittsburgh Pirates have indeed have brought me tears of disappointment - they have recently reached an accomplishment that not other team has done, the record setters - they have set the record for the most consecutive losing seasons at 17.

As a lifelong Pirates fan, I remember very vividly their last winning season - 1992, they were in the playoffs, they Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonillia and Andy Van Slyke ---the best outfield combination. The Pirates went to National League Championship game that if they would have won the series, they would have played in the World Series.

It was one of the most dramatic baseball series especially game 7 of that series - where the Pirates were up 2-0, Francisco Cabrera's two-out single that scored David Justice and Sid Bream capped a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave the Braves a 3–2 victory.

I remember watching that game, I remember where I was at and yes I remembered my tears of disappointment. Since then the Pirate have not had a winning season.

However, with that said, I am just glad that I am not a Chicago Cubs fan, every year is there year, they come into every season with great hope and expectation, and every year they come away with nothing…for a 100 plus years of not winning a Major League World Series. I can’t imagine the Tears of Disappointment these fans go through every year, there is a rumor around the office with many Cubs fans on staff that they have support group.

-Ultimately, none of this matters in the scheme of life. When we come to the book of Jeremiah and read about the heart of the prophet…we see he has many tears, tears for people that are his own, tears of compassion, tears of healing for those who are away from God, tears of repentance, most of all he had tears of disappointment for a people he loved and cared so deeply for…

-Yes Jeremiah was commissioned to bring a harsh rebuke, his commission to prophesy the fall and restoration of Israel. Jeremiah spoke words of rebuke but with the rebuke he also brought a lot of tears and compassion for those he spoke to. See Jeremiah had a prophetic voice but with that voice he had a deep shepherd’s heart.

-Jeremiah definitely had a unique calling on his life a calling that God had to deal with things in him first before he was sent out…we need to look at Jeremiah’s calling before we can look at our main text - - -

Jeremiah 1:4-19

⁴ The Lord gave me this message:

⁵ “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

⁷ The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. ⁸ And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” ⁹ Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
¹⁰Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms.
Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow.
Others you must build up and plant.”

¹¹ Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?”

And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”

¹² And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching,^[c] and I will certainly carry out all my plans.”

¹³ Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked, “What do you see now?”

And I replied, “I see a pot of boiling water, spilling from the north.”

¹⁴ “Yes,” the Lord said, “for terror from the north will boil out on the people of this land. ¹⁵ Listen! I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord, have spoken!

“They will set their throne at the gates of the city.
They will attack its walls and all the other towns of Judah.
¹⁶ I will pronounce judgment on my people for all their evil—for deserting me and burning incense to other gods.
Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands!

¹⁷ “Get up and prepare for action.
Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.
Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them.
¹⁸ For see, today I have made you strong ike a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.
You will stand against the whole land—the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.
¹⁹ They will fight you, but they will fail.
For I am with you, and I will take care of you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”

***Honestly, I can’t believe I have the honor and privilege of preaching from the book of Jeremiah today, this book especially Jeremiah’s commissioning was used in my life and ministry as God called me to ministry. Every time I read chapter 1, I am always taken back to that moment when I was 18 years old, just came to faith a few months before, I had nothing good going for me, didn’t have a high school diploma, could hardly speak had problems with studdering, too young, no faith background, could barely read had a lot issues and baggage from my life coming to faith…surely God can’t use me. All that I had was a love for God, love for His people and a heart to see lives transformed through the power of God’s Word and His love. In April, it would be 18 years since I received my call to go into ministry.

-What I love about Jeremiah and where I feel that Jeremiah and I have similarities, Jeremiah wore his emotions on sleeve, Jeremiah had such deep love and brokenness for his own people for the very people God called him to.

-So when I read, through Jeremiah, I can truly identify with what he was going through…Jeremiah, a man who was called to minister to his own people, a people that he knew well and yet his words were rejected, when God called me to ministry he called me to my own people, my community, I grew up five minutes from here…my words many times have been rejected and I have experienced disappointment by seeing people that I spoke into their lives reject the faith, reject God and turn toward false gods. I know guys with some amazing potential who turned from God, rejected His ways…many these guys have an awesome calling on their lives. I continue to cry out for these men that they would return back to God before they face the consequences of their choices.

-Let us look at main passage of Scripture this morning Jeremiah 8:18 - 9:1

18 My joy is gone; grief is upon me;
my heart is sick within me.
19 Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people
from the length and breadth of the land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King not in her?”
“Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images
and with their foreign idols?”
20 “The harvest is past, the summer is ended,
and we are not saved.”
21 For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded;
I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me.


22 Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has the health of the daughter of my people
not been restored?

Jeremiah 9:1 If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for all my people who have been slaughtered.

Transition: Our text calls us to a place of deep emotion. Jeremiah the Prophet is a man with a big heart with big expectations. The Power of the Text comes from the emotions of the writer, the weeping prophet, the prophet’s heart is the heart of God Jeremiah’s pain echoed God’s pain. Jeremiah felt what God feels for His people! We have a God and a man whose heart was broken over the plight and condition of the people he was called to minister to. So, let us now look through the eyes of one who is “broken in heart”, the one who is filled with Tears of Disappointment and hear his heart’s cry and unpack this passage.

1. TEARS OF DISAPPOINTMENT COMES FROM LISTENING

-LISTENING IS HEARING WHERE PEOPLE ARE

-The people are crying and Jeremiah is listening

-There is a difference from hearing people and what they say and listening to their cries. Jeremiah was intent on listening to the people.

-From a land far away: the illusion of exile & captivity is before him although it has not taken place yet, The Babylonian are on their way to bring the punishment that God has planned for His Wayward People.

My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” Jeremiah 3:22

The people knowing that the end is near cry out to God as if to say, “Where are you?”

v. 19 -“Is the Lord not in Zion??” Is her King no longer there?

-Verses 14 and 15 of this chapter explain where God is and isn’t!! “Why are we sitting here? Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there! For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish and given us poisoned water to drink, BECAUSE WE HAVE SINNED AGAINST HIM. We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there was only terror.”

- Verse 16 allows us to know that the people of Israel have seen the Enemy on the Horizon! The snorting of the enemies Horses is heard from Dan!

-LISTENING IS HEARING HOW THE PEOPLE ARE

-Jeremiah has heard the cries of his people, not as just merely hearing, but really listening. His heart is broken.

-Jeremiah knows that the people lives are at stake.

-His response is a word to us today, My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me.

-Jeremiah is so upset, He calls on the “Comforter,” his comforter in sorrow. Only God can comfort him he is so grieved.
4. Note the dual role of God! To the disobedient He brings terror, to the obedient he brings comfort. Jeremiah and the people share the same situation, however.

-LISTENING IS HEARING THE WORLD AROUND US NOW!

-Do we listen to the cries of those around us?

-Are people around us still crying? Do people still need a voice to speak into their situations and their need?

-Are lives still at stake? Is destruction still on the horizon?

-Have we heard! Have we responded with a broken heart fainting within us?

2. TEARS OF DISAPPOINTMENT COMES FROM SEEING

-SEEING IS THE PERSPECTIVE OF GOD

Seeing is understanding.

-God speaks: “Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images and with their foreign idols?”

-God’s desire is for us to have a relationship with him, God wants you, why? Because He loves you.

God states that only sin separates us from Him, following after what is worthless!!! Going after other gods and idols…In Jeremiah, he refers to the people as adulterers.

-The bottom line is that Sin makes God angry and Sin will not be tolerated. Sin has consequences!!

-Jeremiah knows why God is about to punish His people. Because Jeremiah sees what is going on, this is why he is so compelled to go against popular opinion, why because he know the result of their sin is captivity.

I believe, Jeremiah’s message of rebuke and the fact that there will be consequences to their sin, shows a lot of mercy by drawing us back to Him, back to a place where we can find true fulfillment and joy.

Jeremiah sees God’s actions clearly according to verse 19, the people don’t see what has happened, their sin is not visible to them. Sin has a way of doing that…it has a way of harden our hearts and dulling our senses to it’s effects.

SEEING IS THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PEOPLE

Another lament: verse 20 “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
In other words, Life is passing them by.

-Jeremiah sees the signs of the times (ALSO VERSE 13!!)

****Possibly the people see their lives before them unfulfilled.****

-I have personally seen too many people who turned away from God and are living unfulfilled lives and they aren’t living in their full potential that God has for them.

-It truly breaks my heart, when I see, people I have invest my life into and countless hours in prayer for them, speaking into their life, turn their back on God and fall away from the faith.

-There is an understanding here that Jeremiah has, I am hope that we can all get glimpse of it as well, it is this, that there is only one life to live and it soon will pass, but only what is done for Christ will last.

3. TEARS OF DIAPPOINTMENT LEADS TO BROKENNESS FOR GOD’S PEOPLE

-In Jeremiah 8:21- we come to the true heart of the prophet for the People.

v. 21 For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded;
I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me

-Jeremiah does not abandon his people!! He claims them as His own. Since my people are wounded I am wounded.

-Jeremiah is in mourning and dismay has taken hold of him…one version say it like this “I mourn and Horror grips me.” Can you feel his pain? He can feel the Pain of the People. JEREMIAH SHARES THE PAIN.

-When we see Jeremiah we see him as a prophet, we can see him as a priest with his shepherd’s heart…when we fast forward 700 to Jesus, we see that Jesus fulfills the roles of Prophet, Priest and King…As Jeremiah identifies with his people---Jesus identifies and sympathizes with us…Hebrews 4:14-16 - Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. ¹⁶Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

****-Jesus is our GREAT Jeremiah! And as Christ followers, God has called us to these roles as well, we need to prophets, we are all priests, we are part of the royal priesthood, we co-heirs with Christ. We are a part of His Kingdowm****

-Do we ever feel the pain of the world around us. Do we mourn over what is happening to OUR PEOPLE! Do our hearts break for the things that break the heart of God? Does it break for those that God has called us to?

Jer 8:22-The sickness of the people has come to the point that there is no cure, no salve, no balm to cover my sores. By the way, Gilead was known to be a place of renowned herbal remedies, and no remedy can help at this point!! Also, No doctor can intervene. There is no one who can help.

When we look at our world around us, do we want to say why things are happening or are we moved to action with COMPASSION?

-Compassion is a spiritual gift, if we don’t have it we need to ask for compassion towards others. Colossians 3:12 says, Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

-Jeremiah has had all he can take and His plea is that he could wash away all the pain and destruction with His tears.

-He has heard, seen, and understood the plight of his people, and of himself, for he is one of the people. He is a broken man!

*****-Henri Nouwen wrote in his book, The Return of the Prodigal Son, “There are so few mourners left in the world. But grief is the discipline of the heart that sees the sin of the world, and knows itself to be the sorrowful price of freedom without which love cannot bloom. I am beginning to see that much of praying is grieving”.

Hebrews 5:7-8 tell us that the days of His flesh (His life), Jesus offered his supplications and prayers to His Father with loud crying and tears. *****

- Back to the idea of a drought, Jeremiah yearns to be the water that will heal the land.

-But the bottom line in Jeremiah’s understanding is that GOD is the living water that needs to be poured out once more on the People.

-He remembers God’s word that was given to him: “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water (2:13).”

CONCLUSION: I love how Jeremiah heard and saw the people around him. So much and so clearly that his heart was broken to the point of tears.

-He was grieved completely by what was going on around him, even to the point of wanting to be poured out for the healing of his own people.

-That should not be a foreign thing for us to hear, when we look at Jesus, we see the Son of God, who poured Himself out for our sins. So much so that He died you and me, so we might be redeemed.

-LISTEN TO WHAT JESUS SAID RIGHT BEFORE HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US ON THE CROSS: Matthew 26:28 ²⁶While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."

²⁷Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸This is my blood of the^[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

-Where does this leave you and I? To what have we closed our ears, eyes and hearts? To what are we willing to see and respond? God is calling us to be His light and love in a broken world. A world He has placed us in on purpose. Are you willing to be pour out for the world around you?

*****Don’t let the FEAR of disappointment keep you from being used to speak with a prophetic voice to those around us.*****

-Jeremiah as a prophet and pastor to the people of Israel fully identifies with their weaknesses and sin. He has the heart of the pastor.

-The pastor is always between heaven and earth. His or her heart is always torn apart. God has placed a call on the pastor to bring the good news to the people. The perfect God places a vision of perfect relationship in to the pastor’s heart. And then he places the pastor in the reality of the world. It is enough to make a grown man cry.

-God loves. He loves us enough to send us messengers with a pastor’s heart. He also loves those people that He placed us in community with and He desires to use you and cultivate within each of you a prophetic voice to speak into lives to temper that with a heart of shepherd, allowing our hearts to be broken for the things and the people that break God’s heart.

-How is your heart today? Is it hardened with the rejection that this life and people bring? Is it filled with disappointments and unfulfilled expectations? Are your ears listening to the people around you, are your eyes seeing the hurt of other? Are you ready to move to action and heed the calling of God?

-Don’t reject the calling that God has for you and allow Him to use to speak into lives He has placed in your path. Let us be willing to shed tears for those around us...let us get back to the heart of God that is for His people!

LET US PRAY!!!

-As I pray this morning, I want to pray a prayer that will disrupt us and disturb us

Lord, we thank that Your priority is to redeem and restores lives back to You through your son Jesus.

My prayer is that you would challenge us to step out into our priestly calling and speak to those that you called us to with prophetic voices in a culture and a world that need to turn back to you.

God remind some that are here this morning that you are running after them, because you love them and you are using messages like this as way bringing them back to you, your desire is that they would not live a life in captivity to their sin, but you would restore hope to their lives…

*****FOR ALL OF US>>>I WANT TO PRAY THIS PRAYER OF THE OLD PURITANS!

Help us all fix our eyes on you

You are indeed God alone

You are our only hope.

All we have to lose is our very soul.

Save us from these comforts.
Break us of our need for the familiar
Spare us any joy that’s not of You
Oh God we will worship You…

Satisfy us with your unfailing love

Lord you are indeed enough for us.

In Jesus Name AMEN!

20 Things That WIll Destroy Your Marriage

From my experience of 16 years of marriage and counseling many couples through various issues from the smallest of things to some the worst things you can imagine I have recognized 20 things that can destroy and paralyze marriages.

Unfortunately, too many couples get help too late, they seek out help when the situation is in crisis mode. My challenge to couples is that you need play offense with your marriage. One way to do that is to be aware of those things that can destroy your marriage.

No marriage is perfect, every marriage takes a lot of energy and work, but you must be willing to fight for your marriage. Fight for your spouse.

One last observation I find with so many couples is that one or both of the spouses come into marriage with so much baggage of unresolved issues and situations which causes issues in the marriage. Unfortunately, the spouse(s) come into the marriage with the thought of either one: my spouse will complete me in those areas that I lack, no marriage is not about completion but about complimenting one another; two: Marriage will fix all my problems, no marriage will only magnify things. Instead of one person being affected by unresolved things, two people are affected and if there are children involved a whole lot more. Before you decide to take one of the BIGGEST STEPS of your life and make the commitment/COVENANT of marriage deal with your personal issues first. If not, your marriage will be destined to fail.

Here is a list of 20 Things That Will Destroy Your Marriage:

1. Don't Pray for and/or With Your Spouse - I know it is cliche but it is true a family/couple that earnestly prays together does stay together.

2. Give Each Other Left-overs - Give our spouses the second and third best from us is not good. Your spouse and family deserves your BEST. Left-overs get old quickly.

3. Live in the Same House, but not on the Same Team - Marriage needs to Be a partnership.

4. Dream Big Dreams for Your Marriage - Look at your future and the potential of what it can be

5. Have Misguided Motives When You Argue - Is it about winning? Is it about pointing out your spouses mistakes.

6. Fail to Forgive Each Other - Truly Forgive, don’t hold records of wrongs, stop bringing up past mistakes

7. Making the Same Mistakes Over and Over Again

8. Thinking Your Spouse is the One that Needs to Be Changed - The Truth is we all need to be changed and we are all being refined daily

9. Forgetting to Focus On Why You Fell in Love - What brought you here. Why did you get married?

10. Thinking Withholding Truth Would Save You From Needless Pain - Or Telling Partial, Full Disclosure is Important

11. Living Separate Lives - Separate Bank Accounts; Separate Friends; Going in Separate Directions

12. Stop Communicating - Stop Sharing with each other, Stop Listening

13. Thinking You Are Always Right - Humility goes along way, saying “I am sorry” is huge. Stop demanding your own rights and being selfish - Have an Unselfish marriage

14. Stop Dating - Change of pace is important for marriage

15. Stop Compromising - Compromise is key for every marriage; it is not about who wins and loses…it is all about the marriage winning

16. Complaining About Your Marriage to Friends

17. Not Willing to Seek out Help Together

18. Not Willing to Grow and Learn in Your Marriage - Go to Marriage Conferences and Events - Marriage takes a lot of work and investment. Once you think you have it figured out you are in trouble.

19. Playing Defense With Your Marriage - Marriage is meant to be lived out play on the offense, be proactive

20. Not Having Healthy Boundaries - Every Marriage needs Boundaries with Time; Finances; Relationships; Communication; and Intimacy

Overwhelmed With Thoughts and Emotions

Tear Down The Walls
Hillsong United

Tear down the walls see the world
Is there something we have missed
Turn from ourselves
Look beyond
There is so much more than this

And I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this
Fire burning deep inside my heart

Look to the skies hope arise
See His majesty revealed
More than this life there is love
There is hope and this is real

Cause I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this fire burning
Deep inside my heart

This life is Yours and hope is rising
As Your glory floods our hearts
Let love tear down these walls
That all creation would
Come back to You
It’s all for You

Your Name is glorious
Glorious
Your love is changing us
Calling us
To worship in spirit and in truth
As all creation returns to You

Oh for all the sons and daughters
Who are walking in the darkness
You are calling us to lead them back to You
We will see Your spirit rising
As the lost come out of hiding
Every heart will see this hope we have in You

Cause I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this fire burning
Deep inside my heart

This life is Yours and hope is rising
As Your glory floods our hearts
Let love tear down these walls
That all creation would
Come back to You
It’s all for You

Psalm 119:54-56 ESV

54 Your statutes have been my songs
in the house of my sojourning.
55 I remember your name in the night, O Lord,
and keep your law.
56 This blessing has fallen to me,
that I have kept your precepts.

My spirit and soul is echoing today with the above song and today's reading as a part off National Community Church's Bible Reading Plan for the next year From Garden to City.

Last night, National Community Church had a history making night, we brought every location together for an All Church Celebration Service at the famed and historic Lincoln Theater. This was the night that a community of faith came together to celebrate in the heart of the Capital City of Washington, DC. This is a night where God's praises rang out. This was the night where NCC got to share in an amazing miracle of epic proportions. This was a night where gave God our heartfelt gratitude for all that He has done and all that He will continue to do. This is the night where almost a thousand people came together around the Lord's table to celebrate Communion together.

Last night we did not have "church", we were the Church and we celebrated and partied! Last not we did not hear a great message, but we got to witness what God can do when His church's vision is so much BIGGER than what we can do or accomplish in human flesh. Last night we did not just hear great music and sing powerful songs, but we worshipped the King of Kings and the Lords with a unified and resounding voice that shook the Nation's Capital.

God is on the move and it can not be contained! What God will do next, I have no idea, but it can't be explained! All that I know I am so grateful for this CALLING I have and I am so grateful to community of faith that He has CALLED me to. Words can not even begin to come together to tell you what God has confirmed in my spirit and affirmed in my soul.

God has given me a dream to be a part of this community (National Community Church) to do what I am doing many years ago...God has shown me a vision several times that He was going to show at NCC do incredible things that would cause us to stand in AWE and WONDER! Last night, was just small taste of what God is going to do! Thank you Lord, for making my dream become reality and letting me see through your vision what you want to do in the Washington Metro area! Thank you for calling me like you called Jeremiah and I can minister to my people and my land...my HOME! (I am just so overwhelmed with this thought---God is allowing me to do this)

I do not take any of this for granted...God has brought me here to this time and place in spite of my past, in spite of my failures and my mistakes. I just want to continue to minister out of the overflow of what God is doing in me! I want to continue to walk with integrity. I want to continue to follow my Lord and Savior, because it He who called me to Himself.

I know God has called me to this place for a long time to come. Like my Lead Pastor, Mark Batterson, it is my hope and prayer that I can pastor at National Community Church my whole life, God willing. And to serve with the amazing team God has brought together at National Community Church.

Here is my simple takeaways from last night's All Church Celebration:

• Lots of energy in the room when 1000 people come together to with one goal and passion.
• God provides when our vision is bigger than who we are or what we can accomplish on our own.
• God is still in the MIRACLE business and it comes when you are not expecting it.
• Lots of excitement about unifying as a church going through the Bible together for the next year via From Garden to City.
• We have an amazing staff and team of volunteers who go the extra mile and work their behinds off.
• National Community Church is an amazing community and church...so glad I get to do life and ministry with the amazing people.
• Lincoln Theater is an amazing venue.
• We have an amazing Lead Pastor who makes it easy to follow him as a leader.
• God is up to something amazing at NCC and in the DC area.
• Pastor Heather Zempel is AWESOME! No one can go through the story of Scripture in 12 minutes like she can. NO ONE!
• NCCer love to laugh, have fun and party.
• Campus Pastors at NCC are a little crazy! But that is good. :-)
• Worship band absolutely rocked!!! WOW! My ears are still ringing.
• Corporate Communion was AMAZING! Love celebrating communion, really was special when every NCCer was celebrating together as ONE!
• Great reminder that I love what I do and where I do it! At a church with an amazing vision and a powerful prophetic voice.
• Finally! God want to blow away our expectation with something greater.
  

Here are some photos via Stephen Elliot and Mud Production for NCC's All Church Celebration - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=386381&id=125143510636&l=611b4c2e4e

My Favorite Two pictures that I want to get framed!

Hope and Restoration For Married Couples

Can I be honest...I have seen too many couples throw in the towel way too soon. Too many couples quit on their marriage. I wrestle with the fact that no---NO not one marriage is perfect. I also know for a fact that marriage takes work, perseverance, lots of grace and forgiveness. People who think going into marriage makes everything better, all my issues will be solved and any sexual issues I have will be eliminated are sadly mistaken.

Through personal experiences and walking with other couples and seeing many couple friends of ours go through so much and many of those marriages have dissolved. It makes me mad that the covenant couples make between themselves and God can be so easily broken.

I have seen way too many couples play defense in their marriage instead of offense. The only seek out help when it is too late or they are in crisis. Too many couples let their own stupid and foolish pride get in the way and not seek out help. If you aren't actively nurturing you marriage and seeking help with issues before they are to big, eventually your marriage will end in destruction.

I have personally seen this too many times. Drop the pride seek help. Work together with your spouse to work through issues and problems---YOU CAN OVERCOME! Here are some key things that can help restore a broken marriage...again don't quit, but persevere.


8 Things To Restore a Broken Marriage

1. Allow yourselves to be completely broken - Allow grace to enter in! This will lay a foundation for restoration. Learn to trust in the Lord and Sovereignty

2. Be willing to confess your issues and mistakes and pray this will determine the depth of healing and restoration God will bring to your marriage. If you can't admit your issues and take responsibility then there is no HOPE.

3. Be sold out to commitment to purity of heart. If not your marriage will naturally drift toward destruction. You must be committed to Christ first, to the other spouse and to purity (character and integrity goes with purity)

4. Sexual intimacy, mutually offered, unleashes God’s full desire for your marriage.

5. God has given you and your spouse passions, gifts and talents that if discovered and applied, in your marriage, will drastically increase your joy in your relationship. Must be willing to encourage each other in these things.

6. Your willingness to deal with and understand the destruction of your past will determine the depth of restoration in your future. Again, accept responsibility for your own actions, learn from mistakes and failures and grow. This is the sign of maturity---grow up! Confront issues and stop running away and quitting.

7. Our willingness to pray for our spouse is instrumental in God recreating who He wants us to be as husbands and wives. PRAY! PRAY! PRAY! This is our spiritual covering for our spouses---we need to be praying for them.

8. Whom or what you place your hope in will determine the depth and health of your restoration. Our hope is not found ultimately in our spouse or our children---our only true hope can be place in Jesus. Build on that foundation it is indeed the only solid foundation.

10 Things I have Learned in 15+ Years of Being In Ministry

The primary reason why I do ministry is to be used as an agent to influence and transform lives for the Kingdom of God!

1-Stay Passionate for Jesus – It is all about Jesus, He is the Alpha and Omega, He is the Author and Perfector of my faith. Ministry must center around Jesus!
2-Character and Integrity – Without it you do not have a ministry, I try my best to live my life above reproach. I want to live life and do ministry out the right motives.
3-Love and Support of My Wife – After God, she is my first priority I would not want to ministry without Lora beside me, she is partner in life and ministry I value her and her thoughts. I will not sacrifice my wife or family on the altar of ministry. I will not cheat on my family with ministry.
4-Be Myself - I can not be anyone else; I have my own voice, my own unique giftings. I need to let the song I sing be inspiring to others
5-Love People – Ministry is about loving people. If is my desire to see people transformed by the Good News of Jesus through His Word.
6-Keep Learning, Keep Growing – Never stop studying, I must continue to stretch myself, I need to stay discipline, body, mind and spirit
7-Surround yourself with great leaders – The team I serve with at NCC (staff) and at NCC Kingstowne (ministry leaders and ministry team) I would NOT want to ministry without them. Love serving shoulder with those I do ministry with. It does say a lot about you and your leadership by those you surround yourself with. I feel like I am surrounded some the smarted, gifted, and strongest leaders.
8-Stay loyal - It is important for me to stay loyal to the calling God has giving me, to the vision of NCC, to Pastor Mark, to those I serve with on staff and to those I serve with in ministry each week. Loyality is huge!
9-Pray Hard – Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on me. (NCC Core Value)
10-Honor and Invest in Others - Honor those men and women who have blazed the trail ahead of me, honor those who are in authority, honor those who know more than me, honor those with great life experiences. Invest in others, pour out my life to those who are just starting the journey, invest with my experiences and what i have learned along the way.

Through everything, I have learned to stay humble and to have fun along the way. Learn to laugh! Enjoy and not take for granted the honor I have been given to do what I GET to do.

Holy Moment

I can't even put into words or yet wrap my mind around what God did this morning during our all staff meeting. Only thing I know is that His Glorious Presence was there and it felt so good to just rest in it and just stay focus on what He was speaking into my life personally and our life as a team.

God used me to share a portion of this passage in Psalm 24, but I think the rest of it is what God wants us to receive from it as well. In bold is what I spoke out...

³ Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?

⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.

⁵ He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.

⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob. ^b]">.
Selah

I truly feel God is calling me (us) to a place where we have clean hands and pure hearts. Too often we give our lives over to idols in our life...success, careers, callings, dream, physiques, personal desires, the good things that take the place of God and become idols for us.

I want to be one who will seek HIM! Seek Him alone and to truly come before Him with clean hands (right motivation) and pure hearts (integrity of heart which comes with repentance). I want to be one who ascend to the hill of the Lord and stand in that holy place. I desire it, I need it, I want it! I can't live my life with out it!

That is all that I have right now...I can't put anymore words to the Holy moment that took place this morning. I just want more and I am anticipating and expecting more...

Welcome to 2010 - Looking Ahead!

Looking forward to this new year - 2010! 2009 was a great year, I was able to see a huge dream come true, launching of the Kingstowne location as a part of National Community Church. God has surrounded me with an amazing team that I get to serve with at Kingstowne.

I have also ventured out in a new realm of ministry in 2009 through being a part of 2 amazing Boards - Mentoring Women in Ministry International (MWIMI) and the Natalee Holloway Resource Center. It is such an honor for to be a part of these boards.

As I look forward to what the next year has in store. There are a few foundational things that I will be solidifying: Spiritually - Reading Through the Bible & Maintaining My Personal Prayer Journal; Physically - Continuing Working Out Everyday; Mentally -Getting Back to Reading with A Lot More Consistency; I will also maintain this BLOG with regularity.

My two biggest goals for 2010: Finish my book (Story of my life and journey in ministry - My Own Prison); Finishing my courses so I can be Ordained through the General Council of the Assemblies of God. Two BIG audacious goals!

While I live a life of contentment, I am also never satisfied. I love my life, I love what I do, I love my calling! But I do have a sense of holy discontent where I can't just settle. I feel in 2009, I felt more sure of my calling and but more specifically my strengths, my abilities, and I feel more focus than ever in those areas that I need put my energy in to. In many ways, I feel this journey I am living is a journey of adventure that has clear path.

With that said, I will find ways to utilize, build on and grow in those strengths and abilities. I rather invest time and energy in those things that I do well and the things God would want me to focus on than wasting time on those things that will take me off focus and drag me down (perhaps my stop doing list).

Of course, what it all comes down is keeping a proper priority going into 2010 - God, family, ministry. I can't mess this up! Seriously, I can't cheat on my family with ministry - need to keep what is important, important.

Looking ahead to 2010 and everything this year holds for us as a family and for me in ministry. I am so grateful for each day that I have been given and rejoice in every moment that God has given me.

Starting a Christmas Tradition

Last year, I started two traditions with my family. First, I am going to give a gift to Torin, something him and I can do together and something that he can kind of expect every year as our thing. We started an HO collector train pieces - it started last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers' train and village. This year we continue on with the Ben Rothelisberger #7 train collection.

I also want Torin to understand the concept of giving from the beginning of his life. Part of that concept, that it far better to give to those in need than just giving to people's wants. Also, I want him to be missions minded as he gets older, I want him to have a love and appreciation for missions. Another aspect, is that as he gives, he gives more than just a material gift, he gives a gift of life, he gives a very practical gift to someone who has great needs. Finally, I want him never take for granted all that he has and that is so important not to hold on tightly our blessings but to have a open hand to give.

Last year, we started to give through NCC's Mission Catalog, last year we bought a goat for a family in Ethiopia, we all bought bricks to help build an orphanage for kids in Uganda. This year we continue that tradition by buying housing for 20 street kids in Ethiopia through - http://aoneeight.org/marketplace/ it is a great way to give a gift of life in so many ways. Perhaps, one day when Torin gets older he may take a mission trip to Ethiopia or Uganda and meet some of those that he was able to bless.

I am saving all these gifts for him so he can see the investment that he has made over the years. I feel like both of these traditions will be huge especially as Torin gets older.

One tradition is a gift of shared experiences between father and son and the other is a gift to others that has no strings attached, it is a way to simply bless someone else and give the gift of life, love and hope.

Scandal of the Virgin Birth (Message)

This past weekend, during the Blizzard of 2009, I had the honor to preach at the Kingstowne location as a part of NCC's hybrid preaching weekend where the different Campus Pastor's had the huge opportunity to preach. We continued the series SCANDAL - where we talked about the Scandals that surround the Christmas Story, in many ways we neutered and repackaged the Christmas story in a nice little neat package.

This weekend, we talk about the Scandal of the Virgin Birth here is the message in transcript form that I preached this past weekend.

Scandal of the Virgin Birth


This weekend, we continue the series Scandal. We have talked about several SCANDALS over the last few weeks. In so many way we have neutered the Nativity Story and the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ.

This weekend, we will take a TMZ look at the Virgin Birth.

What about event of the Virgin Birth of Jesus? The most important event and one of the miraculous events so far in the history of creation. An event that is surrounded in Scandal

God himself leaves his heavenly throne, and comes to earth as a human, and not only that, as a helpless infant.

Let me ask you, if you were planning the arrival of God himself, destined to save the world, is this the method you would choose?

If it was up to me, I might have him arrive with fire, or clouds, or in some golden chariot, it would be like a rock show, or something with pyrotechnics and lots of cool lights. But coming to earth as a baby, born to a virgin no less?

Why would the gospel story begin on such a scandalous note?

Speaking of scandalous, let’s consider the human practicalities of a Virgin Birth. Obviously, to have a virgin birth, someone has to be embarrassed! What is our first reaction upon hearing such news? YEAH RIGHT!

This has an episode of Maury Povich written all over it. I got pregnant by the Holy Spirit. And my husband is not my Baby’s daddy.

I can just see Maury doing the whole paternity test…only to find out that God Himself is the Father of Jesus.

When Jesus Christ was born that first Christmas, nobody expected it. It was totally unplanned. Nobody had made any plans for it at all. In fact, it messed up everybody’s plans. Looking in retrospect, Jesus invaded the lives of people who least expected with the Gospel of Love, Peace and Truth.

It messed up King Herod’s plan because he wanted to be king of the Jews and here was a Messiah coming.

It messed up the shepherd’s plan because they were planning on another quiet night with the sheep.

It messed up the religious leaders’ plans because they were expecting a political leader Messiah who would come and set them free from Roman captivity and Jesus came along and said stuff like, “Turn the other cheek,” and “Go the second mile,” and “Love your enemies”. They were saying, “Wait a minute, Jesus. That’s not what we wanted.”

It messed up the innkeeper’s plan. He ran out of space.

But most of all, it messed up Mary and Joseph’s plans. Mary and Joseph were just a young couple, barely teenagers and all they wanted to do was get married and have little Mary’s and Joseph’s.

In their wedding preparation, during their engagement period all of a sudden God comes along and says, “I’m changing the plan a little bit.” This plan is covered in all kinds of scandal. Check it out!

And the angel said to Mary and Joseph, “Mary, three things are going to happen. One, you’re going to get pregnant before your wedding day. Two, it’s not going to be Joseph who’s the father. It’s going to be a virgin birth. It’s going to be a miracle like has never happened. And three, by the way, the baby is going to be God.” That messed up their plans just a little bit. They weren’t at all expecting that to happen.

Here we have a 14 year old Jewish girl, with no resume, an ordinary girl, nothing really all that special, there is nothing that included or excluded her from being used by God to bring us the gift of Jesus Christ. One thing, I must say about Mary she had humility. This was displayed in her actions.

With anything unexpected like this especially something this SCANDALOUS and HUGE it was certainly a character building time for both Mary an innocent 14 year old girl and Joseph, a teen age boy who just so happens to fall in the genealogy of David.

What God conceived in Mary just messed up their plans, but I would submit to you it messed a lot of people’s plans.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION (TAKEAWAY): What is God conceiving in you? Maybe it is not scandalous, maybe it is not a child---but God is birthing something SPIRITUALLY inside of each of here this weekend---it may even mess up your plans, but it will ultimately fulfill God’s greater purpose and plan in your life, in the lives of those around and even believe it or not, for history to come.

Apart from the Incarnation, we would never fully know the depths to which we are loved or the lengths to which God can be trusted. That's why we celebrate each Christmas.

Through this Scandal of the Virgin Birth and in spite that so many of those who were involved in this Scandal plans were totally messed up here what we can learn from the circumstances surrounding the Birth of Christ and how we can put into perspective what God is conceiving and wants to birth inside of us.

First thing we learn from the Virgin Birth…
1. That God wants to get our attention
-Every good scandal gets our attention, many scandals gets dragged out in the news ad nausea for weeks on end.

- Nevertheless, scandals get our attention and many feed off of it, we actually buy the magazines and watch the shows about SCANDALS,

-God uses things to get our attention ---. In Mary and Joseph’s case the plan was so fantastic, so unbelievable, so once in history kind of event that God had to use supernatural means to convince them it was really going to happen. They wouldn’t have believed it any other way. He sent an angel who said, “This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to be the father of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. I’m God. I’m coming to earth in human form and this is going to happen before you have sex. Seriously, you got to be kidding me? There is no way!

-I think the question we need to ask ourselves is this; does God have my full attention? If not what does God have to do to get my attention?

Let US Read Luke 1:26-38 – I want to make a very quick observation, you may want to write this down because I don’t want it to get lost in the rest of the message---Here it is ----Nothing is impossible with God for those who find favor with him. If you want to find favor with God let him get your attention, listen to what he wants to speak to you and what He wants to do in your life.

-If God wanted to birth something huge in your life, if He wanted to use in a profound and extraordinary way. If He had an amazing plan for you? If He wanted to do something inside of you that would dramatically change the course of your life but change human history, what would your response be to HIM?

-I love Mary’s response, Luke 1:38 – I am the Lord’s servant, May it be to me as you have said

-If I could sum up this message --- it would be in those simple and profound words that Mary spoke – It didn’t matter to Mary the consequences, the repercussions, the scandal that was going to surround this whole situation, the circumstances, or the changes that were going to take place she willingly said - I am the Lord’s servant, May it be to me as you have said

-Look I never had a baby---but being married to an amazing woman who carried my son for nine months I understand there is a lot of changes that happens inside the female when they are pregnant hormonally and physically and even emotionally --- Mary was willing to put all that aside.

God certainly got Mary’s attention and she responded.

-Here is the thing, I would have put all of my attention on the situation at hand----I would have probably at least had to think about, weighed the pros and cons.

-How about the man, how about Joseph? Joseph could have easily broken off the engagement and gone away quietly. Matthew 1:18-25

-God got Joseph’s attention in a dream with an angel---Joseph’s response was to stay with Mary and take her as his wife, the Bible said he did not have sexual relations with her until Jesus was born. Joseph, responded in obedience after God got his attention,

-Okay we looked at the parents at how God got their attention and how they responded.

-Let us check out the wise men from the eastern lands - Matthew 2:1-2 & v9-12 - God got their attention with a star in the sky. These men were astronomers they studied the stars---I love this God got their attention with something they were passionate about. There response was to travel a long way to worship Jesus and to bring him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then they went out of their way to get back home.

-Let us look the shepherds, that were nearby chillaxin with their flock, God got their attention with the angel of the Lord in the field Luke 2:8-20 - I love their initial reaction when the angel appeared to them they were terrified --- uh yeah, here they are out in the fields hanging out with the sheep and out of no where an angel of the Lord appears with the glory of the Lord around them. I would have needed to change my underwear after that…

-God got the shepherds attention and they responded by not only leaving their job of watching sheep to go to Bethlehem---not sure if they took vacation time or called in sick, but the it says that they hurried to the village where Mary and Joseph and Jesus were to see Jesus in the manger but after that they left and let others know about what they saw. Then they went back to their jobs glorifying and praising God.

-How the King of the known region at the time, King Herod, God got his attention through the wise men who were coming not to worship him and bow before his throne, but before baby Jesus. Unheard of right? Can I just say this dude had so major insecurities and had an issue with pride. I think most insecurities comes from pride.

-What was his response to birth of Jesus, first he was disturbed, called a meeting of his religious leaders, had a private meeting with the wise men. When the wse men outsmarted him and went a different way to avoid Herod, Herod got furious and he sent soldiers out to kill all the boys in around Bethlehem who were two years old or younger. Seriously, he was that insecure?

-Here is the deal God wanted to confront a dominant world systems, and give us a King. God totally messed of the plans of King Herod, who wanted world domination.

-The King was not going to be born into a palace or to existing royalty; this King was going to be born in a manger in a cave somewhere to young Jewish girl and a step-father who is a carpetenter.

-God used different means to get different peoples attention so His plans could be fulfilled. Each one had different responses.

-I ask you, what is God doing to get your attention for His plan He conceiving in your life, how are you responding? Let me also ask you how will you respond to Jesus in your life?

-When God wants to get your attention He may interrupt your plans - I love what William Arthur Ward said,
“Interruptions can be viewed as sources of irritation or opportunities for service, as moments lost or experience gained, as time wasted or horizons widened. They can annoy us or enrich us, get under our skin or give us a shot in the arm. Monopolize our minutes or spice our schedules, depending on our attitude toward them.”

-This leads me to the next thing we can learn through the scandal of the birth of Jesus.

2. That God’s Plan Is Bigger than Our Own
-One thing that I have learned personally over the span of the last 18 years is this God’s plan is Ginormous! I don’t always understand His ways or even feel comfortable with the situations or circumstances that I have been put in, here is what I find to be the truth of the matter.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

-God’s plan for your life is always bigger than your plan because He’s got a bigger perspective. When you see life from His perspective, you’ll see that He wants to do so much more. This may include having him step in and interrupt and invade your own plan.

-Mary and Joseph just wanted to get married and settle down and be a nice happy couple. God said, “I want to bless the whole world through you.”

-God wanted to invade Mary and Joseph’s present reality and flip their world upside down---and fulfill His plan through them.

-If you don’t get anything else I say, get this: God made you for a reason, He sees your potential, He knows your limit and He know what you can handle and you have no idea how much God wants to work through you, how much He could do through you if you were totally committed to His plan for your life rather than your little plan for your life – your dreams, your ambitions, your goal. If you say, “God, here I am totally available to You. Do with me whatever You want to do.”

-God wants to birth something great in you life.

-That’s what Mary and Joseph said -- you would not believe what God could accomplish through you. Because His plans are always bigger.

-God’s plan for your life is harder than your plan. That’s why so many people cut out on Him. Human beings and human nature, it’s our way to take the easy way out, to slide through life, to take the course of least resistance. God says, “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. In fact, it’s going to be harder My way.” Why?

-Because God is more interested in your character than He is in your comfort. He wants you to grow up. He wants you to be mature. He wants you to be a person of character and integrity and to take responsibility. He is, in no way, going to take all the problems out of your life. It’s a harder way but it produces character. If you had all the problems removed out of your life, you’d be a spoiled brat. If you got your way at everything, you’d be worthless. Nobody could live with you. So God, says, Yes, it’s harder.

-Even in the midst of this Scandal, God used this as a character building time in Mary and Joseph’s life---I guarantee it not only change their lives, it changed who they were---after all Mary was giving birth to the Savior of the world. I can’t even begin to imagine the magnitude of this event --- but God had to conceive something and allow to grow before Mary gave birth to Jesus.

-When Mary and Joseph said, “Ok, God, we’re going to cooperate with Your plan. Use us.” Do you think that was easy?” No. It wasn’t easy for Mary to say, “Ok, I will be an unwed mother.”

-Can you imagine the gossip that went on in those days? And whose going to believe her story? “It’s God!” Would you believe that? Then at the end of Mary’s pregnancy, two or three days before she’s to deliver when most women just want to lay down, she had to get on a donkey and ride for several days from Nazareth to Bethlehem, being almost ready to deliver. I’m sure that was extremely uncomfortable for her. Then when she got there, she had to deliver her first child, without her mother or grandmother or all her relatives and the comforts of home around her, by herself, in another city, in a stable! I’m sure Mary must have asked a thousand times, “Why, God? If this really is You coming to earth in human form, if this really is the Son of God that I’m carrying, how come He’s not being born in a comfortable palace? I’m delivering Him in a stable without any help!” Of all the ways that God could have shown Himself to us, to human beings, why did He pick this way – to come as a baby? He could have just shown up in the sky one day! And then everybody knows who God is, maybe gets on all cable TV, every channel. But what He did was come as a baby and He’s born in a cave. That’s about as lowly as you can get.

-Why in the world did God do that? Because Jesus Christ came to earth to save us not to scare us. And nobody’s afraid of a baby. When Jesus Christ grew up we could say, “That’s what God’s like.” I can’t relate to some big force in the sky. But when I look at Jesus I can say, “That’s what it’s all about!”

-God’s plan is harder, it’s bigger. It’s also more rewarding. The Bible says “No one has ever seen, heard, or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love Him.”

-When you cooperate with God’s plan and God’s purpose for your life, you have two benefits: significance and satisfaction–the two things that everybody tends to be looking for. Nothing can replace those. not status, not success. But it’s significance and satisfaction. Because, once you discover God’s plan for your life and you start fulfilling it then you go, “Oh! This is it! This is what I was destined for. I’ve found my niche, my purpose! This is what God wants to birth in my life! I’m not here just to take up space and breathe air, waste resources.” You find that significance and satisfaction.

Final thing we learn from the the Virgin Birth
3. That God is with us
- Trust is so hard especially for many who have trust broken over and over again. This is huge trust factor --- this is what faith is all about that God is truly with us.

-It is so easy for me to say this to you, it is so easy for me to tell myself --- but the fact of the matter is that God is with us.

- I wonder how it would transform our lives if we really believed that God through His Son Jesus was to be found within us and among us.

- Can you imagine the faith that it took for Joseph to do what he had to do? If your fiancé came to you one day and said, “Honey, I’m pregnant. And, by the way, it’s God’s fault.” Would you believe that story? The Bible tells us that Joseph didn’t and he was going to put her away privately. He was going to call off the engagement until God sent an angel to him and said, “She’s right! It’s ok.”

-Can you imagine the faith that Mary had to have when she realized that, of all the women in the entire world, God chose to use her as the instrument by which He would come into the world? He was going to be Immanuel - God with us!

-That took trust and a whole lot of faith----but it is easier knowing that God is with us!

-What if we believed that God is with us --- even in the midst of a scandal, in the tough times, in some of the most troubling situations, in circumstances that appear to be unplanned --- the truth is God is with us.

-The GOOD NEWS is found in this SCANDALOUS Birth, that Jesus is Immanuel - God With Us! That God put skin on and came to Earth by way of an insignificant girl named Mary - to give us HOPE! WOW!!!

-There is no one in history that has been given more names or titles than Jesus Christ. Throughout the pages of the Bible there are over 100 names and titles that are given to Jesus. And whether He is called "Bright morning star, Wonderful Counselor, the Alpha and the Omega, or the Lamb of God", each of these names and titles is rich with meaning. They all say something significant about who Jesus is.

-However, there is no name more significant than "Immanuel". This name, which Matthew refers to in his Gospel (Matthew 1:23), was first given to Jesus by the prophet Isaiah 700 years before His birth (Isaiah 7:14). And this very special Christmas name, as Matthew tells us, means "God with us." Jesus Christ is Immanuel, "God with us," and I'd like to share why this is so meaningful at Christmas time.

-But with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, Immanuel, "God With Us," takes on a whole new meaning. For in the person of baby Jesus, God is "with us" not merely to bless us. Nor is He with us in the sense that He is going to merely work through Jesus to help us, protect us, and guide us. No-the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay is "God with us" because He is God.

-What sent the shepherds back to the fields rejoicing, what made the wise men fall down in wonder in the shadow of the baby Jesus, was the gripping realization that they were in the presence of their Creator made man.

-So great was His love for His fallen creation, for you and for me, that He left His glory to come here. And through His perfect life and death on the cross He broke down the wall of separation that our sin had built and reconciled us to Himself; as it is written "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them." (2 Co. 5:19). Through Jesus Christ, Immanuel, our sins are forgiven and we have fellowship with our Creator again.

-Immanuel. In this one name, everything humankind needs and the entire plan of God's salvation is subsumed. How blessed we are that Jesus Christ became Immanuel, God with us.

The sign does not become a full reality until some 730 years later. The virgin and child do not appear for 7 centuries. It is the Gospel writer Matthew who gets to announce the good news for scared and trembling people:

- God with us - That is God's promise to the church of all ages. And on Christmas Day that promise was fulfilled. That's the message of Christmas. That's also our hope for the future life.

-God with us - This means that God has not forgotten His people, that He has remembered His covenant and His covenant promises. In and through the Immanuel God intimately binds Himself to and with His people. In fact, in and through the Immanuel God forges an unbreakable link between Himself and His people so that nothing can ever separate us from His love.

-As we look at the Birth Jesus we see Mary and Joseph truly experiencing what it means that God is with us in the midst of the circumstances they find themselves in.

-Because God is with us we can always be strong and of good courage. We can be confident in His plan even when don’t understand it. We can rest secure in the thought that God is indeed with us, that Immanuel has been born.

-Ultimately, what it comes down to and what I want us to leave here this morning with is this: That we understand what it means to you and me that Immanuel has been born?

-In the context of Isaiah 9:7 - It means salvation. Ahaz and Judah were full of fear and trembling because of the attack of an enemy. The Immanuel is a sign of God's saving presence. The Immanuel is a sign that God will deliver His people. Remember what the angel said to Joseph, the husband of Mary? He said, "give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:21). The Savior is the Immanuel and the Immanuel is the Savior.

-The birth of the Immanuel means salvation from sin for everyone who believes (Rom 1:16), for everyone who chooses to follow Christ. And except the Good News of His Virgin Birth, His sinless life, His death on the Cross for our sins, His burial and His Resurrection…we can not have the Resurrection without the Scandal of the Virgin Birth.

WRAP IT UP (Conclusion)
Yes God conceived a child via the Holy Spirit that gave birth to God’s ultimate plan and messed up the plans of Mary and Joseph all of all those around them…I believe God wants to conceive something in your life and give birth to something amazing --- but it may take Him changing your plans and allowing Him full and total control --- allow Him to be Immanuel - God With You!

Let us pray!