Are You Putting The I In Immanuel by Ed Pruitt

Isaiah 7:14-14

Are You Putting the "I" in Immanuel
Sunday December 15, 2002

Pastor
Ed Pruitt

A story is told of an elderly Christian man who was walking through the park on a cold wintry afternoon when he noticed a pile of birdseed that someone had put out so that the birds would be kept from dying.

There were dozens of sparrows gathered for this unexpected feeding.

But when the man walked closer, the birds became anxious.

Another step closer and they began fluttering their wings.

Another step, still closer, and the birds left their feast unfinished and flew away.

The man stopped and reflected on what had just happened.

Why did the sparrows scatter even though he had no hurtful intentions?

Then he realized that it was not his intentions that caused the birds to scatter, it was because he was So Big.

He could have never walked among them unless he became a sparrow, flew down to them, and shared their life.

Isn’t that what God did for us when He sent Jesus?
He sent Jesus to walk among us, as God and man.

One way to fully realize God with us, Immanuel, is to allow God to come into your life.

Jesus tells us, in Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Here Jesus is simply telling us how to put God in our life.

He says, Come to me.

WHY?

Without Christ in your life, you are not going to receive true rest, and inward peace.

People are seeking out rest from their worries in awesome numbers and I believe this is because of Immanuel.

People can sense the sparrow, who came down to walk among them, Jesus Christ.

When we put Christ into our life he tells us to do something.

We are supposed to put on his yoke.

People used to take two oxen and hook them together with a yoke and then to a plow, and the yoke would help them harness their energy.

A younger inexperience ox would be yoked with a mature one so that it could learn.

If it slowed down or stopped, the older ox would just keep going and pull him along.

This is what happens when we allow God in our life.

When we hook up with Christ, we get yoked to him and he will teach us and help to share our burdens.

This is Immanuel. This is God with us.

What are you yoked to now? What is pulling you through life?

Your job, your family, your fears?

You can only find true rest, and truly understand Immanuel when you hook up with Christ and connect with him.

Matthew 16:24-26 tells us,
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

If you are to be a true disciple, a true follower of Christ, you will have to allow God to come into your life.

In verse 24 Jesus says that if anyone desires to come after me, if you want to walk beside Christ in service, then you’ve got to do some things.

Deny yourself, put God on the top of your priority list.

Take up your cross, daily sacrifice, pray without ceasing, this is hard stuff!
It is easy to say nice things about Jesus, but to actually be self-sacrificing like he was?

To Follow Him, you have to give up your plan, and follow Him.

It is hard to follow somebody when you’re not watching them right?

God is all around you.

He is trying to talk to you, trying to make a difference in your life.

God is seeking to show Himself to you in the day to day routine of your life but the only way that you can see Him, the only way you can realize His presence is to set you mind and your heart on Him.

If you seek God with us, Jesus tells us here that it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

That’s what happens when you allow God first place in your life.

You have to deny some things, and empty yourself out, but if you put Christ back in, you will conform to Him.

He will lift you up and will lift you out of whatever problems you face.

Immanuel will be the part of your life that gets you through crisis and grief.

Allow God in your life! Put your life in God’s Hands.

Matthew 28:18-20 tells us,
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This is the great commission.

Christ does not say if you are a good preacher GO, or if you are an evangelist GO, or if you have extra time GO, or if you are an expert on theology GO, or if you are wealthy GO!

No, Jesus says I have all authority!

And if you believe Me then Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.

If you believe Him, this morning, how many disciples have you made?

How many people are going to Heaven because you talked to them about Christ’s gift of salvation?

You can not, just talk the talk, you must walk the walk.

It is a commission and it requires something of you.

But you don’t have to do it alone.

God gives us a promise, of Immanuel, Christ with us.
And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

You need to put your hand in God’s hand because that is what following Christ is all about.

You might think that you never really have any opportunities to witness or share your faith.

People are seeking out God’s Spirit to comfort them and you need to be aware of that.

Pray and prepare yourself to share your testimony with someone.

Life is really very, very short and unpredictable.

It’s time to stop playing church!

It’s time for each and everyone to take a step forward and let God know that you are ready to become one with Him!

It’s time to tell God that you have gotten tired of all of the playing around and now you want to become one with Him!

It’s time to tell God that you are tired of playing church and you want to get serious about your salvation!

Do you know this morning that if you were to die with the very next breath that you take, that you would go to heaven?

Have you been doing your very best for God?

I know that all of us here this morning know about Jesus, but that is not what I am asking you.

I am asking you do you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?

Does Jesus know who you are this morning?

Are you ready to go to meet Him this morning if He were to come this very second?

No time to say God I am sorry, forgive me!

I know that I have not done my best for you!

I am asking this morning, are you ready?

God is with us, but are we with Him!

Or are we still playing with Him, are we still slipping up and saying words that we know that God wouldn’t approve of and then using the excuse oh, God will forgive me!

Are we still doing things and having thoughts that God wouldn’t approve of?

Are we going to movies that we know that God wouldn’t go to?

Are we watching movies at home or watching television shows that we know that God wouldn’t watch?

Are we treating our body, the temple of God, the way that God wants us to or are we still playing with God?

I know that these questions may seem hard to some of you this morning but I want all of you to know that I love each and everyone of you here this morning!

And even though my questions seem hard, my questions will seem very easy if God were to call you home and you were not ready.

I am telling you this morning that the time has come for each of us to do a Spiritual inventory of our lives.

Are we seeking Him first?

Are we giving furtherance to His Kingdom with each and everything that we do?

Are we coming to church just on Sunday morning and spending most of the time watching our watches to make sure that we get out on time?

Or are we coming to church with the right Spirit, not caring if the service happens to last a few minutes longer than we are used to?

Are we coming to Sunday night service or are we too busy doing other things?

Are we coming to Wednesday night service or do we have more excuses?

You don’t have to answer these questions to me, but you should remember that where your heart is, there you, will be also.

God is with us, that He is, but are we with Him this morning and when we leave this house of worship will we take Him with us and keep Him in us for the entire week?

Or will He be put up on a shelf when we get home and that is where He will stay until we get ready for church next Sunday morning?

To me Salvation is serious!

I don’t want to get to heaven by the skin of my teeth!

I want to land right smack dab in the middle of heaven when I get there.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am going there and I don’t want there to be any doubts in the minds of my family or friends either.

The only tears that I want when I leave this old earth are tears of joy!

God is with me, this morning, my only concern is, can, all of you here make that same statement!

If all of you can make that same statement as I just made then Praise the Lord!

But, if there are some here that cannot make that statement then please come and lets pray until you can make that statement!

God sent the baby Jesus to walk among us to share our tears and triumphs.

Christ is with us when we choose to follow him, get yoked with him, sacrifice our lives for him, and tell other’s, about him.

We do not know what tomorrow may bring, but if Jesus is in our lives, we know we will not be alone.

Have you, put the I in Immanuel?

Again, is your relationship with God "Immanuel?"

God, through Jesus Christ, has come to help us in our times of suffering, to lead us in our times of uncertainty, & to give us victory over death.

And He offers Himself to you as a gift, as a sacrifice for your sins, and He waits for you to respond to His invitation.

Can you perceive what God has done?

Can you weigh all the evidence, and realize how much God loves you, and how much of His love is communicated through the birth of a baby in Bethlehem?

Behold, a Savior has been born, and He is Christ, the Lord.

Christmas is love, tugging men’s hearts back to God with the powerful grip of a tiny hand reaching out from a bed of straw.

Have you ever placed your finger inside the hand of a little baby & felt its grip?

And when they grip your finger, they also tug at your heart.

This morning Jesus is reaching out, with the tiny hand of an infant to grab hold of our hearts, & pull us back to God.

Immanuel, God with us.
 

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