“EMMANUEL - GOD WITH US”

GOD’S PRESENCE: One of the names of God is ‘Jehovah Shammah’ which means ‘God is there’. Where is God today?

Is He present in the Christmas celebrations? Do we seek His presence in the joys of Christmas? Is God present in the assembly of the righteous? Do we feel God’s presence in our hearts, lives, and families? The prophet Isaiah prophesied that the virgin will be with a child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him ‘Emmanuel’ which means ‘God with us’. The birth of Jesus must lead us to God’s presence, not only during Christmas time but every day of the year and every moment of the day.

God’s presence can be understood in the following ways.

Unconscious presence: We accept that God is the creator of the universe. God is omnipresent and omniscient. He is everywhere and sees and knows everything. In spite of this knowledge we ignore His presence and do things to please ourselves. This is the unconscious presence of God.
Conscious presence: When we kneel down to pray, sing songs of praise, attend church service or a Bible study, we are conscious of His presence .We do not do anything to displease God during this time. We neither speak evil nor do we allow evil thoughts to cross our minds. This is the conscious presence of God. But after this limited period of time we are our old selves and we no longer feel God’s presence.
Absolute or immediate presence: When a person carries God’s presence everywhere, every hour and every moment of the day we say that he is surrounded by God’s absolute and immediate presence. He is conscious of God’s presence in his thoughts, words and deeds. He feels God all over him and very close to him and it is in the lives of these people we can say that Jesus has really been born... It is this presence that God wants us to carry.

RESULT OF NOT CARRYING GOD’S PRESENCE: Deuteronomy 33:14 says ‘My presence shall go with you’.

God has promised His presence but the problem lies with us because we are not conscious of His presence and the result is...

1. We sin against God: When we do not feel God’s presence we are tempted to do what is wrong. When the teacher is not present in the class, the students misbehave and cheat during exams. They do nothing wrong in the presence of the teacher. If the traffic police is not present on the road we break the traffic rules... In the same way if Gods presence is not in our lives then we sin against God. Conversely we lose God’s presence because of our sins. Micah 3:4 says ‘At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil they have done’...

2. We get discouraged: When we do not carry God’s presence we feel lonely and we get discouraged and insecured about our finances, relationships and future. The seed of discouragement sown by the devil weakens the believer and ultimately leads him to doubt God’s goodness, His love and His grace. David says in Psalm 71:5 “For you have been my hope, O sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth” .But if we do not have Gods presence then we lose hope and get discouraged.

3. Fear fills our heart: When we do not feel God close to us, fear enslaves us. We are unsecured about our future, our finances and our relationships. We are afraid of failures, diseases, dangers, accidents, and death. If a disease or accident occurs, we become afraid and our faith wavers. 366 times in the Bible God says “Fear not”. Isaiah 41:13 says ‘For I am the Lord , your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you”. But if Gods presence is not in our lives we lead a fearful life.

4. We break down in times of tests, trials and suffering: When we do not carry Gods presence we break down in times of suffering. There remain a lot of unanswered questions in times of suffering. Why me, Lord? What did I do to deserve this? We forget that no believer can escape the school of suffering. God not only allows suffering but also plans it in our lives. It is this suffering that gives us an opportunity to come closer to God and be in His presence so that we are made perfect and presentable on the Day of Judgment. I Peter 4:12 says “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the suffering of Christ….” It is only His presence that consoles us .It is His presence that gives us the grace and strength to go through any kind of suffering whether it is physical, psychological, emotional or financial. No gloom will touch us if we abide in His presence. Psalm 16:11 says ‘in thy presence is fullness of joy'. But if we do not carry His presence then we are deprived of His grace and we break down in times of suffering.

HOW TO CARRY GOD’S ABSOLUTE PRESENCE: Practising God’s presence is making a conscious effort of feeling God close to us. It does not come by itself. We need to train ourselves and practice it everyday. We can feel God’s presence by…..

1. Inviting Jesus in : We need to open the doors for Jesus to come in and be the head of our homes ,hearts and lives. We call Jesus as Lord and king but we do not allow Him to rule our lives, our desires and our time. We have to give the controls of our life in His safe and loving hands and allow Him to rule our hearts, desires and ambitions. We need to make Jesus, our Lord and King. Revelation 3:20 says ‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.’ God is waiting for us to allow Him to come in our lives. If we allow Him to lord over our lives, we will feel His presence.

2. Leading a holy life: Our God is a holy God. If we continue to lead sinful lives we cannot dwell in His presence. God is light; In Him there is no darkness at all. If we walk in darkness, then we cannot have fellowship with Him. If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves. But if we confess our sins ,He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.-James 1:5-8.When we get reconciled to God and continue to walk in the light we feel His presence. God had fellowship with Noah, Abraham and Moses because they led a holy and blameless life.

3. Being aware: We can feel God’s presence by remembering that God is watching us very closely. Psalm 139 says

"O lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O lord".

So whatever we do and wherever we are we need to remember that God sees every small deed, listens to every little word that comes to our lips and knows every single thought that crosses our mind. We should be aware about our deeds, be careful about our words and be alert about our thoughts.

4. Praying: Prayer is a 24 hour relationship with God.1Thessalonians 5:17 says ‘Pray continuously’. We need to be in prayer with God all the time. A word of thanksgiving, a word of praise, confession of sins and help in times of need can fill our hearts every moment of the day. We need not wait for 9’ O clock in the night to go to God in prayer. Continuous communion with God helps us to feel His presence very strongly.

5. God’s word: We need to absorb God’s word and saturate our heart and mind completely with His laws and promises. Psalm 119:11 says ‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you’. God’s word reminds us of His laws and commandments that stop us from sinning against Him. God’s word reminds us of His promises. When we feel lonely, depressed or discouraged we can claim the promises that God has made. God’s word strengthens, revives and refreshes us. God’s word gives us courage, hope, patience and perseverance .Isaiah 55:11 says ‘so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

RESULT: When we practice God’s presence

WE FEEL GOD’S PRESENCE WITH US: Psalm 46:11 says

‘The Lord Almighty is with us’

WE FEEL GOD’S PRESENCE BEFORE US: Exodus 13: 21 says ‘By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way…’

WE FEEL GOD’S PRESENCE BEHIND US: Exodus 14:19 says ‘then the angel of God who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them’

WE FEEL GOD’S PRESENCE AROUND US: Psalm 125:2 says ‘…The Lord surrounds His people both now and for evermore’

WE FEEL GOD’S PRESENCE UPON US: Numbers 10:34 says ‘The cloud of the Lord was over them by day…’

WE FEEL GOD’S PRESENCE IN US: I Cor 3:16 says ‘Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit lives in you?’

PEOPLE WHO CARRIED GOD’S PRESENCE:

Joseph: When we see Joseph’s life we find Joseph as an embodiment of obedience. The angel visited and commanded Joseph only in a dream. It would have been difficult for him to accept what the angel commanded, but because he carried God’s presence with him he trusted God and obeyed without delay. If God has spoken to us through His word or through another person, we must obey without delay. God’s presence leads us to obedience.
Mary: When the angel visited Mary he said “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you” It shows that God’s presence was with Mary and it contributed to her humble willingness to be used for God’s purpose. Though it was difficult for Mary to understand but her trust in God gave no place for ‘why’, ‘how’ or ‘No’ in her life.

If we carry God’s presence then we will submit our lives, our desires, ambitions and our time for God. God’s presence leads us to total submission.

Shepherds: The shepherds visited Jesus and then spread the good news of His birth to all men. They did not keep their joy with them but went and shared it with other people. If Jesus is born in our hearts, how can we keep quiet? We need to share the joy of Christmas and spread the good news amidst people who don’t know so that, like we are saved they may also be saved.
Three wise men: Three wise men traveled a long way to visit Baby Jesus. They spent lot of time and energy and did lot of hard work to see Jesus. How much of hard work do we do to gain God’s presence? How much time do we spend in God’s presence? The first wise man gifted gold to baby Jesus. We can give our wealth to be used for God’s work. The second wise man gifted frankincense to baby Jesus. We can give sweet smelling words of praise and adoration to God. The third wise man gifted myrrh to baby Jesus. We can offer our bodies and lives as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.
Simeon: Simeon was a righteous and devout man and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It means that God’s presence was with Simeon. When Joseph and Mary brought baby Jesus to the temple, Simeon took baby Jesus in his arms and prayed “…Now dismiss your servant in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation”. Simeon was so overjoyed and content after seeing Jesus that he was even prepared to die. If we carry God’s presence we will always be ready to face death and judgment because we will be heirs to eternal life. God’s presence leads us to salvation.

God’s presence leads us to obedience, submission and salvation.

Let us test ourselves.

Has the birth of Jesus lead us into God’s presence?

Do we firmly believe that until we are alive?

‘God is with us’ and after this life ‘We will be with God’?