First Baptist Cleveland
Tis the Advent Season – Christmas 2020
* For centuries, the more liturgical faith communities have celebrated Advent as the season of the year leading up to Christmas
* Word “advent” means “arrival”, “an appearing or coming into place”, or “coming toward”
* Period lasts for four Sundays beginning on the 4th Sunday before Christmas or the nearest Sunday to November 30th
* It celebrates the greatest gift God ever gave to mankind in Christ’s first coming and in anticipation of His second coming
* Centuries ago, many believers felt it was inadequate to mark off only one day to celebrate this marvelous gift
* At first, the days preceding Christmas were marked off from December 1 with chalk on believers’ doors
* Then, in Germany, in late 19th century, a mother made an advent calendar for her son Gerhard Lang composed of 24 tiny sweets stuck onto cardboard
Tis the Advent Season
* As an adult, Lang entered into partnership with his friend Reichold and opened a printing office and in 1908 printed the first Advent Calendar with a small colored picture for each day of Advent behind a little window
* Each of these windows is opened one day at a time until Christmas day!
* Idea of the calendar flourished and many versions included Bible verses appropriate to Advent; children excitedly waited for one each December
* At the beginning of WWI, cardboard was rationed thus ending the calendar
* In 1946, following the ease of the rationing and the end of WWII, a printer named Richard Sellmer once again introduced the calendar with great success
* Sadly, with the wane of Christianity in Western nations, the calendar lost its true meaning; makers of the calendar today depict Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen, holly, mistletoe and other secular trappings behind the little windows along with a piece of chocolate
* Prayer is that someday the whole world will come to recognize the true meaning of Advent and Christmas!
Christmas 2020 – Prophetic Names for Jesus
* Messages of the OT prophets were directed toward Israel and Judah living between 840 and 420 BC and Isaiah was the 1st of the major prophets
* The name Isaiah (Yeshayahu) means “Jehovah saves” or “Salvation of Jehovah”
* Isaiah reveals the Messiah (Christ, the Anointed One) as the Suffering Servant and Conquering King
* Isaiah lived until at least 681 BC and died as a martyr being sawn in two by King Manasseh of Judah
* Isaiah 7:10 – 14 – Immanuel, masculine Hebrew word, means “God with us” or “God is with us”
* Word appears only 3 times in the Bible; twice in the OT (Isaiah 7:14; 8:8) and NT (Matthew 1:23)
* Often spelled Emmanuel from the Septuagint, Greek translation of OT, coming from the Hebrew to Greek to English; spelled with an “I” is translation from Hebrew to English
Prophetic Names for Jesus - Immanuel
* Context of Isaiah 7:10 – 14 - Ahaz, leader of God’s people, is facing two armies (Syria and Ephraim) and yet in the midst of this crisis God promises him a sign showing him that neither army will overcome his people; all God needed was Ahaz’s belief
* Yet, to confirm this promise, God gives him a sign that a child would be born and given the name Immanuel indicating God would be with him, guiding and protecting His people (Judah)
* A second, future reaching implication, is that a child named Immanuel concerns the birth of Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah
* Ahaz refuses this sign feeling as if he is being tricked
* Why do you think God offered a sign to confirm His promise?
* What Biblical promises have you found hard to believe?
* In OT, asking God for a confirming sign showed a person didn’t trust God; asking for a sign is like yelling “prove it” to God
* Prophetic Names - Immanuel
• God offered Ahaz a sign – a choice of a miracle for he wanted his unshakeable faith in His promises; his response showed he felt he didn’t need God’s help
• Do you ever feel as if you don’t need God’s help with something?
• What kinds of situations might those be?
• God does not rescind His offer but gives a sign: a CHILD!
• Ahaz needs protection and God offers him a baby! What would have been your reaction to this sign?
• Actually, God was offering Ahaz and his people exactly what they needed: His presence in the child Immanuel meaning God is with us
• In what ways does God’s presence feel like enough, or not enough, for what you are experiencing?
• In what ways is His presence the best gift to face your darkness?
• 700 years after King Ahaz, the promise given to Mary is extended to us in Matthew 1:18 – 23
• God sees us in our distress and darkness and sent Immanuel, the sign of God’s being with us over our true enemies, sin and death!
Prophetic Names - Immanuel
* No matter what you are going through today, God offers you his presence
* He wants to be with you so you can experience joy, peace and contentment
* In the dead of winter, as we are surrounded by darkness (literally and psychologically through this pandemic), we can celebrate the light of Jesus sent into the world, a gift more than any we could ever give or receive
* Jesus came to take on our sin on the cross, gave us salvation breaking the barrier that existed between us (sinful person) and God, rose from the dead (signifying victory over death and promise of eternal life) and promises to be with us until He returns
* Christmas is not just a sentimental holiday – it IS the good news (gospel) that a child is born, a Son has been given, and his name is Immanuel, God with us
* This is the BEST gift we have ever been given AND could be given to another!
Digging Deeper in God is With Us
* What is the difference between knowing and feeling?
* Can we quickly state that we know God is with us by citing Bible verses (Mt. 28:20; Isaiah 41:13; John 10:22 - 30; I Timothy 3:16) or recall the song you were taught as a child Jesus Loves Me This I know….
* Jesus promised that we would receive a Comforter and Helper (John 14:15 -17; 25 – 26; 15:26; 16:7, 13)
* So, if we believe the Word of God is truth, then we can know God is with us
* How about the feeling that God is with us? (Ex. 33:12 – 13; Mt. 18:20; I John 4:16; Psalm 16:11, 23:4; Rev. 21:3)
* We cannot trust our feelings for they are volatile, undependable, subject to mood swings depending on our circumstances
* Yet, if God’s Word is objective truth and He says he will give us rest in His presence He will
* If we abide in love, He abides in us, knowing that He goes wherever we go
* God Is With Us at the Feeling Level
* What is the result at the “feeling level”? Finding joy in His presence as a result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22 – 23)
* Claim the promise in anticipation that you will be in His literal presence!
* This Immanuel is our Savior, the Son that God sent to leave the throne room of heaven, humbled and emptied Himself in the flesh (fully human and fully divine) to die on the cross to reconcile sinful man back to God
* When we are born of His Spirit, Christ comes to live in us (2 Cor. 6:16; Gal. 2:20)
* The result should be demonstrated in our lives by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22 – 23; Psalm 139:7 - 12)
* Claim the promise of Romans 8:35 - 39
* How can we even begin to experience this? What are practical steps?
* Prayer, meditation, quiet time with the Lord, spending time in His word
Prophetic Names of Jesus – Wonderful Counselor
* Isaiah 9:6 – message here, prophesizing 800 years before Christ, is encouraging Israel to remember their Messiah was indeed coming to establish His kingdom (Isaiah 9:7)
* Context: Assyrians were taking people into captivity so this promise gave God’s people a hope that was desperately needed; consummation of this promise will come at Christ’s second coming
* “Wonderful Counselor” – indicates kind of character the coming King has
* Meaning of “wonderful” – much more that the way we use it to describe something pleasant, lovely (story of Manoah and his barren wife – Judges 13; see 13:17 - 18)
* The angel of the Lord is basically saying “why do you ask my name, since it is beyond your understanding”?
* Jesus’ wonderness is revealed in His virgin birth, miracles, healings, teaching, perfect living and resurrection from the dead
Prophetic Names for Jesus – Wonderful Counselor
* “Counselor” – in ancient Israel, a counselor was portrayed as a wise king like Solomon giving guidance to his people (Isaiah 28:29)
* Christ is qualified to advise His people in ways no human counselor could be for He has the knowledge of human nature (Psalm 139:1 – 3)
* He knows what we are going through (Hebrews 4:15 – 16)
* What is the result of these facts of knowledge about Jesus?
* He can be trusted to listen to our problems and guide our path (Prov. 3:5 – 6)
* We can pray and seek His wisdom about our worries or anxiety (Philippians 4:6 – 7; James 1:5)
* His love for us is so wonderful, surpassing all human knowledge and beyond all that we could ask for or think, according to the power that works within us (Eph. 3:8 – 21)
Sources: The New Inductive Study Bible. New American Standard Version. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2000.
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