GOD IS LOVE: God with Us

Saturday, December 19, 2009

God with Us

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14

"Immanuel" consists of two Hebrew words: im (the preposition "with" coupled with the plural "us" yielding immanu), and ‘el (God). Immanu + ‘el = "God with us." Perhaps more than any other word in the Bible, Immanuel represents the essence of the Christian and Christmas message: God has invaded the domain of man and dwelt among us.

Immanuel was prophesied by Isaiah, and the gospel writer Matthew declared Jesus of Nazareth to be the fulfillment of that prophecy. The apostle John best captured the meaning of Immanuel in John 1:14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory . . . " Sadly, many who celebrate Christmas today have never understood the central point of the season: God with us. God entered the human race in the person of a baby who was the God-Man, Jesus Christ, Savior of the World. To fail to recognize Immanuel at Christmas is to miss the reason for the season.

Many who acknowledge "God with us" have never said, "God with me." Don't let this Christmas pass without making sure God is with you in the person of Jesus Christ in your heart.

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
William Cowper

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ABCs of Salvation

To know God and be ready for heaven,
follow these steps:

A. Admit you are a sinner.
"There is no one righteous, not even one ... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Romans 3:10,23. (See Romans 5:8; 6:23.)

Ask God's forgiveness.
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Romans 10:13

B. Believe in Jesus
(put your trust in Him) as your only hope of salvation.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (See John 14:6.)

Become a child of God by receiving Christ.
"To all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 (See Revelation 3:20.)

C. Confess that Jesus is your Lord.
"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9 (See verse 10.)

Parables of Jesus

A Parable is…

An earthly story with a heavenly purpose, a story or illustration set in everyday life that illustrates a profound moral or spiritual truth. Many of the parables were told in order to make truth clearer, but there were times when Jesus used them for the exact opposite reason – to mask the truth from the spiritual prideful.

Parables About:

the Kingdom of God

The Sower (Matthew 13:3-8; Mark 4:4-8; Luke 8:5-8)

The Tares (Matthew 13:24-30)

The Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32;

Luke 13:18-19)

The Leaven (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21)

The Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44)

The Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45-46)

The Drag Net (Matthew 13:47-50)

The Blade, the Ear, and the Full Corn (Mark 4:26-2

Service and Rewards

The Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)

The Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

The Pounds (Luke 19:11-27)

The Unprofitable Servants (Luke 17:7-10)

Prayer

The Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5-8)

The Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8)

Love for Neighbor

The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)

Humility

The Lowest Seat at the Feast (Luke 14:7-11)

The Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:9-14)

Worldly Wealth

The Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-9)

The Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21)

The Great Supper (Luke 14:15-24)

God's Love for the Lost

The Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:3-7)

The Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)

The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)

the Gratitude of the Redeemed

The Two Debtors (Luke 7:41-43)

Watching for Christ's Return

The Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

The Faithful and Unfaithful Servants

(Matthew 24:45-51; Luke 12:42-48)

The Watchful Porter (Mark 13:34-37)

Judgment on Israel & Within the Kingdom

The Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32)

The Wicked Husbandmen (Matthew 21:3-44;

Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-18)

The Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9)

The Marriage Feast of the King's Son (Matthew 22: 1-14)

The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:13-35)

Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery

Addiction;Alcoholism;
Pain;Depression;
Codepence;Codependant;
Codependancy;
Abuse;DrugAbuse;
12-Step Program

CELEBRATE RECOVERY’S EIGHT RECOVERY PRINCIPLES
The Road to Recovery
Based on the Beatitudes

Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. (Step 1)

“Happy are those who know that they are spiritually poor.”

Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover. (Step 2

“Happy are those how mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (Step 3)

“Happy are the meek.”

Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. (Steps 4 and 5)

“Happy are the pure in heart.”

Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. (Steps 6 and 7)

“Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires”

Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others when possible, except when to do so would harm them or others. (Steps 8 and 9)

“Happy are the merciful.”

“Happy are the peacemakers”

Reserve a time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will. (Steps 10 and 11)

Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words. (Step 12)

“Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.”

Saturday, December 19, 2009

God with Us

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Reg Tagger