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[0:00] Let's go to Matthew chapter 1. People might think, oh this sounds a bit like a Christmas message.! Well, in a way, it's good to remember the Lord's coming and His birth every day of the year, isn't it?

[0:13] We don't just have to wait until December the 25th. And so, talking about the theme of God with us, God with us, think of that, that truth this morning. And we pick it up from Matthew 1, verse 21.

[0:25] It's the angel of the Lord speaking to Joseph. Matthew 1, verse 21. And the angel of the Lord is addressing Joseph about his wife-to-be, Mary.

[0:37] And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now, all this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, but, of course, it's the prophet Isaiah. Verse 23.

[0:56] Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.

[1:09] Some thoughts today on this truth, God with us. Consider this one who's changed history. And we're going to look at God with us in various aspects.

[1:23] Where, who, what, why, and how. God is with us. Where? God is with us. Consider where he came, where he came from, and where he came to.

[1:38] The virgin-born son came from heaven. The Bible shows us this one is from everlasting. John chapter 1 tells us that he made all things.

[1:50] He's the creator. And we think of our Lord, our Lord Jesus, it tells how he came from heaven. Think of that, friends, this morning. He came from heaven with all its glory and wonder and perfection.

[2:02] Heaven with all its beauty and royal majesty. Imagine heaven for a moment. If we could just catch a glimpse of it. You know, it says, I have not seen, ear has not heard. You know, the things that God has prepared, the heavenly realm.

[2:15] And it tells us that he came from heaven. Imagine the glorious light. The perfect peace. No death, no sorrow. No crying, no pain. Streets golden like pure glass.

[2:26] The perfect city. The perfect city. I know I heard someone talking about evangelism and saying there's apparently some kind of track that says, giving away free.

[2:40] Perfect homes in the perfect city. That's heaven, isn't it? Make a good track, really, wouldn't it? Think about a perfect home in a perfect city.

[2:50] And hey, you can have clear title here and now. You have to go to the bank. There's no mortgage. There's no rent to pay. Perfect home in a perfect city. Think of heaven.

[3:01] The splendor of it. He left the very throne room. The very throne of God. Heaven came down, didn't it? And God cared enough to leave heaven. And to come and visit this special one.

[3:14] A visitor from outer space. A special guest. And he paid us a special visit. Amen. Now there's people searching for extraterrestrial signals and communication.

[3:27] Hey, we've already had one. We've already had one. Amen. He's already said, this has come. Extraterrestrial information has come to us. And we've got it in the pages of our Bible.

[3:38] And it tells us of this special one. This visitor from outer space. Consider where he came from. Heaven. Consider where he went. Philippians 2, verse 7.

[3:49] But he made himself of no reputation. And took upon him the form of a servant. Was made in the likeness of man. And being found in fashion as a man. He humbled himself.

[4:00] And became obedient unto death. Even the death of the cross. Where did he go? He became man. This heavenly God. Became an earthly man.

[4:11] He became a son. He became the saviour. Of course we know that he was without sin. He was perfect man. But something set him apart.

[4:23] Not only was he God manifest in the flesh. But he was the perfect man. Where did he go? He went to the cross. He went to the cross to bridge this gulf between sinful man and the holy God.

[4:35] Oh the mighty gulf. That God did span. God with us. We've explored the where. From heaven. To earth.

[4:45] To the cross. And we'll see later. Where does Emmanuel. God with us. Come to. To human hearts. Just like yours and mine.

[4:57] We'll get to that. So we looked at the where. Consider this one. Who. Who is God with us. It's important that we identify this one who came.

[5:09] His name is Jesus. The name Jesus. It means God the saviour. That's the meaning. And it says he shall save his people from their sins.

[5:23] Consider the who. God with us. Who was this? Who was this one born of a virgin? Born uniquely. Especially. Even.

[5:35] The Quran. Tells us that he was born of a virgin. But they miss out. Who was his father then? Obviously. God. He's the son of God. Even. If you actually.

[5:48] Take it as read. The Quran says the same thing. As much as it denies it in another place. But who was this? Who was this one born of a virgin? God. God. God with us.

[6:00] Amongst us. God. Intervening. God. Coming into our space. Into our world. God in skin. God become man. Wrapped in human flesh.

[6:12] This is the wonder of it. Isn't it? He is God. He is God. He is close. He's near. Not distant. Many religions. God is far, far away.

[6:22] He's distant. He's far removed. But no. This God. The God of the Bible. God is very present. God is with us. With us. Is present. His presence is with us.

[6:33] And we'll see that in one day. We'll see his presence in that full glory of it. As John the Revelator says. And I heard a voice out of heaven saying. Behold the tabernacle of God is with men.

[6:46] And he will dwell with them. And they shall be his people. And God himself shall be with them. And be their God. It's telling us here that God will dwell.

[6:57] He's going to make his habitation. He's going to tabernacle with us. Verse 4 reads on. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Now I don't know about you. But I've shed some tears.

[7:09] I've shed some tears. And it says he's going to put his hand on our eyes. And he's going to wipe away. Wipe away all the tears. What a blessing that will be. Amen. When we see his face. It reads on that God shall wipe away all tears.

[7:21] All tears from their eyes. It says God himself shall be. Be with them. And he gives us refuge friends. He gives us refuge from the storm. He provides for our needs.

[7:33] Maybe not all of our wants. But he certainly will provide for our needs. And this God of whom we speak is not some theoretical concept. Not some doctrinal question. Some mere concept. He's a person.

[7:44] He's alive. God himself. He's a real person. He's real. He's alive. He's a person that we can discover and know and love. And he can love us. This is who he is.

[7:56] Who he is. It's important to get that right. Who is this? Again, as we could reflect. And I know in our door knocking of late. There's so many Muslims around the area.

[8:06] And God bless them. We love Muslims. We love them. But Jesus. The Jesus they believe. They say they believe in Jesus. The Jesus that is the real Jesus is much, much more than a prophet.

[8:21] Much, much more than a good man. He is God. God. What's more, he can become our saviour. God with us. God with us. We've looked at where.

[8:32] He came from heaven's glory to earth's darkness. And the shame. The curse of the cross. To bear our sin. Where?

[8:44] And he can come to human hearts. Who? God. God. In human skin. Look now at what.

[8:55] What? The what? The significance of this. The significance of God with us. What does it all mean? What does this event mean for planet earth? John 1.1.

[9:05] It tells us in the beginning was the word. And the word was with God. And the word was God. It reads on. And the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. And we beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the father.

[9:18] Full of grace and truth. What does it matter that Jesus has come? It's life changing. It's history changing, isn't it? This historic event is well changing.

[9:31] His presence brings peace and joy. Grace and truth. Pardon. We can know that. Know that personally. His presence. Think of it.

[9:42] Friends, today. It's something we don't always bear in mind. We're not always mindful of this. That the presence of God is with us. We don't have to wait until some particular season or day.

[9:53] Christmas day, whatever it be. To think about Jesus has come. He's present now. He's present now. 365 days a year. We can know his presence. We can know his presence today.

[10:04] We can know his presence Monday morning. When we turn up at the workshop. His presence. He changes things. He brings freedom. He brings peace. He brings life. He brings salvation.

[10:15] What does God with us mean? He shall save his people. He shall save his people from our sin. It's the most dread thing of living, isn't it? Our proneness to sin.

[10:27] It says he will save his people from their sins. He will smash the chains of sin. For the meantime, we'll struggle. I've had people relate to me. Oh, I'm too sinful. I'm too far gone.

[10:38] No, God's able to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by him. He's able to save. Save you. Trust him. He'll smash the chains of sin. Of course, in the day by day, we'll still have that struggle.

[10:51] That internal struggle. That Romans 7 struggle. But he shall save his people. He's a saviour today. Think of the what of the God with us.

[11:02] This is the turning point of history. Mandates the calendar from this moment. This world-changing event. I put on social media lately this message. And it was really quite tongue-in-cheek.

[11:15] But there's a lot of truth to it. I put this message. Quote, To all you atheists out there, welcome to the year of our Lord 2025. Amen.

[11:26] Even the atheist has got to write, It's the year of our Lord 2025. Whenever they write a date. It's God with us. Amen. It's God with us. Life-changing.

[11:37] History-changing. We acknowledge our Lord God is with us on our calendar. Every day we say, It's another day of our Lord.

[11:48] As we look back to his coming. And there's a closeness today because God is with us. There's an intimacy because he is near. He's close at hand. God with us. What does this mean?

[11:59] The presence of God come down to man. Come down to you and me. He dwelt amongst us, it says. He says he dwelt amongst us. Look at that verse 14. It says, The word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.

[12:11] Now, this word dwelt is related to tent or encamp or tabernacle. It's saying God has come to tabernacle amongst us.

[12:21] Think of that. He's like this tabernacle. He's come in this human tent, as it were. He's come to come and reside in this tent. As God lived in the tabernacle.

[12:33] As God moved and worked in the tabernacle of the old covenant. Now he's there in the tabernacle of the body of Christ. We looked at how God is with us.

[12:45] God is with us. He's come to dwell amongst us. And we beheld his glory. We see his grace. We see his truth. Where? He comes from heaven to earth. To human hearts.

[12:55] To sinful men. Who? God. In human skin. What? He's full of grace and truth. Consider also why. The why. Why God with us? Why does it matter?

[13:06] Why did he come? As the angel of the Lord said to Joseph. Thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. He came for us. He came because we need a saviour.

[13:18] We still do. The world needs Christ. We need him. And Luke 15. It tells us that. As he came and he ministered. It says. Then drew near unto him.

[13:28] All the publicans and sinners. For to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes muttered and murmured and said. This man receiveth sinners. And eateth with them.

[13:39] They were horrified. That he would come. Why did he come? Because he wanted to receive. The sinners. Why did he come? He wants to receive us. He's got his arms wide open.

[13:50] He says come. He wants to communicate. With us. Here's a message. From outer space. God with us. This man receiveth sinners. He still does. Amen.

[14:02] And we can receive him. By faith. We see. In Mark 12. 37. The common people. Heard him. Gladly. This was a message. They could understand.

[14:13] He reaches out still. To the average. Common day variety. Everyday Aussie. To the man on the street. He talks our language. He meets with the common people. With the poor.

[14:24] With the lonely. The heartbroken. The grieving. The depressed. The lost. The helpless. The discouraged. The common people. That's you and me. Isn't it? Aren't we?

[14:36] In their number. He comes to the ones. Who will hear him. And he comes to saviour. And it says he receives us. He comes and he reaches us. He meets with us.

[14:46] And he heals our most dread condition. Our sin. He meets. It says with the sinners. With the sinful. With the rejected. With the anxious. With the hurting. With the outcast.

[14:57] Look at the people he touched. They were untouchable. But Jesus touched them. Amen. And he still does. Doesn't he? He still reaches out. And he listens to us. And he receives us. Caring for people.

[15:09] Touching people. Down to earth. People like you and me. God with us. God with us. It's still true today. God with us.

[15:20] Where he come from heaven. To earth. To human hearts. Who? God in human skin. What? He's full of grace and truth. We see the wonder of why. To save us from our sin.

[15:33] We need him. Consider also this lastly. How? God with us. How? How can we translate this truth. Into our own life and living. How can this truth impact you and me today?

[15:45] It can. The when of this reality is now. We looked at before he came from heaven. To humble Bethlehem. And it was a poor family.

[15:58] A circumstance that was mean. Like lowly. But where is his presence now? In human hearts.

[16:09] We see this wonderful truth here. Ephesians 3.17. It tells us that Christ may dwell in your hearts. By faith. That you may be rooted and grounded in love. We can know this wonderful truth.

[16:21] Friends. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. Your heart can be the dwelling place. Of God with us. Your heart can be his throne room.

[16:33] Your heart can be his residence. Notice how. By faith. By faith. An old time preacher said.

[16:43] The Lord showed me so that I did see it clearly. That he did not dwell in these temples. Which men had commanded and set up. But in people's hearts. His people were his temple.

[16:55] And he dwelt in them. It's true brother, sister. That your heart can be the very vessel that he fills. Your heart. By faith. Christ can dwell there.

[17:06] He can reside there. He can take up residence there. God with us. This event occurred some 2,000 years ago. Yet it can be repeated today. Here in Australia.

[17:18] In Elizabeth Park. Right here today. In your heart. If it's yet to happen. By faith. He is with us. He is with us. God with us.

[17:28] That's you and me. Even now. Even us. And sometimes we miss this truth that God with us. It's the truth that God's presence is with us.

[17:45] Wherever you are at. And whatever your surroundings. Whatever your circumstance. That God can be truly with you.

[17:57] Whether you're in a church building like you are now. Or you're sitting under a gum tree down at the park. Amen. Or you're out. Enjoying time with friends.

[18:10] God with us. Whether you're down at the workplace. God with us. God in me. Dwelling in my human heart. By faith. And he is with us.

[18:22] That's you and me. Even you. Even me. Even us. When we're feeling lonely. God with us. Amen. You're not alone.

[18:34] When we feel far, far away from him. Actually, that's not true. He's not far, far away. In outer space. He's right here. The closest place that anyone could be.

[18:46] In our heart. By faith. When darkness seems to veil his face. He's still with us. Even though we doubt. We fear. We stress.

[18:58] And worry. And think God's not working. He's right here. By faith. Trust him. He's right with you. When you're hurting. When you're in pain. When you're feeling guilt.

[19:10] And despite our sin. He touches the hurting. Doesn't he? You see the people he ministered to. The broken. The unloved. The downtrodden. Look at the people. They had a reputation.

[19:22] The people that he touched. The others wouldn't go near them. With a barge pole. Would they? You think of it. The religious crowd. Oh. Oh. Don't. They don't want them to come anywhere near them.

[19:34] But Jesus comes to the sinful. I love how. Of course the Bible tells us. To go to the uttermost part of the world.

[19:45] To reach the world. To reach our world. Go to the uttermost. And as one preacher said. He wanted to go to the gutter most. To the gutter most.

[19:56] To those furthest. And those that would seem the most impossible. That why would God want them? Or how could God care for them? That God reaches to the gutter most.

[20:08] There's no one really out of scope. That his hand is not shortened. That it cannot save. Friends. That God is with us. Despite our sin.

[20:19] Our unworthiness. God with us. Think of the presence of God. It's the presence of God. That makes all the difference. Doesn't it? So what? What does it mean for you? For me? The presence of God.

[20:31] Is in you. And we don't go into it and come out of it. I know there's some songs that people sing. That we come into your presence. And there is a truth where we do come into his presence.

[20:42] But there's a sense where his presence is actually always with us. He never stops being with you. And when you think of God with us. It's not just for our own selfish benefit too.

[20:54] He's with us so we can share him with others. So that others too might know this truth. And God with us. God with them as well. God with all of us. God helping us. That God can help use us to work through us.

[21:07] As the body of Christ to reach others. So think of it. God is with us in our community. In our gathering together. There's a kind of special sense of it. As we know. Our Lord says wherever.

[21:18] Two or three are gathered. Together in my name. There am I. In the midst of them. He's here right now. By his Holy Spirit. And he's with us in our gathering together unto him.

[21:32] And it's more especially so. God is with us. But when we leave this room. This building. This bricks and mortar. When we step out the door.

[21:44] God is with us still. Amen. We don't leave him behind. When you leave church. You're not leaving God behind. Alright. He continues to be with us. With us. Through life. He abides.

[21:56] He abides with us. And if God is with us. And he is. How ought this to impact our lives? Think of it. Actually I'm not going to leave God behind. Until 10 o'clock next Sunday.

[22:07] If you're really keen. 6 o'clock tonight. But not until you come back here again. But God is with you. 24-7. By 365. He's with you.

[22:19] He abides with you. And it's a great comfort for us. Isn't it? For where two or three are gathered. He's right there. Wherever two or three are gathered. In his name. He says that he is with us.

[22:30] And we can know the presence of God every day. Whenever we fellowship. His presence is even more so. But we think of it. He's right there. At your workplace. At your home place.

[22:41] At the shopping place. At the school place. Wherever you go. Whenever we fellowship. He's with us. But he's with us always. Working in us. Through us. Despite us.

[22:52] And think of it. If God is with us. How should that truth transform our living? He is in us. To reach out to the hurting.

[23:03] Hurting hearts. Shattered. Wounded. Abused. Harassed. The poor. The needy. The abandoned. The struggling. The ashamed. The crushed. God's in you. So that he can work through you.

[23:15] Amen. God can make people whole through you. You can tell the world. There's a shelter. There's a refuge. There's a friend. There's a rock. There's one who truly cares.

[23:26] For the battered. The bruised. The broken hearted. Can I urge you. And exhort you today. Be his hand extended. God with us. His mission continues. He came back then.

[23:37] 2,000 years ago. But hey. We're in the acts of the apostles now. We're just. We're acts 28. We're still. The chapter as it were. The church is continuing on.

[23:47] In the sense that. The acts of the Holy Spirit. The acts of God's people. The church. Is still a continuing thing. Isn't it? He's still working. His mission continues. So take the opportunity.

[23:58] To be his hand extended. To someone in need. People that you can touch. But maybe others can't. People in your circle. That others might not know. Or be able to reach. But you've got people you can reach.

[24:10] You know them. They're in your head. You're thinking about them right now. Hey. I know some people that aren't saved yet. You can be the one who reaches them. What's man's greatest need?

[24:21] Salvation. It's not. Think of. You might be a life coach. Or someone who's a counsellor. Or a helper of others. The best thing you can do to help anyone. Is to point them to the saviour.

[24:33] The best thing you can do. Is to introduce them. To their need of salvation. So. Believers here this morning. Let's be the real salvation army. Amen. There's some good things we can learn from the salvation army.

[24:45] Like the old salvation army. To reach out to the lost. To bring them to the saviour. That's a good thing. Let the hand of God. Touch others through you. After all. You're the body of Christ.

[24:56] Maybe you are the hand. Maybe you are the feet. You know. The eyes to see. The ears to hear. To carry the gospel hope. The gospel message. He shall save. His people. From their sins.

[25:07] Think of it friends. As we reflect how. God's created us for this. He's created us. In Christ Jesus. Unto good works. For his workmanship. He's ordained that we should walk in these things.

[25:19] So. Think of it friends. As a church. How can we be more like this? How can we be a church? With a warm heart? How can we be an extended family? Such that. Hey. We want this place packed.

[25:30] Overflowing. So we might have another service even. Doesn't matter. That we can extend. This family of God. That we can be. His hand extended. That we can reach out to our community.

[25:42] With compassion. Because it's about people. Isn't it? It's about people. Not buildings. It's about people. Not programs. It's about people.

[25:52] Not professionalism. Or pizzazz. Or all the lights. And colours. And sounds. But it's the gospel. And think of it. Of the presence.

[26:04] Just to reflect further. On the presence of God. Really. It's a repeated theme. Right through the word of God. We see. Exodus 33. 14. God tells Moses. My presence.

[26:14] Shall go with thee. My presence. Shall go with thee. Hey. We're not in Moses shoes. But we could take that personally too. Couldn't we? That God's presence goes with me. Have you ever had that divine intervention.

[26:27] In your life. Is God with you? Have you trusted Christ? God wants to intervene in your life. If you get to trust him. And hey. If you've trusted him.

[26:38] And maybe his closeness. Isn't as close as it used to be. Hey. He says. My presence. Shall go with thee. Just walk with him. God wants to be with you.

[26:49] And when God comes on the scene. He works wonders. Christ meets everyone's need. There's a quote here. He never saw a sufferer. Whose pain he did not want to ease. He knows our pain.

[27:01] He knows our need. And he wants to touch your life. We might say. I'm an alcoholic. I'm lovely. I'm a failure. I'm a prostitute. I'm immoral.

[27:12] No one's outside of the scope of his hand. He says. His hand is not shortened. That it cannot save. He's with us. He's with the broken.

[27:23] He sees our sadness. Our pain. And he's with us in our testing times too. As we know. He's the fourth man in the fire. In the book of Daniel.

[27:33] He's not far far away. When we're in testing times. And brother, sister. Friends. Today. Jesus cares. Jesus cares about the bruised.

[27:44] The wounded. The torn. God says to Isaac. In Genesis 26.24. Fear not. For I am with thee. And will bless thee.

[27:55] Many repeated circumstances. Where he says. I am with thee. That was Genesis 26.24. He's there for us. He feels with us. He feels our pain.

[28:06] He hurts with us. He embraces us. He understands. And God's with us. Wherever the hurting are. The single parents. The pushed aside. The afflicted.

[28:16] The downtrodden. God says to Joshua. Joshua 1 verse 5. I will be with thee. I will not fail thee. Nor forsake thee. Have a look at this phrase.

[28:28] I will be with thee. Joshua 1 verse 5. I will be with thee. God's with us. Friends. He's with you. If you trusted him. And it's reason for praise. Isn't it?

[28:38] He takes the heaviness. And he gives us the garment of praise. He gives us beauty for ashes. He gives us joy for mourning. Romans 8.31. It says.

[28:49] If God be for us. Who can be against us? And he is for you. We can all have moments. When we feel sad. And downtrodden. Down hearted.

[29:00] But if God be for us. Who can be against us? He is for us. And there's victory. God says to Jeremiah. Chapter 1 verse 8. Be not afraid.

[29:11] For I am with thee. To deliver thee. I am with thee. He's with us. He's for us. Even though we feel unworthy. And we are.

[29:22] Matthew 9.10. It says. That many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him. And his disciples. With him. He wasn't afraid to sit down with the sinners.

[29:36] We see Mark 2.16. He was accused there. How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? Jesus. Jesus isn't afraid to come to the publicans.

[29:48] To the sinners. To the lost. To the unworthy. His hands are still open wide. God is with us. And because he's there. There's forgiveness. It says.

[29:59] That he's a friend. Of publicans and sinners. It's a big thing really. Isn't it? Through the word of God. Through his ministry. He came to the ones that no one wanted.

[30:11] He came to the refuse. He came to the undesirable. He came to the unwanted. Mark 2.17. It says. They that are whole have no need of the physician.

[30:22] But they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous. But sinners. To repentance. He came not just to call us. But to change us too.

[30:33] And there's forgiveness. If we'll receive it. If we'll see our need. And trust his saving. We'll see. That Jesus has come. And he identifies with us. Friends. There's a wonderful blessing.

[30:44] That we can know there's a comfort. Think of his presence. When we're sad. Hey. God's with you. When we're feeling alone. God's with you. When we're suffering loss. God's with you sister.

[30:56] God's with you brother. He says. I will never leave you. Nor forsake you. He says. I am with you always. Even to the end of the world. So brother sister.

[31:07] This morning. Take heart. The presence. The presence of God. The presence of God is with you. Even when you don't feel like God. Even when you don't feel spiritual.

[31:17] Even when you feel like you're a lousy failure. He says. I'm with you. Always. Always. When you face hardships. When you have setbacks. Know that his presence goes with you.

[31:29] When you're feeling sick. God is with you. There's hope. There's encouragement. There's healing. David says. Psalm 16. 11. In thy presence. In thy presence.

[31:40] Is fullness of joy. You might say. Preacher. I'm not feeling very joyful. I find it hard to communicate with my face. To smile. You know. There's a problem between my heart and my face.

[31:53] That I find it hard to smile. Even despite the preachers. Funny jokes here. But it says. In thy presence. Is fullness of joy. Doesn't matter what you feel like. Doesn't matter if you feel lousy.

[32:05] That you feel sick. That you feel downhearted. It says. In his presence. There's fullness of joy. There's no greater joy. Psalm 16. 11. Because he's with us. In his presence.

[32:16] There's fullness of joy. You see. He tells us. Come unto me. All you that labour. And are heavy laden. I'll give you rest. In his presence. There's rest. In some circles.

[32:27] It's like. The church program. Is so. Onerous. That. Everyone's busy. Busy. Busy. Even doing good things. But there's a good sense.

[32:38] Where actually. He gives us rest. He gives us rest. Because he's with us. He gives us rest. And. We can come and receive. Life today. He says.

[32:48] Search the scriptures. He says. You will not come to me. That you might have life. He says. Come to me. Eternal life. Is. Is Christ. Isn't it? Life is Christ.

[33:00] Come and receive it. And there's a place for us. He says. All that the father giveth me. Shall come to me. Him that cometh to me. I will in no wise. Cast down. If we would come to him.

[33:11] There's a place for you. You might say. Preacher. Look. I'm hearing what you're saying. I'm hearing God is with us. I want God to be with me. I want me to be with God. But hey. I don't think I'm going to qualify.

[33:23] I don't think I'm going to. Meet the entrance requirements. He says. If you come to me. I'm not going to cast you out. There's a promise there. Isn't there? Well.

[33:33] Well that means. I'm included. That means. I can be included. He says. If you come to me. I will not cast you out. And. If you come to Christ. The satisfaction.

[33:44] As he invites. On the great day of the feast. He cried out. If any man thirst. Let him come. Unto me. And drink. If you're thirsty. Come to the waters. Come to the saviour.

[33:55] Come and drink your fill. God invites you. To come to him. And. His understanding. Of our pain. Of life's troubles. He's been there. He can empathise.

[34:06] He can relate to the feelings of our infirmities. He knows what it's like. To be very wounded. And bruised. And hurting. With real pain. And he's ready to comfort.

[34:17] To wipe away. All tears. All tears. Every one of them. From your eyes. He's wanting to reach out. And touch you. And he says to you. In Isaiah 41.10. Of course to Israel.

[34:27] But we can relate this. Fear thou not. For I am with thee. Be not dismayed. For I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. I will help thee. Yea. I will uphold thee.

[34:39] With the right hand. Of my righteousness. Think of it. Well you might say. Preacher. I'm feeling fearful. Afraid. Weak. He says. Don't be afraid. He says.

[34:50] I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will lift you up. God. He's ready. To reach out. And touch you. Think of it. Appreciate his closeness today.

[35:02] Even when it seems like God is far away. Life's full of burdens. And troubles. And hurts. And people hurting you. He says. I will help you. He says. I will be with you.

[35:13] I will uphold you. Isaiah 43.10. He says. When thou passest through the waters. Through the waters. I will be with thee. Isaiah 43.10.

[35:26] I don't know if you can relate to that. There's times when we've had. An actual flood. In our house. When you pass through the waters. He says. I will be with thee. When it seems like.

[35:38] I'm drowning. He says. I will be with thee. Isaiah 43.10. So think of it friends. Think of the closeness of God. He's not remote.

[35:48] Distant. Far, far away. He's right there. By your side. He's not uncaring. He's real. He's close. He's by your side. He's close beside you. In the storms.

[35:59] In the hardships. In the hard times. Even in the furnace. And he's working. Mending. Healing. Transforming. John 14.17. Our Lord talks about the Holy Spirit.

[36:10] As the comforter. He says. He will abide with you. This word abide. It means he's going to dwell with you permanently. He's going to make his residence with you. It says. He will abide with you forever.

[36:23] And he dwelleth with you. And shall be in you. That's John 14.17. Think of the comforter. Who comes to men's wounded lives. He brings comfort.

[36:34] And security. To wrap it up friends. Is God with you? Is the question. Has he visited you? He visited.

[36:44] He visited. Beverlyham. He visited planet earth. Has he visited you? Is he working inside of you? He can be. It's by faith. Just. Surrender.

[36:55] To him. And say. Lord. I surrender. I surrender. It says that God inhabits. The praises of his people. Psalm 22.3. He inhabits them.

[37:06] He dwells in. The praises of his people. So worship will draw us in. It's good to learn how to worship. And you don't have to wait till. The organ plays. Or the piano. You can worship.

[37:17] In the. In the everyday space. Of your life. Because God inhabits. The praises of his people. You can praise God. Every day. Any day. All the day. Worship draws us into.

[37:28] An awareness. Of his presence. Are you. In God. Is God. In you. Is he a welcome guest. In your home.

[37:38] In your heart. What about you. Are you with God. Or against him. Are you with him. Or without him. I'm not taking it for granted.

[37:49] This morning. That everyone here. Is saved. It's often the case. When we're. Door knocking. Talking to. Searching ones. That they'll say.

[38:00] In answer to the question. Do you know. That you're going to heaven. A lot of people say. Well. I hope so. I really hope so.

[38:11] I'm trying really hard. To get there. I think I'm going to heaven. The Bible says. In 1 John 5. These things are written. So that you may know. That you have. Eternal life.

[38:21] You that trust. Christ. You that know. The son of God. You that believe. He says you can know. That you have eternal life. You can have a certain. Knowledge of that. Not in a. Kind of. A careless way.

[38:33] But no. On the promises of God's authority. You can know. That you're saved today. What a loss. To be Christless. What a loss. Not to know him. What a loss. To miss God with us.

[38:44] To rather be God without us. You can know God with you. God with us. His comfort. His closeness. But what a great loss. To miss this.

[38:56] Our prayer is. May God be with you today. God be with you. It's a little saying people have. Isn't it? God be with you. He is with you. By faith. If you trusted him.

[39:07] He dwells in the human heart. By faith. And. We can know Emmanuel. God with us. Let us pray. Our Lord God.

[39:19] We thank you for your word. That communication from. Outer space. As it were. From your very throne. To human hearts. To sinful man. That God with us.

[39:32] Is a reality today. For we that trust. And know. God you're with us. You're with us. You're with me. Each one can know that. Confess that.

[39:44] That you dwell in. Our human hearts. By faith. Lord help us. To have that reality. Lord to walk in that truth. To live. As your hand extended. To be. Mindful. As we live our life.

[39:56] That transforming truth. That you are with us. Will be something in our mind. As we go about our living. Even when we sin. You're with us. Lord help us to be mindful of that. We don't want to do that Lord.

[40:08] Lord that you're with us. Even when we fail. And falter. And slip and slide. You're with us. Even when we backslide. Lord you're with us. Lord help us.

[40:19] To have that consciousness. Of your presence. And. To live in the light of that. That we don't want to do anything.

[40:30] To displease you. To dishonor you. Lord to know that presence. Goes with us. That we need not fear. Lord that we have. That wonderful assurance.

[40:42] Of safety. Of security. Of protection. Of strengthening. That you will abide with us. Lord we praise you. We pray each one. Might have that trust today.

[40:53] To say Lord Jesus. I know I'm not worthy. But yet your word tells. That. I can know Christ. Dwelling in my heart. By faith. That Jesus can come.

[41:04] And live in my life. And be in my. Heart. By faith. We praise you Lord. For that truth. And help us to know it. Each one personally today. In Jesus name.

[41:16] Amen. Thank you.