Reading from Exodus 33, verses 7 through 23.
While the Lord spoke with Moses, whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshipped, each at the entrance to his tent.
The Lord would speak to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend.
Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young assistant Joshua, son of Nun, did not leave the tent.
Moses said to the Lord, You have been telling me, Lead these people, but you have not let me know whom you will send with me.
You have said, I know you by name, and you have found favor with me.
If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favor with you.
Remember that this nation is your people.
The Lord replied, My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.
Then Moses said to him, If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.
How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?
What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?
And the Lord said to Moses, I will do this very thing you have asked because I am pleased with you, and I know you by name.
Then Moses said, Now show me your glory.
And the Lord said, I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.
I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.
But he said, You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.
Then the Lord said, There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
When my glory passes by, I will put you in the cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
Then I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face must not be seen.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thank you, Keith.
So we're thinking today about Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Thinking about that as one of the big ideas that we find through the Bible.
But I want to begin with a surprising treat that I had last week.
Because last week I got to enjoy a new view of the city.
Because I got to see Prince's Street from up on the roof.
And it was wonderful to be able to get a great panorama.
And then it was wonderful to see different details about the street.
So then when I came down to street level, I had a new appreciation.
Maybe you've had that experience with this whole earth from the air thing.
A chance to see the familiar in a new way.
Now I hope and pray that today Emmanuel might be like that.
This idea of God with us might be like that for us.
It's maybe a word we're familiar with.
Especially at this time of year, we sing the songs.
We do the readings.
But to think together.
To take the big panoramic view of God with us through the Bible.
To see the Emmanuel principle through the whole Bible.
To recognize that actually the goal of God saving people.
Is it so we might enjoy life in his presence forever.
That we'd understand that.
And then we'd be able to think about the significance for our day-to-day life.
That we'd have a new appreciation.
Having seen the big story.
We'd have a new appreciation for what it means for our salvation.
And what it means for our fellowship with God.
And what it means for our understanding of the beauty of God.
As we recognize Jesus as Emmanuel.
God with us.
Okay, so we're going to begin with Emmanuel from the air.
We're going to look at six locations.
To see this theme through the whole Bible.
To see God with us at the center.
So we will begin at the beginning.
So let me take us all to the Garden of Eden.
And there in those first three chapters of the Bible.
We discover the desire of God our creator.
Is that he would dwell with people made in his image.
To dwell with Adam and Eve.
That they would see and enjoy his glory.
And that glory would then spread from the Garden of Eden.
To the ends of the earth.
That was God's goal.
Of course, Adam and Eve.
If we know our Bibles.
We know that they fell into sin.
And rather than enjoying the presence of God.
They're hiding.
They find themselves under the curse.
And ultimately, they find themselves banished from the Garden of Eden.
And they see the angel with the flaming sword of God's judgment.
Denying them access back in.
But God's desire remains unchanged.
He will be the God who is with his people.
And now that's going to work out in the story of salvation.
We're going to see that in the rest of the Bible.
So the next place we'll go to.
Is we'll go to the story of the Exodus.
And ultimately to the promised land.
So think with me of Moses.
Moses, God's chosen redeemer.
And Moses is called.
And God says to him throughout his story.
Remember, I am with you.
As he is called to lead the nation of Egypt out of slavery.
He's called to do that.
So that the people of God might enjoy life in the promised land with their God.
And we see God's presence all through the story.
We see it as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire.
Led them through the wilderness.
We see it as they arrive at Mount Sinai.
And there's God in the cloud.
And there's the thunder.
And there's the rumblings.
We read about it in Exodus 33.
Moses had that amazing privilege of talking with God face to face.
And Moses recognized that God's people need God's presence.
So he insists that God would be with them as they anticipate going into the promised land.
Now, of course, Moses doesn't get there.
But Joshua, his assistant, he does lead the people into the promised land.
And again, Joshua chapter 1.
Joshua is fearful of the responsibility he has.
And God comes to him numerous times saying, I will be with you.
I am with you.
Leading the people into the promised land.
And that promised land is for them like Eden.
Here they are in God's place, under God's rule.
And they're enjoying God's blessing.
They know God with them.
But their story, too, is marked by sin.
Marked by rebellion.
Marked by idolatry.
We read Exodus 33.
But Exodus 32 is the story of the golden calf.
As they make an idol instead of worshiping the one true God.
And ultimately, we know that the disobedience of the people is so great that numerous times they're driven into exile.
Staying with the promised land, we're going to zoom into the temple.
As our third location, we're also thinking about the tabernacle.
Tabernacle and temple are the literal heart and center of the life of God's people.
And God, in his kindness, as it were, set the tabernacle, then the temple, as his physical address on the earth.
This is where God would meet with his people.
That behind the curtain in the holy of holies was where God's throne was.
That's where his presence resided.
Although, as Solomon said, the whole earth and heavens couldn't contain the glory of our God.
And we see in the story of Israel that the tabernacle and the temple are vital to their life.
It's the place where they worship.
It's the place where they offer sacrifice.
And it's the place they go to meet with to enjoy the glory of God.
But in their story, the temple, too, becomes unclean.
There is false worship.
The prophet Ezekiel anticipates a day when God's glory would depart, when he would leave his temple.
So as you look at the Old Testament, as you look at the big picture of the Old Testament,
you see God desires and God promises that he would be Emmanuel, God with his people.
But we also see there's this great barrier, the people's sin.
And so the question is, how is God going to fulfill this promise?
And that takes us to our fourth location.
And that takes us to the story of Advent.
Matthew chapter 1, verses 21 to 23.
The words that we read last week, let me read them again for us now,
so that we can hear the words of the angel to Joseph and to recognize their significance.
So verse 21.
Mary will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet.
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel,
which means God with us.
The virgin birth is the great miracle.
But the great miracle is also that here is God with us.
This is who is to be born.
That God's promise will be kept not in a tabernacle, not in a temple,
but as the Son of God comes to take on flesh and dwell among us.
John chapter 1, verse 14.
The Word became flesh, and we've seen his glory.
The glory is of the one and only, full of grace and truth.
In the coming of Jesus, God's glory and God's presence comes up close and personal.
We discover Jesus is God who saves, and he is the God who saves as the God who is with us.
And so, as we look at the life of Jesus, we see the glory of God with his people,
and then we see the wonder of his saving plan,
that in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the one who is God with us,
he now opens up for us the way of access back into life with God.
The sin barrier is torn down.
Jesus pays for sin so that new life with God is possible.
Now, let's move from our fourth location from Nazareth to our fifth location
as we think about this Emmanuel idea, and we need to come to the church.
Now, sometimes people have the idea, maybe have the imagination,
wouldn't it be wonderful?
Wouldn't it be just the best thing ever to have walked with Jesus,
to have talked with Jesus, to have been there as he did the miracles?
And of course it would have been.
But remember, for example, what Jesus said to Thomas in John chapter 20.
He said, after Thomas saw the risen Lord Jesus,
you have seen and believed.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
Or to think about Jesus' words to his disciples before going to the cross,
when he said, it's better for you that I go away.
And you're thinking, how can it be better?
And the reason is that Jesus is going to come to be present with his people
as the Spirit comes to dwell in us.
The new address of Jesus on the earth is now in the hearts of his people.
Jesus now dwells with his church.
We become the living temple in which God dwells by his Spirit.
And then to go back to Eden for a moment,
you and I, just like Adam and Eve, we have, as Christians, the same task.
We are image bearers and we have seen the glory of God
and we are sent to spread the glory of God through the world,
to spread the light of Jesus through the world.
So that's our fifth location.
We have one place to go.
We started in Eden.
We need to go right to the end of the Bible
to think about the new heaven and the new earth.
So remember, Advent is a time of waiting.
We're not waiting for Jesus, our King, to come.
The first time we're waiting for Jesus to return,
to establish his kingdom and to make everything new.
Turn with me, if you have a Bible, to Revelation 21.
Here is the goal.
Here is God with us as it reaches its climax.
And as we read it, we recognize here too is the world
that you and I want more than anything else.
Revelation 21 at verse 3.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
Look, God's dwelling place is now among the people
and he will dwell with them.
They will be his people and God himself will be with them
and be their God.
And what will this be like?
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain
for the old order of things has passed away.
That's the goal of our salvation right there.
Eternal life in a restored world,
enjoying the presence of God forever.
So we think about Emmanuel from the air.
And what do we see as we look through the Bible?
We see God's unstoppable desire to call a people to himself
so that we would enjoy his presence and glory.
We see too Emmanuel as a principle that stands at the heart of this story of Christmas.
Here is Jesus come to be God with us to keep God's promise.
And we need to recognize this,
that in Jesus,
God is inviting you and me to enjoy his friendship,
to enjoy life with God.
It's an invitation to trust him and to worship him
and to enjoy him this Advent, this Christmas,
for all of our lives.
So we've taken the tour.
And hopefully you have that sense of wonder
that this lies at the heart of the story of the Bible.
But maybe we have the question,
but now what?
What's this got to do with me today or tomorrow or this week?
So let's go back down to street level.
Now let's think about Emmanuel,
not from the air,
but Emmanuel on the ground.
Three things to think about.
Three implications.
First thing,
salvation depends on Jesus,
our Emmanuel.
There is no salvation
without Jesus becoming one of us.
Maybe you can think with me of those signs
that you sometimes see on building sites,
depending on what kind of site they are.
Something along the lines of,
no unauthorized entry,
danger of death.
Well, the Bible would say that
because of our sin nature,
we are unable and unauthorized
to enjoy life with God.
Indeed, His perfect holiness
and our sinfulness renders us
in terrible danger.
And our situation is hopeless without Jesus.
We cannot enjoy the life we were made for
by ourselves.
We simply cannot ascend to God's level,
try as we might.
Perhaps we have tried that,
tried to be really moral or really religious,
but the reality is that we lack
the perfect obedience,
the absolute holiness,
and the unwavering love
that God expects.
And if we try to ascend to God's level
without Jesus,
we will find ourselves full of insecurity
and doubts and fears,
and ultimately we will fail
because we simply cannot go up to God.
But the good news is that
Jesus, our Emmanuel,
has come down fully God
and fully man,
the glory of God
has come down to us,
the love of God
has come down to us
in Jesus, the Son of God.
It's Jesus who will be born
in Bethlehem
to die at Calvary.
Jesus, we know,
dies on the outside of the city.
He is on the outside.
Why?
So that we, by faith in Him,
might be brought in
and brought near.
Jesus, we know,
goes under the sword
of God's judgment.
Why?
So that by faith in Him,
we need not face
that condemnation.
Jesus on the cross
loses a sense
of His Father's presence.
He feels the anger of God
as He becomes our sin-bearer
so that He cannot know
and enjoy God's love.
Why?
So that we might know
God's love for all eternity.
Our salvation depends on Jesus,
our Emmanuel,
coming to be with us
and for us.
So if we don't know Him today,
here is an invitation
to turn to Him
and to trust Him,
to trust Him,
to forgive our sin
and to give us life
with God.
So that's the first
implication
of this Emmanuel principle.
Secondly,
Jesus,
our Emmanuel,
makes fellowship
with God
possible.
There's this wonderful reality
that we need to experience
as Christians
to recognize
that we enjoy
the same level
of communion
and friendship
with God
that the disciples had
as they ate
and as they spoke
with the Lord Jesus.
Because our God
isn't a God
who has stayed
at arm's length.
Rather,
He has walked
in our shoes
and now He lives
in our hearts.
And He's promised
to be with us
always.
Matthew's gospel
begins
with Emmanuel,
Emmanuel,
but He also
ends with
Emmanuel.
Again,
if you want to turn
in your Bible
to Matthew chapter 28,
we come to
what's known
as the Great Commission.
So Jesus has risen.
He is shortly
to ascend
back to glory
in heaven
with His Father.
And in Matthew chapter 28
and verse 18,
we read this,
Jesus came to them,
that's the eleven disciples,
and said,
All authority
in heaven
and on earth
has been given to me.
Therefore,
go and make disciples
of all nations,
baptizing them
in the name
of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit
and teaching them
to obey everything
I have commanded you.
And surely,
I am with you
always
to the very
end of the age.
The life
of God's people
is life
with Jesus.
The mission
of God's people
is mission
we do
with Jesus.
Every moment
of our life
as Christians,
we enjoy
the presence
of Jesus.
Think about
what that means
for
where we are
right now.
Perhaps
the family tensions
that we have,
perhaps the new
work patterns
we're adjusting to,
the big financial
decisions
we're having
to make.
But think too
about the regular
and the everyday.
As we spend time
with family and friends,
as we look to share
the meaning of Christmas
with somebody
who hasn't heard
the good news yet,
in all of those moments,
if our faith
is in Jesus,
He is with us
and we are never alone.
And do you know,
as Christians,
that's something
we must keep
reminding ourselves of
so that we would
value this
above anything
in our lives.
And one thing
practically that means
for us is that
we should never
neglect the
ordinary means
that God has given
in His kindness
for us to enjoy
fellowship with Him.
That's why we come
to church.
So,
the Emmanuel principle
is there at the
beginning of Matthew,
it's there at the
end of Matthew,
but it's also there
in the middle,
Matthew chapter 18.
we find Jesus
saying,
where two or three
gather in my name,
I am with them.
Now,
we all know,
whether we're at home
or whether we're here,
that church doesn't feel
the way it used to.
But here's this
wonderful promise
that regardless of how
Jesus is with us
right now
in order to bless us
and do us good
and to remind us
of the gospel
and our hope.
And so,
church matters.
whenever we read
the Bible,
Jesus would speak
truth to us
by the same Spirit
who inspired the Word.
That Spirit comes
to illuminate
our understanding,
to make it alive,
that we would know
more of Jesus,
that we would see
Jesus on every page
so that we might
worship
and enjoy Him.
where else do we enjoy
fellowship with the Lord?
As we pray.
I read an article this week
by a pastor in the States
called David Platt
who said,
stop praying for stuff,
start praying for God.
because he was coming
to that point
of understanding
that the greatest thing
that we need
as Christians,
the greatest gift
we have
to offer
is the presence
of God
in our lives
day by day
by day.
And so,
we have church,
we have Bible,
we have prayer,
we have fellowship,
those ordinary means
that God gives us
so that
that sense of being
in the presence
of Jesus
might be everyday
reality for us.
One last implication.
We see the beauty
of God
in Jesus
our Emmanuel.
You know,
sometimes
you'll hear
maybe if there's
particularly significant
things happening
up in the sky,
not typically
this time of year
because we don't see
much of the sun,
but you know
you get those warnings
about looking at the sun.
You know,
His glory is so bright
it would just burn
our eyeballs.
And so,
if you want to look
at the sun,
you need a filter.
And so,
the people that say
they need a filter
to look on
its glory.
Now,
let me take us back
to Exodus 33.
Remember Moses' request?
He wanted to see God
and God said,
no one may see me
and live.
But now we come
to the announcement
of the angel
in Matthew chapter 21
and what's been told
to us about Jesus.
Jesus is God with us.
So,
Jesus is the filter
by which you and I
can safely see
the glory of God
and not be burned up,
but rather,
we can receive grace
and we can receive life.
Jesus makes the glory
and the beauty of God
relatable to us.
As John Calvin said,
His words and actions
bring Him
within human range.
So,
we might have the question,
what is God like?
And we can answer
and say,
look at Jesus.
He is God with us.
So,
on the one hand,
we can think about
His absolute authority
as He does those
powerful miracles,
as He heals the sick,
as He still storms,
as He raises the dead,
and we see Him loving
the poor
and the weak
and welcoming
the children
and the marginalized.
We hear Jesus say,
I am the only way to God
because I am God,
but we also see Him
washing His disciples' feet
and dying on the cross
for sinners like you
and like me.
And as we see
the beauty of God
in Jesus,
again,
we are to trust Him.
We are to worship Him.
We are to enjoy Him.
So, this Advent,
we both worship
and we wait for Emmanuel.
We worship
because Emmanuel has come
and He's come
bringing salvation
He's come opening up
the way for us
to enjoy fellowship
and friendship with God.
He's come to reveal
the glory of God to us,
the glorious presence of God.
We see it
when we look at Jesus.
But we're also waiting.
We're also waiting
for Emmanuel to return,
to establish His kingdom
once and for all,
to establish that world
without pain and sickness
and tears and death,
that world where He is
at the center,
where all is worship
and joy,
whereby faith in Jesus,
we get to enjoy
His presence forever.
Let's not miss this
at Christmas.
Let's not miss this
in our lives,
that Jesus has come
as Emmanuel,
God with us.
The Redeemer of the Soul
and Heaven
the Cons model
is especially
ugh.
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God with us.
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to all.
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