Christmas | Emmanuel: The Name - Part 4

Springcreek Church - Garland, TX Podcast

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EMMANUEL
The Name | Part 4
Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
December 22, 2024
#god #realspringcreekchurch #emmanuel #thename #godwithus
Each of the names given to Christ reveal something special and unique about Who He is and Why He came. Appropriately, this Sunday before Christmas, we dive into the mystery of Emmanuel, which means, God with us. This name lets us know that there’s more to the Christmas story than we have ever imagined, hoped or dreamed. This name reminds us that we’re never alone. This name unleashes our worship of the One Who is always with us.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. The French writer André Breton said, “All my life, my heart has yearned for a thing I cannot name.” C.S. Lewis concluded was if I find myself having a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most logical conclusion is I was made for something beyond this life. How does the God hunger manifest in people? What sort of things do people seek other than God to fill this hunger? Have you personally had experience with this truth positively or negatively? If so, what was that like?
2. Have you ever sensed God with you in a difficult, challenging or painful time in your life? How did God make you aware that He was with you? What did He do for you?
Or what did He say to you? Or what happened in your circumstances that ended up being a great comfort?
What would you say to someone who feels abandoned by God or all alone in whatever it is they are going through?
3. Take some time to discuss the following verse...
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4.14-16
4. Pastor Keith mentioned two practical ways of illustrating the incarnation (God becoming human). One was Philip Yancey’s illustration about his salt-water aquarium and the other was the Christian author Dorothy Sayers who developed a character in her detective fiction novels that she fell in love with and then wrote herself into the story. What did these illustrations say to you? How are they similar to what God did for us? Can you think of any other ways of how or why God became human?
5. The story of the Bible is the record of God expressing His desire to be with us. The story begins in a Garden and walking together every day. From there, the story progresses to the pillar of a cloud and a fire by night that remains with the people and guides them daily. Once the Israelites settle down, God has them construct a dwelling place, first in the tabernacle and second in the temple, where He can dwell in the midst of His people. When Jesus arrives, He is Emmanuel – God with us. Then once He ascends back to the Father, Christ comes to dwell within every believer. God is with us is not just the message of Christmas but the message of Christianity. How is God with you today? Where is He leading you? How is He comforting you? In what ways has He corrected you? What is He saying to you? How is communion an opportunity to re-experience Christ in His nearness to us?