Messianic Gifts: The Gift of God’s Presence

Your Bibles with you. I hope that you do have

known you have your Bibles, but this week you've been

in the Word and growing, maybe doing one of those

Advent devotions, the ones that we have in our lobby.

Hope that you have one of those, and it's preparing

your heart for Christmas. But we're going to be in

two passages of scripture a lot like last week. We're

going to be in Isaiah chapter seven, so if you'll

turn there with me, and then from Isaiah seven, we're

going to move to Matthew chapter one. So go ahead

and put your finger in both places. First let's start

in Isaiah seven, and then we'll move to Matthew chapter

one in just a moment. Have you ever had a

crisis of faith? You face some type of crisis in

your life and it really shook your faith. It really

determined whether you really trust it in God or whether

you're not. That's what a crisis of faith is, right.

It's a crisis that we experience. It could be relational.

It could be a financial issue. It could be a

health issue, it could be a job issue, it could

be a school issue. But something comes upon us and

as a crisis, and that Christ shakes us. It shakes

us to our core, and in that crisis that it

really reveals what our faith is in. Right. There's an

old analogy that says, if you squeeze an orange, you

see what's inside. Right, If it's an orange, you squeeze it,

what comes up orange juice or whatever it comes out? Right.

A crisis squeezes us, right, And what it does is

when it squeezes us, there reveals what's really on the

end side of us, what's really our faith there's really

in or whether it's whether it's not in anything at all.

I remember probably my most memorable crisis of faith in

my life, and it's probably because it was one of

my first crisis as a young man or a young father,

And it was Caroline's birth. And I've shared you that

story before. But when she was when Brenny was carrying

her and it was time for her to be born,

and she was having some contractions, and we went into

the hospital and as she was having her contractions, the

doctor noticed that Caroline's blood pressure was dropping and that

she was going into crisis, and so he did that.

He came in the first time. He had just moved

Brandy a little bit told her to lay on one side,

and she had another contraction or heart rate dropped. And

the third time he came in and says, if it

happens again, we're going to take her and rush her

in for emergency surgery. A cesarean to get the baby out.

And I remember it happened, and I've shared this story before,

and they came in, they got Brandy and they took

her out, and I remember they threw some scrubs at

me and says, put these on, and we're going to

take her back, and if we can, we'll come and

get you. And I remember I got the scrubs on

and they took whisked Brandy into the o r and

I remember, and this was my crisis of faith. I

remember standing outside that oar door, not knowing what was

going to happen to my child, also not knowing what

was gonna happen to my wife. And I remember in

that moment it was a crisis. Squeeze me, shook me

to my court and in that moment, I'll never get

as long as I lived in my mind, I said, Lord,

in this moment, well I trust you. I know I

was a pastor and I've been taught to say the

right thing and believe the right thing. But in that moment,

would I really believe what I said? Would I really

have faith and the one that I'd followed my whole life,

or sought to follow in my whole life. And in

that moment, not knowing whether Brandy would survive and my

child would survive, I remember praying God, I will trust you.

I will trust you no matter what happens, I will

trust you. So crisis of faith for me as we

come to this passage of scripture, we see someone who

is in a crisis of faith. You know, when we're

in a crisis, we really, we really desire our several things.

We really want God's presence right hit him to be

with us, and by being with us, we want him

to save us from what trial we're in, a tribulation

we're in. We really want comfort, peace and in the

midst of our being shaken to our core, that God

would bring us comfort and peace. We really want him

not only be with us at the beginning of the Christis,

but through the crisis. Right, those are the things that

we long for today. And I don't know as you've

come in too here this place today as Lord brought

you here, and I believe you're not here by accident.

God brought you here for this morning, for this message.

Now on enough. Today you're facing a crisis. Maybe it's

a health crisis, maybe it's a financial crisis. Christmas has

a way of making financial crisis right. It may be

a relationship issue. It's another thing Christmas can also bring.

Relationship issues, could be a job issue, could be a

school issue, academic issue. But can I tell you today,

in the midst of your crisis God wants to be

present with you as we come to this morning. We're

in our second part of our Christmas theory, and our

Christmas erey is called Messianic Gifts. And in the series,

what we've been doing is we've been looking at the

prophecies of Christ in Isaiah. And in these prophecies, as

we looked last week, their promises, their promises that something

that when the Messiah would come, he would give. And

by Messiah coming and giving this this was something that

God was giving believers through this promise Messiah. Last week

we saw the promise of God's glory coming in Jesus

and it was a promise to us. And this Messianic

gift that God's glory had come. Today we're looking at

another gift, another gift that Jesus was promised to give us.

And the second promise messianic promises Isaiah chapter seven and

isa Isaiah chapter seven is a time of crisis, like

a crisis in my life, crisis maybe in your life today.

There was a king. His name was AHAs. At the time,

Israel was divided in two parts, Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom.

Northern Kingdom was called Israel. The Southern Kingdom was called

oh thank you. That's the first time I've ever had

that type of amen. In The Northern Kingdom was called Israel.

The Southern Kingdom was called Judah, and a Has was

the king of Judah. The King of Israel had created

an alliance with a neighboring country called Syria. And this alliance,

Israel and Syria was making promises that they were going

to come and invade Judah and overtake it. It's very

similar to the same things that we see in our

world the last few years through Russia. Russia has made

partnership with other countries and they have invaded Ukraine. They're

taking over Ukraine, and that was what was happening at

a has It's time. It was a promise of Assyria,

this northern kingdom and this other kingdom which was a

northern kingdom to Syria uniting together, and they were coming

to overtake it. And Scripture says in Isaiah too that

when a has heard this, listen to this. This shows

you that this was a crisis. When a has heard

this and the people of Judah heard this, the Bible says,

it describes how they responded. Scripture says, they shook, their

hearts shook. He uses the imagery like trees shaking in

the wind. Their hearts shook within them. They were at

a crisis. God saw this. He saw the crisis where

a has in and people of visual was, I mean

the people Judah was in. And God sent a messenger

in his name was Isaiah prophet, and he sends this

prophet to a has the king. This is what the

prophet said to the king. He says, listen, don't be

don't fear. Listen. That isn't that amazing. He knows the

fear that's in their heart. He says, don't be afraid,

be careful, and don't let your hearts be troubled. And

this is the way he says. In that moment, he

said this to the king, these two nations have come

against you. Will not stand. They won't last, they will

not endure, and it will not come to pass. He

gives him that prophetic word and he tells a Has

It gives him a warning. He says to Aas, I

promise you, these two nations will not come to pass.

It will not happen. Be careful, and this is what

he says to him. He says, if you're not firm

in your faith, you will not be firm at all.

He says to this listen is very important. He says

to the king a has A Has. You're in a

crisis of faith. I'm telling you that these two nations

are not going to come or it's not going to happen.

It's not going to be a threat to you. But

you're in a crisis of faith. They have and today

you need to stand firm. You need to put your

faith in me today. Don't fear, don't be dismayed, but

be careful because right now you're in a crisis. And

today as we come to this passive scripture in Isaiah

chapter seven. Isaiah gives God gives a Has a sign

as an amazing passage of scripture in order to assure

a Has that what he said is true, that these

nations would not come about. God promises to give as

a sign, and this sign would affirm to a Has

that God's presence could be trusted. And as we look

at this sign today, this was not only a sign

for a Has, but it was a sign of the

coming Messiah. And in this sign was a gift. It's

a gift of God's presence. And today we look at

the second promise of Jesus, the second gift in Isaiah,

of this messianic promise, and it was a promise of

God's presence. Let's stand together and let's read God's word together.

We're going to start in Isaiah chapter seven and verse ten.

This is what he says, I want you to look

for this sign that God promised a Has. Verse ten.

The Bible says, the Lord's put to a Has, ask

a sign of the Lord your God. Let it be

as deep as shield and as high as heaven. But

Aas says, I will not ask, I will not put

the Lord to the tests. And he said here, then,

O house of David, is it too little for you

to weary men that you have wearied My God. Also

therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold,

the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you

shall call his name Emmanuel. And he shall eat curds

and honey. And when he knows how to refuse evil

and choose good, before the boy knows how to refuse

evil and choose good to land, and whose two kings

you dread will be deserted, the Lord will bring upon

you and upon your people, and upon the Father's house,

such days who have not come since the days of

Ephraim departed from Judah, the King of Let's pray together, Lord,

we thank you Lord for this morning. We thank you

Lord that Lord your word shows us that in the

times of our crisis, the times our hearts are shaken. God,

you know our trouble, You know our crisis. Lord, You

know how weak we are. You know the temptations that

we face, Lord, the temptation to trust you or to

reject you. Lord. You know, and you desire, Lord, that

we would put our trust in our faith in you,

And Lord, your word demonstrates Lord that your son Jesus came,

that you might deliver, you might save us, that you

might comfort us, that you might be with us. And Lord, today,

may we see the sign of your child. May we

see the gift of your presence. Father, And today may

we Lord accept Lord, the wonderful gift of Lord, your

son Jesus. May we find salvation in you today. Lord,

we love you. We thank you Lord for this word. Lord.

I pray today that I would decrease and you would increase. Lord,

that today they would not hear my words, Lord, but

they would hear your voice speaking today. Father, it's the

Lord moving this place. In your name. We pray, Amen,

you may be seated. She comes to this pastor of scripture,

you imagine this crisis, a face that a has is

in the hears this nation come against him. He's he's worried.

But can you imagine and today if you maybe you're

experienced some type of crisis, or you can take me

back to the time to have my crisis. Can you

imagine you're in that you're you're shaking as the trees

shake in your heart and your spirit, and can you

imagine the Lord coming to you, sending a prophet to

you and saying, hey, I know about your crisis. I

know what's coming, and it's not going to come to pass.

But can you imagine just to assure you, to give

you confidence that what he says is true. Imagine the

Lord saying to you, ask for me a sign, and

I'll give it to you. Can you imagine that the

Lord come in to you and say, hey, ask anything

of me, and I'll give you a sign that my

word will come true. Imagine the Lord come in to

you and say, may your sign maybe what you ask

me to be as high as heaven and as low

as shield. Anything in this world is high, as big

as it may as all maybe, or low as it

may be, or or as big as it may be,

or small as it may. Ask anything, and it will

be given to you that you might believe in my word,

that you might trust in me. That's what happened to

a has God came to him and did that very thing.

And the Bible says that AHAs says, no, I won't

ask you anything. Lord, I'm not. I don't I don't

want a sign, and I won't ask you if anything. The

Bible says, as we read in Isaiah chapter seven that

God says through Isaiah the prophet, because you don't ask,

I will give you. Listen to this, I will give

you a sign. And then in Isaiah seven we see

the sign that God promised that he would give AHAs

what was a sign. The sign was a child. It's

a baby. What do we know about this baby. The

baby would be born of a virgin. Now, in Hebrew,

this word virgin means a woman, young woman who's unmarried

and who is who is a virgin. So in Hebrew

time as a has to be looking for the sign.

This will be a woman who's not married yet and

who is a virgin. This lady is going to get

married and she's going to become pregnant, and then she's

going to have a child. And the Bible says, before

that child becomes of the age where he can distinguish

good and evil, those two nations that were going to

come and get you will be no more. There will

be nothing left with them. But when you see this child,

this child is a sign to you that My presence

is with Israel. So understand that when God gives a

has a sign, there's a purpose of the sign. What

is it when he sees the child that was to

be born, he's to know that child is a sign

that God's presence has come. You see that. It's very

important that you hear that when a has received a

sign from the Lord. In Isaiah seven, the sign was

for a has when you see the child that was born,

and that's it comes to an age and before that

child knows good and evil that those nations will be

dragged would be taken away, there'll be no more. And

that's a sign what that God's presence has come. Now

I want you to turn with Matthew to me. Matthew

chapter one, we see Jesus fulfillment in this son. That

was a little bit different, and we'll explain that. The

Bible says in Matthew chapter eighteen. Look what says now

the birth of Jesus took place in this way when

I'm sorry. Yeah. When Mary had been betrothed to Joseph

before they came together, she was found to be a

child or the Holy Spirit, and her husband, Joseph, being

a just man unwilling to put her to shame, resolved

to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things,

behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in

the dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, listen to this.

Do not fear. Take mar as your wife, for that

which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will bear a son, and you shall call his

name what Jesus, for he will save his people from

their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the

Lord had spoken by the prophet. Behold, the virgin shall

conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his

name Emmanuel, which means God with us. You remember a

has had a sign. There's a sign that a child

was going to be born of a virgin, born of

a mom who was a virgin, and that child, before

it knows good and evil, those two nations will be

taken away, and that child to be his sign. Did Immanuel,

God is with Israel. Right now we come to Matthew

Chapter one. Matthew tells us another story of a crisis

of faith. Who's in the crisis. His name is Joseph.

Joseph is in betrothed to a woman who is also

a virgin, and the Bible says, Joseph finds out that

she's pregnant. Joseph thinks that his only thing is people

who were betrothed, were the would be sworn to purity.

Now she's pregnant, he thinks that she's been unfaithful. So

the Bible says, he's in a crisis of faith. He's

trying to determine what he is to do. He is afraid,

he's fearful, and so he decides in his mind that

quietly he's going to divorce her. The Bible says, just

as much as a has was in christis of faith,

and a prophet came to a high has and says

the word of the Lord, what do not fear? The

Bible says in Matthew chapter one, God knows that Joseph

is into crisis, that Joseph is afraid, that Joseph is

shaking in his heart like the trees. And the Bible

says that God sends him not a prophet, but an angel.

And what does to say that? What is the Bible said?

The Angel says to Joseph, what It's the same words

that the Isaiah said to aas do not want fear?

But this time he explains that this mother Mary was

actually a virgin, that within her was conceived What from

the Holy Spirit. She has conceived. And it's not because

she's been unfaithful. God has giving Mary a child through

the work of the Holy Spirit. She is truly. This

is truly going to be a virgin birth. And the

Bible says, listen, and she will bear you a son,

and you shall call his name Jesus. And listen this

and all this took place in verse twenty two to

fulfill what the Lord had promised the prophet, Behold, the

virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall

call his name Emmanuel. And the Angel says to Joseph, Joseph,

when you see the child that is born of a virgin,

may you see the designs to show you listen, God's

presence has come. Matthew even so much wants you to

see this that he gives a note in the end

of the verse to in parenthesis in your Bible you'll see,

which means what God with us. Joseph. You're in the

crisis of faith, Joseph, You're trying to determine what you

want to do. And he says, Joseph, understand, the child

is a sign that in this sign, in this child

that has been born of a virgin has been conceived

by all his spirit. This child is the very presence

of God. God is with you, Joseph. You see in

Isaiah chapter seven the child was a sign that God's

presence is coming to Israel. In Matthew chapter one, when

the virgin was born to Mary, a virgin birth through

the Holy Spirit, it was a sign to the Jews

that salvation had come through the presence of God and

the Savior, whose name was Jesus. If you think about

this passage and just men, and just for a moment,

you think about this crisis of faith we think about

today this Christmas season, as we go through all the

pomp and circumstances of every year, we are to take

time every year that when we see and we see

the manger, and we see the imageries of the baby,

we to remind it was to remind us, this child

that was born of a virgin is a sign. Listen

to this. It's not just a sign for a has

not just a sign for Joseph. It's a sign for you.

It's a sign for me that we might know in

that manger that born that baby was born born of

a virgin, that you might believe that you might see

the presence of God had come that you might what

believe and what be saved. Just as a sign was

given to a has a sign has been given to

you that we might believe, We might believe that the

God's presence has come here on this earth, lived a life,

died on a cross, that you might find forgiveness of

your sins, that in the crisis of your faith, like

me standing outside that our door. And I don't know

what you're standing in the midst of right now a crisis,

But in the midst of your crisis, you might see

the child that was born in a manger and say,

I can trust him. Jesus has come and I can

trust him. You know, if you think about Christmas and

we get about the Christmas season, do you ever do

gift exchanges that your Christmas? You ever done that? Like

everybody brings a ten dollars gift? Right? You ever notice

something about gifts exchanges? Everybody gives something a little different. Right.

There's somebody always in your family, right, and they're like

the jokester, right, and so they're always going to give

a gift in the gift exchange that's going to make

everybody in the room laugh. Right, there's also one person

who really wants to give gifts to make people think.

So they're probably gonna give you a book or cross

word persal or something like that. Right. Then there's that

one family member that I always want some way to cry.

So they're gonna give you like a real sentimental gift.

You know, they probably handmade it whatever, you know. But

in every family there is these they bring different gifts,

and that brings a different presence different. But also there's

there are not people who bring different gifts, but people's

personalities are different, right, and when they come to Christmas, right,

they they bring a different presence, almost like people when

you you ever bring different different meals or different dishes. Right,

Someone's always going to bring something salty, Right, Someone's always

gonna bring something sweet, Someone's always gonna bring something warm. Right.

But not only they bring gifts that are different, food

that are different, but some people's presence brings different things

to the room. Right. There's always that one family member

that always want to make people laugh. Right, There's all

that one family member that's always sweet, always puts, always

makes you feel just loved. Right, There's that one family

member that's always a little salty, right, a little snappy. Right,

watch out when they open up their gifts. Right. And

then there's that one little that's the one family member.

This is always a little spicy, you know what I mean.

They're a little bit judging. How much have you eaten

this Christmas? Well you sure have put on a little

bit of Wait, you know, that's that salty family member.

But everybody's presence brings something different, right, Well, I want

you to understand as we continue in this passage of scripture,

Jesus's presence and what he brings is different for different people.

Why because reality is, some have trusted in Jesus and

therefore his presence brings certain things. But some have rejected Jesus,

and therefore his coming presence means something different. I want

you to see this. In Matthew's Gospel, Matthew writes through

this is very important for Matthew to see that when

Jesus came, and when this sign that came, he was

a gift of God's presence. And what would God's presence

bring to his people? For those who would trust him,

what would Jesus' presence bring to them? Listen to this

and the Bible says in Matthew chapter one, verse twenty one,

we just read it a moment ago, and she will

bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Why what will this Jesus incarnate God with us bring

to his people those who trust him? Listen, for he

will save his people from their sins. What is it

for those that trust in God's presence? God's presence saves.

You think about the passages, and think about the Gospel,

and reading through the Gospel, you think about all those

people who were sinners, separated from a God that loved them. Zacheus,

the ultimate sinner, tax collector, rejected by all men because

of the evil the crooked ways in which he lived.

And Jesus came and saw Zacheus hanging in the tree

and says, today, zych Chius, I will be in your home.

Today's salvation has come to your home. Or the woman

not the well who'd been who had had five husbands

and who had been rejecting, an outcast of the city.

Jesus came to her that she might find salvation. Or

the woman called an adultery when all the religious leaders

came to her, and Jesus drawing in on the on

the dirt, says, go and w sin no more Jesus.

When Jesus came at Christmas. The gift at God's presence

is Jesus come that he might save you from your sins.

Jesus came at Christmas, God Emmanuel, he came that he

might save you from your sins. Now, hey, did he

come that he might save you from his sins. But

another imagery we see consistently throughout all the Gospel, mean,

throughout all the gospels, is that God's presence comforts shortest pastors.

In all scriptures. What Jesus wept as that Chius dies

and he comes into Marry and Martha, and he sees

the grief and the grieving in the hearts of Mary

and Martha. Jesus weeps. We see the presence of Jesus

when Thomas is doubting and he says, I won't believe

unless I see with my own ants, and I put

my hand in his side. He walks into the room

in the midst of the christis of faith for Thomas,

and he says, Thomas, peace be with you. We see

the imagery in John sixteen, where Jesus says, I must go,

that what the help for the comforter may come. Listen,

Jesus came at Christmas. Jesus came in the gift of

God's presence, that save you. But listen, Jesus came and

the gift of his presence, and I always save you,

but that he might comfort you in all your sins.

He might comfort you in all your sorrows, that he

might comfort you in all your crisis. The gift of

Jesus' presence for those who trust him. His presence saves

for those who trust him. With his presence comforts for

those who trust him. His presence endures. Wonderful thing about Jesus,

if you trust him, is he will never leave you

nor forsake you. His promise endures through every Christis, through

every trial, through every tribulation. His presence is with you.

That was a theme for Matthew throughout Matthew's gospel. He

wanted readers to see. Jesus came to save the zach Chisis,

the women called an adultery. He came to save those

who were far off. But also he came that he

might comfort those who were weeping over lost, those who

were weeping over sorrow in their life. He came to

bring comfort, be also came to be with us, to

be present with us, to walk with us, to be

with us and our sorrows, to be with our things,

but to be with us forever. Jesus' presence endures. You know,

this week I head of school, doctor Cheryl, I asked

you to pray for him. He's our interm head of

school is here. He's been with us a few years.

But this week he's announced that his wife has stage

four cancer. They've been to the doctors, they've had all

the scans, and they went just a week or so

ago with the doctors to get a treatment plan, and

I admired doctor Cheryl and his wife, Debbie. Pray for her.

One of the things that doctor Cheryl said to me

is he says, you know, Debbie's faith is strong, and

he says, we don't know what Liz ahead, but she

loves the Lord and her faith is in the Lord. Yeah, treatments,

of course, can provide some type of maybe care plan,

and they're looking into that. But his her faith, it's

not in the doctors, it's not in a treatment plan.

Her faith is him. No matter what, the Lord will

be with her. The Lord who saved her will be

the one who will be with her now and forevermore.

And that's what our faith is in, you know, that's

the beauty. One of my favorite passages of scripture Revelation

twenty one. Revelation twenty one is when Jesus redeems all things,

this consummation of all things and the Revelation twenty one. John,

the one who writes revelation, hears a voice, and whose

voices is God's voice? And what does God say? Listen

to this? Behold, the dwelling place of God is with men,

and He will dwell with them, and they will be

his people. And God himself will be with them as

their God, and he'll wipe away ever tear from their eyes.

Death shall be no more, and neither shall be mourning,

nor crying, nor paining no more the former things that

passed away. The beautiful thing is Lord at Chris. When

we celebrate the gift of God's presence that came in

that manger, it reminds us that a savior that came

that he might save us from our sins, a savior

that came that he might comfort us in all our iniquities,

but a savior who came that he might be with

us now when forevermore, and one day in eternity everything

that brought us pain and brought us crisis in this life,

he'll wipe away every tear from our eyes and will

be with him forever. And those are the gifts of

God's presence. And his presence brings those who brings these

things to those who trust him. But the reality is today,

as we stand here and we read God's word, not

all those trust him, do they? Now? All those receive him.

We see that in the Gospels, and we see that

in Isaiah chapter seven. Truth isaiahas did not trust in

the Lord. When God asked him from her sign, he

rejected him. And in Isaiah chapter seven, God says, Isaiah,

I mean a has I'm going to give you a sign,

and that's a sign a child's gonna be born. And

before this child is born to know good and evil,

Assyria is going to come and they're going to destroy

the people that Syria and Israel that as Syria is

also coming to destroy you. You can read that in

seventeen through twenty five. He uses the imagery. He'll whistle

I was coach, and we would use whistle to call

the team together. Right, He says, I'll whistle for Assyria.

By the way, in the second kings A has puts this.

He he doesn't trust the Lord, so what does he do.

He takes money from the treasury of the Lord and

he sends it to Assyria, which is the world power

at the time, that they might protect him and Israel.

I mean Judah, if Israel and Syria comes, and he says,

the one that you put your trust in, I will whistle,

and they will come and destroy you. You see, for

Ah has the coming, the sign of the child that

was come, the sign that was the coming of God's

presence wasn't a sign of God's salvation. It was a

sign of God's coming judgment. And God's presence that was

coming was the presence of God's judgment. Is you look

at prophecies like Isaiah seven, we understand in prophecies some

are prophecies that are focused more on the first coming

of Jesus, like this passage, it's the promise of Jesus'

presence is coming. Matthew understands this sign is a sign

of Jesus coming to save. Can I tell you that.

In Matthew chapter one, we see Jesus Emmanuel God with us,

and Jesus comes to say, those who trust him? But

can I tell you that I stand on the authority

the word of God to tell you that Isaiah chapter

seven is also pointing to us to those who reject him.

When Jesus comes again in his second coming, Jesus is

coming to judge. He's coming to jos judge those who

rejected his child, rejected his presence and rejected his gift

of salvation. What will that presence look like? Well, Jesus

told us that Matthew, and Matthew tells this that Matthew

seven twenty one through twenty three, we see that there

will be a day when Jesus is a great white

throne judgment, and there will be those who stand before

the Lord. And in that day there will be those

who say, Lord, Lord, and who will want to enter

into the Kingdom of Heaven. And He'll declare for you

to them, depart from me, For I never knew you.

There's coming a day when Jesus comes comes again, that

he'll judge those who rejected him, and God's presence coming

for those who reject his presence, coming to judge God's presence.

Second coming, God's presence separates. In Matthew twenty five thirty one,

we see when the son of Man comes and his

gloriate with all the angels with him. He will sit

on his glory's throne, and for him will be gathered

all nations, and he'll separate people from one another, as

a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. You know,

Jesus came that he might save us, But Jesus came

that he might comfort us. And Jesus came that he

might be with us. But for those who rejected his son,

rejected the gift of Jesus. When Jesus comes again, Jesus

coming to judge, and Jesus comes to separate, and he

comes to separate his people from those who rejected, those

who trust him, and those who reject him, and they'll

be separated from the presence of God forever. That's part

of God's judgment. In Matthew twenty five, verse forty one,

and he'll say to those on the left, depart from me,

Depart listen from me. Cursed into eternal fire, prepared for

the devil and his angers. Probably one of the most

gregious parts is not only the fire of hell, but

the understanding of being separated from a God who loves

you for all eternity, a God who came incarnate virgin

board in order to be with his people who would

trust him. And to be separated from a God that

loves you, a God who came and died on the

cross for your sins. When God comes again, his presence

will judge, his presence will separate. And lastly, God's punishment

endures another aspect of God's coming judgment for those who

reject his gift of his son, God's punishment. Wonder the

Bible says in Matthew twenty five forty one, he will

say to part from me, you curse into eternal fire.

In forty six, it says, and these will go away

into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Striking,

isn't it such a wonderful gift of Jesus, the sign

that you and I might believe in his son, that

he came that we might find salvation from our sins.

He came that he might comfort us in this the

tragedies and the crisis of his life. He came that

He might be with us in the good times in

the bad times, for all eternity. But for those who

reject him, like a has who see the signs but

says no, thank you God, I'm okay, they don't receive

his presence. They don't receive his salvation, and in turn

they received judgment, separation, and eternal punishment. Ask you today,

Christmas is about us seeing the sign and seeing that

Jesus born in a manger, was the gift of God's

presence that we might find salvation, that we might find comfort,

that we might enjoy His presence forever. Have you trusted

in him? God came to a has, God came to Joseph.

They had a choice, trust or reject Joseph trusted a

has rejected. God comes to you today at this Christmas season,

and you have a choice to trust him or reject him. Today.

May you see the sign and believe, and may you

experience the forgiveness of sin the comfort of God's presence forevermore.

Will you pray with me? Lord, We love you. I

thank you Lord for this morning. Thank you Lord, for Lord.

A very powerful passage of scripture or powerful reminder that

God you came at Christmas. You came, Lord, as in

the form of a child born of a virgin, that

we might see Emmanuel, God with us has come, and

that God, you came at Christmas that we might be saved. Lord,

I pray for those that are here in this sound

of my voice, watching on TV. Those are in a

crisis of faith, and today they're determining whether they will

trust you, whether they're worject you. Lord. I pray there

will be those today that would put their trust in

you for salvation. Lord. They will trust you with their lives. Lord,

they'll trust you with their heart. Lord. I pray Lord

that people will respond Lord, the calling of your word today,

the leading of your spirit. We thank you Lord for

this message. Lord, lead us to respond. Now in your name,

we pray. Amen. Jesus paid to