God With Us & For Us
Good morning, Immanuel. We don't need to make deals with God. The deal was made at the cross.
“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:36-39).
Friends, we cannot easily underestimate the love of our Lord when we stop to consider the cup that he drank on our behalf. There was never a man born braver than Jesus. He sleeps in a raging sea in front of the boat, unafraid. Demons run from him. Death itself gives way to his command. And yet when he looked into the cup of God's wrath against our sin, he shuttered. His very body had to be brought into alignment with a task that his heart carved out for him. And this is why I say we always underestimate his strength and love for us.
What is it that held him on the course to the cross? It was nothing less than the great love of God in his heart for sinners like us. “Those great drops of blood that fell down to the ground,” says Edwards, “were a manifestation of an ocean of love in Christ's heart.”
He's God with us, absorbing our failures into himself, and he's God for us binding his strength to our weakness. If we want to live mightily for Jesus, we have to collapse as failures into the arms of Christ. We don't need to make deals with God. The deal was made at the cross. We don't have to distinguish ourselves from others through our zeal. It's his zeal that writes the check for our salvation. Our zeal is always writing bad checks. Here's the wonderful gospel irony: only by resting in Jesus Christ can we actually find the energy to live for the glory of God. When we discover the finished work of Christ alone for salvation, and we begin to rest in him, the natural thing that happens is a reviving of the heart that leads to the energy we didn't have before.
MIDWEEK UPDATES
NO WEDNESDAY NIGHT TONIGHT — We are off for winter break. Please join us again starting on Wednesday, January 10th!
Celebration Sunday…
Watch the Sunday Service - This Sunday was a huge blessing as Pastor Sam Allberry preached the gospel to us from Luke!
Looking Forward…
Sunday Morning, December 24th: CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES (@ 9 am & 10:45 am)
Sunday Evening, December 24th: CHRISTMAS EVE HOLY COMMUNION (@ 4 pm)
Sunday, January 14th: DISCOVER RECEPTION - The next Discover Reception will be hosted in the cafe on January 14th at 10:45 am. If you are new or newish and looking to learn more about Immanuel, RSVP here.
Saturday, January 20th: NEXT STEPS ONE DAY EVENT- Join us on Saturday, January 20th, from 9 am-2 pm in the cafe for Next Steps Day. We will cover the material for all four sessions. Coffee and lunch will be provided. RSVP here.
Participation…
End of Year Giving - Our mission is to make the real Jesus non-ignorable in our city and far beyond. Will you partner with us today? One easy way in is by giving to our Tenth Generation Prayer. Every donation helps us plan for strategic ministry in the coming months and years. Would you consider giving today?
Praise God. Thank you TJ 🙏🏼