WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:07.599 This is the word of the Lord, and we say thanks be to God for that word because we get two names out of that passage that are incredibly meaningful to us. 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:10.320 We get this name Jesus and we get this name Emmanuel. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:15.199 And so we're going to spend the next 15 minutes or so and we're going to talk about these two names because we say them a lot. 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:16.879 We sing the name Jesus a lot. 00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:17.679 We sing it a lot. 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:19.120 We say the name Emmanuel a lot. 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:21.039 We sing that name or we hear that name. 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:22.960 And so we're just going to take about 15 minutes. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:28.719 We're going to talk about these two names, what these names mean, and possibly what they might mean for your heart and for your life. 00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:32.240 So a month ago, uh, I was in my office Sunday morning. 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:35.280 A month ago, I was in my office, I was reviewing the sermon for the morning. 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:38.880 It was about nine o'clock, and my phone buzzed. 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:39.920 Uh it buzzed. 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:42.880 I looked over and it was a report. 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:45.920 My phone was giving me a report on my iPhone usage. 00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:47.280 Is anybody getting these? 00:00:47.359 --> 00:00:49.679 I I didn't, I didn't I don't know how it started. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:50.880 It just started. 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:54.479 Um, one of those things that just started, so I didn't sign up for it. 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:55.359 I'm not sure. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:01:03.679 But it started, and I looked at it and I saw my usage for the week, and I thought to myself, oh, this is interesting because I don't want to be on my phone all the time. 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:05.519 So this is this could be this could be helpful. 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:09.280 This could be something kind of fun for the next few weeks or next months. 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:12.400 Maybe maybe this could help me with this part of my life. 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:19.439 And so uh that next week I sort of thought about it some and and then the next Sunday, sure enough, same time, my phone buzzed. 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:24.319 I was preparing for the sermon, I looked down, and my my phone usage was was down. 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:25.200 It was less. 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:32.239 And I immediately felt superior to my wife, which I was sure had more usage than me. 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:43.200 And and even like the next day, I was in the line at Chipotle, and everybody's on their phones, and I refused to get my phone out because I knew I could get that usage down even further. 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:46.959 But then that next Sunday, something happened, and what happened was my phone buzzed again. 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:52.719 I'm in my chair, I'm at my desk, going over the sermon, and my phone buzzed again, and my usage was up. 00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:55.519 You know, right? 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:58.319 Like I tried harder and my usage was up. 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:01.680 It's sort of demoralizing to some extent. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:05.680 And in each Sunday, the past month or so, my phone has done this. 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:06.239 I don't know. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:12.479 It has buzzed, it's given me a report, like a divine watcher over me, reporting to me. 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:15.039 And yesterday it did it. 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:22.000 And even before I looked at it, whether I was winning or losing, I was filled with anxiety. 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:24.639 Even I didn't even know if I was winning or losing. 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:26.639 I was filled with anxiety. 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:30.479 And when I was improving, I I did feel better than you. 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:32.319 I mean, all of you. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:33.360 I really did. 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:38.639 Like I'd see you out or you were on your phone, and I felt, I really did feel better. 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:45.599 And and then when I wasn't improving, like the week where I got the bad report, I I felt sort of ashamed. 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:48.240 I felt like I should have used my time better. 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:49.680 I should have been reading C.S. 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:54.000 Lewis with that additional 45 minutes that I went over from the week before. 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:57.039 And this is what this is what a life of scorekeeping does. 00:02:57.199 --> 00:02:59.039 It'll eventually end up with this. 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:02.400 It ends up with either pride or despair. 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:05.280 And scorekeeping is a part of this life, right? 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:11.680 I mean, we we have grades, uh, we have workouts, we have we we have chore charts, we have bonus structures, right? 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:13.520 So it's a part of this life. 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:16.879 It will, scorekeeping will govern this world. 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:26.000 But as soon as we let it govern our inner life, we have we have moved into judgment. 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:33.439 As soon as we let scorekeeping begin to inform us about our righteousness or our worth, we've moved into judgment. 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:35.280 So these two names, right? 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:36.400 In Matthew 1. 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:38.960 You'll call them Jesus, you'll call them Emmanuel. 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:40.400 Names in the Bible mean something. 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:43.039 They lead us somewhere, they're not arbitrary. 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:45.840 So, point number one is this, we'll make a few points as we go. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:47.919 Point number one is this about the name Jesus. 00:03:48.080 --> 00:03:50.240 Jesus means Savior. 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:52.080 That's what the name means. 00:03:52.240 --> 00:04:03.439 Jesus means savior, which means you don't have to be your own savior. 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:04.479 Okay, we're together. 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:05.840 That was great. 00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:08.000 That was wonderful. 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:10.400 We're not perfect, right? 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:11.840 I mean, it took you five seconds. 00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:13.199 I thought it would take two. 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:18.480 We use our phones too much, we're prideful, we're judgmental, we are. 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.480 Uh we're not, we don't listen as much to other people as we should. 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:24.160 We're not as kind as we should be. 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:27.439 Sometimes we're kind, uh, but then we're kind of kind with selfish motives. 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:32.720 Sometimes we don't even realize the selfish motives until like three years later, and then you go, oh, that's what that was about. 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.079 Sometimes we love things too much that we shouldn't love. 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:40.160 Sometimes we love our work too much, we love our bodies too much, we love our money too much. 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:43.839 And I don't say any of that to say, like, shame on you or shame on me. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:46.160 I say that just to say, we're not perfect, right? 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:47.120 We're just not perfect. 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:48.639 That's why we started with confessional prayer. 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:49.680 We're not perfect. 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:53.519 And this Jesus doesn't show up and come to us. 00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:59.360 This incarnate God doesn't show up to help us with our report. 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:04.079 He doesn't show up to come and give you a gold star for all the good kids. 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:06.160 That's not what he does. 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:10.959 He comes to save the lost, heal the broken. 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:13.040 That's what Christmas is. 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:19.199 It's a gift, it's headed to the cross where gloriously this gift of imputation occurs, right? 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:25.360 Our sin is moved over to Jesus on the cross, and his righteousness is given to us. 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:30.160 We talk about the prodigal son story in our church a lot. 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:34.720 I feel like I actually went back and searched the last time we talked about it, and it'd been about three months. 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:38.399 And it's sort of about on average, about every three months, it pops up in a sermon. 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:46.399 And the reason why is it helps us see ourselves so clearly, and it helps us see the welcoming heart of God so clearly. 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:47.680 So let me remind you of the story. 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:49.199 So the story that never gets old. 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:51.920 There's a family, there's a dad, there's two sons. 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:54.240 The younger son comes to the dad. 00:05:54.480 --> 00:06:02.560 Dad probably has a good bit of money, some amount of money, enough to have an inheritance that you want, and the younger son comes to the dad and says, Hey, I want my inheritance now. 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:03.839 Can I have my portion now? 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:05.759 Which would have been offensive. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:08.639 I mean, that would even be offensive today. 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:12.560 And the dad says, Oh, that's fine, you can you can have it. 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:17.920 The son takes the inheritance, he runs off to another country to do his own thing. 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:26.480 This would sort of be like us saying to God, I'm good, like I'm good, like I understand like you want to do the saving thing with me, uh, but I'm good. 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:28.319 I don't really need you in my life. 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:29.439 I don't need your love. 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:31.279 I'll be my own savior. 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:33.680 Give me my inheritance, I'll go do my own thing. 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:40.240 So this young son, he goes off to another country and he's partying, he's spending, he's he's got he's having a great time. 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:47.600 He thinks he's having a great time, and he is living it up, and then the money starts to run out, and the money does run out, and then he's broken. 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:54.560 He's broken financially, he's broken morally, eventually starts to work for a farm, he's starving to death. 00:06:54.800 --> 00:07:02.639 He's feeling the weight of all of his mistakes, he's feeling the weight of his shame, and then the judgment begins. 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:05.120 I'm a failure. 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:08.160 I'm not enough. 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:10.399 I have nowhere to go. 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:13.360 He's at the end of himself. 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:15.519 He's lost. 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:20.240 And Luke 15 says he came to his senses. 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:22.800 He remembered his dad. 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:25.839 He prepares this little speech, right? 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:30.800 Like, like, I'm you know, I'm repentant, I'll work my way back in, just hire me in as one of your servants. 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:34.720 He prepares this little speech to come back, he's gonna work his way back into the families. 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:37.839 He thinks this is how it's gonna work, and it's not how it's gonna work. 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:41.040 At verse 28 of Luke 15, I'll read the passage. 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:46.560 But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, was filled with compassion for him. 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:49.600 He ran to his son, threw his arms around him, kissed him. 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:52.399 The son said to him, Father, so he's starting out a speech, he's ready. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:54.480 Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:56.480 I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:07:56.720 --> 00:08:04.480 But the father said, right, so so the son is ready to work in this relationship in one method, a little bit of merit. 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:16.959 But the father said to his servants, quick, bring the best robe, put it on him, put a ring on his finger, sandals on his feet, bring the fattened calf and kill it. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:19.600 Let's have a feast and celebrate. 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:22.160 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again. 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.439 He was lost and is found, so they began to celebrate. 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:27.120 So the father runs to him. 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:28.639 No report, right? 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:29.920 Like no report needed. 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:31.519 No, like, like, hey, where you been? 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:32.559 Hey, where'd the money go? 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:33.279 How'd you divide that up? 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:34.639 Where do you have any left? 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:36.799 No report required. 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:38.960 Just grace over him. 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:40.799 No shame, no shame on you. 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:42.240 Grace on you. 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:48.000 Then there's the elder son, which I've related to probably more in my life, is this elder son. 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:49.919 This elder son didn't like any of this. 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:52.559 He would not have liked Christmas, this elder son. 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:58.720 All these years I've been slaving away for you, dad. 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:02.799 You've never given me a party like this. 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:10.320 See, right, right, he's thinking, my little brother, he's disrespected you, he's disrespected the family. 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:12.159 He didn't deserve this. 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:16.960 And at the very least, if we let him back in, he should have to work. 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:20.720 And this brother is proud of how good he is. 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:23.200 He's judgmental. 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:26.240 He's self-consumed with his own record. 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:30.720 He makes himself feel better by comparing himself to other people. 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:35.039 And he has no ability to extend compassion to other people. 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:39.759 He's thinking, what's this free absolution stuff? 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:42.639 What's this free acceptance stuff? 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:44.240 What's that? 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:52.799 The elder brother thinks that the younger brother should have to work his way to the family, and the elder brother thinks that he should have to work to keep himself in the family. 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:57.840 But verse 31, the father says to the older brother, hey, you're always you're always with me. 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:00.879 Everything I have is yours. 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:05.840 God's not the divine watcher over you, over either of these brothers. 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:08.080 He's not the divine watcher going, shame on you. 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:12.320 I'll send you your report on Sunday morning about how good you are. 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:17.200 The Father's saying, grace over you because of my goodness. 00:10:17.440 --> 00:10:18.799 You don't have to save yourself. 00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:20.480 You can stop doing that. 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:25.279 You don't have to earn your forgiveness or righteousness with God or worth in this world. 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:26.080 You can stop. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:28.000 You can lay that down. 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:30.799 Jesus means Savior. 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:32.399 Second name, Emmanuel. 00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:39.200 Emmanuel means God is with us, which means you are never alone. 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:42.799 About five years ago, a good friend of mine passed away. 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:45.360 It was sudden and it was tragic. 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:52.720 I went to his house where his parents were and we wept and we tried to plan the next couple of days. 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:56.159 And the day before the funeral, I was at home. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:58.320 I was prepping for my first funeral. 00:10:58.399 --> 00:10:59.360 I'd never done a funeral before. 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:03.759 It was my friend's funeral, so I was grieving, I was sad, I was trying to hold it together, and all these feelings. 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:06.879 And I get a text from my mentor at the time, his name was Jim. 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:11.200 And Jim he texted me, he said, What time are you leaving for the funeral in the morning? 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:12.080 And I said, 9 a.m. 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:13.039 He said, That's great. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:15.919 I'll be at your house at 8:45 to drive you. 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:22.000 And that was a little unusual, it's strange to me because Jim didn't really know my friend who passed away. 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:24.960 Jim wouldn't know probably most of the people at the funeral. 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:26.240 But he said, I'll be there. 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:28.559 So he shows up at our house at 8.45. 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:30.240 He's dressed in his suit. 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:31.679 He drove me. 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:34.480 He walked beside me. 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:36.639 He stood beside me. 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:39.919 He got the mic from the tech guy. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:41.679 He put the mic on me. 00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:48.559 While I'm talking to the musician and working stuff out with the family and how everything's going, he went and got me a cup of water. 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:53.600 And my friend was still still dead. 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:57.279 And they were still grieving all over. 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:04.639 But there's just something powerful. 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:08.799 To know you're not alone. 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:12.000 It doesn't solve all the problems. 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:17.120 But just to know you're not alone is a powerful thing. 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:21.279 See, God's presence doesn't mean your problems are gone. 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:24.480 It doesn't mean you're perfect. 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:32.720 It just means God desires to enter your mess, your imperfection, your brokenness, your wounds, your loss this year. 00:12:33.039 --> 00:12:34.080 Your hurt. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:41.200 And to love you as you are, and to begin healing you in those places. 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:44.000 There's this amazing verse in Galatians. 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:45.759 It ties this up pretty well. 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:47.279 I don't know, maybe I just love this verse. 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:49.200 Galatians 4, 4 through 7. 00:12:49.360 --> 00:13:06.080 It says this but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:08.480 And we could say adoption as children. 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:16.000 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba Father. 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:19.759 So you are no longer a slave, but a son. 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:21.679 A child. 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:25.840 And if a child, then an heir through God. 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:28.399 So we aren't under the law anymore. 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:36.399 What that would mean is we don't have to record and report our righteousness to God to be valuable or to be righteous. 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:38.720 We are free from the righteousness report. 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:41.360 We're also not valuable because of our resumes. 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:46.399 We're not valuable by what we produce or who we can attract. 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:59.600 The Spirit is proclaiming in you that you are beloved, and inside of you a cry can come out that calls God Abba Father. 00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:03.759 Now that's a crazy thought to the people at the time that would have received this letter. 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:08.240 The Jewish people at this time, they used the name for God Yahweh. 00:14:08.399 --> 00:14:10.480 We spell in our Bible L-O-R-D. 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:13.279 They spelled it Y-H-V-H. 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:16.799 And some Jews didn't even pronounce that name aloud. 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:18.080 They just wrote it. 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:21.039 Because they had such awe for God. 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:22.720 And it was a distant awe. 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:26.559 So Ahba Father was a far, far way out idea. 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:35.039 Now some other Jews believe that that spelling Y-H-V-H was as close as you could get to spelling out the sound of breath. 00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:44.320 Perhaps their way of saying that's how near, that's how present, that's how with us he is. 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:48.240 Which brings us to our last point, point number three. 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:51.200 And it's a long point, it's it's wordy. 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:54.320 I just admit it, but I would I liked it. 00:14:55.200 --> 00:15:06.159 God is always and forever and his saving righteousness and saving wholeness being proclaimed over and in you. 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:15.279 God is always and forever in his saving righteousness and saving wholeness being proclaimed over and in you? 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:22.399 What if, what if you are not the accumulation of your achievements or your righteous deeds? 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:25.600 What if you're a child? 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:33.919 What if Jesus is so gracious and so sufficient that there's no record of your good and bad deeds? 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:36.879 There's just a record of his righteousness? 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:47.120 What if every time you're afraid or burdened, you are also always immersed in God's presence and power and freedom? 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:57.440 And what if, what if all this faith stuff, all this faith stuff is always about his love and pursuit of you before your love and pursuit of him. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:01.840 My brothers and sisters, may you rest in the Christmas story. 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:04.159 May you know Jesus as Savior. 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:06.639 And know this Emmanuel who is always with you. 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:08.159 Let's pray together. 00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:12.080 God, thank you for your goodness and righteousness, which is what we need. 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:14.559 May we know Jesus as Savior. 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:19.360 May we know Jesus as Emmanuel. 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:28.879 May we know this nearness that you are always proclaiming over us and in us, saving righteousness and saving wholeness. 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:35.840 Would you help us in our lack of faith to trust you in greater ways and honor you with our lives? 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:36.879 In Jesus' name. 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:37.759 Amen.