Immanuel
Romans 16:14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them.
♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #393 Great is Thy Faithfulness (#447 in previous version)
God promised to be with us. Depending on how much you enjoy this answer, your Christian walk may change. The blessing the seven Remnants. and lay people of the Early Church received was Immanuel. Including Hermas, as recorded in today’s passage, all the individuals named in Romans chapter 16 enjoyed the blessing of Immanuel. Whatever you do, wherever you are, you must be able to enjoy the blessing of Immanuel. If you want to enjoy the blessing of Immanuel, how must you begin?
1. Seeing the blessing of God being with you amidst problems
When we enter reality, we will be faced with many problems. However, if we go forth without enjoying the blessing of Immanuel, we will have no choice but to waver. The Early Church that was doing the Gospel movement faced problems, persecutions, and death that was completely unimaginable and undoable with man’s strength. But because the Early Church was enjoying this blessing, they changed all arising problems into answers. The phrase all evangelists and children of God must hold firmly to is, “God is with us.” Only God can solve our problems.
2. Enjoying the blessing of God being with you
To what extent did Joseph’s older brothers and Potiphar’s wife torment Joseph? If Joseph was unable to realistically enjoy Immanuel, he would not have been able to endure these hardships. On the other hand, through Immanuel, Joseph turned all problems into God’s blessings. Immanuel is the power of all powers. King Saul attempted to murder David with his royal authority. A man named Shimei cursed David. However, David made all of these things into the greatest blessings of his life. David was already enjoying the blessing of Immanuel since a young age. Immanuel is a privilege enjoyed by those who are saved.
3. Enjoying the mystery of God being with you within evangelism and missions
The heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11 enjoyed this blessing. Jesus’ disciples and the disciples of the Early Church enjoyed the blessing of God being with them in the field. Even the workers of Romans chapter 16 were able to evangelize in Rome and the world by enjoying the mystery of God being with them in the fields of Rome and world missions.
-Everything is included in the blessing of Immanuel. If you are to start, continue, and end in this blessing, great answers will arise. How must I begin with the blessing of Immanuel now?
Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 2nd Service / 2010.05.23