Emmanuel: God With Us

Pastor Bill Bush · Apr 8, 2024

Matthew 1 opens the gospel by declaring that Jesus is Emmanuel — God with us. Pastor Bill argues that this truth is not merely a title but a transformative reality: God did not observe humanity from a distance but entered the game, experiencing everything we experience. Drawing on Isaiah 9:6's four titles — Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace — and the story of Hagar, he challenges listeners to move beyond believing in God to actually believing God, trusting His counsel even when it is beyond comprehension, so that His mighty power can be made real in their lives.

Pastor Bill Bush · Dec 25, 2023

Pastor Bill argues that we instinctively try to cover the darkness and dysfunction of our lives with decorations, busyness, and self-improvement — much like throwing Christmas lights on a porta potty. The real meaning of Christmas is not distraction but direction: God Himself, in Jesus Christ, chose to enter our chaos, live the perfect life we could never live, and die and rise again to rescue us from sin. Salvation is not earned by getting on God's 'nice list' but received by confessing our sin and placing faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Pastor Bill Bush · Dec 25, 2020

In a year defined by powerlessness and lost control, Christmas speaks directly to that pain: it is the announcement that God did not stay distant but dove into the darkness with us. The shepherds — poor, outcast, stuck — experienced no change in their circumstances after seeing Jesus, yet they left glorifying and praising God. The only thing that changed was where they looked. True joy, peace, contentment, and fulfillment are never found in what life presents, good or bad, but in the presence of the One who gives life. That is what Emmanuel — God with us — means, and that is the irreducible heart of Christmas.