Emmanuel, meaning 'God with us,' is the central truth that anchors believers, even in the direst circumstances, as exemplified by two Christians in a Chinese prison who chose this single word to communicate their shared hope. The sermon emphasizes that Christ is the solid fact, the one person worth knowing, worshiping, and trusting, overriding any external religious observances or self-imposed humility. Knowing Christ leads to loving and serving Him, finding complete life and salvation. The message calls believers to hold fast to this foundational truth, trusting in Christ's sufficiency for spiritual growth and enduring joy.
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Good morning. Time again for moments of melody. Two Christians during a war in China wanted to communicate with each other across the isolation of their prison cells. They were given at Christmas the privilege of exchanging one word, and this was the word they chose, each unknown to the other, Emmanuel.
All the horror of their situation could not alter the fact that God was with them. God through his Son, Jesus Christ. We read in Matthew, And they shall call his name Emmanuel which being interpreted is God with us. Yes, that's the meaning. The meaning of the Lord Jesus to us. God with us. Oh, he is to love him.
To love him. He is to serve him. I have met the Savior. Life is made complete. Now I live and serve him till the day we meet. At his invitation, I gave him my heart. He gave his salvation, new life to him. know him is to love him to love him is to serve him I'm living to plead him his will to fulfill I trust him as my Savior.
He will my love guide. He knows me and keeps me. I'll stay by his side. God, do you know the Savior is your life complete? Come on, ye that labor, satisfy your need. And now we read the sacred scriptures. We hope you'll pause as we read together from God's holy word. St. Paul's letter to the Colossians.
In view of these tremendous facts, don't let anyone worry you by criticizing what you eat or drink or about holy days that you ought to observe or bothering you about new moons or Sabbaths. All these things have at most only a symbolical value. The solid fact is Christ. Nor let any man cheat you of your joy in Christ by persuading you to make yourselves humble and fall down and worship angels. Such a man, inflated by an unspiritual imagination, is pushing his way into matters he knows nothing about, and in his cleverness is forgetting the head.
It is from the head alone that the body, by natural channels, is nourished and built up. and grows according to God's laws of growth. The solid fact is Christ, as we've just read. He's the one person worth knowing, talking about, worshiping, yes, worth trusting as Savior.