Live Free with Josh Howerton - The Meaning of Jesus | Ep. 230 | Friday, December 22, 2023

Episode Date: December 22, 2023

Do you know the meaning of your name? One of Jesus’ names, Immanuel, means God with us. He, the Word, became flesh and dwelled on earth with sinful humanity out of His infinite love for us. Because Jesus came to be with us, we can be with Him forever. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. This Christmas, we want to invite you and your family to join us for our candlelight services on December 22nd through 24th at any of our six locations. or for church online. For more information, visit lakepoint. com.com slash daily drive.

And now, let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, welcome to the Daily Drive podcast, so honored that you would dive in with us for a few minutes today. My name is Mike Bro, and this week we've been asking the question just who is this baby in a manger. And we've been unpacking some of the titles

given to Jesus in a prophecy that was written about 700 years before the events in Bethland that we will read about, and we sing about. We learned so far that he is a wonderful counselor. You can tell him anything. And he always listens with empathy and wisdom and compassion

and this dialed in personal attention. We learn that he is the mighty God. He is the one who spoke the universe into existence. He is the everlasting father. He is the great I am, who just always has been and always is and always will be. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yesterday we talked about how he is the Prince of Peace.

And while the world describes peace as the absence of conflict, the peace he gives is a calm in the middle of the chaos, and he will give it to anyone who will draw close to him. I'd like to wrap up this week with one more name. The name is Emmanuel. It simply means God with us. I love the story that the late Chuck Colson tells about delivering gifts from Project Angel Tree.

Chuck was the founder of Prison Fellowship. where in this ministry project agency was where people like us would buy gifts on behalf of inmates because they couldn't get out the shop to give to their kids on Christmas morning. It's a really cool ministry. He tells a story about taking a bunch of gifts to a housing project downtown Washington, D.C. And he gets to the house and the door is open and the kids see him walking up with all these gifts in his arms. And they open the door and he walks in. This little boy runs across the room and hugs him.

And he says, he says, what's your name? What's your name? He said, my name is Chuck. I'm here with some presents from your dad. And he goes, what's your name? And the little boy said, my name's Emmanuel. And Chuck set the presents down and got down on his knee, eyeball to eyeball with this little boy, and said, do you know what your name means?

He goes, no. He said, your name means God with us. He said, about that time the mom came home from work. She walked in the door, and the little boy went running to come. across a room to his mom going, mommy, mommy, God is with us. God is with us. God is with us. Chuck says he left the packages and walked down the street. He was just wiping tears from his eyes. He said, I just heard over and over ringing in my ears. God is with us. God is with us. God is with us. And I knew that's the hope of the world. To look out heaven's window on a dark and dismal earth,

What man once lost was found again, hope was given birth. In a smelly barn, a baby born held by teenage hands, God showed up in just his way to fulfill his plan. You see, he heard us crying, pining, hiding, dying in our sin, so in unblemished love God slipped into our skin, and the word became flesh, and the greatest became least, and swaddling clothes were wrapped around heaven's highest priest, oh holy night, oh night divine, when Jesus came into this world for your sin and mine. A baby is born. In a wound he was formed. Our flesh worn to comfort those who mourn, calm the storm, have his flesh torn, his name scorned, wear a crown

of thorns. Not the thing we want to see when looking in the straw at a manger at a baby, but he came to save us all. Made human, became human, forgave human, saved human. He is holy, different, set apart king, Emmanuel, God with us, Yahweh, Prince of Peace. He's the soul's cry and the sinner's plea, belief and trust, he is enough. He is strength for the weak, refuge for the frightened, rest for the weary, shepherd of the wandering, healer to the hurting, forgiver of all sinners, savior of the world, his name is Jesus. The name above all of their name, the name who deserves all fame, the one who remains the same, who took our blame, our shame, our pain, he is all, almighty, all knowing, all loving, all worthy, all righteous, all holy,

beauty, all truth, all saving, saving, all, all swaddled small. He came. He comes. He is to come. He was. He is. He will always be. He lived. He lives. He lives. He lives in me. And when we turn our ears toward heaven, we'll hear angels in one accord, seeing peace, joy, goodwill for all who call this baby Lord. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that you experience Emmanuel, God with you. And then come back Christmas Day if you have a few minutes, and we'll be here all the way through New Year's Eve. Love you all and pray for you every day.

Merry Christmas. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out. For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe.