Church On The Rock-Abilene
Sunday Morning Service - 11/30/2025
  • Spanish Way Maker
  • God Is Good (All The Time)
  • THE FATHER'S HOUSE
  • Gratitude
  • NOTHING ELSE
  • Isaiah 7:14 NKJV
    14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
    Introduction:
    Today is the first Sunday of advent. One of the names of Jesus is Emanuel— which means God is with us. Of course as Christians our brain knows this, but how often do we fail to realize He came to rescue us from the fall. Since we are rescued we are no longer victims. He came to heal us and restore the identity He created for us. We are reminded that Mary said yes even though it might have cost her everything. Finally we realize that with God all things are posable. Since all things are possible, even though it has been a long journey to get here, He is not finished with me yet!
    {Transition Phrase} Today we are going to focus on Christ is Emmanuel— The piece of God, that is with us. He came to rescue us from separation from God.

    1) He came to rescue us from the fall!

    Genesis 3:15 NKJV
    15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
    We sinned. We (none of us) are victims— We are sinners. We like to think that we would not do what Adam and Eve did—
    1 Peter 2:25 NKJV
    25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
    Isaiah 53:6 NKJV
    6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
    Every time I preach this and I preach it a lot because there are people here who are still talking about what others have done to them, ( being a victim) and not thinking about what we can do to ourselves.
    Now, listen— there are things that happen to people, terrible things have happened to people and they need time to heal. Just like the physical body needs rehab so does your soul. Many people have taken their tragedy and tried to turn it into a card of exemption. they have been playing the card— hoping to get the same life they would get if they where walking and working through! Yes it was tragic what happened to some of us— I do feel for you— however, we only have one
    I can either fill my life with excuses— or I can fill it with excellence. whatever I do, I decide— The reality is there are no cards. there are only opportunities.
    When it comes to sin, we all like sheep have gone astray.
    Here is one more thing I want to point out. All of us create victims when we are only focused on us, often we create victims ourselves— we don’t tend to unintentionally create victims in or wake.
    I know a woman who was put in an orphanage when she was a little girl. When I knew her, she was in her late 50’s and early 60’s, she has a beautiful family, she has a husband who loves her, she has children who love her, she has great grand children who love her. she has chosen to stay locked in the past.
    She was in her 60’s and her family was loosing her while she is alive— she is stuck in the past and one of her children and more than one of her grandchildren came to me and asked me to encourage her to be a part of and not apart from. this was years ago, I begged her to go to counseling. I asked some people to help us without revealing her identity to pay for the counseling and she would not go— She knew it was hurting her family, she knew it, she couldn’t stop it and would not get help—
    Christ is the healer! He is here today! Christ did not create you to stay wounded! He created you to walk in help and healing.
    Once you are healed— He will use you to be conduit for the healing of others.
    My identity is not in what I have been through, you're Identity comes from who He made you to be.
    {Transition Phrase} Mary said yes and the Lord used her to bring grace, (the person, not just the concept) to the world.

    2) Mary is the fulfilment of the prophecy.

    Matthew 1:22–23 NKJV
    22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
    if you have been here before for Christmas or advent, you know the story— let me remind you real quick.
    Mary is a young women— She is engaged to Joseph— The Lord asked her to carry Jesus. She knew that it would likely going to loose Joseph. Joseph is likely going to be hurt but what she didn’t do. She did not say no to God— The cost was entirely up front. She said yes to God no matter the cost—
    To her, God came first, she came last— God took care of Joseph— Joseph took care of Mary and Jesus— He did that because God took care of them both! She gave her life fir grace!
    What is God asking you to do? He has asked me to do things that scared me. Some of you have been asked to do things by God— We sometimes are afraid we are going to loose everything. However, we often do not realize we have nothing to do and everything to gain— There is nothing we can loose that He cannot restore.
    Matthew 19:29 NKJV
    29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
    {Transitional Phrase} Mary said yes to the Lord, when she did she had hope that the Lord would do what he promised he would do.

    3) God with us means hope.

    Colossians 1:27 NKJV
    27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
    Emanuel means “God with us,” Joan Osborne sang a song called “one of us” in that song the writer who is Eric Bazlian asked the question, what if God was one of us?
    The answer is He was and is.
    1 John 1:1–4 NKJV
    1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
    This is the Apostle John, the one who Jesus loved, who is telling you, I touched him I know that he was in the flesh!
    Hebrews 4:15 NKJV
    15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
    He was tempted in every way that we are and sinned not. He knows the way of escape.
    He know what it feels like to be separated from the Lord because of the cross.
    He desires fellowship— we tend to feel like of course he is God— we are called to be in fellowship with him.
    He wants us to fellowship with Him.
    When I was meditating on this I thought of the people who have made mistakes and feel embarrassed. We should be for a moment— but only a moment— it should never keep you from the house of God. You should never let it keep you from your people. I know that you don’t want to hear it from your people— We need to hear it from our people for a moment but just like embarrassment, it should only be for a moment. The whole reason we need to be embarrassed for a moment is because we did know better— but only for a moment. That moment of truth should never turn to condemnation. it should turn into coming home. Don’t rob the people who love you from the blessing to be around.
    Matthew 19:26 NKJV
    26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
    This is the time to let God do in us and for us, that we might be who he has called us to be.
    He is in us and he is with us.
    God may be making us a miracle someone else needs.
    Conclusion:
    As we close we know that God is with us. Are we with God? As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of Christ let me ask you, are you born again?
    Romans 3:23 NKJV
    23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
    —We are all sinners.
    Romans 6:23 NKJV
    23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    — The wages of my sin is death.
    Romans 5:8 NKJV
    8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
    —Before I even cared about being a sinner Christ died for you and me.
    Romans 10:9–10 NKJV
    9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
    If the Lord is moving your heart this morning, the staff pastors and prayer team are here to receive you— The praise team is coming now to sing a little. If you have been here a while you know that we do not do long drawn out alter calls. If the spirit is moving you we invite you to come now.

      • Isaiah 7:14NKJV

      • Genesis 3:15NKJV

      • 1 Peter 2:25NKJV

      • Isaiah 53:6NKJV

      • Matthew 1:22–23NKJV

      • Matthew 19:29NKJV

      • Colossians 1:27NKJV

      • 1 John 1:1–4NKJV

      • Hebrews 4:15NKJV

      • Matthew 19:26NKJV

      • Romans 3:23NKJV

      • Romans 6:23NKJV

      • Romans 5:8NKJV

      • Romans 10:9–10NKJV

  • Thank You
Church On The Rock-Abilene
churchontherockabilene@gmail.com
3256725446
https://church-on-the-rock-abilene-tx.faithlifesites.com
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