God With Us

1. God wants to be with us.

Exodus 19:9a (NLT) – “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear Me when I speak with you.’”

Leviticus 26:12 (NLT) – “I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be My people.”

2 Samuel 7:6 (NLT) – “I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. I have always moved from one place to another with a tent and a Tabernacle as My dwelling.”

2 Chronicles 29:6 (NLT) – “Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned the Lord and His dwelling place; they turned their backs on Him.”

2. God is with us.

Matthew 1:18-19 (NLT) – “This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.”

Matthew 1:20-21 (NLT) – “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the Child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a Son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’”

Matthew 1:22-23 (NLT) – “All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through His prophet: ‘Look! The virgin will conceive a Child! She will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.”’”

Matthew 1:24-25 (NLT) – “When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named Him Jesus.”

John 1:14 (NLT) – “So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

3. God is with us when life is hard.

Hebrews 13:5b (NKJV) – “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

Matthew 28:20b (NKJV) – “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

4. Pursue God with us.

Exodus 20:18-19 (MSG) – “All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid—they pulled back and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we’ll listen, but don’t have God speak to us or we’ll die.’”

Exodus 20:20-21 (MSG) – “Moses spoke to the people: ‘Don’t be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won’t sin.’ The people kept their distance while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.”

Ephesians 2:21-22 (NLT) – “We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through Him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.”

Discussion Questions:

1. How have you experienced Emmanuel – God with us?

2. Share about a hard time that you walked through. How was God with you?

3. What does drawing near to God look like for you?