Advent: God With Us — Forgiveness, Presence, Hope

Devotional

Day 1: God's gift: He came to save everyone.

The arrival of Jesus means God looked down, loved the world, and gave his only Son so that anyone—no matter their past—can be rescued and reconciled. Jesus did not come to condemn and heap shame; he came to stand in proxy for broken humanity and offer forgiveness and new life to whoever believes. Receive that invitation today: you don't have to clean yourself up first; faith in Christ opens the door to peace and salvation. [22:49]

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16–17, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific shame or failure you keep believing disqualifies you from God’s love, and what would it look like to speak the truth of John 3:16–17 over that area this week?

Day 2: The good news is for all people.

The Christmas story begins with shepherds—ordinary, overlooked people—receiving the angel's announcement that a Savior is born for all people. That declaration is not exclusive; it interrupts loneliness and social shame with the message that God's rescue is wide enough for everyone, regardless of status or past mistakes. Let the image of the angel saying "good news" remind you that God's mercy shows up in the places you least expect it. [20:12]

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:8–11, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a place in your life where you feel overlooked or unworthy—what practical step can you take this week to receive the angel’s “good news” as meant for you?

Day 3: God is compassionate, merciful, and forgiving.

God's heart toward the lost is compassionate and slow to anger; he does not heap on endless accusations but removes our sins and offers full forgiveness. His unfailing love is vast—the psalmist says God takes our sins as far as the east is from the west—so nothing you’ve done is beyond his mercy when you come home. Rest in the truth that God’s character is to forgive, restore, and cover shame with grace. [25:49]

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:8–12, ESV)

Reflection: Name one specific accusation or shame you hear in your mind about yourself—how would remembering Psalm 103:8–12 change the way you respond to that inner voice this week?

Day 4: Emmanuel — God is with you in loneliness.

The prophecy of Isaiah that a virgin will bear a son called Immanuel reminds us that God moved into our mess so we would never be alone. In seasons when the world feels hollow and the holidays amplify loss and loneliness, the promise “God with us” is a present, sustaining reality. Ask for awareness of his nearness today—his presence brings power for the present and comfort for the aching places. [28:39]

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14, ESV)

Reflection: When the holidays make you feel isolated, what is one concrete practice (a time of prayer, a phone call, a worship song) you can do to notice and name God’s presence with you?

Day 5: God has plans to give you hope and a future.

God is not finished with you; he has intentional plans for your life—plans for good, not disaster—so the best is still ahead when you trust him. Your gifts, your story, even your brokenness are being woven into a purpose only he can orchestrate; if you’re alive, God’s work in you continues. Let hope rise: believe in a future shaped by God’s goodness and grace. [33:15]

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV)

Reflection: Identify one gift, talent, or painful experience you’ve tried to hide—how might God use that specific thing in his plan for your future, and what step will you take this week to offer it to him?

Sermon Summary

Advent declares that the One we’ve been waiting for has come. God didn’t stand at a distance and shout instructions; He wrote Himself into our story in Jesus to rescue us from the power of sin and death. The angel’s announcement in Luke 2 is still echoing: good news of great joy for all people—not a select few who perform well, but anyone humble enough to receive what God has given. That’s why John 3:16 must be read with 3:17—Jesus did not come to condemn but to save. Christmas is God’s move in our direction: His love is not theoretical; it’s personal, embodied, and costly.

This love means three liberating realities. First, no matter who you are, He loves you and frees you from the power and pain of your past. God’s character is not capricious or cruel—He is compassionate, slow to anger, and better than we dared to hope. Psalm 103 tells us He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west; He isn’t calculating your failure but inviting your return.

Second, no matter how lonely it feels, He is with you right now. Emmanuel means you do not suffer unseen. Holidays amplify both joy and ache—empty chairs at the table can echo loudly—but the God who counts the grains of sand also counts your tears. He is not just near; He is attentive, strengthening you in the very places you feel empty.

Third, no matter how difficult the present struggle, He is for you, so you can have faith for your future. You were fearfully and wonderfully made—no clones, only hand-crafted masterpieces—and God’s plans toward you are good. Surrender is not losing your life; it’s recovering the life you were created for.

Annie Johnson Flint’s life bears witness. Her body weakened by disease, her spirit grew strong in grace; from a bed of pain came words that sing with power: “He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.” That’s the heartbeat of Christmas. In Jesus, God says: I love you. I am with you. I am for you. Come home.

Key Takeaways

1. God wrote Himself into history The incarnation is not advice from afar; it is rescue from within. Like the author who enters her own novel, God stepped into our world to carry us out of loneliness and bondage. Christmas is not sentiment—it’s intervention. Our hope rests on a God who came close. [17:16]
2. Good news for all people The angel’s words flatten the hierarchy of worthiness we invent. Grace is not a reward for the disciplined; it is a gift for the desperate. If “all” doesn’t include you, it includes no one. Drop the ladder and open your hands. [20:12]
3. Grace stronger than your past God’s compassion is not thin; it is thick with mercy that refuses to keep score. He doesn’t deal with us as we deserve but as Christ deserves, removing our sins beyond retrieval. Your history is not your destiny when it’s surrendered to Him. [25:49]
4. Emmanuel in our loneliness Holidays can magnify absence, but God does not vanish in the dark corners of grief. He attends to the particulars of your pain and meets you there with sustaining presence. You are not a nameless speck; you are seen, known, and held. [28:39]
5. Hope because God is for you Divine favor isn’t a vague positivity; it’s the steady intent of a Father who authors good plans. You are not an accident of atoms but a crafted masterpiece with purpose. Faith looks forward because God is already at work ahead of you. [33:15]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[17:16] - God Writes Himself Into Our Story
[20:12] - Angels Announce Good News for All
[22:49] - Not Condemnation, A Rescue Mission
[25:49] - The Compassionate Heart of God
[28:39] - When Christmas Feels Lonely
[30:10] - You Are Seen and Known
[33:15] - Plans for Your Future and Hope
[36:19] - Annie Johnson Flint’s Witness of Grace
[39:41] - Prayer for the Brokenhearted and Seekers
[42:22] - Invitation to Receive Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 2:8–14 — 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Observation Questions

What specific words or images in Luke 2:10–11 show who the “good news” is for and what it does? (Look at who is named and how the news is described.)
The angel says the news is “for all the people.” Where in your life do you instinctively put limits on who that includes? Why might that be a natural reaction? [20:12]
Psalm 103 says God “removes our sins as far as the east is from the west” and is “slow to anger.” What detail in that description most reshapes your picture of God’s heart toward sinners? [25:49]
Isaiah’s promise names the child “Immanuel—God with us.” When you read “God is with you,” what concrete needs does that statement directly address (fear, loneliness, shame, etc.)? [28:39]

Interpretation Questions

The angel frames the birth as “good news of great joy for all the people.” How does this statement interact with religious ideas that require earning favor? What does it imply about how people enter into God’s rescue? [20:12]
The claim that God removes sins and “does not deal with us as we deserve” (Psalm 103) reframes justice and mercy. How should that change the way a person understands forgiveness and second chances? [25:49]
“Emmanuel” promises God’s presence in the midst of loneliness. How should the promise that God is present affect the way someone lives through grief or disappointment this season? [28:39]
Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of God’s plans for a future and hope. How does believing that God is “for” someone (not merely neutral) shape decision-making about the future, especially in seasons of doubt? [33:15]

Application Questions

The arrival of Jesus is described as a rescue into relationship, not a list of rules to earn favor. Where are you trying to earn God’s approval by performance, and what would it look like to stop and receive God’s gift instead? [22:49]
The good news is said to be “for all people.” Is there any person or group you still silently exclude from that promise? How can you practically practice the same openness toward them that the angel announced? [20:12]
Psalm 103 pictures a God who cancels and forgets our sins. What is one specific thing from your past you need to bring to God to experience that cancellation? How will you bring it (prayer, confession, talk with a friend)? [25:49]
If “Emmanuel” means God is with you in your loneliness, name one place you feel unseen or isolated right now. What is one small step you can take this week to invite or notice God’s presence there (a short prayer, journaling the truth “God is with me,” accepting an invitation)? [28:39]
The claim “God is for you” implies purpose and future. What is one hope or dream you’ve stopped pursuing because of fear or shame? What is one practical next step you can take this month to move toward that hope, trusting God’s providence? [33:15]
Annie Johnson Flint wrote out of suffering, saying “He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.” When life feels like it has nothing left to give, what spiritual practices (Scripture reading, worship, community, asking for prayer) will help you remember God’s ongoing generosity? Name one you will commit to this week. [36:19]

Sermon Clips

He didn't come to just go, hell, hell, hell. He could have, but that's not what he came here to do. He came here to say, I'm here on a rescue mission. I see what's happened. I know what you've done. I know who you are, and I love you somuch that I'm willing to pay the price for you and stand in proxy vicariously for you so that you might come home and be reconciled to our heavenly father. That's what Jesus came to do. [00:23:42] (22 seconds) #JesusRescueMission

That is such good news because what it means is that no matter who you are, no matter what you've done, no matter what crime you've committed, no matter how shameful you've lived, the deeds that you have committed, there is no segregation in the love of God. There is no discrimination in the love of God. He sent Jesus to clean the slate, to start fresh, to forgive us fully and finally, and to free us from thechains of our past. That's what he's here to do. [00:25:08] (25 seconds) #GraceForEveryone

This is the kind of God we're dealing with. He is compassionate, bro. He's merciful. He's slow to get angry. He's not looking at you and disappointed in you. He's looking at you with empathy, hoping that you will receive the invitation, and that no matter who you are or what you've done, that you will come home and bring back your sin and your shame and lay it at his feet, that he might forgive you and make you new. [00:27:15] (23 seconds) #ForgiveAndMakeNew

He's hopingyou'll listen to the word today, and that if you're here and you don't know him, that you will bring your brokenness, bro. You will bring your shame and your pain, and you will lay it at his feet and say, I now get it. I can't fix myself or do it myself, but I now know I don't have to. Jesus has done it for me, and all I have to do is believe and receive the invitation that he is so freely ready to give. [00:27:39] (23 seconds) #BringYourBrokenness

So when the angel said, I've got good news, it really, really is, because one of the greatest parts of the good news was the fact that God, our Father, promised to be with us, that we would never be alone, that he would never leave us nor forsake us, that we could count on his presence, his strength, and his comfort all the days of our life. [00:30:27] (17 seconds) #GodIsWithYou

And number three, it was God saying, no matter how difficult the struggle may be currently in your life, you got to know I'm for you. I'm for you. And so you can have a faith in your future, that you can believe in your future. Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 11, maybe you've heard this before. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. God is thinking about you. He has plans for you, and they're plans that are for good and not for disaster, to give youfuture and a hope. [00:32:13] (30 seconds) #GodHasPlansForYou

God doesn't make clones. He's into one-of-a-kind masterpieces. That's why Ephesians 2 is the hallmark scripture of our church. We name canvasafter Ephesians 2, for we are God's masterpiece. He takes our broken, fragmented lives, and through his grace, he paints his masterpiece for his glory to the world. [00:33:07] (18 seconds) #GodsMasterpiece

So if you are somebody in this room or watching online, and you think, man, that's true for some people, but you don't know me. I don't need to knowyou. They said it's good news. The angel said for all people. The good news is you don't have to clean yourself up because you can't. You don't have to fix your own stuff because you can't. You don't have to try to work your way to God because no matter what you do, you never will. [00:38:59] (23 seconds) #ComeAsYouAre

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