Emmanuel: Building Lives Through Authentic Community and Mission

Devotional

Day 1: God’s Presence in Our Lives

Jesus' incarnation as "Emmanuel, God With Us" is a profound reminder of God's presence in our lives. He left the perfection of heaven to walk among us, experiencing our highs and lows, yet remaining sinless. This act of love assures us that He is our Everlasting Savior, and we are called to worship Him wholeheartedly. Jesus' journey from heaven to earth was not just a historical event but a divine mission to save and transform lives. He went to the cross with the knowledge that one day, you would place your faith in Him, and He would become your Everlasting Savior. This is why we gather—not to fulfill a religious obligation but to worship the One who is worthy of all praise and to bring glory to His name, the only name by which we can be saved. [16:27]

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

Reflection: In what ways can you intentionally acknowledge and celebrate God's presence in your daily routine today?

Day 2: Authentic Community in Christ

At Cornerstone, we strive to create a community where people can come as they are, without pretense. Jesus promises transformation, not through our efforts but through His unconditional love. This community is about living authentically and loving unconditionally, reflecting the love we have received from Christ. The essence of our church's mission and values is not about building the largest church but about building lives for Christ. This involves reaching lost people with the gospel and connecting Christians to a local church. Our core values are rooted in creating a culture that reflects Christ's love and grace, encouraging authenticity and community. We are called to live in loving community, where everyone is welcome as they are, but with the understanding that Jesus will not leave us as we are. [20:15]

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Reflection: How can you contribute to creating a more authentic and loving community within your church or small group this week?

Day 3: Introducing Others to the Messiah

Our mission is not to make people more moral but to introduce them to the Messiah. Morality without faith is powerless to transform lives. We are called to preach the gospel, not to conform people to a pattern of behavior, but to lead them to a relationship with Jesus. The church's mission is to equip believers to go out and make disciples. This involves reaching lost people with the gospel and connecting them to a local church. We are reminded that the church is not a social club but a community on a mission, called to reach out to the lost and to live out the gospel in our daily lives. [28:28]

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (ESV): "And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear about the love of Jesus? How can you share the gospel with them in a genuine and loving way this week?

Day 4: Engaging in the Great Commission

The church's mission is to equip believers to go out and make disciples. This involves reaching lost people with the gospel and connecting them to a local church. We are reminded that the church is not a place to stay but a launching pad for mission. Our mission is not to make people more moral, to help them become the best version of themselves, or to entertain them. Instead, it is to engage them in the Great Commission, equipping them to go out into the world and make disciples. [34:09]

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV): "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Reflection: What steps can you take today to actively participate in the Great Commission, either locally or globally?

Day 5: The Importance of Community and Connection

Being part of a local church is not just a good idea; it is God's idea. We are called to be connected and committed to a body of believers, reflecting the community that God Himself models. This connection is vital for spiritual growth and fulfilling our mission. Our mission is not about building the largest church but about building lives for Christ. This involves reaching lost people with the gospel and connecting Christians to a local church. Our core values are rooted in creating a culture that reflects Christ's love and grace, encouraging authenticity and community. [45:27]

Ephesians 4:15-16 (ESV): "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."

Reflection: How can you deepen your connection with your church community this week, and what role can you play in helping others feel more connected?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we reflected on the profound truth of "Emmanuel, God With Us," emphasizing Jesus' journey from the perfection of heaven to the brokenness of our world. This journey was not just a historical event but a divine mission to save and transform lives. Jesus, who remained sinless amidst the world's chaos, went to the cross with the knowledge that one day, you would place your faith in Him, and He would become your Everlasting Savior. This is why we gather—not to fulfill a religious obligation but to worship the One who is worthy of all praise and to bring glory to His name, the only name by which we can be saved.

We also delved into the essence of our church's mission and values. At Cornerstone, our mission is not about building the largest church but about building lives for Christ. This involves reaching lost people with the gospel and connecting Christians to a local church. Our core values are rooted in creating a culture that reflects Christ's love and grace, encouraging authenticity and community. We are called to live in loving community, where everyone is welcome as they are, but with the understanding that Jesus will not leave us as we are.

Our mission is not to make people more moral, to help them become the best version of themselves, or to entertain them. Instead, it is to engage them in the Great Commission, equipping them to go out into the world and make disciples. We are reminded that the church is not a social club but a community on a mission, called to reach out to the lost and to live out the gospel in our daily lives.

Key Takeaways

1. Emmanuel, God With Us: Jesus' incarnation is a profound reminder of God's presence in our lives. He left the perfection of heaven to walk among us, experiencing our highs and lows, yet remaining sinless. This act of love assures us that He is our Everlasting Savior, and we are called to worship Him wholeheartedly. [16:27]
2. Authentic Community: At Cornerstone, we strive to create a community where people can come as they are, without pretense. Jesus promises transformation, not through our efforts but through His unconditional love. This community is about living authentically and loving unconditionally, reflecting the love we have received from Christ. [20:15]
3. Mission Over Morality: Our mission is not to make people more moral but to introduce them to the Messiah. Morality without faith is powerless to transform lives. We are called to preach the gospel, not to conform people to a pattern of behavior, but to lead them to a relationship with Jesus. [28:28]
4. The Great Commission: The church's mission is to equip believers to go out and make disciples. This involves reaching lost people with the gospel and connecting them to a local church. We are reminded that the church is not a place to stay but a launching pad for mission. [34:09]
5. Community and Connection: Being part of a local church is not just a good idea; it is God's idea. We are called to be connected and committed to a body of believers, reflecting the community that God Himself models. This connection is vital for spiritual growth and fulfilling our mission. [45:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[16:27] - Emmanuel, God With Us
[17:19] - Sovereignty and Worship
[18:10] - Community in the Quad-demic
[19:11] - Spiritual Reaffirmations
[21:32] - Mission and Strategy
[22:34] - Building Lives for Christ
[24:18] - The Great Commission
[26:24] - Engaging in Mission
[28:28] - Mission vs. Morality
[30:48] - Beyond Self-Help
[32:50] - Good Works and Good News
[34:09] - Engaging in the Great Commission
[39:23] - Reaching the Lost
[45:27] - Community and Connection

Sermon Clips

"Emmanuel God With Us Jesus leaving the Perfection of Heaven to walk among men to experience the highs and the lows the sickness and the Brokenness the unfairness yet through it all he remained sinless and he went to that cross knowing knowing that one day you would place your faith in him and he would be your Everlasting Savior and God would be your father that's why we're here this morning not to check a religious box not to do a good thing but to worship the one who is worthy of all worship to bring glory to his name The Only Name by which anyone can ever be saved." [00:16:13]

"Here at Cornerstone every year we begin by examining our ministry DNA now this sermon series isn't just another set of New Year's resolutions that we break out of the box every year and then discard I mean like I go to the gym and already all the New Year's resolution people are gone amen yes because they sit on the machine for 15 minutes on the phone anyway personal right these sermons Are Spiritual reaffirmations of who we aspire to be as a people as a local church and sometimes we're going to do this well and sometimes we're going to fail but the goal here at Cornerstone is when we do fail that we always fail forward failure is inevitable thank God he does not expect Perfection from his people because we'd be in big trouble." [00:18:36]

"Cornerstone's mission is simple, to build lives for Christ. Our mission is not to build the biggest church on Long Island none of this is about us one of my most important jobs here at Cornerstone is to keep our eyes off of Cornerstone so today's message is building lives for Christ and we'll start by reaching lost people with the gospel and connecting Christians to a local church." [00:22:28]

"Our mission is not to make people more moral that is not our mission we're a messiah first not a morality first church when we preach morality first instead of Faith what happens is we're attempting to conf form people to a pattern of behavior which has no power to transform what they believe about the Savior I mean the road to hell is being traveled by large amounts of people who think they're just good enough to get in we do not put morality on a pedestal here at Cornerstone the moral majority of the 80s did as much damage as it did good right asking someone to be more moral will not make them fall in love with God." [00:28:39]

"Jesus Christ gave give us a mission and if we don't go on that mission here's what we do we make the mission All About Us most modern churches are the same types of churches the Apostle Paul warned us about when he wrote that one day people will come together and act religious but will in actuality reject the power that could make them Godly and that is happening all over the country right now on this Sunday morning there are a whole bunch of religious rotary meetings masquerading as churches Social Clubs that give lip service to the Savior but live any way they want and it can kind of be hard to tell the difference between the two." [00:30:48]

"Our mission here at Cornerstone is not to entertain you it's just not so if you came in here and you were looking for like a super impactful 20-minute Ted Talk go Google something like if you came in here and you wanted 45 minutes of a worship team like giving you a concert and then a 15 minute feel good about you message we're definitely not the church for you you probably know that already within the first few minutes our mission is to engage you on Mission not to put on a good show so our god-given mission is super simple just called the Great Commission we come in church and get equipped so we can go back out into the world and make disciples." [00:33:36]

"Jesus came to seek and save the Lost Jesus was a man who was always on miss you know what Jesus didn't do he didn't sit with his disciples in a holy huddle all day and so many Christians do that you know we have literally surveyed hundreds of churches around our country like in some of them like we did a Haitian church in the Bronx an Egyptian Church in Bensonhurst that was strange a Filipino Church in Jersey you know you name it Suburban Urban rural Rich poor first generation different languages none of it mattered statistically speaking the the two spiritual things the churches of North America are not doing and we know this for a fact is evangelism and discipleship so basically Jesus said I want you to go and we said no we're just going to come here and stay." [00:34:49]

"See when we stop seeking the Lost here's what happens our church will grow spiritually sick we'll grow spiritually stagnant if you're a hiker you know one thing it doesn't matter how thirsty you are if that water is stagnant don't drink it because stagnant water brings disease if you don't move your body the older you get what happens your body starts to develop diseases movement is necessary to maintain Health in any form it's the same spiritually in the church you know how many churches I've seen caught a a disease that eventually killed them you know what it was called us for and no more and the smaller they got the writter they believe they were but we're the only church that preaches the gospel really maybe you're just mean." [00:36:40]

"God made woman to complete us in a way that makes us more effective than we ever could be alone so what does God do he creates Eve and then says what have babies multiply God works in community so we have family and then what does God do he calls a people group through Abraham the nation of Israel I'm going to work through this nation in the Old Testament so the rest of the world will see who I am through them and then he expands that that was always the plan he expands to include what the church and the New Testament all tribes tongues and Nations United by the Holy Spirit and the saving grace of God placing our faith in Jesus Christ is this beautiful picture of what heaven will be like." [00:45:07]

"Being connected to a body of Believers wasn't just a good idea it was God's idea so I really don't care what your opinion is of the local church God said it go fight with him I mean even before the church began what does Jesus do he calls 12 within the 12 what does he do he invests primarily in three which by the way should show you how many people I can influence in a deep way if you're depending on me to bring everyone forward spiritually we're in bad shape Jesus 12 invested in three then he sent out the 72 2 by two and then what we just read happens the day of Pentecost right Jesus says the helper will come when I'm gone and you'll have power well that's when this is fulfilled right then and there." [00:45:25]

"Casually attending church when it's convenient for you is not God's plan for you you're called to a commitment to play a vital part of a God wants his people to do at Cornerstone and you can't be on Mission with us if you're always missing now listen this is just what the scripture teaches I know this is hard I wasn't always a pastor and even as a pastor this has not always been easy for me but you're called to make this a priority in your life this is important in your life and hear me hear me now because Long Island's a small place I mean it's 8 million people on an island it's ridiculous right and so we know a lot of people and there's a lot of churches and we have like a church Carousel like I can tell you we're like three or four churches that we share people with so if you're one of those people and you don't commit to any church you go to three or four churches you're not a part of anything you're just running from Biblical accountability you will not be discipled to ing three or four churches you have to be committed to your church." [00:47:12]

"Here at Cornerstone our mission is really simple we want to build lives for Christ we have no interest in building the biggest church in Long Island so here's how we do that we're going to reach lost people with the gospel because the gospel has the power to save within it and then we're going to connect people that get saved to a local church sometimes our church sometimes other churches but we believe in the power of the gospel and the local church and that's how we begin building lives for Christ." [00:52:17]

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