In the below sermon we will discuss how “Immanuel” means God is with us—not just in the “good” times, but in the middle of the mess. Find out why Jesus’ birth is the end of loneliness.
This is part 2 of our series ‘The New Start.’ In this series we will talk about how we all have a past, but our heritage doesn’t have to define our future. Discover how Jesus entered a messy world to bring a clean slate.
Refuge Church Byhalia exists to share the hope of Jesus, love our neighbors in Byhalia, Barton, & beyond, & grow together as a family. We meet every Sunday at 11 AM. You can find us at 3964 MS-309 N., Byhalia, MS 38611
Intro
- Good Morning!
- Welcome to Refuge Church Byhalia
- So glad you are here today
- My name is Michael and I serve as the Planting Pastor here at Refuge Church Byhalia
- It really is a joy to have you all here and I’m hoping that you leave with higher thoughts of Jesus
- Today we get into part 2 of our series ‘the New Start’ that is kicking off 2026.
- Last week we looked at Jesus’ family tree and we noticed that His family tree is a lot like ours
- It’s got some complicated branches to say the least.
- And yet God, in His perfect master plan of salvation to rescue and redeem us
- Chose Jesus’ family & spot on the tree on purpose.
- It was no issue for God
- And therefore
- Our complicated family trees
- With our histories
- And our issues
- And our families issues
- They aren’t too big for God
- We walked away with this thought:
- Our imperfections and our family’s imperfections are able to be overcome by the all powerful and all knowing God of the universe.
- I hope you believe that and know that
- While there is breath in your lungs, you are not too far from God
- I don’t care about the darkness of your past or present
- You’ve got breath
- You’ve got a reason to hope.
- Well today we keep kicking this series down the road
- And its going to feel a little bit like Christmas
- Because It’s time to dive into Jesus’ birth as recorded by Matthew
- And what I hope we walk away with
- Is a realization that we, all of us, are not alone
- Sometimes we feel alone
- I remember, when I was 17 I went on this youth group trip to backpack in the rocky mountains and reach the top of a mountain. And on our big climb day we were walking through the woods. Now I had some buddies back then that were both a couple inches taller than me, football players, strong, & had done a good bit more mountain climbing than I had done.
- And they were seeming to have no issues with their 50 lb backpacks
- Then me, the band kid, weighing a might 125 lbs
- Was definitely struggling with his backpack. But did I let that stop me.
- Definitely not.
- Well, almost.
- You see on the long hike day, we had 2 groups – the fast group (football Players)
- And the less fast group.
- I was determined to be in the fast group.
- But reality set in about 2 hours into the hike. I wasn’t built like them.
- And somewhere between hour 2 and hour 3, I found myself alone in the woods in the mountains for about 45 minutes. And my legs, and my back, and my body were done.
- I felt immensely alone. And I’m walking this trail. NO sounds.
- No end in site.
- It’s muddy and rocky
- And eventually I slip
- Skin up my shin real bad.
- And to be honest, I was ready to give up.
- And nobody was there to even see me or help me.
- And that’s how life is for all of humanity until Jesus’ birth
- Our Immanuel, God With Us
- Let’s open up our Bibles to Matthew Chapter 1:18-25 Page ___ and see that Christ’s birth means – you are not alone..
Passage
- ‘18 Now the birth of uJesus Christ5 took place in this way. vWhen his mother Mary had been betrothed6 to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child wfrom the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling xto put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, yan angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and zyou shall call his name Jesus, afor he will save his people from their sins.” 22 bAll this took place cto fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 d“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name eImmanuel” (which means, God fwith us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And ghe called his name Jesus.’
- Let’s Pray.
Point 1
- So we have to start here and spend some time looking at this situation for Joseph.
- Matthew gives us a lot of detail.
- So Mary & Joseph are betrothed
- Essentially married legally
- But not physically
- So this is a step up from engagement.
- And then Mary is found to be pregnant.
- And remember, there’s no ultrasounds in this day
- There’s no pregnancy tests back then.
- Mary gets pregnant and starts showing.
- Now my wife – she is a part time wedding planner for some close friends & family here and there. And she’s good at it. My niece is getting married next year and Mel is handling so much of the details and planning and coordinating.
- And so I keep up with the latest trends and ridiculous pricing of everything thanks to this work.
- And in prepping for this sermon I couldn’t help but think of Joseph going through all those fun and exciting moments.
- Planning fabrics, and foods, and looking forward to finally being married and with his wife.
- And then this happens
- The way Matthew put it was “Marry was found to be with child, from the Holy Spirit.
- And I imagine Joseph’s world spiraled
- I mean the planning
- The excitement
- The anticipation
- Initially nuked
- Imploded
- Destroyed
- Quite a lonely situation.
- And he’s feeling all kinds of things. Thinking all kinds of things.
- Trying to figure out what to do.
- He knows the law, stoning is the penalty for adultery.
- But Mary says its from God, not another man
- But how can you know?
- What a mess…
- And then Matthew describes Joseph as a ‘Just’ Man.
- Here’s what that means according to John MacArthut.
- “The phrase ‘a just man’ is a Hebraism suggesting that he was a true believer in God who had thereby been declared righteous, and who carefully obeyed the law.” -John MacArthur
- So Joseph, is a pretty upright guy. And doesn’t necessarily want to jump to the stoning.
- Decided – this chaotic situation. Let’s not make it worse.
- Let’s end our betrothal, which takes a formal divorce, let’s do that quietly.
- And he got to that decision point.
- And apparently decided to sleep on it.
- As best he could.
- Alone, tossing, turning, mind racing, world falling apart.
- Probably asking the questions why God, why this, why me?
- And God sends him a message through an angel. Verse 20 & 21 say
- “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and zyou shall call his name Jesus, afor he will save his people from their sins.”
- And here’s what I think we need to see.
- In the middle of chaotic loneliness, God instructed Joseph to take a step of faith, & Joseph obeyed quickly.
- Joseph obeyed quickly
- The verses later said – when he woke up he did as the angel of the Lord commanded.
- God sent an angel to say – don’t be afraid
- Keep going
- Trust me
- She didn’t run around on you
- This is a gift from God by the Holy Spirit
- I know this looks chaotic – but it’s my plan
- My plan to bring salvation – she will birth a son & his name will be Jesus
- Talk about peace showing up for Joseph at just the right time in the middle of a lonely storm.
- Matthew Henry says this: “Divine comforts most delight the soul when under the pressure of perplexed thoughts.” -Matthew Henry
- Friends
- When we are at our end
- When our worlds fall apart
- When sin tears apart everything we hold dearly
- When sickness comes
- When death comes knocking
- Divine comforts
- Promises from God
- The truths of scripture
- Can bring such peace and comfort
- No we may not get an angel visit like Joseph
- But we got a book full of the promises of God
- Who by the way, is the best promise keeper.
- But promises are only truly comforting – when we take a step of faith and say
- God – it doesn’t look like I’m gonna make it through this
- I don’t know what it’s going to look like on the other side
- But I’m gonna trust you
- And I’m going to obey you
- That’s some big time faith
- Joseph took a big step of faith
- And did it quickly
Point 2
- Well preacher man, how can we take a step
- What promise – what truth can we believe and let impact our life
- Today, we need to see what Jesus is called in verse 23
- Immanuel
- God with us
- You see friends – it wasn’t just that God put a baby inside the womb of Mary that is good news
- It wasn’t just that he would be called Jesus
- It was He was going to be called Jesus because he was going to save people from their sins.
- Friends the step of faith we need to take today and every day
- Is believing that Jesus really did show up
- And He really is Immanuel
- And He really is God with us
- And He really did accomplish our salvation
- Which means loneliness,
- No more the case for us believers.
- Friends
- Because Jesus came to be our savior, our relationship with God can be restored & loneliness ended.
- Never again stumbling up the mountain of life
- Slipping on rocks and mud
- Skinning your knees alone
- No God is with us friends
- Jesus came
- He was born
- Believe it
- Trust it
- Live in light of that truth
- Find comfort there – in the middle of any storm.
- J.C. Ryle has this helpful note for us today.
- “The name Immanuel is a storehouse of comfort for the believer. It means God is on our side.” — J.C. Ryle
- Oh what good news Jesus’ birth is!
- The long promised Messiah was finally here!
- Our comforter
- Our peace
- Our savior
- Arrived!
- Present!
- The writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that God has said ‘I will never leave you or forsake you”
- Oh what comfort Jesus brings!
- The question is – are you going to wake up today – and do something
- Wake up and believe in Christ and trust in the presence and promises of God.
- Are you going to take a step of faith
- Like Joseph did
- With the news of Jesus?
Conclusion
- You know maybe you’ve never done that before
- Maybe you don’t know much about Jesus, or what he did, or how he got here
- And today you heard – Jesus came to save
- And you want to know more about what that means
- Salvation/Baptism
- Let me invite you to know Jesus & His salvation.
- Let me invite you to understand that the saving Jesus did
- It not only saved us from our sins
- It saved us from the wrath of God and saved us into the Refuge of His care.
- You see our sins, the lying, stealing, adulterous thoughts and deeds, the worship of created things rather than creator
- All of that sin
- Separates us from God
- And so when Jesus was born
- Look at what Matthew Henry says
- “Christ came to save his people, not in their sins, but from their sins; and so to redeem them from among men, to himself, who is separate from sinners.” -Matthew Henry
- And named Jesus – to save His people from their sins
- That means a path to have a relationship with God, has come
- Meaning – you won’t be alone – if you have trusted in Christ as Lord & Savior
- If you’ve trusted in his perfect life, substitutionary death, & victorious resurrection. – you won’t be alone.
- Because – Jesus promised that God would send the Holy Spirit, the helper to everyone who believes in Jesus.
- John Owen says this – “In Christ, God has bridged the chasm that sin had made. He is now God with us, in our nature and for our benefit.” — John Owen
- So friends today
- Trust in Jesus
- Here’s what that looks like
- Acknowledge God is God
- Confess you are a sinner
- KNow you cannot fix your sin issue
- Believe that Jesus died to pay for your sins
- And ask Him, ask Jesus, to be Lord, to be boss of your life & give you the HOly Spirit
- Do that now – and you’ll never walk alone.
- And then don’t stay quiet about it – let someone know about your trusting in Jesus
- Mark Salvation/Baptism on Care Card
- Come to our Prayer Team after service
- Come to me after service
- Come to our guest gift table after service
- And tell us about your new relationship with Jesus.
- Now maybe you’re already there
- But you’re still a lone sheep
- You don’t have a church to stumble toward glory with
- Your like me climbing up that narrow path on the mountain – on the path but alone.
- And you need some encouragement in the middle of your walkin
- Friends
- Membership/Small Groups
- Even when we are in Christ, loneliness can creep in.
- The enemy can make us feel alone.
- Alone in our mess.
- Alone in our flesh and sin that still plagues us this side of heaven.
- But we are not meant to do life alone.
- Which is why the church exists.
- A place to be equipped and trained for ministry as we go.
- And a place to be ‘one anothered’ by brothers and sisters in Christ.
- But you can only be ‘one anothered’ if you have a church family that you are with regularly and stumble toward glory with.
- This is part of why we take church membership seriously here at Refuge Church Byhalia.
- To know – who we are walking with
- In the good times
- And in the bad times.
- So today – if you’re ready to no longer be alone.
- Consider marking membership/small groups on your care card
- So that you can have a church family to walk through life with.
- So yes
- The end of loneliness is found in the Birth of Christ.
- Jesus showed up at just the right time
- And comfort from God shows up at just the right time for you and me.
- Remember Joseph’s situation.
- In the middle of chaotic loneliness, God instructed Joseph to take a step of faith, & Joseph obeyed quickly.
- That important last note – Joseph Obeyed Quickly
- As soon as he woke up
- You ready to obey quickly?
- Remember
- Because Jesus came to be our savior, our relationship with God can be restored & loneliness ended.
- Make that your story starting January 11th 2026.
- Let’s pray.
Notes
- “The name Immanuel is a storehouse of comfort for the believer. It means God is on our side.” — J.C. Ryle
- “In Christ, God has bridged the chasm that sin had made. He is now God with us, in our nature and for our benefit.” — John Owen
- “That God should become man is the greatest mystery and the greatest mercy ever known.” — A.W. Pink
Warren Wiersbe
- Both Mary and Joseph belonged to the house of David. The Old Testament prophecies indicated that the Messiah would be born of a woman (Genesis 3:15), of the seed of Abraham (Genesis 22:18), through the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10), and of the family of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13).
- Jesus means savior and comes from the Hebrew name Joshua (Jehovah is salvation).
- Jesus the Christ. The world Christ means anointed; it is the Greek equivalent of Messiah.
- Emmanuel describes who He is – god with us.
John MacArthur
- . Jewish betrothal was as binding as modern marriage.
- The betrothed couple were regarded legally as husband and wife – although physical union had not yet taken place.
- Joseph’s righteousness meant he was also merciful; thus he did not intend to disgrace Mary.
- “The phrase ‘a just man’ is a Hebraism suggesting that he was a true believer in God who had thereby been declared righteous, and who carefully obeyed the law.” -John MacArthur
- He (Matthew) quotes from the OT more than 60 times, more frequently than any other NT writer except Paul in Romans.
- Matthew is quoting here from the LXX, which uses the unambiguous Greek term for virgin. Thus Matthew, writing under the Spirit’s inspiration, ends all doubt about the meaning of the word.
Matthew Henry
- .It was so ordered that Christ should partake of our nature, yet that he should be pure from the defilement of original sin, which has been communicated to all the race of Adam.
- “Divine comforts most delight the soul when under the pressure of perplexed thoughts.” -Matthew Henry
- Joseph is told that Mary should bring forth the Saviour of the world. He was to call his name Jesus, a Saviour.
- the reason of that name is clear, for those whom Christ saves, he saves from their sins; from the guilt of sin by the merit of his death, and from the power of sin by the Spirit of his grace.
- “In saving them from sin, he saves them from wrath and the curse, and all misery, here and hereafter.” -Matthew Henry
- “Christ came to save his people, not in their sins, but from their sins; and so to redeem them from among men, to himself, who is separate from sinners.” -Matthew Henry
- By applying the general rules of the written word, we should in all the steps of our lives, particularly the great turns of them, take direction from God, and we shall find this safe and comfortable.
- Note, Those in whom Christ is formed will show it: it will be found to be a work of God which he will own.
- Note, After great and high advancements, lest we should be puffed up with them, we must expect something or other to humble us, some reproach, as a thorn in the flesh, nay, as a sword in the bones. Never was any daughter of Eve so dignified as the Virgin Mary was, and yet in danger of falling under the imputation of one of the worse crimes; yet we do not find that she tormented herself about it; but, being conscious of her own innocence, she kept her mind calm and easy, and committed her cause to him that judgeth righteously.
- Note, those who take care to keep a good conscience may cheerfully trust God with the keeping of their good names, and have reason to hope that he will clear up, not only their integrity, but their honour, as the sun at noon day.
- Note, God’s time to come in with instruction to his people is when they are nonplussed and at a stand.
- Note, It is a great mercy to be delivered from our fears, and to have our doubts resolved, so as to proceed in our affairs with satisfaction.
- Note, those whom Christ saves he saves from their sins; from the guilt of sin by the merit of his death, from the dominion of sin by the Spirit of his grace. In saving them from sin, he saves them from wrath and the curse, and all misery here and hereafter.
- Note, That which is conceived of the Holy Ghost never proves abortive, but will certainly be brought forth in its season.