Immanuel

You and I are never going to be perfect in this world, but you ought to be getting over some things. Some of you all, aren't you ready to leave some stuff and say, I don't need to take that mess with me into this new year that's coming in a few days. Since I'm saved, I might as well be growing while I'm saved.

I might as well be getting better. The Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which means God with us. Hello and welcome to Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepherd. Well because of who Jesus is, all who believe in Him have already been saved from the eternal penalty of sin.

And one day we will be saved from the very presence of sin, but in the meantime as we live out our lives on earth, we can be saved from the power of sin. Today's message is straight ahead, so stay right here, or visit pastorpaul.net to listen anytime on demand. That's pastorpaul.net.

You can also subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, at Spotify, or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. Now, here's Pastor Paul with today's Destined for Victory message, Immanuel. When people come to me and say, there's somebody in your church, if only you knew. I said, I probably know. When people come to me like that, like if only you knew what you got up in there. Well you don't know, I'm talking to some of these folks, I know more than you know what they got going. Cause they know I'm a safe place. And I hear a little bit of everything in that office and on the phone, appointments.

I hear all kinds of stuff. Give us some examples. No! Giving you no example, you tell me your stuff, how about that? How about I share with everybody your stuff?

This is your story, this is your song. Isn't that something how people want to hear other people's junk? It is amazing, some people are legalistic about you, but they're merciful about themselves. We need to decide I'm going to be merciful toward other people even if I'm hard on myself. If you take that with you into the new year, you'll be better off. Stop jacking everybody up and throwing them up against the wall because they're not everything they need to be.

Sometimes we're so busy judging other people's lives that we're not growing ourselves. And so he's going to save us from our sins. He saves us from the penalty and he saves us from the power. So what's heaven going to be? That's when I'm saved even from the presence of sin. That's when everybody is like our savior and we're going to rejoice in his presence forevermore.

But in the meantime, here and now, you can be saved from the penalty and you can be saved from the power. Verse 22, and so this was done that it might be fulfilled, which is spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying, behold, the Virgin shall be with child, bear a son. They shall call his name Emmanuel, which is translated God with us. Wait, what is God with us? Wait, pastor, I heard you say before that God is everywhere. So then what's this Emmanuel God with us?

We don't need him named that to know he's with us. No, no, this isn't God everywhere. God is everywhere.

The Bible is clear about that. Psalm 139 where can I go from your spirit? Verse seven. Where can I flee from your presence? If I just ascend to heaven, you're there. If I make my bed in hell, you're there.

If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there your hand will lead me, your right hand will lay hand on me. He is everywhere. That's omnipresence. God is present everywhere in the universe.

How do you know that? Because he's the creator of the universe and he is present. The Bible tells us Jeremiah 23 verse 23 can I hide myself from hiding places so that I do not see him declares the Lord. Do I not feel the heavens and the earth declares the Lord? Am I a God who is near declares the Lord, a God who is not far off. Hebrews 4 13 no creature is hidden from his sight. All are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. So the Bible is clear. God is everywhere in the universe, but when he is called Emmanuel, that's not talking about omnipresence.

It means God with us. Okay, then what's the difference between God everywhere and God with us? Well, look around you. There are a whole lot of people in the room, but most of them aren't with you, right?

Look at him. Yes, he was at church. I saw sitting over another section. She could even be sitting in the row in front of you. Very close, but she's not with you. When she leave here, she's going where she's going.

He's going where he decided to go. So Emmanuel is not God's in the same room. Emmanuel is God is my plus one. He's my plus one. I came to church and he came with me. When I leave here, he's going with me. You see the difference? He's not just hanging out in the area, in the vicinity. If you need me, holla and I'll hear you.

No, no, no, no. He's with me. Y'all know what the difference is. You remember, y'all remember the difference going to a party and you saw a little somebody you were lucky, but they were across the room and you over there looking, hoping to dance with them, but you weren't quite sure cause y'all weren't with each other.

You just hoping against hope. Come on somebody. Y'all remember, come on. Some of y'all remember back in the day.

Y'all remember when you were too shy, you wanted to ask somebody to dance and you were too shy, especially when you're a little young boy, you don't want to be shot down. Come on, come on. I know I'm telling, come on brothers.

Y'all know it's true. You stand over there. Back in my day, had my little bell bottoms on, a little high boy shirt, you know, I'm looking good. See the girl over there I want to dance with. Y'all remember when you're first young, first going to your first little things and somebody finally told you, go on, talk to her, ask her to dance. Hey, you finally go on over there. Hey, would you like to dance? No, no.

Okay. And then you run over. But y'all remember also how you grow out of that. At some point you grow out of that.

After a while you go over there and say, yeah, you want to dance? No, that's okay. Forget you. I'll just try and make your day anyway. It's one thing to be in the room, it's another thing to be together.

The one you take to the party with you. That's who he said I am. You and I came together and when we leave, we leaving together. And when you go through your trials, I'm going to go through them with you. And when you have your hard times, I'm going to be with you. When life knocks you upside your head, I'm going to be there to help you get through your tough times. When he's with me, he's with me to lift me up when I fall. Anybody ever fallen and you couldn't get yourself up, but God reached down.

Maybe you were filled with depression, maybe you were filled with shame, maybe you were filled with people making you feel like there's no use. But somehow or another the Lord himself reached down, said, no, I'm with you. Come on. We're going to get through this. This is not going to be the end of us. And in your darkest hour, he'll lift you up.

That's what Emmanuel means. I'm with you. I'm not just around you. I am with you. I'm with you to lift you. I'm with you to lead you. When he's your plus one, that don't mean you're leading and he's just going where you're going.

He's my plus one, but technically I'm his plus one because he's doing leading. Talk about fulfilling your divine purpose. That's where you got to start letting him lead you. Stop trying to lead God. We got to get out of this. This generation of people who think we know everything about our lives, you got to realize he's the leader you follow.

That's what it's about. Lord, you lead me. I promise I'll follow you. I'll go where you lead me because I know you would not lead me wrong. Now I lead myself wrong. How many know there's a way that seems right to a man, but the Bible said, but in thereof are the ways of death.

There are times you think you're right only to find out later. Man, I blew that. And I had you let him lead you. He could have circumvented that path. He could have changed it, but thank God he doesn't leave us when we blow it. That's what I love about him as my plus one. When we mess up, he doesn't say, oh man, look, I'm out of here. God has never done that.

All right, now look at you. He's not like that. He says, are you ready to get somewhere now? Sometimes the Lord lets you hit bottom so that you'll understand your way isn't working and it never will.

So tell you what, as we get ready to move into another year, why don't you let me lead you all the way through the year to come all the way through the rest of your life and see where I get you if you follow me. He's here to lift you. He's here to lead you. Finally, he's here to love you.

He's here to love you. Some of you are still smart and cause Bessie down here in the Christmas season and get ready for New Year's, all that. Some people are, oh man, I don't even have anybody. What do you mean you don't have anybody? You got the one that counts. Oh, I know, I know, I know you want somebody to have your times with and the celebrations with and all of that.

Yes, if the right person comes, that would be wonderful if the right person comes. You're listening to Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor of Destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. The second half of today's message comes your way next, so stay tuned. Listen to Destined for Victory wherever you go by downloading our free mobile app. The app allows you to select from any of Pastor Paul's recent messages. You can order some great resources from our online store. You can even take notes from the daily messages right on your mobile device and they'll be waiting for you the next time you stop by.

Search Destined for Victory at the app store and download our free mobile app today. If all of us were houses, we'd be fixer uppers, but there's only one contractor who can get the job done right and his name is Jesus. Here's Pastor Paul with the rest of today's Destined for Victory message, Emmanuel. How many of you all have kissed enough frogs, kissed enough frogs where I realize not a prince when I see it now? Come on, somebody. And some of you all just ought to live with those three words ready.

How you doing? Walk away, not a prince. That's not a prince. That's a frog. And some of you all got to say, if there was a frog, quit kissing it.

Your kisses aren't going to change the situation. Oh, I'm hoping some of you all will finally get out of the fix it business. Quit trying to fix somebody up.

Quit trying to say they have potential. God didn't make you a project manager. It's not your job to manage a project called a man or a woman. Oh, we got to get y'all need to resign today.

Resign as project manager, handing in my resignation effective immediately. I am not going to try to fix another human project up. Don't you see by now your project is always behind schedule and over budget.

Behind schedule. I thought by now he'd be worth marrying everything I put into him. Y'all got to cut it out. And then the worst of you even give up your money trying to make it happen. Are you kidding me? You're going to try to buy a prince or princess goes both ways. Gold digging is cross gender.

Now it used to be only women go digging. Now the brothers are digging them some gold. Oh, come on. See y'all. Y'all perpetrated. Stop it.

You know good and well they are brothers. They don't love you. They love your equity. You got equity. You've been doing your money right.

Paying your bills right. And so some of these brothers are just digging gold and you got to realize I am not an ATM. You can't keep hitting me up if I could just get on my feet. See you weren't around to find out why he's off his feet in the first place.

And so you got to figure out God didn't make you the project manager. So you're looking for love, but don't try to buy love. Don't try to fix love up. People hooking up and I'm trying to help people manage this relationship thing by helping them understand men often marrying thinking she won't change. Women often marry thinking he will change. Both are in for a rude awakening. The women who say he will change, I'll change him. Those are the project managers.

And those are the folk who realize this project's behind schedule over budget. I can't keep doing this. And sometimes the women think you can nag once you marry him and you see it wasn't what you were hoping for then you say okay I'll fix him by nagging him. Let me help your marriage real quick before I wrap this up. Help your marriage. Sisters there's a verse in the Proverbs you need to memorize. A quarrelsome woman is like a constant dripping on a rainy day. How's that?

For change. It won't get you where you want to go. If I fuss long enough here. You have to understand men have an internal switch.

You've never seen it so you don't know. Let pastor bless you with this information. This is what I'm about to give you if you mark on your envelope this is a love offering for the pastor that's good. Because I'm about to change your life for the better. Men have a switch you've never seen it. And you are still nagging, still fussing, still ranting. He can be saying uh huh. He can be saying yeah. He's not present. He's not present. He's in the room. But he is not Emmanuel. He is not with you at that moment. He's uh yeah yeah you're right.

He's not there. Five minutes ago he said flip. You're still going on and on. And you think now he knows. So quit it.

Just stop the madness. You married him as is. And you who are thinking about getting married you will marry if you decide to go through with it as is. That's why I tell you to come as early as you all think you might want to consider marrying. That's the time to call us up.

Pastor PT one of y'all can sit down with us. We're not engaged yet. That's the best time when you're not engaged yet.

You say well how do you figure? Because by the time you're flashing a ring you're not hearing us. Trying to help you. By the time you.

Yeah girl he put a ring on it. Then what am I going to say to you? I still counsel engaged people.

But almost never does it help. Well I will. If you're engaged I'll marry you.

I got one a couple lined up now. I'm wishing them all the wealth. But I'm going to give them the information they need to look at so that before they say I do they have looked at all the things they'll need to commit to. Because at the end of the day what makes your marriage work? Your commitment. It's not how compatible, how wonderful. We just vibe. We finish each other's sentences and we just.

That's not what makes a marriage work. It is when you commit deep enough my commitment goes deeper than my frustration with you. I'm sick of you. But my commitment is deeper. I'm trying to help somebody.

You're working my last nerve right now. But I am committed. And so pre-engagement counseling allows me to speak to you when hopefully you can hear something. I've broken up a couple of couples. I'm very proud of that.

It is on my resume. Broke them up before they went down the aisle. I'm so happy. You need to come say the pastor can break us up.

Let's let him do it. Why? Because I'm looking objectively at this. See you all are subjective. You got all your feelings in it. You sitting all hubbed up rubbing each other while I'm talking. Sometime I just want to say hey you sit here.

You sit here. Just all full of love. Let me help you understand. Because I am in love with neither one of y'all. I love you in Christ. But I'm not in love. I'm not going to be fooled by all of this stuff.

The trappings. And there are a couple of couples I said well y'all went through the counseling. I respect you appreciate you. I would recommend you look at these red flags that I've pointed out to you. Gave them to them here. Not you know hints. I don't drop hints because the wrong people always pick them up. Never drop hints.

Meanwhile the person you want to get it. They like I don't know who you talking to. Don't drop hints the wrong people pick them up. Tell folks what they need to know.

That's why you hear me endorsing it all the time. Y'all need to build relationships with people who can tell you the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth. Don't ask people to love you and lie to you. I need you to love me by speaking the truth in love. You don't have to come for me all the time but I do need you to speak the truth. And you know how to do it. I said just lead if you got to say something hard leave with you know I love you right.

That's the anesthesia. Put a little something on that little topical. You know I love you right. Now you tell them something that's going to hurt their feelings but I'm hurting you to redeem something good. And let people love you that way.

It's better to be told the hard truth by a friend than to be flattered by an enemy. Let those who love you speak the truth of God into your life even if it hurts a little. Thanks for being with us for this Monday edition of Destined for Victory and Pastor Paul Shepherd's message to Emmanuel. Listen to any of Pastor Paul's recent messages on demand at pastorpaul.net.

That's pastorpaul.net. We're almost out of time but before we go I want to thank you for all you're doing to help Pastor Paul share the love of Jesus through the Destined for Victory broadcast. Your prayers and gifts have helped turn this into a growing ministry with a growing audience. But as we approach a brand new year God has given us a great vision for the future of this ministry and we want to make sure we press on towards our high calling in Christ. We'd love to have you join us by keeping us in your prayers and offering your most generous gifts. In appreciation of your best year and gift of $25 or more today Pastor Paul will send you his brand new book Lessons from the Vineyard.

You know God has asked all of us as believers in Christ to go and bear fruit but because we each have different gifts we obey that calling in different ways. In Lessons from the Vineyard Pastor Paul shows you how to lead people to faith in Christ and to help them grow in that faith. That's Lessons from the Vineyard our gift to you by request for your generous donation of $25 or more to Destined for Victory. Please call 855-339-5500 or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory Post Office Box 1767 Fremont, CA 94538.

As you write it down I'll repeat it the address is Destined for Victory Box 1767 Fremont, CA 94538. I want to make sure we understand that there's power in praise. Praising God as a matter of lifestyle is something that I believe all of us who are followers of Christ need to learn the importance of. To be a praiser not just sometimes but a praiser as a matter of the way you live your life. That's tomorrow when Pastor Paul Shepherd shares his message, Discovering the Power of Praise. Until then they'll remember, He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ you are Destined for Victory.