Immanuel, God is with us
Dr. William M. Wilson, President, Oral Roberts University
What a delight it is to be here on this very unique and special day! I want to congratulate Pastor Khai & Sister Mary for years of faithful ministry. Pastor Khai is a faithful, good, godly, stable brother. We are honored to know him and have him connected with Oral Roberts University. And it is great to be with all of you today! I love the Burmese community. We have many of the Burmese people working at Oral Roberts University. They are sweet-spirited, hard-working, good, wonderful people. Amen! And, we have many who have been students at Oral Roberts University. In fact, a lot of students have come from the Burmese people.
We have more of the Zomi people in Tulsa than in any place except in Myanmar. That’s right! Today, as we saw traditional dance and celebrations, I was reminded that the Gospel is for everyone on planet earth. Thank God the message of Jesus came to me and came to you. Well, this morning, we’re celebrating 25 years. It’s the Silver Anniversary of the church.
I want to preach a message from God’s Word. And I called the message this morning, “The Sign of Immanuel!” Isaiah 7:14 says, “The Lord himself will give you a sign. A virgin will conceive and bear a son, and you will call his name Immanuel.” This word Immanuel means, “God with us!” A sign, “God with us!” Christmas means God moved into our neighborhood. No longer just on his throne in heaven but now among us that we could see Him and touch Him and know him; Hallelujah, the Son of God. Christmas always amazes me. Many times during Christmas, I just reflect on this amazing truth that God became flesh and came close to my life.
Christmas has always been special in me, principally because my grandparents really found Jesus during Christmas time. Now, when Jesus comes, I want to mention four things he brings with him. And my family has experienced these four things and many other things. I would not be President of ORU; I would not serve God all over the world if that associate pastor had not brought Jesus to the neighborhood.
When Jesus moves into your neighborhood, he brings peace. He is called the Prince of Peace. When Jesus is in the neighborhood, storms are calm; when Jesus is in the neighborhood, demons are cast out and driven away. When Jesus moves into your life, he brings peace. When you receive Jesus as your Redeemer, you are no longer God’s enemy. But the Bible says we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He brings peace.
When Jesus moves into our life, He brings Salvation. The writer, John says this again, and I want to read it quickly. He said, “Jesus came to those who were His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God. The Son of God came, His own rejected Him. But those who allowed Him to move into their life and believed in Him, they became the sons of God. Amen! When Jesus comes to our neighborhood, He brings Salvation. And Jesus turned an adulteress into a missionary and she changed the world for the glory of God.
Number three: when Jesus comes to the neighborhood, he brings hope. One day, He came to a neighborhood that was struggling. He had never been to this neighborhood before. But as he was coming into the city, there was a funeral going on. A woman who was a widow lost her only son. And they were carrying him out to bury him. It seemed for this woman, all hope was gone. Life had become hopeless. But Jesus stopped the funeral. He walked over to the corpse. He said, “Young man arise! Mama, quit crying. Young man, get up!” And he brought hope to despair. I’m telling you, even in the prisons of the world, in the jails of the world, on death row of the world, when Jesus is welcomed in, He brings hope and life and peace and joy and victory over it all. Come on, give God praise, Hallelujah!
So now, here we are-the Church of Jesus Christ. The Myanmar Christian Church is asking the Holy Spirt to fill us so that we can do the works of Jesus Christ so that we can bring God’s peace, that we can bring the message of Salvation, that we can bring hope and healing to a hurting Tulsa by the power of the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! Amen! Twenty-five years ago, a church moved into the Burmese community; you moved into the neighborhood to represent Jesus in a way that would touch thousands of lives. Thank God for this church! Thank God for this ministry!
In conclusion, this morning, I want to ask you, “Have you welcomed Jesus into your home?” He came to us, but many rejected him. He couldn’t even find a place in the inn of Bethlehem to be born. He was born in a barn and put in a Manger so that no one ever would be lower than Jesus. He came all the way down. Within two years, he was a refugee in a foreign country. He was raised in a little village in the middle of nowhere. He worked as a carpenter. Why would God do this so you would know? You never get too low that Jesus has to come all the way down to you, and then he comes down to lift you up to make you a son and a fighter of the Living God. Wow!
When my grandparents welcomed Jesus into their homes, my family was changed forever! Jesus came to the neighborhood. God began to bless them. They started paying tithes and being generous. God blessed them with another house, a better house. God blessed them with another house. When three children and their grandchildren needed to move in with them, they added on to their house. My grandfather started getting better jobs. He got overtime. He ended up in one construction job for 15 consecutive years. They built a big dam on the Ohio River. He only went to the fourth grade, and my grandmother only went to the fifth grade. But today, their grandson stands in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the President of Oral Roberts University. I’ve been allowed by God to preach in over a hundred nations of the world. Why? Because they welcome Jesus into their home and to the neighborhood of their hearts. If you don’t know him, this is the best time of year to know him. And today, if you need healing, Jesus is here by the Holy Spirit. And as I prayed for this service, Pastor Khai, on this wonderful 25th Anniversary, I am so grateful you planted this church to minister in this neighborhood. We love you! God bless you! Thank you, Pastor Khai!
Listen to full sermon with Dr. Wilson
