Good morning! I’m glad to welcome you to worship today at Hillcrest Baptist Church. 

Today we will conclude our sermon series, Emmanuel: God with Us, as we will come to understand how God is with us as Everlasting Father in this morning’s message, and tonight, during our Christmas Eve service we will see Jesus as our Prince of Peace.

In Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6 we see that God revealed to the prophet Isaiah that a child (Jesus) would be born and He would be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. In other words, this child would be God in human flesh; Emmanuel, God with us.

As EVERLASTING FATHER, Jesus has always been and will always be, He is eternal in His existence, and He is the only One that can give eternal life to all that believe. It is only through Jesus that we are adopted into the family of God, loved unconditionally, and He desires for us to know Him imminently. As EVERLASTING FATHER, Jesus will never cease to be a Father to us, meaning once we become a child of God, we will always, throughout eternity, enjoy the glorious privilege of being part of the family of God.

As Prince of Peace, Jesus came that we might have and know peace. At His birth the heavenly host declared, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)

Jesus said of Himself, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Without question this world does not offer a lasting or fulfilling peace, but Jesus does. Jesus came that we might know Him and in knowing Him as our Savior and Lord will know and have eternal peace.