Walk With The King - God Wants To Be With Us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imFlGFZ3F8g

Let me simplify why I’m here, why Pastor Michael is here, and why I believe Jesus came in the first place.

Because He wants to be.

I know we can give a hundred reasons for church. Some people come because they feel like they have to. Some come because they’re serving. Some come because they’re hoping to receive something—help, healing, encouragement, direction. And honestly, those answers aren’t “wrong.” But if we strip it down to the core, the reason underneath all the other reasons is desire. I want...

And what I want you to wrap your mind around today is this: Jesus is with you because He wants to be. Not because you earned it. Not because you cleaned yourself up enough. Not because you performed well this week. Not because you checked the right boxes or said the right words at the right time. He came to reveal the Father, and what the Father wants is intimacy and proximity with you.

That’s not sentimental. That’s the gospel.

It has taken me a long time to really settle into that. And I’m not saying that as some cute pastor confession—I mean it. Years of my life were spent living like God was part-time. Like He “swings in” when I’m desperate and “swings out” when things are fine. Like His presence is something I borrow, instead of a place I live. And I’m telling you: living that way doesn’t produce anything good.

Psalm 73:28 says, “God’s presence is my good.” And that verse hits differently when you realize what it implies: He wants to be with me. His presence isn’t just useful; it’s good. His nearness isn’t just a tool; it’s the treasure. I don’t seek Him for the benefits— I seek Him, and there are benefits. The benefits are real, but they’re not the point. They’re the byproduct of the point.

And I’ll say something else that might sound too simple but is still true: it’s okay to be okay. It’s okay to be happy. I’ve watched people turn “not okay” into a lifestyle, like misery is proof of maturity. But if God is good, and His presence is my good, then I’m allowed to live in that goodness without guilt. Not pretending life doesn’t hurt. Not denying pain exists. Just refusing to make pain my identity when His presence is my home.

Now let me build this with Scripture, because I don’t want this to be an emotional idea. I want it rooted.

Psalm 56 says, “This I know: God is for me.” Read that slow. God is for me. Not against me. Not tolerating me. Not waiting to see if I mess up again so He can distance Himself. For me. And later in the same Psalm it says, “You delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”

That line is loaded.

The goal isn’t just “don’t stumble.” The goal is walk before God in the light of life. That means where you’re going is not as important as who you’re going with. Because if you’re walking with Him, the path gets illuminated as you go. Destiny isn’t something you figure out in a panic—destiny gets revealed in the presence of the One who leads you.

And that brings me to something I need you to hear clearly: you don’t create light by deleting darkness. You can’t do that. You can quit a bunch of “bad stuff” and still not be walking in the light. You can clean the outside and still live far from the Person.

So how do you walk in the light?

You walk with God.

First John says it like this: “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie… But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus… purifies us from all sin.”

Catch the order. The light isn’t your performance. The light is Him. And when you walk with Him, purification happens. Cleansing happens. Freedom happens. Community happens. Not because you forced it, but because His light does what light does—darkness cannot survive where He is.

This is why I’m so done with religion that makes God’s presence contingent on your performance. That system subtly tells you: “Walk with God after you fix yourself.” And God says: “Walk with Me and watch what I fix.”

Pride says, “I’ll earn my way into nearness.” Humility says, “I don’t deserve this, but He wants me anyway.” That’s why Micah 6:8 is so grounding: “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Not impress Him. Not negotiate. Not prove you’re worthy. Walk humbly with Him.

Do you understand the privilege of that? Getting to walk with God is one of the greatest privileges in the universe. And you don’t have to know exactly where you’re going if you know who you’re walking with. I just want to keep pace with Him. Match the cadence of His steps. Stay close enough to hear His voice. Because distance changes everything. You can still follow from far back and technically arrive, but you’ll spend the whole journey relying on secondhand information—“somebody said God said”—instead of living in the conversation yourself.

And that right there is where I want to press on something that Jesus said that people misunderstand.

Matthew 7 has that intense moment where people say, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy… drive out demons… do miracles…?” And Jesus says, “I never knew you.”

That passage used to be used like a hammer. Condemnation. Fear. “Better do more for God or else.” But that’s not what it’s exposing. It’s exposing a tragedy: people doing “big things” while missing the one thing He wanted.

He wanted to know you.

They weren’t offering evil. They were offering activity. They were offering performance. They were offering a resume. And Jesus didn’t say, “I never saw what you did.” He said, “I never knew you.” Because the core of His heart isn’t: “Do impressive things for Me.” The core of His heart is: “Walk with Me.”

It’s like asking someone to empty the dishwasher and they come back two hours later like, “I cooked you an incredible meal.” And you’re like, “Okay… thank you… but that’s not what I asked. Did you do what I wanted?” Sometimes we do too much of what isn’t required, because we’re trying to pay for something that was never meant to be earned.

Salvation is free, and humans have this weird tendency to want to add labor to what is free—like the cost must come from our performance. But the cost isn’t your performance. The cost is your surrender. The cost is letting Him be King, not just letting Him be a helper.

And that’s why this message belongs in Christmas.

Because Emmanuel doesn’t mean “God visits.” Emmanuel means “God with us.” God near. God present. God walking. God not content to be a distant ruler with distant laws, but a King who came close enough to be held, close enough to be heard, close enough to be followed.

And here’s something I think the Spirit is highlighting in our time: we talk a lot about the kingdom, but not enough about the King. We can love the benefits of the kingdom—promises, miracles, provision, even spiritual gifts—and still live detached from the Person. Like living in a country and enjoying the privileges while never knowing the leader. It is possible to participate in a system without intimacy with the King.

But Christianity was never meant to be “kingdom benefits without the King.”

The invitation is to walk with Him.

And when you walk with Him, the kingdom manifests like a shadow follows a body. You don’t chase shadows. You stay close to the Person. You don’t chase outcomes. You stay close to the King. You don’t chase “clean.” You stay in the light—and the light purifies.

So here’s the first step of repentance I want to put in front of you, because it’s simpler than most people think.

Acknowledge: God really wants to be with you.

Not as a theory. Not as a church phrase. Not as religious jargon. As an actual, personal reality. He wants you enough that He became flesh. He wants you enough that He knocks, not because He smells food, but because He knows you’re behind the door.

And if you can receive that—if you can let that truth land—then you can stop trying to perform your way into nearness and start walking with the One who has been pursuing you the whole time.

That’s not weird Christmas. That’s the best news I’ve got.

At Riverside Church, Jesus is the center of everything we do. We are a prophetic, presence-centered church committed to worship, prayer, and spiritual formation.

Watch more messages at onechurchqc.org/teachings, read our vision at onechurchqc.org/vision, or visit onechurchqc.org to plan your visit.

If you’re seeking a Spirit-led church in the Davenport and Quad Cities region, we invite you to come experience God’s presence with us.