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Sunday, December 9th, 2007

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This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Christmas Potential

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INTRODUCTION

Read John 1:1-18For the past three weeks I’ve been sharing with you a series of messages entitled Christmas Potential. I began the series by talking about how we can learn to recognize this potential by focusing on Jesus Christ. It is a potential that was created in the incarnation – when God sent His son to earth to dwell among us, “God with us” so that the possibility of having a one on one relationship with Him would be initiated.

In the following week I then talked about how the incarnation occurred in the perfect timing of God and that embracing God’s pace (or timing) in your life involves patience. Embracing the potential of Christmas produces the test of trust in us as we learn to be patient in living at God’s pace. As our priorities become realigned there will be times where we simply have to trust Him for the outcome.

Last week we visited the story of the Shepherds, the Wisemen and King Herod to learn about the different responses that existed during the events of the incarnation. Compared to today there are similar responses found among people during the Christmas season. There are those who will reject the potential Christmas brings, those who will ignore it, and then of course those who will believe and receive the good news Christ brings. Embracing the potential of Christmas will result in a change of identity because you become a child of the King and Christ is your life.

The thing about potential is that the word describes something that could be but not necessarily something that is. In other words, potential can be lost if it is not enabled. If I held up a match and a candle I could describe the match as having the potential to ignite something. I could describe the candle as potential energy in the form of light and heat that could be released if it was ignited. However the potential will mean nothing unless it is enabled. Once I strike the match and light the candle then the potential that was in each becomes something real.

We enable Christmas potential when we receive the gift God sent to this world and when we embark on the journey of becoming more like Christ. Today I want to conclude this series by describing the outcome of that potential. What happens when Christmas potential is allowed to run its’ course in individual lives? What happens when Christmas potential is enabled and curried in the life of the church?

REAL FORGIVENESS

The first real outcome of enabled Christmas Potential is forgiveness. The angels announced to the shepherds,

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11 (NIV)

John in the introduction to His gospel presents Jesus as the Word becoming flesh and as one who “came from the Father, full of grace and truth”. The nature of grace is that it is expressed regardless of whether the recipient deserves it. Because of God’s grace Jesus came as the Saviour of mankind!

Why do we need a Saviour anyway? Well let’s think about the word saviour for a minute. A Saviour is someone who saves or rescues someone from something. That means that if Jesus is given that title he must be rescuing people from something. What is it He’s rescuing us from? The Bible teaches us that He rescues us from the penalty of Sin which is death. In the eyes of God, death is so much more than mere physical destruction. Death is existing apart from Him. Those who exist apart from God have no contact with Him who is the source of life, love, joy, peace, and every good thing. Jesus was sent to rescue mankind from that existence which the Bible describes as Hell – a literal place that’s defining characteristic is the absence of God.

Jesus came so that it may be possible for us to be connected to the one who is our source of life and to be reconnected in relationship with our Heavenly Father who wants that connection to happen in the first place. He wants us to rescue us from the penalty of sin and restore us to a right relationship with our Creator. Here’s the thing, you can only be in right relationship with God when you are perfect before Him. Jesus took care of sin so we could be perfect before God.

A little boy wrote a letter to Santa Claus that said, “Dear Santa: There are three boys living at my house. Jeffrey is two, David is four, and Norman is seven. Jeffrey is good some of the time, David is good some of the time, and Norman is good all of the time. I am Norman”

You know the problem with that? Not one of us is a Norman. None of us bats a 1000. None of us are always perfect or right. In fact, if we were somehow able to project on the screen behind me everything we’ve ever though, said, or done, most of us would be extremely embarrassed. We all live with a sense of regret because none of us are perfect. That’s why we need a saviour.

“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so He sent us a Saviour” (source unknown)

Enabling the potential of Christmas unleashes the forgiveness of God in your life. The most priceless gift anyone could receive is the gift of a clear conscience.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)

We enable this potential by having a right relationship with Jesus Christ. The declaration is in John 3:16…

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NIV)

…and the explanation is in the next two verses…

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:17-18 (NIV)

Enabling the potential of Christmas produces forgiveness. A forgiveness that is made possible not because of anything you and I have done but because of everything Christ has done.

REAL PEACE

Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
Psalms 119:165 (NIV)

Peace is a word that our world uses a lot, but most people do not have the foggiest idea of what real peace is like.

• For some peace of mind means drinking until they’re so drunk and numb that they can no longer feel the pain in their hearts.
• For some, peace means hopping from one relationship to the next, to the next, to the next, hoping that somebody will fill the void in their life. But nobody ever does.
• For some, peace means staying busy all the time so that at night they just kind of collapse into bed and do not have to think. Because anytime they are quiet, those haunting thoughts, those fears, and that terrible loneliness come caving in, and they do not like that feeling.
• For other people peace means working and working, becoming a workaholic and overachieving, so they can get all these attributes of success to prove to the world that they are somebody! But inside they’re saying, “I don’t’ really feel like somebody.”
• For other people peace means trying New Age gimmicks, like gazing at crystals, or using aromatherapy, or sitting in a lotus position and going, “Ommmmm.” But that’s not peace either

Real peace is having a relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and becoming friends with God. Once Christmas potential is enabled…

• Real peace is knowing that no matter what I do, God will not stop loving me.
• Real peace is knowing that no matter what happens, God will never leave me alone, He will always be with me.
• Real peace means that no matter what happens in the New Year, or in the years to come, I know that God is going to be my strength in the midst of it.
• Real peace is living by God’s Word so I can avoid a lot of the needless hang-ups, hurts and habits that mess up my life.
• Real peace is teaching my children God’s Word as a foundation of life, so as they grow I can see them make decisions that build their lives rather than tear them down. That is real peace.

Real peace is knowing I have a right relationship with God.

There are four things that rob us of this peace and all four are glaringly obvious during our society’s Christmas season:

1. Guilt
Good guilt helps us recognize something that’s not right with us in what we said, or did. Bad guilt is accepting blame for something we had no control over.

Good guilt motivates us to change – bad guilt keep us locked in a cycle of feeling sorry for ourselves.

Good guilt is dealt with – bad guilt is dwelt on.

The thing about guilt is when it we dwell on “being guilty” rather than dealing with it – we’ll be without peace.

When it comes to our position with God we don’t have to walk around with guilt.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
 Psalms 103:11-12 (NIV)

2. Grief
Grief is another robber of peace. Some people are be in major pain right now, because Christmas brings up all kinds of hurtful memories. You may remember the loss of a loved one, or a parent who abandoned you, or a divorce you went through, or the death of a spouse or child. You have grief that robs you of joy and peace of mind. If that is the pain that you’re carrying then understand this morning that God cares about your hurt. He sees it, and He knows all about it. You were never meant to carry that grief all on your own. God says to cast all your cares on Him, and He will care for you. Give Him your worries and troubles, and receive the gift of peace.

13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
 Psalms 103:13-14 (NIV)

God knows our limits, as a compassionate god He is willing to lift our burdens if we have a relationship with Him.

3. Grudges
Grudges also rob us of peace. Grudges cause us to be resentful. We feel guilty when we hurt others, but we become resentful or grudging when others hurt us. The truth is – you will be hurt in life, whether its’ intentional or not. How you respond to that hurt will determine your level of peace in life. For your own sake and your own peace of mind, you’ve got to let go of those hurts because resentment and grudges hurt you more than the other person.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
 Romans 12:17-18 (NIV)

4. Greed
Finally, there’s greed. When what you have just isn’t enough compared to what you want – discontent will forever be your friend. How do you counter this? Two ways – be content and be generous. Remember that God will always bless us with what we need and with what we can use to help others. It is a principle of the kingdom that our giving should always outdo our getting. The truth is that when you are bit by the greed bug you will always find yourself wanting more than what you have.

But just as you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us–see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)

REAL LIFE

Here are some facts of life:

1. We’re all going to die someday
Of course, that isn’t a very pleasant thought but it’s true. We don’t need to be morbid about it, or always be worrying about it, but the fact is that all of us, each one of us, is going to die someday. Tomorrow, next year, ten years from now – we don’t know – but we do have the certainty that it will happen.

2. We are going to spend more of our life on the other side of the grave than on this side.
We may get sixty, seventy, eighty or even 100 years her on this earth. However, on the other side of the grave time loses meaning because there simply is no measure for “everlasting”. Now, only a fool would go through life unprepared for something he knows is inevitable. It does not make sense to know that someday you are going to die and not be prepared for it!

Friend’s you are not ready to live until you are ready to die. Fortunately, the good news is, God sent His son Jesus Christ so that we could be ready. When we put our faith and trust in Christ we will find life…

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
 Romans 1:17 (NIV)

God, in Christ clears up my past, takes care of my present, and secures my future. You will never find that in anything or anyone else anywhere.

In light of the everlasting life promised to us by Christ (for those who believe in Him), and the fact that we’re going to be spending more and that side of physical death than on this side – wouldn’t it make more sense that we invest in things that have eternal value than those that have temporal value? Probably one of the closest illustrations to the reality of this question is the demonstration of gift giving and gift value we see in today’s Christmas gift exchange. How many gifts given during the Christmas season have worn out, or been tossed out by the time Christmas rolls around again the next year? Canadians will spend over $20 billion dollars during the Christmas season. That’s a whole lot of money isn’t it? Imagine what a difference could be made in our world if instead of spending our money on gifts that won’t last we invested in things that actually made a difference. The potential list for those kinds of gifts is virtually limitless.

The truth is Christ has come that we may have life and have it more abundantly but we only experience that abundant life when we allow Him to transform what we live for and how we live!

CONCLUSION

Christmas is really the celebration of an invasion. God invaded earth over two thousand years ago as a human being. If God had wanted to communicate to cows, He would have become a cow. If God had wanted to communicate to ants, He would have become an ant. If God had wanted to communicate to dogs, He would have become a dog. But He wanted to communicate to human beings, so He became one of us – a human being. We can look at Jesus and say, “That is how God wants me to know and live life. That is what God is like.” By getting to know Jesus, I understand it is not about a religion, but a relationship with God. The Bible says Jesus came to seek and to save. You are the target of His pursuit. You matter to God. Your problems matter to God. Your pain matters to God. Your potential matters to God.

I challenge you this Christmas to recognize and discover the inherent potential God has created for you to find.

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exchange

Sunday, December 2nd, 2007

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This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Christmas Potential

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INTRODUCTION

Read Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 2:8-14

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Matthew 2:1-12 (NIV)

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:8-14 (NIV)

For the last two weeks I’ve been promoting the idea, the belief I have that there is amazing positive potential residing in the Christmas celebration that exists because of the foundation of Christmas which is the historical account of the incarnation – “God with Us”

It is a story that pretty everybody in this part of the world is familiar with to some degree. But what many don’t realize is that we each have a part in this story! You see the incarnation – upon which Christmas is based – isn’t a complete story. How it ends in your life depends on you. The chain of events that happened over two thousand years ago were initiated by God’s choice to make His salvation available to everyone including you and me. He created potential, the possibility for a relationship with Him. But our part is what we’re going to do with the offer.

In looking at the story of the incarnation, you can’t help but notice that there different responses to the circumstances that happened. Responses that are foretell similar reactions we find today with people who come face to face with the Christmas potential.

Let’s start by looking at the response of King Herod and Jerusalem when they heard the news of the special baby.

Response of King Herod and Jerusalem…

Some observations:

First, notice that the news of the baby was delivered to King Herod (and Jerusalem) by some wise men (who were perhaps unwitting messengers sent by God to the people of Jerusalem – notice that the star first led them to Jerusalem [vs9]) Ultimately it was God who was delivering this message to the people of Jerusalem.

Second, notice that scripture records them as being disturbed. There are many ways of translating or describing the meaning of this word: agitated, troubled, inward commotion, take away calmness of mind, disquieted, restless, stirred up, anxious or distressed, perplexed (Strong’s Greek Number 5015). Whatever way you choose to describe the emotional behaviour of the people of Jerusalem, it is important to note that there was something about the Magi’s search that set the presses rolling and the gossip mill running and this disturbance led to their response. Why were they so disturbed? Well let’s look at King Herod first.

King Herod’s response…

Recall the magi’s question, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

I think there’s some important background information we have to look at in order to understand why this question would be so disturbing to Herod.

Background information on Herod “the Great”:

The Bible records history. It has proven itself an accurate and reliable record of people, events, and places. Independent historical accounts verify the Bible’s descriptions and details of many famous lives. One of these was the father of the Herodian family, Herod the Great.

Herod is remembered as a builder of cities and the lavish rebuilder of the temple in Jerusalem. But he also destroyed people. He showed little greatness in either his personal actions or his character. He was ruthless in ruling his territory. His suspicions and jealousy led to the murder of several of his children and the death of his wife Mariamne.

Herod’s title, king of the Jews, was granted by Rome but never accepted by the Jewish people. He was not part of the Davidic family line, and he was only partly Jewish. Although Israel benefited from Herod’s lavish efforts to repair the temple in Jerusalem, he won little admiration because he also rebuilt various pagan temples. Herod’s costly attempt to gain the loyalty of the people failed because it was superficial. His only loyalty was to himself. (taken from Life Application Bible Study Notes – Character Study of Herod the Great)

Into the life of this man comes these men from the East with their question about the one who has been born King of the Jews. Note that they did not question if this king had been born but where he was. They spoke with absolute conviction that this king had indeed already been born!

So, why would Herod be disturbed then?

1. Herod was not the rightful heir to the throne of David and he knew it! Therefore many Jews hated him as a usurper. If this baby really was an heir – there could be a threat to his power.
2. Herod was ruthless and as is the case with people who are relentless and are careless about the enemies they make to gain power – there is always the worry and concern that someone is plotting to get him out of power.
3. Herod didn’t want the Jews, a religious people, to unite around a religious figure as that could further enflame the discontent in the territory he was overseeing and any rioting or rebellion that got out of hand could draw the attention of Rome and cause him to lose his place of power.
4. If these Magi were of Jewish descent and from Parthia (the most powerful region next to Rome), they would have welcomed a Jewish king who could swing the balance of power in the area away from Ceasar. The land of Israel, far from Rome, would be easy prey for a nation trying to gain more control.

In the end Herod’s response was to reject the news of the baby.
Notice I didn’t say that He didn’t believe that what the magi was saying was true. BUT Herod chose not to accept the news. Rejection is very much the response of people who don’t believe something to be true but it is also the response of people who don’t want something to be true – even though they know it is.

Of all the reasons I brought forward for why Herod would be troubled by this news there is one thing that stands out. And that is that this baby threatened Herod’s identity – He was king – and if this baby was king somebody would be going. Herod spent most of his life rising to power through ruthless and cunning and despicable means. Listen to me closely – Herod had built his entire life around His rule as King and in turn his life depended on his kingship. Without it, he was nothing and he would be defenseless against those he trampled to get there. Herod had defined himself by his title and position as king.

Ultimately Herod’s response to the disturbing news of the wise men was to try to cover up and actually prevent this baby from becoming king. When you read further in the story you find him sending his soldiers to kill every boy in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two and under.

APPLICATION:
- some people choose to reject the good news because it threatens their identity – now your identity may be based on your job, or your family, or your position in society, or your possessions…

- some people just don’t like the idea that they are a sinner or that they are lost or that they are doomed and will seek to cover it up any way they can…maybe it won’t be on the level of Herod’s cover-up but nevertheless their rejection becomes an active force in pushing away the good news of Christ.

People in Jerusalem’s response…

So there we have the first response – Herod rejected the news of the baby.

But Herod wasn’t the only one disturbed by the wise men’s question. I find it astonishing that verse 3 says, all Jerusalem with him was disturbed!! You would think that the people of Jerusalem who were predominately Jews would have been delighted at the news of Jewish King – one that actually deserved the crown. One that would lead them out of Roman oppression! Yet the Bible clearly says that the people of Jerusalem were disturbed. Why?

• I believe that it is because the baby threatened the status quo – it threatened their sense of security. It was not what they expected!! Perhaps the inhabitants of Jerusalem had grown comfortable with the way things were and became scared of the upheavals that would be sure to happen if there was a challenge to Herod’s kingship. Certainly they had experienced the wrath of Herod the Great in the past and maybe they weren’t anxious to go through it again. Whatever the case this baby threatened their sense of security. Isn’t it ironic that this baby actually was the security of God?

• I also find it interesting that the Priests and teachers of the law were the ones who gave Herod the location for the birth of the Messiah – they knew the truth and yet they chose to ignore it. How come they didn’t send anyone with the wise men to Bethlehem? Maybe because the figured they had God all figured out…

• This was the response of the people of Jerusalem THEY CHOSE TO IGNORE THE GOOD NEWS. (Let someone else deal with it…)

APPLICATION
Some people become so used to the way things are that they choose to ignore the good news rather than risk change even though they know the evidence verifies it’s truth.

Maybe they choose to ignore the good news because of their lack of understanding.
These are the people who keep putting off the decision to choose because their waiting for the right moment, or they’re not sure what’s going to happen, or they don’t fully understand yet.

These are the people who have questions about God that never seem to get answered to their satisfaction. These are the people who want a logical explanation for all the illogical stuff that happens in the world and a supernatural God just doesn’t fit in the picture.

There are some things that God does that we simply cannot understand and instead must grasp in faith. That is why the Bible says that faith is a gift from God. That is why Jesus said in John 6:29 that the work of God is to simply believe in the one He sent. Ultimately your relationship with God must begin not in understanding everything about Him but in trusting Him for and in everything and simply having faith in Him!!

The irony of this is that for Christians who have put their faith in God through Jesus Christ they find the idea of sharing the faith scary because they don’t have all the answers. The truth is that we don’t have all the answers only God does and all we are asked to do is to be His witnesses…

Maybe they choose to ignore the good news because of their arrogant “knowledge”
Some people ignore the good news because they feel they’ve already got God all figured all out. “After all, if we’re basically good people a loving God wouldn’t send us to hell would He?”

Some people are so sure that they’ve got God all figured out that they begin to come up with formulas to greater blessings or step by step plans for cashing in on the “manna” God can provide. They’re so sure that they know what to expect that they miss out on what God actually does in the unexpected (much as Priests and teachers of the law did in Jerusalem). Friends, there were some people who thought they had God all figured out in Jesus’ day and Jesus called them Pharisees.

The whole incarnation event (which includes the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ) is not about making your life better it’s about rescuing you from death to life. It’s not about making you richer in worldly wealth or health but about introducing the wealth of God’s kingdom into the poverty of the world. It’s not about condemning you to your sin and your sorrows and eternal destruction it’s about saving you from the depths, rescuing you from death, and making possible an eternal relationship with the creator of the universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Almighty God, the Alpha and Omega, our Heavenly Father – Hallelujah and Amen!!

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:17 (NIV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10 (NIV)

Yes, there are those who choose to ignore the good news of the incarnation. But there is one more possible response that I’d like to look at today – and we learn about this response from the unlikeliest of sources – the shepherds…

Response of the shepherds…

(briefly recap the background of the shepherds receiving the news from scripture.)

Some observations:
• They believed that what the angels said was true (v15 – “…Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened”
• They hurried off (v16)
• They spread the news
• About what the angels had told them about the child (v17)
• All who heard them were amazed (v18)
• They returned glorifying and praising God for all the things thy had heard and seen.

What was the shepherds response? They believed and received. They didn’t reject the good news because it might change their identity. They didn’t ignore the message because it might change their life. But they believed and received what the angels said even though they didn’t fully understand, without the hindrances of false expectations and with a faith that is birthed in the hope of God’s salvation and the potential He created.

CONCLUSION

Friends, there is positive potential available in Christmas and that potential depends on what we exchange by our response. Let me clarify,

Believing the good news of Jesus Christ will redefine your identity
The shepherds left their flocks to go see the baby. Some fishermen left their nets to follow the man, Jesus. Maybe you thought you could follow Jesus without losing anything in your life – well guess again – there is an exchange that happens…

Take up your cross

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24 (NIV)

What does this mean? It means – are you ready to…

Lose your family?

26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:26-27 (NIV)

Lose your material possessions?

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Mark 10:21-22 (NIV)

Leave your job (fishermen, shepherds)

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV)

You see the thing is – we might not actually lose our job or lose our family or lose what we have when we decide to follow Christ – the point is that none of those things will keep us from following him. Like it was with Herod and the people of Jerusalem. Taking up your cross refers to the laying down of everything you do, have, and are in your life on the cross of Christ and taking up everything that Christ does, has, and is in exchange.

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 16:24-26 (NIV)

Christ died and rose again so that He might be your life!! And is that going to result in a change of identity?…you bet! Is that going to disrupt the status quo? Definitely.

The shepherds changed from sheep men to God’s men (his messengers), from keepers of lambs to heralds of the lion of Judah. They no longer had their identity based on being shepherds. They now knew they were privileged messengers of God! Even thought they went back to tending flocks you can be sure that they were ready to do whatever God asked them to do because being a shepherd didn’t define who they were. Just imagine what God wants to do with you!!

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The Hope of the Wise Men

Sunday, December 10th, 2006

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This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series The Nativity Story

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INTRODUCTION
Christmas is the season of hope.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas if you could measure hope with some kind of instrument like a weather balloon you would find the atmosphere crackling with hope.

?I hope I get an iPod for Christmas.?
?I hope I get Tickle Me Elmo.?
?I hope I get a Lexus.?

This kind of hope is a wish for something good that is sometimes fulfilled but often not. While we may be disappointed if we don?t get what we hope for the consequences are usually not devastating.

New Years is also a season of hope, but this kind of hope is usually less trivial.

?I hope I get to keep my job this year.?
?I hope I beat my cancer this year.?
?I hope we are blessed with a child this year.?

Hope.

Even the sound of that word can lift your spirits when you?re down. Hope keeps you going when life seems to be going nowhere or going in the wrong direction.

Hope gives you something to cling to when you?ve lost your job, or your health, or someone you love. Hope is a spark inside your soul that tells you that tomorrow things will be better.

Hope is like having an anchor in the future.

But the problem with hope is that it is nearly always based upon uncertainty. For example, we may say ?I hope it will not rain tomorrow.? That kind of hope is a wish, not a certainty. We can hope all we like for something, and all the indications may be that it will come true, but life is unpredictable and things can change at the last moment and dash all our hopes.

However, the Bible teaches about a unique kind of hope that is never a wish. It is always based upon an absolute certainty. You can hope for these things with the utter confidence that they will happen. It?s the kind of hope that the Wise Men of the Nativity Story had. The hope of the Wise Men was based upon what God had promised. And, since God always fulfills His promises, we can look forward to it with absolute hope.

So what were the Wise Men hoping to find when they traveled all the way to Bethlehem in that first Christmas season? They were hoping to find the King who will bring an end to war and suffering and injustice. They were hoping to find the King who would bring everlasting love and joy and peace to this world.

But how did they know He was coming? And what did a star have to do with their search? And what has all of this to do with me?

It has to do with me because hope is one of the strongest motivators in the human soul. Even hope built on the slightest possibility of something good can keep you going. But the best kind of hope is hope that is anchored to a certainty. That?s what Biblical hope is all about! The Bible talks a lot of about hope in order to encourage us when life goes wrong.

This kind of hope is always inextricably tied to Jesus. If we believe in Him we have the hope (certainty) of eternal life. If we follow him, we have the hope (certainty) of His guidance, protection, provision and care every day of our lives. Jesus is the anchor that links us to the promises of God that lie in the future for God?s people.

This lesson was illustrated for us by the Wise Men, or Magi, who visited Jesus when he was a child. The Magi arrived in Jerusalem after a long, expensive and difficult journey. What brought them to Jerusalem was not a wish but a certainty. They were certain that the king of the Jews had been born and they had come to worship him.

The Wise Men teach us that . . .

? God is the source of hope
? Jesus is the fulfillment of hope
? We gain hope when we follow Jesus

GOD IS THE SOURCE OF HOPE

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
Matthew 2:1 (NIV)

Much of what has been written about the Magi is based upon speculation or traditions that may have no basis in fact. For example, they were not kings but were rather advisors to kings. Another example is that tradition that there were ?three? of them (probably because of the three gifts presented) but we really don?t know how many there were. Scripture isn?t specific about the number of magi ? there could have been three, or even fourteen. Even though there are some things we don?t know about them, here are some things we do know about the Magi?

The Magi were from either Persia or Babylon. The word Magi comes from the Greek word magoi which is in turn a Persian word for a select set of priests. These priests functioned as the religious, civil, and political counsel to the kings of Media and Persia. In time their power grew to the extent that they became the ?king-makers? whose duties included the election of the king of the realm. Their education included a mix of astronomy, astrology, science, and religion.

They studied the stars and the influence of the stars on the lives and destinies of people and nations. They were also interpreters of dreams.

There are three observations I can make fairly confidently about these men.

1. They were Gentiles.
That simply means that they were non-Jews and were of non-Israeli heritage.

2. They were scholars.
They were men who sought to advance their learning.

3. They were influenced by Jewish history and were open to spiritual things.
It is on this last point that I want to dwell on for a bit. For the magi the tale began with the appearance of a star. In their country in the East these magi had seen a star that was obviously out of the ordinary. More than likely these magi consulted some of their textbooks and writings to discern what the significance of this star would be. As they consulted these texts they would have come across something recorded by one of their own – a magi, like them who in the past had an experience that was recorded in their learned texts. This magi was known as Belteshazzar (Daniel 1:7) and in the time of one of the greatest kings of Babylonian history, Nebuchadnezzar, this man served as chief magi (Daniel 5:11). To the Jewish people and to many of us here today this man is better known by the name Daniel and an entire book of the Bible records the events surrounding his life. What is significant about Daniel is that because of the position of favor God had given him in the courts of the Kings of Babylon and Persia. Daniel, as one of the learned ?king-makers?, would have had many of his teachings and words recorded and studied by the magi who came after him in history. Thus what we find recorded in the Bible was more than likely also recorded in the books found in the house of the magi.

This is important because what the magi in our story today learned of God would have been learned primarily through the prophet Daniel. Although as a young man Daniel had been taken to Babylon as a prisoner of war, because of his faith in God, he had risen to become an advisor first to the king of Babylon and then later the king of Persia after the Persians conquered Babylon. Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego served in the same role as magi did in advising the kings. They had such a powerful influence on Persian culture that centuries later these wise men would have read something significant that would bring them to the newborn King of the Jews.

What is it they read? Speaking through the prophet Daniel, God told the world that His King (Messiah means anointed one) was coming.

“Seventy ’sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ’sevens,’ and sixty-two ’sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ’sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
Daniel 9:24-26 (NIV)

In your notes I?ve given reference to where you can learn about the steps taken to draw the conclusions I?ll speak about here ? to remain focused I?ll leave it to you to examine on your own if you want to know the reasoning behind what I say.

In this passage, the angel Gabriel (the same angel who visited Mary) told Daniel that the King would come 483 years after a decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem. Given Daniel?s position as the chief advisor in the Persian court it seems likely that he told the rest of the advisory council about this prophecy and that it was recorded in some fashion.

Whether the magi read this in their own books or studied the Septuagint ? the Greek translation of the Old Testament ? it is through this message Daniel received and passed on that they came into contact with the messianic hope.

The Persian king Artaxerxes Longimanus was the one who issued the decree to rebuild Jerusalem on the date we now call March 5, 444 B.C. By calculating the years that had passed since the issuing of the decree the Magi were able to estimate that the coming of the Anointed One was drawing near. I believe that the fact that these magi made such a difficult journey in order to worship this King strongly suggests that they at some point had come to believe in the God of the Jews.

(By the way, Daniel?s prophecy came true to the day! As Gabriel had prophesied, 483 years after the decree was issued, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and allowed the crowds to acclaim Him as the Anointed one!)

Since the Magi were looking forward to the coming of the King, God sent them a supernatural signal that confirmed the arrival of Jesus: a unique star.

Regardless of whether God used an existing astronomical phenomenon or created one for the occasion, its function on behalf of the Magi was supernatural in that it announced the birth of the King.

We are not sure how they put the star together with the birth of Jesus. Perhaps in the readings of the Greek Old Testament they came to the prophecy of Balaam and to that cryptic reference in Numbers 24:17:

“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel?
Numbers 24:17 (NIV)

The star may easily have been a supernatural creation of God. The whole narrative of the birth of Jesus is accompanied by supernatural phenomena such as the appearance of angels. Or it may have been a natural phenomenon that others had seen but had not associated it with the birth of the Messiah.

However He did it, God used the star to signal to the Magi that the King had been born. The hope of the Magi was strong enough to compel them to undertake a costly and difficult journey to find Him. Their journey may have covered 1,000 miles and taken four to five months.

Notice that they went to Jerusalem. The star had guided them to Judea and yet they had no idea where to begin looking for this ?King?, so they went where it most made sense ? the capital of Judea! Jerusalem during this time was at the peak of its fame and power. The city was the center of commerce, pleasure, and religion. In its streets were people from all kinds of different nations. The Magi probably thought, ?Surely, here we?ll find out where this King is!?

We know from scripture that when they arrived they upset the whole city because of their question about a new King. Their question eventually led them into the court of the existing King of Judea at that time, a man appointed by Rome to serve in the office. Herod was a brutal tyrant in that day and with the news of the magi?s inquiries he set out to find out more about this ?new King? they were talking about.

In the process, some religious scholars were summoned to help determine where this new King would be born and through the prophecy of Micah 5:2,

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Micah 5:2 (NIV)

?they were able to pinpoint the location as being Bethlehem. Of course, before seeing the Magi off, King Herod asked them to return once they found the child and gave a lie as his reason for his request saying he wanted to be able to go and worship the child.

Next is the part of the story I want to zero in on. After they left Herod?s palace we are told they are once again guided by the star to exactly where the child lay. Here?s an observation I?d like to make ? not only was God the source of the hope of the magi ? but through them God was also giving an opportunity for the city of Jerusalem to know of that hope too! How do I know this? The Magi were directed by the light of the star as far as Judea but then that?s as far as they could go with it?s direction. God certainly could have taken them directly to Bethlehem and we know that from the fact that after their audience with Herod, the Magi were directed by the star not only to Bethlehem but also to the exact place where Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus were. I don?t believe its coincidence they went to Jerusalem. I wonder if there was anyone in that huge city who heard the Magi?s question and decided to go and check out Bethlehem for themselves?

The point I want you to get out of this section of the story of the Magi is that God was the source of their hope. He guided them by the provision of His word (as delivered through Daniel) and by His star.

As it was for the magi, God?s Word is available to guide every one of us. The Bible was written by God to guide us into a relationship with Him and to guide us as we live in relationship with Him. Just as the Magi studied God?s Word so we too gain great benefit by personally immersing ourselves in the pages of the Bible. Further I believe that God has a star shining for each one of us that points us to Christ. For some the star may be an answer to prayer, for some it is a miraculous healing or provision by God. However there are more people directed to Christ when ?the star? is seen in the church ? in the lives of individual men, women, and children who are sold out to Christ and His gospel and let God?s light shine through them, drawing those who are seeking ? in! Remember, however, that although the star captivated the magi ? it was not the star that they worshipped. But it was the star that pointed them to the one they wanted to worship. The star was only an ?indicator? of the presence of greatness. It was not great in of itself. The Magi pursued the star because they believed, they hoped it would lead them to the one who was the cause for its magnificence and light. But listen to this?they were not satisfied until they found the King who caused the star to shine.

And that King is Jesus. He was the fulfillment of the hope of the Magi and indeed is the fulfillment of the hope of all people He forgives our sins and grants eternal life to all who believe in Him.

JESUS IS THE FULFILLMENT OF HOPE

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
Matthew 2:9 (NIV)

Bethlehem is about four miles south of Jerusalem. Up until now the star had led the magi from the east to the west. Now it seems like it took a left turn and headed south! Some think it was a reappearance of the Shekinah glory of God that had led the children of Israel through the wilderness and that it even may have emitted a beam of light to reveal the house.

Whatever happened, the star guided the Magi to the house where Jesus and his family lived.

The Magi did not find Jesus until some months after he was born and found him in a house not the stable. A clue to this fact is that Herod asked the Wise Men when they had first seen the star and then sent his soldiers to kill every Jewish boy under the age of two years. This doesn?t mean that Jesus was two years old but that Herod allowed enough room for error to be certain that he killed this challenger to his throne.

In a moment we are going to watch a film clip from the movie The Nativity Story which shows the Wise Men arriving at the manger. Nativity Scenes usually include the Wise Men around the manger because they present a synopsis of the whole Christmas story. The makers of the movie The Nativity Story chose to portray the Wise Men at the manger for the same reason ? they wanted to keep viewers focused on the beauty of the whole birth narrative.

When they arrived, the Magi bowed down and worshipped the child! They had not come just to satisfy their curiosity but to worship Him as they would worship God.

They then presented their gifts as an act of worship of the child (the Greek word for presented indicates an offering made to God). The fact that they gave three gifts does not mean that there were only three wise men. There could have been just two or many more than three.

The three gifts the Magi brought foreshadowed the person and ministry of Jesus.

Gold for His royalty. In the Scriptures gold was a symbol for royalty and also signified the glory and deity of God. It and was thus an appropriate gift to give to God the Son.

Frankincense for His deity. This was a sweet incense that was used in connection with some of the offerings in the Temple, it?s aroma rising to God as a prayer.

Myrrh for his humanity. Myrrh was an embalming ointment which would be wrapped in the garments of the deceased. It signified the fact that Jesus was born to die.

Furthermore, these gifts also had a practical value, for they provided for the family during the time when they had to flee to Egypt.

Then the scripture records that after presenting the gifts, and after being warned in a dream, the magi did not go back to Herod

From the magi we have learned that God is the source of hope and Jesus is the fulfillment of hope?

WE GAIN HOPE WHEN WE CHOOSE TO FOLLOW JESUS
The Bible doesn?t say anything more about the Magi. We don?t know if they went back and shared the news of this King. We don?t know if this was, in their view, the most important journey of their lives or just another visit to impress future royalty. But what we do know, is that, regardless ? they made this journey in search of Christ ? in response to the pulling on their hearts by the light of the Star placed by God to announce His son?s birth. What stands out in their story is that although there surely must have been many people who had seen this star ? it was only these magi who recognized the significance of its light and only them who pursued the one who caused it.

What are you hoping for this Christmas?

? A cell phone?
? A new house?
? A Porsche?

Did you know that God has hopes for you this Christmas? And that no matter how extravagant your hope may be, what God hopes for you is far, far, far more valuable!

Here are some of the things God hopes for you:

God hopes you will believe in his Son Jesus so that He can give you everlasting life.

God hopes you will let him safely guide you each step of your journey through the coming years.

God hopes you will believe in Jesus? second coming.

The Wise Men found Jesus. You can find Him and receive the gift of eternal life today!

The ultimate hope of every human being is that there is life after death. People who battle a disease like cancer hope for remission or cure. But even if we are cured, of one disease, we will all eventually die. The Christmas season tells us emphatically that Jesus came to give us life everlasting.

Listen to Jesus? very own words:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NIV)

Jesus was born to die – and when He died on the cross it was to take the punishment for our sin. But Jesus did not stay dead. He rose from the dead to offer all who believe in Him resurrection life. Jesus has already entered into heaven to open the way for us.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:19-20 (NIV)

The sanctuary behind the curtain is the place where God lives. When we believe in Jesus our souls have Him as our anchor in heaven.

The overall lesson we learn from the Magi is that we gain what we hope for when we follow God?s direction in life. God speaks through His word and reveals Himself through Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-4).

Through the Bible God guides us more directly than He guided the Wise Men. He wants you to let Him safely guide you each step of your journey through the coming years. God has given us something far more powerful than a star to guide our way. He has given us His Holy Spirit to lead us step by step through life. As we keep in step with the Spirit, He produces qualities in our lives that only God can give:

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25 (NIV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

As we follow Him, God the Spirit guides us in living lives that are fruitful, joyful and eternally meaningful.

The Wise Men found Jesus at His first coming. When He comes again will He find you watching for Him?

The Magi were watching for the first coming of Jesus. The New Testament writers tell us to live like Magi who are watching for His second coming.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:2 (NIV)

The hope (certainty) of eternal life should motivate those who believe in Jesus to live morally pure lives. We do this not to earn a place in heaven but to live like citizens of heaven while we are still on earth.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)

The blessed hope is that day when Jesus returns to bring an end to all suffering and death. Jesus came the first time, just as the Scriptures said He would. That?s why we know that Jesus will come again!

The Wise Men worshipped Jesus with their gifts. We have been given gifts with which to worship Him.

The Magi demonstrated their faith in Jesus by bringing Him gifts. We have gifts to give Him as well.

The first gift He wants is the gift of ourselves. Paul tells us to offer our bodies to Him as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).

We have financial gifts, which we give to Jesus every time we give to someone who is in need.

We have spiritual gifts to offer, which we give to Jesus by serving one another (Romans 12:3-8).

The Magi followed the directions of God?s Word to Jesus and submitted to Him as their King. Let us follow in the footsteps of the Wise Men and worship and serve our king!
{show clip from The Nativity Story (scene where Magi arrive at stable and worship the child)}

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The Shepherd Incident

Sunday, December 3rd, 2006

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This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series The Nativity Story

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INTRODUCTION
For the last two weeks, we?ve been once again looking at the events surrounding, ?the Nativity Story? and discovering the impact these circumstances had on the lives of the people involved and the impact they can and should have in our lives today.

We?ve looked at the courage of Joseph ? the courage to live a morally upright life in an immoral world, the courage to love when it seems that love has been abused, the courage to obey and trust God in the face of adversity. I believe one of the reasons the Holy Spirit included the story of Joseph in scripture is to encourage each one of us to live courageously, even if it means living dangerously ? in doing God?s will. We learn through Joseph, an ordinary man from the backwater town of Nazareth, that such courage is available to all who would receive it through faith in God.

We?ve looked at the faith of Mary ? the incredible story of this young teenage girl who was chosen for the honored task of carrying the Son of God in her womb. Through Mary we discover that faith need not be age-dependent. In fact, faith in God is something that should mature in us at a young age. All the more reason to invest in our children and youth while they are young and help them grow faith in God. All the more reason to believe our young people can be used by God in tremendous ways while they are young ? and support them in the opportunities God presents for their involvement in His plan.

We also learned how Mary was an honored believer. The angel declared she was ?highly favored? and indeed the evidence of that would be soon seen in her expanding belly. Not only was she honored with this God-given responsibility but God also reassured her through His messenger that He would be with her. In a similar way, every person who believes in Jesus Christ is honored by God with an incredible task. We are honored with the privilege of carrying the most important message of the universe to whomever God places in our path to share that message with. We are the bearers of Good News, of love, of peace, of joy. All that is found in Jesus Christ. And like Mary, God reassures each one of us that He is always with us. Whatever task God calls us to, He enables us to complete through His presence and power.

And finally, we learned that like Joseph, Mary was a courageous believer ? her faith in God was demonstrated by her courageous obedience of God. With all that was asked of her Mary?s simple to God?s messenger was,

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38 (NIV)

She surrendered herself to God?s plan for her life, as costly as it was going to be. The challenge Mary?s faith presents to us is to first give ourselves to God and then demonstrate that in our obedience of whatever He asks of us. The reassurance Mary?s faith presents to us is the assurance of God?s presence in the lives of those surrendered to Him.

Today, I want to take a look at ?The Shepherd Incident?

and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:7-20 (NIV)

I want you to imagine for a minute the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus and the angelic announcement of His glorious birth by an angel to the shepherds. Bethlehem at this particular time in history was a bustling, busy town. A census had been called by Rome which meant that every man, woman and child had to be counted. The very fact that the census was going on throughout the entire Roman Empire ? which covered the entire world of that time is significant. But for the region of Judea it was even more amazing that this province which once was so resistant to the rule of the Roman Empire was now entering into the ?registering? of it?s people as members of Rome and subjected to the administration of its emperor.

It is recorded in verse three that every person went to his own town (the town of their ancestry) to register. Bethlehem, of course, as the town of David, would have been a very, very busy place because of this. The line of David was the royal line of Judea and the Roman Emperor would probably have made sure that everyone in this line registered so as to know their numbers and strength.

You can almost picture this town in the days of the census. People didn?t have cars and planes back then. Many people would have traveled days or weeks to reach Bethlehem and it would become a stopping over or resting place before they headed home. Of course the merchants, innkeepers, caravan drivers, buyers, sellers, businessmen, entrepreneurs and market vendors would take advantage of this sudden boom of customers as the people arrived in Bethlehem. I can just picture the residents of this small town rubbing their hands in anticipation of all the wealth that would come from this sudden flurry of activity. They were taking a hold of this event and milking it for all its worth ? perhaps there were even some visionaries who were petitioning Rome for a repeat of the census the following year! Maybe it could become an annual event!

Of course, we know that it was into this arena of the census being taken that a young man and woman found themselves a stable where they experienced the birth of a child. A very special child, a child that had been prophesied to be the Messiah, the coming King, the Saviour, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Son of God, Immanuel, God with us, Jesus. Yet the world did not know. Lying in a manger was a King whose glory outshone and still outshines every king and ruler and emperor of the world combined. Yet the people in the town of Bethlehem were oblivious to His presence.

And then God announced the birth of His son! All of a sudden there were fireworks all over the sky ? bright blues, reds and greens. A giant Christmas Tree miraculously appeared in front of the stable with angels all around it shouting at the top of their lungs ?It?s a Boy!? ? the whole sky was lit up like day with lettering written across it, ?THE MESSIAH HAS COME?.

Did this happen NO, and yet it could have. Surely, the creator of the Universe would be capable of such a glorious entrance into the world? Surely this kind of announcement of the birth of Jesus would have been possible for the One who spoke the world into being? But this was not the way the birth of Jesus was announced.

Let?s think of this from the angel?s point of view for a moment:

If God had consulted with me, I would have recommended that He make the announcement with a little more flair. Perhaps He should stand on the moon with an expensive microphone, hang two billion watt speakers out in space and then broadcast: ?Helo-o-o-o-o, Wo-o-o-o-rld. This is G-o-o-o-od??

Or, since God chose to go with a bunch of angels, I would have recommended that He follow the chain of command and go to the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Parliament) first or at least use His energies more efficiently and go to the marketplace and get the announcement to the greatest number of people in the shortest time.

But no, He persists in picking a desolate spot. Imagine being one of the members of that group of angels chosen to announce the birth? For eons you have been practicing and anticipating the glorious presentation. Everything is in perfect tune and timing for the announcement of the ages. For years too numerous to count they have been building a stage in the sky for that great moment. Then Gabriel says, ?He?s born! You?re on fellows!? The curtains are pulled back and you see the crowd ? six shepherds? What a letdown! ?Okay,? someone asks, ?who was in charge of posters?? (much of this ?perspective? was written by Gayle Erwin and quoted in ?Love was Born on Christmas? by C. Raymond van Pletsen.)

To their credit, the angels didn?t really miss a beat but joyfully made their announcement to the world, as represented by this anonymous, ragged, group of shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem. To them they announced the majestic birth that had occurred in the village.

The people in Bethlehem were unaware of the drama unfolding in the fields outside of their town ? they were unaware of the majestic events taking place in their own yard. But are they really to blame? Was it their fault that they were oblivious to these events? Perhaps not ? and yet, through the perspective of the shepherds we can find some reasons for God?s choice to make his announcement to them instead of those dwelling in the city.

to reveal God?s Grace
Shepherds were outcasts in Israel. Their work not only made them ceremonially unclean, but it kept them away from the temple for weeks at a time so that they could not be made clean.

Nine times out of ten the job of shepherd would be given to the youngest male in the family so that the older ones could be freed up for more important work.

The scriptures record that when the angel appeared to the shepherds they were terrified. Why is the angel here? What is the angel going to do? We?re not presentable. We?re not ready. All these thoughts and more were probably going through the shepherd?s minds. And yet the angel?s first words to the shepherds were, ?Do not be afraid. I bring you good news??

The message of the angels to the shepherds was that there was Good News! We like good news. We certainly don?t like bad news. A father came home from a very rugged day at work and said to his wife, ?I?ve had a bad day. Please! If you have any bad news tonight, keep it to yourself.? To which she replied, ?O.K. NO bad news. Now for the Good News. Remember our four children? Well, three of them didn?t break an arm today.? (Autoillustrator.com, GOOD NEWS)

The first significant truth born out of God coming to the lowly shepherd is that God does not reserve his grace for the privileged, but for the poor and the lowly

A brief look at the pages of the Bible bears witness to this. Look at the people whom God called to do His work! Abraham, the leader of a small band of rovers; Jacob, a liar and a shepherd; Joseph, a slave and prisoner; Moses, an outcast and shepherd; Gideon, a simple farmer; Saul, a man looking for his donkey; David, the youngest son and a shepherd; most of the prophets were either farmers or shepherds ? Elijah, Elisha, Amos; Esther, an orphan; Joseph, a carpenter and Mary, a virgin; and now the first ones called to spread the GOOD NEWS of the Messiah?s birth, the shepherds near Bethlehem.

Did you know that God wants to use you this Christmas? That he extends His grace to you? That it doesn?t matter what position you are in life that He can USE YOU? That He WANTS TO?

It?s also interesting to not the number of times God is referred to as a shepherd in the Bible. Perhaps the most famous reference is Psalm 23?

Jesus is the prophesied good shepherd of Israel in Micah 5:2-4

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
Micah 5:2-4 (NIV)

And later on in his ministry, Jesus refers to Himself as the ?good shepherd?.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 (NIV)

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me–
John 10:14 (NIV)

Clearly God held a special place in His heart for shepherds ? as He does for all those who are lowly, poor and humble.

Warren Wiersbe writes:

The Messiah came to be both the Good Shepherd (John 10) and the Lamb of God sacrificed for the sins of the world (John 1:29). Perhaps these shepherds were caring for the flocks that would provide sacrifices for the temple services. It was fitting that the good news about God?s Shepherd and Lamb be given first to humble shepherds.

Can you imagine how the shepherds felt when they first heard this? They were terrified, probably prostrate on their faces before the angel. And then as they heard the angel speak of this ?good news? they probably began to look at each other as they slowly rose to their feet ? their fear turning to joy as they realized the privilege of hearing about God?s grace ? marveling that God would even think of them!

This Christmas remember that when Christ was born God was not only thinking of the world as a whole but He was also thinking of you! When you look through the eyes of a shepherd the merciful force of God?s grace flattens you.

they were ready to believe
Bethlehem was the center of distracting busyness?

Would they have heard the message?
As mentioned earlier there would have been a tremendous amount of activity going on in the town of Bethlehem that night ? if they weren?t already asleep, the busyness and distracting activities the people of Bethlehem were involved in would keep them from hearing the message from the angel.

Would they have believed the message?
A baby in a manger is the messiah? A baby in a manger is the savior? Uh-uh I don?t think so? it?s a nice joke though.

The shepherds were in a place of quiet and were keeping watch.
They heard the message.
They didn?t have anything to distract them besides the occasional bleating of a sheep and the majestic view of a starry sky! The Bible records that they were, ?keeping watch?
There are two greek words used in this phrase, phulasso and phulaka are translated keeping watch but really the sense of the greek is ?really, really, watching?
These shepherds weren?t half asleep, they were carefully, and caringly watching over their sheep. Probably looking for any predators that would be coming after the sheep.

It was into this still, calm, serene and alert setting that an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and frightened them.

They believed the message
The angel proceeded to tell them, ?Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.? (vs 10-11).

Following the angel?s message a great host of angels appeared praising God and giving God glory.

Now, shepherds are not easily fooled. They are practical men of the world who have little to do with fantasy. God selected hardworking men to be the first witnesses that His Son had come into the world. God selected men who were ready to believe him. That they believed is obvious from their actions following the visit of the angels, ??the shepherds said to one another, ?Let?s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.? (vs 15) Notice the shepherds did NOT say, ?Let?s go to Bethlehem and see IF this thing has happened.? When they went to Bethlehem, they went fully expecting and believing that the message from the angels was true. That they would find a baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger and that THIS baby was the MESSIAH!!
The shepherds BELIEVED!!

ARE YOU READY TO BELIEVE?
One of the saddest things in our world today and especially in western society is the fact that many people are not ready to believe the message of the angel. That Jesus Christ has come and is the salvation of the world.

? Either we?re too busy
? Or too prosperous

Sadder still is the way in which the Christmas season has become a holiday of buying and selling, making deals and getting steals, competitive decorating and certainly ?the busiest time of the year?. How many people who celebrate this holiday season have heard the message of Christ? Or should I say, how many people this holiday season have LISTENED to the good news. Or should I say, how many people would believe the message of Christ?

The truth of the matter is ? whether Bethlehem was ready to believe or not, Jesus Christ was born ? whether we?re ready to believe or not, Jesus Christ was born and the message of the good news was given then ? is given today ? and will be given for all eternity. Will you receive it?

they were ready to give
The shepherds were the very first Christian evangelists!!
The typical manger scene is but a snapshot of what really happened on that special evening. The scriptures record that, ?when they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child..?

After the shepherds heard the message from the angel, and the angelic choir singing, the scriptures record that they rushed in to Bethlehem. As they traveled towards Bethlehem they probably didn?t know that they were the only ones to have received the announcement from the angel. But as they traveled through the streets and finally to the stable they would no doubt have noticed that nobody else seemed to be aware of who this special baby was.

The shepherds wasted no time in proclaiming the good news! Were there flocks of people streaming to the manger to see the baby as a result of the shepherd?s testimony? We don?t know. We do know people were amazed by their words. Even if nobody went to see the baby after the testimony of the shepherds their actions were an example of their joyous thankfulness and exuberant thanks to God for the gift of His son.

God knew that the shepherds were ready not only to believe the message of good news but ready to give it out as well.

There were no excuses?

They just went?

Not only were they ready to give the good news to the people of Bethlehem but they were ready to give their praises to God for his gift to them.

We know the Christmas season is the season of giving and a lot of us have carefully made preparations to make our gifts of? to those we love..(or are in the last minute rush to do so!) But how many of us are ready to give the most precious gift of all? How many of us are ready to give the gift of the knowledge of Jesus Christ ? of the good news? How many of us are ready to give the testimony of what God has told you and done for you?

The Bible doesn?t mention an innkeeper ? only that there was no room at the inn when Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to stay. Yet, there very well might have been. What might have been his words if he was to speak to us today?



I only did what you have done
A thousand times or more
When Joseph came to Bethlehem
And knocked upon my door
I did not turn the Christ away
With alibi so deft.
Like you, I simply gave to Him
Whatever I had left
(B.P. Baker, Autoillustrator.com, THE INNKEEPER)

CONCLUSION:

I believe that just as God had chosen the shepherds to receive a special message on that special day just over 2000 years ago that God is wanting to share a special message with you this Christmas season. A message of hope, of peace, of joy, of love of forgiveness, of grace, of eternity, of wonder.

Truth be told, God is ready to shower His grace upon you?the question is ? are you ready to believe? Are you ready to give? As we watch a rendition of what it was like for Joseph and Mary in the stable as the baby Jesus was born I want you to ask yourself those very questions?

{Show Video Clip from the Nativity ? The Birth of Christ}

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Mary’s Faith

Sunday, November 26th, 2006

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This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series The Nativity Story

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INTRODUCTION
Read text: Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)

? Jessica
? Kelly
? Beyonce

If you recognize those names it there it is likely you have a preteen or a teen in your home. These are the celebrities who for some fit into the category of ?I wanna be her!? They are pretty. They are successful. They are famous. For some young people they?ll say ?who wouldn?t want to be like them!?

But watch that list and you will find that it changes overnight ? in fact it probably has already changed and I?m behind the times! Names come and go so quickly it can make your head spin. While a few stars have staying power, a girl who is cool and popular today may be forgotten tomorrow.

I want to tell you about a teenage girl who will never be forgotten. She has been popular with every generation and every culture where people have gotten to know her. Her name is Mary, and she tends to get a lot of media exposure every year around Christmas time.

In most ways, Mary did not fit the normal criteria we use in ascribing celebrity status to someone. We know that she was not wealthy. We don?t know how attractive Mary was. And she was unknown outside of her home town. But there was something about Mary that captures our attention and affection. She had an inner beauty that impressed even God! Her inner beauty was so powerful that she was chosen to become the mother of the greatest person of all time: Jesus, the King of kings.

One way to describe Mary?s inner beauty is to talk about her faith, for it was Mary?s faith that caught the eye of God. Today as we read the first part of her story we?ll discover that -

? Mary Was A Teen Believer
? Mary Was An Honored Believer
? Mary Was A Courageous Believer

But even more, through her story we?ll learn that we too can be used by God to change the world. Mary?s story shows us that. . .

? Faith is not age-dependent.
? Faith positions us to be part of the greatest event in all human history.
? Faith means do what God says regardless of the cost.

1. MARY WAS A TEEN BELIEVER
(Faith is not age-dependent)

We are introduced to Mary in Luke 1:26-27

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
Luke 1:26-27 (NIV)

As the story unfolds in the rest of the account one of the things that stands out is how mature Mary?s faith was at such an early age. Mary was a teenager when the angel appeared to her, perhaps between thirteen and fifteen years of age. The message the angel brought would change her life in a radical way but she responded with such strong faith that we have to conclude she had been cultivating it for quite some time.

Mary isn?t alone – many of heroes of faith in the Bible had a strong faith in God at an early age. Think of . . .

? Samuel. God called him when he was but a young boy and he responded with childlike faith
? David. As a teenager he attributed his success over a lion and a bear to the Lord. He defeated Goliath because rather than fixing his eyes on the giant he saw the greater reality of the presence of the Lord of the Armies of Heaven and Israel.
? Daniel was perhaps only 16 when he and his companions were taken into captivity. Yet, despite their youth, they had such a deep faith in the Lord they were willing to face death rather than worship false gods.

Faith is not age-dependent! You don?t have to wait until you are old to become a hero of the faith. In fact, age will not guarantee anything at all. Many young people are more mature spiritually than people decades older than them. The book of Ecclesiastes urges us to start following God when we are young (12:1)!

Mary Believed In The Personal God of Israel!

The key sentence I want to emphasize here is: ?The Lord is with you? (vs28). Mary?s faith was not in a creed or a religion. She believed in the Lord God of Israel. Sadly, the same could not be said of most of the religious leaders of Israel at that time. They had a relationship with their religion rather than a relationship with their Lord.

A ?one on one? relationship with the Lord God is what sets Biblical faith apart from the religions of the world. The writer to the Hebrews, in describing faith said:

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

God is a person (He can be pleased) and faith begins when we believe that He exists and that His desire is that we seek Him! God is love, and the central story of the Bible is His love for His creation and that we would reciprocate that love back to Him and reflect His love to each other.

It is clear that Mary responded to His love and believed in God.

Today, we do the same thing when we believe in Jesus Christ. Reading all of Hebrews reveals that Jesus is God who became a man. The Bible explains that He did so in order to take the punishment of our sins and to offer us eternal life. Jesus Himself said:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:16-18 (NIV)

All the more reason for me to urge you to believe in Him now! You do not have to change your life first. You don?t have to wait until you?re older. In fact, follow Mary?s example ? she had a maturing faith even as a young teenage girl!

Now, in order to appreciate the strength of her faith we must observe that Mary was a virgin when the angel visited her.

Mary Was A Virgin!
The young woman to whom the angel was sent was a virgin ? that is a young woman who had not yet had sexual relations. The Greek word (parthenos) may be translated ?girl? or ?virgin? but, in this context virgin is the correct translation because in verse 34 the fact that Mary had no sexual intercourse is stressed. The angel?s message was that Mary was about to become pregnant by supernatural, not natural, means.

The virgin birth is not an incidental factoid about Jesus ? it is central to the understanding that He was and is at once both God and man!

Only as God could Jesus reveal God to us (Hebrews 1)
Only as God could He take upon himself the sin of the world
Only as man could he identify with our humanity, weakness and temptation (Hebrews 2:18)
Only as God and man can He stand as our advocate before the throne of God (Hebrews 4:14-5:3)

Another related observation is that?

Mary Was Engaged To Be Married
Mary was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph.

This is where we infer that Mary was most likely to be in her early teens since betrothal often took place soon after puberty in the culture of this time-period and place.

This must have been a wonderful time in life for Mary as she made preparations for her wedding day. But the angel?s announcement was going to throw her wedding plans into chaos.

According to Jewish law, betrothal (or engagement) established a legal relationship between a man and a woman, binding upon both parties (Deuteronomy 20:7; 22:23-27). It took place after the conclusion of the marriage-contract between the parents, and was performed by the exchange of something of a certain value between the parties. The interval between betrothal and marriage was usually one year, during which time the woman and her property judicially already belonged to her future husband, and unfaithfulness on her part was considered adultery. How different it is from what we consider engagement today!

According to Old Testament Law the penalty for adultery was death by stoning (see John 8 ? the story of the woman caught in adultery)! Due to the fact Israel was at this time under Roman domination, the Jews did not have the authority under Roman law to carry out capital punishment, yet that did not preclude the reality that in some cases it was done anyways ? or the request of permission for doing so would be sought (again see John 8). So, Mary not only faced death but at the very least faced divorce, for that is what it took to terminate an engagement to be married. She also faced the social shame of becoming pregnant out of wedlock.

Joseph was a descendant of David. To the Jewish ear, this was a significant fact, for God had foretold that the King He promised them would be born of the lineage of David (2 Samuel 7:11-16). Although Joseph was not Jesus? physical father, Jesus would have a legal claim to the throne of David through the lineage of His family.

2. MARY WAS AN HONORED BELIEVER

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:28 (NIV)

Notice:
The Angel Declared That Mary Was Highly Favored
The angel declared that Mary was highly favored, a declaration that is repeated in verse 30 ?you have found favor with God.? The word favor comes from the root word for grace. Mary was not being rewarded for something she had done but was being selected by God for a special purpose and blessing. The angel would explain that her supernatural pregnancy was the grace gift God was about to give her.

While Mary did not earn the right to be selected for this honor, there can be no doubt that God selected Mary because of character qualities He saw in her and because of her faith in Him.

The Angel Declared That God Was With Mary
The angel said that the Lord was with Mary. This was to reassure her that she would not be alone as she undertook the task ahead. In the story of Gideon (Judges 6) we learn of Gideon receiving a task to go and defeat the Midianite army assembled against Israel by the Angel of the Lord and the message for him was similar,

When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
Judges 6:12 (NIV).

The same thing had been said about King David when God the Spirit fell upon him and empowered him to lead Israel.

As an unwed mother, Mary faced the possibility of rejection by Joseph, her own family and the community. But she would never be alone, for the God wanted her to know, HE would be with her.

In a similar way, those who follow Jesus are never alone. God will never send you to do something in service of Him without providing the resources and support you need. When He commissioned us to make disciples of the nations, Jesus reassured us that He would be with us to the very end of the age.

? and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 20 (NIV)

Paul writes that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:31-39).

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39 (NIV)

Now listen closely?only one person was chosen to bear the child who would become King – but everyone who believes in Jesus becomes part of God?s most amazing work in all human history ? that of bearing the news of Jesus to all the people of the world.

3. MARY WAS A COURAGEOUS BELIEVER

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
Luke 1:29-34 (NIV)

The third aspect of Mary?s faith was how courageous she was in obeying God. Last week we looked at the courage of Joseph ? but Mary, too exhibited courage!

Try to imagine what the experience was like for Mary. Her world was about to be shattered.

? She would have to face her fianc?, her family and her neighbors with the news that she was pregnant ? news which meant she could be stoned for adultery.
? But when she tried to explain to them that God was the Father of the child, she could be stoned for blasphemy!

The following scene from the movie soon to be released – ?The Nativity Story? dramatizes how difficult it would have been for Mary to tell her parents and future husband that she was pregnant.

{The Nativity Story
Film Clip: ?I?ve broken no vow.?}

Now when the angel told Mary the news she was Mary Understandably Startled

Mary was greatly troubled, bewildered by the angel?s words and was understandably afraid. We?re not told what form the angel took when he appeared to Mary but when Zechariah, the husband of Mary?s cousin, was visited by an angel he was ?startled and gripped with fear? (Luke 1:12).

The angel told Mary to not be afraid and reassured her that she had found favor with God. Then he made his amazing prediction.

Try to hear his words as Mary first heard them: ?You will be with child and give birth to a son?.

For most of us, it is a joyful moment when we hear that we are pregnant. And today, we can find out fairly early in the process whether the baby is going to be a boy or a girl. But Mary found out she was to have a boy even before she got pregnant!

?You are to give him the name Jesus.?

Mary was to give her baby a name that was very common among the Jews. In Hebrew, it was a form of Jeshua, Joshua or Jehoshua. The name is a contraction of two words ?Yahweh? and ?shua? and means ?Yahweh saves,? or ?Yahweh is savior.? Joseph would be told in a dream that the child was to be names Jesus ?because he will save his people from their sins? (Matthew 1:21).

The angel now declares that this child would be quite literally divine! He will be called great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The ?Most High? is God, as verse 35 makes clear when the angel says He will be called the Son of God! Being the ?son of? someone meant that you shared that person?s bloodline, or as we now know, their DNA. While God, of course, has no bloodline, the statement meant that Jesus shared the same spiritual essence as God. He has Deity DNA!

And He would fulfill God?s promise to send Israel a Messiah, the One who would forever occupy the office of King of Israel.

?The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.? (v33)

Every Jewish man and woman would have recognized these words as referring to the promised Messiah (2 Samuel 7; Psalm 2).

Mary could not have fully understood what she was told. Her human son would be divine and would serve as King over a never-ending kingdom. Luke tells us that when Mary learned something new about Jesus she treasured what she had heard and pondered it in her heart (Luke 2:19).

But first, she wanted to understand how she could possibly get pregnant!

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
Luke 1:34-37 (NIV)

All of this was astonishing news. Mary was told that she would become pregnant and give birth to a son who would have deity in his bloodline and who would one day be king of Israel. Mary asked the angel how this could possibly take place, since she was a virgin. Literally, what she said was ?since a man I know not,? or ?since I have no sexual relationship with a man??

Mary?s question was not one of unbelief! She believed what she was told. She didn?t even ask for some kind of confirmation, as Zechariah had. She simply didn?t understand how she could possibly become pregnant. She did not laugh, as Sarah had laughed when she was told she was going to bear a son. She did not dismiss the angel?s words. She simply asked for clarification about something she believed was going to happen.

The question arises, why did Mary anticipate having a baby before she had sexual relations? Why did she not simply assume that the angel meant she would have a baby after she and Joseph were married? It is doubtful she had Isaiah 7:14 in mind, in which God said a virgin would give birth to a son and call him Immanuel. But something in the tone of the angel?s message led her to understand that she would immediately fall pregnant, before she was married.

The angel answered Mary?s question by explaining that . . . Mary Would Become Pregnant Through The Miracle-Working Power of The Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit would come upon Mary and create the child within her womb. That is why the child will be the holy one who is called the Son of God.

The image of the Most High overshadowing Mary reminds us of the Spirit of God hovering over the waters of the deep at creation (Genesis 1:2). We also recall the cloud of the glory of the lord that descended upon the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34,35).

Although Mary had not asked for a sign, the angel offered proof to Mary of God?s power by pointing out her relative Elizabeth?s pregnancy

Gabriel told Mary that her relative Elizabeth?s pregnancy was proof that nothing is impossible with God. Elizabeth had never had children and she was past child-bearing age when the angel appeared to Zechariah and told him that Elizabeth would bear a son (Luke 1:19).

The angel?s visit to Mary took place in the sixth month of the pregnancy of Mary?s cousin Elizabeth. The significance of this was that after Mary was visited by the angel she was able to visit Elizabeth and see another miracle ? that a woman past child-bearing age was pregnant. While not as phenomenal a miracle as what took place in Mary, it nonetheless confirmed the angel?s message.

With quiet faith Mary accepted the angel?s explanation and submitted herself to the Lord.

Then we know from the text that Mary Obeyed The Lord

Lk 1:38 ?I am the Lord?s servant,? Mary answered. ?May it be to me as you have said.? Then the angel left her.

Knowing the enormous price she was about to pay, Mary surrendered herself first to the Lord and then to His plan. Notice that although we have made much of the cost to Mary, she says not a word of it!

She said, ?I am the Lord?s servant.? There?s a wonderfully childlike aspect to her faith. With absolute trust Mary bows herself to the will of God and declares herself to be His servant. Her words must have brought great joy to the heart of God. He has always longed for His people to give themselves so unreservedly to Him.

Mary also surrendered herself to the Lord?s plan for her life, as costly as it was going to be: ?May it be to me as you have said.?

Paul praised the Macedonian churches for following the same sequence when they gave sacrificially to help other Christians in need:

And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
2 Corinthians 8:5 (NIV)

They gave themselves first to the Lord, then they gave their resources. God wants us to first give Him ourselves and then give Him our obedience.

CONCLUSION
In all of history there is only one man who bears the honor of being the first man to walk on the moon. In fact, he is the only man ever to walk on any other heavenly body than earth. No-one else can lay claim to that fame, and no-one else will ever be able to. This unique place in all of human history belongs solely to Neil Armstrong.

In all of history there was only one woman chosen for the honor of giving birth to the King of kings. While generations of women may have desired the honor, it was reserved for just one woman. That unique place in all of human history belongs solely to Mary. But we can participate in the ongoing miracle of bearing Jesus to all the world.

Let?s review what we?ve learned from Mary. Mary?s faith was . . .

? Begun in her as a young woman
? Based upon God?s Word
? Bowed to The Will Of God

The Word of God was designed to lead us into an ever deepening relationship with God. So, let?s follow in Mary?s footsteps of faith.

Do you Believe In God? Has a kernel of that faith been planted in you?
Faith in Him is based upon a historical reality ? God stepped into human history in the person of Jesus, a baby born to human parents but bearing the DNA of deity. As the rest of the New Testament explains, Jesus who was both fully God and fully Man died on the cross and rose from the dead. Those who believe in him are given the gift of eternal life and are adopted as God?s children. In calling us to believe in Him the New Testament confronts us with this historical fact and requires us to make a decision regarding Jesus. It does not begin with our felt needs, it begins with the unveiling who Christ is! Christianity is built not upon ideas or idealogies but upon the historical reality of the incarnation!

The question is: what will you decide concerning Jesus? I urge you to believe in Jesus and begin your eternal life now!

Is Your Faith Based Upon The Scripture?
In this story we see the principle that faith is always based upon the what God has said in His written Word. Biblical faith always has an object, it is not some kind of free-floating phenomenon. Faith is a response to a declaration by God or about God.

For the Christian, faith is never a blind leap! It is always an informed step of trust. Faith always has an objective basis ? it is always based upon the what God has said! Read carefully the description of faith given in Hebrews 11:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:1-3 (NIV)

The source of what we hope for and what we do not see is the same source that tells us that the universe was formed at God?s command: the written Word of God! Faith is a choice we make to believe and obey something God has said.

If God has said it ? you can believe it! But do you know what God has said? Go to the source to find out for yourself by reading the Bible daily.

And finally,

Are You Bowed To the Will Of God?
If God has told you to do something ? friends – you can do it! Jesus told us that without Him we can do nothing but that if we connect ourselves to Him the way a branch connects to a vine, then with Him nothing is impossible.

If God has told you to do something ? do it now! Don?t delay ? have the faith of Mary and say simply ?I am the Lord?s servant? Surrender to Him and your life will never be the same.

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