Participants:
Series Code: TWH
Program Code: TWH000037A
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00:32 If you have your Bibles, open to Luke 1:37 and 38.
00:41 "For with God nothing will be impossible. 00:46 Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord!'" 00:50 Can we read the rest together? 00:53 "Let it be to me according to your word.' 00:58 And the angel departed from her." 01:02 Loving Father in heaven, we open our hearts 01:04 this morning to be continually watered. 01:08 Thank You, Lord, for that praise in song 01:13 that water our souls. 01:16 We now ask for You to pour out Your Holy Spirit 01:18 upon this message, 01:20 and keep our minds focused where we can say 01:23 with a willing heart, Lord, 01:25 let it be according to Your Word. 01:28 In Jesus' name I pray, amen. 01:34 One of the most wonderful truths 01:36 about the advent of Jesus has been 01:41 overshadowed by one of the most famous 01:44 music groups of all times, The Beatles. 01:49 I became aware of it when I did the series 01:50 not too long ago, part two and then in 2008, 01:54 part one on the occult and the entertainment industry. 01:57 And I was reintroduced to the lyrics 01:59 and many of the songs of the Beatle 02:00 and I cannot forget that song, "Let It Be." 02:06 The Beatles in their anthology 02:09 included a song entitled Let It Be, 02:12 in which they chose Mary 02:17 and they painted her in a light out of harmony with God's Word. 02:22 Let me remind you of the lyrics. 02:24 The Beatles made Mary the central person 02:27 of comfort in their time of trouble. 02:31 The lyrics are as follows: 02:33 When I find myself in time of trouble 02:37 Mother Mary comes to me 02:40 Speaking words of wisdom 02:43 Let it be 02:45 Let it be 02:47 They have also painted Mary 02:49 as the ever present help in their hour of darkness, 02:51 for they say continually: 02:53 And in my hour of darkness 02:55 She is standing right in front of me 02:57 Speaking words of wisdom 03:00 Let it be 03:02 Let it be 03:06 The Beatles have also made Mary the guest 03:09 who communicates to them through the sound of music, 03:12 for they said: 03:13 I wake up to the sound of music 03:15 And Mother Mary comes to me 03:18 Speaking words of wisdom 03:20 Let it be 03:23 Let it be 03:25 To add insult to divine injury Mary is credited as having 03:31 immortality and intelligence that survives the grave. 03:37 Because buried in the tag of the song, 03:39 Mary is credited with speaking words of wisdom. 03:43 Let it be. 03:44 Let it be. 03:46 And the Lord laid it on my heart, 03:48 therefore the mission of this message 03:50 is to take the reverence that has been credited to Mary 03:53 and appoint it back to the anointed one 03:56 whose name is Jesus. 04:02 For in my hour of darkness, Mary didn't come to me, 04:06 Jesus did. 04:08 In my moments of difficulty, I didn't turn to Mary, 04:12 I turned to Jesus. 04:13 In my time of trouble, I called on the name of Jesus. 04:17 Mary had no part in delivering me 04:21 in my moments of darkness, in my hour of trouble, 04:24 not even through the sound of music. 04:27 It was Jesus who came and discovered 04:32 and rescued my aching heart. 04:36 But Luke 1:26 and 27 invites us 04:40 into an already difficult set of circumstances. 04:44 Open your Bibles today with me 04:46 and let us walk together through this narrative 04:48 that sets aright the place 04:51 that is appointed only to Christ Jesus, 04:54 and the Bible says to us in Luke 1:26 and 27. 04:58 The Bible says, "Now in the sixth month," 05:00 what month did I say? 05:01 Sixth. 05:02 "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent 05:05 by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth 05:11 to a virgin betrothed to a man 05:13 whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. 05:16 The virgin's name was Mary." 05:21 This verse begs to answer the question, 05:24 for whom the circumstances are already difficult. 05:28 You have heard the cliche before, 05:30 good things come to those who wait. 05:31 Have you heard that before? 05:32 Good things come to those who wait. 05:34 I think it's better said, 05:36 I've got good news and I've got bad news, 05:38 which one do you want first? 05:41 The bad news, good news stories. 05:43 I've heard a story about a guy who was in the hospital 05:45 with two broken legs and the nurse came into the room 05:47 and she said, "I've got good news 05:49 and I've got bad news." 05:50 And the guy asked for the bad news first, 05:53 and she said, "The bad news, Mike, 05:55 is that we're gonna have to amputate both of your legs, 05:57 we're gonna have to cut them off." 05:59 And the guy says, "So what's the good news?" 06:02 And she said the good news is, 06:03 "The guy that's next to you wants to buy your sneakers." 06:10 That's not good news. 06:13 You lose what's most beneficial to you, 06:18 only on a lower level to get rid of something 06:21 you don't need anymore anyhow. 06:24 Good news and bad news. 06:25 Sometimes good news plunges us 06:28 into the worst set of circumstances. 06:29 Sometimes it takes a long time for good news to start feeling 06:33 for bad news to start feeling like good news. 06:37 Sometimes good news does not always introduce itself 06:39 as good in the very beginning. 06:41 So God has to take time to unwrap what's good, 06:44 what eventually will be good. 06:46 And my life is an example, a perfect example of that. 06:51 I would never have known by the way my life began 06:54 that I would be where I am today, 06:56 abandoned at three months old, 06:59 left at a babysitter by mom and dad, 07:01 not knowing my mother till I'm almost 26, 07:04 and my dad when I'm about 13 years old. 07:06 I would never know 07:08 but good news does not always begin as good news, 07:13 you got to give God time to unwrap the good news. 07:17 Can I get an amen? Amen. 07:20 Because in the course of continuing to trust God, 07:23 what starts out, how it begins 07:26 is not always how it's going to end. 07:30 Would God allow us to happen the fiery furnace? 07:34 We would never know that it would result 07:36 in the exaltation of the name of God 07:38 all throughout the courts of Babylon. 07:41 The lions' den, we would never know that it would result 07:44 in the exaltation of the name of God 07:46 throughout the courts of the Medes and the Persians. 07:49 Sometimes the worst event in your life 07:53 is the introduction of the greatest blessing, 07:56 sounds like last week's message, doesn't it? 08:03 To go through cancer and come out on the other side, 08:07 the bad news followed by the good news. 08:09 God in the times of our lives, draws out our patience, 08:14 let patience have its perfect work. 08:17 Good news does not always arrive in a good package. 08:22 You see, God had to unwrap the circumstances 08:25 because the way that it began for Mary 08:28 and the way that it began for another couple 08:30 did not begin as good news 08:32 because while Mary was trying to make sense of the news 08:35 that she got from the angel Gabriel, 08:37 there were two other people Zacharias and Elizabeth 08:41 that were about to get some bad, good news. 08:45 Look at verse 5 and 7 in Luke 1. 08:50 Five and seven in Luke 1, 08:52 they were about to get their bad, good news. 08:58 "There was in the days of Herod, 08:59 the king of Judea, 09:01 a certain priest name Zacharias, 09:04 of the division of Abijah. 09:08 His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, 09:10 and her name was Elizabeth. 09:14 And they were both righteous before God," 09:16 walking in," how much to the commandments, 09:19 "all the commandments 09:20 and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 09:23 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, 09:29 and they were both well advanced in years." 09:34 When you follow the narrative 09:35 and you begin to dig under the surface, wrestle, 09:38 you begin to discover that more than 40 years had passed 09:42 since Zacharias could recall 09:44 hearing Elizabeth complain about her biological clock. 09:48 You know, ladies, you have that thing 09:50 called the biological clock. 09:54 Amen, the guys don't have one. 09:55 Come on, guys. Amen. 09:57 We don't have one, we just go on. 09:59 But that biological clock 10:00 sometimes could be a hindrance. 10:02 Matter of fact, as the matter of observance, 10:04 when the story continues to unfold 10:06 as a matter of the observation 10:08 Zacharias and Elizabeth stop walking past 10:11 the baby section in their local Walmart. 10:15 They forgot about babies. 10:18 They probably walked past that section 10:19 but at a slower pace 10:21 not because they wanted to but at their age 10:24 speed is not associated with walking anymore. 10:28 You see Zacharias was old 10:30 and had been in his job for a long time, 10:33 locked in his routine, and dreaming about children 10:37 was the last thing that was in his mind. 10:40 But I want to say this, 10:41 but God's blessings are not predictable 10:44 and God's blessings are not preventable. 10:47 Just when you think that God has forgotten you, 10:49 the blessing of a lifetime begins to unfold. 10:54 Look at Isaiah 40:31. I like that. 10:58 That's why when you rush God's blessings. 11:00 Matter of fact, I'm going ahead of myself, 11:02 just go there but hold on to that thought for a moment. 11:05 I'm gonna read Isaiah 40:31 in just a moment. 11:07 But God's blessings to me... 11:09 I was thinking about this last night 11:10 and when my wife, you know, my wife is gonna be 11:12 cooking tomorrow some Jamaican food. 11:14 And, honey, it was because of that thought 11:16 that this very story came to my mind. 11:18 God's blessings are sometimes 11:20 like the Jamaican food called ackee. 11:23 Have you ever heard of the ackee before? 11:25 Now if you haven't heard about it, 11:26 that's okay 'cause you're not Jamaican. 11:28 But there is a fruit in Jamaica called ackee, 11:31 and in Jamaica ackee is called a mixed blessing. 11:35 Follow me carefully 11:37 because unripe ackee contains a poison hypoglycin 11:43 which means if you try to eat ackee 11:45 before it's ripe, it'll kill you. 11:50 You have to wait until the fruit's protective pod 11:55 turns red and opens naturally. 11:59 Sometimes you have to wait 12:01 to God's blessings open naturally 12:03 because if you try to rush God's blessing, 12:05 sometimes you end up just like ackee in a toxic situation 12:09 when you try to rush God's blessings. 12:11 Amen. 12:13 And once that ackee is opened, and the fruit is red, 12:17 you have to remember that only the yellow part is edible 12:21 because it's still surrounded 12:22 by the toxic part that is dark black. 12:26 You got to separate the toxins from the blessings. 12:29 That's how God is. 12:30 Sometimes you'll be in a toxic situation, 12:33 but God is about to separate the toxins from the blessings. 12:38 And so Zacharias and Elizabeth were in a toxic situation, 12:42 they were not thinking about kids. 12:43 My wife and I... 12:45 When I preached a sermon about nine years ago, 12:47 I went through and redid it. 12:50 But nine years ago when I preached a sermon, 12:52 somebody came to me after church and said, 12:54 "Now you and your wife may have a kid after that sermon." 12:57 I'm glad to know God is serious about us 12:59 not having children. 13:01 Now if we have children, it's gonna be somebody else's, 13:04 it's not gonna be ours. 13:07 But if I do have children, 13:09 I'd like to get them when they're young 13:10 so I could mould their mind. 13:12 If you send me your kids, we can have them for a day 13:15 we're gonna send them back. 13:17 You mess them up, you raise them. 13:21 But when God's blessings come 13:24 to rush God's blessings could sometimes mean 13:27 you end up in a toxic situation. 13:31 God will bless us, but God wants us to wait. 13:35 Isaiah 40:31, notice what the Bible says, 13:39 "But those who," do what? 13:41 "Wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. 13:45 They shall mount up with wings like eagles, 13:48 they shall run and not be weary, 13:51 they shall walk and not faint." 13:53 You got to be patient 13:56 because God is the only one that knows Matthew. 13:59 God is the only one that knows 14:01 when the time is right to bring to your plate 14:04 what He knows at that stage in your life you're ready for. 14:08 Don't rush God's blessings. 14:11 Some folk lose their zeal for serving God 14:13 because they've made up their mind 14:15 that if God was gonna bless me, 14:16 He would have done a long time ago. 14:18 But the Bible says, "Let us not be weary 14:20 in well doing for in due time, 14:22 we'll reap if we do not faint." 14:25 Don't give up on God, God has not given up on us, 14:30 but God knows when the time is right. 14:33 Some people wait all their lives to be recognized 14:35 and it comes when they are old, you know, why, 14:37 because God knows that if you got recognized 14:39 when you were young, you may have been beside yourself 14:42 or too proud 14:43 or that would have taken you in a wrong direction. 14:46 Some people play the lottery trying to get wealthy. 14:49 First of all, God does not authorize the lottery. 14:51 Amen somebody? Amen. 14:52 But some of the reasons why God keeps some of us broke 14:55 is because if we got money, we would leave the church. 14:58 God holds off the blessing, 15:00 until He knows our hearts are in the right place 15:03 for that blessing to be received. 15:05 Some people wait all their lives to be noticed 15:08 and finally somebody does, 15:11 but then those that failed to wait defeat themselves, 15:13 while God is working on their blessing, 15:15 they often defeat themselves with phrases like, 15:18 "Look at the things I get." 15:20 Let me tell you something I've learned, 15:21 and I've learned it the hard way 15:23 because I used to be a young man 15:24 and I use to always worry about what people thought, 15:28 and what members said. 15:30 Every now and then I get a flashback 15:34 'cause every now and then, you know, you don't like 15:35 when people say bad things about you, amen? 15:38 Amen. 15:39 But I've learned that you have to be more careful, 15:45 when people start saying good things about you 15:49 than when they say bad things about you. 15:53 Lord said, "Beware when all men speak well of you." 15:57 You got to be careful 15:58 when people start commending you too much. 16:01 When people start patting you on the back too much, 16:03 you got to be at the place where your heart is humble. 16:07 Even when you get compliment, you have to say, 16:10 "If God could use me to be a blessing to you, 16:12 then praise God." 16:14 You got to learn how to reflect that back to God, 16:17 that's why the Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3:23 and 24, 16:21 you have to make up your mind that whatever you do, 16:23 you don't do it for self, you do it for God. 16:27 Look at Colossians 3:23 and 24, 16:29 just a sidebar before we get back 16:31 into Zacharias and Elizabeth's life. 16:34 The Bible says, "And whatever you do..." 16:36 And it says, "Whatever you do," 16:39 do it how, "heartily or with all your might 16:43 as to the Lord and not to men 16:45 knowing that from the Lord you will receive 16:49 the reward of the inheritance, 16:51 for you serve the Lord Christ." 16:54 So don't do what you do for recognition from men, 16:58 do what you do to simply get the reward at the end 17:00 because when you look for reward now... 17:03 The Lord said, "Well, what blessing are you looking for, 17:06 you already got your reward." 17:08 If men are commending you now, and praising you now, 17:10 and you're wallowing in the mire 17:12 of self-gratification and self-glory. 17:15 The Lord says, "I can't put a crown on your head, 17:17 you already got your crown." 17:19 That's why I'm not really one 17:20 that supports these award shows. 17:22 You know, even the shows that give Christians awards. 17:26 How could you really measure 17:28 the success of a Christian song? 17:31 How could you give somebody 17:33 an award for the best Christian song of the year? 17:36 Have seen the lives converted by that song? 17:40 You haven't seen how that song... 17:41 How could you determine the impact of a Christian song 17:44 on somebody's life? 17:45 Sometimes my wife and I listen to these songs together 17:48 and we pause and just start crying. 17:55 There's a new song by Steve Green 17:56 called Holding Hands. 17:59 And it blesses our soul every time we hear it. 18:02 It reminds us of us, 18:03 how we face the world as young people 18:05 unaware of what was coming, 18:08 all we did was just holding hands. 18:12 And the years go by 18:14 and the trials and difficulties come, 18:16 and when all of the blessings, and challenges, and trials, 18:19 and the work of life is passed, 18:21 and we could hardly move fast, 18:23 we enter the Kingdom of God holding hands. 18:26 Amen. 18:27 And last night that song came on and I heard it 18:30 when I was in the living room 18:31 putting last touches on my sermon 18:33 and I came and sat by the bedside of my wife, 18:35 and without a saying of word, we just looked at each other, 18:38 and let the tears just flow 18:40 'cause our desire is to walk 18:42 into the kingdom holding hands. 18:43 We began our life young people clueless, holding hands, 18:48 and we're looking forward to the day 18:50 when we enter the kingdom together doing what, 18:52 holding hands together forever 18:55 the eternity in view, that's out motto. 18:58 Zacharias and Elizabeth had that desire, 19:01 but they also had a desire to have a child 19:03 and they wouldn't get that blessing 19:05 'cause God waited for the ripe moment 19:09 to bring the blessing in. 19:10 Look at Luke 1:8-10, 19:13 the Lord drew out Zacharias' faith, 19:16 he had to retrain Zacharias because his faith in believing 19:20 that God is not limited by time had already vanished. 19:23 The Bible says in verse 8 of Luke 1, 19:25 "So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God 19:30 in the order of his division, 19:31 according to the custom of the priesthood, 19:33 his lot fell to burn incense 19:36 when he went into the temple of the Lord. 19:39 And the whole multitude of the people 19:43 was praying outside 19:44 at the hour of incense." 19:46 Meaning when they smelled the incense, 19:49 they knew it was time to pray. 19:54 Zacharias lit the incense, let's pray. 19:57 That's why right before the most holy place 20:01 there is an altar of incense, 20:03 signifying the continual prayer of the people of God. 20:08 When they smell the incense, 20:10 they knew that it was time to pray 20:13 and as surely as Zacharias lit the incense 20:15 and the people began to pray, 20:18 God showed up at a moment of prayer 20:21 in Zacharias' life. 20:23 Look at verse 11, 20:24 "Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, 20:28 standing on the right side of the altar of incense." 20:32 Why the right side 20:33 because God is never on the left side, 20:36 He is always on the right side. 20:37 Amen somebody? Amen. 20:39 The saints will sit on the right side, 20:41 the sheep are on the right side, 20:43 the angel of the Lord took the place, 20:45 the angel of the Lord stood where only God 20:48 can stand on the right side. 20:56 And then He said in verse 12, "And when Zacharias saw him, 20:59 he was troubled, and fear fell upon him." 21:03 It's powerful when God visits you, 21:05 how you respond to a visit of God 21:08 will determine whether or not the blessing will be received 21:11 or whether or not the blessing will be doubted. 21:14 How we respond 21:17 at the moment of the divine visitation 21:19 will determine whether or not, 21:21 we welcome the blessing of God 21:23 or whether we doubt the blessing of God. 21:26 It's the attitude 21:28 that determines the impact of God's blessings in our lives. 21:33 So in an attempt to put Zacharias at ease, 21:35 the angel describes the blessing. 21:37 I'm not gonna read the verses, 21:38 I'm just gonna go ahead and give you the outline. 21:40 The angel said to Zacharias, 21:41 "Don't be afraid, God has sent me 21:43 with an answer to your prayer." 21:44 And Zacharias probably said, "What prayer?" 21:48 And the angel probably said, "Forty-five years ago, 21:53 you prayed for a child." 21:56 Zacharias probably said, "What? 21:59 How long ago did I pray this prayer?" 22:03 My wife and I are still praying for my sister, 22:06 some of you are still praying for your children, 22:09 some of you are still praying for family members, 22:12 don't stop praying 22:13 because the answer will come in God's timing. 22:16 Amen. 22:19 "I've come to answer your prayer." 22:21 Then he said, "Your 80-year old wife 22:23 is gonna have a son." 22:30 I looked at Mike and Chris, 22:31 I'm sure Mike don't want that experience. 22:36 He said, "You'll have a lot of joy and happiness." 22:39 But Zacharias is not smiling. 22:42 "Your son is gonna be great. 22:44 He is gonna be filled with the Holy Spirit 22:45 from his birth. 22:47 People would respond to his sermons, 22:49 and your son will get people ready to meet Jesus." 22:55 Which takes me to another point, David, 22:57 blessings always come at the time God knows 23:00 they are best needed. 23:04 But often, when blessings come, 23:06 they come in a way that we least expect. 23:10 That's why Zacharias' attitude was the way it was. 23:13 Zacharias' attitude said that 23:15 he didn't expect it when it came. 23:17 Look at verse 18, 23:20 "And Zacharias said to the angel." 23:22 Notice what he said, what did he say? 23:25 "How shall I know this? 23:27 For I am an old man, 23:30 and my wife is well advanced in years." 23:34 Zacharias is faced with a set of circumstances 23:36 that don't make sense, 23:38 you see when God comes into your life, 23:39 it doesn't have to make sense to you 23:41 as long as it makes sense to God. 23:45 And that's the problem with some of us, 23:46 we try to make sense out of God's blessings. 23:48 We even try to make sense out of our trial sometimes. 23:53 You don't need to know why it came, if it comes, 23:57 God allowed it or God sent it. 24:00 In this case God sent it. 24:03 Look at verse 19:20. 24:07 "How am I supposed to believe this? 24:11 And the angel answered and said to him, 24:12 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, 24:17 and who was sent to speak to you 24:19 and bring you these glad tidings."' 24:22 That would have been enough for me. 24:24 Amen somebody? Amen. 24:27 And Gabriel didn't whisper that. 24:28 I'm sure his tall angelic frame, 24:32 radiating as it was in the presence of Zacharias. 24:42 Can you see the heavenly? Can you hear the heavenly? 24:48 Just radiating as it were like a nuclear reactor 24:51 because there was enough power in Gabriel 24:54 to annihilate the community. 24:56 But God wound it down 24:58 for the sake of an unbelieving man called Zacharias. 25:01 And he is telling him his resume, 25:03 he says, "But behold because you don't believe, 25:09 you will be mute and not able to speak 25:12 until the day these things take place, 25:14 because you did not believe my words 25:18 which will be fulfilled in their own time." 25:22 When you think about this, 25:23 sometimes your life becomes mute 25:27 because you don't believe God's word, 25:29 you know what that means? 25:31 Your life all of a sudden becomes unproductive, 25:33 nothing can come out of your life 25:35 because you didn't believe God's word. 25:36 I would haste to say that an unproductive life 25:39 can often be catapulted 25:41 on the heels of a lack of belief 25:43 in what God has said. 25:48 Because Zacharias can't say a word, 25:52 nothing can come out of his mouth 25:54 which means he can't praise, he can't complain, 25:58 nothing comes out of his mouth 26:00 which means God is saying to Zacharias, 26:03 "Right now, I don't want you to speak in my behalf 26:06 and I'll determine when." 26:09 And I would say, He's to say this... 26:10 some of the reasons why God don't put some people 26:12 in positions 26:13 where they could speak in God's behalf 26:14 is because their life is a life of unbelief. 26:18 And God don't want them speak in his behalf 26:20 and they want to know why don't I get the spotlight 26:21 because you don't live a life of belief. 26:24 So God mutes their ministry, or mutes their gift, 26:30 or shuts them down 26:32 until He determines the time is right. 26:35 You think about Gabriel, he said I am Gabriel. 26:37 Gabriel traveling at 186,200 miles per second 26:42 in a hurry gets to Zacharias' side and Zacharias says, 26:47 "How is this gonna happen? 26:51 Is that all I get. 26:54 Where did you come from, heaven?" 26:57 Amen? Amen. 26:58 "You came from heaven? 27:00 Well, how is this gonna happen." 27:03 The fact of the matter that he came from heaven 27:04 would have been enough for me. 27:07 "Were did you come from?" 27:08 Gabriel, "I heard about you Daniel." 27:12 "You know Daniel?" "I know Daniel." 27:14 Thousands of years ago. 27:15 "You know Daniel?" "I know Daniel." 27:17 All he had to say was, I know Daniel. 27:18 That's good enough for me. 27:20 "Are you gonna do for me, what you did for Daniel? 27:21 I'm ready." 27:23 Let me add another component. 27:25 Some people get old and cynical 27:29 'cause God hadn't done nothing for me, 27:30 so we get old and cynical. 27:33 "Church don't need me, I ain't worth anything, 27:36 I've been serving God for a long time, 27:39 I'm about to retire." 27:40 Let me tell you something, 27:41 I read an article once that says, 27:43 "When you serve God, 27:44 you retire when Jesus comes or when you die." 27:48 You don't retire. 27:49 You don't as a saint of God decide 27:51 that you're not gonna serve God anymore, 27:53 who you working for? 27:56 You're gonna say, "Well, I'm gonna relax this year." 27:59 Well, you relax the year that Jesus comes, 28:01 He'll say to you not well done. 28:04 They are ungood and unfaithful servant. 28:07 That's why the Bible says, "Blessed is the servant, 28:09 whom the Lord finds doing when He comes." 28:13 You don't retire on God, you don't tell God, 28:16 I don't have time. 28:17 If you want to cut something out of your schedule, 28:19 cut out the things that prevent you from serving God. 28:21 Amen. Amen. 28:22 You don't put God on the backburner. 28:25 Some people put God on the backburner, why? 28:27 I'm tired. 28:30 Well, you get a chance to sleep when you die, 28:32 why you want to rush it. 28:35 I like when Danny said, he said, 28:38 "Death is overrated, I want to live." 28:40 When you die, you don't get to know anything, 28:42 I want to stay alive and I want to know stuff, 28:45 death is overrated. 28:46 If you want to sleep, sleep to sleep of death, 28:49 but don't sleep on God's time. 28:52 He says, "You'll be mute 28:54 until I decide that the time is right." 28:59 There are those that work for God 29:01 and God will not allow them to speak 29:02 because what they say might lead other people 29:05 to doubt the blessings of God 29:08 which brings me to my last point. 29:10 Sometimes when it is too good to believe 29:14 the best thing to do is to believe. 29:17 I'm gonna say that again, 29:18 sometimes when it's too good to believe, 29:20 when God sends it, 29:22 the best thing to do is to believe. 29:23 Amen. 29:25 Sometimes when it's too difficult to explain, 29:27 don't try to explain it, just simply accept it. 29:31 Look at verse 24 and 25, 29:33 when you think about how this unfolded Zacharias 29:36 is left in the temple and the Bible says, 29:37 "He could not speak, he was speechless." 29:40 Verse 22. 29:43 But now Elizabeth get the good news, 29:46 how did Elizabeth take the news, 29:48 verse 24 and 25, 29:52 "Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, 29:55 and she hid herself," how many months? 29:59 Five months, saying, 30:01 "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, 30:03 in the days when He looked on me, 30:06 to take away my reproach among people." 30:10 In other words, she was excited, 30:11 she said, "I don't care how old I'm, 30:14 God is taken away my reproach." 30:17 Eighty-year old women waking in Walmart like this. 30:23 This is real, this is not fake, this is real, 30:26 "Are you okay, Elizabeth? 30:28 Are you trying to shoplift?" 30:30 "I'm not shoplifting." 30:31 "What was that under your jacket?" 30:33 "I'm pregnant." Yeah, right, you are pregnant. 30:36 And security pulls over, 30:37 "Mam, you've been coming here for 45 years 30:39 and you telling me you're pregnant?" 30:40 And they touch her tummy on a bit, 30:43 she is pregnant, this is a real story. 30:46 At 80 years old, 30:48 this woman is having a baby born in her life. 30:53 And what I like about her, 30:55 when you compare her to Zacharias 30:57 is Zacharias thought he was too old for God 30:59 to change his circumstances, 31:01 Elizabeth on the other hand says, 31:03 "Finally, God comes and takes away my reproach." 31:13 And I tried to ask the question, 31:15 I tried to calculate the story when you go to verse 59 to 64, 31:19 this is one of the longest passages 31:20 in the New Testament. 31:21 When you go to 59 to 64, 31:23 what you begin to discover 31:25 is that Zacharias was not able to speak 31:27 for about nine months and eight days. 31:32 Can you imagine waking up in the morning... 31:36 "Moses what would you like for breakfast?" 31:43 "Say something." 31:48 "You hungry?" 31:52 "Where's Benjamin?" 31:58 "He'll be back later?" 32:01 "You tired?" 32:03 Sign language, the Lord gave Zacharias 32:06 a humility lesson in sign language. 32:12 Nine months and eight days. 32:21 Verse 59, come on run that with me, 32:24 "So it was, on the eighth day," what day did I say, 32:28 "The eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child. 32:34 And they would have called him by the name of his father, 32:37 Zacharias. 32:39 His mother answered and said, 'No, he shall be called John.' 32:45 But they said to her, 32:46 'There is no one among your relatives 32:48 who is called by this name."' 32:49 Customarily they took the name of a relative. 32:53 "So they made signs to his father." 32:55 You getting it? 32:57 "What do you think, Zacharias?" 33:01 "So they made signs to his father 33:03 what he would have him called. 33:10 And he asked for a writing tablet, 33:12 and wrote, saying, 'His name is John.' 33:16 So they all marveled." 33:18 And then the Bible says, "Immediately..." 33:21 What the Bible say? 33:22 "Immediately his mouth was opened 33:24 and his tongue loosed, and he spoke," 33:27 and what he do, "praising God." 33:31 You know the Lord will shut some of you up 33:32 and until you learn how to praise Him. 33:34 Amen? Amen. 33:36 That's why some of you don't say amen 33:37 during the sermon 33:38 'cause you don't have nothing good to say. 33:43 Hey, I'm based on the text, 33:44 I'm just telling you what the Bible is telling me. 33:46 God shut him up until he said up, praise God. 33:49 Amen, Lisa. Praise God. 33:51 We say praise God, you say no, 33:53 only amen has been approved by the board. 33:55 No praise God, amen? Amen. 33:58 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. 34:01 Read what Ellen White says in Evangelism, 34:02 she says when the sermon is going forth... 34:04 And this is what Ellen White said, 34:05 not me so don't connect the two. 34:07 But I believe what she said, 34:08 I believe she was inspired by God, 34:10 she says, "Sometimes the message is going forward 34:11 in the power of God." 34:12 And she says, "And dumb dogs wouldn't even bark 34:16 in acknowledgment of God's Word." 34:19 And you know what she describes that for, 34:20 the condition of Laodicea unmoved 34:23 by the power of God's Word, 34:25 but moved by a football game, and moved by bicycle way, 34:28 moved by shopping. 34:30 We got to be moved by divine things, amen. 34:32 Amen. 34:34 He opened his mouth, praise God, 34:35 no longer doubting God. 34:38 I understand 34:40 when Zacharias publicly declared 34:42 his belief in God's Word, 34:43 then God trusted him 34:45 with the privilege to speak in his behalf. 34:49 But now that's not the... 34:51 There's another part to the story 34:52 because now you have found out about Zacharias and Elizabeth, 34:56 but Elizabeth didn't say it and Zacharias didn't say it, 34:59 somebody else is the focus of the message. 35:01 Go now to verse 26 and 28 of the very same chapter. 35:05 In the midst of Elizabeth's ordeal 35:08 Gabriel goes to Mary's house, 35:10 as if he hasn't caused 35:12 enough trouble in Zacharias's house. 35:14 He came to heaven with two missions, 35:17 go visit Zacharias and Elizabeth, 35:22 and then Mary and Joseph. 35:25 Look at verse 26, 35:27 "Now in the sixth month," 35:30 that is the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, 35:34 "the angel Gabriel was sent by God 35:36 to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 35:40 to a virgin betrothed to a man 35:41 whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. 35:45 The virgin's name was Mary. 35:48 And having come in, the angel said to her, 35:50 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, 35:55 blessed are you among women!'" 35:59 And then Gabriel gives her the news, 36:04 and she sees this being standing up in her room. 36:06 Now the Bible didn't say what time of the day it was, 36:08 but let's just walk through this for a brief moment. 36:10 If it was morning and Mary was brushing her teeth 36:12 and as she is brushing her teeth, 36:14 over the sink she leans up and there is a glow in her room 36:17 and he says to her, 36:21 "Highly favored one." 36:28 "How did you get in here? And who are you?" 36:39 "But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, 36:43 and considered what manner of greeting this was." 36:47 What? 36:52 And he attempted to put Mary at ease 36:54 and the angel describes her blessing. 36:57 You see the God of heaven has allowed me 36:59 to come to tell you that, 37:01 that long time prophecy of the birth of Jesus 37:04 is about to come to pass 37:06 and you are the method of deliverance, 37:09 you are going to be the one 37:14 that allows Jesus to step on to the stage of humanity. 37:19 She considered what kind of greeting is this, 37:23 and he said, "Don't be afraid. 37:25 Oh, by the way a small detail, 37:28 you're gonna get pregnant before you get married." 37:38 I'm sure she thought about Joseph, 37:41 how she gonna explain that to Joseph. 37:45 What she says in verse 34... 37:50 "Then Mary said to the angel, 37:53 'How can this be, since I don not know a man?"' 37:58 She passed biology with flying colors, 38:02 how is this gonna happen? 38:04 In verse 35, 38:06 and when you read verse 35 what I want you to get 38:09 is not just the response of the angel, 38:11 but the fact of the matter 38:13 the core truth of every blessing 38:17 is the Holy Spirit of God 38:19 is always present 38:21 when God is about to bless your life. 38:23 "And the angel answered and said to her, 38:25 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, 38:28 and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. 38:30 Therefore, also, the Holy One 38:32 who is to be born will be called the Son of God."' 38:36 The Holy Spirit is always present 38:40 when humanity meets divinity. 38:44 Amen. Amen. 38:48 Without the Holy Spirit in us there is no power 38:51 from which to draw. 38:52 Jesus cannot be present in us 38:54 without the Spirit of God doing a work in us. 38:59 And when Jesus is being born in you, 39:03 it's gonna change everything about your life, 39:07 everything about your life. 39:10 Like the song writer, 39:12 I think Mark Lowry wrote the song, 39:13 "Mary did you know 39:15 that's your baby boy will one day walk on water?" 39:18 What an inspired song. 39:20 Can you imagine, 39:22 "Mary did you know that your baby boy 39:26 would save our sons and daughters? 39:30 Mary did you know 39:33 your baby boy would give sight to the blind man?" 39:38 And there is Jesus... 39:45 What you did not know in that little child, 39:48 all God's... 39:50 When I think about that, that just bends my mind, 39:54 that the creator of time and space 39:59 the God who has thrown out from His Word countless, 40:04 numberless galaxies 40:07 condescended to come, to save me 40:11 and He came in the form of helpless submissive baby. 40:17 You got to think about that 40:20 'cause He could have easily said from heaven, 40:22 "John you are safe, but I ain't coming down there." 40:25 But His coming down here is a part of the means 40:29 by which I know I'm safe, He walk where I walk. 40:32 Come on say amen somebody? Amen. 40:33 He walks where we will walk, 40:35 He's been where we would have been, 40:37 and where we are going to be, 40:39 He understands our weaknesses, He understands our infirmities, 40:42 He understands our need and our wants, 40:44 He put himself 40:45 under the direction of a human flesh, 40:50 a woman, 40:52 who is by no means perfect. 40:55 But God saw fit to bring 40:57 Jesus into the world 40:58 through this frail flesh of human purity. 41:05 Pure or not by her spotlessness, 41:07 but by the glory that God surrounded her with. 41:11 "Mary did you know 41:14 that you would be the one to bring forth the Son of God, 41:18 the Holy One that will be born 41:20 and you will be called the Son of God. 41:23 But now in the middle of explaining 41:26 this to Mary... 41:30 the angel explains to her... 41:35 You got to read the rest of the story yourself, 41:37 I'm not going through 69, 72 verses. 41:40 But when you go back 41:41 and revisit the story this afternoon, 41:43 the moment that the angel Gabriel sees 41:47 the circumstance 41:49 he just catapults Mary in the middle of, 41:51 he says to Mary, 41:55 "You need to go visit Elizabeth. 41:58 Go visit Elizabeth." 42:01 And when I read that story, it said to me, 42:03 it is so good to know that when you are facing difficulty, 42:10 God knows exactly to whom He needs to send you 42:15 so that together we can bear one another's burdens. 42:19 Amen. 42:21 He said, "Mary, you are not the only one 42:23 going through that." 42:24 And sometimes we think that the trails of life leave us 42:26 to be the only one, 42:28 don't ever think you are the only one, 42:30 there's always somebody that knows where you are. 42:33 There's always somebody that knows 42:34 what you are going through, 42:36 there's always somebody that's going through 42:37 what you've been through. 42:39 And here is Mary being sent. 42:42 And in another sermon in the future, 42:43 I'll bring the second part out, 42:45 but here is Mary being told by Gabriel, 42:48 Elizabeth is going through the very same thing 42:49 because he said to Elizabeth, with God nothing is impossible. 42:57 And she knows exactly what she needs to do, 43:00 and she goes spend time with Elizabeth. 43:06 And I'm gonna put a hanger out there, 43:07 I'm going put a cliffhanger 43:09 she stays with Elizabeth for three months. 43:12 And Elizabeth was away from Zacharias for six months. 43:17 And if you stay with Elizabeth for three months, 43:21 and she is already in her sixth month, 43:24 you stay with her long enough 43:26 for her to give birth to her child. 43:28 And you stay away from Joseph long enough 43:31 for him to wonder where are you, 43:33 and you return pregnant, and showing, 43:37 and you say to Joseph, "Oh, God did this." 43:43 That's another sermon. That's not today's message. 43:47 That's the cliffhanger, 43:49 how does Joseph handle, God did this. 43:52 Well, I want you to see is how Mary handled it. 43:55 Verse 37 and 38, 44:00 "For with God nothing will be impossible." 44:02 Do you believe that church? Amen. 44:06 Now it's important for you to believe that 44:08 because when you face your difficulty 44:09 which is going to come, 44:11 if it hasn't come, it's going to come. 44:12 If the difficulty of life 44:14 that has not stretched you and ironed you out 44:15 hasn't come, it's going to come. 44:16 But you have to believe that with God nothing is impossible. 44:19 Meaning, simply this, no matter what come your way, 44:22 nothing that comes your way 44:23 is impossible for God to handle. 44:26 Ain't that right? Nothing's impossible. 44:31 And sometimes your prayer 44:32 that is not being prayed in harmony with God's will 44:34 may seem to be not answered, 44:37 but God in the course of time will get you like 44:40 He did Zacharias to forget about that prayer. 44:43 So that he can answer it 44:45 the way that is in his harmony with his will. 44:48 But with God nothing is impossible. 44:52 Nobody is impossible for God to save, 44:54 no circumstance is impossible for God to turn around, 44:57 with God how much is impossible? 45:00 How much is impossible? Nothing. 45:02 Nothing is impossible. Absolutely nothing. 45:06 And then Mary relents 45:09 because unlike Zacharias 45:11 that expressed an attitude of disbelief, 45:14 Mary simply had an attitude of unbelief. 45:16 "I don't believe this, it's happening to me." 45:20 Where Zacharias was this ain't happening to me, 45:22 that's why God muted him, 45:23 different types of belief, disbelief and unbelief. 45:27 And then she said in verse 38, 45:30 "Behold the maidservant of the Lord." 45:33 In other words, amen. 45:37 I don't know how it's gonna wind up 45:40 and, you know, since we don't have to know 45:42 how God is going to workout the circumstances of our lives. 45:46 We don't have to know. 45:49 If you simply say, 45:50 here is the servant of the Lord, 45:52 do whatever you want to do. 45:54 I've said this and I don't know, 45:55 but I think God... 45:58 Let me rephrase that, I don't think, 45:59 but I know that sometimes 46:01 when you give God permission to do something, 46:03 He'll do it and then you say, 46:04 "Lord, I really didn't mean that much trail." 46:10 You know, when you pray for patience, 46:13 God's gonna send you some stuff 46:14 that you don't know how to handle. 46:17 And He's gonna concentrate it 46:18 so that you would come away 46:21 from that circumstance realizing you can't handle it, 46:24 God will send you stuff that will make you pray, 46:27 that'll make you seek Him, that'll make you turn to Him. 46:31 But she says, 46:32 "Behold the maidservant of the Lord." 46:35 How much would be different in our lives, 46:40 how much would happen in your life. 46:44 When God unfolds His plan for you 46:47 that will be accomplished through you 46:50 by the power of the Holy Spirit in you, 46:52 and all you got to do 46:54 to receive the blessing you say, 46:55 "Let it be according to your servant." 46:59 But so many of us want the details 47:01 before we buy into God's plan. 47:03 And God says, "Forget about it. 47:06 I'm God that's all you need to know." 47:09 And then she says the words 47:10 that bring us 47:12 to the winding down of our message. 47:15 "'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! 47:19 Let it be to me according to your word.' 47:23 And the angel departed from her." 47:27 You got understand why he left. You know why he left? 47:32 It didn't say the Holy Spirit departed 47:33 because the Holy Spirit was working in her, 47:35 but the angel departed in the very same way 47:38 when the Lord let Peter from His chains 47:41 past the first, second, and third gate, the iron gate, 47:44 and Peter finally got to the street 47:45 the Bible says, 47:47 "The angel of the Lord departed from Him." 47:49 You see God doesn't have to look out, 47:52 God doesn't have to peek over your shoulder 47:55 when He knows that from now on He can trust you. 47:59 Amen. 48:00 Some people need heaven to baby sit them 48:03 because God can't put a task on their shoulder, 48:06 but when the Lord knew that Mary was all the way in, 48:09 angel said, 48:10 "I got some work to do, I'm out of here." 48:13 And Gabriel left... 48:18 and the vortex of his departure 48:20 probably almost pulled Mary to divinity. 48:23 "I'm out of here." 48:30 I can't wait to see Gabriel. Amen. 48:33 I'm gonna ask him, how many people did you visit? 48:36 I only know about a couple or three, 48:39 David, I mean Daniel, 48:42 Zacharias, Elizabeth, Mary, John, 48:43 how many did you visit? 48:45 Because, you know, the cliffhanger is 48:50 he's got some more work to do on Joseph 48:52 before this whole dream comes to pass, 48:54 but she says, you see Mary, 48:57 then goes to meet Elizabeth 48:58 and for three months 49:00 they talk about God's blessings. 49:02 The predicament of being chosen by God, 49:03 the challenge of trusting God, 49:05 the blessing of having God invade your life. 49:08 Jesus becomes the comforter of Mary 49:12 in her hour of darkness. 49:14 Jesus becomes Elizabeth and Mary's 49:17 ever present help in their hour of need. 49:21 You see The Beatles recommended Mary, 49:23 but Mary recommended Jesus. 49:26 The words of wisdom came from God not from Mary. 49:29 Mary followed what God had to say 49:31 not the other way around. 49:35 The only declaration 49:36 that came from Mary should come from us. 49:38 When God reveals it in His Word the only declaration 49:42 that came from Mary that should come from us 49:44 is let it be according to Thy Word. 49:47 Amen. 49:49 That's the problem today, 49:51 the Christian world has to change it to let it be. 49:54 They have to lie about it to let it be, 49:56 they have to modify it 49:58 or delete it or omit it to let it be, 50:01 but let it be according to Thy Word. 50:06 And as the bad as the Beatles music is 50:08 I got to agree with them on one thing... 50:12 There will be an answer if we let it be. 50:16 There will be an answer 50:18 if we say let it be according to Your Word. 50:23 The greatest blessings that ever graced 50:25 the human stage was possible when Mary simply said, 50:28 "Let it be according to Your Word." 50:32 The greatest blessing 50:33 that will ever come into our lives will come 50:35 when we declare the same thing, 50:37 let it be according to Your Word. 50:40 You see Mary's dilemma 50:43 is what a flash of our own dilemma. 50:46 And so let me give you 50:48 four points of encouragement today 50:50 if God is trying to bless you, stop trying to figure it out. 50:55 How it's gonna work, 50:56 just simply surrender to God and say, 50:58 let it be according to Your Word. 51:01 Is there somebody here today willing to say that 51:03 let it be according to Your Word? 51:06 The other thing you have to do is 51:08 you have to know what God's Word says, 51:10 in order for it to be according to God's Word. 51:13 Second encouragement, don't tell God 51:16 when and how to answer your prayers, 51:17 just say let it be according to Your Word, 51:20 don't be weary and holding on just say, 51:22 "Lord, no matter how long it takes 51:24 I will be faithful to the reveled word, 51:27 and I'm going to let it be." 51:29 If it's a year, if it's a month, 51:31 if it's three months, if it's three years, 51:33 when it comes I'm gonna simply say, 51:35 "Lord, here is Your servant. 51:38 Let it be according to Your Word." 51:43 And so I say today, 51:44 your greatest need is not a new car, 51:46 not a new job, not a new career, 51:49 the greatest need that we have as the children of God 51:51 is to simply say let it be according to Your Word. 51:55 You know what happens when you do that? 51:57 You know what happens, Tracy, when you do that? 51:59 Unbelief, disbelief, anxiety, fear, hesitant faith, 52:03 sleepless nights, troubled hearts, fading hope 52:07 will all disappear when we simply say, 52:10 "Let it be according to Thy Word." 52:14 The year is closing out, 52:19 it's December 9th 52:22 and we got 22 more days 52:24 before 2018 peaks its head. 52:29 We have no idea about 2018, 52:33 we got some calendar events right, Jill, Greg, Danny, 52:36 we got some calendar events, 52:39 but we don't know what mode we're gonna meet 2018 in. 52:43 But today my appeal to you, if you say, 52:45 "Lord, first of all, 52:47 I want to thank you for carrying me through 2017." 52:50 If that's your praise, raise your hand today with me. 52:54 But if today, you want to commit yourself to saying, 52:55 "Lord, I don't know what 2018 is going to bring." 52:58 But simply I want to just simply say, 53:00 "Lord, whatever is in Your Word, 53:02 let it be according to Your Word." 53:05 If that's your desire today, stand with me, 53:07 come on and stand with me. 53:09 God's Word, that's all you need. 53:11 It's in there, that's all you want. 53:13 He said if that's all that matters. 53:17 Two thousand and seventeen 53:18 for some people have been in the valley of darkness, 53:21 other people on the mountain top rejoicing. 53:25 Two thousand and eighteen 53:26 for those who had a joyless year, 53:29 this year might have a joyful year next year 53:31 and the tables may turn. 53:32 A joyful year this year, 53:34 but a joyless year next year, you don't know. 53:38 Some have come into 2017, 53:40 we're leaving them behind in 2017, 53:42 you don't know how the year is gonna unfold. 53:47 But my desire, Lord, I read the book, 53:52 I've even read the back of the book, 53:54 and my only desire 53:58 is to say here is Your servant, 54:01 let it be, 54:03 to me personal, 54:06 let it be to me, Rosemary, Gary, personal. 54:12 Let it be to me 54:15 according to Your Word. 54:20 Let us pray, Father in heaven, 54:24 sometimes we've got to go 54:25 through the darkness of our valleys 54:28 to appreciate 54:30 the magnificent radiance of our mountain tops. 54:35 Sometimes a night in the dungeon 54:40 brings us a morning of rejoicing, 54:44 sometimes our faded memories, 54:48 our delayed prayers, 54:50 our postponed ambitions 54:56 are all swallowed up 54:58 in the moment of divine visitation. 55:05 And, Lord Jesus, as Your people stand 55:07 and even as 55:08 somebody watches this program or listens to it 55:11 may be in their vehicle or some other place, 55:14 somebody may be at that intersection of the praying 55:18 that I've done through the years 55:19 that have not yet been answered. 55:21 I'm gonna say to you, "Wait, God blessed Zacharias, 55:25 God blessed Mary, God blessed Elizabeth, 55:29 God blessed so many of us, 55:33 but His desire is to draw out in you 55:36 just one declaration." 55:38 Lord, if Your Word has said it, that's good, enough for me. 55:43 Take us Lord, 55:45 from the unknown 2018 to the known God of 2018, 55:51 take us from the table of interpretation 55:55 to the table of grace, 55:57 take us from our unanswered prayers 56:00 to the God who knows 56:02 when that prayer is to be answered. 56:05 We pray that we could leave our fears behind in 2017, 56:09 our unbelief, our disbelief, our anxieties, 56:12 the things that cause us to lose sleep, 56:14 Lord, help us to leave them behind 56:16 and we know that in this world, in the vortex of sin, 56:20 new things will come to challenge our walk 56:23 but, Father, help us to keep our eyes fixed on Thee. 56:29 And the God of the first advent 56:30 will soon be our God of the second advent. 56:33 Soon, we'll see Jesus not as a babe, 56:35 but as a conquering, glorious king 56:39 that will reign throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity, 56:43 bless Your people Father. 56:45 We thank You for carrying us through 2017, 56:50 who would even have thought we would still be here. 56:54 Now carry us by that grace into a new year, in a new walk, 56:59 in Jesus' name we pray, 57:03 and all of the God's people said, amen. 57:08 And amen. |
Revised 2017-12-31