Participants:
Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO210072S
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00:27 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn,
00:29 and we welcome you to 3ABN Worship Hour. 00:33 Today's message is The Coming Messiah, 00:38 The Hope of All Nations. 00:40 And I'm going to share three stories with you today. 00:44 One is about a teenage girl 00:46 who received the seed of God's Word 00:49 and God birthed His purpose in her 00:53 in a world shattering event. 00:56 The second story is about an aged priest 00:59 who doubted God's Word, 01:01 and was left speechless for nine months 01:04 before he received 01:06 the blessing of answered prayer. 01:08 And the third story 01:10 is about the most unlikely missionary 01:14 in the New Testament. 01:16 She is someone who had an unhappy past, 01:22 but she ignored the stigma of her reputation 01:26 and became a missionary for Jesus. 01:29 Let's pray. 01:31 Heavenly Father, we come before You 01:33 in the name of Jesus. 01:34 Oh, Lord, 01:36 how grateful we are for Jesus Christ, 01:40 how grateful we are for Your Holy Spirit, 01:43 and how grateful we are for Your Word. 01:46 Father, I ask even now, 01:48 I know You've been with me in the preparation 01:51 of this message, 01:52 but I ask that You would be with me in the deliverance. 01:56 Father, get me out of the way 01:58 and speak a message of hope 02:03 to Your people. 02:05 We ask this in the name of Jesus, 02:08 and we thank You for the answer to the prayer of faith. 02:11 Amen. 02:13 Two of our stories come from the Gospel of Luke. 02:17 And you know, Luke was most amazing person. 02:20 I love the Gospel of Luke. 02:23 He was a Gentile. 02:25 And his mastery of Greek suggests that perhaps 02:29 he was Greek. 02:30 Luke was a beloved friend 02:33 and ministry companion of the Apostle Paul. 02:38 Luke was a brilliant physician, 02:41 scientist and a meticulous historian. 02:45 He had an unwavering commitment to the truth. 02:50 Luke not only wrote the Gospel of Luke, 02:53 but he wrote the Book of Acts, 02:57 which is a definitive history of the first 30 years 03:01 of the New Testament Church. 03:04 And when we look at Luke, 03:06 he was a seeker of the truth. 03:10 This is something that I love 03:12 about his comprehensive research. 03:15 He investigated everything thoroughly. 03:18 He interviewed all of the eyewitnesses, 03:22 the apostles and anyone who was a minister of the Word, 03:27 and anyone who had walked with Jesus or known Jesus. 03:32 And he carefully examined all of the resources 03:36 that pertained to the narratives 03:39 that he wrote. 03:41 Now, one thing about the Gospel of Luke, 03:43 it's called a Synoptic Gospel. 03:46 And when you think of that, 03:49 what it means is that Matthew, 03:51 Mark and Luke are the Synoptic Gospels. 03:53 They tell a similar story, 03:56 but they tell it from a different perspective. 04:00 Matthew and Mark were Jewish. 04:02 Luke was a Gentile convert, 04:05 probably the only author of a book in the Bible, 04:10 who was a Gentile. 04:12 But they wrote to their varied 04:15 and intended audiences so that they could understand. 04:19 So when we look at the Gospel of Luke, 04:23 it is a Gentile writing to another Gentile convert. 04:27 He's writing to Theophilus, 04:30 who was a Roman dignitary, 04:33 perhaps from Caesar's household, 04:35 and he was a man who had turned to Christ. 04:40 What I love about the Gospel of Luke, 04:44 is it highlights the grace that God was going to show 04:48 to the Gentiles and the universal scope 04:52 of the gospel invitation. 04:54 And it is easier for the Gospel of Luke 04:58 to be understood by people 05:00 who don't understand Jewish history 05:04 because Luke was writing to explain it to a Gentile. 05:09 He provides more detail on the birth of Jesus Christ 05:14 than any other, 05:15 and especially on the announcement 05:18 of the birth. 05:19 And he even gives psychological details, 05:24 which tells me one of two things. 05:26 A, he either interviewed the aging Mary, 05:31 the mother of Jesus, or he interviewed somebody 05:35 who had an intimate relationship 05:37 with her and understood her. 05:40 Now, before we get into Luke's account, 05:43 I want to briefly consider 05:46 just a few of the Old Testament prophecies 05:49 of the coming Messiah, who is the hope of all nations. 05:55 In Genesis 3:15, 05:57 it says that Messiah will be the seed of woman, 06:03 not the seed of a woman and a man, 06:05 but the seed of woman. 06:06 And this is referring to his virgin birth. 06:10 In Isaiah, there's two passages 06:13 I want to read to you from Isaiah. 06:16 Isaiah 7:14 says, 06:18 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: 06:21 Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, 06:26 and shall call His name Immanuel." 06:31 How do we translate Immanuel? 06:33 God with us. 06:35 And then Isaiah goes on in verse 9, 06:38 this is probably one of the most famous passages 06:41 about the coming Messiah. 06:43 Isaiah 9:6-7. 06:46 He says, "For unto us, a Child is born, 06:51 unto us, a Son is given, 06:55 and the government will be upon His shoulder, 06:57 and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, 07:01 Mighty God, Everlasting Father, 07:06 and Prince of Peace. 07:08 And of the increase of His government 07:10 and peace there'll be no end. 07:12 Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, 07:15 to order it and establish it with judgment 07:19 and justice from that time forward, even forever." 07:23 And then the last Old Testament prophecy 07:27 that I want to give as an example, 07:29 is a wonderful one, from Micah 5:2. 07:35 And he says, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah," 07:39 this is a small village in Israel, 07:43 where Jesus was born. 07:45 And it says, "Though you are little among 07:46 the thousands of Judah, 07:48 yet out of you shall come forth to Me 07:53 the One to be Ruler in Israel," and get this, 07:57 "whose goings forth are from of old, 08:02 from everlasting." 08:05 You know what this tells me? 08:08 We're looking here, 08:10 and we see that the only way God, 08:14 the preexisting Eternal Creator 08:18 could become a man was through the virgin birth. 08:24 To be fully human, He had to be born as a human, 08:28 but it couldn't be the natural process of procreation. 08:32 When you have two mortal beings, 08:35 a man and a woman coming together, 08:37 they could not possibly have produced 08:40 a life that existed, preexisted eternally. 08:46 So to remain fully God, 08:48 the Holy Spirit had to plant the seed of God 08:54 inside the womb of a virgin, 08:58 one, the one that God had chosen 09:02 to be the mother of the Messiah. 09:06 And this is where we begin in Luke Chapter 1. 09:10 If you want to open your Bibles you can follow along, 09:14 because Luke Chapter 1 is an incredible, 09:18 incredible account. 09:20 He's introducing God's choice 09:24 of a young woman, whose name was Mary. 09:29 She lived in Nazareth, 09:30 she lived a life of virtue and integrity. 09:34 We'll see in the scripture, 09:36 that she had an intimate knowledge of God's Word. 09:40 She was young, perhaps 14 years old 09:44 when the angel came to her. She was a virgin, 09:50 betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph. 09:54 Now, you have to understand, 09:57 betrothal was generally the first year 10:03 of the marriage contract. 10:04 Sometimes it lasted for years. 10:07 But they signed a marriage contract. 10:10 And before they consummated the marriage, 10:14 before they even came to live together, 10:18 they were considered married. 10:21 In Deuteronomy 10:23 22:23-24, 10:28 it explains to us that in the Book of the Law, 10:32 any infidelity during this time 10:36 of betrothal was considered as adultery. 10:42 And it was punishable. 10:45 It was a capital offense that was punishable by death. 10:49 Now, that's going to be important to our story. 10:52 So let's look at Luke Chapter 1, 10:56 and let's begin with verse 28. 10:59 The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary and says, 11:04 "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, 11:09 blessed are you among women!" 11:11 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, 11:15 and considered what manner of greeting this was." 11:20 Mary was deeply troubled. 11:23 Perhaps she's asking herself, 11:25 why would God give such undeserved favor to her? 11:31 Perhaps she was struck with an excitement 11:35 and anticipation of what would happen, 11:38 or maybe she was just fearful of this angelic being 11:43 that appeared to her. 11:45 In Luke 1:30, the angel says to her, 11:48 "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you found favor with God. 11:54 And behold, you will conceive in your womb, 11:58 and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 12:03 He will be great, 12:04 and will be called the Son of the Highest, 12:08 and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 12:14 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, 12:18 and of His kingdom there will be no end." 12:23 Now Mary knew the prophecies of the coming Messiah. 12:28 But can you imagine 12:30 what it was young or like for a young 14 year old girl 12:36 to have this angelic being come to her and say, 12:39 "Hey, you're going to be the mother of the Messiah." 12:42 Her mind must have been swirling. 12:46 In her ordinary life, her ordinary mortal life, 12:50 she had to have wondered, 12:52 "What have I done 12:53 that God would bestow His grace on me with such a privilege? 12:59 And then she probably had the thought, 13:03 "How would I substantiate such a claim, 13:06 as to say that I'm going to be the mother of God, 13:10 who's going forth, have been from everlasting, 13:16 the One who would be called the Son of the Most High God? 13:21 You know, that's one of the covenants. 13:22 That was a covenant title that was given to the second person 13:26 of the Godhead, 13:27 in anticipation of His incarnation, 13:31 His coming here in the flesh. 13:34 But then she had to have also maybe thought, 13:37 "If Joseph doesn't accept 13:41 my account, will he divorce me? 13:46 Will he send me away? 13:47 How would I support my child? 13:50 Will I be the gossip 13:53 and the scorn of the village for the rest of my life? 13:56 Will the priests stone me?" 13:59 Surely, many of these thoughts were in her mind. 14:03 But then in Luke 1:34, 14:06 "Mary says to the angel, 14:09 'How can this be since I do not know a man?'" 14:14 Mary's question wasn't expressing a doubt. 14:18 She just wanted to understand the process. 14:21 She was puzzled because she understood 14:23 that she would conceive immediately, 14:27 but she'd never been physically intimate with a man. 14:31 And Luke 1:34, the angel answers her in Luke 1:35, 14:36 "The angel answered her and said to her, 14:39 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, 14:43 and the power of the Highest will overshadow you, 14:48 therefore also, that Holy One 14:50 who's to be born will be called 14:54 the Son of God." 14:56 If she accepted 14:59 and received the Word of God, 15:03 the power of the Holy Spirit 15:06 would overshadow her like a cloud, 15:09 like the cloud that followed the Hebrew children 15:13 through the wilderness, 15:14 like the cloud at the Mount of Transfiguration, 15:18 just as the Holy Spirit had hovered over the waters, 15:24 as one of the agents of creation. 15:27 Now the Holy Spirit would be an agent, 15:32 an active agent in creating 15:35 the person of Jesus Christ. 15:38 Now, please understand, 15:40 He was not creating a new being, 15:44 but a new state of being. 15:49 God, the second person of the Godhead 15:52 was going to come down to earth, 15:55 and become a human being. 15:58 Put on our flesh, that's what the incarnation is. 16:02 And so the Holy Spirit was going to plant 16:05 a seed in Mary's womb 16:08 that would create a physical body 16:11 for an already existing person, eternal God. 16:17 And although Mary did not ask for a sign, she was given one. 16:21 In Luke 1:36, the angel continues and says, 16:26 "Now indeed, Elizabeth 16:28 your relative has also conceived 16:31 a son in her old age, 16:34 and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren." 16:40 Then I love Luke 1:37. 16:43 The angel says to Mary, "For with God, 16:46 nothing is impossible." 16:49 The literal translation in the Greek 16:53 is no word of God 16:56 is void of power. 16:58 Oh, how we need to remember that. 17:01 No word of God is void of power. 17:06 Six months earlier, her relative Elizabeth 17:10 had conceived in her old age. 17:14 And then Mary says something that I said once to the Lord, 17:18 I was just claiming this as a promise. 17:22 But she says, "Behold, the handmaiden of the Lord, 17:27 let it be to me, 17:30 according to your word." 17:33 And the angel departed from her. 17:35 Isn't that amazing? 17:37 In full understanding of the human consequences, 17:41 she humbly submitted, 17:44 and Mary received 17:46 the seed of God's Word in her heart, 17:51 and the Holy Spirit planted the Seed, 17:54 the capital S, singular Seed, the Seed, 17:58 who would become Jesus Christ in her womb, 18:02 without the intervention of man. 18:05 So she immediately conceived, miraculously, 18:11 she conceived beyond the law of nature. 18:16 God willed to become a man, 18:19 the second person of the Godhead agreed 18:23 to come to earth, and be the seed of Abraham, 18:27 the covenant Son of God, 18:30 the unique only begotten Son of God. 18:34 But now, here's what's interesting. 18:39 When Joseph became aware of Mary's condition, 18:43 that she was pregnant, 18:44 he did not accept her account at first, 18:48 but he was a man of mercy and compassion. 18:52 He didn't want to see her stoned, 18:54 he didn't want to disgrace her. 18:56 So what he decided to do was to put her away privately, 19:01 that means literally, 19:03 that he would seek a private divorce 19:06 and break their marriage contract. 19:09 And I think of this, 19:12 I was so amazed when I discovered this one 19:14 since I was studying. 19:16 His friends would have certainly demanded 19:19 that she be punished for her apparent sin 19:22 because even the Talmud, 19:25 these are the writings of the priests. 19:27 The Talmud openly charges the sin 19:31 of infidelity against Mary. 19:34 So in mercy, 19:36 God sent His word through the angel to Joseph, 19:40 and we see this in Matthew 1. 19:44 He sent an angel to give Joseph patience and understanding 19:49 and the incomparable love it would take for Joseph 19:53 to accept the scorning himself. 19:57 In Matthew 1:20-21, 20:01 Joseph is thinking on these things. 20:03 "And behold the angel, 20:05 an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, 20:08 saying, 'Joseph, son of David, 20:11 do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, 20:15 for that which is conceived in her 20:19 is of the Holy Spirit, 20:23 and she will bring forth a Son, 20:25 and you shall call His name Jesus, 20:28 for He will save His people from their sins." 20:33 God wanted Joseph to understand 20:37 that this child was divinely conceived. 20:41 This miracle Son was a fulfillment 20:44 of His everlasting covenant that He first introduced to, 20:50 in the garden, but then to Abraham. 20:54 This was planned before the world began. 20:58 God intended to come and die for us before the world began. 21:02 Revelation 13:8 says that 21:05 "He was the Lamb 21:07 who was slain from the beginning 21:09 of the world." 21:11 Now my point is this. 21:13 The virgin birth cannot be swept 21:19 under the rug, because we don't understand it. 21:23 To deny the virgin birth 21:27 of Jesus is to deny His deity. 21:33 He is referred to God at least 10 times in the New Testament. 21:38 So Mary's virgin born Son was God Himself, 21:43 living amongst His people. 21:46 But now, let's turn the clock back six months, 21:51 'cause we want to bring Elizabeth into this story. 21:55 If we look back six months, Mary had a relative, 22:00 I don't know if it was her cousin or her aunt, 22:02 probably the age difference. 22:04 It was possibly her aunt. 22:06 But this woman was married to a priest named Zacharias. 22:12 Oh, they were a righteous couple. 22:14 They were a precious couple, but they were barren. 22:18 They had no children. 22:20 Their story kind of parallels Abraham and Sarah. 22:24 And in their culture, it was a curse to be barren. 22:29 So they had prayed for many, many years. 22:33 You can imagine how earnest their prayers were for a child. 22:38 So one day, they're getting old. 22:42 And Zacharias is serving in the temple, 22:47 his duties as a priest. 22:49 He was burning incense 22:51 before the altar of incense in the holy place. 22:55 And as part of his priestly duties, 22:57 surely, he was praying for the coming Messiah, 23:03 because I believe that he was a part, 23:06 he and probably Elizabeth as well, 23:08 were a part of that conscientious group of Jews 23:12 who were studying the Old Testament time prophecies, 23:16 particularly Daniel 9, 23:19 and they realized that the time had been fulfilled. 23:24 They fully expected 23:27 the Messiah to arrive by virgin birth. 23:31 So, while Joseph... 23:34 Excuse me, Zacharias is in the temple, 23:37 burning incense. 23:39 Suddenly, the Angel Gabriel appears to him 23:44 and he is filled with fear. 23:46 And let's look at Luke 1:13. 23:50 Luke 1:13 says this, 23:54 the angel addressing Zachariah, said, "Do not be afraid, 23:58 Zachariah, for your prayer is heard, 24:01 and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, 24:07 and you shall call his name John." 24:09 Now, let me ask you. 24:11 Do you think that Zacharias was praying for a son 24:15 while he was in the temple? 24:17 I don't think so. 24:18 And I'll show you why. 24:20 Because of his reaction, 24:24 his reaction of doubt. 24:27 I think that he had probably gotten to that point 24:30 where he was thinking they're too old 24:34 to have a son because, listen, what happens. 24:39 In Luke 1:18, 24:41 the Zacharias says to the angel, 24:45 "How shall I know this? 24:48 What do you mean I'll have a son?" 24:51 And his son was to be John the Baptist, 24:54 who would be the forerunner of the Messiah, 24:57 who would fulfill the prophecies 24:59 of Malachi coming in the spirit and power of Elijah. 25:04 And it was an amazing thing, 25:06 because his son was going to introduce Jesus, 25:11 the New Covenant, 25:12 the mediator of the New Covenant. 25:15 But he says in Luke 1:18, "How shall I know this? 25:20 For I'm an old man, 25:23 and my wife is well advanced in year?" 25:27 In sharp contrast to Mary's 25:29 submissive belief in God's word, 25:33 Zacharias had an element of doubt. 25:37 He was denying the possibility. 25:40 And you know what happened? 25:41 He was rebuked by the angel for not accepting God's words. 25:46 In fact, because he cut off God's word, 25:49 so to speak, the angel told him, 25:54 "Zacharias, your words are going 25:55 to be cut off for nine months till your child is born." 26:00 And he had to use a writing pad for the entire time 26:05 after Elizabeth conceived, 26:07 Zacharias had to use a writing pad. 26:10 And I think he might have been deaf as well. 26:13 Because when they tried to talk with him, 26:16 they had to sign to him. 26:19 So, just as God had foretold, 26:23 Elizabeth conceived a son, 26:28 by her husband, Zacharias, and six months later, 26:33 Mary who has just conceived 26:37 the Messiah, 26:39 comes to visit her relative, Elizabeth. 26:43 And let's look at what happens. 26:45 This is amazing. 26:47 Mary walks in. 26:48 And when she does, when she walks in, 26:53 and she speaks to her cousin, 26:56 Elizabeth, Elizabeth's baby, 26:59 John the Baptist in the womb, 27:02 hears the voice and leaps in the womb. 27:06 And suddenly Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. 27:10 And she says to Mary, 27:12 "Blessed is the fruit of your womb." 27:16 Then she says, "What is it to me? 27:19 Why have I been so privileged, 27:22 that the mother of my Lord 27:26 should come to see me?" 27:28 And she's confirming 27:32 the angel's message to Mary. 27:37 Elizabeth's words were spoken before Mary ever had a chance 27:43 to tell her of the amazing thing 27:46 that happened. 27:48 But she says to Mary, 27:50 and I don't want you to miss this. 27:53 Oh, please listen to these words. 27:55 They are as true today as they were back then. 28:00 Elizabeth says to Mary, 28:02 "Blessed is she who believed. 28:06 Oh, blessed are you 28:08 when you believe the promises of the Lord. 28:11 Blessed is she who believed for there will be a fulfillment 28:15 of those things, 28:17 which were told her from the Lord." 28:21 Why was Mary blessed? Because she believed. 28:25 And you and I can be blessed 28:28 when we accept and receive God's word. 28:32 He can make us pregnant with expectation 28:36 of what He's going to do. 28:38 So Mary responds with joy. 28:41 She is has, she's singing, 28:45 she's talking with gratitude 28:47 and humility of what God is doing. 28:50 She knew what was happening to her 28:52 was of world shaking importance. 28:56 And she stays with Elizabeth for three months. 29:00 And it's interesting that Luke announces that she left, 29:05 Mary had left her relative's house, 29:09 before he announces John the Baptist is born. 29:12 So we will assume 29:14 that he was born after she departed, 29:18 John the Baptist. 29:19 So on the eighth day, 29:23 after John the Baptist was born, 29:24 this was typically the day that they would circumcise 29:29 a little boy child 29:31 and that they would name the boy child. 29:33 What happens? 29:35 The neighbors get involved, 29:37 and the neighbors come to Elizabeth. 29:39 And they are suggesting that she named him Zacharias 29:43 after his father. 29:45 But Elizabeth says, "No, his name is John." 29:50 And the neighbors are appalled. 29:52 They say, "You don't have any kinsmen named John." 29:57 So what do they do? 30:00 They make signs to the deaf and mute Zacharias. 30:05 He asks for a writing pen. 30:07 You know what he writes? 30:09 His name is John. 30:13 And as soon as Zacharias affirmed the word of the Lord 30:18 that came to him through the angel, 30:21 his mouth, his tongue was loosed, 30:24 and he was no longer mute. 30:29 So here's what I love 30:32 most about Luke's account. 30:35 Zacharias begins praising the Lord. 30:38 He's prophesying, 30:40 he's heralding the coming of the Messiah, 30:44 and he's talking about how the time prophecies, 30:48 the time has been fulfilled. 30:51 And he's talking about 30:53 the eternal covenant of God. 30:58 The covenant of salvation by grace 31:03 that was established with Abraham, 31:08 way back in the beginning of the Bible. 31:11 And if it hadn't been for the fact 31:14 that Luke was a Gentile convert, 31:19 writing to a Gentile convert, 31:22 this may not have gotten recorded. 31:24 Because Mark, Matthew, the rest of them, 31:29 just knew that their Jewish people 31:31 would understand this. 31:32 But listen, what we need to understand is that... 31:38 Let me find it here, the Messiah... 31:43 Where am I? Oh, Luke 1:72. 31:46 This is overlooked by so many people 31:51 but it is so significant. 31:53 Luke 1:72, 31:55 as Zacharias is praising the Lord, 31:59 he says that God is doing this. 32:02 He's sending the Messiah, 32:04 Luke 1:72, 32:07 to perform the mercy promised 32:10 to our fathers. 32:13 He's talking about Abraham, 32:15 Isaac, Jacob, and Israel. 32:19 And he says, "God is doing this to perform the mercy 32:22 promised to our fathers, 32:26 and to remember His holy covenant." 32:31 Do you get that? 32:33 Do you see that the Old Covenant 32:36 and the New Covenant, the Old Testament 32:39 and the New Testament are just a continuing 32:45 unfolding of God's plan? 32:47 They're not separated. 32:49 The last time that I can think of any way, 32:52 in that God, 32:56 these words were written that God was remembering 32:58 His holy covenant, was in Exodus 2:24. 33:03 When Moses wrote that God heard the Hebrews crying out 33:07 when they were in bondage. 33:09 God remembered His holy covenant with Abraham, 33:14 Isaac and Jacob. 33:16 You see, in the Bible, when it says, 33:18 God, remember, God doesn't forget anything. 33:22 It's not that He was like, 33:24 His memory is jogged and He goes, 33:27 "Oh, yeah, I made a covenant with these people." 33:30 No, no, no. 33:32 When it says God remembered, 33:35 it means it's time He is going to take action. 33:40 So what's happening here, 33:43 we see that, Luke, 33:47 because he had to explain it, he was a Gentile, 33:50 he probably found that fascinating 33:52 that God's covenant is just unfolding. 33:56 It is a progressive revelation 33:58 of the everlasting covenant, 34:02 that Messiah would come 34:04 and be a blessing to all nations 34:08 when He arrived, 34:10 when He was incarnated as the person of Jesus Christ. 34:15 Now, the Hebrew meaning for Messiah 34:19 is the Anointed One. 34:22 That's a title that was given to the second person 34:27 of the Godhead. 34:29 And the Greek title, 34:32 meaning Anointed One 34:34 that is synonymous with Messiah, is Christ. 34:39 Christ is a title. 34:41 So the coming of the Messiah was the hope 34:46 of all nations. 34:48 Because when God told Abraham, 34:53 He made this covenant, this everlasting, 34:57 eternal covenant, we know it's eternal. 35:00 Hebrews 13:20 talks about the blood of Jesus 35:04 is the blood of the eternal covenant. 35:07 But when God speaks of this to Abraham, 35:11 He tells Abraham, "In you, 35:15 all the nations of the earth will be blessed." 35:19 And Christ arrival 35:21 is a pivotal point 35:26 in the history of the earth. 35:29 In fact, it divided time, for all time, 35:34 into two segments, BC before Christ, 35:39 and AD, Anno Domini, 35:43 which is Latin for the year of the Lord. 35:46 So now 35:48 we see how God has announced to Mary. 35:52 We've seen how God has announced to Zachariah. 35:58 But now let's fast forward several decades. 36:02 Turn to John Chapter 4 verses... 36:07 We'll begin with verse 1, John 4:1. 36:10 Let me summarize this for you. 36:13 John Chapter 4, 36:15 John is telling the story 36:17 of when Jesus meets a woman at the well. 36:21 And He reveals His true identity to her. 36:26 And it's interesting because this woman was a Samaritan. 36:30 But deep in the recesses of her heart, 36:33 she held fast to the hope of the coming Messiah, 36:37 and Christ's brief encounter with her 36:40 at this well produced one of the most unlikely, 36:45 but highly effective missionaries 36:47 in the New Testament. 36:49 Let's look back on history. 36:52 To avoid the scorching rays 36:55 of the heat of the sun, 36:59 the women of Sychar would walk to the well 37:03 with their earthen pots either on their shoulders, 37:07 or some women would rest the earthen pots on their hips. 37:13 And as they walked the path to Jacob's well, 37:18 this mundane task 37:20 of retrieving the life giving water 37:24 was kind of a social activity. 37:28 It was made lively by conversation. 37:33 So in this story, in John Chapter 4, 37:37 we find a solitary figure 37:42 who is walking to the well 37:46 in the scorching heat 37:49 at high noon. 37:52 But she is doing this 37:55 because she's shrinking from the scorn 37:58 of her neighbors. 38:00 She figured it was better to suffer the heat 38:03 than the scorn of the wagging tongues against her. 38:07 So she walked the trodden path 38:10 to the well in the blazing noonday sun. 38:15 Her heart was burdened with an unhappy past, 38:20 five husbands. 38:22 Five husbands. 38:25 And, unfortunately, 38:28 now she was living as an outcast, 38:31 in an immoral situation with a sixth man, 38:36 without even the privilege of marriage. 38:39 And you know what? 38:40 That day when she trod the path to the well, 38:44 she had no idea 38:45 she was about to meet a seventh man, 38:50 the man of perfection. 38:53 So, when she, here she is, 38:55 she's hopelessly trapped by circumstances. 39:00 But when she arrives at the well, 39:01 she is shocked to see a Jewish man there. 39:06 And even more shocking, 39:08 he broke every cultural barrier 39:12 to initiate a conversation with her. 39:15 First of all, Jews didn't talk to Samaritans. 39:19 Men didn't talk to women in the public. 39:22 And she, they, 39:24 Jesus just knew they both were thirsty, 39:27 they both needed water, 39:28 and He started with their need 39:32 that they had in common. 39:35 And He asked her for drink. 39:38 But she knew, hey, this is unusual. 39:42 Jews don't talk with Samaritans. 39:44 So she asks Him, "How can you speak to me 39:48 so straightforwardly?" 39:50 And listen what Jesus says, I love this. 39:54 John 4:10. 39:58 Jesus answered her saying, 40:00 "If you knew the gift of God 40:04 and who He it is who says to you, 40:07 'Give me a drink.' 40:09 You would have asked Him, 40:12 and He would have given you living water.'" 40:17 In my sanctified imagination, 40:20 I see Jesus 40:22 spreading out His arms in a welcoming embrace, 40:27 but more over in the posture 40:30 that He would take on the cross. 40:35 And I can hear Him saying to her, 40:39 with this emphasis, "Oh woman, 40:43 if only you knew, 40:46 I am the gift of God. 40:50 I am the gift of God to you." 40:55 He says in John 4:13, 41:00 He adds to her, 41:02 "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. 41:06 But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him 41:09 will never thirst." 41:11 He's speaking of the Holy Spirit. 41:13 And then He says, "But the water 41:15 that I shall give him will become in him 41:17 a fountain of water, 41:19 springing up into everlasting life." 41:24 This Samaritan woman didn't realize 41:29 that she was standing face to face 41:32 with God incarnate, the person of Jesus Christ, 41:38 who is the greatest gift 41:41 that God has ever graced us with. 41:44 But as they continued talking, 41:47 He lovingly confronts her about her past, 41:51 her unhappy histories, history, 41:54 and He knew the details of her life, 41:57 which in her mind, elevated Him. 42:01 In this story, we see, she says, 42:03 "Oh, you must be a prophet." 42:05 So she knew there was, 42:06 her perception of Him was elevated 42:09 that He must at least be a prophet. 42:12 And then He went on to explain worshiping 42:17 in truth and in spirit. 42:21 And the woman says to Him in John 4:25, 42:25 get this, deep in the recesses of her heart, 42:30 this poor woman 42:33 who had had such a tragic life, 42:37 deep in the recesses of her heart, 42:39 she says, had this truth, and she says, 42:43 "I know that Messiah is coming, 42:47 who is called Christ. 42:50 And when He comes, 42:51 He will tell us all things." 42:55 And Jesus looked at her, 42:58 and He said to her, 43:00 "I who speak to you, I'm He." 43:05 Wow! Wow! 43:09 Suddenly, this woman, 43:12 standing in His holy presence, 43:16 recognizes His true identity. 43:19 Her heart is lifted up 43:22 to recognize and see the Messiah. 43:27 And she rejoiced. 43:30 She rejoiced when she realized He was the Messiah. 43:34 She was so excited 43:36 about the living water 43:39 that she drank from the fountain 43:41 of the everlasting living water that He offered. 43:45 She was so excited 43:47 that she dropped her earthenware pot. 43:50 And ignoring the stigma of her reputation, 43:55 she ran off to greet all of the villagers 43:59 and tell them this, the same villager 44:02 she was avoiding. 44:04 She turned to Jesus herself for salvation, 44:10 and became a water bearer. 44:13 Hallelujah! 44:15 So what happens when she gets to the city? 44:19 The multitude is listening to her, 44:23 and they return to the well with her 44:25 to hear this mysterious man. 44:27 And as they are listening to Jesus, 44:31 they too become convinced of who He is. 44:34 They invite Him to the village of Sychar 44:38 to be their honored guest for two days and two nights. 44:42 Do you realize this woman became... 44:48 Her service to the Lord was a gift to him. 44:52 Because she opened the opportunity for Jesus 44:56 to minister to a whole village, 45:00 and many in His eager audience 45:03 received the truth. 45:06 You know something, 45:08 everyone is thirsty, 45:12 everyone, because God put eternity in our heart. 45:17 Every person that you meet, 45:19 no matter how downtrodden, 45:21 how beaten up, 45:23 how mired in sin they may be, 45:27 they are thirsting for the presence of God, 45:30 whether they realize it or not. 45:33 And only Jesus 45:35 is the eternal thirst quencher. 45:40 Jesus is the hope of all nations. 45:44 Let's look at Romans Chapter 15. 45:50 Romans Chapter 15, Paul wrote, 45:54 we'll begin in verse 8. 45:55 Romans 15:8, 45:59 Paul says, 46:00 "Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant 46:05 to the circumcision for the truth of God, 46:09 to confirm the promises made to the fathers." 46:13 And always when you see the fathers, that's Abraham, 46:17 Isaac, Jacob, because God made His covenant with Abraham. 46:21 He renewed that covenant with Isaac saying, 46:25 "Because your father obeyed My commandments. 46:28 He renewed the covenant with Jacob. 46:30 And then Israel was the firstborn covenant 46:35 Son of God is what Exodus, 46:37 how God describes them in Exodus. 46:41 So those are the fathers. 46:43 What happened is, 46:44 God left heaven. 46:48 He humbled Himself, 46:50 came as a servant to humanity, 46:53 to serve as our example, 46:55 and to die as our substitute. 46:57 He became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. 47:02 He was born a Jew, 47:04 He was circumcised, 47:06 and His initial mission was to the Jews. 47:11 The promises that had been made to the fathers, 47:15 the everlasting covenant 47:17 were what He was here to talk about. 47:21 But Genesis 22:18, 47:24 long before there was a Jewish nation, 47:27 Abraham was long before the Jewish nation. 47:30 God told Abraham, "In your seed, 47:35 that's your offspring, your descendants, 47:38 all the nations of earth shall be blessed 47:42 because you have obeyed My voice." 47:45 Jesus Christ, the Messiah, 47:49 came as the hope of all nations. 47:53 And the mission that God gave to His covenant people 47:58 was to introduce people, 48:01 to bring all nations into a covenant 48:04 relationship with Him. 48:06 Throughout the history of the Old Testament, 48:10 we see that this was God's plan. 48:14 Now Paul wants to prove this. 48:16 So let's continue on. 48:19 In Romans 15:9, 48:22 he wants to prove this point 48:25 that it was for all nations. 48:27 And so what he does 48:29 is he quotes four times 48:34 from the Old Testament, from 2 Samuel, 48:37 Psalms, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah, let's look at it. 48:40 Romans 15:9, he says, 48:43 "And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy 48:47 as it is written." 48:48 And now he's quoting 2 Samuel 22:50, 48:52 and Psalm 18:49. 48:55 Here's what is written. 48:56 "For this reason, I will confess to you 48:59 among the Gentiles, and sing to your name." 49:04 And then in verse 10, Romans 15:10, 49:07 Paul says, and again, he says, "Rejoice, 49:12 O Gentiles, with His people." 49:15 That's Deuteronomy 32:43. 49:18 But then Paul is beginning to sound repetitive, 49:21 but there's a purpose in this. 49:23 In verse 11, Romans 15:11, 49:26 he says, again, 49:28 he's quoting now Psalms 117:1, 49:31 "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! 49:34 Laud Him, all you people!" 49:37 And then now, he repeats it again. 49:41 In Isaiah 11, he's repeating. 49:44 He's going to quote Isaiah 11:10. 49:47 This is Romans 15:12. 49:51 And he says, "Again, Isaiah says, 49:54 'There shall be a root of Jesse, 49:57 and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles. 50:02 In Him, the Gentiles shall hope." 50:06 This Messiah didn't just come to fulfill 50:09 the covenant promises to the Jews, 50:13 He came because He is the hope of all nations. 50:18 And Paul's not just being repetitive here, 50:21 he's quoting from the Old Testament divisions 50:25 of the law, the history, the Psalms, and the Prophet, 50:28 because he wants to demonstrate 50:32 that God's plan always included the Gentiles. 50:36 Christ was the seed of Abraham, 50:40 the root of Jesse, the hope of all people. 50:45 Now here is one 50:48 of my most favorite promises. 50:51 And at this time of year, if I send out a greeting card, 50:55 which is not always my practice, 50:59 since moving to 3ABN 51:01 'cause we're always so busy. 51:03 But when I do send out a greeting card 51:05 or more likely now a text, 51:09 it's Romans 15:13, 51:12 that I put on my message. 51:15 Listen to this, 51:17 "Now, may the God of hope fill you with all joy 51:22 and peace in believing 51:25 that you may abound in hope." 51:30 How? 51:32 "By the power of the Holy Spirit." 51:36 See, the Holy Spirit is the one who inspired 51:41 the writing of these scriptures. 51:43 He empowers us to receive 51:45 and apply God's truth to our life. 51:49 God is the God of hope, for every believer, 51:54 hope for meaningful life now, 51:57 and eternal life later. 51:59 And I have to tell you, 52:01 hope in the Greek is not wishful thinking. 52:06 It's not like you and I say, 52:08 "Oh, I hope we'll get to take a vacation this year." 52:11 It's not wishful thinking. 52:13 The word hope in the Greek 52:17 is eager anticipation. 52:19 So when Paul is calling Him the God of hope, 52:23 and saying may you abound in hope. 52:26 He's saying, may you abound in eager expectation, 52:31 because God cannot lie, 52:33 all of His promises will be fulfilled. 52:36 And I'll tell you what? 52:37 Hope is a powerful motivator in our lives. 52:43 Without believing in Christ, 52:46 we are hopeless, because He came 52:50 and took as our substitute, 52:53 took our penalty upon Him. 52:56 God wants all of us 52:59 to hope in His truth. 53:01 He wants us to be saved from our sins. 53:06 And through Christ, 53:09 when we receive Christ, 53:12 He gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. 53:15 And it is the Holy Spirit will empower us 53:19 to live a life for Him. 53:21 As, in fact, Paul says, 53:23 He works in us to will 53:27 and to do God's good pleasure. 53:33 Christ is the fulfillment of God's love, 53:37 His mercy, and His promises. 53:39 And in 2 Corinthians 1:2, 53:42 it says that "All of God's promises are yes 53:46 and amen in Christ." 53:48 Would you like hope 53:50 and joy in your heart today? 53:54 You know, I think about this. 53:57 In my mind, I think about Mary, 54:00 what if she had said, 54:03 "God's word is just too good to be true, 54:06 He can't possibly mean that's for me." 54:09 What if she had totally rejected the angel and said, 54:15 "No, that's not possible." 54:19 If she had, I guess, 54:21 God obviously would have found another virgin 54:24 to have His child, His Messiah, 54:28 to birth the Messiah, 54:30 and her history would have to be rewritten. 54:33 But I want to say to you, 54:38 are you receiving God's word 54:42 like she did? 54:44 Are you saying, "Oh, Lord, 54:47 may it be done to me according to Your word?" 54:51 Do you see Jesus standing before you now 54:57 with his arms spread wide saying to you, 55:02 "If only you knew 55:04 everything that you're doing now to prepare for the season 55:08 is really meaningless." 55:10 I am the gift of God. 55:14 I am here for you there is no greater gift 55:18 that you could receive. 55:20 There's no greater gift 55:22 that you could tell as the woman 55:25 at the well did others about. 55:31 You know, our Messiah loves you. 55:36 And He's coming again. 55:39 The hope of all nations will return. 55:42 Revelation 22:12, 55:44 He says, "Behold, I'm coming quickly, 55:47 and My reward is with Me 55:50 to give to everyone according to his work." 55:53 And in Revelation 22:17, 55:57 He says, "The Spirit and the bride," 56:01 the bride is the church, 56:03 "the Spirit and the bride say, 56:06 'Oh, come. 56:09 Let him who hears say, come. 56:14 And he who thirsts, come, 56:18 whoever desires, 56:20 let him take 56:21 the water of life freely." 56:25 Will you make that your prayer today? 56:28 Don't put it off any longer. 56:32 You could have been in the church for decades. 56:36 But you've never been filled with that living water. 56:40 You've never understood the love of the Lord. 56:44 All you have to do is say, "Come, oh, Lord. 56:48 Come into my heart. 56:51 Let me receive 56:54 the God of hope. 56:57 And let me be filled with all joy 57:00 and peace in believing 57:02 that I may have bound in hope, 57:05 by the power of the Holy Spirit." 57:09 Let's pray. 57:11 Heavenly Father, we do ask now, 57:13 for everyone that is listening for me. 57:16 Oh Lord, let us open our hearts to You. 57:19 Come, oh, Lord, and fill us. 57:22 Fill us afresh with Your Holy Spirit 57:24 day by day. 57:26 Empower us to live a life of loyalty and love, 57:31 a commitment of love to you. 57:33 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. |
Revised 2021-12-16