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December 23, 2018 3:00 pm
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Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners receive free email daily devotions were to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org right well were looking at Luke chapter 1 am going to spend a little bit of time talking about that story of stories the Christmas story I want to focus on two very well-known characters and see if we can uncover a few new things about them, possibly Mary and Joseph, Mary Hannon kicked by God to be a fulfillment of Bible prophecy with the other person the Lord. Joseph to me is the unsung hero of the Christmas story and by the way Joseph was also used by God to fulfill prophecy. So let's reread that fantastic story that I never tire of Luke chapter 1 verse 26 now this six month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to the city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary and the angel came to her and said, hail or greetings your highly favor the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women when she saw him she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. And then the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and he will call his name Jesus. He will be great will be called the son of the highest on the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. The Mary said how can this be, since I do not know a man. The angel said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore, that holy one who is born will be called the son of God.
Note Elizabeth your relative is also conceived a son in her old age and this is the six month for her was been called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible and I love Mary's response. Then Mary said, behold the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word and the angel departed from her.
You don't Mary. What a special woman. She was more little girl so probably been named after her. Then any other woman who is lived in human history and justly so.
Mary was the only person present at both the birth of Christ and his crucifixion. She saw Jesus entered this world as her son and she saw him leave as her Savior. Maybe the Lord shows her because he knew she would do what he asked her to do something very important. We don't want to mess where was Mary living when this angelic message came she was living in the city of Nazareth. I think one of the problems if you will of Christmas today is we've made it to beautiful what you know with our horse-drawn carriages and our Joe of snow gently falling in and you know all the wonderful things we think of this time of the year we sometimes take the nativity story and sprinkle a little too much fairy dust on it and almost treated as though it were a child story which it is but it's an adult adult story as well. But we forget that it's a historical event that actually Think when you kulak the veneer of beauty and get to the raw truth of what took place. That's actually a far more appealing story, so let's simply start with the place Nazareth. That's where Mary was living Nazareth was a wicked place and that brings me to my first point, Mary lived a godly life in an ungodly place again. Mary lived a godly life in an ungodly place angels have been dispatched to wicked places before they were sent to Sodom and Gomorrah and they got lot this family out and Sodom and Gomorrah were known for their sin, and so was Nazareth you certain cities have certain characteristics.
Rome is called the city of lights.
Paris usually is called the eternal city. Paris is called the city of lights. New York is called the city that never sleeps and Las Vegas is called what all you know all about that, don't you okay well you could just as easily call Nazareth sin city was known for its sin know it's an interesting thing. It had a population of around 20,000 people was overrun by Roman soldiers because of a sort of a stopover point from one place to another. It was on a destination. It was a place that you rested in before you went to your destination. I like to think of Nazareth as sort of the Barstow of the Bible right you know I don't know maybe you vacation the Barstow whatever but whatever you want to think about that. This was a place also I put it delicately, were more than one girl would find herself pregnant because of the Roman soldiers and the young girls there. These soldiers would prey upon these young women.
Nazareth was so wicked.
That's why when a Nathaniel was called by Jesus was told that Jesus came from Nazareth, he said, can any good thing come out of Nazareth. That's why he would say like to be kidding me.
Nazareth, nothing good has ever come out of Nazareth that that's where Mary lived. When the angel came door and that's where the young Jesus grew up but Mary shows it's possible to live a holy life in an unholy place know here's a question to think about. Are you a thermostat or are you a thermometer. I have a nest thermostat. You know what I'm talking about that these little things that sort of think for themselves and that's good and bad, because you know that the nest things that I like my house at certain temperatures and sometimes the nest gets confused because in that section. I think you really think it's awesome when it's 74� and you know it's 3 o'clock in the morning. I don't want it that warm. I like it cold when I go to sleep so I said it or this certain template I come down it's hard. What is this stupid thing doing then the other day and we have these smoke alarms and they're connected to the nest that I didn't even know they were connected but somehow they built up relationship with each other and all of a sudden the alarms go off in the nest. Now the nest is in on it and all blinking red blinking red.
The nest is blinking red. I didn't even know it could do that and same carbon monoxide in the air like there was nothing in it was like.
Of course, 3 o'clock in the morning mandatory for smoke alarms going off right there at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, so all of this craziness so I did what any clear thinking person would do.
I rip these stupid things off the ceiling because I could not shut them up and they're still going up.
I put them under questions. I can still hear them, they won't stop so I took them out of the garage and I put them in my car and I shut the doors of the car. I could still still hear them. But anyway, that's my criticism of some tech but radically of thermostats controls the temperature will thermometer simply reflects what the temperature is depending on the Mercury rising going down will tell you here's the temperature are you a thermostat are you will thermometer another words, are you influencing culture is culture influencing you so a lot of times want to fit in, and we don't want to stand out. We don't want to offend anybody. So we will speak up for what is true will compromise our faith will Mary was not that person. She lifted godly life in an ungodly place and also I might point out she was very young. Some commentators think she could use as young as 15 years old, maybe 16, and I think sometimes people think well young people is always going to go out there and so the wild oats and get themselves into trouble not to wear ghost yeah they do that young people can also come to Christ and be powerfully used by God to change the world. So that's a better alternative because the Bible is full of the stories of young people that made a difference varies one of course Jeremiah was just a boy. When the Lord called them to be a prophet to the nation and protested and said, Lord, I'm too young get somebody out. The Lord take don't say you're too young. I've called you and then of course we know that Shadrach me shack in the Bendigo were very young men when they took their principled stand for what was true.
Stephen of the first marker of the church was also a very young man, and that is why the apostle Paul wrote to the very young Timothy in first Timothy 412. Don't let anyone think less of you because you're young, but be an example to all believers in what you teach in the way you live in your love, your faith in your purity, you know, I often look at that verse, when I was starting out my ministry because I was so young people would be dismissive of me like you. You can't be a pastor. I understand in some ways while they said I mean I was 17 when I became a Christian. 18 when I started preaching and basically 20 when I started pastoring and I was very young and I was even a young believer at the time, but God had called me and died so I did with the Lord called me to do and I think when you're young you're more willing to take risks, you know, that sort of a trade. If you and that's also a trait that can get you into trouble because you can think God risks and you can also take good risks. But as you get older you become more seasoned and experienced a more careful and more cautious in your less willing to take risks, and that can be a good thing because you learn from experience that can sometimes be a bad thing because you're not willing to let the Lord do something fresh and new in your life and that's why young people need older people to stabilize them. And that's why older people need younger people to energize them. You see, we all need each other. But Mary was a very young lady. Mary was a nobody and nothing town in the middle of nowhere, but God shows her to literally fulfill Bible prophecy because God uses nobodies to tell everybody about somebody look at verse Isaiah 714 brothers tells us that she fulfilled Scripture because the Bible says the Lord himself would give a sign in the version would conceive and bear a son and call his name Emmanuelle, you know you wonder Mary was probably a great student of Scripture that certainly reflected in something we call the Magnificat or the sum of Mary that I mentioned in the moment but she knew the word of God. You wonder if she ever got. I think I'm going to be the fulfillment of the prophecy. I seriously doubt that but indeed she was to be a one an amazing thing that was because here was a young unknown girl living in a relatively unknown city was going to bring about the most known of been in human history.
Mary was literally a fulfillment of a promise that God had made a Christmas has a lot to do with promises back to the very beginning, God promised Adam and Eve that the deliverer would come one day, God promised Isaiah that the virgin would conceive and give birth to the Savior and God promised Mary she would give birth to that Savior. Evidently God wants us to know he keeps his promises. The angel even affirmed in verse 37 every promise of God will surely come true. Listen God is made a lot of promises to you and we need to take all of those promises. I've said before promises are a lot like gift cards that are left unclaimed. I don't know about you but I get a few gift cards this time of year. I have to say that I have quite a few in and out gift cards and thank you for those of you give me one. I think people think that all I do is eat it in and out Burger and Krispy Kreme donuts because I use them as illustrations of other way if you've given me one of those. Thank you, but please don't give me any more. I'll be honest, I've regifted a few of those cards. I hope you don't mind because I would be 400 pounds of I use them all, but I get I have these gift cards and sometimes all I'll give them to someone else and there's some gift cards that you are going. I was very nice but I don't know if I'm ever going to go to this restaurant called liver world, you know, it just doesn't appeal but I don't get many like that there usually for great things and am appreciative of it, but sometimes I find a gift card like you did the other day to a place I like to go to and I forgot all about it.
Know what I have this gift card. Why didn't I use it that's with the promises of God are like they're just sitting here in the Bible and we don't read the Bible so we don't know the promises we read the promises and we don't believe the promises, but we need to read it. Believe it and start living. These promises Christmas reminds us that God keeps his promises. And he certainly kept it with Mary and she was surprised and humbled God would choose or look at verse 29 when she saw him. This is Gabriel. She was troubled at this saying and wondered what kind of greeting this was his word. Trouble could be translated stirred confused and a failure to function, listen, if Gabriel showed up in your front room you would react the same way she would probably just doing chores maybe sweeping the floor. Also go there is Gabriel no have angel excuse me.
Pray for me okay to have an angel to have an Angel shop is an awesome thing, but to have Gabriel shop is an even more awesome thing because Gabriel is off, high ranking angel that we read about in both the old and the New Testament, so Gabriel showed up some big was about to come down and indeed it was, and so she knew she could function just gone to standing there like what what is happening.
Why is this angel here and why is he saying this to me. I've done nothing to merit this bringing me to my second point. Mary was honestly surprised that God had selected her and not someone else. She was honestly surprised he got it selected her, not someone else. She might as it was about time someone noticed my godly lifestyle and singled me out, though she didn't think that at all.
She was stunned that she would be given this privilege in Ellicott would Gabriel says in verse 31 behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus and he will be great to be the son of the highest on the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and I love this Mary agreed and said I'm willing to do whatever God wants. Then Mary offers that Magnificat as it sometimes called the Psalm of Mary and Luke 146. She says my soul magnifies the Lord I rejoiced in God my Savior. He took notice of this lowly servant girl and no generation after generation will call me blessed, for he the mighty one is holy, he has done great things for me, bringing me to my third point Mary obeyed and magnify God. She obeyed, and magnify God.
She could have said I don't want to do this, Lord, because she knew a lot of people were not going to believe what she was about to tell that she lived in Nazareth, a city known for immorality that she was now going to tell them all yes I'm pregnant but it's not what you think I'm the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. I'm the mother of the Messiah. She knew that was going to happen.
She knew she was can help deliver their reputation and here's what's challenging. If you decide to be a godly girl over that point, a godly guy and he tried to be moral and do what God wants you to do and then you have the reputation of a girl.
The cats around town if you will, a loose woman that's a hard thing to have to bear when you've actually live the life it's a very opposite of that. But she had to live that way for the rest of her life but she obeyed, and magnify God. I love how she magnified God to give God the glory and of God is not magnify in the Christmas season. We hear a lot about Santa and frosty Rudolph and the Grinch and a lot of other characters that it been invented, but so little about Jesus.
I went to a school play done in public school and they had songs about everything but Jesus, not even a token song about you and you know all the great Christmas songs are the Christian songs I think there are some others highlight color bit.
I like white Christmas and some others you know but but the best songs are the ones that were written by believers about the significance of the event. Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Silent Night, Joy to the world's best one I and of course a lot of people want to marginalize or minimize Jesus but Mary magnify Jesus. I want to give glory to God and she did that, of course, now let me close with a few thoughts about Joseph. I do think in many ways, he is the unsung hero of the Christmas story. There are very few songs about Joseph is not a song called Joseph. Did you know right away.
We hear that song you know. Silent Night, holy night all is calm, all is bright round young virgin mother and child. Okay, great.
But wait, Joseph was there. Did he ever hold the baby Jesus to not even one line about him, but they sort of forgotten and ignored. That's why four point God shows Joseph as surely as he chose Mary, it's very important.
God shows Joseph.
Just as surely as he chose Mary listen to this God the father in heaven chose Joseph to be a stepfather or father figure to Jesus honor the one privilege got Susan to marry your mother.
You will carry the son of God in your womb to be a father figure for this boy. When he was growing up, magnify just the right guy got picked amends man is a carpenter, a carpenter knows how to put us back to a task, knows how to build things take things apart and I has a strong work ethic and the Lord said, I want that man to be the father figure. This stepfather if you will of Jesus Christ as he grows up.
Another thing that carpenters do is they fix broken things.
What a privilege Joseph had to be there but now course when the Lord told Mary she can have the child you think and help me ever going to explain this to Joseph Anna when she told him he was like yeah yeah right, and he was about to put her away privately like you love this girl but it's like Mary, I'm sorry I can't go there with you but the Lord had that covered and he came to Joseph as well. This is over. Matthew I'll just read it to you but it's Matthew 121. What Joseph was thinking about these things. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. St. Joseph son of David, don't be afraid to take you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit, and shall bring forth a son and call his name Jesus, and will save his people from their sins. Outcome just as easily as Mary could've said no I I I don't want to do this. Joseph could've said no, no, I know you're an angel and all when I go down to the worksite tomorrow morning and I told the guys that my fianc� is pregnant, but she's the mother of the Messiah.
There never going to believe it, but he was willing to obey the Lord as well. And God used him in an incredible way. You know, Joseph will fill Bible prophecies as well because an angel of the Lord spoke to him in a dream. After Jesus was born and told him to flee from Herod to eject. Joseph did not hesitate.
He did not wait until morning. He trusted God and he moved in after Herod died in after hearing from God and his things Joseph returned back home to Nazareth now is important because Scripture said the Messiah would be called out of Egypt and that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene. So Joseph's actions not only protected his wife and adopted son, but prepared the way for God to fulfill many more prophecies so we got to give Ms. doom in the sky played a significant role, as he was there in the life of Jesus, so me close with this thought, and that's a preachers with cinnamon to go 20 more minutes because thoughts are long but I will go 20 more minutes. Let me close with this idea. Some would say we know the whole virgin birth thing. I mean it isn't really that important. It's kind of hard to believe, isn't it.
I've even heard some preacher say you don't have to believe in the virgin birth of Jesus to be a Christian, you just need to believe in his death and his resurrection from the dead.
I would beg to differ because of what value is the death and resurrection of Jesus. If he were not supernaturally conceit lesson by being conceived miraculously in the world and mean that Christ did not have the sin nature to view the sin nature, then he was just like anybody else know he was supernaturally conceived. He was fully God and fully man. Listen to this. If there's no virgin birth. There is no sinless Christ there is no sinless Christ there is no atonement.
And if there's no atonement.
There is no forgiveness, and if there is no forgiveness.
There's no hope of heaven. You take away the virgin birth and you lose everything. So it's essential to believe this, along with everything else that the Bible teaches. Because this happened as the Lord had appointed to happen. The birth of Jesus Christ was such a significant event� Close with asking why did he come there's many things I could say that the Bible tells us about why Christ came at just let me give you a couple number one. Jesus came to be born in the manger ended on the cross and arise from the dead and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Jesus himself said in Mark 1045. The Son of Man speaking of himself did not come to be served but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many.
So he came.
As I said in that interview Anna rescue operation. The planet Earth to ransom us. We are under the power and control of the devil, and he paid the price he paid the ransom which was his own life.
He died for us. He gave his life in exchange for our life. And then pay that price.
So we are now made right with God. Secondly Jesus came that we might have life, and all of its fullness.
Yes, it is the promise of life after death. And what a glorious promise that is. But it's also the promise of life during life because Jesus said, I have come that you might have life and that more abundantly. You know, and then tomorrow are probably the day after tomorrow for most of us will open our Christmas presents or give those Christmas presents to others in some people are going to be disappointed. Let's be honest right now because you're you not to get what you wanted. Despite the fact that you left the links and help your friend to click the link and get this exact thing they thought they had a better idea in the guts or something else or someone you know in that you receive something that you don't want know you have to pretend you're happy when you're not happy you Nacos and that even if you receive what you wanted what you hope for the latest electronic gadget brand-new thing that came out of its it's a cell phone drone/widescreen television. I don't know but somehow they merged all the attack and when you're so excited. You just have to know it's only a matter of months until the new model comes out whenever you have there's something double or more megapixels, more memory, longer battery life, it will be a cooler newer version and you won't even remember that gift that you received. But here's the funny thing sometimes you receive gifts we don't appreciate at the time, but they grow more valuable to us.
With the passing of time. Right because gadgets are impressive or new outfits or whatever it is that excite you.
I love this but there might be something maybe a little girl a little boy made for you or your grandchild character. This way, all thanks honey you put it away but then five years later, 10 years later you look at it you realize this is precious. You've long forgot about that outfit for that gadget but here's this wonderful thing, or if your kid you know your grandparents didn't give you gifts for Christmas they put money in a savings account you thought that is sold Lane. I wanted a toy.
We put some money away in a savings account for you honey, thanks. Crown law and then 25 years pass all those toys are gone and you just checked your balance with interest in your same. Thank God for grandma and grandpa all right there were smart so the point of it is some gives grow more precious with the passing of time and some grants while they don't really excite us anymore. The gift of God is given to us the gift of eternal life that the Bible calls the unspeakable gaffe or there in the indescribable gift only gets more precious with each year that passes, not only God, not only does God give us a life worth living on this earth but then as we get closer to eternity. We start thinking a lot more about the next life you know Christmas marks our life and we looked at Christmas and we think of less Christmas and we remember loved ones that were with us last Christmas that are not with us this Christmas is just something about the whole Christmas season. It causes us to think about these things and we think while they were here with me last year, sitting next to me in church or I saw them another night here yes because their life is past, but if they were a believer there now enjoying to the fullest. The unspeakable gift. The eternal gift.
The most valuable SO we want to make every effort to get that gift into the hands of every loved one. We have make sure we've leveraged every opportunity to share our faith. Don't compromise by what is around you or be intimidated by it or be afraid to share what you will he be like Mary and live a godly life in the ungodly place.
When you gather together with family and friends for Christmas and not all of your family is Christian, probably fact for some of you.
You may be the only Christian but when the meal is being served. Maybe they set their drinks down and say well we went to Gordon do that prior thing to the man upstairs. Thank you.
Be happy to seize the moment my friend, you have the floor when the great things about doing that prayer is most people don't interrupt prayers.
There are exceptions, of course, because uncle Harry get very drunk sometimes. Generally they will let's all pray and you think the Lord for your family. You think the Lord for the meal and you think the Lord for the baby being born in the manger. Yes to all that then you can thank the Lord that the baby grew to be a man and he died on the cross and he rose from the dead and we can know him and then you might say, well, our heads about her eyes were closed, uncle Harry, I'm talking to you here if you would like Jesus to come in your life would you just raise your hand will refrain in a non-I'm not suggesting that you do something sorta like that here with them, saying something sort of like that take advantage of the opportunity and leverage it for God's glory because we want people to have this unspeakable gift that we have, but I want to make sure that we all have it because maybe I described you a little bit earlier in the message at this time of the year you are depressed. There's a lot of reasons we get depressed in our families fallen apart. Maybe you're divorcing her your divorce store your low, your you're not married you're not with your family, your or something that is happened recently, or maybe your sick and that you're very sick and there's things that are happening that cause you to just be in the doldrums will remember what this message is all about is not about the presence it's not about the tinsel. It's not about any of that.
It's about God is with us the message of Christmas is Immanuel, God is with disease with you and your pleasure these with you and your pain is with you wherever you are.
And he has everything that you need.
Even if you're a nobody in a nowhere town living in the middle of nowhere here known to God and your loved by God and the desires of relationship with you and that is why he sent his son to be born in that manger over 2000 years ago some really close now in prayer and I just want to extend an invitation to any of you who would like to believe in Jesus Christ. Right now you don't know that he's living in your heart you know know with certainty that you would go to heaven when you die, let me be honest with this for your last Christmas. Give me my last Christmas, I don't know. Maybe there's many more to come over.
This was it in some time and this year.
That was when your life came to an end. Be prepared for eternity. Be ready to meet your God, if you're not sure that you're ready to meet God. This is the time to do it right here right now regular pray and I may give you an opportunity to pray and ask God to forgive you all of your sin. If you haven't done that yet know by Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord solve our heads.
Father I pray for any person that is here or is watching wherever they are. If they don't know Jesus. If they don't have this relationship with you, Lord, we pray that you speak to their heart and help them become to you and help them to believe in you and help them to be forgiven by you, or heads about their eyes are closed or praying.
If you would like Jesus Christ to come into your life. If you would like him to forgive you of your sin.
If you would like to receive this gift of eternal life. I'm in the lead you in a prayer, and ask you to pray this prayer after me. You might even pray it out loud.
This is a prayer we are asking Jesus to come in to your life again as I pray pray this prayer after me right where you are, God will cure your prayer and God will answer this prayer. Pray this if you would, Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner but I know you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin rose again from the dead. Jesus come into my life and forgive me of all of my sin I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my Savior and Lord is my God and my friend. Thank you for sharing this prayer in answering this prayer in Jesus name I pray, amen, amen. God bless each one of you