Luke 1:5-25
Luke 1:29-34, 38
Zechariah vs Mary..
BOTH Godly people.
Both shaken and confused and a little scared.
Both had questions.
Zech’s example: faithless and selfish
Mary’s example: faithFUL and selfless
Who Mary Is
She is the greatest woman who ever lived. Maybe that's divisive? But no other woman was trusted by God himself to bear his one and only son, God in human form, Jesus Christ and raise him into adulthood. And then follow him and support him in his ministry.
Mary is the mother of God. No matter how you feel about that statement, It's literally true.
Mary is not just one of the greatest women to ever live, she’s one of the greatest people to ever live. Up there with the rest of our Biblical heroes. Names like Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul. Mary is up there with them.
Mary is blessed, over and above all women for all time. She represents the pinnacle of feminine accomplishment.
Bearing, birthing and raising the savior of mankind. God himself.
Now the feminists in our culture might find that statement belittling, The ability to bring new life into existence isn’t something to negate or belittle.
The ability to bring forth new life is a quality of God not given to man. Men obviously play a part. But it's the woman's body that undergoes the changes, endures the strain of childbirth and whose body sustains the baby after its birth.
Bringing forth new life is one of, if not the greatest thing a human being is capable of.
All of society rests upon it. The continuation of humanity itself is impossible without it.
Mary should be an example for all women, especially mothers!
Study what we have of Mary's life in the Bible. See what we can learn from her example. How to be a better woman, better mothers. And something all of us can learn from her is how to be more faithful servants to God.
This is who Mary is.
Mary’s Story
Now Mary’s story reaches its climax in the Christmas story which we’ll obviously get to. But I want to start at the beginning of her story all the way back in the book of Genesis!
Some of you might be surprised by that but Mary’s introduction in the bible comes in Genesis chapter 3. But it does! Starting in verse 14.
Genesis 3:14-15 (NLT)
14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. 15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Here God is laying out the punishment for Satan after he deceives Adam and Eve. Cursing the snake to crawl on its belly, but in verse 15 we see the mention of a woman and her offspring.
“And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Immediately someone reading this for the first time might assume this to be talking about Eve. Her being the only woman present during this conversation. But this is actually the first Messianic Prophecy about Jesus. This verse is called The Protoevangelium, which means First Gospel.
Jesus is the offspring of the woman, Jesus will destroy the Devil, strike his head. But the Devil will get a bite in there, talking about Jesus’ death on the cross.
And understanding the offspring spoken of here is Jesus means that the woman has to be referring to Mary!
All the way back in the beginning of the Bible. God is making his plans known!
Which means this has always been his plan! From the very moment mankind sinned God had a plan in place to redeem us and was beginning to reveal it.
So time continued on. And God continued to reveal more details of his plan of redemption involving his son as well as Mary.
The next Messianic Prophecy that mentions Mary brings us to the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 7:13-14 (NLT)
13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? 14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
Here Isaiah is speaking to the King of Judah Ahaz regarding the alliance between Syria and Israel.
King Ahaz was in great distress of their alliance because the two nations allied themselves against Judah and were planning to attack and take over the nation.
So the Bible says Ahaz was overcome with worry, but God sent Isaiah to tell him to stop worrying because God has spoken and this invasion will never take place. God even offers Ahaz a sign to prove that what he said was true.
But Ahaz was an evil king with no faith in God so he rejected God’s offer of a sign. So instead of giving Ahaz a sign for his salvation God gives the entire line of David a sign of their salvation.
That a virgin will conceive a child! What? What a sign for God to give! I can only imagine the reaction of those hearing this from Isaiah’s mouth.
“That would definitely be quite the sign, obviously from God”
I’d be a miracle! And the son she’ll give birth to will be called Immanuel ‘God is with us’.
More details about God’s plan revealed. About Mary and her son Jesus.
The last prophecy that gives mention to Mary is found in Micah 5
Micah 5:2-3 (NLT)
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. 3 The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land.
Here the prophet Micah is prophecying to Israel and is giving them a real mixed bag.
He’s giving them good news, a ruler of Israel, their messiah is coming and will be born out of Bethlehem.
But he’s giving them bad news as well. That until the a woman in labor gives birth to this ruler (talking about Mary) God will abandon Israel to their enemies.
This time of abandonment mirrors the labor pain of Mary but once that period of labor is over for Israel then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land.
A more direct translation from the Hebrew says it like this: The remainder of his brothers will return to the sons of Israel.
“His” refering to Christ. But who are the brothers talked about here?
All believers. Jews and gentiles alike. Christ’s brothers, those he considers his family. The Jewish believers will return to covenant relationship with God becoming genuine sons of Israel again. And the gentiles will be grafted in with the sons of Israel.
This is the last old testament prophecy that mentions Mary.
And all of these prophecies being me to awe of the Omnipotence and Omniscience of God. I hope it does for you too.
God’s plans can be trusted. God can be trusted, place your faith in him! He knows his plans for history, into eternity. He knew Mary thousands of years before her birth. He knew the plans he had for her since the beginning of time.
And he knew you too! All the way back in Genesis. From the beginning of time he knew you and he knew the plans he made for you.
And the free will God has given mankind cannot bring his plans to ruin. He’s bigger than that. Everything is accounted for.
700 years after this prophecy in Micah we begin to see the fullfillment of all these prophecies in Luke with the introduction of Mary.
Mary’s Faithfulness
Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Here in Luke the Virgin prophecied about throughout history is finally revealed.
A young woman living in Nazareth named Mary, who’s engaged to be married to a decendent of David named Joseph.
Given what we know about this time period and the culture most historians believe Mary to be somewhere between the ages of 14-16 at this point.
These are all the details we learn about her this passage. But we can learn alot about who she is from how she responds to Gabriel here.
Earlier I said that we can all learn from Mary how to be more faithful servants to God. We can start learning here.
Gabriel appears to her and breaks the ice by telling her she has found favor with God and that she is going to become pregant with the Son of God. That her son will become King of Israel and reign forever.
That seems alot to take in.
Apparently I cant speak for Mary but Id think if I was her in that situation Id might have a hard time believing what is being said. At the very least I think I’d have a number of questions Id like answered. Am I alone in this?
But here Mary shows no sign of disbelief. She only asks the angel one question!
She knows how baby’s work and she knows she’s a virgin so she asks him one question, but not out of disbelief just for clarification.
To sum it up this is essentially how this conversation goes:
Hey Mary, God has found favor with you, so youre gonna be pregnant with the Son of God who will rule over Israel forever.
But Im a virgin?
Gods got it covered.
Okay.
Umm… Mary are you sure there isn’t anything else you think you should ask him before he leaves? Anything at all?
No, she takes him at his word, and believes it. No additional questions necessary.
At such a young age, no signs of fear, no disbelief.
The level of trust and faith in God on display by Mary…
If only we had an ounce of her faithfulness… But we can learn from her!
Mary is blessed because of her faith in God’s word. We’ll read that in the next passage. And in the next passage we can further examine the level of faithfulness Mary shows thats even beyond what we see in this passage.
Luke 1:39-55
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
46 Mary responded,
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. 47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! 48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. 49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. 50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. 51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. 52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. 54 He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. 55 For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”
In this passage we have Mary visiting her relative Elizabeth. And the thing that really stuck out to me regarding Mary is that we see her singing a song of praise to God.
This really shows the depth of Mary’s trust and faithfulness to God. Even more so than her response to Gabriel!
One could make the argument that Mary’s response to Gabriel, the lack of fear, and questioning. The quick acceptance could be a result of shock. Youre seeing an angel, he gives you supernatural news about a child youre going to have. Thats alot to process in the course of one conversation right?
She hasnt had time to process the effects of the news she was just given. The effect it will have on her life.
But at this point its been around a week since her meeting with Gabriel.
The walk from Nazareth to Judah is 4-5 days. And thats if she left immediately, the passage says a few days later so its been at least a week.
A 4-5 day walk is alot of time to process.
And in this passage we still see no hesitance, no fear from Mary. Not a hint of regret for accepting what Gabriel told her.
Shes just… praising God for it.
Verse 49 sticks out to me the most in her song.
For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me
Has he?
Because the only thing I can think when im reading her song is MARY DID YOU KNOW!?
I know its the Christmas song but genuinely! Mary, did you know, really, what you said yes to?
How much hardship and suffering you just brought on yourself. How much uncertainty?
Youre bethrowthed to Joseph! A betrowthal isnt the same thing as being engaged in our culture. Theyre legally married! They just havent had the ceremony yet.
Mary the punishment for infeidelity under Jewish law is death! Joseph knows he’s not the father. Your life is in danger!
And if Joseph dosen’t have you executed he’ll most certainly divorce you! And no one is going to marry a divorced woman with an illegitamite child. Mary not only is your marrage ruined, your chances of ever being remarried is ruined!
Your family will likely cast you out in shame! And youll be without a man to provide for you!
Their culture isnt like today. In that day a woman without a husband or father to care for them is destined to live on the streets, begging for money for the rest of their life. That or prostitution.
And with a child on the way. Mary I know you know this!
And here she is singing… Giving praise to God.
Mary did you know!?
Joseph he’s going to stay with you, but he is going to die and youre going to be left to raise your children as a widdow.
Did you know!? That after your son is born youll be forced to flee your home, and live as a refugee because Herod will try to kill him?
Mary, did you know, that you will watch your son die? You’ll watch as he’s brutally beaten and nailed to a cross?
How could you have? Mary didn’t know these things.
But the thing that tears me up.. I can’t prove this, but I believe it.
Is that even if she wouldve known all these things. I think she’d be here, singing her praises to God.
Why cant we trust God like Mary?
We spend our days worrying, what will we eat, what will we drink, what will we wear? We worry about money, our time our finances. Everything. Yet God knows we need it and tells us he will provide for us. But we continue worrying.
If only we had an ounce of the faithfulness Mary had…
How much different would our lives look?
God can be trusted! We can take him at his word. He has good plans for us. His word is reliable, just look how it has stood the test of time.
Prophecy after prophecy after prophecy fulfilled without fail. Plans spoken of eons in advance coming to pass precisely as he said.
This season and into next year, let’s all take a lesson from Mary and give the best of our faithfulness. Because if we can trust God, we can place our faith in him!
Matthew 2:13-23
Joseph:
Had faith in God's guidance.
Joseph trusted the angel, even though it meant leaving his home and facing an uncertain future.
we don’t have any recorded WORDS from Joseph. We have no idea what he SAID during this time…we only know what he DID.
If we didn’t have any of your WORDS written down, and had to take a look at your life, just actions…what would we see?
Prioritized God's will.
By choosing to flee to Egypt, Joseph demonstrated his commitment to following God's instructions, even when it meant personal hardship.
He was a simple carpenter, but it wasn’t about his job. It was about his attitude, his faith.
If we truly put GOD’s will for our lives, FIRST.... If we truly served HIS Kingdom, not our own…If we truly sought His heart on people, and His heart for our decisions…imagine how different a lot of our lives would be.
Knew that protection from God comes through obedience.
Joseph's obedience to God’s warning ultimately protected Jesus from harm.
**Umbrella illustration - Come back under the umbrella. Come back under the protection of God.
Joseph obviously chose to stay in the umbrella. For him, for his family, for His God, for Jesus! And ultimately his sacrifice served ALL of us. His protection came through obedience. And so ours.
Bravery runs in my family.
The flight to Egypt was a challenging situation, but Joseph demonstrated courage and perseverance.
So when we’re called to hard things, instead of complaining and belly aching, maybe we just shift into looking for the PURPOSE in it!
There’s this chapter of the Bible that lists out some of our great heroes! “Great Heroes of the Faith”
Hebrews 11
Luke 2:1-20
Jacob’s prophecy to his sons, in Genesis 49:10, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.”
Daniel 2:44 says (in the 500’s BC), ““During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever.”
Romans 12:7-8 says, “If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously.”
Simple faith gets up and goes. No questioning: did that really happen?! Did we eat the wrong kind of herb out there in the wilderness today?!
Immediate acceptance. Immediate involvement.
They were available & receptive, responsive & involved.
FAITH AND FEAR are constantly at war. Worship is a discipline. Correcting your thoughts AND actions to line up with WHO HE IS. It takes discipline to keep faith simple. We want to over complicate it all the time. To understand WHY way too much...
The antidote to fear is worship. “God you are so good. You are so big. So much bigger than my situation. Just tell me what to do. I’m yours.”
When we understand that salvation has always been the plan...that’s when we can bring him our best worship.
The shepherds were:
available & receptive
responsive & involved
simple & worshipful
Worship keeps our faith simple.
1 John 4:19 says, “we love because HE first loved US.”
What we DO know about the wise men...
They were probably rulers of some sort.
They were devout followers of God, even if they weren’t Jews.
They were called wise men because of how they studied the stars.
They came to bless the Messiah. Not to be blessed by Him.
Their gifts:
GOLD
Gold may have been the first metal that human beings encountered, because it can often be found in its pure natural state (for instance, nuggets in streams) rather than mixed in ore, which requires smelting. People have always valued gold for its luster, beauty, malleability, and resistance to corrosion and tarnish. These attributes also led ancient civilizations throughout the world to associate gold with royalty, immortality, and deity. It was first used in minted currency in the seventh century B.C.
Gold from the Wise Men has frequently been mentioned as possibly being very useful in helping Joseph and Mary pay for their flight to Egypt to escape Herod. (The other gifts could have been sold for a very good price as well.)
FRANKINCENSE
Originating in Arabia and northern Africa, frankincense is a dried resin (from trees of the genus Boswellia) used in perfumes and incense for thousands of years. Historically, frankincense was a highly valued commodity. When burned as incense, it was often valued for its aroma as well as for its reputed ability to disinfect and repel insects and other pests.
Frankincense was used in ancient Israelite temple worship as:
An ingredient in the perfume of the sanctuary (see Exodus 30:34).
An accompaniment to the meat offering, which was part of all burnt and peace offerings (see Leviticus 2:1, 16).
An accompaniment to the shewbread in the outer compartment of the tabernacle (or holy place) and burned as a memorial before the presence of the Lord (see Leviticus 24:7). Burning incense in the temple represented prayer (see Psalm 141:2).
MYRHH
Myrrh is also a dried resin from Arabia and northern Africa (from thorny shrubs and trees of the genus Commiphora) used in perfumes, incense, and medicines for thousands of years. The word comes from an Arabic word meaning “bitter.” It has been valued for its aroma as well as for its use as an antiseptic, analgesic (topical painkiller), and other medicinal qualities.
Myrrh was used in ancient Israelite temple worship as an ingredient in the holy anointing oil for consecrating priests, the tabernacle, and kings (see Exodus 30:23–25). It was used in the purification of Queen Esther (see Esther 2:12), and it was also used in embalming (see John 19:39).
The Wise Men’s gifts were:
Useful & Generous
Precious & Valuable
Respectful & Worshipful
HE DESERVES OUR BEST!
Philippians 4:6-7
Luke 17:11-19
It's one thing to call Him master...
If you want something from Jesus..
I can be grateful on the way!
Philippians 3:12
He wanted Jesus to have the glory, before he had the benefit.
He'd rather be seen as grateful, than right.
NONE of them deserved it, but only one of them knew it.
Gratitude goes out of its way.
Gratitude isn't rebellious.
Is your gratitude LOUD, HUMBLE, IMMEDIATE, WHOLE-HEARTED?
Deuteronomy 6:4-6
Mark 12:28-31
Galatians 2:16
OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S LOVE IN THE PERSON OF JESUS SHOULD BE LOVE AND DEVOTION TOWARD HIM
Matthew 10:37-39
John 14:21
IN LIGHT OF GOD’S CALL TO RESPOND TO HIS LOVE WITH OUR LOVE, HOW CAN WE DO THIS EVERY DAY?
Check your heart.
Set aside time for intimacy with God.
Love others
LOVE UNDIVIDED
So far in this series…
Children of the light live without darkness.
Children of the light wake the dawn.
Children of the light don’t horde the light.
Children of the light don’t plant the wind!
Children of the light pray about everything.
1 John 1:7 says, “but if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
Ephesians 3:1-20
Children of the Light walk in generosity.
Children of the light display the Father’s goodness. That’s how we spread the light.
Psalms 91:16
"I will satisfy you with a full life and with all that I do for you. For you will enjoy the fullness of my salvation!"
Ephesians 4:13
Paul describes how Christ gave us the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to help us grow into the "fullness of Christ". This represents becoming mature and whole like Christ.
1 Peter 1:3-12
This passage discusses how salvation is a gift that gives us hope for an inheritance in heaven. It also says that our salvation is built on God's orchestration of people's obedience and sacrifices.
Children of the Light walk by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Laziness now, means chaos later.
Hosea 8:7a
NLT: “They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind.”
MSG: “Look at them! Planting wind-seeds, they’ll harvest tornadoes.”
Hosea 1:2, “When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute,” so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”
Hosea 2:14-16
“But then I will win her back once again.
I will lead her into the desert
and speak tenderly to her there.
15 I will return her vineyards to her
and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.
She will give herself to me there,
as she did long ago when she was young,
when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt.
16 When that day comes,” says the Lord,
“you will call me ‘my husband’
instead of ‘my master.’
Hosea 3:1, “Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.”
A couple ways to avoid the whirlwind:
1.Church is not a vaccine.
Hosea 8:11 “Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for sinning!
2.Stop making excuses.
Hosea 8:12 Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them.
3.Look for the root.
Hosea 10:13 But you have cultivated wickedness and harvested a thriving crop of sins.
4.Allow the whirlwind to bring you back to Him.
Hosea 2:6 “I will fence her in with thornbushes. I will block her path with a wall to make her lose her way.“
How bloody do you have to be to repent?!
Hosea 2:16 “you will call me ‘my husband, instead of ‘my master.’
Hosea 7:13, “I wanted to redeem them, but they have told lies about me. They do not cry out to me with sincere hearts. Instead they sit on their couches and wail.”
Hosea 14 Healing for the Repentant
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for your sins have brought you down.
2 Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord.
Say to him,
“Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us,
so that we may offer you our praises.
3 Assyria cannot save us,
nor can our warhorses.
Never again will we say to the idols we have made,
‘You are our gods.’
No, in you alone
do the orphans find mercy.”
4 The Lord says,
“Then I will heal you of your faithlessness;
my love will know no bounds,
for my anger will be gone forever.
5 I will be to Israel
like a refreshing dew from heaven.
Israel will blossom like the lily;
it will send roots deep into the soil
like the cedars in Lebanon.
6 Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees,
as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon.
7 My people will again live under my shade.
They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines.
They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.
8 “O Israel, stay away from idols!
I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you.
I am like a tree that is always green;
all your fruit comes from me.”
9 Let those who are wise understand these things.
Let those with discernment listen carefully.
The paths of the Lord are true and right,
and righteous people live by walking in them.
But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.
Acts 16:16-24
1. Dungeon Faith = Unshakable Faith
Hebrews 12:7-11
Acts 16:25
2. Midnight singing = seeing everything as an opportunity.
Acts 16:26-34
3. Children of the light don't horde the light to themselves.
Acts 16:35-40
4. Don't forget who you are.
John 16:33
2 Chronicles 20:3-30
1. Take Your Positions
He acknowledged the problem & the source.
-He prayed and worshipped
He acknowledged his own limitations
2 Corinthians 12:9-11
9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Job 1:21
21 He said,
“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”
-He obeyed and he marched.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
2. Do not be afraid.
They sang
Psalm 108
A song. A psalm of David.
1 My heart is confident in you, O God;
no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!
2 Wake up, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn with my song.
3 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
I will sing your praises among the nations.4 For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens.
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
May your glory shine over all the earth.
6 Now rescue your beloved people.
Answer and save us by your power.
The Lord is with you!
There’s generally two kinds of shadows..and two ways that we can get stuck:
The shadow of selfishness
Darkness of the world
Selfishness & sin...a little here and there
Comes between us and God
No longer standing in the light, we’re in the shadow
Wandering around in the darkness, trying to figure it out all on our own
The shadow of the law
A little more difficult to identify
Religion
Pride
Rules & regulations
Following everything so perfectly, and then once you feel like you are, you look down your noses at everyone else
We don’t only get to remain childlike as Christians...we have to remain childlike as Christians.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-18, 24
We have to stay AWAKE AND CLEARHEADED:
How?
-The breastplate of faith and love over your heart
-A helmet of salvation over your thoughts
Radical Honesty = not letting yourself get away with excuses. Dealing with the real issues within yourself. “Some of us will never move forward spiritually until we’ve broken secrecy with ourselves…Don’t put yourself to sleep by lying to yourself.”
Don’t let depression make you fall asleep. Reject it.
Don’t let anxiety keep you bound. Take it captive.
Don’t let intrusive thoughts keep you in darkness. Serve them an eviction notice with the TRUTH. With the Word.
BE SKILLED. BE FAITHFUL. BE QUICK.
Easy ways to fall asleep, spiritually:
Stop seeing church as a people to serve. BE SKILLED (at gently encouraging others). Stop seeing the world as a mission field.
Compromise. BE FAITHFUL (to stand your ground. Help the weak to stand again). 9/10...we compromise with OURSELVES. It’s our own sinful and selfish nature that we compromise with.
Let pride win. BE QUICK (to demonstrate patience with everyone). PRIDE HIDES THINGS. It causes GOD to hide things from you. God RESISTS the proud (1 Peter 5 and James 4). Matthew 11:25 says, “At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.”
1 Thessalonians 5:5-6
Ephesians 4:17-19
Stop participating with evil.
Ephesians 4:20-24
Throw off the old nature, put on the new.
Ephesians 4:25-32
Practical Advice:
1. Stop telling lies.
2. Don’t let anger control you.
3. Quit stealing. Work hard, give it away.
4. Encourage, don’t tear down.
5. Make the Holy Spirit proud.
Beginner’s Fast:
Monday - fast one meal.
Wednesday - fast two meals.
Friday - fast until dark
(If you mess any of these up, that’s okay, read the article above, and try again!)
Exodus 3:16-17
16 “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob —appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’
Numbers 13:1-2
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”
Numbers 13:27-28
27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.
Numbers 13:30
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
CALEB WAS DIFFERENT!
1. YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT SPIRIT
Numbers 13:31-33
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
Numbers 14:6-8
6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.
2. YOU ARE GOOD SOIL!!!
Numbers 14:9
9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
3. THE DEVIL’S TIME IS UP!
Joshua 14:10-13
10 “Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”
13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.
Exodus 3:7-8
7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey
Colossians 2:13-15
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Romans 8:17
17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Matthew 16:13-26
The extra fences:
Make us feel constricted & not free, and so we feel beat up by God, not blessed
Make spiritual abuse much more possible
Pride rules–self-righteousness (if I can make myself righteous, than I’m better than you)
Makes us question God’s ACTUAL rules
Hide the HEART of the Father…so we lose the ability to make our own judgment calls. It's’ hard to “grow up” like that…I try to always tell my kids WHY I make a certain rule, or decision…once in a while it’s necessary to say “because I told you so”...but even still, I always try to swing back around, and let them know the WHY’s. Because if you know WHY you are more likely to make a better judgment call for your own safety, when it comes time to do that. Aaron & I want them to know our heart and our wisdom behind the calls that we have to make.
Our relationship with Jesus must be founded on the voice of Jesus ALONE.
When we get too addicted to any ONE piece of the character of God, we miss the other pieces.
Religion can be just as powerful of a false god, as Baal or Ashtoreth.
If Satan can’t get you off of it, he may try to get you TOO into it! Too prideful in it.
SO into your hoops and rituals and religions that you miss Jesus completely.
Jesus used the word ‘dangerous’ here. Peter thought he was being helpful, and encouraging, and supportive…but Jesus called it dangerous.
This is why we need UNCOMMON sense, not common sense. We need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit of the God of the universe who made all things and knows all things. How could we possibly understand his heavenly plans and how we fit into all of them?
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Joshua 2:1-11
Joshua 6:1-7
Jericho:
looked to their walls for safety
chose the “wait them out” tactic
did not repent
Israel:
represented God well
persevered through His battle strategy
surrendered totally to His will
TRUSTED in the Lord
Rahab:
not righteous
saved by faith
The truly baffling part of this story is not that Jericho experienced such extensive judgment and destruction but that Rahab and her family received such extensive mercy and grace.
"As For Me And My House" is a FVChurch Summer 2024 series about how to lead our households toward Jesus in a world full of idolatry. It’s my prayer that we can take up the mantle of leadership in our households, and accept that we are called to live SET APART and obedient (to Jesus) lifestyles, so that our children and our children’s children can enjoy the blessings and freedom of Jesus!
Joshua 9:1-21
vs. 14 “So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.”
We have to consult the Lord, and we have to teach our children how to consult the Lord!!
Because the deception of this world is wildly effective.
This is a major tactic that the enemy uses here in the western world, he wants you to believe that you have to SEE it, to believe it. That you need your eyes to SEE the truth, personally. You have to see the SCIENCE, and see the data, etc, but the problem is that the other side has data and science too. Everyone can back up their opinion to a certain degree. Some of us better than others, but we all think we’re on the better side.
Our culture is so FULL of lies right now, and the lies are SO LOUD. And so convincing.
Disney tells you to follow your heart, the BIBLE tells you your heart is endlessly wicked, who can trust it?!
Don’t follow your heart, follow His WORD.
Luke 9:24, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
You can’t know what God WOULD say, if you don’t know what He HAS said.
The Israelites assumed too much. It showed their hearts. Too quick to say yes.
“The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.” (Gen 19 - Sodom & Gomorrah)
We can trust Him.
We have to learn to listen! Even to the whispers. We have to learn to QUIET all the other things, and just listen.
Dallas Willard said, the biggest advice he has for anyone wanting to grow spiritually…is to RUTHLESSLY eliminate hurry from your life.
When we’re in a hurry, we miss things, and we miss people. The story of the Good Samaritan is an example of this. He STOPPED. He put value on a man in a ditch because he stopped for long enough to see him, help him, take care of him. We have to learn to listen.
One other thing that I think played into their participation with deception here.
I don’t think the Israelites were yet used to being a power.
They weren’t used to wielding and holding power yet.
We have a new identity.
Matthew 5:33-37 “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ 34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. 35 And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 36 Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.
Luke 14:28…who sets out intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it
James 1:5,”If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Joshua 5:2-12
The book of Joshua exists in a time AFTER they wandered in the desert for 40 years. AFTER they were freed from slavery in Egypt. They had now entered the promised land, there were THERE, they just hadn’t settled in yet.
They weren’t circumcised on the way to the promised land, because they were almost always in motion. There wasn’t time to heal. God is so merciful…even in the things He asks of us like this…He’s so merciful! (They also were probably still using Egyptian technology and tools, which is why he also instructed them to make the correct tools, the the smoother, sharper flint knife was an older technology, but a better suited blade for surgery)
We’re called to a higher level of obedience in the promised land.
1 Timothy 3:6 A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall.
Sanctification is a process. We need to allow other people to move through the process without judgment. I didn’t say without correction!! But without judgment. It’s okay to mess up! You DID mess up though. You DO need to repent. We confront each other using the very specific outline laid out in Matthew 18 (see below). When a believer sins against me, I confront it. I don’t go telling everyone else…I talk to THEM. It helps me process forgiveness, but it also holds THEM accountable and helps them move through the sanctification process.
They were reestablishing covenant ceremonies. To be freed from slavery is one thing. To get to the land of milk and honey is one thing. But to LIVE IN the land of milk and honey is another thing.
Obedience rolls away shame.
God chose Israel to be a model nation and an example to the world, teaching other peoples important lessons. God wanted Israel to be a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6), and to serve as a "covenant for the peoples". Israel was to be a "light to the nations," showing the one true God to those who lived in darkness and drawing them to worship God. God also gave Israel the words of God, and entrusted them to deliver good news to the world for the salvation of all.
Rolling back shame is something else God does, where he reveals to you just HOW MUCH He loves you, and how much He will provide for you, and even when you are sinful, He loves you, and His mercies are new every morning…and you realize, HIS LOVE is what makes you want to leave the slavery behind. It’s His LOVE that makes you WANT to obedient. It’s His LOVE that wipes away shame.
They were entering their “promised land era”. They were eating grains they didn’t sow, and harvesting crops they didn’t plant. God had given it to them…but also, it wasn’t going to just show up tomorrow. They wouldn’t be spoon fed anymore in the promised land. They had been given the land, but now they had to go out and harvest it. They’d have to plant it next year, and the year after that.
God gave us the land, now we have to plant the crops.
God gives trees.
We’re called to be productive in the promised land.
So there’s 3 phases we see here…
Slavery
Wilderness
Promised Land
In slavery, we do what our selfish nature tells us too, almost all of the time. We do what we can get away with. We’re in bondage to our desires.
Once freed, we may enter into a wilderness season for a while. It’s confusing in the wilderness, because you are so used to letting your selfish nature win and be in charge all of the time. So you have to figure out how to discipline yourself.
But then once we’ve learned that…God ushers us into a promised land season. A place where he’s called us to a new level of obedience, because he not only wants to save US, but save others THROUGH us.
I hope you all leave today feeling inspired! Inspired to do two things specifically:
Go on a missions trip someday, or make it your mission to send others! GET. READY. NOW. And I don’t mean pack your bags…I mean get your heart ready now. Get your spiritual life ready! But I also know that it’s not everyone’s calling (they are extremely physically taxing!), but the rest of us should feel a responsibility to send others as well.
See your world as a missions field. Minister to the hurting. Pray for the sick. Bring people into the church–there is hope and healing here! This place in itself is a house of healing! So many of you have experienced it…now it’s your turn to share it. It means ordering your life to make church on Sunday a priority. Serving at church a priority. Inviting people along with you.