When God Interrupts | Good News of Great Joy

Published: Dec. 17, 2019, 12:05 a.m.

b'

Sermon Summary

26\\xa0In the sixth month the angel\\xa0Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named\\xa0Nazareth,\\xa027\\xa0to a virgin betrothed\\xa0to a man whose name was Joseph,\\xa0of the house of David. And the virgin\'s name was Mary.\\xa028\\xa0And he came to her and said, \\u201cGreetings,\\xa0O favored one,\\xa0the Lord is with you!\\u201d\\xa029\\xa0But\\xa0she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.30\\xa0And the angel said to her, \\u201cDo not be afraid, Mary, for\\xa0you have found favor with God.\\xa031\\xa0And behold,\\xa0you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and\\xa0you shall call his name Jesus.\\xa032\\xa0He will be great and will be called the Son of\\xa0the Most High. And the Lord God\\xa0will give to him the throne of\\xa0his father David,\\xa033\\xa0and he will reign over the house of Jacob\\xa0forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.\\u201d

34\\xa0And Mary said to the angel, \\u201cHow will this be, since I am a virgin?\\u201d

35\\xa0And the angel answered her,\\xa0\\u201cThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of\\xa0the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born\\xa0will be called\\xa0holy\\u2014the Son of God.\\xa036\\xa0And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her\\xa0who was called barren.\\xa037\\xa0For\\xa0nothing will be impossible with God.\\u201d\\xa038\\xa0And Mary said, \\u201cBehold, I am the servant\\xa0of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.\\u201d And\\xa0the angel departed from her.

39\\xa0In those days Mary arose and went with haste into\\xa0the hill country, to a town in Judah,\\xa040\\xa0and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.\\xa041\\xa0And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth\\xa0was filled with the Holy Spirit,\\xa042\\xa0and she exclaimed with a loud cry,\\xa0\\u201cBlessed are you among women, and\\xa0blessed is\\xa0the fruit of your womb!\\xa043\\xa0And why is this granted to me that the mother of\\xa0my Lord should come to me?\\xa044\\xa0For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.\\xa045\\xa0And\\xa0blessed is she who believed that there would be\\xa0a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.\\u201d

Mary\'s Song of Praise: The Magnificat

46\\xa0And Mary said,

\\u201cMy\\xa0soul\\xa0magnifies the Lord,
47\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0and my\\xa0spirit rejoices in\\xa0God my Savior,
48\\xa0for\\xa0he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0For behold, from now on all generations\\xa0will call me blessed;
49\\xa0for\\xa0he who is mighty\\xa0has done great things for me,
\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0and\\xa0holy is his name.

In this week\\u2019s message, Pastor Chris encouraged us to mirror Mary in this Christmas season. He urged us to learn from Mary as she responded to God\\u2019s call on her life. By the world\\u2019s standards, Mary had nothing. She was a 12-14 year old girl in small town with no social status. However, God said that she was perfect. At Christmas, we are invited to walk the joy-filled road of Mary.\\xa0

5 Thoughts on how to live in light of this good new of great joy \\u2013 How did Mary respond?

  1. Mary received \\u2013 Luke 1:28-30
    1. She received a word, plan, and vision for her life from God. Like us, Mary surely had a plan for her own life, but God showed up in a divine encounter and entrusted her with His very own son.
    2. There is a tension, because often we have a plan for life until God intervenes and invites us to align with His vision. Mary was positioned for such an encounter and for the receiving of grace.
    1. It is okay to audit, to weigh, and to ponder God\\u2019s calling on your life. Mary was greatly troubled and tried to discern what kind of greeting this was.
      1. \\u201cI will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.\\u201d Genesis 3:15
      2. \\u201cTherefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.\\u201d Isaiah 7:14
    2. Mary would have contemplated the prophecies of the Old Testament:
    3. There is closed-minded doubt and open-minded doubt. Closed-minded doubt responds in unbelief, while open-minded doubt says \\u201chelp me in my unbelief\\u201d.
    4. The Angel says, \\u201cdo not fear\\u201d, not that there is nothing to fear. Mary recognized she didn\\u2019t need to fear because she found favor (grace). When we live this way, it breaks anxiety.
    5. In verse 38, Mary responds with \\u201cBehold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.\\u201d
  2. Mary wondered. \\u2013 Luke 1:31-38
    1. Genuine Christianity displays humility. It says, \\u201cI can\\u2019t do this alone\\u201d and chooses to partner with God. Pastor Chris called this \\u201cgrounded obedience\\u201d.\\xa0
    2. Mary believed in, not just about.\\xa0
  3. Mary Surrendered and Believed. \\u2013 Luke 1:39-45
    1. Mary\\u2019s Song of Praise: The Magnificat.\\xa0
    2. When surrender and belief come together, it produces celebration.\\xa0
    3. To magnify is to make big. Whatever we magnify will control us.
  4. Mary Celebrated. \\u2013 Luke 1: 46-49
    1. What do you think about? Whatever it is will control you. Mary pondered the promises of God. When we follow God, He lets us in on what He is doing.
    2. Mary treasured the things of the Lord.
  5. Mary Pondered. \\u2013 Luke 2:19, Luke 2:51

\\xa0

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do you think God chose Mary for this task?
  2. Do you think Jesus learned how to serve and surrender from his mom?

\\xa0

Response Questions

  1. What happens to Mary is very personal, but it\\u2019s also for us today. How do you think this story is for you?
  2. Whose plan or vision are you fulfilling over your life? Would you say you are walking on God\\u2019s road or your own road?
  3. What have you been magnifying in your life?\\xa0
'