Knowing Jesus

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Based on the Liturgical Calendar, today is the celebration of Pentecost fifty days after the Passover Sabbath.  It is that time in our church history when the apostles, in one accord and in one place, were filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  Many refer to this as the start of the church age and the period of grace.

·         Even if this is where we were preaching from today (and it is not), the question that must be asked is still the same; ‘who is behind all of this?’  And the answer is still Jesus!

·         We avoid learning of Him

·         The church calendar keeps us safe but it can also make us shallow because of our sin nature

o   We are easily satisfied

o   Stay in the area of familiarity or where the light shines most and brightest

o   There are messages for Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Mother’s day, Thanksgiving, and more, and never shall they be mixed or taken out of place

·         Last week I asked you to take a survey trip with me, looking at the incarnation of the second person of the Holy Trinity and how that is important to our essential belief

·         Here is my thought provoking statement of the day; ‘until one is able to grasp the start of Jesus Christ in the likeness of men, in appearance as a man, and as the Word made flesh,’ one is not able to fully grasp the start of the church at Pentecost.  For to understand the start of the church, one must get to know better the one who said “on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

·         We set camp at Luke 1:26-38

 


Luke 1:26-38

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”

38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

 


·         Point 1 it is about Grace! looking at verse 27 and 28

o   A virgin Mary and a man Joseph

o   Only bit of significance is that Joseph was of the house of David and Mary was betrothed, engaged to be married, to Joseph

o   Other than that no significance

o   The angel’s, the messenger of God, words – READ VERSE 28 AGAIN

§  Rejoice – make yourself glad, take delight in, make yourself joyful

§  Reason – highly favored one, the Lord is with you, and blessed are you among women

·         Before the foundation of time the plan has been in place.  Jesus had covenant with the Father and had agreed to make Himself of no reputation, to take the form of a bondservant, and come to earth in the likeness of men.  This covenant between God the Father and God the Son, who John also calls the Word, was for the Son to be found in appearance as a man, to humble Himself and to become obedient to the point of death even the death of the cross.  The plan called for the Word to be made flesh and to dwell among us.

·         But for this plan to work it had to wait for Mary

o   This insignificant human when viewed from the eyes of men, other than the fact that she is engaged to Joseph, most of man kind would say about Mary, ‘so what?’

o   But not insignificant to God, and that is why, Mary, make yourself glad

·         The plan had to wait for Mary to be born and mature and meet a man named Joseph, fall in love, and get engaged to marry and all the other events around her (Zacharias and Elizabeth)

·         Brothers and Sisters, for God, the true God that heaven and earth declare the glory of, for this God to slow down eternity and interrupt your life, is a time for rejoicing, for making yourself glad and taking delight in

·         For this favor that is talked about here is unmerited and thus we can also call it grace.  And when I am systematic enough in my thinking, I am amaze at how amazing this grace really is


·         Point 2 it is about fulfillment!  31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

·         And we must insert here from the twin passage in Matthew chapter one the following; “

o   21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

·         This passage in Matthew is from the book of Isaiah

o   Isaiah 7:14 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

·         There is a song that says ‘You can’t hurry God, you just have to wait.’  I would like to add, you can’t figure out God, but you will understand it better by and by.

·         This point is an illustration of Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

·         The virgin birth could not be understood until after the fact and some, even today, still have issues with it

o   Pentecost, even though Jesus said it would come, could not be comprehended until after the fact

o   Jesus is coming again for His church, and yes brothers and sisters, despite all of our study and knowledge it will be the after the fact that will make all of this clear

o   But apply this same thinking and meditating to our every day concerns. 

§  I just don’t see how God is making all of this (what ever your ‘this’ is) to work together for good

§  How is what I’m going through for my good?

·         Point 3 it is okay to question God but are you ready for the answer!  Look at verse 34 for the question

o   Then Mary said to the angel, how can this be, since I do not know a man?

o   We must see that the angel answered Mary

o   Verse 35 starts off with just that statement; “And the angel answered and said to her”

o   Look at the answer

§  The Holy Spirit will come upon you

§  The Power of the Highest will overshadow you

§  Therefore, also, that Holy One who is born will be called the Son of God

§  This answer came with a real life application, Mary look at your relative Elizabeth, where you have conception in her old age and with one who was called barren (not capable of having kids even in her child barren age)

o   The Answer

§  The involvement of the Trinity in the Holy Spirit, the Highest, and the Son of God

§  Introduces the ‘theo-antropos’ the God-Man

·         Holy One who is born

·         Called the Son of God

§  The answer also answers the ‘how’ questions associated with Philippians 2:5-8 and John 1:14, when it is asked; ‘how did the incarnation of the second person of the Holy Trinity take place?’

§  The answer reminds us about our God, the essential of our faith

·         For with God nothing will be impossible!


o   With Mary, that was enough.  She had heard all that she needed to hear

§  38 “Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”

o   This statement of Mary is one of surrender, submission and humility, standing in awe before the presence of a mighty God who can do anything but fail. 

o   She did not have to understand the biology, the sociology and even the reaction from Joseph and others

o   She heard enough; For with God nothing will be impossible!”

o   And I like the New American Standard Bible statement of Mary; “may it be done to me according to your word.”

·         This brings us to the second part of this point; are you ready for the answer?

o   Let me remind you of a scripture passage that is becoming one that I am meditating on more and more

o   2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

o   How many times do we end up deeper because we are not ready for the answer?

o   I can see it, hear it, and read it but I am not ready for it

·         This is the stuff that overwhelms humans (let me get personal and get my head out of the clouds, this stuff makes me mad), it frustrates and aggravates us to the point where we end up committing sin our selves (I know that I do!)

·         But this same stuff doesn’t frustrate God – Halleluiah!

o   Jonah didn’t frustrate God but he ended up frustrated himself.

o   Peter didn’t aggravate Jesus but he aggravated himself


·         How do you react when God is moving in your life and it does not make sense or you don’t understand and have the answers?

·         Even after all these years and with our modern technologies; we still must conclude that the virgin birth of Jesus is a God thing and not a manufactured thing.

·         Jesus is not half man and half god but He is 100% God and 100% man in one person Jesus the Christ

·         His coming here is nothing short of sensational and awesome

·         And what he has done to a wretch like me is nothing short of sensational and awesome also and it was by His will and His grace.

·         But my brothers and sisters I close with this passage from John

John 1:6-13

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

The Rejection of Christ

9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

The Acceptance of Christ

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Let us pray in the Lord’s house today!

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