1.3.3 12.15.2019 When Christmas Comes to town...The Impossible Becomes Actual (2)
When Christmas Comes to Town • Sermon • Submitted
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That's Impossible!!!
That's Impossible!!!
That's Impossible!!!
Entice: The list of things humanly impossible is getting shorter and shorter. Within the next 10 years most of us will buy an automobile which we will never really drive. We will experience cures for diseases at a mind-boggling speed. We will see things that people would have once thought impossible. However...as some lists of the impossible become shorter others are intractable. Hatred. Anger. Racism. Agism. Sexism. Just plain ol' meanness. Perhaps it is fitting that when God acted to deal with that list of impossibilities He sent His messenger to an unlikely place, to an unlikely young lady, with an unlikely challenge.
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from 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. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And 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 bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to 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 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1.26-
Engage: You know all about it. It is December 15th, we've been hearing this story, other stories of Jesus birth, and all the other Christmas stories promoted by our culture for weeks and weeks. This story is somewhat different. It takes place during the Galilean spring. Mary is of course oblivious to all that her story would become, all that Christmas would symbolize for us.
Entice: The list of things humanly impossible is getting shorter and shorter. Within the next 10 years most of us will buy an automobile which we will never really drive. We will experience cures for diseases at a mind-boggling speed. We will see things that people would have once thought impossible. However...as some lists of the impossible become shorter others are intractable. Hatred. Anger. Racism. Agism. Sexism. Just plain ol' meanness. Perhaps it is fitting that when God acted to deal with that list of impossibilities He sent His messenger to an unlikely place, to an unlikely young lady, with an unlikely challenge.
Engage: You know all about it. It is December 15th, we've been hearing this story, other stories of Jesus birth, and all the other Christmas stories promoted by our culture for weeks and weeks. This story is somewhat different. It takes place during the Galilean spring. Mary is of course oblivious to all that her story would become, all that Christmas would symbolize for us.
Engage: You know all about it. It is December 15th, we've been hearing this story, other stories of Jesus birth, and all the other Christmas stories promoted by our culture for weeks and weeks. This story is somewhat different. It takes place during the Galilean spring. Mary is of course oblivious to all that her story would become, all that Christmas would symbolize for us.
Expand: We humans for all of our inventiveness can't outsmart sin. We can't out-invent evil. There is no miracle-product which transforms human nature. And so, God sends a messenger to a small Galilean village. His message. I'll do it myself. My turn. My Son will take that list , that list of human impossibles, that long growing list of human sin, failure, and shame I will rip that list of black marks off of the refrigerator of the human heart and forget it forever. Because it was impossible for us to do it on our own. God sent the gift of His incarnate Son, conceived by His own Spirit to make the spiritually impossible-actual.
Expand: We humans for all of our inventiveness can't outsmart sin. We can't out-invent evil. There is no miracle-product which transforms human nature. And so, God sends a messenger to a small Galillean village. His message. I'll do it myself. My turn. My Son will take that list , that list of human impossibles, that long growing list of human sin, failure, and shame I will rip off that list of black marks from the refrigerator of the human heart and forget it forever. Because it was impossible for us to do it on our own. God sent the gift of His incarnate Son, concieved by His own Spirit to make the spiritually impossible-actual.
Excite: So, What can we learn from this story? Apart from the mysterious grace of God which provided the miracle of incarnation for our undeserving and thankless race? This is a story of how God enables normal people to react to His extraordinary grace. So, if we are to not only learn the theology of this text, and accept its truthfulness, we must look for ways to apply this text. How do we respond to God's impossible, invaluable, and immeasurable grace?
Excite: What can we learn from this story? Apart from the mysterious grace of God which provided the miracle of incarnation for our undeserving and thankless race? This is a story of how God enables normal people to react to His extraordinary grace. So, if we are to not only learn the theology of this text, and accept its truthfulness, we must look to for how to apply this text. How do we respond to God's impossible, invaluable, and immeasurable grace?
Explore:
Explore: When Christmas comes to town God comes personally to work do the undoable in the lives of those who seek Him.
When Christmas comes to town God comes personally to do the undoable in the lives of those who seek Him.
When Christmas comes to town God comes personally to do the undoable in the lives of those who seek Him.
Explain: How will you react when God does the undoable in your life? Mary models righteous reactions for us.
Explain: How will you react when God does the undoable in your life? Mary models righteous reactions for us.
1 Mary Responds to honor with humility.
1 Mary Responds to honor with humility.
1 Mary Responds to honor with humility.
1.1 God chose Mary to be the mysterious means for a miracle
1.1 God chose Mary to be the mysterious means for a miracle
1.1 God chose Mary to be the mysterious means for a miracle-And she understood that it wasn't all about her!
-And she understood that it wasn't all about her!
What has God chosen you for? Does His grace fill you with pride or fill you with thankful humility?
What has God chosen you for? Does His grace fill you with pride or fill you with thankful humility?
1.2. She responds by accepting the role of servant
1.2. She responds by accepting the role of servant
1.2. She responds by accepting the role of sevant in God's redemptive purpose.
in God's redemptive purpose.
2 Mary Responds to a challenge with trust.
2 Mary Responds to a challenge with trust.
2 Mary Responds to a challenge with trust.
2.1 She asks a valid question and gets a specific answer.
2.1 She asks a valid question and gets a specific answer.
2.1 She asks a valid question and gets a specific answer.
2.2 She receives confirmation
2.2 She receives confirmation
2.2 She is given a confirming sign (Elizabeth's pregnancy).
(Elizabeth's pregnancy).
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,
40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,
40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Luke 1
2.3 She receives encouragement.
2.3 She receives encouragement.
2.3 She recieves empowering encouragement.
3 Mary Responds to grace with worship.
3 Mary Responds to grace with worship.
3 Mary Responds to grace with worship.
3 Mary Responds to grace with worship.
3 Mary Responds to grace with worship.
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
Luke 1.
3.1 She magnifies God.
3.1 She magnifies God.
3.1 She magnifies God.
3.2 She shows gratitude for His Grace.
3.2 She shows gratitude for His Grace.
3.2 She shows gratitude for His Grace.
3.3 She proclaims Gospel
3.3 She proclaims Gospel
3.3 She proclaims Gospel
(as far as she knows it)
Shouldn't this be the pattern for our worship not only when Christmas comes to town...but when Ground Hog's day comes to town, and April Fools day. How about next Sunday?
Shouldn't this be the pattern for our worship not only when Christmas comes to town...but when Ground Hog's day comes to town, and April Fools day. How about next Sunday?
Shouldn't this be the pattern for our worship not only when Christmas comes to town...but when Ground Hog's day comes to town, and April Fools day. How about next Sunday?
When you Don't have any dreams left...
When you Don't have any dreams left...
When you Don't have any dreams left...
When you Don't have any dreams left...
Christmas comes to town with a hanky in one nail-scarred hand and hope in the other. Jesus was sent to make the impossible actual. Not to perform parlor tricks or dispense a few moralisms to guide us while we do whatever. Jesus came because the biggest impossiblity of all was of you and I exiting our self-imposed island of misfit toys.
Christmas comes to town with a hanky in one nail-scarred hand and hope in the other. Jesus was sent to make the impossible actual. Not to perform parlor tricks or dispense a few moralisms to guide us while we do whatever. Jesus came because the biggest impossiblity of all was of you and I exiting our self-imposed island of misfit toys.
Jesus came not merely to make us feel good about ourselves but to really and truely rescue us from our sin.
Jesus came not merely to make us feel good about ourselves but to really and truely rescue us from our sin.
If you believe, do not hesitate. Why not allow Him to remove the burden of your impossible sin... When Christmas comes to town.
If you believe, do not hesitate. Why not allow Him to remove the burden of your impossible sin... When Christmas comes to town.