Unexpected Pregnancy Messages

Welcome/Intro/Prayer

Greeting:

Good Morning Church! How is everyone doing this morning?

Series: Unexpected Messages

In this Advent Series We are going to be looking at the unexpected Messages that come in the Birth and Life of Jesus Christ! Each of the messages we will encounter in this series changed the world forever! My hope for this series is that as we encounter these ancient messages that God would have a message for each of us that would change our world today.

Prayer: Would you pray with me as we prepare our hearts for the Unexpected Message that God has for us this morning!

Intro:

Have you ever recieved an unexpected message? Maybe it was a phone call, letter or even a text that you were not expecting but when it came it changed everything?

In August of 2015, around 1 am as I was watching a movie in my dorm, I recieved a phone call from my sister. I could hear it voice that soemthing was wrong when I said hello. She then went on to explained that my dad had a massive heart attack in his car and had passed. In that moment, I paniced and ran out of my dorm and ended up locked out. I ended up crying on the shoulder of a co-worker named Benji, who wasnt a close friend, but was perhaps the only other person awake at the time.

Yet, Some unexpected messages arent always about something tradgic or a loss, but some messages can be unexpected and filled with Joy and celebration!

Recieving the email that I recieved a 100% mark on my greek final!

I found out just before I left on tuesday for thanksgiving that I won a raffle for a $300 hand plane!

What are some unexpected messages or Unexpected news you have recieved Church? Please share them out loud!

Transition: We all have or will recieve some kind of unexpected news in our lives, its not something we can really help, but the real question is how will we respond to unexpected messages, wether its a loss, celebration, or God calling us to do something incredibly difficult, (Like he did with Jonah from last week) Today we are going to look at Zachariah and Mary and the Unexpected messages they recieved, but more importantly learn from how they responded!

Walking through the Text

Context

Question: Whats the longest youve waited for something?

Well the People of Israel waited hundreds of years to hear from God and on top of that they were constantly under foreign rule.

After Babylon you had the Greeks, Alexander the Greeks, then the Selucids, they had a little freedom under the Maacabbees, but then Rome swooped in and crushed everything. The only news people heard was about rebellions being crushed, and taxes going up.

Talk about the two people receiving the pregnancy message

Zachariah

This is an unexpected message: He was old man that had been in the service of the temple for some time. He and his wife had been trying to have a child, but as the text says “she was barren”. So here is an older man with a wife that desired to have a baby at least at some point, and he gets the news that He is going to have one.

Mary

This is an unexpected message in a completely different way. If we think about who Mary is she is a young girsl, probably a teenager. Engaged to be married. and this news changes everything. She will be rejected by her family, her community, and anyone that would here the local gossip. This is the best news for the World, but for Mary in this moment it sounds like a death sentence.

The Message:

Zechariah: Do not be afraid. You will have a son. John will be a special individual in God’s plan for his people.

He will be set apart. He will be holy, the angel describes what sounds like a Nazarite vow, the same vow that Sampson made, but John will do more than that.

this prophet will have the responsibility to “go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17) and will “bring back [the people of Israel] to the Lord their God” (v. 16).

This last part is a fufilment of What God said through the prophet at the very end of the book. Malicah. Everyone turn to Mal 4:5 and someone read it out loud for us.

In Essence: God is saying, I am doing something that people think is impossible to fufill my promises again.

Transition: Before we look at Zechariah’s response lets turn to the Message to Mary.

Mary: Rejoice Favored one. God is with you! Do not be afraid. You are going to have a son He will be called the son of the Most high, The Lord will give him the throne of David and He will rule over Jocob’s house forever.

God is with you. He is going to honor you. You are going to give birth to a son.

This is a fufillment of God’s promise in a completely different way.

This is a promise of a new kind of King, a promise of a king that would rule with righteousness and justice!

Its a promise that the Kingdom of David would be restored under not davids rule but Yahweh’s

The Response:

Zechariah- Unbelief. and need for reassurance.

Zechariah shouldve known the story of abraham and sarah as someone who worked in the temple. Yet, as someone who served God he shouldve had a deeper relationship and therefore trust of God.

How can I be sure of this?

How does Gabriel respond?

He doesnt just scold his unbelief, He gives Zechariah what he wants.

A sign- silence until God’s promise comes to promise comes to fufillment.

Now, Zechariah is forced to listen and trust God to fufill his word.

I am like Zechariah, I need reassurance. Yet, when I am faced with a problem that seems to be impossible, I dont just question God, I usually try to solve it myself.

One example in my life has been my struggles with the my insurance companies and getting my meds. Long story short, every time Ive tried to get my medications filled there has been issues. Shortages in supplies or struggles with authorizations.

This month same issue. Shortage. Called over. finally when I had all but given up I got a phone call while in CT.

Too often we are like Zechariah when We should be like Mary. Lets took at her response.

Mary- How can I have a baby when I havent been with a man? This is not the same response? Mary says how can this happen, not how can I be sure.

Gabriel tells her exactly how it will happen. And gives Mary a sign of God’s faithfulness in the Life of Elizabeth.

How does Mary Respond?

I am the Lord’s servant! Let it be with me Just as you have said.

Mary was humble. She did not think about her circumstances or even the consequesces, she thoughht of the Lord’s promise.

Notice how Mary’s focus is on the Lord, I am the Lord’s servant, let it be as you have said, in reality what the Lord has said.

Thats because Mary put her hope in the Lord and his promise over her ability or understanding.

Even though Mary does this, in saying I am the Lord’s servant. doesnt mean it will be easy for her. But her hope is rooted in the Lord.

Last week the pastor at Jessica’s old church talked about hope and I really like how he defined it.

“Hope has the strength and durability of the thing that you put it in. or more percisely who you put it in”

This means if we put our hopes in something like money it has the strength and durability of this bill here (Show dollar bill)

But if our hope is in God our hope has the strength and durability of God.

Church is there anyone you can think of that is stronger than Jesus who litterally carried the all the sin of the world to the cross?

Can you think of anyone more durable that Jesus, who took all that evil could throw at him and yet still came out victorious

Application: So what do we learn from this story of unexpected pregnancy messages?

Unexpected Messages occur in everyones life, they are not always easy, but they happen.

We learn that God keeps his promises no matter the circumstance or ability of the person or individual. Having a baby didnt depend on Zechariah’s ability or biology or theology but their trust in God.

When we are faced with unexpected situations we should respond like Mary, who chose to be humble, focus on the Lord above all else and trust in Him.

The strength and durability of our hope depends on on who or what we put our hope in!

As we go about our weeks and even think about ITPs this week,

What has God been speaking to you recently?

As you look at your ITP’s how is God calling you to serve?

Maybe like Mary, He’s calling us to serve in an unexpected way, one that might even be uncofortable, but when we trust in God and our hope is in him, noting is impossible Amen?

Let’s pray together. Invite the Worship Team up.

Benediction

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.