Of Course it will Happen!

A Sunday school teacher asked her class, “What was Jesus’ mother’s name?”

Little Susan answered, “Mary.”

The teacher then asked, “And who knows what Jesus’ father’s name was?”

Little Burt called out, “The Verge.”

Confused, the teacher asked, “Where did you get that, Burt?”

The little boy smiled and responded, “Well, you know they are always talking about ‘the Verge ’n Mary.’ ”

Picture of the boy

In 740 B.C. the Prophet Isaiah was sent to give King Ahaz, the King of Judah, a message. Isaiah told the king to stop worrying about other kingdoms who were threatening Judah. He actually told Ahaz to put God to the test and ask for a sign. King Ahaz said he didn’t want a sign, but Isaiah said the Lord was going to give a sign anyway.

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’).

Ahaz acted very pious by refusing to receive a sign from God. So, the Lord turned from Ahaz and gave a sign to the entire house of David. This sign was fulfilled ultimately in the birth of Jesus Christ . He was born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit.

The message to Ahaz was for a specific situation, not to worry, to trust the Lord had Judah’s best interest in mind. But at the same time, we find one of the greatest prophecies about Jesus in the entire Bible. It was spoken again 740 years later.

Matthew 1:18–24 CEV

18 This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David’s family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God’s Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph was a good man and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding. 20 While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. 21 Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, 23 “A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” 24 After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the Lord’s angel had told him to do.

I recieved a devotional from Pastor Terry Yancy, the AG Kansas District Superintendent, this week titled: “Of Course if will happen!” and I am basing the message to you today on some of the thoughts he shared in that devotional.

Mary was a virgin who miraculously conceived and gave birth to the Son of God. Isaiah prophetically said this would happen, and guess what?

Of course it happened!

What can we learn from this course of events? LOTS, but I only want to share a few things that I think will encourage you.

Before I do, I want you to get your head in the right place by asking you a couple of questions: 1) Do you believe Gods word? 2) Has the Spirit of God whispered dreams to your heart? 3) What could happen if you believed God will keep His promises?

I know that there are people in this room who’ve gone through difficult things, or you are believing things for other people, or you just need a move of God in your own life and heart. I’m here to tell you, God can do what seems impossible. Things CAN work out better than you can imagine. Maybe different than you can imagine, but with time, you’ll see it’s better than you could have imagined. I want you to open your heart and trust the Lord again. Light that candle of hope again because the Lord is Alive. His promises are real, and Of Course they will Happen!

But there’s a problem with the promises of God.

Promises Don’t Always Make Sense

God makes promises that may take some time to make sense to us and other people.

When Isaiah spoke the prophecy to King Ahaz 740 year before the birth of Jesus, it probably didn’t make much sense to the people around him. They might have thought Isaiah had lost his mind. Isaiah might have even questioned the prophecy at the time.

Actually, Isaiah never got to see the prophecy fulfilled. Do you think he ever doubted what God told him to say? It’s possible, because he was a human.

You see, we can’t always see the end of what God is doing. We must take Him at His word that when we put Him first and trust that everything we NEED will be available to do His will.

I think about Abraham. He was given a promise that his family would be a great nation. He had faith in God. His whole life changed when he trusted God. He had to leave his comfort zone to follow God and trust in the promise. His own wife laughed at the promise. We forget that it took 25 years before Abraham had a son with his wife Sarah.

Even today, Abraham couldn’t have ever imagined God’s plan for his children. That Jesus, the Messiah, would come from his family line. What a thought!

You see, God has a plan. And that plan includes your life!

When your life doesn’t make sense, you might be right in the middle of a promise being fulfilled.

Isaiah 26:3 CEV

3 The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm.

Another version saying he will keep your mind at peace when you think on the Lord.

Promises take time. They take faith.

At the Dentist

I was in the dentist chair this week. I had to get a filling in a back tooth. It was unpleasant but necessary. As they were drilling I was thinking about this sermon and that verse. Sometimes when we go through the hard things in life we need to move our attention from the problem to the one who has the solution.

I was sitting there just thinking about how the Lord has been so good to me. My family. The times when things worked out good when I thought they were going to be bad. How the Lord has been faithful even when my heart had grown cold and distant from Him.

Promises take time. They don’t always make sense, but with time they always will.

Promises Should be Taken Seriously

God looks for people who take seriously His promise.

Let’s look at this promise given to Mary.

Luke 1:28–38 CEV

28 The angel greeted Mary and said, “You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was confused by the angel’s words and wondered what they meant. 30 Then the angel told Mary, “Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, 31 and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. 33 He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end.” 34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen? I am not married!” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God’s power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. 36 Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. 37 Nothing is impossible for God!” 38 Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.” And the angel left her.

Here’s what we can see here: God had a plan in motion 740 years before this angel appeared to Mary. She was afraid and confused by the promise. She had questions about the promise. The angel gave her what she needed to know about God - that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE for God! Then what happened? Mary took the promise seriously.

She said “let it happen as you have said”.

let it happen as you have said

As in the case of Mary, the Lord wants to bring to the earth – through us – more than ever in our lives, a message of hope, transformation, power, wisdom, and love.

It might seem confusing at first and maybe even scary. It’s ok to ask questions. But above everything, we must get to the place were we take God’s promises seriously and KNOW that nothing is impossible for God.

Promises to take seriously: Freedom from sin. Freedom from death. Ability to make a difference in the world. Power of the Holy Spirit to guide you. Anointing to pray over someone and see a healing. Strength to be more than an overcomer. The promise that you won’t be lonely forever. Promise that your faith can grow as you read the word. There are over 8,000 promises in the Bible we can stand on.

Don’t forget about Moses. God called His people out of Egypt which laid the foundation of Him rescuing them from slavery and guiding them to the promised land. Remember that God not only protects His people but He also fulfills His promises through His people. God uses people like YOU and me to fulfill His purpose. He created us on purpose and for a purpose.

Even Moses who had a speech impediment could be used to deliver God’s people from slavery.

God will never leave you just like He was with Moses throughout his difficult journey. He parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape. He also led them into the Promised Land. We see when the Israelites were in the desert that He gave them water and manna to sustain them. God always takes care of His people.

We must take His promises seriously. More is at stake than our own personal comfort or safety.

Shouldn’t we be willing to radically give up everything to walk in the promises of God? Aren’t they worth even giving our own lives if necessary?

Inexperience Doesn’t Stop the Promise

What qualified Mary to carry the Son of God in her womb? I think there are two obvious things we can see.

God’s grace. Look at the greeting from the angel to Mary.

Luke 1:28 MEV

28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.”

The word used here for “Highly Favored” in the original text has not been used anywhere else in the Bible. It’s related to grace which is undeserved favor.

The angel literally said:“Grace, you who are highly graced!” Although she was a godly woman, it was God’s grace, not Mary’s character, that made her God’s choice.

Mary is blessed among women but not above women.

She was just a regular woman who God loved.

You and I are no different! He gives grace to us too. We can’t earn the promises of God.

Ephesians 1:6 NLT

6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

Our inexperience or lack of perfection does not exclude us from God’s promises! In fact, I believe it’s when we understand that we are in need of God’s grace that we find hope! Its just fine to admit we don’t have the experience to accomplish anything because that’s when we start to allow God to do a work in our heart.

What else qualified Mary?

2. She was a servant; She said YES!

Mary gave herself to God’s plans. EVEN though she was certain to experience hardship. She knew that if she was pregnant before marriage that she was exposing herself to shame and misunderstanding.

Folks, when we surrender our will to the Lord’s will, we’ll find ourselves in uncomfortable places.

But let me tell you. Suffering for a season is worth the prize.

Through Mary, the Lord was brought to us, and through us, the Lord wants our lives to be the source of hope, transformation, power, wisdom, and love.

Let’s finish up by remembering how the Apostle Paul viewed his life and those he was influencing.

Ephesians 3:20–21 NIV

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.

I don’t know how you came in here today, but the message today is about hope! It’s hope to know that God has promises for your life, you should take them seriously, and know that in our weakness He is made strong. His promise is that as we trust in Him, seek His face, walk in His will, that He will do so much more than we can ask of imagine…why?…because HE is the power working in us!

You might be wondering…is this message for me? Are the promises of God able to come true in my life? I have one thing to tell you..Of Course it will happen!