Preparation

Intro: Diaper Bag

Away in a manger #432

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,

The little Lord Jesus Laid down His sweet head;

The stars in the sky Looked down where He lay,

The little Lord Jesus, Asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing, The Baby awakes,

But little Lord Jesus, No crying He makes;

I love Thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,

And stay by my cradle, Till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever, And love me, I pray;

Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,

And take us to heaven, To live with Thee there.

See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil

1. Prepare Your Sight

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus Laid down His sweet head; The stars in the sky Looked down where He lay, The little Lord Jesus, Asleep on the hay

God moved the stars

Sent angels to Mary & Joseph

Arranged for His Birth in Bethlehem

God Prepared for Jesus’ birth.

Luke 2:1–7 NASB95

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Prophecy of Bethlehem being the birthplace of the Messiah:

Micah 5:2–4 NASB95

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” Therefore He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth.

Magi follow a star

Matthew 2:1–2 NASB95

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

God arranged the Heavens to predict the coming of His son

We must be willing to look at our circumstances from heaven’s eyes

Mary and Joseph could have complained (and probably did)

traveling so far while pregnant

not even married yet

stupid census

There is not bed for them to sleep in when they arrive

Yet God had a plan. One they had been told of, but did not understand.

-We must be prepared to SEE what God is doing.

They could have missed the comfort that God sent them in sending the shepherds if they had only saw their circumstance

Stop and smell the roses

count your blessings

live in thankfulness

-Contentment only comes from gratitude .

Gratitude comes from opening your eyes regularly to God’s plan in your life

Both in your current and past circumstances

Lord, I don’t understand what’s going on,

but you do.

I trust your plan for my life.

I give all my worries and fears to you

about this circumstance

or this person

Open my eyes to see what you are doing

let me live a life pleasing to you

2. Prepare Your Ears

The cattle are lowing, The Baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus, No crying He makes; I love Thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, And stay by my cradle, Till morning is nigh.

Cattle are lowing

crying,

Jesus is with you

do you hear him

Silence is heard, because it is the stilling of your surroundings.

-We must silence ourselves, to hear what God is saying.

God spoke to Mary and Joseph through His angels

They could not have heard the message of God if they had not silenced their expectations

Angel to Mary

Luke 1:26–35 NASB95

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

Matthew 1:18–24 NASB95

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,

Joseph expected Mary to be a Virgin

Mary expected to not have a child

Society/culture expected these things of them

God expected obedience

-We must set aside our expectations to hear God’s plan for our life.

If they had not silenced their expectations to hear God’s plan, then who knows where we would be now.

God chose people who he knew could carry out his plan

He chose people willing to listen

and more than listen, but obey

Are you willing to hear God today

how are you at silencing yourself?

Can you hear God’s voice when you pray

can you feel His presence

Let’s take a moment to silence ourselves and just list to the Holy Spirit speak to us right now.

3. Prepare Your Mouth

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay Close by me forever, And love me, I pray; Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care, And take us to heaven, To live with Thee there.

Last verse is a prayer directed to Jesus

As we prepare our eyes and ears for what God has for us, we need to be prepared to act

All of this boils down to a simple question:

Do you trust God?

Do you trust him with your future

Do you trust him with your today

Do you trust him with your past (pains, trauma and all)

Do you trust him to stop claiming ownership of your future, today and past and start calling them His.

-When you trust God, He will use you.

let’s look at two side characters who had prepared their mouth for the coming of the messiah: Simeon and Anna

Luke 2:22 NASB95

And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

Luke 2:25–38 NASB95

And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

-A prepared heart is prepared to speak the word of God.

Let’s take a moment to surrender our voices to God.

I want you to turn to a neighbor and tell them your story.

Specifically, what has God done for you.

What is He doing in your life right now, this week.

What are you trusting God to do for you in your immediate future.