Renewing Our Wonder 2

Renewing Our Wonder — Part 2

Text: Luke 1:26-38

Introduction

Question: How many of you are tired of boring Christianity? Do you know how to make it exciting again? Get excited about Jesus!

Romans 12:2 “2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Advent means “a coming to.” It was a long anticipated coming of Christ.

If you have lost the wonder of Jesus’ first advent, you definitely living with very little wonder regarding His soon coming second advent.

Wealth and circumstances honestly don’t have the power within themselves to remove the wonder of Christ from your heart. They only have the power you grant them.

There was a up and coming first century poor family who had very little and faced strenuous circumstances, yet their hearts were filled with wonder and faith. That wonder opened the door for them to live their best life for God.

Let us leave with a renewed pursuit of renewing our wonder of Jesus.

1) Wonder Is Found In Their Reception

A. The wondrous reception of Mary

Mary was going about her normal day as a first century young teenager. She grew up learning to wait and anticipate the coming of Messiah.

a. The angel’s announcement

(v31-37) Main points of the angel’s announcement:

“Before they came together” — Matthew 1:18 “18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

Before creation, the Spirit hovered over the waters. This is the same Spirit who would place a child in her womb.

What would be done is impossible with the law of nature, but God has all right to supersede that law when it serves Him best.

The angel concludes by giving an answer to a logical human question, “Well that impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible with God.”

How was Mary processing this in her mind?

Mary knew the scriptures well and believed God would bring a child through those of her people, but not her exactly.

Mary would be become the mother of God incarnate.

She come to understand the One who would physically develop in her whom and be nurture by her into adulthood would be the very One she would need to give birth to her and develop her into spiritual adulthood.

She remembered how Moses could not look at the face of God.

She remembered how God struck a man dead when they touched the ark of the covenant.

Not everything could make sense to her at that moment.

You and I may not be able to understand everything God is doing in our life, but we can with great peace trust Him to work out the most wonderful plan through us.

A heart that is truly consumed with the wonder of Christ will display it in forms of worship and obedience.

The first sign was her answer to God’s messenger.

The second sign was her journey to and visit with her cousin Elisabeth. (She sang a song of the wonder she had inside) (Our life could be seen as a musical arrangement developed by the wonder that fills our hearts)

The third sign would be of the journey (figure out the miles they traveled) they took to Bethlehem.

Many more signs would flow from her life as Christ grew into adulthood.

B. The wondrous reception of Joseph

Turn to: Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph reception should be seen in two phases:

First of all, he found out second hand that His wife to be was with child!

The only logical explanation would be that she had been sleeping around with someone else.

Don’t overlook Joseph’s purity of character…he never once wanted to get even, get loud, embarrass her, or ruin any chance of her losing respect in the community.

Joseph also knew of a Savior who would come and he himself was an unworthy sinner to receive such grace.

When you realize how unworthy you are of any kind of grace or mercy, you are more inclined to give extend grace and mercy to those who you estimate doesn’t deserve them.

Before the wonder comes about, Joseph’s faithfulness to holiness does.

Secondly, God sends a message from heaven to give him clarity.

The wonder found in Joseph’s reception all is seen in how he wakes up from the dream.

“raised” = to stimulate or rouse

There is no doubt he had to let all the details try to sink in, but while he waited on understanding, he trusted God’s plan and walked by faith.

What brought Joseph up from his bed so quickly?

It wasn’t that he had complete understanding of what had taken place, but His wonder and trust in what God was doing with his bride.

He saw his future wife the way God instructed him!

The wonder you have for Christ will lead you to have a Biblical love for your spouse.

Here is a question for you: WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE GOD CAN DO WITH YOU?

2) Wonder Is Found In Their Journey

A. Their journey was at a particular time in history

a) God was working out the birth of Christ during a strange set of circumstances

He was working through Caesar Augustus (aka Octavian).

He ruled from 30bc to ad14 (44years).

Rome had reached its peak success economically, culturally, and from a military stand point.

Roman Empire stretched from North America to Northern France…from the coast of Spain to the deserts of Syria …People living in areas like Algeria, Romania, the Netherlands, and even Russia knew the name Augustus.

It was a time of Roman peace (Pax Romana).

While many were enjoying a governmental pease that would come to an end, Heaven brought down a peace that will never end.

It was during the peace of Rome that the TRUE PRINCE OF PEACE was born.

Many today are following a false sense of peace and have no idea they are walking in darkness!

b) It appeared to be a inconvenient time for God’s chosen family.

Luke 2:1 “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed (registered).”

Mary was in her ninth month and now needed to travel 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Q — How many of you consider it inconvenient to drive to the grocery store (or) drive to the court house to pay your taxes? You definitely wouldn’t do it with you pregnant wife of nine months.

This rigorous journey was brought about by the decree of the Emperor.

However, this decree was actually decreed from the sovereign king of heaven back before the foundation of the world (scripture).

1 Peter 1:20 “20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”

Centuries before, God had used another Emperor named Cyrus of another kingdom to allow the Jewish people to return to their own land to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.

Cyrus was a great king but God was greater. Just like Cyrus, God had raised Augustus up for a divine purpose.

Augustus brought about the census out of an administrative necessity.

The reason for Joseph and Mary making their journey is why most people remember the name Augustus.

The sign of two parents who have not lost the wonder of Jesus is they will not let anything distract them from being faithful to a pattern of life that shows them Jesus.

Are you captivated by the wonder of Christ to the point that you believe God can and will be faithful through difficult circumstances?

3) Wonder Is Found In Their Humility

A. The best starting point for Jesus birth was to be born into a family who valued and embraced humility

Illustration: Have you ever stressed about giving the best to your child? Newly made parents will often go above and beyond to decorated the nursery. Someone become so proud of their creation, they post it on social media to get further validation from their “friend.”

Illustration: Have you ever said, “This just isn’t good enough of my child?”

Maybe Mary and Joseph had those thoughts, but I am inclined to think not.

Mary and Joseph were already familiar with having less than others.

They were already familiar with not have the best or the greatest accommodations.

I truly believe they knew God had a greater purpose to work out through them not having the best the world could offer.

As you take a panoramic view of Jesus’ earthly ministry, you will notice a gradual evolution from humility to exaltation.

Humiliation came first

The humble circumstances of His birth through His earthly ministry.

From his unjust trial to the rejection of His people.

From deepest point of humiliation at the cross to the moment when GLORY BURSTS through at His resurrection and then to His ascension where He now sits at the right hand of His Father in a throne room which radiates with emerald light.

This progressive move from humility to exaltation is seen all in the night of Jesus’ birth.

You have the humility of the manger.

You have the glory of God bursting through a short distance away at a field near shepherds watching their sheep.

Conclusion

I will be the first one to admit the “wonder” of Christ in my own heart needs to grow.

Are you willing to admit that yourself? I often times see when I look out into our congregation people easily distracted by what they are going to have for lunch, their worries of the upcoming work week, their social media appearance, their arrogance of thinking they don’t need what is being said, and the list continues.

You know what I want to happed at the second advent of Jesus Christ? I want my Savior to find my soul already caught up in the “wonder” of Him when he calls me up to be with Him for eternity.

How will the Wonderful Counseller, mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace find you when He breaks through the atmosphere and calls His children home?

Will you be one of His children on that day? Will you be renewing your mind and therefore living the transformed life for His glory? If I were you, I would be on my knees this morning answering His call today. Who knows, Jesus could come even today!

The wonder of Jesus found in Mary and Joseph led them to display the “Wonderful One” for all to discover.