Brief Moments Often Define Long Journeys

Jesus is a really big deal.

You have to admit that Jesus is the most significant person in history

AD/BC

This birth—that would become the dividing point of our understanding of human history—took place under the most obscure circumstances.

This is a theme in scripture.

Adam and Eve - creation

Abraham to nation of Israel

This is a cadence in creation.

Nothing is born big

Plants grow slowly.

Days warm gradually

Somehow we have learned the opposite lesson.

We ignore little children in our community and obsess over celebrities we don’t even know.

When we look for a job or hire an employee we look for prestige and accomplishment over promise and alignment.

We look past our small little church, our fledgling business, our nascent creative idea, and reserve our admiration for the things that seem big and impressive.

We live in a spotlight culture

Bigger is better

Loudness is power

The vitality of an idea is more important than the veracity

You don’t have add a lot of value, just a lot of views

I suppose it is no wonder that so many so often miss God.

On Mount Horeb, Elijah found that

The Lord was not in the wind.

The Lord was not in the earthquake.

The Lord was not in the fire.

The Lord came a still small voice

Paul observes in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 that God intentionally chooses what the world dismisses:

the “foolish” things

the “weak” things

the “low” and “despised” things

even “things that are not” (those considered irrelevant or nonexistent)

And Jesus taught his disciples

that the Kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,

yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants.

WE TEND TO MISS GOD BECAUSE SO OFTEN HE IS WORKING IN THE PLACES & PEOPLE WE MOST EASILY PUSH ASIDE AND IGNORE.

The narrative of the birth of Jesus—the Christmas narrative—is a powerful reminder of God moves in the little things, the obscure places, and insignificant people of the world.

For the next 3 weeks, I want to preach a series of sermons called Big Things Come in Small Packages.

Three sermons

Three lessons on the theme

A valuable contribution to any life

An important preparation for the next season of Ambassador Church

The Goal is to Shift our focus, stir our faith, and encourage our hope so that we can meet God in the small and watch Him do something big.

Today, I want to focus on the first of three lessons which is this: Brief Moments Often Define Long Journeys

In 1849, Abraham Lincoln was at one of the lowest points of his early political career.

He had served a single, unimpressive term in Congress.

His attempts to pass meaningful legislation had fallen flat. His party had no clear future. He was exhausted, disappointed, and unsure what he wanted to do with his life.

So when the opportunity came for a comfortable, prestigious federal appointment — Commissioner of the U.S. General Land Office — Lincoln pursued it vigorously.

This position offered stability, a guaranteed salary, and a respected place in government service. It would have effectively ended his political career but given him security and honor.

He lobbied for it.

He got it.

He wrote a letter to accept it.

In the post office “this is not your path”

He did not know that he would become President. But he knew what he had to do in the moment.

Over and over, in the Christmas narrative, we see people handle little moments and move forward the redemptive purpose of God in the birth of Jesus.

We are going to look at three of these points in the narrative that instruct us for three important types of moments that often have defining implications in our lives.

Life is a journey. And the course of that journey is defined by key moments.

Moments of Surrender

Lk 1:26–38

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.

Consider Mary’s situation

Betrothal was serious

Pregnancy was life threatening

Following God can be risky

Reputation

Advancement

Do you have yes in your spirit in spite of…?

Moments of Repentance

Mt 1:18–24

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

Joseph had “purposed in his heart to put Mary away privately.

Purposed: to think, with the purpose of planning or deciding on a course of action—‘to purpose, to plan, to intend.’

He had a plan.

A good plan

A compassionate plan

We think about “repentance” only in the context of sin and even then it more “I’m sorry”

Repentance is not apology, but a change of course

It means to turn around and go the other way.

Will we let God interrupt our plans?

Yes, this can apply to sin, but it also applies more broadly

Are we willing to stop moving in this direction and start moving in another direction

We have to overcome pride

We have to let go of our investment (emotional, strategic, financial)

It is always better to go God’s way.

Moments of Action

Mt 2:13–15

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Time was of the essence

The plan to harm the baby was already in motion.

If they vacillated, they might have moved too late.

We have to learn to move when the Spirit says move

This was the second message Joseph recieves in a dream (Joseph knew how to recieve a word from the Lord)

Do you know the voice of God when you hear it?

If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.

You Don’t Have To Be A Master Mind. You Just Have To Be A Moment Master.

There’s this line in John Lennon’s song, “Darling Boy”

“Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans”

I’m preaching to me today.

Our culture values

A business strategy

A five-year plan

Long range thinking

A faithful way to live is to master the moments as God brings them to you.

Instead of looking forward to the big thing that God wants to do in your life. Focus on the faithful thing that God wants you to do in the present moment.

Invitation

Your moment of salvation or rededication?

Your moment of connection to the local church?

Let’s master our moments!