Nothing Will Be Impossible

ReCAP

We established, nothing as our least favorite words. It is a word that reveals lack. It holds no element of promise. It contains no ounce of hope. Its a word that leaves nothing to the imagination. It is without reason and is worthless. It is an utter insignificance. Simply valueless… Absolute ZERO!

Part 1 of this series, we dealt with the nothing experience that the disciples had. They were presented with the challenge to feed a hungry crowd and had nothing. Jesus uses that situation to publicly expose their nothing so that they would have to rely on Him and others around them. Then He exposed the lie of lack. The disciples had allowed the size of their need to overwhelm the truth of what they had to offer.

Part 2 of this series, we talked about the nothing Elijah faced when he prayed for rain only to have his servant come back and say he saw nothing. We learned that in order to make it through the season of nothing we must believe the PROMISE more than proof. We must remain in position, and that of prayer, remembering small clouds will produce a huge miracle. You can't overlook the first indication of change because God can shift nothing into something so much so, it catapults you into your place of abundance!

In Part 3, we talked about what Elijah taught us when he ran in fear from Jezebel. He taught us that in order to survive the season of NOTHING, we must distinguish between insulation and isolation, despising not separation nor fighting against it. It could be in your own favor. We learned that we must not neglect the natural if we want to see the supernatural set in motion. We learned that it is essential to lean in and hear God's voice because even if the Word we receive doesn't change anything around us, it can change everything in us!

And now our final part of this series!!

The New King James Version Chapter 1

Gabriel Announces Christ’s Birth

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by 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. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then 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 bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give 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.”

Mary Miraculously Conceives

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Christmas is definitely upon us however many people, spend no time thinking about the reason for the season nor the person behind the season. Many are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without Him. They are giving out gifts but forget about the precious gift God has given them. I thought it was fitting to close this series with an encounter Mary had with the Angel Gabriel concerning the birth of Christ

Luke 1:26–30 LEB

Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin legally promised in marriage to a man named Joseph of the house of David. And the name of the virgin was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly perplexed at the statement, and was pondering what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

From Nobody to Somebody

From Nobody to Somebody

Mary went from a “Nobody” to a “Somebody”

Favored by God - Preferential Treatment

God was w/ her

She was greatly perplexed at the greeting

Fear not where God is taking you

Visualize or See yourself where you’re headed

From Kingdom to Manifestation

Luke 1:31–33 LEB

31 And behold, you will conceive in the womb and will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. 32 This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give 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.

From Kingdom to Kingdom Manifestation

From Barren to Fruitful

From Kingdom to Kingdom Manifestation

Luke 1:31–33 LEB

31 And behold, you will conceive in the womb and will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. 32 This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give 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.

From Barren to Fruitful

From Barren to Fruitful

From Barren to Fruitful

From Barren to Fruitful

No Thing will be IMPOSSIBLE with GOD

Luke 1:34–38 LEB

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the one to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth—she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 So Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s female slave! May it happen to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

a) God speaks to reveal His will

God is speaking to us during this festive season and when He speaks to us it is for our benefit. He speaks to us to reveal His will concerning what He has entrusted to us. He speaks to us to reveal that the second Adam came to restore what the first Adam gave away. In Adam “All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God” () but in Christ we are made the righteousness of God.

b) God speaks to reveal His nature

God is love and He speaks to us to reveal His nature. His love is unconditional. “He loved us and chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world”. () He speaks to us to reveal He is righteous and just and that a just God cannot overlook sin and must punish the guilty.

c) God speaks to reveal His purpose

God speaks to reveal His purpose. We can delay His purpose but God will always fulfil it. Sin delayed His purpose. According to the Scriptures “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne” () and these cannot be compromised.

Illustration:

When Adam sinned, God revealed His way to redeem man when He proclaimed that He would put enmity between devil and the woman and their offspring and that the seed of the woman would bruise his head. () Since that time Satan, in his attempt to hinder his defeat, killed all those he perceived would destroy him. The result was the first murder when he instigated Cain to kill his brother Abel. These killings continued till when Jesus was born and in his attempt, instigated Herod to kill all the young children in the town of Bethlehem. At God’s appointed time the devil was powerless as he had to deal with God Himself.

Application:

The way to redeem man without compromising the righteousness and justice of God was the sacrifice of a man without blemish “for the wages of sin is death”.

Step Two: God gave man dominion

a) God works with man

After creating the world God gave man dominion over it. In honouring His word God would not do anything on earth without a man to work with. That is why we should value our prayers and pray always. To deal with sin God needed a perfect man.

b) God became man

Since all have sinned God had to become man so that His righteousness and justice is not compromised. The only way for man to enter the world legally was through a woman and for a man to be born without the sin nature required a virgin birth.

c) God chose Mary

At God’s appointed time God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary to announce what was about to happen. A young girl engaged to be married was to become the mother of God.

Illustration:

It was humanly impossible for a woman who had known no man to bear a child. Mary did not doubt what the angel had said but wanted to know how it would be possible. The angel Gabriel then told that it would be God’s supernatural ability that would make everything possible. Mary believed and accepted to be the mother of the Messiah knowing the implications of her acceptance. She could be disgraced and accused of adultery and even stoned to death. This is in contrast with what happened in the case of Zechariah and her cousin Elisabeth. Because Zechariah doubted what the angel said about Elisabeth having a child by asking for a sign he was made dumb.

Application: God works with those who accept to work with Him. Without our acceptance God will not work with us. God chose Mary because she accepted to give birth to the Messiah.

Step Three: God met the need of man

a) The Word became flesh

God met the greatest need of man when the Word became flesh and lived in our midst. He was born of a virgin and therefore without a sin nature, and died as the perfect sacrifice for our redemption.

b) Our salvation is by grace

Our salvation is by grace and the gospel is the good news of the grace of God. It is good news because it is a gift we did not deserve. Our forgiveness does not depend on anything we have done but on what Christ has done for “By grace are we saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God”. ()

c) The righteousness of God

The grace of God does not only lead to the forgiveness of sin but also to the gift of the righteousness of Christ that gives us access to the presence of God as His beloved children.

Illustration:

Jesus Christ was born to die as the perfect sacrifice for sin. Our redemption cost God all that He had, His beloved Son. Mary listened to God, obeyed Him and acted on His Word. Mary teaches us to also listen to what God is saying, believe Him, act on it and trust Him to fulfil what He has promised. Mary did not look at the difficulties and the way men would react but looked up to God and put her trust in Him. Her response that nothing is impossible with God opened the door for God to use her womb for the Messiah to come into the world and save mankind.

Application:

Can we trust God enough to allow the Lord to come into our hearts and use us to go into the world to save those who are perishing?

Conclusion:

Christmas is a time to give gifts. We give because God has first given us the greatest gift imaginable. Jesus Christ was born in a manger and the first people to worship Him were shepherds. The religious leaders who knew the Scriptures concerning Him made no effort to make the short journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to see and worship Him. The humble sought Him but the rich and powerful also need Him. Our celebration of His birth reflects whether Christ has found a place in our hearts or not. Are we celebrating His birth with Him or without Him? Are we celebrating His birth as the shepherds did by seeking Him and worshipping Him? The best gift we can give another person this Christmas is to introduce them to Christ so that they also can worship Him. Let us share the good news for all to enjoy God’s blessings this Christmas season.

Personal Response:

Jesus Christ was born in a manger because there was no room for Him in the inn. Today He is looking for a place and wants to live in our hearts. Will He find a place there? Let us offer Him a place in our hearts so that He can live through us and be seen in the world to the praise and glory of Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!