Christmas Eve 2017

Mary & Joseph’s Obedience

Morning I’m going to speak for a while then we are going to take communion, then were gonna worship.

We are going to look at & .

2 young people’s obedience to God and the impact on there lives and if we are obedient what impact that should have on our lives.

At the end you of me speaking you might need to respond to whatever the Holy Spirit is saying to you.

So let’s get into it, a little background.

Luke wrote to a first century world burnt out on “if it feels good do it” but also offended by the sometimes crazy superstitions of most religions.

The world then and the world today longs for what Christianity offers, Faith founded on the fact, Jesus is God & came on a rescue mission as a baby, lived as one of us, died on a cross & rose again to set us free from all things that keep us from having a relationship through Him(Jesus) with God.

The world doesn’t need religion, the world needs a relationship with Jesus.

Luke 1:26–38 ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern 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. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 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. 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. For nothing will be impossible with God.” 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.

Luke 1:26-38

I love this story, it’s a story of obedience, imagine how scary this would have been.

how would you react, first of all an Angel in there full glory appears before you, not any Angel but Gabriel himself. how would you feel.

now imagine your’e a girl between the age of 13 & 15, The Angel tells you have found favour with God & that you are going to have his Baby.

Listen Mary is quite rightly lifted up because of her obedience, giving birth to Jesus, being his mum but she is not devine. she’s not a Deity, not to be worshipped, just an incredible God loving obedient girl.

Twice in this passage Luke calls Mary a virgin verse 27 & that was to demonstrate that Jesus conception was an act of God.

There’s someone in the story we never really look at, we no he’s there, he’s part of the family bloodline going from Abraham - Jesus.

Matthew 1:18–25 ESV

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. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Matthew 1:

Obedience, just like Mary Joseph was obedient to God, it must have been a hard situation to be in.

yeah the woman your’e about to marry, you know the virgin is pregnant, imagine trying to explain that to your friends. Yep God made her pregnant, she’s having his son.

But nothing was going to stop Joseph from being obedient to God, I think he understood the importance of what was happening. He knew this wasn’t about him this was much bigger that God had chosen to come as a babe to rescue the world including us.

That means he chose us above himself, He always chooses us above Himself.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

This is why this time of year is so significant, let me ask a question is it significant to you, is it about time of work, time with family or friends, food, drink, relaxing. now all these things are good but firstly it needs to be about Jesus, without Christ there is no Christmas.

Let me ask a question do you need to refocus, change your priorities, but not just about the Christmas period but your whole life, who is first you or Jesus.

It’s like that advert Jesus is for life not just for Christmas.

Jesus birthday is the most celebrated in history, He is the most wrote about, the most sung about, we have more facts & proof of existence about Jesus than there is about most from history.

yet people still struggle to believe he lived, People need to know that Christianity is based on historical facts.

What people need to do is make up there mind whether it’s true or not, that’s not just people who have never made a decision but us too.

If we aren’t going to put him first in our lives then maybe we don’t believe it’s true & if it’s not true then we should not follow, we should not love. the Bible says:

Revelation 3:16 ESV

So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

We need to understand that it’s either true or false & when we know this for ourselves we need to act accordingly, it should impact the whole of our lives.

Maybe this morning you believe, your head says yes, but this good news that God came in the form of Man at Christmas to implement the greatest rescue mission to bring us back into his presence hasn’t impacted the whole of your life.

Isaiah 55:1–3 ESV

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Isaiah 55

i don’t know if this has spoken to you this morning, made you rethink, refocus but before we take communion to remember what Jesus did on the cross for us now is the time to move from your seat & come forward for prayer.