Sermon Tone Analysis

It was the day of Pentecost.

It was the time of the year when all good Jews would take part in a glorious time of celebration.

Pentecost had been in existence for centuries and was a time when all Jews would come before God making their offerings of Thanksgiving for the harvest of the year.

As the term Pente-cost would lead you to think, this celebration came to a climax fifty days after the Passover.

People from all over the known world would journey to Jerusalem to take part in this great celebration.

Pentecost to the Jew was like Thanksgiving Day to the American.

• A meeting to speak to each other about babies kicking and moving about

Let us allow ourselves to become a part of the festivities.

- About us we can see children running up and down the street playing and shouting as they go along.

• It’s more than a meeting to discuss the issues of pregnancy

• It’s more than a meeting to discuss how to deal with morning sickness

- A couple of boys are cutting in and out of the crowd as they play tag.

- Merchants are lining the streets, trying to peddle their goods.

We can hear them call, "Get your lambs; buy your bullocks for the great sacrifice of thanksgiving.

Get your fresh vegetables, fruits and grains at a good price."

• It’s more than a meeting to compare projected delivery dates

- We see women walking behind their husbands carrying their grain sacrifices.

We marvel at both their strength and grace.

It is an amazing prophetic, Holy Spirit empowered declaration that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

Not only do we see Mary and Elizabeth coming together for fellowship and comfort but we see our Lord and John the Baptist meeting for the first time even before they’re born.

In this meeting, or as it’s been called by the church through the centuries, THE VISITATION - we see the meeting of the Old Testament or Old Covenant with the New Covenant.

This meeting by these two women is a PROVIDENTIAL coming together.

Their meeting is a God ordained meeting.

The angel practically extends the invitation for Mary to go see Elizabeth.

Many things happen in these few verses.

• God is still placing people in our lives today

- Various carnival activities from all around the world are going on about us.

And perhaps what is most amazing is to hear all the different languages of the people who have traveled many miles away to make their sacrifices and their offerings unto the Lord.

• Let God strategically place people in your life

Down at the Temple long lines of people are waiting to offer their gifts to God.

• Ever met someone but it would be years later you became friends – God’s timing

Off to the side we see an old man with a long gray beard, and a scroll in hand.

He is telling the story of how Moses went up into the mountain of Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments on the Day of Pentecost many centuries prior.

• We try to force people into our lives that should not be there

• Mess up our lives then we let them go

Then we hear the reading of the Law: Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor; and the beat goes on.

As all of these exciting events are taking place we wonder how anyone could miss out on a happening such as this; this phenomenal experience with the saints, the Jews, the promised of God.

• God extends invitations and when He brings it together

It is then that we recall that not everyone is celebrating.

Incidentally, down the street, a short distance away, a small group of Christian believes who had been with for 3 years have gathered in an upper room.

They are waiting as Jesus had commanded them to.

Luke wants us to understand that in the days that Mary received the angel’s message she went IMMEDIATELY to see her cousin.

Again, Mary’s faith is seen and shown to us as a model to be followed.

She didn’t wait around; SHE AROSE AND WENT WITH HASTE.

Let us look in on this small gathering.

We can tell that there is something unique about this group.

• How long does it normally take before you follow God’s Word and do what He has for you to do?

• Why do we spend so much time Waiting instead of Doing?

In we read: All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer.

It had been ten days since Jesus had ascended into heaven.

Jesus had told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come.

• Why do we Hesitate when God tells us to Go?

For those ten days they spent their time in prayer/calling out to the Living God/laying prostrate before the Lord/seeking the will, way and word of God.

• Mary had a very strong and unwavering faith, one that believed God no matter what

We’re told Mary went to find Elizabeth.

She traveled about 100 miles south to the HILL COUNTRY OF JUDAH.

This would be about a FIVE DAY JOURNEY.

This would also be an amazing trip for a young girl of 14-16 years of age.

Can you imagine spending ten straight days in doing nothing but praying?

• We miss our opportunities because we don’t like to be Inconvenienced

Some of those gathered had been with Jesus in the Garden of Getheseme and could not remain awake a few hours.

Jesus has to continually awaken them.

• God does not always make it convenient for us

Yet this group was uniquely assembled in prayer.

They wanted so much to be at one with Jesus, that they were willing to spend the time in continuous prayer.

• They must have understood that if they really wanted to experience a sure enough visitation from God—there had to be a break out of convenience and a willingness to move away from would typically they would do—and try it God’s way.

• God is pushing us to get out of our Comfort Zone

• A true manifestation of God’s presence and power is preceded by consecration of prayer and by community of people.

• We miss the very movement of God because we don’t want to take the Journey

We find that this group was unique in that scripture says they were all assembled in one place.

Mary was serious about what God was birthing in her life.

How serious are people today?

God is trying to Birth so many things into the life of this Church.

Many are not serious enough about what God is Birthing in You.

That is why coming to church is so important.

The Upper Room represents what happens when God’s people get together.

• If it rains, people won't come to church

Going to church is so important because it is the place that God has designated as a place of:

• God forbid snow or cold, stay home for weeks

• We allow the least little ache or pain or problem to hinder what God is trying to birth in our lives

- Corporate Prayer (Effectual, fervent prayers of the righteous availeth much)

- Fellowship with the Saints (How beautiful and pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity)

• Wonder, What have we missed?

• Adversary wants to Abort everything God is attempting to Birth in us

- Where God moves in an extraordinary way in the lives of His people (Wherever two of three are gathered in my name…..

Someone has said that being a Christian without being faithful to church is like:

As marvelous and miraculous as Elizabeth's conception of John was and as sufficient as just giving birth to a child would be, God wasn’t finished.

• He was about to transport Elizabeth from the realm of the natural world to the kingdom of supernatural power!

Someone has said that being a Christian without being faithful to church is like:

• He was about to fill Elizabeth with a divine energy that would make even her miraculous pregnancy pale in comparison

- A student who will not go to school

- A soldier who will not join the army

• The delivery agent of that jolt of the supernatural would be Elizabeth's cousin, Mary, but the source of that power would be the very Son of God Himself, conceived by the Holy Spirit, whom Mary now carried

- A citizen who will not vote

• God was now flesh in the womb of humanity and He was about to unleash all His omnipotent power through the tiny and gentle voice of a simple virgin

Mary now arrives at the home of her cousin.

We don’t know whether Elizabeth saw Mary at first, or just heard her voice.

She may have been working around the house or in another room when Mary gave her greeting.

Hello, Elizabeth, it’s your cousin Mary are you home?

But however it was, Luke tells us that Mary’s voice had an affect on the baby Elizabeth was carrying.