The great faith of God and Mary II

Luke 1: 26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Review last week. The faith of Mary

Receptive, Humble, and a servant

Now let’s look at God’s faith, Yes God’s faith

Mary wasn’t the only one that had faith, God had faith too.

• God had faith in a Mary.
• God is willing to trust people. (certain people)
• What if Mary would have aborted Jesus!
• What if Joseph would have gone crazy and done something radical.

• If our faith is going to work we will have to trust people
• Yes but people… If we are in something that God started then, nothing to worry about. If God is for us, who can be against us?....Romans 8:31
• People could abort my plans.
• People can go crazy and hinder my plans…
• No we can’t trust everyone with everything.
• But we can be smart enough to find people who are receptive.

• God had faith to enter the earth as a Baby.
• God is not afraid to start small
• There are many firsts that have to be experienced. First steps. * We don’t always have what we will need when we begin
• God has patience (For thirty years Jesus grew)

• If our faith is going to work we must be willing to start small, start at the beginning.
• Be willing to take baby steps and experience firsts.
• Brave enough to start before we have everything
• Patient enough to continue when it takes a long time.

• God had faith that no matter what happened around Jesus it didn’t have to affect the final outcome.
• The environment we live in can’t stop God
• Did the birth of Jesus make everyone around nicer? * More Godly?
• The works of the devil diminish?
• The world hasn’t changed since you became a Christian either.
• It hasn’t opened its arm just because New Beginning began.
• The world is also not running into the church and becoming Holier because I became a Christian and God is with me.
• The devil has left town as far as I see.