Birthing a God Thing!

Life is full of shifts, twists, turns, flips, flops, failure, fatigue, but also fruitions, and fruit. One of the features that helps gets us through any human circumstance is our willingness to expect that through all of the wash of life, that we are going to be well!

We are in a posture of expectation. Unfortunately some Christians are like the typical inscription on a grave in Paul’s day, “I was not, I became, I am not, I care not”. But we have learned that as Christians God expects us to expect that he is going to do marvelous things for us!

Let’s Read and look at it verse by verse and glean some golden nuggets for life.

Some Keys to Birthing a God Thing:

1. God comes where you are VS 26-28. God went to the most unlikely area and chose the most unlikely girl to birth the savior of the world. No hindrances can block a destiny!

Nazareth was considered the ghetto. They believe that Nazareth had rude unlearned persons there. The Jews also believed that they possessed weak morals. Your uncontrollable elements do not affect God’s ability to invade your environmental realm of

We are often trying to escape our Nazareths!

The only person who can hinder destiny is the person who is supposed to walk it out!

2. Agitation is a part of the equation. VS 29-33

Agitation, uneasiness, apprehension, an inner struggle and the like are all feelings you will experience when God is about to birth something out of you.

She was certainly surprised, because there was nothing unique about her.

She faced the difficulty of a tarnished reputation. Mary was pregnant out of wedlock. But do you think they believed that story in the little town of Nazareth? Juicy gossip is a hot item in small towns.

It was such a hot item, that 30 years later when Jesus was debating some of his critics, they saw he was winning the argument and decided to throw in a jab at Jesus by saying, "We are not illegitimate children." (). .

For instance; An engaged woman could not be divorced w/o a "bill" of divorcement; if suspected of unfaithfulness she could be divorced or even put to death, if her fiancé died she was considered as a widow and a child born during the engagement was considered illegitimate). Therefore, as this "unique" pregnancy became known Mary (a young teenage girl) faced many troubling possibilities; rejection by Joseph, the task of raising her child alone (in a culture hostile to women), in addition she jeopardized her reputation in Nazareth should any of her neighbors find out and she even risked her very life should she be accused of unfaithfulness against Joseph. All of this no doubt troubled Mary. Not to mention the fact that Mary could have felt insecure, unworthy and insufficient for this great task of being the mother of God the Son, the savior of the world

3. Expectation: The Holy Ghost will do it! VS 34-35

Mary knew what would happen to her, she had heard how, but she had no previous experience! It’s one thing to read about it. It’s even better to hear how it feels from those who have gone through it. But it’s better to have experienced it!

Let’s take it a step further, she was different in that her child was a god-man child. Now one on earth could tell her how to handle this!

When you’re going through something brand new that it out of this world, you can either quit, fret, or trust!

Her question in verse 34 was not an evidence of unbelief; rather it was feeling for faith! She was posturing herself for believing!

She knew she had to believe the promise, although she didn’t understand the performance.

Gabriel further explained that this would be a miracle, the work of the Holy Spirit of God.

The Holy Ghost who would “overshadow” her prepared this body that would be in her. This was the same technique used by God to enter the holy of holies in the Jewish tabernacle and temple. ( “Then the cloud covered [to plump, fill up the hollows, to cover and conceal] the Tent of Meeting…”). When God sends a Holy Ghost blessing, he’ll plump up and cover you up!

Mary’s Expectation Part 2

Last week we began a study on a season in Mary’s life when she was given a promise from God to be the mother of the long awaited messiah. We pulled some golden nuggets from her experience that enabled her to wait with expectation for the fulfillment of the promise.

Let’s briefly review last week’s golden nuggets we gleaned from Mary’s experience of waiting in expectation:

1. Location: God comes where you are! Vs. 26-28

2. Agitation: is a part of the equation Vs. 29-33

3. Expectation: The Holy Ghost will do it Vs. 34-35

Let’s look at another golden nugget for waiting with expectation

4. Articulation: You prophesy it! VS 38 Note-when a prophetic utterance is pronounced over you, your response matters. You must receive it and release it into your life. You can respond by saying, “I receive that” or “May it be to me as you have said” or “Be it unto me according to thy word”. If Mary hadn’t received the promise, it would not have come to past through her! God doesn’t force any blessing on you.

Power Point-Prov 18:21

“Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.” The Message

“Words can bring death or life! Talk too much, and you will eat everything you say.” CEV

Two realms of the prophetic:

1. Speaking to create (God said, let there be light and there was light.) The Apostle James gives a teaching on this part of the prophetic. The tongue can create and he uses illustrations in . Verse 6 “…sets the whole course of his life on fire,..”

Course-(literally) wheel, (figuratively) a circuit of effects, cycle, orb, circle.

2. Speaking to reveal what exist in a hidden or invisible realm. ( Elisha reveals the enemy’s secret plan w/o being in the enemy’s presence. In Elisha spoke what he saw in the invisible/spiritual realm. 2 kings 3:17 Elisha could see in two dimensions. The Natural and Spiritual. It was like looking at two television monitors from two different perspectives. His spiritual had an internal monitor that projected to him the spiritual dimension.)

Mary wasn’t speaking to create she was speaking to bring into existence what was already created!

“It is written: “I believed therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,” NIV

Mary’s Expectation Part 3 ()

A few weeks ago, we began a study on a season in Mary’s life when she was given a promise from God to be the mother of the long awaited messiah. We pulled some golden nuggets from her experience that enabled her to wait with expectation for the fulfillment of the promise.

Let’s briefly review last week’s nuggets for waiting with expectation:

1. God comes where you are! Vs. 26-28

2. Agitation is a part of the equation Vs. 29-33

3. The Holy Ghost will do it Vs. 34-35

4. Prophesy it Vs 38

Today I’m going to look at another nugget for “Birthing a God Thing”

Unification - Form “Holy Communions”

The Unification

Form “Holy Communions”

Background

Mary responded to Gabriel’s announcement with faith – yet God knew that there would probably come a million questions and doubts once she didn’t have an angel standing in front of her. Who, in all the world, could this young teenage girl go to? Who could understand? Who would believe her when she told them? What would she do? That’s when she thought, “Elizabeth! Of course!” Who in all the world could possibly accept Mary’s crazy story better than Elizabeth – who had a crazy story of her own. It’s hard, even among believers, to find somebody who really believes God is doing great things. Mary needed somebody who knew about miracles. How many times during her journey do you think Mary practiced how she would tell Elizabeth what had happened? Mary didn’t have to say a word. Elizabeth affirmed that what Mary had experienced was true! Elizabeth saw with the eyes of faith – and affirmed the work of God in Mary It’s interesting to me, that while John prepared the way for Jesus, in a real sense, Elizabeth prepared the way for Mary. Elizabeth had her own crazy and miraculous pregnancy, and so wasn’t at all skeptical of Mary’s In her years of barrenness, she had already experienced the disgrace and rejection of the community that Mary was likely to face when word got out. But Elizabeth had paved the way. All her life, God had prepared her, not only to be John’s mother, but to be the example of maturity and faithfulness that Mary needed for the enormous task ahead of her. Elizabeth extended love, acceptance, hospitality, hope and faith to a young girl in need of every bit she could offer.

Mary went to Elizabeth in order to form a spiritually sophisticated union. Not a weird union, but a special spiritual relationship the bible expresses as being uniquely blessed. It is biblical to form relationships with people who struggle in their faith walk with the express purpose of helping them. But it is equally, if not more important to form spiritual unions with those are faithful to God, family, pastor, church, in giving, in prayer, and morally upright people.

Mary and Joseph were living for God (He worked a job, they were engaged, they paid taxes, etc.) Elizabeth’s family was consistent, her husband was a part of the grouping of priest who ministered in the temple. She had to be in the right position with God for God to use her as the mother of the one of the greatest preachers that every walk the face of the earth, John the Baptist.

In other words Brother Zach and Sis. Liz were good God fearing people.

The Bible describes an activity that takes place in holy communions…

19) I promise that when any two of you on earth agree about something you are praying for, my Father in heaven will do it for you.

20) Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, “I am there with you.

In the Christian jargon we call it “Touching and Agreeing” Vs. 39-45 This means to come together and decide what needs to occur, get on the same page for spiritual breakthrough.

Relationships can either get you “Breakthrough” or “Breakdown”.

This speaks to the import of spiritual communion, which affords your breakthrough, versus toxic unions, which guarantees breakdown.

PP-When have I become involved in a toxic union? When a relationship brings out the worst of your personality. Your blood pressure will rise, you critique to criticize, you are negative, you have been convinced to have animosity and speak against things you used to love. Toxic people bring out the worst in you! They can be sneaky and quite stealthy because they come off as being concerned about you in order to defame something or someone that they don’t like that is attached to you.

All of us have experienced this on some level. Have you ever had a good relationship with someone and overtime the other person grew cold to you and the relationship got unpleasant for no apparent reason. And when you started tracking what happened, you found out that the person you used to be in good standing with started hooking up with people who don’t care too much for you. And they became tainted by other people’s opinion of you.

They really don’t care about you. They are using you to hurt the person they are at odds with. And creating tension between you and they other person they don’t like, they feel a sense of empowerment. This person will smile in your face, all the time they want to take your place… Backstabbers!

PP-Question: “Pastor, how will I know when I have a “Holy Communion?”

Answer: When it resembles Naomi & Ruth’s relationship.

Naomi was a widow who had experienced the death of two sons. The result being she had two daughter-in-laws both of them who had affection for Naomi. Naomi knew that she needed to return to her homeland in order to make it financially. She began to explain to both daughter-in-laws of the troubles they would encounter and bade them if they cared for ease and comfort to return to their Moabitish friends. At first both of them declared that they would cast in their lot with the Lord's people; but upon still further consideration Orpah with much grief and a respectful kiss left her mother in law, and her people, and her God, and went back to her idolatrous friends. The scripture said, “Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her” KJV

It is one thing to love someone when all is fair, and quite another to cleave to them under all discouragements and difficulties. I don’t just need a kiss. A kiss is a gratuitous act that has no substance to it outside of tantalizing you for a moment!

I need a cleave! A cleave is letting nothing separate you from that person’s love.

A kiss is a tickle,a cleave is a hug. A kiss is a promise, a cleave is follow through. A kiss is notoriously inconsistent. A cleave is ever consistent.

This person makes you pray more. This person calls you up and says, “Whew… that was another powerful sermon pastor preached!” This person will can feel your pain. This person is praying for you when you are asleep. This person guards your reputation. This person seeks to understand you. This person will tell you when you are getting off track!

When you hook up with the right people, something in your belly will jump. Something in the inner part of you will rejoice. You will get re-energized by the Holy Ghost!

This person will join you in praise!

Praise will be in order!

“Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.” NIV