SPEAK TO NEED

Doubt is a place of Double mindedness is a place if instability...Do you still believe in miracles? Do you believe that God can do something new right now that is beyond your thoughts and imagination?

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 The Message

1 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.

A word from down here can be helpful or harmful but a word from above can give you new hope!!!

You are not mature if you have a high esteem of yourself. He who boasts in himself is but a babe in Christ, if indeed he be in Christ at all. Young Christians may think much of themselves. Growing Christians think themselves nothing. Mature Christians know that they are less than nothing. The more holy we are, the more we mourn our infirmities, and the humbler is our estimate of ourselves.  ~ C.H. Spurgeon

Hallelujah!!!

PLEASE STAND WITH ME FOR THE READING OF GOD’S HOLY WORD!

Matthew 1:18–25 ESV

18 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. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

State Key Verse: 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.  (Matt 1:24-25)

I like to preach this morning as the Holy Spirit guides from the thought...

State the Title: GET READY! <Tell somebody near you… GET READY SOMETHING NEW IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!!

GET READY!

Prayer of Illumination: Father, send your Holy Spirit and fill us that our hearts are receptive to your word. Help me to be faithful to your word, give me clarity needful for our journey, give me your power to preach with the authority you have given, and passion for your glory to be revealed, guide us by your wisdom, may I decrease and you INCREASE LORD JESUS and set all captives free, loosen every chain in Jesus name.

INTRODUCTION

THE GLORY OF GOD IS REVEALED TO US IN VISABLE FORM CLOKD, FIRE OR LIGHT (SHEKINAH, DOXA OR KABOD), TO SPEAK OF THE GREATNESS OF GOD, PRAISE GOD’S GLORY FOR HIS WORK OF CREATION (PS 19) AND ACTS OF SALVATION AND FINALLY OUR ULTIMATE STATE OF BEING AS OUR BODIES ARE RAISE IN GLORY TO BE RESIDE IN THE ABIDING PRESENCE OF GOD’S GLORY.

PAUL sees the seed of mature spiritual life ready to sprout ......

Who: The gospel according to Luke is the third account of the gospel of Jesus Christ and was originally the first scroll of a two-volume work (the second scroll being Acts). These volumes are one quarter of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit led Paul’s physician friend, Luke, to author the Third Gospel. Luke is the only gentile author of NT. They are both written to “most excellent Theophilus” or translated “beloved of God.” Someone who is a believer of high social status. The original readers are likely Gentiles as Luke explains Jewish customs.

What: The Gospel of Luke stress the blessing of salvation of God which Jesus Christ brings in response to faith. Salvation brings healing from disease, liberation from demonic control, restoration of life from death, rescue from disaster, and forgiveness of sins.

When: Luke joined Paul on his second missionary journey in Troas and accompanied him to Philippi (Acts 16:10). The Gospel of Luke was written around (AD 58-62)

Where: From Macedonia

Why:Matthew concludes the genealogy from Abraham to Joseph by connecting Jesus’ birth to Mary, not to Joseph (1:16). In 1:18–25 Matthew “solves” this conundrum by emphasizing that Joseph names Jesus (1:21, 25), thereby adopting Jesus as his own son. This birth story also moves seamlessly into Matthew 2, where Jesus’ birth threatens the ruling “king of the Jews,” Herod. Themes introduced in this passage include Jesus as the one who will save his people from their sins (1:21; cf. 26:28), and Jesus as “God with us” (1:23). The latter motif is central to Matthew, given its strategic placement at the beginning and end of the narrative (1:23; 28:20: “I am with you always”; see also 18:20).

Our THIS TEXT PRESENTS CHALLENGES FOR US TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT GOD’S INVOLVEMENT IN OUR LIVES. BUT, HOW CAN JOSEPHS EXPERIENCE WITH JESUS CHALLENGE OUR THOUGHTS?

WE ARE TO...

I. WHERE IS JESUS IN YOUR LIFE?(vv. 18-19)

A. ________ In the scandal Mary is silent in this passage, we know nothing of her struggle and suffering, except through the eyes of Joseph

LIFE IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

look at our text, first interjection

Matthew 1:18–19 ESV

18 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. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Paul is commanding them to be cheerful, keep things in good repair, keep your spirits up, think in harmony, be agreeable… Doing all that, and the God of love and peace with be with you for sure.

B. Jesus is the promised Messiah, from the line of David, and the fulfillment of Jewish messianic prophecies.

The angel prescribes the names for both John (1:13) and Jesus. Neither name is explicitly interpreted in Luke, but the meaning explained in Matthew 1:21 would be a natural deduction from the name “Yehoshua” (“Joshua”), which means “Yahweh saves.” “Jesus” (the Greek form of “Joshua”) was one of the commonest male names in first-century Palestine,² so that its owner needed a further distinguishing epithet, in this case Jesus “of Nazareth.”

Virgin prophecy fulfilled

1 Peter 4:8 ESV

8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Son of Most High fulfilled

Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Nathan the Prophet shares with King David looking beyond his son Solomon to the one who would be the ultimate messianic King fulfilled.

Jeremiah

Do you know you are favored of God?

C. HE EXPECTED A VIRGIN BRIDE BUT HE GOT A SCANDAL...WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTING ______________? WHAT ARE YOU HOPING FOR? WHAT HAS GOD BIRTHING IN YOU THAT IS CHANGING YOUR WORLD VIEW AND OUTLOOK ON LIFE? FOR HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS AND HIS THOUGHTS HIGHER THAN OUR THOUGHTS. GOD HAS FAVORED YOU BY HIS GRACE ALL THING ARE POSSIBLE, BY HIS GRACE ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD!

At the time of our text the concluding words of Paul 4th and final letter before he comes for his 3rd visit he sets forth challenges for the Corinthian Church grow up. But, how does he challenge them and us to mature in or faith?

To grow...

II. HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE JESUS (vv. 20-21)

A. ______ Worry can follow you to sleep, you can’t sleep away your troubles.... God protects his family, and guides us with moments of revelation

watch this; Second interjection

Matthew 1:20–23 ESV

20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

B. GOD is doing something new and surprising.

With Elizabeth he is doing something surprising, but he done this before with Sarah, Abraham’s wife, the mother of Issac who is the Father of Jacob.

Mary had faith in God… LOOK AT HER QUESTION IT WAS NOT CAN GOD, HOW WILL GOD?

But with Mary, God is not just doing something surprising, he is doing something new; It is both unique in history and unprecedented creative act of God through the Holy Spirit. The only thing we have close to this is Adam’s creation.

Second Adam

This question makes sense only if Mary understands that the promise is of an immediate pregnancy rather than one to follow in the normal way after the marriage is consummated. In that case Mary, like Zechariah, understandably finds the angel’s message hard to credit. But unlike Zechariah, she does not ask for a sign, and when the angel has explained the divine purpose, she shows no reluctance in accepting it (1:38). The village teenager is more responsive to the promise of God’s supernatural power than is the Jerusalem priest. 

Psalm 91:15 ESV

15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

C. HE EXPECTED DIVORCE AND SLEEP BUT INSTEAD GOT REVEALATION....ARE YOU EXPECTING GOD TO CREATE YOU NEW ________? HOW ARE YOU PRAYING, ARE YOU PRAYING LIKE YOU KNOW GOD WILL?

At the time of our text the concluding words of Paul 4th and final letter before he comes for his 3rd visit he sets forth challenges for the Corinthian Church grow up. But, how does he challenge them and us to mature in or faith?

To grow...

III. HAVE YOU PREPARED FOR JESUS (vv. 24-25)

A. _______ The more word (Gospel message)we hear and receive about Christ the more dedicated to God we will become.

John 15:5 ESV

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Look; the last interjection.

Matthew 1:24–25 ESV

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

B. Mary yielded to the Holy Spirit embracing both the impossible but also the personal cost of her new trust in GOD for Christ.

We are one as remain in Him

John 8:31–32 ESV

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Matthew 7:24–25 ESV

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

C. ARE YOU GROWING IN YOUR DEDICATION TO GOD? ARE YOU SURRENDERING ALL THAT THE IMPOSSIBLE CAN HAPPEN?

Recapitulation: We are to look for new expectation, look for evidence of new creation, and look for new dedication to God for new hope to be birthed in us.

Exhortation ; That’ll Preach! Final Application

WORDS DOWN HERE CAN BE HELPFUL OR HARMFUL BUT MESSAGE FROM ABOVE CAN GIVE YOU NEW HOPE:

In times of trouble and weakness God does his greatest miracles

He will birth a new thought

He will birth a new opportunity

He will birth a new attitude; Why?

To show you he is with you; that he is Emmanuel

He is the God who is with you

IF GOD BE FOR YOU WHO CAN BE AGAINST YOU

THIS IS THE SEASON OF EXPECTATION

I EXPECT GOD TO MOVE IN MY BODY to heal

I EXPECT GOD TO MOVE IN MY RELATIONSHIP to keep things together

I EXPECT GOD TO MOVE IN MY FINANCES to make thing work

I EXPECT GOD TO MOVE IN MY MIND

Why, because he can do exceeding and abundantly beyond anything I can ask or think!

IT’S NEW SEASON!!!

JESUS Die and rose again that live can come up in any area of our lives. NO THAT WE GO ROUGE BUT TO JOIN HIM IN VICTORY!

IT’s A NEW SEASON

Decided you want to receive Christ as Savior/Re-dedicate your life to Him: Come an receive Christ today… He came to give you brand new life, new life abundantly; why don’t you come.... We offer Christ to you my brother my sister, come, come on to Christ.

(Christian experience and know Jesus as Savior and Lord)Decided you want be a member of this Church: To Come an have Christ power for your life and His purpose working through.

The Alter is open for prayer!