Sunday Service- August 18, 2019

Do you have any father? We thank you so much for the opportunity to be here this morning together with your body to speak and deliver a word father. I just asked for you to encourage these your children. Ask your children. Holy Spirit. We just give you space and permission I submit to your leadership this morning Holy Spirit, and we asked for you to fill this room to fill each one into keeps filling into keeps filling. We honor your presence that's already in the room. We invite you to increase Holy Spirit. We thank you for revealing Jesus so beautifully and so perfectly. Help us to see him the way that you see him and feel the way you feel about him Holy Spirit. We thank you and we thank you for the books of life that are opening up. But even even as we dive into the word this morning that I gave you permission to distract people here with your presence and just distract them with what you want to say to them. That's the most important thing an encounter with you this morning. So we thank you in Jesus name. Amen.

It meant so you have to forgive me. I'm such a millennial this morning. I have my phone as my Bible and really it's because my Bible is falling apart. So I was like, I don't want to lose a page out of Revelation. If I bring it. I love it so much has all my not. So yes, we have the phone this morning.

I'll try that.

That's awesome. Thanks for the tip. Okay, so if you would turn with me to Luke chapter 1 I'm going to read from the nasb.

Before I do that, I'm going to read you a passage out of Ephesians. Why you turn to Luke 1 as I believe this is a part of what God's doing.

Paul says I pray that you will continually experience be in measurable the immeasurable greatness of God's power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you. My summary is I pray that you continually experience him so that you can advertise him. And that's my prayer for us.

Chapter one I would like to dive into a text that you are all probably familiar with.

We have a story of Elizabeth and Zechariah. And then right next to it the story of Mary and Joseph and Jesus, but like to highlight some things as it relates to advertising the miraculous. I believe that Elizabeth was actually that billboard that I mentioned that she was a catalyst her testimony was a catalyst for Mary to believe that it was possible for her to conceive baby Jesus miraculously and you are like Elizabeth. So I'm going to start just by giving you reminding me of some of the contacts. So we have Elizabeth and we have Zachariah who are older in age and they had been praying for a child. It hadn't happened yet. and in that day I can imagine just the humiliation and the way that they were perceived by Society for not being able to have children and I don't know. I would propose that maybe Elizabeth and Zechariah didn't have a modern-day testimony of healing as a related to child bearing in older age or anything related to fertility, whatever maybe she could reference Abraham and Sarah story, but I just think that she didn't have anything on her grid to believe for a miracle the way that it happened. Zakaria was a priest and he was going to fulfill his duty which was probably only happening once in his lifetime. And of course as you know, when a priest went into the holy of holies, they had the rope tied around them just in case the presence of God was so strong and they got struck and had to get pulled out because the people outside weren't allowed to enter the only could pull them out if if it did make it so it is getting ready for his Priestly duties going in and And he gets to the to the throne. I'm going to start reading from verse 12 here in just a moment.

And suddenly he has his encounter with this angel. Zakaria from translation to Zacharias, but mine says I cry Zachariah was troubled when he saw this Angel and fear gripped him. Why does your grip him because he probably heard stories of other people who had gone into the holy of holies was terrified by this Angel. But the angel said to him do not be afraid Zechariah for your petition has been heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness and many Will Rejoice at his birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord and He will drink no wine or liquor and he'll be filled with the Holy Spirit. Well yet in his mother's womb and he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God it is he who will go as a forerunner before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous. So as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord Going to be a little further Zacharias said to the angel How Will I Know This for certain for I'm an old man and my wife is advanced in years the angel answered and said to him. I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news and behold you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place because you didn't believe my words which will be fulfilled in their proper time. So just a paraphrase the rest of the people were outside waiting for Zacharias getting a little concerned like it's been awhile and he's not out yet. But when he came out he was unable to speak and and they realize he's had an amazing encounter with God and so Zakaria goes back home and his wife is of course pregnant, but he can't talk to her and he can't tell her about the encounter. He had he gets to just kind of watch the word unfold. So I wanted to highlight a few points of that portion of the text. So as you can see this angel had a prophetic word for him straight from God himself about he didn't come to talk about the impossibility. He came to speak about this book of life that we had mentioned. He was simply reading from the book in heaven. He was he was delivering a message from the Lord about what was established in heaven and what was being there for established on the Earth. And so yes Zakaria got the experience of the book of life being opened up in that moment. inverse 20 another point I wanted to make Was that the angel said that he would be silent and unable to speak because of his unbelief. So yes, that guy had some questions. He was inserting his logic and he has some valid questions and I don't think some people say that that was a punishment that he was struck silent. I actually think it was a gift from God that he was silent. I I believe that the work of God the Angel and the Lord was giving him an opportunity to let the work that God was doing to speak for itself. He wouldn't have to defend it. He wouldn't have to explain himself to the people outside who were wondering what had just happened. They could just watch God's work unfold.

And I would also say you know, he didn't have the ability to speak against it. So it works out in his favor both ways.

So so yes, Zechariah and Elizabeth are now pregnant and absolute Miracle. So parallel to that we have now later and Luke Mary and Joseph. Mary is Elizabeth's cousin. And so Mary is well aware that Elizabeth lived most of her life not being able to Bear a child. Mary finds herself in, the opposite scenario, but kind of a similar scenario. She's not older in age. She's not having issues. She doesn't know she's she's not even married yet to Joseph. I'm not looking for a child. But Gabriel comes to her as well and Gabriel tells her opens up the book to her and gives her what's happening in heaven. This is this is what's going to happen to you and here I would like to read from we're going to start back at Luke verse 26

Elizabeth is tucked away. She's pregnant. She's excited and in her sixth month of of of the of the baby being formed. This is when Mary has her encounter. So the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph of the descendants of David. An incoming he said to her greetings favored one. The Lord is with you. But she was very perplexed that the statement and kept pondering. What kind of salutation this was. 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 name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high and the Lord God will give him the Throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end now Mary's inserting her logic She said to the angel, how can this be since I'm a virgin the angel answered and said to her the holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you and for that reason the holy child shall be called The Son of God and behold even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived the sun in her old age. And she who was called. Baron is now in her 6 for nothing will be impossible with God and Mary said behold the bondslave of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word and the angel departed from her? Absolutely amazing, but there a couple things that stood out to me about this. So again, but it's open the Revelation word directly from God to marry but I was comparing Elizabeth encounter with Mary's and counter and found some really the same thing. So both of them. Gabriel came Ava word both of them had questions. They presented the impossibility to the angel or you know to the Lord via the angel like, you know, Elizabeth Zachariah I'm too I'm too old. This is not possible Mary, but how is it going to be on the virgin? What's the difference between the response that the angel gave to Elizabeth vs. Mary is what's really interesting. So if we go back to verse 18 with Zakaria.

Zachariah said to the angel How Will I Know This for certain and the angel said to him? I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. I'm giving you a word directly from God and that is what makes it valid right? Nothing Earthly just simply believe because God said But with Mary while Gabriel did give her that assurance that he'd come from the Lord. He actually inserts Elizabeth's testimony.

in verse 36 Even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age and she who was called. Barren is now in her sixth month.

I think that's incredible as we can recall in Revelation 19:10 talks about how the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of Prophecy and here you actually see that worked out. The angel the angel inserted Elizabeth's testimony to help Mary to believe but the prophesied what was possible for her as well.

It gave her the courage it gave her an Earthly example of what God could do. And I say all that to say that's why I say I believe that the spirit of trite the spirit of Christ Church. Is that billboard for people in the community? Is that Earthly example of what God can do in the face of impossibility just by letting God's work play out in your life and by not being afraid to to show it as it unfolds.

Maricann finishing up the story Mary gets excited because Angel just told her cousin was pregnant and she knew how impossible that was. So she goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth and she seems a baby bump. Now she's in 6 months to 6 months and it confirmed what she heard. And actually the text actually said that when Mary and Elizabeth when they when they make contact when they saw each other that the baby on the inside of Elizabeth, it left leaked. And I felt like that was the testimony of Jesus and it was a bit actually leaping and shouting do it again. God do it again. Do it again. Like the baby knew that the same Miracle is about to happen and that the baby was going to have a cousin and you know, just the Holy Spirit came upon this baby to leave in that moment.

And then in the rest of the text Elizabeth just prophesize Mary's whole encounter as if she were there as if as if she knew and she did know the Holy Spirit revealed it literally her testimony was prophesying to marry and I'm just here to propose that literally your testimony will prophesy to the people around you. But beyond that I want you to just take him take a minute to realize that that testimony wasn't even fully it wasn't fully birth yet. Elizabeth was in month 6 of her pregnancy the baby wasn't there but even in the midst of that baby forming there were still testimonies there were still two major testimonies even before the baby was born one. She got pregnant in the face of impossibility. And to the Lord removed her shame and removed her disgrace.

Just imagine for us if we were as weird as we're waiting on a promise to be fully fulfilled as we're waiting on God to deliver healing in our lives as we're waiting for God to do what he said he would do what are the things that he's that he's doing in the meantime, what are the testimonies that actually they might seem small but they prophesy but they encourage people around us. They give us courage even in month 6 it was Integra. It was crucial that Mary and Elizabeth got to see each other that Mary could see that baby bump. It was cards for Mary and we know that Mary was I mean Mary went down in history as giving birth to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was important for Mary to have that courage. So I just proposed to you who are the people that God has has placed around you that that that that are in need of the courage year to impart to them even in the small testimonies as you wait. I'll even share a little bit of of my story. So about 5 years ago. I had gotten diagnosed with a benign brain tumor and it was a pretty rare condition in the doctors weren't quite sure when it had formed or the best treatment plan. It was a little bit of trial and error, but I did have surgery and they weren't able to remove all of the tumor at that time. So played around with some other therapies in the meantime, and I had a promise from the Lord for healing and I was believing for that and people knew that I was believing in contending for that in the meantime. You know, I took the wisdom of a physician's and you know, we like and of course I had surgery stayed on the therapy and and nurtured that word that God has given me really nurtured the true that healing is the children's bread that has blood in his body. They were shed for me and holding on to those truth in the face of different diagnosis and and different and different facts that were staring those truths in the face. So as I'm holding on to this holding on to this promise, you know, I'm at Ministry School. Like we had mentioned we went to the same school in California. And every time they would ask who would like to receive prayer. I feel the Lord is healing something and it would always like say something similar to what I had, you know something at tumors are in the head and I would stand and there would be no way for me to measure what was happening there would be no way for me to give them an immediate response because I need an MRI couldn't do that. So I was just holding on holding on holding on and I remember at one point. My doctor said if this tumor doesn't shrink in one year, we're going to have to do more surgery and figure out a more serious plan. I said, okay. So in that year, that's when I was just believe in God and receiving all the prayer that I could. Midnight next year had my MRI is kind of a big deciding factor and the doctor says to me. It's interesting. Nothing medically has changed nothing. You know, your medications haven't changed the doses. Nothing everything's the same but I'm showing this tumor has shrunk by about 50% and it was incredible not I could I could have two different approaches to this situation. I could I could celebrate the 50% and invite God to increase bat and do it more and allow the people around me to 2 to see what God was doing and what was in progress or I could stop and say but God, you said 100% And I could sort of just kill the faith of the moment kill the celebration but again Revelation 19-10 the spirit the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of Prophecy and that is the testimony in progress as well as we saw with Elizabeth the testimony and progress prophesied and encouraged Mary. So I wanted to encourage you in that in your Journeys this morning to to find a small testimonies in the meantime.

So yes, my point in that was again. Your miracle in progress is packed with testimony that must be released.

And I wanted to remind you again that the work that God is doing it will speak for itself. You don't have to wait until the baby is born or the promise of completely fulfilled to celebrate what God is doing now. And I believe that you're small testimonies just like Elizabeth will be catalytic. They will spark something in the lives of world changes around you. Tell this morning, you might be in a couple different phases or there were three sort of phases that this progression of what what took place both in the lives of Elizabeth and Mary first. It was an encounter with God. We started talking about the book of life that the Lord that that is in heaven about us and an encounter is is always where it starts and encounter with God where he speaks to you where he where he shows you his nature where he tells you about who you are establishes your identity.

II was celebrating the testimonies carrying your in the midst to carry and you're nurturing truth and you're celebrating what God's doing in the meantime would encourage you to do that and third of course is the complete fulfillment of Promise where people can see what God has done completely. In all three of those phases are completely significant wherever you are this morning. There is an encounter that God wants to give you he wants to stay in you if you're in the middle and even remind you to bring you back to the place of first encounter to give if you're in pain that that pain would have that with your pain would have purpose when you have an encounter in a word from God that you can see where you're going and had hope to keep pressing through

And Ephesians 1:19 my prayers do all three of these phases that you would continue to experience him so you can continue to advertise him to the world. God is opening. Your book is opening your book. Yeah, so I'd love to just pray for us. Actually, I'll pray for the word and then and then we'll see. So are we just thank you for your word. We thank you for encouraging us. Holy spirit. You're such a good encourager as you reveal the text to us. We thank you for your words of life that you speak over us. We thank you for Jeremiah 29:11 that your plans for us there still with hope you have a future for us. That is that it's hopeful you're planning to prosper us and not to harm us. God I thank you for like Pastor Anton said this morning that this would be a day where hope is restored where hope is Alive and Well in each one. And we just pray for dreamed that you would Breathe life on dreams. But you would release your joy in the midst of whatever is happening in the in their world by the end. We just asked you for greater Faith to believe for the impossible to believe that you are enough God that you plus nothing is everything but you choose to partner with us. So give us the faith or help us to partner with you and to co-create with you.

in Jesus name