When you say YES LORD!

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Prayer:

Sermon Intro:

A man slid over the side of a cliff and was able to grab a branch at the last second. He hung dangling over the precipice, hundreds of feet from the ground below. He screamed out with a loud voice, “Help me! Somebody help me!”

A voice came out of the sky, “Do you believe that I can help you?”

The man responded, “Yes, I believe. Please help me!”

The voice came out of the sky again, “Do you believe that I have the power to help you?”

“Yes, I believe! I believe! Please help me!”

“Do you believe I love you enough to help you?”

“Yes, I know you love me. Please, oh please, HELP ME!”

“Because you believe, I will help you. Now let go.”

After a brief silence, the man said, “Is there anybody else up there?”

Doubt will always cause us to say no, but faith will always say yes.

Big Idea: Our journey with the Lord, starts with a YES!

Question: Have you ever had a time you felt the Lord was asking you to do something that seemed far fetched for you? Just the idea of it made you say really Lord? So often the Lord asks us to step out in faith and we say no faster then we say yes.

But at Yes is where is all begins.

Explanation:

In a sense, Jesus’ very first miracle was his birth. Not only was his incarnation and virgin birth a miracle, but every detail of Jesus’ coming to earth shows God’s divine hand. But as we read the story we often have “WHY?” questions, Why now? Why that time? Why Mary? Why John? Why Bethlehem? Why not now?

Jesus came to the right person at the right place at the right time.

I. GOD SENT HIS SON AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME.

A. Luke 1:26 says that “in the sixth month” God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary. The sixth month referred to was the sixth month of pregnancy for Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother.

Galatians 4:4–5 ESV

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

explains: “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” There was an exact time in human history that God had ordained for the appearance of his Son.

C. When Jesus was born, the time was right religiously, culturally, and politically.

1. The Old Testament had been completed for four hundred years. All the prophecies about Jesus’ birth were recorded. The Jewish synagogues that circled the Mediterranean world provided a fertile soil for the birth of Christianity. The breakdown of pagan religion and the moral stamina of Rome had stirred the hope of something better in people’s hearts.

2. Just as English serves as the universal language of commerce and diplomacy in our century, Greek was the universal language of the first century. Christians who propagated the gospel during the first several centuries had a common language with those to whom they witnessed and with whom they worshiped.

3. Christians are familiar enough with the dark side of the Roman Empire. But Roman law and order had an up-side for the spread of Christianity. Jesus was born during a time of universal peace. The apostles and early Christian missionaries traveled freely and safely throughout the empire on the magnificent road system built by the Romans.

D. Each of these conditions contributed in some unique way to the spread of the gospel. The angel appeared to Mary at a precisely-timed moment in human history—nine months before God chose for his Son to enter the world.

The world was ready to say yes.

you?

E. Just as there was a right time for the Lord to enter the human race, there is a right moment for the Lord to enter your life. The Bible says that moment is now. For example,

2 Corinthians 6:2 ESV

2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

while Hebrews 4:7 adds,

Hebrews 4:7 ESV

7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

II. GOD SENT HIS SON TO JUST THE RIGHT PLACE.

A. The angel came to Mary in a specific place, Nazareth in northern Palestine.

1. The nation into which Jesus was born was not a great military or commercial power. It was insignificant in size and poor in natural resources. But its strategic location made it the crossroads of the ancient world.

2. Jesus was born in just the right place. God could not have chosen a more strategic location for Jesus’ life and ministry or for the birthplace of the church.

B. The Lord also knows your address. He knows not only where you are geographically but also emotionally, spiritually, and financially. He knows every detail of your life. God’s knowledge of us is so detailed and his interest in us so keen that even the very hairs of our head are numbered (Matthew 10:30). God is aware of where we are and what our needs are.

III. GOD SENT HIS SON TO JUST THE RIGHT PERSON.

A. In many respects Mary was an unlikely candidate to be the mother of the Savior of the world. Although Mary was a descendant of King David, her family was neither wealthy nor influential. She was probably not more than fifteen or sixteen years old, and while that was a marriageable age, it is hard to imagine her assuming the responsibility for rearing God’s Son.

B. But there are several factors that made her just the right person. Mary was a virgin. She was willing to believe in the miracle God wanted to work in her life. In addition, Mary was willing to submit her own body to be used to carry and give birth to God’s Son.

C. Mary’s virginity not only speaks of her innocence and purity, but also of God’s ability to do impossible miracles in our lives.

D. God also has a wonderful plan for your life. Just as he selected Mary for a great task, he has also selected you. You are the object of his personal love and attention, and he has something wonderful planned for you.

Mary was ready to say YES!

Our journey with the Lord, starts with a YES!

What Gabriel Says to Mary: “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”This statement alone has so much power and weight behind it.

This statement takes trust and faith to believe. “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.”Gabriel tells her of a testimony of how God makes impossible possible.

For Mary this is all it took. “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

For the men it took more. Zacharias had to be made mute for a while. Joseph needed his own visitation from and angel. Ever since Eve men have been having a hard time listening to the women in their lives.

Jesus listened to Mary his mother when it was time to start his ministry. He was even vocal about it not being his time yet but His actions show He was learning a valuable lesson from His Father through a women.

Mary’s response: she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”

Progression:

Perplexed.

How can this be?

Response.

Father’s words to you:

“Greetings, favored one!

The Lord is with you.”

“Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God.”

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

It starts with a word from God like, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

It takes a YES to that word of God. There is Something About Mary that we should aspire to grasp hold of. Mary’s trust in God made a way for all of humanity to be changed forever. This Christmas listen to the voice of God in your life and believe what He is saying more than any other voice.

Illustration:

Application:

Conclusion:

Just as Jesus came the first time to the right person at the right place at the right time, so he wants to enter your life right where you are today. The journey that God has for us starts with a Yes, Yes Lord!!

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