Running with Mary
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro
Week 2 of Running the Giants. Last week we learned from Samson.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
Today, we are going to pull Mary, the mother of Jesus, out of the crowd. She is the most misunderstood woman there is. Some try to make her out like she is a god, but she would tell you she is far from that. Truth be told, she was most likely a scared young single teenager.
Have you aver felt like God took you a different direction than you thought He was going to take you? Mary sure did.
For when God asks you to do something outside your comport zone…
For when God asks you to do something outside your comport zone…
Don’t miss your moment with God
Don’t miss your moment with God
She would want to coach us. She might say, He is going to di things His way, but here is what you need to do.
God Moments
God Moments
God moments often seem impossible
God moments often seem impossible
He is going to come along and tell you to do something that is absolutely impossible in your eyes.
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
She was showing that she didn’t understand. This didn’t make sense.
Too many of us say we are not going to do what he wants until we understand it. If that’s you, you just reduced God to the size of your brain.
Maybe you have had a situation that doesn’t make sense… job… loss of child…
27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
Read that last line with me…
Mary would tell us this morning that we just need to trust him.
When God moments come just say yes
When God moments come just say yes
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
When she said yes, that’s when she got pregnant.
She faced ridicule, disbelief by her family, possible stoning… to death…
When God speaks he will do what he said.
Story of Jairus…
36 But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
We wanted her to be healed but God wanted to raise her from the dead.
Your God moment will open the door for God’s best in your life
Your God moment will open the door for God’s best in your life
This comes as you trust God through this race God has us running on. We have to believe that God always is opening the doors to your best.
The problem is that we often don’t believe it. Mary felt that way… look. In the middle of all this Mary goes to see her cousin.
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
I have confidence in God because I have served the Lord for 48 years and been in ministry for 30 years. I have been through where I felt God was doing it wrong and now I can look back and go … whew… God I am sure glad you didn’t do what I asked back then.
Now Mary has gone from running off to see Elizabeth to having had Jesus for 30 years. They are at a wedding and they run out of wine… a terrible embarrassment in this day. So Mary asked Jesus to fix it. He didn’t want to do it, but she pulled the mom card on him… so she goes to the people around and said…
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
Joke… walking on water in the pool… sugar in the cabinet
Listen to me, I know many of you may be confused, sad and wondering where God is… Before Mary goes back into the stands, I think she would say…
Mary’s Final Words of Encouragement
Mary’s Final Words of Encouragement
1. Stay connected to God
1. Stay connected to God
Since God is working in your life, stay connected. The enemy uses the pace of our life to break that connection. Look…
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
Soem of you need to keep some things i your heart. Mary just pondered what was going on. We need to do this.
5 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.
When we get disconnected, we will be miserable.
She would also say…
2. Stay connected to your purpose
2. Stay connected to your purpose
Mary realized that she was carrying around the SOG. She may not have felt that way all the time…
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Why did Simeon have to tell her this? she may have felt a little beat up… unwed mother… He helped her reconnect with her purpose.
When you don’t get connected to your purpose, you will be miserable.
6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.
We want you to find your purpose and live it. When you know why you are here, it will change your life.
Mary would also say
3. Stay connected to the people who encourage you.
3. Stay connected to the people who encourage you.
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
When Mary went to see Elizabeth, she stayed there for 3 months. She wanted to be around the woman who was calling her blessed. She was young, scared and pregnant and Elizabeth encouraged her and reminded her of her purpose.
You need to be here as often as possible so you can be encouraged.
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
4. Stay connected to the bigger picture
4. Stay connected to the bigger picture
Have you ever wondered what this might have been like from Mary’s perspective. The most difficult thing in the world is to bury your child. That’s where Mary is. Fortunately she is with a group of believer’s.
25 Jesus’ mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. 26 Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother.
Mom… I can’t be your son anymore, so you stay with John. John, you take care of my mom...
Our goal is heaven. That’s the Big picture.
Pray for those who are struggling to trust the Lord… the discouraged, the lonely, the frustrated. Pray with me… say, Lord I am going to trust you...
When you give your life to Jesus, He forgives you… whether you have never been saved or those who have drifted away.