It Will Come to Pass

Intro

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Lesson Connection

Scotty could be “very difficult.”

This phrase could be heard again and again from people who knew Scotty. He had been that way since he was a child. The words were sometimes said in anger after frustrating encounters with him, but most of the time they were just stated as the truth - a truth that seemed impossible to change.

Scotty’s mom had taken him to church as much as she could through his childhood. But she was a small woman, and once he decided not to go, she couldn’t force him.

As an adult, Scotty married a lady who attended church. He attended with her sporadically, but he wouldn’t make a commitment to God. His work involved a lot of travel. His tendency to be difficult didn’t diminish. Around 63 years of age, Scotty had a stroke, bringing him close to death and leaving him confined to a wheelchair, dependent upon the help of others. Due to his wife’s poor health, she couldn’t lift him or give him the care he needed, so Scotty began life in a nursing home.

In 2014, Kendall and LaVonne felt impressed to start visiting a church member who was a resident in a local nursing home. During one of their visits, they were introduced to a man who had grown up in the same town as Kendall. During their introduction Kendall recognized Scotty. He had no idea Scotty was in that nursing home.

In early 2015 God began dealing with Kendall about purchasing a van to transport people who were persistently asking for rides to church. Once the van was purchased, two men wanted to go to church; Scotty was one of them. At 68 years of age, Scotty rolled through the doors of a Spirit-filled church and was flooded with memories of attending church as a child with his mother. Scotty no longer hid from church; he eagerly waited for Sunday!

In 2017, Scotty was fidgety at the end of service. When the invitation was given, he took off in his wheelchair for the front. A short time later, he looked up at Kendall smiling and declared, “I got it - I got the Holy Ghost!”

In 2018, after careful planning and with the help of six men, Scotty was lowered into a cattle trough in front of the church and baptized in Jesus’ name. The prayers of his mother had come to pass! Almost 2 years later, on January 11th, 2020, at age 73, Scotty’s fear of being left behind was eternally quenched when his Savior came to take him on his final ride home.

I’m here to tell you: PRAYERS NEVER DIE.

Bro. Allan

Bro. Curtis

Jesus Was Brought to the Temple

It Was Customary for Newborns to Be Presented in the Temple

On the eighth day of their new son’s life, Joseph and Mary followed the law of Moses and had Jesus circumcised.

It was common in the time to have the circumcision happen in the home, by the father, with family and friends together there. This might seem a little strange to us, but it was customary. The birth of a son was an important celebrated event because it ensured the family lineage.

At this particular event, Joseph and Mary followed the angel’s instructions and named their son Jesus. And when Mary’s time of purification was complete, the little family travelled to Jerusalem to present Jesus at the Temple. Joseph and Mary made their way to the specified place where Mary would be purified and Jesus would be presented to God as their firstborn son.

It’s interesting to note that, Jesus was presented as a baby at the Temple, and today, we hold baby dedications, and we very similarly present our children back to God.

Joseph and Mary Brought a Sacrifice

And with them, they brought a sacrifice.

Specific instructions were given for sacrifices. Leviticus 12 tells us what was to be done after a woman had a son:

Leviticus 12:1–3 NLT

The Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. If a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her menstrual period. On the eighth day the boy’s foreskin must be circumcised.

Leviticus 12:7–8 NLT

The priest will then present them to the Lord to purify her.* Then she will be ceremonially clean again after her bleeding at childbirth. These are the instructions for a woman after the birth of a son or a daughter. “If a woman cannot afford to bring a lamb, she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons. One will be for the burnt offering and the other for the purification offering. The priest will sacrifice them to purify her, and she will be ceremonially clean.”

If this son was the firstborn, there were more requirements:

Exodus 34:19–20 NLT

“The firstborn of every animal belongs to me, including the firstborn males* from your herds of cattle and your flocks of sheep and goats. A firstborn donkey may be bought back from the Lord by presenting a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not buy it back, you must break its neck. However, you must buy back every firstborn son. “No one may appear before me without an offering.

Redeeming the firstborn son is also referenced in Exodus 13:15 and Numbers 18:15. This wasn’t just some request… it was a requirement.

God didn’t allow child sacrifice as other pagan religions had required. Instead, He required the child to be redeemed. This was a powerful moment in history. Joseph and Mary went to offer a sacrifice to redeem their firstborn son who was the Messiah!

When they stood before that priest, they followed the Law and redeemed their son; they redeemed the very one who would redeem the world!

We Must Always Bring a Sacrifice When We Come to God’s House

For the Hebrews, the Temple was the place where God dwelled. It was where they met with God. They made sacrifices through the priests, brought offerings, repented, purified themselves and their children, and spent time in prayer.

The Temple represented the place where Heaven touched Earth - a place where God’s realm connected to the human realm and communion took place.

After Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice to redeem humanity, the Temple changed. No longer did God’s Spirit dwell in the Temple. No longer was there a specific place where Heaven touched Earth. But God had began pouring His Spirit into humanity!!!

And today, there are still certain sacrifices we should bring into the house of the Lord!

God’s Word Always Comes True

When we’re seeking to be led by the Spirit, the question arises, “How do I know if God is speaking to me?” It can take time to get familiar with God’s voice and the different ways He speaks to us.

But in this process of becoming Spirit-led, we have to remember that God will not lead us in a direction that is contrary to Scripture.

God speaks through His Word (Scripture) and gives continual direction. We will never grow to the place in our walk with God where Scripture becomes irrelevant. God’s Word is true and always comes true!

God speaks to me in unique, recognizable ways.

Simeon Was Told He Would Not See Death Until He Saw the Messiah

Luke 2:25–28 NLT

At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

The Messiah’s coming had been prophesied hundreds of years before, and now the Holy Ghost had revealed that Simeon would not die before he saw this Christ with his own eyes. What did that mean?

Simeon had no idea how this would happen, but he chose to trust that God would make it happen. When the time came, Simeon only had to be obedient to the leading of God’s Spirit to see the promise come true.

Simeon was directed by the Spirit to go into the Temple courts. This tells us he had been living a life that was in tune with the Spirit.

He Recognized Who Jesus Was When He Saw the Child

Luke 2:28–32 NLT

Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

Simeon was confident in God’s voice and declared that he could now die in peace since God’s promise had been fulfilled. He went on to declare aloud who Jesus was and then prophesied to Mary.

He knew the good that was to come, but he also understood that destruction would come for many who let the sin of pride and power rule. The great gift Mary held would also cause her untold pain and grief.

Simeon not only knew Jesus was the Messiah, but he seemed to understand a little of what that meant. Realizing the conflict and pain in Mary’s path, Simeon shared his revelation with Mary, trying to impart understanding to her.

We Must Cling to God’s Promises, No Matter How Long We Must Wait

I want to point out that Simeon spent time learning about God and His plan. And once he knew God’s plan, Simeon chose to believe it.

We can’t cling to God’s promises if we don’t even know His promises!

When God did give Simeon the promise, it was not a promise that Simeon could make come to pass. He could do nothing except continue to serve God and trust that God would bring the promise to pass.

Just like Simeon did, we have to make the choice to believe God. The type of belief that Simeon had didn’t come in a moment. He knew who God was and God’s plan before the promise came.

We must seek to know God and His plan! And we can do this through reading and learning God’s Word! The Bible is how we learn about God, His plan, and the promises He has for us!

And the more we grow in God and follow His plan, the more understanding we will receive from Scripture. God still speaks to His people through His Word!

Video: “DJ Testimony”

God Blesses Those Who Faithfully Serve Him

There are a lot of parts to living a life of faith and choosing to serve God no matter what the future holds.

The life of faith doesn’t leave out having trials and tests. And it also doesn’t mean a life of grandeur. Anybody ever hear from or read about the late prophet T. W. Barnes? The man walked in faith constantly. But his life wasn’t lined with gold and placed on “easy street”. He experienced rough times. But it sure paid off.

Choosing to faithfully serve God doesn’t mean that there isn’t any temptation, failure, any loss or pain or suffering. And it also doesn’t mean that there is an absence of joy, laughter, love, success, or healing. All of these will be present in a life of faith and service to God.

But one of the promises that we can cling to is that God blesses those who faithfully serve Him.

Anna Faithfully Served God and Waited for His Promise to Come to Pass

Anna was a great example of someone who was blessed because she faithfully served God.

Luke 2:36–38 NLT

36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

Anna had committed herself to the work of God. Women could not be priests, but widows could commit themselves to prayer and fasting in the Temple.

But Scripture states that Anna was a prophetess. Anna was living the life of faith and service she was called to, and God blessed her by allowing her to see the Messiah and His promise being fulfilled to her people. He also blessed her by allowing her to be a voice who shared the good news of the Messiah’s arrival with others who had been faithfully waiting on Him.

In a society where women often had very little voice, God gave Anna the privilege of announcing the fulfillment of a promise for which so many had been faithfully looking.

I Will Faithfully Wait for God’s Word to Come to Pass

And just like Anna, each and every one of us can faithfully wait for God’s Word to come to pass.

Anna chose to follow God’s plan and faithfully respond to His call. We can do the same!

We can refuse to allow the pain, loss, and disappointments of life to distance us from God! We can ground ourselves in God’s Word, listen for His voice, and be led by His Spirit! Drawing closer to God will increase our faith and create and intimacy that will call us to wait on Him!

Faithfully waiting on God won’t be a chore! It will be born out of a relationship of trust and a place of peace, knowing that the one we love will do what He has promised!

Internalizing the Message

Every person I’ve mentioned this morning had to wait for God’s Word to come to pass, beginning with Joseph and Mary who had received instructions and promises from the angel. Much of what they were told would take a lifetime to see come to pass.

Simeon chose to believe God’s Word and was told he wouldn’t die before receiving the promise, though he wasn’t told how long he would have to wait.

We can see from Scripture that Simeon was old, not because Scripture states it, but because Simeon stated that now he could die having seen the Messiah, as God promised. That statement is presented like a request to let Simeon die in peace. It seems he had waited quite a while.

Anna served daily at the Temple and was at least 84 years old, possibly closer to one hundred. Scripture states that she, along with others whom she went to tell, were waiting faithfully for the arrival of the promised Messiah. But Scripture doesn’t say that Anna had received that promise to live until the arrival of the Messiah, like Simeon. Anna was serving faithfully and believing for the promise - whether she saw it in her lifetime or not.

And finally, the Hebrew people had been waiting for the promised Messiah. Many were hungry for a word from God and hoping for the Messiah. We know this because of the incredible response to John the Baptist’s preaching. They came by the masses to hear him! They repented and were baptized by John in preparation for the coming Messiah. That tells us: they believed God’s Word would come true!

Many times God doesn’t bring about His promises through only one person. Think back to the story I shared about Scotty. His mother prayed faithfully and waited for God to reach her son. God worked through people and events in Scotty’s life to bring him to a specific location where others lived and were connected to Kendall and the Pentecostal church nearby. God spoke to Kendall and LaVonne about how He wanted them to serve. God spoke to and through the pastor to impact Scotty. And finally, God showed His love and kindness through the body of Christ to reach out to Scotty when he came to church. Scotty’s heart was prepared to respond to God’s Spirit through so many people faithfully serving God and believing in His promise of the gospel message.

God’s Word is true, and we can be encouraged through Scripture, prayer, and testimony to faithfully wait for God’s Word to come to pass!