Blessed Believer

It’s beginning to look a lot like… CHRISTMAS! With each passing day, we inch closer to that time when we celebrate the arrival of our Lord and Savior, Jesus!

This truly is a season of blessing!

I realize things are kind of crazy in the world around us.

The COVID-19 virus is still very much a threat within our communities.

Inflation and other economic woes are hitting people hard.

Tension is on the rise and division is growing deeper.

It’s no real secret nor is it surprising when I say that our world is broken and in desperate need of healing from on high! And that is EXACTLY why God sent His Son to the earth… to bring healing, deliverance, and redemption to all who would call on His name!

In the middle of our darkness, God sent His Son and blessed us beyond measure. WE ARE BLESSED! And… I want us to consider what that word truly means.

In the New Testament, the word blessed is translated from the word makarios which means fortunate or happy. It is an adjective describing a person as experiencing positive circumstances or a happy disposition. It is GOOD to be blessed!

I have often heard sermons, specifically involving the Beatitudes, where the word blessed and happy are used interchangeably… but I would caution us in doing that. Why? Because I might not feel happy, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not blessed.

Happy wasn’t the word I would use to describe myself as I wrestled with health concerns over the summer months… but God’s blessings were clear and present. God was with me… as I know He has been with you as you have walked through difficult times.

It is easy to count our blessings in the good times. And church, what I have found is that many, if not all of those blessings still exist, even in the bad times.

I am fortunate… I am happy… I am BLESSED to know God and to have a relationship with Jesus! And nothing in or of this world, no circumstance or situation, can change the reality of that blessing!

Now consider this… How did that blessing come to be? This blessing became a reality in our lives the moment we… BELIEVED in the Lord.

(Main Point) What I want us to understand is as Christians… being blessed is NOT determined by how we feel… but rather, our blessing comes from what we believe… or who we believe in.

This is the point I want us to dissect this morning as we continue our series, Fear Not.

Today we look to a very important character in the Christmas story who overcame fear with… belief. And I want you to see the reality she found herself in because of her belief.

Mary would become the mother of Jesus - a story we will look at in a moment. After she conceived, she traveled to go see her cousin, Elizabeth, who was carrying John the Baptist in her womb. When the two met, look at what Elizabeth had to say to Mary in Luke 1:45

The New International Version Chapter 1

45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary was BLESSED for her belief! And today, we are going to look at how that belief came to pass that led to the blessing she had received!

To Believe… or Not to Believe

Before the angel appeared to Mary with his announcement from God, Mary had a track record of belief. This foundation of belief helped her greatly in the future decisions to come.

But how do we know of this foundation? How do we know Mary was a believer in God? The answer to this question can be found in the greeting given to Mary by Gabriel. Luke 1:28 is where we find that greeting.

The New International Version Chapter 1

28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

The angel pronounced Mary to be “highly favored” in the eyes of the Lord!

Let’s consider what this phrase highly favored means. What was it that set her apart?

Mary wasn’t highly favored for the way she looked or because she was popular in the community. Mary was highly favored for her belief and trust in God.

Her humble and godly life pleased God to such an extent that He chose her for this most important task.

Her life demonstrated her trust and love for God.

Highly favored also spoke of things to come, in my opinion. To be chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus would be an incredible honor for sure… but that meant she would also have to endure all that would come with that honor.

Mary would witness the suffering and pain that Jesus would experience. Mary would watch her Son be widely rejected… and then executed in the most violent way… for no fault of His own. Mary would know the joys that would come with this honor… but it would also come with great emotional suffering.

God knew… Mary was up to the task. Why? Because of her belief.

Mary's initial response to the greeting comes at no surprise. Luke 1:29 says that she was troubled… she was afraid. So the angel spoke directly to her feelings in the next verse.

The New International Version Chapter 1

30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

What follows next from Mary is not a comment of doubt… but rather a question for clarification. She was pledged to be married, and no union had taken place. How can a child then be produced?

The angel explains what will happen and he makes a powerful declaration in Luke 1:37

The New International Version Chapter 1

37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

And then… it comes time for Mary to make a choice… will she follow her fear or believe in the promise?

I can’t imagine all the thoughts that Mary experienced in this moment… I can’t imagine everything she was trying to comprehend.

How am I going to explain this situation to my soon-to-be husband, Joseph? Will he believe me? Will he turn his back on me?

How am I going to explain this situation to my community? Will they believe me? Will they condemn me for being found with child outside of marriage?

How am I going to handle raising the Son of God? Do I have what it takes? Will I be able to raise Him in the way that is pleasing to God?

Church… we know that in the face of fear, a lot of questions can begin to rise up… questions that are most often generated by that fear or other emotions we might be feeling. A choice must be made - trust in what we feel… or believe in what God has spoken.

Mary chooses… to do the latter. her response is remarkable. In the face of her fears, she answers Gabriel in Luke 1:38.

The New International Version Chapter 1

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Mary… BELIEVED. Mary placed her faith in the promises of God. Mary silenced her emotions and took comfort in the word spoken by the angel. She didn’t have to have all the answers to all of her questions… All she needed to know was that GOD WAS IN THIS. And with that belief… came this second point I want to make clear. Mary realized that God would handle ALL the details.

God Will Handle the Details.

Now… I’m kind of a detail guy. I like to pay close attention to the details and… I like to have answers to questions BEFORE I make a change or move forward on things.

For instance, when working on the house, I like to have a good idea of what it is going to take to complete the project.

I look at the area that is going to be worked on and assess the need. I make a materials list, figure out a rough budget, consider the tools that I need, estimate the time it will take… and then… I call Roger (no, not really).

Why do I do this? Because I don’t like unanswered questions. I don’t like to fill in the blanks as I go. I want to have a good idea of what is ahead. And yes… I realize that as soon as you start any project on a home you are bound to find more work than what you bargained for!

Knowing the details MATTERS to me! Completing and taking care of the details MATTERS to me. I don’t like to wing it, or fly by the seat of my pants.

So what happens when life throws us a situation that doesn’t have all the details laid out like we would prefer? What happens when the unknowns outweigh what is known? How difficult can it be to move forward… when we do not have all the answers?

I can tell you that in such situations… I don’t find myself feeling happy. In fact, I can honestly say that in such situations I do not feel very fortunate. What I feel is uneasiness. What I feel is overwhelmed. What I feel is not pleasant and is stressful. Fear can begin to set in.

As believers… these are those moments when our belief must kick in. These are the moments that we must fully trust in God and trust in His Word. NO WORD FROM GOD WILL EVER FAIL.

You might find yourself in a place where you have more questions than answers. You might find yourself in a place where fear and stress are trying to overwhelm you. Although your answers might be limited… all you need is one… and His name is Jesus.

In the face of any situation you might face… JESUS IS ALL YOU NEED. Go back again to the story… Mary believed as she knew that God was in what was taking place. Church… we have a saying around here… a saying that is completely based off faith: If God is in it… it is already done!

The key in accepting that is… belief. The key is believing in God and… believing God - taking God at His Word.

Mary asked for clarification. The angel laid out a few details but I believe the most important detail was given in verse 37. NO word from God will EVER fail! The question is… do YOU believe that?

This was certainly an unprecedented moment for Mary. Of all the things she might have been planning for in the near future days… having a baby probably wasn’t quite on the list yet.

But God had other plans. God, from the moment sin entered this world, had a plan for His Son to come to the earth and to give His life for our sins. God had all the details figured out from day one.

Here’s the deal… when it comes to the things of God… we don’t have to worry about the details. He’s got it all figured out. All we have to do is… believe. And that belief… will lead to the blessing.

When we face unprecedented situations… make sure to make time to HEAR from God. your emotions, your understanding, your experiences will all chime in for sure… but make sure the most powerful voice of influence in your life is the voice of the Holy Spirit.

God will never ask or lead you to do something that goes AGAINST His Word. God will never contradict Himself.

Mary recieved word that she would be having a child - the Son of God. This was someone they had ALL been longing for. The prophecies were well known… we are going to look at one of those prophecies tonight… but the circumstances surrounding the arrival of the soon coming King were no secret.

What was spoken to Mary had been foretold of in Scripture. It was all happening just as God said it would. Mary probably never thought that she would be the one… yet there she was.

God was certainly in this! What was spoken to Mary lined up with what had been spoken long before her.

It was not Mary’s responsibility to have all the details figured out… it was simply her responsibility to believe… to believe in the One who would take care of everything. And in that belief… she found herself… blessed.

Believe and Be Blessed

Blessing comes through believing. And church, this blessing is far greater than a fleeting emotion or a feeling that can come and go. Blessing is never based off what we feel, but is based in WHO WE KNOW AND BELIEVE.

Fear wants to rob you of walking in God’s blessing. Fear whats to cause you to miss out on what God has in store for you. Fear wants to keep you from believing in His promises and stepping out in faith.

Believing unlocks the blessing. Need more proof? Look no further than the most well known Scripture in all the Bible, John 3:16

The New International Version Chapter 3

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

First, what is the blessing that is given by Jesus in this passage? Eternal life! That is an AWESOME blessing!

Second, what is the key to unlocking the blessing? Belief in the One who gave His life for our sins! When the Word declares that ALL who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved… that is a word from God that will NEVER FAIL!

The question is… will we believe? Will we be persuaded by our emotions OR will we believe the never-failing Word of the Lord?

God has given us MANY promises throughout Scripture and they are all yes and amen meaning… you do not have to worry whether or not God is going to make good on His promise! The blessing comes in believing God at His Word.

Today, I want to pray with those who might be overwhelmed by their feelings. I want to pray for those who do not feel very… blessed.

Maybe you feel afraid. Maybe you feel alone. Maybe you feel confused or worried. Maybe there are circumstances that are fueling those feelings within you. God desires for you to be blessed. God desires for you to come out from under how you feel and into the promises of His Word.

God knows every needed detail of your circumstance. He’s got it all figured out. Perhaps the only thing you need to figure out is… do you believe God? Do you believe His words? Are you ready to trust in Him? Are you, like Mary, ready to declare, “I am the Lord’s servant.” Are you ready to say, “I will trust you, I will not be afraid?”

God is ready to bless you in your belief today! Let’s pray.