Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn,
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and we welcome you
to 3ABN Worship Hour.
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Today's message is
The Coming Messiah,
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The Hope of All Nations.
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And I'm going to share
three stories with you today.
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One is about a teenage girl
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who received the
seed of God's Word
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and God birthed
His purpose in her
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in a world shattering event.
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The second story is
about an aged priest
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who doubted God's Word,
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and was left
speechless for nine months
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before he received
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the blessing of answered prayer.
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And the third story
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is about the most
unlikely missionary
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in the New Testament.
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She is someone who
had an unhappy past,
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but she ignored the
stigma of her reputation
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and became a
missionary for Jesus.
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Let's pray.
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Heavenly Father,
we come before You
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in the name of Jesus.
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Oh, Lord,
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how grateful we
are for Jesus Christ,
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how grateful we are
for Your Holy Spirit,
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and how grateful
we are for Your Word.
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Father, I ask even now,
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I know You've been
with me in the preparation
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of this message,
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but I ask that You would
be with me in the deliverance.
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Father, get me out of the way
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and speak a message of hope
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to Your people.
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We ask this in
the name of Jesus,
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and we thank You for the
answer to the prayer of faith.
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Amen.
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Two of our stories come
from the Gospel of Luke.
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And you know, Luke
was most amazing person.
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I love the Gospel of Luke.
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He was a Gentile.
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And his mastery of
Greek suggests that perhaps
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he was Greek.
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Luke was a beloved friend
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and ministry
companion of the Apostle Paul.
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Luke was a brilliant physician,
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scientist and a
meticulous historian.
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He had an unwavering
commitment to the truth.
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Luke not only
wrote the Gospel of Luke,
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but he wrote the Book of Acts,
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which is a definitive
history of the first 30 years
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of the New Testament Church.
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And when we look at Luke,
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he was a seeker of the truth.
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This is something that I love
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about his
comprehensive research.
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He investigated
everything thoroughly.
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He interviewed all
of the eyewitnesses,
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the apostles and anyone
who was a minister of the Word,
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and anyone who had walked
with Jesus or known Jesus.
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And he carefully
examined all of the resources
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that pertained to the narratives
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that he wrote.
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Now, one thing
about the Gospel of Luke,
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it's called a Synoptic Gospel.
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And when you think of that,
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what it means is that Matthew,
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Mark and Luke are
the Synoptic Gospels.
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They tell a similar story,
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but they tell it from
a different perspective.
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Matthew and Mark were Jewish.
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Luke was a Gentile convert,
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probably the only
author of a book in the Bible,
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who was a Gentile.
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But they wrote to their varied
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and intended audiences so
that they could understand.
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So when we look at
the Gospel of Luke,
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it is a Gentile writing
to another Gentile convert.
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He's writing to Theophilus,
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who was a Roman dignitary,
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perhaps from Caesar's household,
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and he was a man who
had turned to Christ.
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What I love about
the Gospel of Luke,
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is it highlights the
grace that God was going to show
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to the Gentiles
and the universal scope
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of the gospel invitation.
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And it is easier
for the Gospel of Luke
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to be understood by people
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who don't
understand Jewish history
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because Luke was writing
to explain it to a Gentile.
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He provides more detail
on the birth of Jesus Christ
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than any other,
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and especially
on the announcement
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of the birth.
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And he even gives
psychological details,
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which tells me
one of two things.
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A, he either
interviewed the aging Mary,
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the mother of Jesus,
or he interviewed somebody
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who had an intimate relationship
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with her and understood her.
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Now, before we get
into Luke's account,
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I want to briefly consider
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just a few of the
Old Testament prophecies
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of the coming Messiah, who
is the hope of all nations.
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In Genesis 3:15,
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it says that Messiah
will be the seed of woman,
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not the seed of
a woman and a man,
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but the seed of woman.
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And this is
referring to his virgin birth.
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In Isaiah, there's two passages
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I want to read
to you from Isaiah.
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Isaiah 7:14 says,
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"Therefore the Lord
Himself will give you a sign:
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Behold, the virgin
shall conceive and bear a Son,
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and shall call
His name Immanuel."
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How do we translate Immanuel?
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God with us.
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And then Isaiah
goes on in verse 9,
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this is probably one of
the most famous passages
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about the coming Messiah.
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Isaiah 9:6-7.
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He says, "For unto
us, a Child is born,
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unto us, a Son is given,
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and the government
will be upon His shoulder,
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and His name will be
called Wonderful Counselor,
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Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
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and Prince of Peace.
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And of the
increase of His government
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and peace there'll be no end.
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Upon the throne of
David and over His kingdom,
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to order it and
establish it with judgment
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and justice from that
time forward, even forever."
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And then the last
Old Testament prophecy
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that I want to
give as an example,
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is a wonderful
one, from Micah 5:2.
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And he says, "But
you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,"
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this is a small
village in Israel,
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where Jesus was born.
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And it says,
"Though you are little among
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the thousands of Judah,
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yet out of you
shall come forth to Me
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the One to be Ruler
in Israel," and get this,
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"whose goings
forth are from of old,
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from everlasting."
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You know what this tells me?
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We're looking here,
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and we see that
the only way God,
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the preexisting Eternal Creator
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could become a man was
through the virgin birth.
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To be fully human, He
had to be born as a human,
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but it couldn't be the
natural process of procreation.
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When you have two mortal beings,
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a man and a
woman coming together,
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they could not
possibly have produced
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a life that existed,
preexisted eternally.
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So to remain fully God,
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the Holy Spirit had
to plant the seed of God
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inside the womb of a virgin,
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one, the one that God had chosen
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to be the mother of the Messiah.
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And this is where we
begin in Luke Chapter 1.
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If you want to open your
Bibles you can follow along,
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because Luke
Chapter 1 is an incredible,
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incredible account.
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He's introducing God's choice
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of a young woman,
whose name was Mary.
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She lived in Nazareth,
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she lived a life of
virtue and integrity.
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We'll see in the scripture,
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that she had an intimate
knowledge of God's Word.
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She was young,
perhaps 14 years old
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when the angel came
to her. She was a virgin,
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betrothed to a
carpenter named Joseph.
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Now, you have to understand,
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betrothal was
generally the first year
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of the marriage contract.
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Sometimes it lasted for years.
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But they signed a
marriage contract.
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And before they
consummated the marriage,
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before they even
came to live together,
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they were considered married.
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In Deuteronomy
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22:23-24,
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it explains to us that
in the Book of the Law,
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any infidelity during this time
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of betrothal was
considered as adultery.
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And it was punishable.
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It was a capital offense
that was punishable by death.
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Now, that's going to
be important to our story.
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So let's look at Luke Chapter 1,
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and let's begin with verse 28.
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The Angel Gabriel
appears to Mary and says,
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"Rejoice, highly favored
one, the Lord is with you,
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blessed are you among women!"
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But when she saw him, she
was troubled at his saying,
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and considered what
manner of greeting this was."
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Mary was deeply troubled.
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Perhaps she's asking herself,
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why would God give such
undeserved favor to her?
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Perhaps she was
struck with an excitement
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and anticipation
of what would happen,
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or maybe she was just
fearful of this angelic being
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that appeared to her.
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In Luke 1:30, the
angel says to her,
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"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you found favor with God.
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And behold, you will
conceive in your womb,
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and bring forth a Son,
and shall call His name Jesus.
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He will be great,
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and will be called
the Son of the Highest,
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and the Lord God will give Him
the throne of His father David.
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And He will reign over
the house of Jacob forever,
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and of His kingdom
there will be no end."
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Now Mary knew the prophecies
of the coming Messiah.
00:12:23.81\00:12:28.94
But can you imagine
00:12:28.98\00:12:30.78
what it was young or like
for a young 14 year old girl
00:12:30.81\00:12:36.02
to have this angelic
being come to her and say,
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"Hey, you're going to be
the mother of the Messiah."
00:12:39.69\00:12:42.52
Her mind must
have been swirling.
00:12:42.56\00:12:46.06
In her ordinary life,
her ordinary mortal life,
00:12:46.09\00:12:50.57
she had to have wondered,
00:12:50.60\00:12:52.50
"What have I done
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that God would bestow His grace
on me with such a privilege?
00:12:53.90\00:12:59.77
And then she
probably had the thought,
00:12:59.81\00:13:03.55
"How would I
substantiate such a claim,
00:13:03.58\00:13:06.85
as to say that I'm
going to be the mother of God,
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who's going forth,
have been from everlasting,
00:13:10.82\00:13:16.39
the One who would be called
the Son of the Most High God?
00:13:16.42\00:13:21.06
You know, that's
one of the covenants.
00:13:21.10\00:13:22.73
That was a covenant title that
was given to the second person
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of the Godhead,
00:13:26.60\00:13:27.94
in anticipation
of His incarnation,
00:13:27.97\00:13:31.57
His coming here in the flesh.
00:13:31.61\00:13:33.98
But then she had to
have also maybe thought,
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"If Joseph doesn't accept
00:13:37.88\00:13:41.85
my account, will he divorce me?
00:13:41.88\00:13:45.99
Will he send me away?
00:13:46.02\00:13:47.59
How would I support my child?
00:13:47.62\00:13:50.29
Will I be the gossip
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and the scorn of the
village for the rest of my life?
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Will the priests stone me?"
00:13:56.73\00:13:59.40
Surely, many of these
thoughts were in her mind.
00:13:59.43\00:14:03.51
But then in Luke 1:34,
00:14:03.54\00:14:06.54
"Mary says to the angel,
00:14:06.57\00:14:09.18
'How can this be
since I do not know a man?'"
00:14:09.21\00:14:14.38
Mary's question
wasn't expressing a doubt.
00:14:14.42\00:14:18.05
She just wanted to
understand the process.
00:14:18.09\00:14:21.12
She was puzzled
because she understood
00:14:21.16\00:14:23.86
that she would
conceive immediately,
00:14:23.89\00:14:27.46
but she'd never been
physically intimate with a man.
00:14:27.50\00:14:31.03
And Luke 1:34, the angel
answers her in Luke 1:35,
00:14:31.07\00:14:36.30
"The angel answered
her and said to her,
00:14:36.34\00:14:39.84
'The Holy Spirit
will come upon you,
00:14:39.87\00:14:43.14
and the power of the
Highest will overshadow you,
00:14:43.18\00:14:48.08
therefore also, that Holy One
00:14:48.12\00:14:50.75
who's to be born will be called
00:14:50.79\00:14:54.86
the Son of God."
00:14:54.89\00:14:56.83
If she accepted
00:14:56.86\00:14:59.66
and received the Word of God,
00:14:59.69\00:15:03.43
the power of the Holy Spirit
00:15:03.47\00:15:06.50
would overshadow
her like a cloud,
00:15:06.53\00:15:09.70
like the cloud that
followed the Hebrew children
00:15:09.74\00:15:13.51
through the wilderness,
00:15:13.54\00:15:14.88
like the cloud at the
Mount of Transfiguration,
00:15:14.91\00:15:18.88
just as the Holy Spirit
had hovered over the waters,
00:15:18.91\00:15:24.02
as one of the
agents of creation.
00:15:24.05\00:15:27.42
Now the Holy
Spirit would be an agent,
00:15:27.46\00:15:32.06
an active agent in creating
00:15:32.09\00:15:35.63
the person of Jesus Christ.
00:15:35.66\00:15:38.47
Now, please understand,
00:15:38.50\00:15:40.57
He was not creating a new being,
00:15:40.60\00:15:44.87
but a new state of being.
00:15:44.91\00:15:49.41
God, the second
person of the Godhead
00:15:49.44\00:15:52.28
was going to come down to earth,
00:15:52.31\00:15:55.12
and become a human being.
00:15:55.15\00:15:58.09
Put on our flesh,
that's what the incarnation is.
00:15:58.12\00:16:02.36
And so the Holy
Spirit was going to plant
00:16:02.39\00:16:05.59
a seed in Mary's womb
00:16:05.63\00:16:08.06
that would
create a physical body
00:16:08.10\00:16:11.83
for an already
existing person, eternal God.
00:16:11.87\00:16:17.27
And although Mary did not ask
for a sign, she was given one.
00:16:17.31\00:16:21.81
In Luke 1:36, the
angel continues and says,
00:16:21.84\00:16:26.11
"Now indeed, Elizabeth
00:16:26.15\00:16:28.48
your relative has also conceived
00:16:28.52\00:16:31.12
a son in her old age,
00:16:31.15\00:16:34.49
and this is now the sixth month
for her who was called barren."
00:16:34.52\00:16:40.33
Then I love Luke 1:37.
00:16:40.36\00:16:43.06
The angel says to
Mary, "For with God,
00:16:43.10\00:16:46.47
nothing is impossible."
00:16:46.50\00:16:49.57
The literal
translation in the Greek
00:16:49.60\00:16:52.97
is no word of God
00:16:53.01\00:16:56.58
is void of power.
00:16:56.61\00:16:58.55
Oh, how we need
to remember that.
00:16:58.58\00:17:01.32
No word of God is void of power.
00:17:01.35\00:17:06.12
Six months earlier,
her relative Elizabeth
00:17:06.15\00:17:10.89
had conceived in her old age.
00:17:10.93\00:17:14.16
And then Mary says something
that I said once to the Lord,
00:17:14.20\00:17:18.90
I was just
claiming this as a promise.
00:17:18.93\00:17:22.14
But she says, "Behold,
the handmaiden of the Lord,
00:17:22.17\00:17:27.14
let it be to me,
00:17:27.18\00:17:30.28
according to your word."
00:17:30.31\00:17:33.62
And the angel departed from her.
00:17:33.65\00:17:35.92
Isn't that amazing?
00:17:35.95\00:17:37.45
In full understanding
of the human consequences,
00:17:37.49\00:17:41.82
she humbly submitted,
00:17:41.86\00:17:44.79
and Mary received
00:17:44.83\00:17:46.73
the seed of God's
Word in her heart,
00:17:46.76\00:17:51.00
and the Holy
Spirit planted the Seed,
00:17:51.03\00:17:54.57
the capital S,
singular Seed, the Seed,
00:17:54.60\00:17:58.77
who would become
Jesus Christ in her womb,
00:17:58.81\00:18:02.68
without the intervention of man.
00:18:02.71\00:18:05.91
So she immediately
conceived, miraculously,
00:18:05.95\00:18:11.35
she conceived
beyond the law of nature.
00:18:11.39\00:18:16.76
God willed to become a man,
00:18:16.79\00:18:19.79
the second person
of the Godhead agreed
00:18:19.83\00:18:23.70
to come to earth, and
be the seed of Abraham,
00:18:23.73\00:18:27.27
the covenant Son of God,
00:18:27.30\00:18:30.31
the unique only
begotten Son of God.
00:18:30.34\00:18:34.44
But now, here's
what's interesting.
00:18:34.48\00:18:39.51
When Joseph became
aware of Mary's condition,
00:18:39.55\00:18:43.12
that she was pregnant,
00:18:43.15\00:18:44.92
he did not accept
her account at first,
00:18:44.95\00:18:48.46
but he was a man of
mercy and compassion.
00:18:48.49\00:18:52.06
He didn't want
to see her stoned,
00:18:52.09\00:18:54.00
he didn't want to disgrace her.
00:18:54.03\00:18:56.20
So what he decided to do
was to put her away privately,
00:18:56.23\00:19:01.27
that means literally,
00:19:01.30\00:19:03.64
that he would
seek a private divorce
00:19:03.67\00:19:06.88
and break their
marriage contract.
00:19:06.91\00:19:09.94
And I think of this,
00:19:09.98\00:19:12.01
I was so amazed when
I discovered this one
00:19:12.05\00:19:14.75
since I was studying.
00:19:14.78\00:19:16.52
His friends would
have certainly demanded
00:19:16.55\00:19:19.05
that she be
punished for her apparent sin
00:19:19.09\00:19:22.39
because even the Talmud,
00:19:22.42\00:19:25.19
these are the
writings of the priests.
00:19:25.23\00:19:27.86
The Talmud
openly charges the sin
00:19:27.90\00:19:31.50
of infidelity against Mary.
00:19:31.53\00:19:34.47
So in mercy,
00:19:34.50\00:19:36.37
God sent His word
through the angel to Joseph,
00:19:36.40\00:19:40.81
and we see this in Matthew 1.
00:19:40.84\00:19:44.01
He sent an angel to give Joseph
patience and understanding
00:19:44.05\00:19:49.05
and the incomparable
love it would take for Joseph
00:19:49.08\00:19:53.32
to accept the scorning himself.
00:19:53.36\00:19:57.49
In Matthew 1:20-21,
00:19:57.53\00:20:00.96
Joseph is
thinking on these things.
00:20:01.00\00:20:03.37
"And behold the angel,
00:20:03.40\00:20:05.70
an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream,
00:20:05.73\00:20:08.37
saying, 'Joseph, son of David,
00:20:08.40\00:20:11.51
do not be afraid to
take to you Mary your wife,
00:20:11.54\00:20:15.94
for that which
is conceived in her
00:20:15.98\00:20:19.78
is of the Holy Spirit,
00:20:19.81\00:20:23.32
and she will bring forth a Son,
00:20:23.35\00:20:25.72
and you shall
call His name Jesus,
00:20:25.75\00:20:28.62
for He will save His
people from their sins."
00:20:28.66\00:20:33.70
God wanted Joseph to understand
00:20:33.73\00:20:37.57
that this child
was divinely conceived.
00:20:37.60\00:20:41.20
This miracle Son
was a fulfillment
00:20:41.24\00:20:44.71
of His everlasting covenant
that He first introduced to,
00:20:44.74\00:20:50.65
in the garden,
but then to Abraham.
00:20:50.68\00:20:54.38
This was planned
before the world began.
00:20:54.42\00:20:58.09
God intended to come and die
for us before the world began.
00:20:58.12\00:21:02.89
Revelation 13:8 says that
00:21:02.92\00:21:05.63
"He was the Lamb
00:21:05.66\00:21:07.36
who was slain from the beginning
00:21:07.40\00:21:09.50
of the world."
00:21:09.53\00:21:11.17
Now my point is this.
00:21:11.20\00:21:13.67
The virgin birth cannot be swept
00:21:13.70\00:21:19.41
under the rug, because
we don't understand it.
00:21:19.44\00:21:23.08
To deny the virgin birth
00:21:23.11\00:21:27.28
of Jesus is to deny His deity.
00:21:27.32\00:21:33.29
He is referred to God at least
10 times in the New Testament.
00:21:33.32\00:21:38.09
So Mary's virgin
born Son was God Himself,
00:21:38.13\00:21:43.26
living amongst His people.
00:21:43.30\00:21:46.40
But now, let's turn
the clock back six months,
00:21:46.43\00:21:51.84
'cause we want to bring
Elizabeth into this story.
00:21:51.87\00:21:55.84
If we look back six
months, Mary had a relative,
00:21:55.88\00:22:00.12
I don't know if it was
her cousin or her aunt,
00:22:00.15\00:22:02.32
probably the age difference.
00:22:02.35\00:22:04.42
It was possibly her aunt.
00:22:04.45\00:22:06.69
But this woman was married
to a priest named Zacharias.
00:22:06.72\00:22:12.56
Oh, they were a
righteous couple.
00:22:12.59\00:22:14.83
They were a precious
couple, but they were barren.
00:22:14.86\00:22:18.70
They had no children.
00:22:18.73\00:22:20.07
Their story kind of
parallels Abraham and Sarah.
00:22:20.10\00:22:24.27
And in their culture, it
was a curse to be barren.
00:22:24.31\00:22:29.28
So they had prayed
for many, many years.
00:22:29.31\00:22:33.72
You can imagine how earnest
their prayers were for a child.
00:22:33.75\00:22:38.35
So one day, they're getting old.
00:22:38.39\00:22:42.32
And Zacharias is
serving in the temple,
00:22:42.36\00:22:47.26
his duties as a priest.
00:22:47.30\00:22:49.13
He was burning incense
00:22:49.16\00:22:51.83
before the altar of
incense in the holy place.
00:22:51.87\00:22:55.70
And as part of
his priestly duties,
00:22:55.74\00:22:57.84
surely, he was praying
for the coming Messiah,
00:22:57.87\00:23:03.31
because I believe
that he was a part,
00:23:03.35\00:23:06.21
he and probably
Elizabeth as well,
00:23:06.25\00:23:08.85
were a part of that
conscientious group of Jews
00:23:08.88\00:23:12.69
who were studying the Old
Testament time prophecies,
00:23:12.72\00:23:16.93
particularly Daniel 9,
00:23:16.96\00:23:19.39
and they realized that
the time had been fulfilled.
00:23:19.43\00:23:23.97
They fully expected
00:23:24.00\00:23:27.07
the Messiah to
arrive by virgin birth.
00:23:27.10\00:23:31.57
So, while Joseph...
00:23:31.61\00:23:34.28
Excuse me,
Zacharias is in the temple,
00:23:34.31\00:23:37.55
burning incense.
00:23:37.58\00:23:39.15
Suddenly, the Angel
Gabriel appears to him
00:23:39.18\00:23:44.02
and he is filled with fear.
00:23:44.05\00:23:46.96
And let's look at Luke 1:13.
00:23:46.99\00:23:50.29
Luke 1:13 says this,
00:23:50.33\00:23:54.20
the angel addressing Zachariah,
said, "Do not be afraid,
00:23:54.23\00:23:58.80
Zachariah, for
your prayer is heard,
00:23:58.83\00:24:01.90
and your wife
Elizabeth will bear you a son,
00:24:01.94\00:24:06.98
and you shall
call his name John."
00:24:07.01\00:24:09.34
Now, let me ask you.
00:24:09.38\00:24:11.01
Do you think that
Zacharias was praying for a son
00:24:11.05\00:24:14.98
while he was in the temple?
00:24:15.02\00:24:17.55
I don't think so.
00:24:17.59\00:24:18.92
And I'll show you why.
00:24:18.95\00:24:20.29
Because of his reaction,
00:24:20.32\00:24:24.19
his reaction of doubt.
00:24:24.23\00:24:27.13
I think that he had
probably gotten to that point
00:24:27.16\00:24:30.67
where he was
thinking they're too old
00:24:30.70\00:24:34.30
to have a son
because, listen, what happens.
00:24:34.34\00:24:39.57
In Luke 1:18,
00:24:39.61\00:24:41.91
the Zacharias says to the angel,
00:24:41.94\00:24:45.25
"How shall I know this?
00:24:45.28\00:24:48.82
What do you mean
I'll have a son?"
00:24:48.85\00:24:51.52
And his son was to
be John the Baptist,
00:24:51.55\00:24:54.36
who would be the
forerunner of the Messiah,
00:24:54.39\00:24:57.13
who would fulfill the prophecies
00:24:57.16\00:24:59.56
of Malachi coming in the
spirit and power of Elijah.
00:24:59.59\00:25:03.97
And it was an amazing thing,
00:25:04.00\00:25:06.67
because his son was
going to introduce Jesus,
00:25:06.70\00:25:11.11
the New Covenant,
00:25:11.14\00:25:12.81
the mediator of
the New Covenant.
00:25:12.84\00:25:15.58
But he says in Luke
1:18, "How shall I know this?
00:25:15.61\00:25:20.52
For I'm an old man,
00:25:20.55\00:25:22.98
and my wife is
well advanced in year?"
00:25:23.02\00:25:27.26
In sharp contrast to Mary's
00:25:27.29\00:25:29.86
submissive belief in God's word,
00:25:29.89\00:25:32.99
Zacharias had an
element of doubt.
00:25:33.03\00:25:37.33
He was denying the possibility.
00:25:37.37\00:25:40.34
And you know what happened?
00:25:40.37\00:25:41.77
He was rebuked by the angel
for not accepting God's words.
00:25:41.80\00:25:46.51
In fact, because
he cut off God's word,
00:25:46.54\00:25:49.54
so to speak, the angel told him,
00:25:49.58\00:25:54.12
"Zacharias, your words are going
00:25:54.15\00:25:55.78
to be cut off for nine
months till your child is born."
00:25:55.82\00:26:00.39
And he had to use a
writing pad for the entire time
00:26:00.42\00:26:05.56
after Elizabeth conceived,
00:26:05.59\00:26:07.80
Zacharias had to
use a writing pad.
00:26:07.83\00:26:10.87
And I think he might
have been deaf as well.
00:26:10.90\00:26:13.57
Because when they
tried to talk with him,
00:26:13.60\00:26:16.64
they had to sign to him.
00:26:16.67\00:26:19.37
So, just as God had foretold,
00:26:19.41\00:26:23.51
Elizabeth conceived a son,
00:26:23.55\00:26:27.98
by her husband,
Zacharias, and six months later,
00:26:28.02\00:26:33.19
Mary who has just conceived
00:26:33.22\00:26:37.03
the Messiah,
00:26:37.06\00:26:39.29
comes to visit her
relative, Elizabeth.
00:26:39.33\00:26:43.23
And let's look at what happens.
00:26:43.26\00:26:45.37
This is amazing.
00:26:45.40\00:26:47.10
Mary walks in.
00:26:47.14\00:26:48.67
And when she
does, when she walks in,
00:26:48.70\00:26:53.48
and she speaks to her cousin,
00:26:53.51\00:26:56.51
Elizabeth, Elizabeth's baby,
00:26:56.54\00:26:59.58
John the Baptist in the womb,
00:26:59.61\00:27:02.62
hears the voice
and leaps in the womb.
00:27:02.65\00:27:06.62
And suddenly Elizabeth is
filled with the Holy Spirit.
00:27:06.65\00:27:10.63
And she says to Mary,
00:27:10.66\00:27:12.49
"Blessed is the
fruit of your womb."
00:27:12.53\00:27:16.00
Then she says,
"What is it to me?
00:27:16.03\00:27:19.63
Why have I been so privileged,
00:27:19.67\00:27:22.27
that the mother of my Lord
00:27:22.30\00:27:25.97
should come to see me?"
00:27:26.01\00:27:28.44
And she's confirming
00:27:28.48\00:27:32.21
the angel's message to Mary.
00:27:32.25\00:27:37.75
Elizabeth's words were spoken
before Mary ever had a chance
00:27:37.79\00:27:43.39
to tell her of the amazing thing
00:27:43.43\00:27:46.46
that happened.
00:27:46.49\00:27:48.36
But she says to Mary,
00:27:48.40\00:27:50.27
and I don't want
you to miss this.
00:27:50.30\00:27:53.03
Oh, please
listen to these words.
00:27:53.07\00:27:55.84
They are as true today
as they were back then.
00:27:55.87\00:27:59.97
Elizabeth says to Mary,
00:28:00.01\00:28:02.48
"Blessed is she who believed.
00:28:02.51\00:28:06.82
Oh, blessed are you
00:28:06.85\00:28:08.42
when you believe the
promises of the Lord.
00:28:08.45\00:28:11.49
Blessed is she who believed
for there will be a fulfillment
00:28:11.52\00:28:15.82
of those things,
00:28:15.86\00:28:17.29
which were told
her from the Lord."
00:28:17.33\00:28:21.76
Why was Mary
blessed? Because she believed.
00:28:21.80\00:28:25.03
And you and I can be blessed
00:28:25.07\00:28:28.00
when we accept and
receive God's word.
00:28:28.04\00:28:32.87
He can make us
pregnant with expectation
00:28:32.91\00:28:36.04
of what He's going to do.
00:28:36.08\00:28:38.28
So Mary responds with joy.
00:28:38.31\00:28:41.85
She is has, she's singing,
00:28:41.88\00:28:45.69
she's talking with gratitude
00:28:45.72\00:28:47.72
and humility of
what God is doing.
00:28:47.76\00:28:50.39
She knew what
was happening to her
00:28:50.43\00:28:52.89
was of world shaking importance.
00:28:52.93\00:28:55.96
And she stays with
Elizabeth for three months.
00:28:56.00\00:29:00.30
And it's interesting that
Luke announces that she left,
00:29:00.34\00:29:05.84
Mary had left
her relative's house,
00:29:05.87\00:29:08.98
before he announces
John the Baptist is born.
00:29:09.01\00:29:12.25
So we will assume
00:29:12.28\00:29:14.52
that he was born
after she departed,
00:29:14.55\00:29:18.12
John the Baptist.
00:29:18.15\00:29:19.95
So on the eighth day,
00:29:19.99\00:29:23.02
after John the Baptist was born,
00:29:23.06\00:29:24.89
this was typically the
day that they would circumcise
00:29:24.93\00:29:29.93
a little boy child
00:29:29.96\00:29:31.37
and that they
would name the boy child.
00:29:31.40\00:29:33.90
What happens?
00:29:33.94\00:29:35.27
The neighbors get involved,
00:29:35.30\00:29:37.01
and the neighbors
come to Elizabeth.
00:29:37.04\00:29:39.57
And they are suggesting
that she named him Zacharias
00:29:39.61\00:29:43.88
after his father.
00:29:43.91\00:29:45.41
But Elizabeth says,
"No, his name is John."
00:29:45.45\00:29:50.09
And the neighbors are appalled.
00:29:50.12\00:29:52.89
They say, "You don't
have any kinsmen named John."
00:29:52.92\00:29:57.56
So what do they do?
00:29:57.59\00:30:00.30
They make signs to the
deaf and mute Zacharias.
00:30:00.33\00:30:05.87
He asks for a writing pen.
00:30:05.90\00:30:07.77
You know what he writes?
00:30:07.80\00:30:09.30
His name is John.
00:30:09.34\00:30:13.31
And as soon as Zacharias
affirmed the word of the Lord
00:30:13.34\00:30:18.38
that came to him
through the angel,
00:30:18.41\00:30:21.35
his mouth, his
tongue was loosed,
00:30:21.38\00:30:24.82
and he was no longer mute.
00:30:24.85\00:30:29.72
So here's what I love
00:30:29.76\00:30:32.59
most about Luke's account.
00:30:32.63\00:30:35.90
Zacharias begins
praising the Lord.
00:30:35.93\00:30:38.73
He's prophesying,
00:30:38.77\00:30:40.27
he's heralding the
coming of the Messiah,
00:30:40.30\00:30:44.24
and he's talking about
how the time prophecies,
00:30:44.27\00:30:48.34
the time has been fulfilled.
00:30:48.38\00:30:51.11
And he's talking about
00:30:51.15\00:30:53.68
the eternal covenant of God.
00:30:53.72\00:30:58.25
The covenant of
salvation by grace
00:30:58.29\00:31:03.02
that was
established with Abraham,
00:31:03.06\00:31:08.00
way back in the
beginning of the Bible.
00:31:08.03\00:31:10.97
And if it hadn't
been for the fact
00:31:11.00\00:31:14.87
that Luke was a Gentile convert,
00:31:14.90\00:31:19.54
writing to a Gentile convert,
00:31:19.57\00:31:22.41
this may not
have gotten recorded.
00:31:22.44\00:31:24.65
Because Mark,
Matthew, the rest of them,
00:31:24.68\00:31:29.08
just knew that
their Jewish people
00:31:29.12\00:31:31.52
would understand this.
00:31:31.55\00:31:32.89
But listen, what we
need to understand is that...
00:31:32.92\00:31:38.69
Let me find it
here, the Messiah...
00:31:38.73\00:31:42.96
Where am I? Oh, Luke 1:72.
00:31:43.00\00:31:46.33
This is
overlooked by so many people
00:31:46.37\00:31:51.04
but it is so significant.
00:31:51.07\00:31:53.91
Luke 1:72,
00:31:53.94\00:31:55.91
as Zacharias is
praising the Lord,
00:31:55.94\00:31:59.05
he says that God is doing this.
00:31:59.08\00:32:02.18
He's sending the Messiah,
00:32:02.22\00:32:04.95
Luke 1:72,
00:32:04.99\00:32:07.06
to perform the mercy promised
00:32:07.09\00:32:10.63
to our fathers.
00:32:10.66\00:32:13.43
He's talking about Abraham,
00:32:13.46\00:32:15.86
Isaac, Jacob, and Israel.
00:32:15.90\00:32:19.20
And he says, "God is
doing this to perform the mercy
00:32:19.23\00:32:22.64
promised to our fathers,
00:32:22.67\00:32:26.37
and to remember
His holy covenant."
00:32:26.41\00:32:31.25
Do you get that?
00:32:31.28\00:32:33.25
Do you see that the Old Covenant
00:32:33.28\00:32:36.08
and the New
Covenant, the Old Testament
00:32:36.12\00:32:39.35
and the New
Testament are just a continuing
00:32:39.39\00:32:45.26
unfolding of God's plan?
00:32:45.29\00:32:47.36
They're not separated.
00:32:47.40\00:32:49.36
The last time that I
can think of any way,
00:32:49.40\00:32:52.63
in that God,
00:32:52.67\00:32:56.34
these words were
written that God was remembering
00:32:56.37\00:32:58.87
His holy covenant,
was in Exodus 2:24.
00:32:58.91\00:33:02.98
When Moses wrote that God
heard the Hebrews crying out
00:33:03.01\00:33:07.48
when they were in bondage.
00:33:07.52\00:33:09.38
God remembered His
holy covenant with Abraham,
00:33:09.42\00:33:14.42
Isaac and Jacob.
00:33:14.46\00:33:16.12
You see, in the
Bible, when it says,
00:33:16.16\00:33:18.96
God, remember, God
doesn't forget anything.
00:33:18.99\00:33:22.16
It's not that He was like,
00:33:22.20\00:33:24.40
His memory is
jogged and He goes,
00:33:24.43\00:33:27.17
"Oh, yeah, I made a
covenant with these people."
00:33:27.20\00:33:30.67
No, no, no.
00:33:30.71\00:33:32.11
When it says God remembered,
00:33:32.14\00:33:35.11
it means it's time He
is going to take action.
00:33:35.14\00:33:40.62
So what's happening here,
00:33:40.65\00:33:43.75
we see that, Luke,
00:33:43.79\00:33:47.36
because he had to
explain it, he was a Gentile,
00:33:47.39\00:33:50.06
he probably
found that fascinating
00:33:50.09\00:33:52.29
that God's
covenant is just unfolding.
00:33:52.33\00:33:55.96
It is a progressive revelation
00:33:56.00\00:33:58.47
of the everlasting covenant,
00:33:58.50\00:34:02.24
that Messiah would come
00:34:02.27\00:34:04.31
and be a blessing to all nations
00:34:04.34\00:34:08.34
when He arrived,
00:34:08.38\00:34:10.68
when He was incarnated as
the person of Jesus Christ.
00:34:10.71\00:34:15.42
Now, the Hebrew
meaning for Messiah
00:34:15.45\00:34:19.79
is the Anointed One.
00:34:19.82\00:34:22.39
That's a title that was
given to the second person
00:34:22.42\00:34:27.20
of the Godhead.
00:34:27.23\00:34:29.10
And the Greek title,
00:34:29.13\00:34:32.50
meaning Anointed One
00:34:32.53\00:34:34.87
that is synonymous
with Messiah, is Christ.
00:34:34.90\00:34:39.27
Christ is a title.
00:34:39.31\00:34:41.81
So the coming of
the Messiah was the hope
00:34:41.84\00:34:46.21
of all nations.
00:34:46.25\00:34:48.58
Because when God told Abraham,
00:34:48.62\00:34:53.56
He made this
covenant, this everlasting,
00:34:53.59\00:34:57.33
eternal covenant,
we know it's eternal.
00:34:57.36\00:35:00.43
Hebrews 13:20 talks
about the blood of Jesus
00:35:00.46\00:35:04.60
is the blood of
the eternal covenant.
00:35:04.63\00:35:07.60
But when God
speaks of this to Abraham,
00:35:07.64\00:35:11.94
He tells Abraham, "In you,
00:35:11.97\00:35:14.98
all the nations of the
earth will be blessed."
00:35:15.01\00:35:19.38
And Christ arrival
00:35:19.41\00:35:21.75
is a pivotal point
00:35:21.78\00:35:26.76
in the history of the earth.
00:35:26.79\00:35:29.02
In fact, it
divided time, for all time,
00:35:29.06\00:35:34.10
into two
segments, BC before Christ,
00:35:34.13\00:35:39.40
and AD, Anno Domini,
00:35:39.43\00:35:43.54
which is Latin for
the year of the Lord.
00:35:43.57\00:35:46.84
So now
00:35:46.88\00:35:48.78
we see how God
has announced to Mary.
00:35:48.81\00:35:52.91
We've seen how God has
announced to Zachariah.
00:35:52.95\00:35:58.25
But now let's fast
forward several decades.
00:35:58.29\00:36:02.29
Turn to John Chapter 4 verses...
00:36:02.32\00:36:07.20
We'll begin with
verse 1, John 4:1.
00:36:07.23\00:36:10.77
Let me summarize this for you.
00:36:10.80\00:36:13.80
John Chapter 4,
00:36:13.84\00:36:15.50
John is telling the story
00:36:15.54\00:36:17.74
of when Jesus meets
a woman at the well.
00:36:17.77\00:36:21.81
And He reveals His
true identity to her.
00:36:21.84\00:36:26.58
And it's interesting because
this woman was a Samaritan.
00:36:26.61\00:36:30.45
But deep in the
recesses of her heart,
00:36:30.49\00:36:33.59
she held fast to the
hope of the coming Messiah,
00:36:33.62\00:36:37.73
and Christ's
brief encounter with her
00:36:37.76\00:36:40.86
at this well produced
one of the most unlikely,
00:36:40.90\00:36:44.97
but highly
effective missionaries
00:36:45.00\00:36:47.84
in the New Testament.
00:36:47.87\00:36:49.54
Let's look back on history.
00:36:49.57\00:36:52.47
To avoid the scorching rays
00:36:52.51\00:36:55.64
of the heat of the sun,
00:36:55.68\00:36:59.25
the women of Sychar
would walk to the well
00:36:59.28\00:37:03.28
with their earthen pots
either on their shoulders,
00:37:03.32\00:37:07.32
or some women would rest
the earthen pots on their hips.
00:37:07.36\00:37:13.06
And as they walked
the path to Jacob's well,
00:37:13.09\00:37:18.13
this mundane task
00:37:18.17\00:37:20.27
of retrieving
the life giving water
00:37:20.30\00:37:24.77
was kind of a social activity.
00:37:24.81\00:37:28.38
It was made
lively by conversation.
00:37:28.41\00:37:33.21
So in this story,
in John Chapter 4,
00:37:33.25\00:37:37.55
we find a solitary figure
00:37:37.59\00:37:42.62
who is walking to the well
00:37:42.66\00:37:46.19
in the scorching heat
00:37:46.23\00:37:49.66
at high noon.
00:37:49.70\00:37:52.53
But she is doing this
00:37:52.57\00:37:55.30
because she's
shrinking from the scorn
00:37:55.34\00:37:58.81
of her neighbors.
00:37:58.84\00:38:00.31
She figured it was
better to suffer the heat
00:38:00.34\00:38:03.41
than the scorn of the
wagging tongues against her.
00:38:03.45\00:38:07.78
So she walked the trodden path
00:38:07.82\00:38:10.49
to the well in the
blazing noonday sun.
00:38:10.52\00:38:15.06
Her heart was
burdened with an unhappy past,
00:38:15.09\00:38:20.33
five husbands.
00:38:20.36\00:38:22.90
Five husbands.
00:38:22.93\00:38:25.43
And, unfortunately,
00:38:25.47\00:38:28.20
now she was
living as an outcast,
00:38:28.24\00:38:31.14
in an immoral
situation with a sixth man,
00:38:31.17\00:38:36.04
without even the
privilege of marriage.
00:38:36.08\00:38:39.38
And you know what?
00:38:39.41\00:38:40.75
That day when she
trod the path to the well,
00:38:40.78\00:38:43.99
she had no idea
00:38:44.02\00:38:45.85
she was about to
meet a seventh man,
00:38:45.89\00:38:50.63
the man of perfection.
00:38:50.66\00:38:53.19
So, when she, here she is,
00:38:53.23\00:38:55.93
she's hopelessly
trapped by circumstances.
00:38:55.96\00:39:00.30
But when she
arrives at the well,
00:39:00.34\00:39:01.84
she is shocked to
see a Jewish man there.
00:39:01.87\00:39:06.57
And even more shocking,
00:39:06.61\00:39:08.88
he broke every cultural barrier
00:39:08.91\00:39:12.68
to initiate a
conversation with her.
00:39:12.71\00:39:15.58
First of all, Jews
didn't talk to Samaritans.
00:39:15.62\00:39:18.99
Men didn't talk to
women in the public.
00:39:19.02\00:39:22.39
And she, they,
00:39:22.42\00:39:24.76
Jesus just knew
they both were thirsty,
00:39:24.79\00:39:27.20
they both needed water,
00:39:27.23\00:39:28.86
and He started with their need
00:39:28.90\00:39:32.93
that they had in common.
00:39:32.97\00:39:35.34
And He asked her for drink.
00:39:35.37\00:39:38.01
But she knew,
hey, this is unusual.
00:39:38.04\00:39:42.54
Jews don't talk with Samaritans.
00:39:42.58\00:39:44.85
So she asks Him,
"How can you speak to me
00:39:44.88\00:39:48.38
so straightforwardly?"
00:39:48.42\00:39:50.35
And listen what
Jesus says, I love this.
00:39:50.39\00:39:54.82
John 4:10.
00:39:54.86\00:39:58.43
Jesus answered her saying,
00:39:58.46\00:40:00.60
"If you knew the gift of God
00:40:00.63\00:40:04.40
and who He it
is who says to you,
00:40:04.43\00:40:07.80
'Give me a drink.'
00:40:07.84\00:40:09.74
You would have asked Him,
00:40:09.77\00:40:11.97
and He would have
given you living water.'"
00:40:12.01\00:40:17.15
In my sanctified imagination,
00:40:17.18\00:40:20.42
I see Jesus
00:40:20.45\00:40:21.98
spreading out His arms
in a welcoming embrace,
00:40:22.02\00:40:27.26
but more over in the posture
00:40:27.29\00:40:30.73
that He would take on the cross.
00:40:30.76\00:40:35.56
And I can hear
Him saying to her,
00:40:35.60\00:40:39.63
with this emphasis, "Oh woman,
00:40:39.67\00:40:43.47
if only you knew,
00:40:43.51\00:40:46.37
I am the gift of God.
00:40:46.41\00:40:50.75
I am the gift of God to you."
00:40:50.78\00:40:55.72
He says in John 4:13,
00:40:55.75\00:41:00.42
He adds to her,
00:41:00.46\00:41:02.19
"Whoever drinks of this
water will thirst again.
00:41:02.22\00:41:06.66
But whoever drinks of the
water that I shall give him
00:41:06.70\00:41:09.73
will never thirst."
00:41:09.76\00:41:11.10
He's speaking
of the Holy Spirit.
00:41:11.13\00:41:13.84
And then He says, "But the water
00:41:13.87\00:41:15.20
that I shall give
him will become in him
00:41:15.24\00:41:17.67
a fountain of water,
00:41:17.71\00:41:19.37
springing up into
everlasting life."
00:41:19.41\00:41:24.85
This Samaritan
woman didn't realize
00:41:24.88\00:41:29.28
that she was
standing face to face
00:41:29.32\00:41:32.92
with God incarnate,
the person of Jesus Christ,
00:41:32.95\00:41:38.09
who is the greatest gift
00:41:38.13\00:41:41.13
that God has
ever graced us with.
00:41:41.16\00:41:44.27
But as they continued talking,
00:41:44.30\00:41:47.74
He lovingly
confronts her about her past,
00:41:47.77\00:41:51.41
her unhappy histories, history,
00:41:51.44\00:41:54.08
and He knew the
details of her life,
00:41:54.11\00:41:57.58
which in her mind, elevated Him.
00:41:57.61\00:42:01.08
In this story, we see, she says,
00:42:01.12\00:42:03.39
"Oh, you must be a prophet."
00:42:03.42\00:42:05.42
So she knew there was,
00:42:05.45\00:42:06.92
her perception
of Him was elevated
00:42:06.96\00:42:09.36
that He must at
least be a prophet.
00:42:09.39\00:42:12.96
And then He went on
to explain worshiping
00:42:12.99\00:42:17.63
in truth and in spirit.
00:42:17.67\00:42:21.40
And the woman says
to Him in John 4:25,
00:42:21.44\00:42:25.81
get this, deep in the
recesses of her heart,
00:42:25.84\00:42:30.11
this poor woman
00:42:30.15\00:42:33.05
who had had such a tragic life,
00:42:33.08\00:42:36.99
deep in the
recesses of her heart,
00:42:37.02\00:42:39.65
she says, had this
truth, and she says,
00:42:39.69\00:42:43.32
"I know that Messiah is coming,
00:42:43.36\00:42:47.63
who is called Christ.
00:42:47.66\00:42:50.13
And when He comes,
00:42:50.17\00:42:51.57
He will tell us all things."
00:42:51.60\00:42:55.57
And Jesus looked at her,
00:42:55.60\00:42:58.01
and He said to her,
00:42:58.04\00:43:00.18
"I who speak to you, I'm He."
00:43:00.21\00:43:05.41
Wow! Wow!
00:43:05.45\00:43:09.52
Suddenly, this woman,
00:43:09.55\00:43:12.25
standing in His holy presence,
00:43:12.29\00:43:16.19
recognizes His true identity.
00:43:16.22\00:43:19.89
Her heart is lifted up
00:43:19.93\00:43:22.76
to recognize
and see the Messiah.
00:43:22.80\00:43:27.54
And she rejoiced.
00:43:27.57\00:43:30.01
She rejoiced when she
realized He was the Messiah.
00:43:30.04\00:43:34.08
She was so excited
00:43:34.11\00:43:36.34
about the living water
00:43:36.38\00:43:39.61
that she drank from the fountain
00:43:39.65\00:43:41.72
of the everlasting
living water that He offered.
00:43:41.75\00:43:45.72
She was so excited
00:43:45.75\00:43:47.19
that she dropped
her earthenware pot.
00:43:47.22\00:43:50.63
And ignoring the
stigma of her reputation,
00:43:50.66\00:43:55.60
she ran off to
greet all of the villagers
00:43:55.63\00:43:59.57
and tell them
this, the same villager
00:43:59.60\00:44:02.24
she was avoiding.
00:44:02.27\00:44:04.51
She turned to Jesus
herself for salvation,
00:44:04.54\00:44:10.28
and became a water bearer.
00:44:10.31\00:44:13.35
Hallelujah!
00:44:13.38\00:44:15.42
So what happens when
she gets to the city?
00:44:15.45\00:44:19.19
The multitude is
listening to her,
00:44:19.22\00:44:23.02
and they return
to the well with her
00:44:23.06\00:44:25.46
to hear this mysterious man.
00:44:25.49\00:44:27.93
And as they are
listening to Jesus,
00:44:27.96\00:44:31.07
they too become
convinced of who He is.
00:44:31.10\00:44:34.50
They invite Him to
the village of Sychar
00:44:34.54\00:44:38.37
to be their honored guest
for two days and two nights.
00:44:38.41\00:44:42.61
Do you realize
this woman became...
00:44:42.64\00:44:48.12
Her service to the
Lord was a gift to him.
00:44:48.15\00:44:52.25
Because she opened
the opportunity for Jesus
00:44:52.29\00:44:56.22
to minister to a whole village,
00:44:56.26\00:45:00.30
and many in His eager audience
00:45:00.33\00:45:03.73
received the truth.
00:45:03.77\00:45:06.70
You know something,
00:45:06.74\00:45:08.57
everyone is thirsty,
00:45:08.60\00:45:12.84
everyone, because God
put eternity in our heart.
00:45:12.87\00:45:17.08
Every person that you meet,
00:45:17.11\00:45:19.28
no matter how downtrodden,
00:45:19.31\00:45:21.38
how beaten up,
00:45:21.42\00:45:23.15
how mired in sin they may be,
00:45:23.18\00:45:27.16
they are thirsting
for the presence of God,
00:45:27.19\00:45:30.89
whether they realize it or not.
00:45:30.93\00:45:33.56
And only Jesus
00:45:33.60\00:45:35.56
is the eternal thirst quencher.
00:45:35.60\00:45:40.24
Jesus is the
hope of all nations.
00:45:40.27\00:45:44.74
Let's look at Romans Chapter 15.
00:45:44.77\00:45:49.98
Romans Chapter 15, Paul wrote,
00:45:50.01\00:45:54.58
we'll begin in verse 8.
00:45:54.62\00:45:55.95
Romans 15:8,
00:45:55.98\00:45:59.02
Paul says,
00:45:59.05\00:46:00.76
"Now I say that Jesus
Christ has become a servant
00:46:00.79\00:46:05.36
to the circumcision
for the truth of God,
00:46:05.39\00:46:09.00
to confirm the
promises made to the fathers."
00:46:09.03\00:46:13.70
And always when you see
the fathers, that's Abraham,
00:46:13.74\00:46:17.01
Isaac, Jacob, because God
made His covenant with Abraham.
00:46:17.04\00:46:21.51
He renewed that
covenant with Isaac saying,
00:46:21.54\00:46:25.38
"Because your father
obeyed My commandments.
00:46:25.41\00:46:28.42
He renewed the
covenant with Jacob.
00:46:28.45\00:46:30.79
And then Israel was
the firstborn covenant
00:46:30.82\00:46:35.36
Son of God is what Exodus,
00:46:35.39\00:46:37.96
how God
describes them in Exodus.
00:46:37.99\00:46:40.96
So those are the fathers.
00:46:41.00\00:46:43.03
What happened is,
00:46:43.06\00:46:44.40
God left heaven.
00:46:44.43\00:46:48.17
He humbled Himself,
00:46:48.20\00:46:50.51
came as a servant to humanity,
00:46:50.54\00:46:53.11
to serve as our example,
00:46:53.14\00:46:55.78
and to die as our substitute.
00:46:55.81\00:46:57.88
He became a human being in
the person of Jesus Christ.
00:46:57.91\00:47:02.45
He was born a Jew,
00:47:02.48\00:47:04.92
He was circumcised,
00:47:04.95\00:47:06.32
and His initial
mission was to the Jews.
00:47:06.35\00:47:11.66
The promises that had
been made to the fathers,
00:47:11.69\00:47:15.46
the everlasting covenant
00:47:15.50\00:47:17.93
were what He was
here to talk about.
00:47:17.97\00:47:21.64
But Genesis 22:18,
00:47:21.67\00:47:24.44
long before there
was a Jewish nation,
00:47:24.47\00:47:27.38
Abraham was long
before the Jewish nation.
00:47:27.41\00:47:30.78
God told Abraham, "In your seed,
00:47:30.81\00:47:35.75
that's your
offspring, your descendants,
00:47:35.78\00:47:38.65
all the nations of
earth shall be blessed
00:47:38.69\00:47:42.56
because you have
obeyed My voice."
00:47:42.59\00:47:45.73
Jesus Christ, the Messiah,
00:47:45.76\00:47:49.60
came as the hope of all nations.
00:47:49.63\00:47:53.94
And the mission that God
gave to His covenant people
00:47:53.97\00:47:58.01
was to introduce people,
00:47:58.04\00:48:01.18
to bring all
nations into a covenant
00:48:01.21\00:48:04.08
relationship with Him.
00:48:04.11\00:48:06.85
Throughout the
history of the Old Testament,
00:48:06.88\00:48:10.82
we see that this was God's plan.
00:48:10.85\00:48:14.06
Now Paul wants to prove this.
00:48:14.09\00:48:16.59
So let's continue on.
00:48:16.62\00:48:18.99
In Romans 15:9,
00:48:19.03\00:48:22.86
he wants to prove this point
00:48:22.90\00:48:25.93
that it was for all nations.
00:48:25.97\00:48:27.90
And so what he does
00:48:27.94\00:48:29.84
is he quotes four times
00:48:29.87\00:48:34.08
from the Old
Testament, from 2 Samuel,
00:48:34.11\00:48:37.01
Psalms, Deuteronomy, and
Isaiah, let's look at it.
00:48:37.05\00:48:40.25
Romans 15:9, he says,
00:48:40.28\00:48:42.98
"And that the Gentiles
might glorify God for His mercy
00:48:43.02\00:48:47.09
as it is written."
00:48:47.12\00:48:48.92
And now he's
quoting 2 Samuel 22:50,
00:48:48.96\00:48:52.53
and Psalm 18:49.
00:48:52.56\00:48:55.26
Here's what is written.
00:48:55.30\00:48:56.73
"For this reason,
I will confess to you
00:48:56.77\00:48:59.57
among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name."
00:48:59.60\00:49:04.17
And then in
verse 10, Romans 15:10,
00:49:04.21\00:49:07.84
Paul says, and
again, he says, "Rejoice,
00:49:07.88\00:49:12.01
O Gentiles, with His people."
00:49:12.05\00:49:15.28
That's Deuteronomy 32:43.
00:49:15.32\00:49:18.65
But then Paul is
beginning to sound repetitive,
00:49:18.69\00:49:21.72
but there's a purpose in this.
00:49:21.76\00:49:23.86
In verse 11, Romans 15:11,
00:49:23.89\00:49:26.29
he says, again,
00:49:26.33\00:49:28.46
he's quoting now Psalms 117:1,
00:49:28.50\00:49:31.93
"Praise the
Lord, all you Gentiles!
00:49:31.97\00:49:34.44
Laud Him, all you people!"
00:49:34.47\00:49:37.67
And then now, he
repeats it again.
00:49:37.71\00:49:41.88
In Isaiah 11, he's repeating.
00:49:41.91\00:49:44.85
He's going to
quote Isaiah 11:10.
00:49:44.88\00:49:46.98
This is Romans 15:12.
00:49:47.02\00:49:51.55
And he says,
"Again, Isaiah says,
00:49:51.59\00:49:54.66
'There shall be a root of Jesse,
00:49:54.69\00:49:57.56
and He who shall rise
to reign over the Gentiles.
00:49:57.59\00:50:02.66
In Him, the
Gentiles shall hope."
00:50:02.70\00:50:06.70
This Messiah didn't
just come to fulfill
00:50:06.74\00:50:09.90
the covenant
promises to the Jews,
00:50:09.94\00:50:13.44
He came because He is
the hope of all nations.
00:50:13.48\00:50:18.65
And Paul's not just
being repetitive here,
00:50:18.68\00:50:21.58
he's quoting from the
Old Testament divisions
00:50:21.62\00:50:25.09
of the law, the history,
the Psalms, and the Prophet,
00:50:25.12\00:50:28.82
because he wants to demonstrate
00:50:28.86\00:50:32.06
that God's plan
always included the Gentiles.
00:50:32.09\00:50:36.83
Christ was the seed of Abraham,
00:50:36.87\00:50:40.54
the root of Jesse,
the hope of all people.
00:50:40.57\00:50:45.64
Now here is one
00:50:45.67\00:50:48.21
of my most favorite promises.
00:50:48.24\00:50:51.21
And at this time of year,
if I send out a greeting card,
00:50:51.25\00:50:55.58
which is not always my practice,
00:50:55.62\00:50:59.79
since moving to 3ABN
00:50:59.82\00:51:01.59
'cause we're always so busy.
00:51:01.62\00:51:03.43
But when I do send
out a greeting card
00:51:03.46\00:51:05.76
or more likely now a text,
00:51:05.79\00:51:09.06
it's Romans 15:13,
00:51:09.10\00:51:12.13
that I put on my message.
00:51:12.17\00:51:15.44
Listen to this,
00:51:15.47\00:51:17.24
"Now, may the God of
hope fill you with all joy
00:51:17.27\00:51:22.71
and peace in believing
00:51:22.74\00:51:25.58
that you may abound in hope."
00:51:25.61\00:51:30.92
How?
00:51:30.95\00:51:32.29
"By the power of
the Holy Spirit."
00:51:32.32\00:51:36.02
See, the Holy Spirit
is the one who inspired
00:51:36.06\00:51:41.00
the writing of these scriptures.
00:51:41.03\00:51:43.06
He empowers us to receive
00:51:43.10\00:51:45.83
and apply God's
truth to our life.
00:51:45.87\00:51:49.27
God is the God of
hope, for every believer,
00:51:49.30\00:51:54.38
hope for meaningful life now,
00:51:54.41\00:51:57.21
and eternal life later.
00:51:57.25\00:51:59.51
And I have to tell you,
00:51:59.55\00:52:01.35
hope in the Greek is
not wishful thinking.
00:52:01.38\00:52:06.55
It's not like you and I say,
00:52:06.59\00:52:08.36
"Oh, I hope we'll get to
take a vacation this year."
00:52:08.39\00:52:11.73
It's not wishful thinking.
00:52:11.76\00:52:13.80
The word hope in the Greek
00:52:13.83\00:52:17.13
is eager anticipation.
00:52:17.17\00:52:19.93
So when Paul is
calling Him the God of hope,
00:52:19.97\00:52:23.37
and saying may
you abound in hope.
00:52:23.41\00:52:26.51
He's saying, may you
abound in eager expectation,
00:52:26.54\00:52:31.15
because God cannot lie,
00:52:31.18\00:52:33.01
all of His
promises will be fulfilled.
00:52:33.05\00:52:36.25
And I'll tell you what?
00:52:36.28\00:52:37.62
Hope is a powerful
motivator in our lives.
00:52:37.65\00:52:43.02
Without believing in Christ,
00:52:43.06\00:52:45.99
we are hopeless, because He came
00:52:46.03\00:52:50.67
and took as our substitute,
00:52:50.70\00:52:53.23
took our penalty upon Him.
00:52:53.27\00:52:56.30
God wants all of us
00:52:56.34\00:52:59.54
to hope in His truth.
00:52:59.57\00:53:01.94
He wants us to be
saved from our sins.
00:53:01.98\00:53:06.38
And through Christ,
00:53:06.41\00:53:09.38
when we receive Christ,
00:53:09.42\00:53:11.99
He gives us the
gift of the Holy Spirit.
00:53:12.02\00:53:15.42
And it is the Holy
Spirit will empower us
00:53:15.46\00:53:19.59
to live a life for Him.
00:53:19.63\00:53:21.60
As, in fact, Paul says,
00:53:21.63\00:53:23.73
He works in us to will
00:53:23.77\00:53:27.84
and to do God's good pleasure.
00:53:27.87\00:53:33.01
Christ is the
fulfillment of God's love,
00:53:33.04\00:53:37.08
His mercy, and His promises.
00:53:37.11\00:53:39.68
And in 2 Corinthians 1:2,
00:53:39.71\00:53:41.98
it says that "All of
God's promises are yes
00:53:42.02\00:53:46.15
and amen in Christ."
00:53:46.19\00:53:48.79
Would you like hope
00:53:48.82\00:53:50.53
and joy in your heart today?
00:53:50.56\00:53:54.36
You know, I think about this.
00:53:54.40\00:53:56.97
In my mind, I think about Mary,
00:53:57.00\00:54:00.54
what if she had said,
00:54:00.57\00:54:03.77
"God's word is just
too good to be true,
00:54:03.81\00:54:06.14
He can't possibly
mean that's for me."
00:54:06.17\00:54:09.84
What if she had totally
rejected the angel and said,
00:54:09.88\00:54:14.98
"No, that's not possible."
00:54:15.02\00:54:19.75
If she had, I guess,
00:54:19.79\00:54:21.12
God obviously would
have found another virgin
00:54:21.16\00:54:24.93
to have His child, His Messiah,
00:54:24.96\00:54:28.73
to birth the Messiah,
00:54:28.76\00:54:30.10
and her history
would have to be rewritten.
00:54:30.13\00:54:33.94
But I want to say to you,
00:54:33.97\00:54:35.60
are you receiving God's word
00:54:38.71\00:54:42.94
like she did?
00:54:42.98\00:54:44.45
Are you saying, "Oh, Lord,
00:54:44.48\00:54:47.88
may it be done to me
according to Your word?"
00:54:47.92\00:54:51.89
Do you see Jesus
standing before you now
00:54:51.92\00:54:57.13
with his arms
spread wide saying to you,
00:54:57.16\00:55:02.06
"If only you knew
00:55:02.10\00:55:04.63
everything that you're doing
now to prepare for the season
00:55:04.67\00:55:08.44
is really meaningless."
00:55:08.47\00:55:10.74
I am the gift of God.
00:55:10.77\00:55:14.44
I am here for you
there is no greater gift
00:55:14.48\00:55:18.31
that you could receive.
00:55:18.35\00:55:20.18
There's no greater gift
00:55:20.22\00:55:22.62
that you could tell as the woman
00:55:22.65\00:55:25.75
at the well did others about.
00:55:25.79\00:55:31.53
You know, our Messiah loves you.
00:55:31.56\00:55:36.87
And He's coming again.
00:55:36.90\00:55:39.73
The hope of all
nations will return.
00:55:39.77\00:55:42.27
Revelation 22:12,
00:55:42.30\00:55:44.84
He says, "Behold,
I'm coming quickly,
00:55:44.87\00:55:47.84
and My reward is with Me
00:55:47.88\00:55:50.55
to give to everyone
according to his work."
00:55:50.58\00:55:53.82
And in Revelation 22:17,
00:55:53.85\00:55:57.19
He says, "The
Spirit and the bride,"
00:55:57.22\00:56:01.82
the bride is the church,
00:56:01.86\00:56:03.93
"the Spirit and the bride say,
00:56:03.96\00:56:06.29
'Oh, come.
00:56:06.33\00:56:09.23
Let him who hears say, come.
00:56:09.26\00:56:14.37
And he who thirsts, come,
00:56:14.40\00:56:18.01
whoever desires,
00:56:18.04\00:56:19.97
let him take
00:56:20.01\00:56:21.34
the water of life freely."
00:56:21.38\00:56:25.51
Will you make
that your prayer today?
00:56:25.55\00:56:28.02
Don't put it off any longer.
00:56:28.05\00:56:32.02
You could have been in
the church for decades.
00:56:32.05\00:56:36.29
But you've never been
filled with that living water.
00:56:36.32\00:56:40.40
You've never
understood the love of the Lord.
00:56:40.43\00:56:44.77
All you have to do
is say, "Come, oh, Lord.
00:56:44.80\00:56:48.87
Come into my heart.
00:56:48.90\00:56:51.31
Let me receive
00:56:51.34\00:56:54.44
the God of hope.
00:56:54.48\00:56:57.61
And let me be
filled with all joy
00:56:57.65\00:57:00.02
and peace in believing
00:57:00.05\00:57:02.65
that I may have bound in hope,
00:57:02.68\00:57:05.95
by the power of
the Holy Spirit."
00:57:05.99\00:57:09.86
Let's pray.
00:57:09.89\00:57:11.23
Heavenly Father, we do ask now,
00:57:11.26\00:57:13.43
for everyone that
is listening for me.
00:57:13.46\00:57:16.56
Oh Lord, let us
open our hearts to You.
00:57:16.60\00:57:19.73
Come, oh, Lord, and fill us.
00:57:19.77\00:57:22.40
Fill us afresh
with Your Holy Spirit
00:57:22.44\00:57:24.74
day by day.
00:57:24.77\00:57:26.11
Empower us to live a
life of loyalty and love,
00:57:26.14\00:57:31.68
a commitment of love to you.
00:57:31.71\00:57:33.75
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
00:57:33.78\00:57:36.99