WEBVTT 00:00:02.319 --> 00:00:10.880 We're in the middle of our Christmas sermon series called Expecting, and it's all about the importance of praise and worship in the life of a believer. 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:21.839 How many of you are beginning to uh expand your knowledge or remind yourself of the importance of praise and worship, not only here on Sunday mornings, but also in our daily lives, right? 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:29.039 In the car, uh at home, wherever it is that you are spending time praising and worshiping God. 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:33.119 Uh and especially this is true when we come together in our corporate meetings. 00:00:33.119 --> 00:00:39.520 And we're doing this by looking at some of the biblical songs that were sung around the time of Jesus' birth. 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:43.359 Haven't you been thankful for Pastor Mark's sermons the last couple of weeks? 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:46.000 I mean, they've been awesome, awesome. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:53.920 So the the first week he talked about the song of Zechariah and how we as worshipers can expect to hear the voice of God. 00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:58.320 How many of you know that God speaks to his children and we can hear him? 00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:06.640 And one of the times and ways that we can hear him most clearly is when we get quiet and we spend time in praise and worship to God. 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:16.959 And then also last week we heard about Simeon and we heard his song as he showed us that knowing God is the ultimate aim of the Christian life. 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:20.480 I have grown to know God more. 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:27.439 Well, let me say it this way: I I've come to know God through his scriptures in undefinable ways. 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:38.000 But I would say this the closest thing to that as a second is I've come to know God by experiencing him, by praising and worshiping him and spending time in prayer. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:39.040 Does that make sense? 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:49.519 Yeah, so we have these gifts of grace that God gives it to us so that we can grow in our knowledge of him, so that we can understand who he truly is. 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:51.280 And Mark used an acronym. 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:53.599 How many of you have been trying to remember that this week? 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:57.120 Let me just remind you, he talked about priming the praise pump. 00:01:57.120 --> 00:01:59.920 And the first letter P was prepare. 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:05.680 We can come together in corporate worship and we can be prepared to lift up the name of Jesus. 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:07.200 Also, repent. 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:12.479 How many of you know it's important for us to make sure that our hearts are made right before God? 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:20.159 I love the story of David and how he cried out and said, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:22.240 That should be the cry of all of our hearts. 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:28.639 And when we come into the presence of a holy God, we are reminded of his holiness. 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:35.280 And it should make us desire to be made holy with him and by him. 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:37.120 The I, what was the I? 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:38.479 Anybody remember? 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:39.439 Invest. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:45.120 We need to be, we need to come together with this idea that I have something to give. 00:02:45.120 --> 00:03:10.400 There's something that God has put in my heart, something that I've experienced in my life, something about my journey that I can bring to the table today, and I can, through words of encouragement, through the gifts of the Spirit, through a song that I sing, through uh, you know, something that happens that God, in a way that God uses me to invest in the time that we are together corporately. 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:14.080 God wants all of us to come prepared to give. 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:16.240 And who do we give to ultimately? 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:21.039 We are the M to minister to God, to minister to God. 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:25.919 God desires for his people to minister to him. 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:33.840 And we have this great privilege of worshiping him, of praising him, of glorifying him, and bringing honor to him. 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:37.039 And then finally, the E, enter in quickly. 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:46.879 We don't have to wait for the third song or even the times after the songs when one of us comes up here and and prays or spends some time just being still. 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:49.199 You can enter in immediately. 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:56.159 And the way to do this, in my opinion, one of the best ways to do this is to start your praise service before you get here. 00:03:56.159 --> 00:04:05.199 First of all, during the week, but on the way to church on Sunday mornings, most of you drive more than five minutes to get to the church, right? 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:08.560 How long does it take to play a praise song? 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:10.159 About five minutes. 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:25.120 So instead of turning on Garth Brooks or whatever, whatever, or instead of the argument that tends to happen in the minivan on the way to church, crank up the tunes in your car and praise God on the way here. 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:28.000 Uh keep your hands on the wheel, okay? 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:31.360 This that's my only you could one hand, you could lift. 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:34.160 Depends on how you know how long you've been driving. 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:38.319 But anyway, yeah, so so get your praise started before you even get here. 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:41.360 And so then that way when you get in the room together, guess what? 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:44.240 It's just an extension of what's already been happening. 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:45.199 Amen. 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:46.160 So let's do that. 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:47.519 Let's prime the praise pump. 00:04:47.519 --> 00:05:01.040 And also through this whole series, we're looking at the fact that worship is a revelation of who God is first, and then because of that revelation, a response that is fitting for such a God. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:06.079 And what does that uh what does that revelation and that response lead to? 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:08.639 An ongoing relationship with God. 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:09.759 That's the result. 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:10.639 Amen. 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:12.560 How many of you are interested in that? 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:15.199 Okay, Lord, you see their hands. 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:15.680 Okay. 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:16.480 All right. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:19.360 So we're gonna talk about uh an example of this. 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:26.079 We're going to look at a powerful encounter that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had with the presence of God. 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:30.720 And we're gonna see this progression of worship as we look at her story and her song. 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:39.839 And through this example, we we will see that when we praise and worship God, we can expect to experience Him in very tangible ways. 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:47.279 God wants us to experience Him in ways that are beyond description. 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:52.319 The title of today's message is Expecting to Feel God. 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:57.279 I can see some walls going up already. 00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:03.279 Some of you in this room are saying, we don't go there, we don't talk about feelings. 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:09.360 Feelings are something that we don't deal with, we keep them hidden away, we keep them tucked away. 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:12.639 Uh and I don't want to lose you by the title, okay? 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:18.240 But the reality is that life is filled with emotion and feelings. 00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:19.839 How many of you know that that's true? 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:29.759 Whether you want to hide it or not, or pretend or not, all of us on a daily basis experience different levels of emotions and different levels of feelings. 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:34.560 And what better source of these things is there than God Himself? 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:43.759 If you're going to expect experience emotion and feeling, how many of you know that the creator of our souls knows what's best for us? 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:49.680 And not only does he know what's best for us, he himself experiences these things. 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:56.639 Did you realize that the Bible describes God experiencing a wide range of emotions, including love? 00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:59.040 Let's quote John 3:16 together. 00:06:59.040 --> 00:07:10.480 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:15.759 God so loved, God experiences the feeling and the emotion of love. 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:20.160 He also experiences righteous jealousy and joy. 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:22.240 God is a joyful God. 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:31.120 I remember when I first saw the movie Matthew, which was the actual, it was just the basically the reading of the book of Matthew, acted out. 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:43.439 It was the first person I was talking to Timothy about this, uh, and I believe, or Jonathan, I believe it was the first person that played Jesus in a movie that was actually a believer in Jesus. 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:48.639 And so as he play as he's playing this character, he smiles, he laughs. 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:54.639 And for some people, they called they they were they couldn't handle it. 00:07:54.639 --> 00:08:04.560 The the religious spirits got very nervous at the fact that Jesus might smile or might laugh or might enjoy something in life. 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:09.120 How many of you know that God created joy and he's a joyful God? 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:15.519 And he also experiences holy anger, anger that is is towards sin. 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:20.079 He is grieved, he can be grieved, and also he's filled with compassion. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:45.519 All of these things he experiences, and he has created us in his image and likeness, and he desires that we experience him not only through knowing him with our minds and understanding who he is through information and facts, as important as that is, but he wants us to understand his very heart as we experience his manifest presence. 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:48.480 Sign me up for that, right? 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:49.679 Sign me up for that. 00:08:49.679 --> 00:09:12.559 So many times in the process, there's a great exchange that happens that occurs where feelings that we might have that don't line up with placing our faith and trust in God are swallowed up by God as we look more fully into the essence of who he is, which allows us to change our vantage point so that we are viewing things the way he desires for us to view them. 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:20.559 How many of you have ever come in to a church service where you weren't feeling like, first of all, you weren't feeling like being here. 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:22.080 Don't raise your hand, so right? 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:23.919 But you weren't feeling like being here. 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:27.440 Second of all, you weren't feeling like praising and worshiping worshiping God. 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:35.120 Third, you were feeling anything but the emotion of joy or all of the different things that we talked about, right? 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:49.759 But how many of you realize that through being here and being together with God's people and praise and worshiping Him and then experiencing the teaching of the Word of God and prayer and things like that, that you leave better than what you came. 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:52.559 Because this great exchange has happened. 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:54.240 This great exchange. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:10:05.279 I once I came in feeling this way and experiencing these things, but I left feeling something completely different and having experienced God Himself. 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:08.639 So we're gonna see this in the life of Mary this morning. 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:15.120 So for the sake of time, we'll read the end of the story first, and then we'll go back and we'll fill in the blanks from the beginning. 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:15.840 Are you ready? 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:20.080 Let's look at Luke chapter 1, verses 46 through 55. 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:24.159 Luke chapter 1, verses 46 through 55. 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:36.159 And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:52.320 For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed, for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name, and his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 00:10:52.320 --> 00:11:08.639 He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts, he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate, he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:19.919 He has helped us, his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his offspring forever. 00:11:19.919 --> 00:11:21.039 Let's pray. 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:25.679 Father God, in Jesus' name, we thank you for your word. 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:30.960 We thank you for this beautiful rendition of Mary's song, Lord God. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:36.639 This this telling of what was in her heart based on her experience with you. 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:44.480 And Father, we ask in Jesus' name that you would help us to glean from your word this morning the things that you want us to learn. 00:11:44.480 --> 00:12:06.320 Help us, Father, to not just have information, but Lord, that that information would be backed up by you showing yourself, performing signs and wonders and miracles and healing, and Father bringing about the desired end result that you have of transformation in each and every one of our lives. 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:09.519 We thank you for it in Jesus' name. 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:16.559 We're not going to sing the original song this morning, but there's a new version that I've asked Brooke to sing for us this morning. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:07.039 So she can sing that song and really feel something while she's singing it for sure. 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:10.160 So thank you very much, Zach and Brooke. 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:13.920 So my wife and I are the parents of four amazing children. 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:15.759 We're so grateful for them. 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:22.880 But try as I might, I can't begin to understand what it must feel like to be a mother. 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:27.440 What it must be like to carry a child through pregnancy. 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:28.720 I just have no way. 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:33.279 And honestly, can I be honest with you, completely honest, I don't want to know. 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:38.160 I just all the men in the room said amen. 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:52.480 I've also discovered through talking with ladies through the years that uh even though it's a similar experience, there's a commonality to it, and yet uh every story is a little bit different. 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:54.799 Every experience is somewhat unique. 00:17:54.799 --> 00:18:03.279 Even for Amy with our four children, she can look back and talk about the differences in the pregnancies and the deliveries and all that. 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:05.119 And it goes on from there, right? 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:08.079 The uniqueness of each person, of each child. 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:09.680 It's really miraculous. 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:13.759 If you don't believe in miracles, you just need to watch a baby be born. 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:21.359 It's incredibly hard to fathom or imagine the miracle of birth. 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:25.759 There's some mystery here, even though there's much that is tangible. 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:29.680 And uh as we look at Mary, enter her into this equation. 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:35.200 She's a young Jewish woman who is betrothed, and betrothed means engagement. 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:39.519 But think engagement, but you'd have to have a divorce in order to break it off. 00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:42.079 So it's like we're really going to get married. 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:53.359 Like we've there's there's an investment of, you know, the Joseph has pledged some cows and some gold or some different things, and uh, so this is actually going to happen. 00:18:53.359 --> 00:19:02.240 They are going to get married, and she's engaged or betrothed to Joseph, and they live in a small Galilean town called Nazareth. 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:03.279 Nazareth. 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:06.720 Can anything good come out of Nazareth? 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:12.960 Seemingly there's she's no one special, there's nothing to see here, it's that kind of a reality. 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:16.559 And all of a sudden, an angel shows up, Gabriel. 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:18.880 And by the way, Gabriel's been pretty busy. 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:24.640 If you remember a couple of weeks ago, who was it that appeared to Zechariah to tell him about John the Baptist? 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:35.200 It was the same angel, it was Gabriel, a messenger from heaven, a messenger of God who was sent to declare the word of God to Zechariah first, and now to Mary. 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:38.160 Uh and so let's talk about Mary's God encounter. 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:43.200 Let's look back at verses 28 through 30 of Luke chapter 1 to begin this. 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:45.519 Greetings, O favored One. 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:47.359 This is the angel speaking to her. 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:49.119 Greetings, O favored One. 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:51.039 The Lord is with you. 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:52.960 It's interesting. 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:59.759 Uh, last week or two weeks ago, when we had our last uh Wednesday night Bible study, we discussed Jehovah Shah. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:05.440 And Jehovah Shaman means the Lord is with you. 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:06.640 The Lord is with us. 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:13.119 So it's kind of an interesting tie-in that now we see in this very uh story, which is a true story. 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:15.920 By the way, it's not fiction, it's not something like Santa Claus. 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:18.799 This actually did happen, right? 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:22.559 And so the angel says to her, The Lord is with you. 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:28.319 But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:33.839 And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:37.039 Now let's remind ourselves of the scenario. 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:45.200 Remember, 400 years of silence, where God has not spoken through a major prophet to the nation of Israel. 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:54.559 And there's been relatively not hardly any signs of the movement of God or the hand of God within the nation of Israel. 00:20:54.559 --> 00:21:00.240 And here is Mary just going about her regular business, betrothed to Joseph, getting ready to be married. 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:07.519 Joseph's doing all the work that he needs to do in order to fulfill the requirements of the pledge that he's made to Mary's family. 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:12.960 And as that's occurring, this angel appears to Mary and tells her of all of these things. 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:21.519 You can imagine how jarring that must have been, how unique or uh you know different this experience would have been for her. 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:26.319 God's message to Mary doesn't start with a request. 00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:27.680 Did you notice that? 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:33.839 So many times we feel like we just want to jump to the end and we want to say, what is it that you want from God? 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:38.559 Sometimes God wants to say something before he asks something. 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:46.480 And in this scenario, God says to Mary, He wants her to know that she is one of His and that He is with her. 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:52.880 How many of you know she's going to need to know that when He tells her the rest of the story? 00:21:52.880 --> 00:22:05.200 She's going to need to know that she's highly favored, that He has chosen her, that He sees her for who she is, that He's decided that she's the one and that He is with her. 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:12.319 Because He's going to ask something of her that is just blows your mind, hard to fathom. 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:18.720 What a loving father that would be so concerned with her well-being and not just how he could use her. 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:22.720 God isn't just looking for a vessel to do something with or through. 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:29.599 He's concerned about the very vessel that he's going to use to perform this miracle. 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:32.480 Does that tell us anything about the nature of God? 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:34.240 I hope it does. 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:42.240 So talking about feelings and expecting to feel God, Mary's first feeling when encountering God in this way is kind of strange. 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:43.359 It's fear. 00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:49.119 Mary's first feeling is fear, but duh, what would you feel? 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:52.880 Would you be high five in the angel Gabriel? 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:54.960 Yo, yo, I've got some cookies for you. 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:57.519 No, I mean, what would you what would you be doing? 00:22:57.519 --> 00:23:01.039 You'd probably be doing what Mary did. 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:06.799 You'd be shaking, you'd be nervous, you would be questioning what is going on here. 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:09.599 Her first thought is fear. 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:13.839 And there are different kinds of fear when it comes to the way that people view God. 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:24.880 How many of you know the only ones who have a reason to have a sense of dread when it comes to God are those who are unbelievers, those who don't have a right relationship with Him. 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:29.519 For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:35.039 Fear which is based on eternal separation from Him. 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:37.599 That is real fear. 00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:50.400 When we have a chance to minister to people during the holidays, especially, let's remember that when they encounter God, sometimes this is the fear that they first experience. 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:56.400 But for the believer, the fear of God is something much different. 00:23:56.400 --> 00:24:01.599 The believer's fear is a deep sense of awe and reverence for Him. 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:09.759 The author of Hebrews says it like this therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:13.359 And thus let us offer to God acceptable worship. 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:14.400 Isn't it interesting? 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:17.920 Even in the context of this verse, what is he talking about? 00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:19.519 Worshiping God. 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:25.039 Let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe. 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:29.839 For our God is a consuming fire. 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:33.279 He is not a celestial Santa Claus. 00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:36.160 He is not a holy Mr. 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:37.039 Rogers. 00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:41.359 He is not a genie in a bottle. 00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:47.039 God is a God to be reverenced, to be feared. 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:52.160 And a healthy fear of God is severely lacking in today's church. 00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:58.240 It is severely lacking in the Church of Jesus Christ. 00:24:58.240 --> 00:25:08.799 And my friends, before the Lord returns to this planet to take those that he's called to himself, the fear of God will return to the Church of Jesus Christ. 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:11.759 Make no mistake about it. 00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:26.480 For many, worship is looked at as something to be endured, something to get through, and not as the amazing reality that we are invited into the very presence and the very heart of God. 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:31.599 There's a lack of the fear of God in the church today. 00:25:31.599 --> 00:25:38.480 We should not grow content with this sort of existence, with this sort of reality. 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:42.240 It should bother us in our own personal lives. 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:54.000 It should get to the very core of our souls if we begin to lose the fear of God, the awe and respect and wonder of who He really is. 00:25:54.000 --> 00:26:21.519 We will not settle for a non for not experiencing the fear of God in the way that we're supposed to. 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:24.960 It's not good enough. 00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:31.359 So I want to encourage all of us today, search your hearts. 00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:35.039 Check your motivation. 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:40.240 Ask yourself the question: do I really have a sense of awe and wonder? 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:47.279 When I come to him and worship, am I really pushing away the distractions? 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:53.039 Am I really focusing in on him the way that he deserves to be focused in on? 00:26:53.039 --> 00:26:58.640 Do I really consider him to be holy like no other? 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:03.680 You can breathe. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:06.079 That's the hardest part right there. 00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:13.119 God does a great exchange for Mary, relieving her fear by the angel telling her not to be afraid. 00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:17.279 And he reiterates the fact that she has found favor with God. 00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:20.480 What a beautiful thing. 00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:22.319 She has found favor with God. 00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:25.279 And then he begins to tell her the big news. 00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:27.279 It goes on in verse 31. 00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:33.680 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:37.200 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. 00:27:37.200 --> 00:27:48.720 And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:52.640 This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:27:52.640 --> 00:28:01.039 These are the words of God spoken to Mary in the infant stage, if that makes sense, using that terminology. 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:07.759 So Mary is living in poverty, living in obscurity, living in Nazareth. 00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:15.599 God is calling her to have the honor of being the mother of the Messiah, Jesus, whose name means Savior. 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:26.319 Jesus, the Savior of the world, Jesus, the Son of God, who will fulfill his promises, made to Israel and will establish an everlasting kingdom. 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:31.519 How many of you know 2,000 years later, his kingdom is alive and well? 00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:34.319 And it will endure to the end. 00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:37.440 It is a forever kingdom. 00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:42.880 So Mary's first feeling is fear, and God helped her with that. 00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:45.119 The second feeling is uncertainty. 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:46.799 Let's read verse 34. 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:51.599 And Mary said to the angel, How will this be since I am a virgin? 00:28:51.599 --> 00:28:54.960 Is that a bad question? 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:56.400 No. 00:28:56.400 --> 00:28:58.799 Pretty solid question, actually. 00:28:58.799 --> 00:29:01.680 Notice she didn't say, This can't be. 00:29:01.680 --> 00:29:03.200 This isn't possible. 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:05.039 She says, How will it be? 00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:06.559 How is this going to happen? 00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:12.079 She knows that she can't yet have conceived a child because she's a virgin. 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:14.319 She's never been with a man. 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:18.240 And so she's simply asking for clarification. 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:25.759 And notice God doesn't punish her for this question or change his mind and say, Oh, I'm moving on to the next Mary. 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:31.039 He's concerned with her, and he's concerned with her heart. 00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:33.599 He's concerned with her questions. 00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:37.920 And he's concerned that she understands what is being asked of her. 00:29:37.920 --> 00:29:41.119 And he simply graciously answers her question. 00:29:41.119 --> 00:29:43.680 Look at Luke 1:35. 00:29:43.680 --> 00:29:50.079 And the angel answered her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:55.839 Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 00:29:55.839 --> 00:29:58.720 Come on. 00:29:58.720 --> 00:30:06.640 In order for Jesus to be able to be the Savior of the world, he had to be sinless. 00:30:06.640 --> 00:30:08.799 He had to be sinless. 00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:12.720 Every person born since Adam was born what? 00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:17.119 Dead in sin and trespasses. 00:30:17.119 --> 00:30:24.000 And so, in order for there to be a true substitutionary sacrifice, a human being had to be born. 00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:27.599 But that person couldn't be born from the seed of man. 00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:31.119 Because if they were born from the seed of man, they weren't perfect. 00:30:31.119 --> 00:30:36.000 They couldn't be perfect because sin would have been a part of their lives. 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:37.519 And so what did God do? 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:40.559 He created a workaround like only God can do. 00:30:40.559 --> 00:30:47.119 In order for Jesus to be a pure sacrifice, like I said, he couldn't be encumbered by the curse of sin. 00:30:47.119 --> 00:30:49.440 God's plan was perfect in every way. 00:30:49.440 --> 00:30:56.319 The creator of all things would place the seed of Jesus that was promised in Genesis 3.15. 00:30:56.319 --> 00:30:57.759 Remember? 00:30:57.759 --> 00:31:06.559 When the curses were given out, God also made a promise that there would be the seed of a woman who would come and that Satan would attempt to strike his heel. 00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:08.400 But what would that seed do? 00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:10.960 Crush his head. 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:25.839 Jesus, the singular seed of a woman, and yet God, the creator of all things, was miraculously by the Holy Spirit going to place Jesus in Mary's womb, and therefore he could meet the righteous requirements. 00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:28.400 God's pretty smart. 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:36.319 If we just started out every day just saying that, God, you're pretty smart. 00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:37.519 You know what you're doing. 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:40.079 Help me to come in line with what you want for today. 00:31:40.079 --> 00:31:43.519 Imagine how our lives would change dramatically. 00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:45.200 Oh my goodness. 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:52.240 So think about this overshadowing, the Holy Spirit coming upon Mary. 00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:54.799 Does it remind you of anything? 00:31:54.799 --> 00:32:08.000 How about the Shekinah glory cloud found in the Old Testament that would come and hover over the tabernacle when praise and worship ushered in the presence of Almighty God? 00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:11.440 Let's read about it in 2 Chronicles 5. 00:32:11.440 --> 00:32:18.559 And it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. 00:32:18.559 --> 00:32:20.079 Do you see the context here? 00:32:20.079 --> 00:32:22.079 What are they involved with? 00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:24.720 Praise and worship. 00:32:24.720 --> 00:32:36.640 And when the song was raised with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments and praise to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. 00:32:36.640 --> 00:32:49.440 The house, the house of the Lord was filled with the cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. 00:32:49.440 --> 00:32:57.440 This same glory that filled the house of God in the Old Testament filled the house where Mary was. 00:32:57.440 --> 00:33:12.960 And how many of you know in a few, in a few days, in a few years, about 33 years later, it was going to fill another house in an upper room, and tongues as a fire was going to set upon each one as they were filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:33:12.960 --> 00:33:17.920 A similar dynamic to what we're talking about is found throughout all the scriptures. 00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:20.319 God loves to show up and show off. 00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:23.440 And for Him, it's the right thing to do. 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:31.440 So let's talk about some different types of responses to the presence of God. 00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:34.960 And I want this to be a judgment-free zone. 00:33:34.960 --> 00:33:35.759 Can we do that? 00:33:35.759 --> 00:33:38.720 So let's just think about ourselves right now. 00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:43.279 Let's not think about our wives, our husbands, our children, anybody else in the church. 00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:50.319 Because it'd be very easy for us to translate to them the way that they should respond to experiencing the glory of God. 00:33:50.319 --> 00:33:51.200 Right? 00:33:51.200 --> 00:33:55.759 So the first category I'm going to call quiet and internal responses. 00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:58.160 Quiet and internal responses. 00:33:58.160 --> 00:33:59.599 Well, that can't be God. 00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:01.839 Well, could it be? 00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:02.720 Yeah, it could be. 00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:04.640 And this is what that could look like. 00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:07.200 How about deep peace and calm? 00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:14.239 Some of you experience the presence of God in this way, and you respond in this way. 00:34:14.239 --> 00:34:20.880 It's like there's just this knowing that He is God and that you can trust Him. 00:34:20.880 --> 00:34:34.880 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guards your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and overshadows you and over and fills you up to the fact to where everything else gets diminished. 00:34:34.880 --> 00:34:38.239 Don't you love that? 00:34:38.239 --> 00:34:44.000 Sometimes a quiet and internal response might feel like warmth or love. 00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:49.119 I've heard some people describe it like liquid sunshine being poured into their soul, their hearts. 00:34:49.119 --> 00:34:50.880 Do you know what I'm talking about? 00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:52.639 Talking about feelings, okay? 00:34:52.639 --> 00:34:54.079 Guys, it's all right. 00:34:54.079 --> 00:35:00.079 We all feel things, and God can cause us to feel Himself. 00:35:00.079 --> 00:35:03.519 He wants us to experience Him in these ways. 00:35:03.519 --> 00:35:05.840 His warmth, His love. 00:35:05.840 --> 00:35:08.320 How about prayer? 00:35:08.320 --> 00:35:15.840 Sometimes a quiet and internal response is just us expressing ourselves in prayer to God. 00:35:15.840 --> 00:35:22.639 Now we get to the fun stuff: the expressive and physical responses. 00:35:22.639 --> 00:35:27.920 God sometimes moves upon your heart, and there's you need to let it out. 00:35:27.920 --> 00:35:30.000 It's like you can't contain it. 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:31.599 It's like Jeremiah. 00:35:31.599 --> 00:35:36.320 He tried to be quiet, he tried to not preach, but he couldn't stop himself. 00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:41.920 It says that it was like a fire shut up in his bones, and it found its way out of him. 00:35:41.920 --> 00:35:47.840 You imagine a preacher that was told by God, nobody's ever gonna listen to you? 00:35:47.840 --> 00:35:56.960 Sometimes when I'm having a bad day, I just I just I just say, at least I'm not Jeremiah, right? 00:35:56.960 --> 00:36:02.239 But think about these kinds of responses, weeping. 00:36:02.239 --> 00:36:11.440 Sometimes when the goodness of God, when you when you experience the goodness of God, you can't help but weep. 00:36:11.440 --> 00:36:29.840 And on the other end of that, sometimes it's laughter, sometimes it's rejoicing, sometimes it's celebration, sometimes you might kneel or you might bow down before him in his presence, you might shout or sing out or prophesy. 00:36:29.840 --> 00:36:37.840 You might raise your hands or be filled with joy and jump and dance, and won't somebody run around this room. 00:36:37.840 --> 00:36:45.599 All of these things, as Mark said last week, are found in the scriptures. 00:36:45.599 --> 00:36:53.519 These are all responses to God's presence, to the essence, God revealing to us. 00:36:53.519 --> 00:36:54.880 What is the glory of God? 00:36:54.880 --> 00:37:09.280 It's Him giving us a taste of the essence of who He is, the aroma of who He is, the uh the very core of who He is. 00:37:09.280 --> 00:37:17.840 So we shouldn't consider these things extraordinary or it's things that should only happen once in a while. 00:37:17.840 --> 00:37:21.599 These should be normative types of responses. 00:37:21.599 --> 00:37:38.320 This is a normal way to respond to a holy God when you're walking in the fear of the Lord and you understand who He is and who you are and you express uh either quietly or outwardly what's happening on the inside. 00:37:38.320 --> 00:37:41.519 This is normal for believers in Jesus Christ. 00:37:41.519 --> 00:37:51.519 I feel like that Satan has done a good job of quieting us down, of stealing our praise. 00:37:51.519 --> 00:37:55.599 And I'm here to tell you, I'm not gonna let a rock take my place. 00:37:55.599 --> 00:38:01.199 The Bible says that if we don't praise him, rocks will cry out in our place. 00:38:01.199 --> 00:38:09.519 And I, for one, am not going to be substituted for a piece of granite by a piece of granite. 00:38:09.519 --> 00:38:18.000 But we shouldn't, we also listen to me carefully, we also shouldn't do these things just to appear religious. 00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:29.039 Many of us have experienced times in the past where we've been in meetings or been with other people, and the same people do the same thing every single time. 00:38:32.400 --> 00:38:34.079 And they do it right up front. 00:38:37.280 --> 00:38:38.159 How many of you know? 00:38:38.159 --> 00:38:43.440 God isn't looking for show-offs, but for sincere worshipers. 00:38:43.440 --> 00:38:53.039 So if in the sincerity of your heart you feel like shouting, let it out. 00:38:53.039 --> 00:39:13.440 If in the sincerity of your heart you feel like jumping up and down, jump up and down, if in the sincerity of your heart you feel like falling on your face before God and crying out to him, I'll never forget the true worshiper that we experienced for so many years in this church that sat right there. 00:39:13.440 --> 00:39:23.519 Pat Nooner understood something about the manifest presence of God and reverence for him. 00:39:23.519 --> 00:39:34.400 And although she had so many physical limitations, you don't even know the type of pain that she endured. 00:39:34.400 --> 00:39:36.719 She would give her all. 00:39:36.719 --> 00:40:03.440 God said, Mary, just so you know, you're not the only one. 00:40:03.440 --> 00:40:05.360 This is happening in many places. 00:40:05.360 --> 00:40:07.840 There's revival sparking in Israel. 00:40:07.840 --> 00:40:11.119 I'm opening wombs I'm doing things unheard of. 00:40:11.119 --> 00:40:16.320 I know it's been 400 years of silence, but wake up, Israel. 00:40:16.320 --> 00:40:18.000 Wake up, America. 00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:30.000 Luke 136, and behold, your relative Elizabeth, in her old age, has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who has called, who was called barren. 00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:34.079 For nothing will be impossible with God. 00:40:34.079 --> 00:40:36.480 Can you say that with me? 00:40:36.480 --> 00:40:40.079 For nothing will be impossible with God. 00:40:40.079 --> 00:40:47.760 The answer to every question that Mary could ask, and even the sincerest of sincerest, is what? 00:40:47.760 --> 00:40:50.960 Nothing is impossible with God. 00:40:50.960 --> 00:40:52.880 God is a chainbreaker. 00:40:52.880 --> 00:40:54.480 He's a miracle worker. 00:40:54.480 --> 00:40:59.599 God is a God who heals spirit, soul, and body. 00:40:59.599 --> 00:41:06.400 And he can do anything that he wants, any time that he wants, in any way that he wants. 00:41:06.400 --> 00:41:11.760 Our job is to move from uncertainty to what? 00:41:11.760 --> 00:41:13.679 To faith. 00:41:13.679 --> 00:41:17.920 Faith, Mary's third feeling is faith. 00:41:17.920 --> 00:41:19.199 Luke 138. 00:41:19.199 --> 00:41:22.159 And Mary said, Behold, I'm the servant of the Lord. 00:41:22.159 --> 00:41:24.960