Christmas Calls You to Inconvenience.

Chris Bolt

[0:09] Good morning, go ahead and take a seat. [0:11] My name is Chris. [0:12] I’m one of the pastors here. [0:13] Welcome to Village Church. [0:15] I invite you to join me in Luke chapter one. [0:18] I’m going to begin in verse 26 in just a moment.

[0:24] Mary did not know everything.

[0:30] The angel Gabriel had given the prophet Daniel a word concerning the Messiah’s coming back [0:37] in the book of Daniel. [0:39] And now 500 years later, the same angel Gabriel gives this young woman, Mary, a message concerning [0:50] the birth of a son, our savior, who is Christ the Lord. [0:54] And so the calling of God comes to Mary through the angel Gabriel, and she still does not [1:01] know everything.

[1:03] Whatever your thoughts on the song, Mary, did you know? [1:06] We have ample evidence that Mary did not know everything, nor do you and I know anywhere [1:14] near as much as we might think that we know. [1:17] That’s true in general, but I’m being very specific here with regard to the calling [1:23] of God upon your life. [1:27] So I hope you understand this morning that this is between the word of God and you and

[1:33] the spirit, because I don’t know everything about the calling of God upon your life. [1:40] I do not know either, though, that some of you would be willing to be inconvenienced [1:48] by the calling of God the way that Mary was. [1:52] And part of that is that you do not fully appreciate what God can do through your calling. [2:00] Look with me in Luke 1, starting in verse 26. [2:03] In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth

[2:08] to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. [2:13] And the virgin’s name was Mary, and he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, [2:18] the Lord is with you. [2:19] But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting [2:25] this might be. [2:27] And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God, and

[2:33] behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. [2:40] He will be great. [2:41] He will be called the son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne [2:45] of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom [2:49] there will be no end. [2:51] And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I’m a virgin?

[2:57] And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most [3:00] High will overshadow you. [3:02] Therefore the child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God. [3:08] Mary’s called a virgin here twice in verse 27, and she repeats it again in verse 34, [3:14] when she asked, How will this be since I’m a virgin? [3:18] Again, Mary knows some things, but Mary doesn’t know all things.

[3:21] She doesn’t doubt, but she is struck with wonder. [3:25] And the angel answers her in verse 35, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power [3:32] of the Most High will overshadow you. [3:34] Therefore the child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God. [3:38] Now, if you think back, Adam and Eve are the only two people to have ever lived without [3:45] having had an earthly father or mother.

[3:49] Like Adam and Eve, Jesus has no earthly father. [3:53] But unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus does have an earthly mother. [4:00] Nobody else who has ever existed can say that he or she has only an earthly mother. [4:06] Jesus is the only man in history who is uniquely the seed of the woman. [4:13] He is the one who will fatally bruise the head of the seed of the serpent. [4:20] Theologian, Millard Erickson says that there are stories of how Zeus begat Hercules,

[4:26] Perseus, and Alexander, and of Apollos’ begetting Ion, Asclepius, Pythagoras, Plato, Augustus. [4:34] These myths, however, are nothing more than stories about fornication between [4:40] divine and human beings, which is something radically different from the biblical accounts [4:44] of the virgin birth. [4:46] And so when some fool tries to tell you that Christianity is a copycat religion, [4:52] that it’s a ripoff, don’t believe him.

[4:55] The life-giving spirit whose name literally means, by the way, breath or wind, [5:01] creates life in Mary. [5:04] It’s not the father you notice, as with the blasphemous doctrine of the Church of Jesus [5:10] Christ of Latter-day Saints. [5:11] It’s the spirit who brings about this life in Mary. [5:15] Hebrews 10-5, we read that when Christ came into the world,

[5:18] He said, sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me. [5:24] And in Jeremiah 31-22, how long will you waver, O faithless daughter, [5:28] for the Lord has created a new thing on the earth, a woman in circles, a man. [5:33] And so Mary is overshadowed, as in Genesis 1-2, where the earth was without form and void, [5:40] and darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering [5:47] over the face of the waters.

[5:49] And in Exodus 40-34-35, there we see the cloud covered the tent of meeting, [5:56] and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. [5:59] And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, [6:05] and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. [6:08] This overshadowing work of the Spirit should give us pause in being too particular [6:15] about the miraculous workings of God, because a great mystery is implied by the cloudiness of

[6:22] it all. Nevertheless, we can know some things. Humor me for a moment on the theology of the [6:28] situation. I’ve received this question actually quite a few times in the last several months. [6:33] The theologian Francis Turriton writes this. [6:37] Now the Spirit acts here not materially, but efficiently, by power, not by seed, by might, [6:49] not by intercourse. So that He was conceived, that is Christ was conceived, from the power of [6:56] Spirit, not from the substance of the Spirit, not by generation, but by blessing and consecration,

[7:05] as the ancients express it. Thus the preposition, ek, and he’s referring here to the Greek, [7:11] marks the efficient cause as often elsewhere when all things are said to be from God, [7:17] and the pious are said to be born of God, not indeed the material cause, [7:23] as when it is described to the Virgin of whom He is said to have been born. [7:28] And so the Holy Spirit’s role in the incarnation is best understood as a convergence of three [7:33] biblical categories or themes. The Spirit’s life-giving power as God, His sanctifying presence,

[7:40] and His participation in the new covenant creation. According to Psalm 51.5, you may [7:46] remember David praying and saying, look, in sin my mother conceived me. And so we’re all born in sin, [7:53] but Jesus is not. Yet Jesus is not sinless because He is born only of a woman. Rather, [8:02] Christ is when He is born already the eternal Son of God, and is set apart in the incarnation [8:09] by the Spirit, from the sin of man, and unto the purposes of God. The incarnation, in other words, [8:18] you know this, is redemptive in nature. Remember the reason for the season. The Son of God must

[8:28] take on human flesh to die for our sins. God cannot die without taking the human nature to Himself. [8:39] And so the Spirit overshadows Mary, and it’s for this reason that the child to be born [8:44] will be called holy. So perhaps meditate on all of this the next time you’re tempted to debate [8:54] what Mary did or did not know. Mary did not know how this will be, but Mary did not know what it [9:01] would mean to mother the Son of God either. She hadn’t experienced that yet, and so it is with you.

[9:09] Like Mary, God is calling you to things that you don’t yet fully understand. Because you haven’t [9:17] experienced them yet. And this should trouble you in your flesh. And here’s why. God’s calling [9:27] is inconvenient. Now I didn’t mean when I titled this sermon to have it snow today. Or to have [9:36] inconveniences beset us, but it is true that God’s calling is inconvenient. Mary [9:44] and Joseph are of the house of David, but Mary’s a poor virgin. Joseph is a [9:49] carpenter, Galilee is a place that’s hated by the Jews, and Nazareth is hated

[9:54] even more. So it’s a pathetic place here that the line of David defines itself in. [10:01] I don’t know whether you’ve ever given much thought to the the text though, from [10:06] the perspective of Mary. She’s not a goddess to be worshiped, she’s not a [10:11] flawless figure beyond our reach. She’s a young woman with ordinary hopes. She [10:17] wants to marry Joseph, she wants to build a life, she wants to plan a future. [10:22] Have you ever had any plans like that? Maybe you want to get married, maybe

[10:26] you’re looking forward to a child, maybe you want to buy a house, maybe you want [10:30] to start a business, maybe you’re going back to school, and none of these desires [10:35] need be opposed to the will of God. Mary has plans, and you would think that Mary [10:42] would, or God rather, you would think that God would allow Mary to have just [10:46] this one thing, right, this desire of her heart. But then God interrupts her plans. [10:53] Her dreams are not sinful, but God’s purpose is greater. Mary will name her

[11:00] child Jesus, and Jesus will be great. The text tells us this. Jesus will be called [11:04] the Son of the Most High. Jesus has David for his father. The Lord God will [11:08] give Jesus the throne. Jesus will reign over the house of Jacob forever. Of the [11:12] kingdom of Christ Jesus, there will be no end. The Lord is with Mary in all of [11:17] this, but imagine how Mary must feel. Mary is favored, but not sinless. Mary is [11:28] blessed, but not untroubled. Mary, by the way, is probably the one who relayed

[11:36] this account to Luke, which gives us this insight into her psychology. Mary [11:42] doesn’t know exactly what’s going on in terms of Gabriel’s message, as we’ve [11:47] mentioned in verse 30. She’s either afraid or tempted to be afraid, and we [11:51] know that because the angel tells her not to be afraid. But what is interesting [11:56] is that by that point, Mary has moved on from any potential fear of the mere [12:01] appearance of the angel. She is now contemplating the saying, and that’s when

[12:07] the angel says, do not be afraid. Mary’s fear can’t be fear of the angel alone, [12:13] but must have something to do with the meaning of this greeting, the [12:17] consequences of this message. She tries to discern it, and nevertheless she [12:23] shouldn’t be afraid, because as we’re told here, she’s found favor with God. Now [12:27] this introduction of inconvenience into the life of Mary reminds us of the [12:33] inconvenience of Abram, or Abraham, back in Genesis 12, 1 through 3, and being

[12:37] called to leave his country and his kin, all for a bigger purpose. Back in Genesis [12:42] 12, 1 through 3, we read, now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your [12:47] kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you, and I’ll make [12:51] you a great nation, and I’ll bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a [12:54] blessing. I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you, I will [12:58] curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Mary will face

[13:06] also spiritual warfare associated with bearing and birthing and raising the Son [13:13] of God. We get a glimpse of this struggle between good and evil way back at the [13:19] back of your Bible in Revelation chapter 12, verses 1 through 6. Our reality there [13:24] is peeled back to show us this woman and this red dragon, and in Revelation 12, 1 [13:30] through 6, we read, a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, [13:35] with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was

[13:39] pregnant and was crying out in birth pains in the agony of giving birth, and [13:45] another sign appeared in heaven, behold a great red dragon with seven heads and [13:48] ten horns and on his head seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars [13:53] of heaven and cast them to the earth, and the dragon stood before the woman who [13:56] was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child, he might devour it. [14:01] She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with the rod

[14:05] of iron, but her child was called up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled [14:09] into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to [14:13] be nourished for 1260 days, and so this spiritual warfare that’s happening here [14:19] ranges well beyond the obvious agonies associated with childbirth itself, the [14:24] things with which we are familiar. I mean, Mary may have had a craving for [14:28] Cinnabon delights from Taco Bell, and it wasn’t invented yet, so there’s certainly

[14:33] inconvenience here, okay? There are uncertainties of the wonders to come in [14:38] the life of the Christ child. You want to go and check that out, don’t you? You’re [14:43] after service, see if they have them, but more pressing than that for the young [14:48] Virgin Mary is the overwhelming inconvenience of absolute reputational [14:56] disaster. By every human measurement, Mary should be ashamed. Think about that. [15:06] The repeated mention of her reputation being ruined apart from faith provides

[15:12] us actually with an apologetic argument for the miracle of the Virgin birth. If [15:17] this story were all made up, then no reason exists to include anything like [15:24] this sign of the Virgin birth in the gospel narrative, but add to that, that [15:30] later on in Luke 2.35, Simeon takes another angle on the inconvenience of [15:34] Mary. He says there, a sword will pierce through your own soul also, speaking to [15:41] Mary, so that thoughts for many hearts may be revealed. Simeon tells Mary that

[15:46] following this child will come at a great personal cost. Mary herself will be [15:50] deeply wounded by what happens to her son. Yes, part of that pain will come from how [15:55] people talk about her, this young unmarried woman who became pregnant, is going to face [16:00] suspicion and gossip and judgment. I mean, just look at what Joseph initially thought, [16:05] but more than that, John Gill writes this. He says, as he was a man of sorrows, so she, [16:11] a woman of sorrows, from his cradle to his cross and his sorrows, like so many darts

[16:16] or javelins, rebounded from him to her and pierced her soul through as when Herod saw [16:21] his life, when she had lost him for a whole day, and when he was frequently exposed to [16:26] danger among the spiteful and malicious Jews, but never more than when she stood at his [16:31] cross and saw him in his agonies, extended on the tree, bleeding, gasping, and dying. [16:39] Well, Simeon explains that Jesus also exposes what’s really in people’s hearts. And you know [16:47] this, some people love Jesus, other people reject him, some pretend to follow him, others are

[16:54] openly opposed to him. How you respond to Jesus reveals who you truly are. Jesus forces a decision. [17:05] And so the thoughts from many hearts are revealed. We would do well to remember this at Christmas [17:12] time. Jesus doesn’t just come for our comfort. He comes to bring clarity, and in that he also [17:21] brings great inconvenience. If you would follow Jesus like Abraham and like Mary, then Jesus will [17:31] inconvenience you too. Mark 8 34 teaches this. Calling a crowd to him with his disciples, Jesus [17:38] said to them, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow

[17:44] me. For whoever would save his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life for my sake in the Gospels [17:50] will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what [17:54] a man give in return for his soul? Understand this. God will ruin your life.

[18:04] God will disrupt whatever good thing you think you have going. The calling of God will [18:13] inconvenience you and more. The gospel promises new life, but not an easier life. God doesn’t [18:22] give you a new life by making everything comfortable. He gives you a new life by [18:26] rearranging everything. Mary shows us that clearly her plans are ruined. Her reputations [18:34] questioned. Her relationships are strained. From the moment God calls Mary, her life doesn’t become [18:41] simpler. Her life becomes harder. Obedience doesn’t protect her from difficulty. Obedience

[18:47] guarantees her difficulty and yet it’s the best life possible. Not because it feels good, [18:53] but because God is at work. And I think some of us need to hear that this morning. Mary doesn’t [19:01] get the life she would have chosen, but she receives the life that God designed. And through [19:07] that ruined life, God brings salvation to those who trust in Christ. And that’s how God is willing [19:12] to work with you too. But some self-awareness might show you that you want God’s mission [19:19] without disruption. You want purpose without inconvenience. You want obedience without cost.

[19:24] Jesus never promises a life without interruption. Jesus promises a transformed life. His calling [19:32] will mess up your plans. It will stretch your schedule. It’ll put an end to your expectation, [19:37] but that prepares you for what lies ahead. And so what are you holding back from God [19:43] right now? What part of your life do you want him to stay well away from? What person or thing [19:49] do you falsely believe that you can control in your life? And you try to justify this by painting [19:56] it in the best light possible. And I know for some of you, it’s your reputation. Almost everything

[20:02] you do stems from trying to prove something to someone somewhere all the time. What a way [20:10] to absolutely waste your life through your vanity rather than inconveniently following the one who [20:19] bore our reproach to give us something more. Some of you are wondering if there’s more to life [20:26] and you’re missing out on the life you have. You keep building castles in the air. You’re [20:31] chasing pipe dreams while ignoring how God wants to bless you through receiving his inconvenience [20:36] in the things that are nearest to you. You dream of learning theology. You won’t serve on Sunday

[20:43] mornings. You dream of building a multi-generational farm, but you won’t become a member in a local [20:49] church. You dream of being a missionary, perhaps even a martyr. Maybe you’re the next Charlie Kirk [20:55] or something, but you can’t get up out of bed and go to discipleship group. You raise your hands [21:00] during worship through song, but you can’t give financially to the church. These are all much [21:08] smaller inconveniences than what Abraham or Mary had to go through in becoming the mother of God. [21:16] Mary was inconvenienced and trusted God anyway, and that’s why we remember her. That’s why we’re

[21:21] even talking about this. And if you want to live a life of faith, you must be willing to let God [21:25] ruin your plans to give you something far better. So give God what you’re holding back. [21:34] God’s calling though is not all negative in some way. God’s calling changes your trajectory. [21:42] Look in Luke 1, 45 through 48. This is Elizabeth speaking and she says, and blessed is she, [21:49] referring to Mary, who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from [21:54] the Lord. Now that’s different from the way her husband responded to it, and he should have known

[21:59] better. And Mary said, verse 46, my soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God, my savior, [22:06] for he has looked on the humblest state of his servant for behold, from now on all generations [22:11] will call me blessed. Elizabeth calls Mary blessed or blessed multiple times. It’s not because she’s [22:17] Roman Catholic. She isn’t saying that Mary is sinless. It doesn’t teach that. [22:23] Mary needs a savior even. Rather, she rightly recognizes that Mary is blessed according to [22:30] her faith in the word of the Lord, which will be fulfilled. Mary doesn’t argue or demand proof or

[22:37] ask for a sign. She trusts the Lord. And so Elizabeth’s point is that the truly blessed [22:43] person is the one who takes God at his word, no matter how unlikely it sounds. And that radically [22:49] changes the way the person’s life will go. That doesn’t stop with Mary. Any one of you here [22:58] who truly believes shares in that same blessing. Faith itself is a gift from God. [23:05] It’s produced by his spirit. It’s evidence that God’s already at work in a person’s life. [23:09] Not only does faith in the risen Christ justify us, that kind of faith is accompanied by good

[23:17] works. And here’s the thing. That is the kind of faith that brings permanent transformation. It [23:24] changes your trajectory. If you believe God’s good news in his word, then you’re already living [23:32] the reality of God’s promises. You’re forgiven of your sins through the death, burial and [23:36] resurrection of Jesus Christ. You’re counted right in God’s sight. You’re welcomed into God’s [23:41] family. You’re given confidence to come before God in prayer. You’re promised an eternal future [23:47] with God. And along the way, you’re going to experience times of peace and joy and lasting

[23:53] comfort. Your life will bring glory to God. In the end, you’ll be fully and finally saved by him. [24:00] And so this description of Mary in verse 45 is the blessed one who believed that there would be a [24:05] fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord is similar to again, Abraham. When God spoke [24:12] to him about fulfillment of a promise. Genesis 15 six, I always tell my students as a memory verse, [24:17] you need to know this verse Genesis 15 six and he that is Abraham believed the Lord and he counted [24:25] it to him as righteousness. Yet those who are called to believe whether Abraham or Mary or you

[24:33] are not only counted righteous, you actually begin to practice righteousness as a sign that [24:38] you are born again, born from above, born of the Holy Spirit of God. Look in first John 2 29. [24:44] If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness, [24:50] past tense has been born of him. First John 3 9, no one born of God makes a practice of [24:57] God. Seed abides in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. [25:04] First John 4 7 beloved, let us love one another for love is from God and whoever loves has been

[25:11] born of God and knows God. You see the miraculous generation of Christ in the womb of Mary and our [25:19] regeneration or new birth in Christ share the same cause, which is the work of the Holy Spirit. [25:27] Jesus speaks about this in John 3 5 through 8 when he’s speaking to to the teacher there. [25:35] Thank you. That’s embarrassing. Nickademus and tells him you must be born again. God calls us [25:43] to inconvenience. He tells him you must be born again, right? The spirit goes where he goes. [25:51] He’s like the wind. So it is with everyone who’s born of the spirit. In first John 5 1, everyone

[25:56] who believes that Jesus is the Christ here it is again past tense has been born of God [26:04] and everyone who loves the father loves whoever has been born of him. Again, first John 5 15. We [26:12] know that everyone who’s been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God [26:16] protects him and the evil one does not touch him. The work of the spirit through regeneration [26:22] doesn’t end with the gift of God’s justifying grace or faith or adoption or promise glorification. [26:28] It extends into the here and the now with your progressive sanctification and calling to disciple

[26:35] others in the power of the word and spirit. That’s what’s going on in Luke 24 49. Luke uses the same [26:41] word. Remember the almighty from on high and here in Luke 24 49. Behold, I’m sending the promise of [26:48] my father upon you. Stay in the city until your cloth with power from on high. This is the same [26:54] power of the most high that overshadows Mary. And so being inconvenienced is a negative thing, but [26:59] but God always makes up for in this positive thing, which is the new trajectory. He sets you on [27:05] that transition. You know this, you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time. That transition

[27:10] is hard to see when you’re experiencing the difficulty of it, but that’s what faith is all [27:15] about. You must trust God. There is no other way to find joy in his promises or the hope [27:22] in the future that he’s leading you toward. And some of you remember those words of Bill and [27:30] Gloria Gaither, right? Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. [27:38] Because I know he holds the future and life is worth the living just because he lives. And so [27:48] I have quoted Francis Turret and Bill Gaither in the same sermon. When you think back to how God

[27:54] has changed your trajectory though, I want you to pay attention to this. Do so positively.

[28:03] Where are you today in light of where you would have been? Where are you today in light of where [28:11] you could have been? Where are you today in light of what you once were? Where are you today in [28:19] light of the background you’ve overcome? I don’t know your family histories, but I know a lot of [28:24] people’s family histories are pretty messed up. Look at the ways God has blessed you in very [28:31] small specific areas of your life where he has set you on a new trajectory that’s so much better [28:37] than what came before. That’s the power of the spirit working in your life. And so Mary trusts

[28:47] in God because she’s carrying the evidence of his power in her own body. You trust God because [28:52] Christ has been raised from the dead. That’s the foundation of your faith, the resurrection [28:58] of Jesus Christ. That proves that God keeps his promises. The older you get, the more you should [29:06] realize that you don’t really know what you want. You don’t really know what’s best for you, nor do [29:10] you get to choose that anyway, I’ve noticed. Only God can ultimately choose that for you. [29:16] And what he’s planned for you is far greater than the empty dreams that often distract you

[29:22] from obedience in the simple things. If you’re not going to deviate from your own plan, [29:26] you’ll never experience the power of God at work. Faith steps into inconvenience because it trusts [29:33] God’s outcome. And without that trust, there is no real faith at all. And so some of you need to have [29:39] the self-awareness this morning to do something different. I’m not talking about dreaming big, [29:46] talking about just doing the things in front of you. Some of you feel stretched, you’re spread thin, [29:52] you feel like you don’t belong, you’re overwhelmed, you’re always behind.

[29:56] That makes you want to throw up your hands sometimes, just give up on everything, walk away. [30:00] But that is often where God is most at work in your life. And so where is God challenging you [30:06] this morning? Lean into that growth that God is demanding from you. Grow intentionally where God [30:13] is challenging you. And here is another positive note. You see, God’s calling, [30:20] though it’s inconvenient, does change your trajectory. But God’s calling also [30:27] carries generational impact. God’s calling carries generational impact. This text in Luke 146 through

[30:36] 55 is called the Magnificat. It has some different names as well, but I actually believe [30:42] that this is one of the greatest missions texts ever written. [30:46] And hang on tight. The word of the Lord says, Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, my spirit [30:53] rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, [30:57] from now on all generations will call me blessed, for he who is mighty has done great things for me, [31:05] and holy is his name, and his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

[31:13] He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their [31:19] hearts. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. He has [31:25] filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant [31:31] Israel in remembrance of his mercy. As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring [31:40] forever. Mary’s true worship here doesn’t rise from comfort. It rises from trust. The Magnificat [31:50] is not written out of ease, but from obedience. God calls Mary into a future she didn’t choose,

[31:57] and worship is how faith responds. And so God makes promises. You know this. He leads his [32:03] people through a process that requires them to keep those promises. That’s the rhythm of [32:08] scripture, right? The promise is given. The promise is trusted. Life is lived in dependence [32:14] upon God, and God comes through every time. If he doesn’t, it’s all going to collapse, [32:20] but God always comes through. Mary knows these promises. She looks back in this text to Israel, [32:26] to Abraham. She looks forward to rulers and to nations. She knows that the child she’s carrying

[32:33] is God’s faithfulness to the promise taking on flesh. That certainty though doesn’t remove the [32:42] pain that’s ahead for Mary. Rather, it gives it meaning in every step she takes. The hardship [32:50] remains, the confusion remains, the cost remains, but worship rises up within her anyway because [32:57] her hope is anchored in what God has promised and not in what is easy. That’s still true. [33:05] Worship doesn’t wait for some certainty about future circumstances. It grows in the middle of [33:12] your obedience. When you trust God enough to walk into what is hard, your praise is not forced.

[33:20] It’s just inevitable. Mary knows the permanence that the politicians of her day provide. She [33:28] recognizes that in verses 51 through 52 there, but she says that God has scattered the thoughts of [33:33] the proud of their hearts. He’s brought them down, brought down the mighty from their thrones. We [33:39] worry about things here in Chesterfield County. We worry about things here in the United States [33:44] of America. We worry about things going on around us all through the world. Listen, God is in control. [33:52] He is. He brings the mighty down because his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. His kingdom

[34:01] is unmatched and you’re called into that kingdom through your faith in Jesus Christ. Mary knows how [34:08] much bigger all of this is than just her inconvenience and her trajectory. The works God is doing [34:14] through her will endure for generations. She mentions that verse 48, all generations from [34:19] generation to generation. Verse 50, verse 54, God remembers, God helps his servant, God is merciful. [34:26] Verse 55, all of this fulfills the promise made not only to the fathers, not only to Abraham, [34:32] but also to his offspring, his children, the next generations forever. She has in mind no doubt.

[34:39] Jeremiah 31, 34, correct that in your handout. No longer shall each one teach his neighbor and [34:48] each his brother saying, know the Lord, for they shall all know me from the least of them to the [34:53] greatest declares the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no [34:58] more. Second Samuel seven, 12 through 16. This is the Davidic covenant that we read about there. [35:04] God’s going to establish his kingdom. Verse 13, he shall build a house from a name. I’ll establish [35:09] throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father. He shall be to me a son. When he commits

[35:13] iniquity, I’ll discipline him with the rod of men, the stripes, the sons of men. But my steadfast love [35:18] will not depart from him. As I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you, talking to David [35:24] and your house, verse 16 and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be [35:33] established forever. This humble lowly virgin woman and her carpenter betrothed in Nazareth of Galilee.

[35:46] And God is going to establish his throne through them. Galatians three, seven through nine says, [35:52] no then, that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham and the scripture foreseeing that [36:00] God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preach the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, in you shall [36:08] all the nations be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of [36:17] faith. Mary knew this. The gospel message, the good news of Jesus Christ, all of the things he’s going [36:25] to do, it’s not merely for the Jewish peoples, it’s for the Gentiles as well. The people who once

[36:30] walked in darkness have seen a great light. She is the instrument God uses to bring his son into the [36:38] world to accomplish this. And she’s praising the Lord, speaking of the nations, speaking of the [36:44] generations, speaking of God, bringing down the mighty from their thrones and establishing [36:50] his everlasting kingdom from generation to generation. Now pay attention, [36:57] because in Matthew 28, 19, Jesus calls us to make disciples of all nations. [37:04] Make disciples is the imperative. That’s the command. Who are the nations? Well here,

[37:11] as everywhere else in scripture, the nations are the Gentiles included alongside Jews in the promise [37:20] through Jesus Christ that’s realized in his incarnation. Your nation in some regard is [37:27] right here because you are, provided you’re not Jewish, you are the nations that the apostles and [37:33] the disciples were called to go into in the first place. And what this means is this, you don’t have [37:42] to focus on every other people, every other place while neglecting your own people and your own [37:52] place in order to fulfill your part in the great commission. You don’t have to learn to like new

[38:01] foods. You don’t have to learn new languages in order to disciple the people. Pay attention [38:10] that God has placed right under your nose. The great commission is obeyed as you disciple others [38:20] around you each day. Let me ask you something. Can you make a list right now of the people in [38:25] your life you’re discipling? Another hint, it begins with your children if you have those. [38:31] Fulfilling the great commission isn’t just throwing money at a problem out of a self-protective [38:38] measure to quiet your mind. Now understand me here, there are very good motives for supporting

[38:43] missions of every variety. The modern missions movement was wonderful. Brave missionaries took [38:53] the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins to places where people [38:57] had never heard the name of Jesus before. And we still are charged with reaching those unreached. [39:06] It’s not an either or. It is a both and. But we must not miss this magnificut as one of the greatest [39:16] mission texts of all time. Mary doesn’t merely focus on geography. She focuses on the generations. [39:22] And by the way, you may have missed this before, but so does Jesus. Look in Matthew 28 verse 20,

[39:30] teaching them to observe all that I’ve commanded you, and behold I am with you always [39:36] to the end of the age. Now if you read the KJV, it says, in lo, I’m with you always. I told a [39:42] woman in my old church who was a very small stature, this means Jesus loves you too.

[39:48] But don’t miss the end of this verse. How long is Jesus with us? To the end of the age. It’s [39:57] generational. You’re not on mission when you have forgotten about God’s promise to the generations. [40:07] God uses means to accomplish his ends. God doesn’t need any one of us, but he wants to use you to [40:16] reach the next generation for Christ. You are called to make disciples who make disciples. [40:24] I wholeheartedly agree with Michael Foster when he says, whoever can recruit and train the right [40:29] men for pastoral ministry and then get them placed in the right churches or help them plant new ones

[40:34] will shape the future of Protestant Christianity in America. Books, podcasts, other media will have [40:41] their place, but they’re supplemental. The key issue is solving the ministerial crisis, raising [40:48] up capable, godly pastors and putting them where they’re needed most. We don’t have to worry about [40:54] what the politics are going to look like in Virginia because God is on the throne. [40:59] Faith is not trusting God just to give you what you want. Faith is trusting that God’s promises [41:04] are true and sufficient for you, even better than what you have planned. God has the power to keep

[41:10] his promises and he proved that in the power of the resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ. [41:14] If you’re here this morning and you’ve never trusted in Jesus Christ, now is the day to do so. [41:21] The rest of you understand something. It’s a great inconvenience [41:28] to spend 13 years in school training for ministry. It’s a great inconvenience to [41:34] go be a student minister only to be told this isn’t going to provide for your family. [41:39] It’s a great inconvenience to pour your life for eight years into people with their marriages

[41:47] and their children and their deaths and their suffering in their discipleship. It’s a great [41:54] inconvenience to do that and then be ripped out of it. Great inconvenience to sit in your recliner [42:02] with no voice because you have some weird cold for two months and you’ve got a broken shoulder [42:07] because Jake knocked you down on the basketball court. He’s a big guy and you’re sitting there [42:15] thinking what was all of that for? And then you come to Virginia and you see a thriving church [42:27] and you see discipleship not just being talked about but actually done. You see 120 students,

[42:34] homeschool students once a week and you’re teaching them biblical worldview and you see [42:39] young men who have the desire and the aspiration to become pastors or to at least look into that [42:47] and you see all of the opportunities among your own. You see village kids filled to the brim.

[42:57] I think back to my place in Tennessee where we had a 600 cedar that was never filled [43:02] and another 300 that would fit in the fellowship hall and another 200 that would fit in the [43:08] building we paid to put a roof on that we literally never used and I say Lord

[43:18] village church needs a building.

[43:22] This is a physical inconvenience that hinders the discipleship ministry of this church [43:32] on a human level and so what I’m saying to you I think you get the point already [43:38] is we it’s build this building or bust because if we don’t have the means to train up [43:47] young men who are seeking the pastorate if we don’t have the means to disciple our children [43:55] if we don’t have the means to welcome new families into our facilities [44:02] well I know I don’t have a reason to be here and so pastor Steve asked me he did and you

[44:09] I’m sure you’re aware of this he said can you work something in there about the offering we have next [44:13] week I’d already planned to do that because folks I can’t even move around in here

[44:21] and this is the next step the next generation building and in giving to that [44:32] and in praying for that and in using that you are fulfilling this missiological text [44:42] that was spoken of by the virgin mary with regard to the kingdom of god and how it stretches [44:50] into the generations and so by way of application just start this morning surrender what god is [44:58] asking for right now grow intentionally where god is stretching you where he’s challenging you [45:06] choose that place to grow and finally pour your faith into people who outlive you