Fear Not, God Can Do Miracles, Part 1

Pull out your notes if you will; you’re going to need them. We’re going to do a little Bible study in the process and as we do, let me just ask you this question, when someone says, “Christmas,” just what comes to your mind? Anything and everything. Christ, families, food, Santa, Elf, It’s a Wonderful Life, getting gifts, giving gifts, shopping. I mean, Christmas just has so many, many layers, lights, trees.

Imagine like I’ve got a three-foot-by-three-foot picture and imagine this picture is the most beautiful, awesome, breathtaking picture that has ever been created. When a person looks at this picture, your jaw drops, you are overwhelmed by it, you can’t even take it in.

And then someone says, you know, “It’s such a good picture, let’s put a frame around it.” Because frames are – right? They are supposed to give attention to that picture. And then someone else says, “Let’s put another frame,” and another frame and another frame and another frame.

And then over a few hundred years, frame after frame after frame after frame, the picture that was so magnificent gets lost in all the frames. The Dutch were really into giving gifts, so that became a part of it. The British were about Christmas trees; that became a part of it.

Over and over, we have put hundreds of frames around Christmas so that now it’s a magical time of year, it’s a fun time, it’s a family time, it’s a festive time. And all the other things, by the way, none of them necessarily are bad. But they obscure, they obscure what it’s really all about.

And what I want to do, by the grace of God in our time together, is let you know the enemy has had a very, very subtle tactic to reframe reality. In the apostle Paul’s final letter, he writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 3. And he lets him know that, you know, in the last days – and we are living in those – men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, ungrateful, unholy, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, haters of parents, arrogant. And then he ends it with this, “Holding to a form of godliness but denying its power.”

And what I want to suggest is that’s what has happened with Christmas. Believing the right things, having the celebrations, intellectually agreeing with this. But we can lose the power!

The biggest miracle in human history is this. It’s bigger than the Big Bang. In a moment, God spoke and the world came into existence, but in another moment, He entered human history miraculously through an unlikely person in an unlikely place in a way that literally changed the whole world.

That’s what we have lost. We don’t have expectations in miracles, we can hold to a form of Christmas, but don’t expect God to do anything big or miraculous in our life or anyone else’s.

You’ll notice in your notes I put a fresh look at a familiar story. And here’s what I want you to do. I wanted you to look at the actual text, the passages because I think it’s hard to break through all those frames.

Here’s the context. Galatians 4:4 says, “In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son.” That word fullness, literally, “when the world was pregnant.” When there was a unique moment in history, all of the prophecies from all the way back in Genesis 3 when sin entered the world and there was a promise that the serpent’s head would be crushed and He would bruise the heel of the Deliverer, John the Baptist who now is going to return the hearts of fathers to children and children to their fathers.

All of this is happening in a way that God has orchestrated sovereignly. And that’s when it says Christ came.

And then in Isaiah 61 it says He wouldn’t just be some religion. There was going to be a person who is going to solve things, He’s going to set people free, the blind are going to see, the lame are going to walk, the good news is going to be preached. He is going to take the kingdom of mankind, which is me, me, me, mine, mine, mine, get, get, get, power, power, power.

And He came to flip all that around and supernaturally show us there is power: free to give, free to love, free to forgive, free to experience the God who made you and not be separated any longer. That’s what Christmas is all about.

The immediate context is there is a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in,” there’s no doubt God is speaking, this is an angel, “he said to her, ‘Greetings, favored one! [Good news!] The Lord is with you.’ But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering the kind of salutation that it was.”

Now, the reason I want to dive into this is we romanticized this whole story. She’s a teenage girl from a dunky town that is despised by other Jews. And that’s why they said, “No good thing can come out of Nazareth.”

It’s an angel, not just an angel, it’s Gabriel sent directly from God and all we know at this point, we’ll learn more in our next time together, is that Joseph has royal lineage from the house of David. So, he’s in the line, the Messiah is going to come that way.

And you’ve got a girl that is, at max, fifteen to sixteen years old. We know that she was very, very poor, we know she’s from a bad side of town, but there was something about her heart, there was something about her devotion, there was something about her openness that we’ll see that God said, “I’m with you. I have a plan. I want to use you.” So, I want you, can we get out of the romantic notion? In fact, have you noticed what we call it now? The Christmas story. Oh, that sounds so sweet. It’s not a story. That sounds like a myth, like a metaphor.

It’s not a metaphor, it’s an actual moment in human history where God breaks through, where He says: I’m going to bring hope. This is about forgiveness, and He is going to do it through this little girl from a despised situation and unlike the little Hallmark and movies that talk about: Well, you know what? We have a big problem. But magic happens this time of year. Right? There’s no Jesus, there’s now power, it’s not magic. It’s a miracle.

You ever looked up what a miracle is? A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by any natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of divine agency.

In summary: it’s an unlikely plan, a very unlikely person, and from a despised place.

It’s not a metaphor, it’s an historical fact. It’s not a myth, it’s an advent. You know the word “advent?” It means “arrival.” It’s the arrival of God into human history for the first time with a promise that there’s another arrival and that He will be coming back.

Well, I’m imagining that as some scholars agree, that Mary perhaps was in a time of prayer, usually in the evening, and this angel shows up and she’s terrified. So, let’s find out what happens. The birth is foretold and it’s a supernatural birth.

“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid.’” Again, let’s not romanticize this, let’s not have the music in the background. Can you imagine, I mean, like, being in your bedroom and just, tchoo. An angel! In Scripture, very time anybody meets an angel, they fall on their face and they are absolutely terrified for good reason. And this is one like elite, sent from the very throne of God. And so, he says, “Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God,” that’s the good news.

But then notice, here’s the plan. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,” and here’s the second command. One is: don’t be afraid. Second: “You shall call His name Jesus.” In Hebrew it would be Joshua. The meaning: The one who saves, the one who rescues, the one who delivers.

You’re fifteen years old, okay? Were they more mature than your average fifteen-year-old today? Of course. Because that’s when they got married - fifteen, sixteen. I mean, it was a very, very hard life and the only hope is - what you know is here’s a young woman who has fallen in love with a guy named Joseph who is of a royal line and her hopes and her dreams are around about a year from now or so, “We are going to get married. Right now, we are betrothed.”

And that was a legal situation in Judaism and so there was a legal contract between this family and that family and for the next year, she is going to live at home, but they are considered married, except they don’t sleep together and she doesn’t come into his home until the time of betrothal is over and he prepares a place for them to live.

And here’s what we know about this child. Number one, He will be great. Number two, He will be called the Son of the Most-High. Number three, the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father, David. Number four, He will reign over – where? The house of Jacob
and Israel. How long? Forever.

And His kingdom, this new rule, this upside-down way of: give in order to get, of forgive, of peace, of humility, of: this is how God wants His people to work, this is how to have right relationship with Him and with each other, this upside-down kingdom – it’s going to go on forever and ever and ever.

Mary, this child that you’re going to carry is the Messiah. He will be called the Son of the Most High; divine. He is entering and bringing His rule and His kingdom and deliverance. And all the promises to Israel, the promises to David, the promises that God made – all of this is going to happen and Mary, you’re very unlikely but you will be the one to carry it.

Here's the question: How do you respond? How did she respond? “Mary said to the angel,” great question, right? “How can this be, since I’m a virgin?” I mean, I can’t have a baby. I’ve never been with a man.

Notice the angel’s explanation. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most-High will overshadow you;” circle that phrase overshadow you, “for that reason, the holy child shall be called the Son of God.”

This word is used in the Old Testament when – remember the picture of the cloud of the Shekinah glory would come down on the tabernacle? This is this word. In the New Testament, do you remember when the Mount of Transfiguration and Jesus, Peter, John, and James and it says, “a cloud came down and covered them…” That word cloud coming down is this word.

There’s no context whatsoever of some sort of sexual interaction between God and Mary. It was His presence coming upon her that made Him be both fully God and fully human. The writer of John put it this way: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory,” glory as the only One begotten from the Father, “full of grace and truth.”

It goes on to say that Moses brought us the Law, but Jesus brought grace and truth. “And no man has seen God at any time, but He, Jesus, has explained Him.” He came to explain the Father, to live a perfect life, and then to actually die to break the power of sin, the power of death, the power of the enemy.

And are you ready for this? Get ready, lean back, this might be shocking. God’s goal is not that you become your best self. God’s goal is not that He can improve you. God’s goal is not that He’ll be your little helper and maybe you’ll – all your life will work out right and you’ll have a great job and great relationships. No, no, no. His goal is to give you a brand-new life.

And just as the Spirit of God took up residence inside her, He takes up residence in us when we turn from our sin and invite Him to forgive us for our sin. This is a radical, powerful, supernatural moment.

And then He wants to give her a little hope, right? He wants to give her a sign. I mean, this is crazy for anybody, but you’re a fifteen, sixteen-year-old poor girl that really everyone thinks you’re nothing from a nowhere place and you’re going to now be the mother of the Messiah? What’s He say? Here’s a little hope. You know Elizabeth? She’s already six months pregnant.

In other words, God is intervening. He does miracles and He’s doing them now. And then He gives the reason, “For nothing shall be impossible for God.” Let’s that sink in.

Christmas is about power, miracles, supernatural intervention. All those other frames, they’re not necessarily bad; they obscure that. If you miss that, you miss not just Christmas, you miss Christ. And so, notice what happens here. He says to her, “For nothing will be impossible to God.”

And notice her response.

First of all, she knows who she is. And second, she has a grasp of who God is. “Behold, the bondservant of the Lord.” Do you know what a bondservant is? All the different servants you could have, it’s the lowest one in a household. You don’t get to tell anybody what to do, you just get to receive instruction.

And Mary says, “I don’t understand it, it’s perplexing, it’s confusing, it’s overwhelming. But there’s no doubt God is speaking. This is an angel. And then before we go and again make her this Madonna, hero, sweet, otherworldly – her mind is thinking: When I say I’m the bondservant of the Lord, be it unto me according to your Word.”

Here's what is going through her mind: This means I’m going to lose Joseph. I’m going to have incredible shame because no one is going to believe this is from God. I’m going to be isolated. I had dreams about me and Joseph. I have given up my future. She came in simple faith and said, “I don’t know what You have for me, but whatever You have for me, I’m willing”. By the way, she was positioned to hear God’s voice and she was willing to obey it.

Can I tell you something? God delights to do all kind of miracles. He has a very, very hard time finding even His own children that are positioned to hear His voice.

The American Bible Society did research in the last year of Christians across America and their habits of being in God’s Word on a regular basis. It’s the lowest interaction with Scripture in anytime in the history of America among Christians.

At Living on the Edge, we do a lot with pastors. We did a study, Barna, we had them do some research for us and we have pastors from various denominations, but all who identify as believing, evangelical pastors. Only twenty-one percent of them ever open the Bible except for sermon preparation. I will tell you that if you are not in God’s Word there’s no power. It’s not about trying hard or wanting or – it just, it doesn’t work.

For almost ten years, at the end of every, many of our services I stand down here in front with the team and people would come and share their story and I would cry with them and I would pray with them. And I heard stories of pain and difficulty and separations and drug addictions and all kind of pain. We are all human.

And in the most, gentle way, especially the second or third time, the same person would come, I would say something like this, “Would you help me just understand. Here are all these issues we have talked about, we have prayed about. Talk to me about your time in God’s Word.” What I came to was the people with the greatest problems that stayed unresolved and never got better, and they were not in God’s Word at all, it was just like a one-to-one correlation.

I don’t understand how it works. The Spirit of God takes the Word of God, He digests it in your soul, He creates power and new desires, He transforms your mind, and He changes you from the inside out. And it’s like a car that doesn’t have any gas. No Word, no power.

And this isn’t like some guilt trip. This is like do you want to just keep having a form of godliness, but deny its power? Mary says, “Be it unto me,” how? “…according to Your Word.”