Did you hear about the farmer that decided to buy a chain saw? A logging foreman sold him one that he guaranteed would cut down 15 trees in a single day. A week later, a very unhappy farmer came back to report that the power saw must be faulty - it averaged only 3 trees a day. The foreman grabbed the saw, pulled the cord, and the saw promptly went “Bzzzzzzzz.”
“Hey” demanded the startled farmer, “what’s that noise?”
(Contributed to sermon central by Andrew Chan) Obviously, the farmer missed the point. He did not make the connection that the saw must be cranked.
We are in the midst of celebrating the greatest event in the history of mankind. I hope you will not miss the reason for the season. I am convinced there are many people who miss the reason for the season.
That was a threat in the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was faced with the possibility of missing the point of Jesus birth. We are faced with the same challenge. We have the knowledge of Jesus. We have the good news. What do we do about it? Do we understand the significance of his birth. Do our lives reflect that we understand the significance of His birth. Mary teaches us some valuable lessons about understanding the significance of Jesus birth. If our lives reflect the significance of Jesus birth there are certain actions we should display. What are they? Notice three steps Mary took that we should also take.
I. If we understand the reason for the season we should give Jesus our trust. After being presented with the news about Jesus, Mary trusted God with the facts and the story. She said "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.’’ (vs. 38 NKJV)
A. Trust is not easy. Put yourself in Mary’s place. She was an unmarried virgin who was asked to give birth to the Son of God. That was not an easy task. However, she trusted God with the news.
People of faith have always been asked to make challenging commitments. Look at a section from the life of the Old Testament figure, Abraham. We find this recorded in Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Imagine the dialogue that might have taken place. “Abraham, this is God speaking. I want you to leave everything and go to the land I will show you.” “Where’s that?” “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.” “Try me.” “It’s 1500 miles from here in a place called Canaan.” “Never heard of it.” “I know, and guess what else?” “What?” “I’m going to make you the father of a great nation.” “That’s impossible. I don’t have any children.” “Don’t worry.” “What do you mean, don’t worry?” “Just trust me.” “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You want me to leave everything, travel across the desert to someplace I’ve never heard of, and become the father of a great nation.” “Right.” “Is this some kind of joke?” “No.” “What am I supposed to tell my wife?” “That’s your problem.”
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Ray Pritchard)
B. What is trust? In studying Luke 1 you can identify the aspects of trust.
(1) Trust involves revelation. God revealed the truth about Jesus through the visit of an angel. In your life God reveals Himself to you. God will always take the initiative to reveal Himself and His son to you. (Read verse 28)
Illustration- You might be thinking to yourself, God has never revealed himself to me. The story is told of a devout priest was caught in a flood one day, and he climbed onto the roof of his Vicarage and as the water started lapping up over the roof he prayed “Lord, deliver me from this flood”.
The water continued to rise and a policeman in a rowing boat passed: “Can I help you Vicar?” “No thanks, the Lord will deliver me!”
A little while later, the water is even higher, and the Vicar is up to his waist, even standing on his roof. A lifeboat cruises past, and the deck hand shouts out “Can I help you, Vicar?” “No Thanks” was his reply “The Lord will deliver me – I’ve prayed for it”
After another few minutes, the water has risen so much that only the Vicar’s head is peeping out from above the water and a helicopter flies over. The pilot leans out and calls “Can I help you Vicar?” “No thanks, the Lord will deliver me!”
At which point, the water rises over the Vicar’s head and he drowns.
When the Vicar arrives at the gates of heaven and faces St Peter he is furious: “I’ve been a most serious and devout priest all my life, devoted to prayer and good works – why didn’t God answer my prayers. “Oh,” says Peter “That ‘s strange: we sent two boats and a helicopter after you…”
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Simon Rundell) God revealed himself but the priest was not listening.
(2) Trust involves wrestling with truth. (See verse 29,34) The Bible indicates Mary wrestled with the truth of Jesus birth. She was troubled by the revelation of her miraculous conception. Wrestling with truth does not end faith. It is a part of the journey to find faith. For instance, some of you may be wrestling with the conviction of sin and your need to trust Jesus.
Ill- Lee Strobel’s book “The Case for Christmas” reflects a man who wrestled with the truth of Jesus.
(3) Trust involves accepting. (See verse 38) Mary was shown the truth. Mary wrestled with the truth. Third, Mary accepted the truth as it was presented to her.
Illustration: If I yell up to you in the middle of the night, that your house is on fire; I do not want you to sing praises to me, tell me how much you love and trust me, and go back to sleep. I know you trust me when I see you run out the front door with a kid under each arm. I know you trust me when you obey me. Unlike the fellow in the well, you won’t be asking anyone else if my advice is right.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Bob Marcaurelle)
(4) Trust involves confirmation. (See verse 41) Once Mary accepted the truth she decided to visit Elizabeth. After arriving, Mary relates to Elizabeth everything that is happening. Elizabeth confirms Mary’s story.
C.Mary is an example for us to follow. She is an example for those who are considering becoming a Christian. She is an example for those who are struggling with issues in your spiritual life.
Quote: Bill Hybels wrote a book entitled “Who Are You When No One’s Looking.“ In this book he said “Every single day we make choices. We choose between the right thing and the convenient thing, sticking to a conviction or caving in for the sake of comfort, greed or approval. We choose either to take a carefully thought-out risk or to crawl into a shrinking shell of safety, security and inactivity. We choose either to believe in God and trust him, even when we do not always understand his ways, or to second-guess him and cower in the corners of doubt and fear.”
Quote: Oswald Chambers said “It is not our trust that keeps us, but the God in whom we trust who keeps us.” That quote becomes revolutionary. The focus should be on the God who loves us and not on the level of our trust. We normally give our trust because of the benefit it brings. I give trust to my car because I trust it to crank and carry me to my destination. I give trust to an airplane because I trust it to carry me to my destination. I give trust to an elevator because it will carry me to the floor I wish to go. We give our trust to God because he offers something beyond this life. We give our trust to God because he promises to love and care for us.
II. If we understand the reason for the season we should Serve Jesus. Mary said "Behold the maidservant of the Lord!”(verse 38 NKJV)
A.Once Mary gave God her trust, the next step was to give her service. Mary calls herself the “servant or hand-maid” of the Lord.” The word servant or maid might carry negative connotations. We might envision someone chained hand and foot being lead around against their will. In our society we think more of being served than being a servant. However, to the believer it is a joy to serve Jesus Christ. The believer realizes service is the reason for his existence. You were made for serving Jesus. You were created to serve Him.
Illustration: In 1979 Bob Dylan wrote a song entitled “Gotta serve somebody.” He states a point of truth.
"You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance.
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls.
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed,
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord;
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk.
You may be the head of some TV network.
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame.
You may be living in another country under another name.
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed,
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord,
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a construction worker working on a home.
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome.
You might own guns and you might even own tanks.
You might be somebody’s landlord, you might even own banks.
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed,
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord.
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Might like to wear cotton, you might like to wear silk.
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk.
You might like to eat cavior, you might like to eat bread.
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed.
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed,
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord,
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody."
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Rita Sims)
The concept of serving the Lord is somewhat like the parts on your car. The parts on your car are made for one location and one location only. Your life is the same. You were made for serving Jesus Christ and Him alone.
( See Eph. 2:10; Ps. 139:16)
Rick Warren, in his Purpose Driven Life book says “You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense.”
B. It is not always easy to serve Jesus. Mary faced the very real possibility of losing her fiance, her family and her reputation if she went along with this plan. However, the result of serving Jesus is far better than the seeming trials.
Illustration- I have a plaque at home that reads “Serving the Lord does not pay very much but the retirement plan is out of this world.”
III. If we understand the reason for the season we should Worship Jesus . Notice verses 46-55. After Mary discovered and submitted to the news of Jesus birth she broke out in worship to the Heavenly Father.
A. Worship means we have found something and someone who is bigger than us. Mary found a God who was big enough to give a virgin a son. Mary found a God who was big enough to handle the problems associated with a virgin’s pregnancy. Mary had found a God who was big enough to handle the problems associated with such a mysterious event.
Illustration- A fifth grade teacher in a Christian school asked her class to look at TV commercials and see if they could use them in some way to communicate ideas about God. Here are some of the results:
GOD is like a FORD ... He’s got a better idea.
GOD is like COKE ... He’s the real thing.
GOD is like HALLMARK CARDS ... He cares enough to send His very best.
GOD is like TIDE ... He gets the stains out that others leave behind.
GOD is like GENERAL ELECTRIC ... He brings good things to life.
GOD is like SEARS ... He has everything.
GOD is like ALKA-SELTZER ... Try Him, you’ll like him.
GOD is like SCOTCH TAPE ... You can’t see him, but you know He’s there.
GOD is like DELTA .... He’s ready when you are.
GOD is like ALLSTATE ... You’re in good hands with Him.
GOD is like VO-5 HAIR SPRAY ... He holds through all kinds of weather.
GOD is like DIAL SOAP ... Aren’t you glad you have Him.
Don’t you wish everybody did?
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Jim Kane) Those children understood a God who was special. That is the God we worship.
B. Worship is something that cannot be contained. True worship is not contained to a place or to a certain style. It is an expression of the heart. It is like an artesian well. It flows! It cannot be contained!
Quote: Tony Evans says, “If you limit worship to where you are, the minute you leave that place of worship you will leave your attitude of worship behind like a crumpled-up church bulletin.”
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Mike Hamilton)
Conclusion
Have you come to understand the significance of Jesus birth? Don’t allow Christmas to go by and miss the point. He wants you and I to trust Him, to serve Him and to worship Him. That is what Christmas is about.
