Not So With You
Mark 10:35-45

1. Everyone has a position on the team.
2. All the positions on the team are important.
3. The greatest position on the team is the lowest position.

(picture of Murrell fishing and the pics of Will and Jacob being baptized)

A. Serving increases your joy.

“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” Philippians 2:17

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Mark 8:35

B. Serving improves your relationships.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

C. Serving brings significance.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Your Priorities Determine Your Appointments
Mark 1:35-39

1. Time with God is a daily joy

“A Sunday religion, he who has it, will be lost.” - Charles Spurgeon.

“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” Psalm 5:3

2. Time with God was a priority.

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12

3. Time with God will have interruptions.

4. Time with God prepares you for your mission.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Romans 1:16

“And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.” Mark 2:19-20

"HOPE IS COMING”
Malachi 3:1-12 & 4:4

1. The Lord had a plan (3:1-6)
2. The Lord wants us to TEST Him (3:7-12)
3. The Lord will fight for you. THE LORD OF ARMIES (HOSTS)
4. Remember God’s Word. (4:4)
"Remember the instruction of Moses My servant, the statues and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “

“The Day of the Lord”
Zephaniah 1-3
1) On the Day of the Lord, God will come in Judgment
6 and those who turn back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.
7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near. Indeed, the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated his guests.

Matthew 24
21 For at that time there will be great distress, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again.
22 Unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.
23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it.
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

Matthew 24
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
2) All have sinned against the Lord, but Repentance is still possible
1 Gather yourselves together; gather together, undesirable nation,
2 before the decree takes effect and the day passes like chaff, before the burning of the Lord’s anger overtakes you, before the day of the Lord’s anger overtakes you.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who carry out what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the Lord’s anger. Judgment against the Nations
4 For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a ruin. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted.
5 Woe, inhabitants of the seacoast, nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines: I will destroy you until there is no one left.
6 The seacoast will become pasturelands with caves for shepherds and pens for sheep.
7 The coastland will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; they will find pasture there. They will lie down in the evening among the houses of Ashkelon, for the Lord their God will return to them and restore their fortunes.
8 I have heard the taunting of Moab and the insults of the Ammonites, who have taunted my people and threatened their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel — Moab will be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah: a place overgrown with weeds, a salt pit, and a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the remainder of my nation will dispossess them.
10 This is what they get for their pride, because they have taunted and acted arrogantly against the people of the Lord of Armies.
11 The Lord will be terrifying to them when he starves all the gods of the earth. Then all the distant coasts and islands of the nations will bow in worship to him, each in its own place.
12 You Cushites will also be slain by my sword.
13 He will also stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria; he will make Nineveh a desolate ruin, dry as the desert.

3) God demonstrates His grace by Restoring His people to Himself
1 Woe to the city that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressive city!
2 She has not obeyed; she has not accepted discipline. She has not trusted in the Lord; she has not drawn near to her God.
3 The princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are wolves of the night, which leave nothing for the morning.

6 I have cut off nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have laid waste their streets, with no one to pass through. Their cities lie devastated, without a person, without an inhabitant.
7 I said: You will certainly fear me and accept correction. Then her dwelling place would not be cut off based on all that I had allocated to her. However, they became more corrupt in all their actions.
8 Therefore, wait for me  — this is the Lord’s declaration — until the day I rise up for plunder. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, in order to pour out my indignation on them, all my burning anger; for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of my jealousy.

9 For I will then restore pure speech to the peoples so that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with a single purpose.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my supplicants, my dispersed people, will bring an offering to me.
11 On that day you will not be put to shame because of everything you have done in rebelling against me. For then I will remove from among you your jubilant, arrogant people, and you will never again be haughty on my holy mountain.
12 I will leave a meek and humble people among you, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or tell lies; a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will pasture and lie down, with nothing to make them afraid.
14 Sing for joy, Daughter Zion; shout loudly, Israel! Be glad and celebrate with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has removed your punishment; he has turned back your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is among you; you need no longer fear harm.
16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, do not let your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing.”
18 I will gather those who have been driven from the appointed festivals; they will be a tribute from you and a reproach on her.
19 Yes, at that time I will deal with all who oppress you. I will save the lame and gather the outcasts; I will make those who were disgraced throughout the earth receive praise and fame.
20 At that time I will bring you back, yes, at the time I will gather you. I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes. The Lord has spoken.

Now Come the Days of the King
Luke 1:1-20
1. The board is set.
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”MIC 5:2
2. The pieces are moving.
, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." “LK 9:58
3. We come to it at last.
“Now then, tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.” 2 Sam 7:8

Mary Christmas
Luke 1:26-45

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2

I. Help is on the way

“And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:16

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

II. All things are possible with God

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.


III. God keeps ALL of His promises to you

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Don’t Give Up
Luke 1:5-25

Micah 4:2-3
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.


Malachi 4:5
5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.

(Luke 1:5-25)
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

1. Unrealized Dreams
2. Unexpected Answer
3. Unfortunate Response

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

THE NECESSITY OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH
Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

I. Why we believe in the virgin birth.

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15 NASB

almah
bethulah

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23“BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” 24And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” Matthew 1:22-25

II. Why the Virgin Birth is Important

Atonement for our sins required a perfect sacrifice.

“The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.” Exodus 12:5

III. We are all sinners.

“So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.” Romans 5:18

IV. Jesus knew no sin.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor. 5:21

This is a supernatural event

Mary said, “How can this be, when I have not known a man.” Luke 1:34

Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing is impossible.”

“and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

The Faithfulness of God
Daniel 9

1. Learn to look at things from God’s perspective through His Word.

v. 1-3, 13

“I will praise the Lord no matter what happens.” Ps34:1


2. Choose to believe that God is faithful to His promises because of past faithfulness.

v. 4-6, 15-16

The sun is faithful to rise each morning is reflective of the creator who is faithful to you and I. (picture of sunrise)


3. Look to God’s Character for assurance.

v. 7, 17-19

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Hope: True or False? Jeremiah 29:4-14

Believers must avoid false hopes from false prophets when things seem hopeless (v.4-9)
Believers must listen to God's Word when things seem hopeless (v.10-11)
Believers must turn back to the LORD who is their true hope when things seem hopeless (v.12-14)

1. Be careful who you listen to and in what you put your hope
2. Derive your hopes and dreams from God's Word alone
3. Make repentance and faith in Christ a daily lifestyle