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Notes on Message preached 13 December 2009 at PCF: “A Promise Fulfilled”

Our next message in the book of Luke looks at the birth of John the Baptist. Luke 1 57-80

We will consider the passage under six headings:

• 1. Enjoying the Faithfulness of God (v57-58)

The passage opens with Zechariah and Elizabeth rejoicing in the goodness of God to them. At last God has provided them   with a much-wanted and long awaited child, in fulfilment of his promise to them. We all live in the benefit of God’s goodness everyday. Do we remember to thank God for all his benefits? “Praise the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103)

• 2. Aligned to God’s Purposes (v 59-60)

It is one thing to be blessed by God –it is quite another to use that blessing to serve God. Elizabeth and Zechariah showed that they did not only intend to live with the blessing of God – they also intended to use that blessing to serve him When they maintained that the child was to be named “John” they were going against accepted custom and tradition, and were aligning themselves with the purposes of God. Do we make use of the blessings of God to serve him?

• 3. Emerging from a Trial (v.64)

Zechariah had had a very difficult few months. When he went into the temple to serve God nine months previously he could not have imagined the chain of events that was about to be set into motion. Here Zechariah emerges from his nine months of being unable to speak (and possibly also unable to hear) and utters the most wonderful prophecy. What can we learn from this?

God does not write off those who mess up. Zechariah had failed spectacularly to believe God when the angel spoke to him – now he was given a second chance. He came through with flying colours when he wrote: “His name is John” Secondly God used a time of great difficulty to prepare Zechariah to be ready to utter one of the most beautifully prophecies ever given. Are you going through a difficult period? God could be using it to prepare you for a great work.

• 4. Effecting a Whole Region (v. 65-66)

Here we read that the power of God had an impact across the whole region. Isn’t that what we long for? – for the power of God to work in our midst and cause people across the area to hear about what God is doing. That’s what happens when the Holy Spirit moves in power!

• 5. Seeing the Divine Purpose (v.68-79)

The Holy Spirit comes on Zechariah in power and he prophesies. How we need the Holy Spirit to come upon us and for us to be filled with Holy Spirit. In his prophecy Zechariah receives God’s perspective on the events that he is witnessing.

• Fulfilment of God’s Promise (v 68-70)

What the witnesses are seeing is not simply the fulfilment of a promise by God to a couple. This constitutes God’s fulfilling his promise to the nation and to the world.

• Rescue of God’s People (v71-75)

What the witnessing were observing was physical evidence that God would rescue his people, not just from the Roman occupiers, but also form the enemy who had enslaved the human race since the fall

• Provision of God’s Person (v76)

What the witnesses were observing was not just the birth of new baby boy – but also the emergence of a major ministry gift from God who would point the way to the Messiah.

• Glories of God’s Salvation (v 77-79)

Zechariah finishes his prophecy by revelling in the salvation of God.

• 6. Preparing for Ministry (v.80)

Before Luke changes the narrative to bring us to the birth of Jesus, he gives us a brief insight into the life of this baby as he grew up. John the Baptist is going to be a major public figure whose light will shine for a while – but that time is yet to come. There is a period of preparation in which the baby from the hill country of Judea, grows, matures and is prepared. It is interesting to note that much of that preparation was in the desert. God often prepares his people for a work of service in hard circumstances. But the day came when God’s preparation was done, the veil was torn away, and John the Baptist was revealed to the world.  We too have to be patient for God’s timing, and submit to his work of preparation in our lives.

Luke now moves the narrative on. Having dealt with the birth of the prophet of the Messiah, the story now turns to the remarkable story of the couple from Nazareth, who , under God’s provision, were about to embark on a journey to  a place many miles away from home called Bethlehem

But that’s another story.

Suggested Questions for Discussion:

1. What can we learn from the thankfulness that Zechariah, Elizabeth and their friends expresses at the birth of John the Baptist

2. What does Zechariah and Elizabeth’s insistence that their child was to be called “John” tell us?

3. What difference do we see in the Zechariah in this passage, compared to the Zechariah who had seen the vision in the temple nine months earlier? What lessons can we learn from the way God had dealt with him?

4. What does Zechariah’s prophetic utterance show us about the place of   the prophetic amongst God’s people?

David Foster spoke during today’s meeting about five blessings that we receive because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Listen to this sermon (or download – right click here and ‘Save as’):

Listen to this sermon (or download – right click here and ‘Save as’):

Notes on Message preached 15 November 2009 at PCF: “God’s plan unfolds”

We come in our considerations of Luke’s gospel to the famous passage which describes the visit of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. The passage is Luke’s gospel chapter 1 verses 39-56

We will consider the passage under five headings:

1. The Loneliness of the Call

We pick up the story when Mary has just received the astonishing visit from an angel – and the even more astonishing news to go with it. What must have been going through her mind we can only guess. She is in the place where there is not another soul that she can talk to, not another person that could understand. She has only the word of God to go on – nothing else.

Have you ever been in the place where you are sustained only by naked faith in the word of God? This is a distressing and lonely place to be. All those who commit themselves to serving God have been there or will be there. These are times when everything around us points one way – and the word of God points another. These are hard times – but potentially huge times for our development in the Lord. The way we respond to such challenges is crucial. In Mary’s case there is no doubt that she responded correctly. As Elizabeth says: ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

Some of the key moments in life occur when we are on our own with God.

2. The Encouragement of fellowship

Although there can be loneliness in the call of God – there is also fellowship. There is only one person in the world who can have any chance of understanding where Mary is, and that is her cousin Elizabeth.  So she leaves (maybe immediately and without telling anyone what has happened) to visit her cousin many miles away.

On the surface of things this would seem a reasonable thing to happen. For a young girl to go to visit an older relative expecting her first baby, to be with her in the months leading up to the birth would have seemed a right and proper thing to do. The visit could even have been previously planned. However, God has something else in mind: support, fellowship and encouragement for Mary. We will look at Elizabeth’s encouragement to Mary later, but let us never forget that God has put us with one another because we need each other.

The picture of these two very different women encouraging each other is a human and a touching one. Neither Mary nor Elizabeth could have done without each other – as they rejoiced together, shared their fears and anxieties together and as they encouraged each other in their faith. Sounds like the first housegroup to me!

3. The  Joy of Confirmation

We know that Mary believed the angel – but with no one else to tell at home or on the long journey to Judea it would have been a faith that struggled. God knows the extent of our faith and when it needs bolstering and confirming. When Mary arrived in Judea she didn’t have to wait long for a confirmation of God’s word of the most dramatic kind:

⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

The Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth what no one but God and Mary knew – the Messiah was coming to earth and would be born through this young girl from Nazareth. This was all the confirmation that Mary needed, and she started off on her famous song of celebration. It is a joyous and special moment when God confirms to us his word in a way that leaves no room for doubt.

4. The Power of the Prophetic

The Holy Spirit now comes upon Mary and she prophetically brings this great hymn of praise to God:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
⁴⁸for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
⁵¹He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”

This is a hymn of praise that surpasses almost any every written:

1. Praise to the Saviour: Mary’s heart and soul rejoice in who God is. Note that Mary, as an ordinary sinful human, was also in need of a saviour!
2. Praise for what God had done for her: Mary thanks God for his amazingly gracious dealing with her in choosing her out of all people to be a part of His plan.
3. Praise for His dealing with people. Mary saw that God’s dealing with her was a model of the way in which God deals with people, casting off the arrogant and proud, and blessing those who humbly seek him.
4. Praise for his unfolding plan of salvation. Mary saw – to her great joy – that she had a part in God’s plan for the salvation of the world.

Each of these four points for praise can be echoed by us. Although Mary’s situation is unique, we too can rejoice in God our Saviour; we, too can thank God for what he has done in our lives; we too can thank God for the way in which he allows the humble to come to him, and we do have our part to play in the plan of God to save the nations.

What a great God!

5. The Return to Reality

⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

What a wonderful three months Mary had in Judea! She had God’s word to her confirmed and (I believe) she witnessed the birth of the one who would be the herald for her own son. She and Elizabeth had rejoiced together, shared their fears and anxieties together. God had cared for Mary, encouraged her and blessed – but now it was time to return home.

When she arrived home she would have to face Joseph, her family and the entire community with the shocking reality of being a pregnant unmarried woman. Who knew how it would end? Mary could not have foreseen either the battles that lay ahead, or the way in which God would care for her – but she entrusted herself into the hands of her faithful God – the Father of the child growing within her.

In the same way God often gives us great blessings: but they are often blessings for the battles that lie ahead, to strengthen and equip us for the day to day realities of life. Mary returns to Galilee to face what is to come, and the narrative turns toward the next great event – the birth of John the Baptist.

But that’s another story.

Questions for discussion:

1. What do you think was Mary’s reason for visiting Elizabeth?

2. How could Mary and Elizabeth have been a support to one another?

3. What does Mary’s song teach us about the way in which we should praise God?

4. What would Mary face when she returned home – and how did God help her to get through it?

5. Are there any challenges you are facing right now? What does this account say to encourage you and help you?

Richard Miles spoke this week from Romans 1 v 1 – 7 under three headings:

1. The Apostle Paul
2. The Gospel
3. The church at Rome

Listen to this sermon (or download – right click here and ‘Save as’):

Listen to this sermon (or download – right click here and ‘Save as’):

Notes from sermon preached 1 November 2009: “The Girl who said “yes” “ (Luke 1 v 26-28)

We continue with our series in Luke’s gospel, today looking at one of the most famous stories ever told – the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary in Nazareth to tell her of the birth of God’s Son.

A Divine Errand (v.26)

First we read of the angelic mission. God sent Gabriel to visit Mary. Angels are God’s messengers and operate unseen around us constantly. (Billy Graham describes angels as “God’s secret agents”) This was a special mission, entrusted to one of the most senior of God’s ambassadors. Are we available to be used by God for whatever purpose he has for us? In delivering the gospel of salvation to the world, God has chosen to use people, not angels. Are we available?

An Ordinary Girl (v.27)

The most remarkable thing about Mary is her ordinariness. Just as God chose an ordinary couple in Zechariah and Elizabeth, so he chooses an ordinary girl in Mary. This is great news for us all. God’s purposes are not limited to those that the world considers to be “the movers and the shakers” and the “great and the good”. Almost certainly she was a teenager at the time of God’s visitation, and a girl without rank, distinction or note. She was an ordinary girl living in enemy occupied Northern Israel, engaged to the local carpenter. God chooses the nobodies of this world.

An Extra-ordinary Encounter (v.28-29)

As we saw with Zechariah, God doesn’t always show up at the big event, the religious ceremony. We don’t know what Mary was doing when she had this apparition, but the Lord often comes at a time and a place when we don’t expect Him. His greeting is highly significant. He says that Mary is “highly favoured” and that God is with her. Although this has a special meaning for Mary, let us be aware that this applies to every person who comes under the sound of the word of God. We are “highly favoured”. We live in a day of grace when God has suspended his judgement and reaches out to us in love. Just as the Lord was with Mary, so the Lord is with us. Do we respond accordingly?

An Awesome Promise (v 30-33)

The conversation moves up a gear as the Gabriel proceeds to unravel some of the most awesome words ever spoken about a new child. Every new child is special – but this one… We may assume that Mary, having grown up in a Jewish setting was familiar with the promises of the Messiah. Her head must have spun as she realised that the very promises which were the hope of her entire nation were being projected onto her unborn child.

The promises made to Mary were unique – but we must not forget that God’s purposes for each of us and for us as a church are far bigger than any of us could dare hope. Are we awake to the possibilities of God’s dealing with us?

A Request for Information (v.34)

But wait…there’s a problem!

Gabriel has been talking about the birth of the Messiah. In a mind-blowing prophecy he has promised that the child would be Mary’s. Now, that is hard enough to cope with.  But now the angel seems to be suggesting that this is an imminent event. Surely the angel is talking about when she and Joseph were happily married and settled – some time hence? Or is he? So Mary asks for clarification. This is not unbelief (unlike the equivalent response of Zechariah). In fact it shows more than ever Mary’s commitment as she says, in effect: “I have kept God’s requirement to keep myself pure, and have every intention of continuing to do so”

An Earth-Shattering Clarification (v.35-37)

And now Gabriel gives the response that must have torn Mary’s world apart. Gabriel announces the miracle of the ages. God would become man. A child would be born without human intervention or a man’s seed. A virgin would give birth to the son of God. As if to back up his words, Gabriel pointed to the reality of Elizabeth – barren, but now six months pregnant. God can do anything!

God can do anything – but the implications for Mary were unthinkable. More on this below, but let’s think for a minute about the miraculous nature of what Gabriel promised. For a woman, sinful like any other, to conceive and carry the Son of God is unique. But it is equalled in its miraculous nature by the mystery and the miracle of the Son of God, by his Spirit, coming to take up residence in each of God’s children. The virgin birth is re-enacted in every believer. As the old hymn writer says:

“How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven”

And

“O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray.

Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today”

A Huge Decision

God generally does not impose imposes his will on anyone in this life. We choose to embrace or reject the will of God. Mary has a choice here. Questions like” What will Joseph say” “How will I cope” What will this mean for me” must have run through her head. There is always a decision to be taken to embrace the will of God. Are we prepared to take it? Heaven waits whilst Mary decides how to respond to this heavenly visitation. The destiny of the human race hangs in the balance whilst she pauses to respond. Again, whilst Mary’s situation is unique we know little of what is at stake whilst we choose how we respond to the will of God.

An Amazing Response (v.38)

And then, finally the response comes “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said”. In other swords – whatever the cost, wherever it takes me, whatever it means I joyfully embrace the will of God. Is that your response to God?

A Heavenly “Amen”

The narrative tells us that the angel then left. Mary had said “yes” – the die was cast. But it was not only Mary that had to say “yes”. The Holy Spirit had to be willing to come and take up residence in a sinful human being. The Father had to be prepared to be parted from His beloved Son. And the Son of God had to be willing to leave the glories of heaven and suffer the pain of death on a cross for god’s will to be done. Whatever cost there is in us following God, he has paid a higher one still.

A Plan in Motion

And with this the wheels are in motion. God’s plan is truly underway. In a few short months planet earth would be visited by its Creator, in human form

But that’s another story.

Questions for discussion

1. What was there about Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that would most have troubled her?
2. What are the characteristics that Mary shows here that we should most admire?
3. On the surface of it, Mary’s initial response to Gabriel in verse 34 appears similar to that of Zechariah in verse 18. Yet Gabriel’s reaction is very different? Why is this?
4. Mary said “yes” to God. What are the consequences for us as we say “yes” to God? And what are the consequences if we say “no”?
5. Is there any way in which you need to be saying “yes” to God at the moment?