Chosen Vessel: Seven steps for connecting to a promise

While we engage the message of Christmas we cannot escape the mother of our Lord as one of the most central humans in this episode.

God Provided A Promise

Genesis 3:15 KJVS And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

From the very fall of man God’s agenda was to bring His son into the world and this would mean that a woman would be needed to manifest it.

Centuries of women coming and going but no one yet chosen.

Many women are listed in the genealogical records of scripture, mighty women but none of them heard the words we read.

One day God finds a woman who unknowingly meets the criteria He was looking for.

• She had no personal notoriety.

• She had no powerful connections.

• She had no prophetic promises.

• She had no plan to be significant.

Luke 1:26-38 26  And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27  To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34  Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36  And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37  For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38  And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. Mary Visits Elizabeth 39  And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40  And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41  And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

Seven steps for connecting to a promise

1. Your Position Has Prophetic Purpose

   The place where she is positioned was filled with prophetic purpose. Vs 26.

   
   

   Micah 5:2 KJVS “But thou, Beth–lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

   
   

2. Your Spiritual Condition and Relational Connection Attracts God

   The spiritual condition and relational connections of our lives create the environment that attracts the attention of God. Vs 27 & 28

   
   

3. God's Favour Is by His Sovereign Will Not Earned

   The favour of God is not initiated by any particular worthiness in our lives but by the sovereign will of God. Vs 30

   
   

4. The Process Requires Complete Surrender

   The process requires completely giving of your body for the use of God. Vs 31

   
   

5. Proclamation of Identity Establishes Prophetic Purposes and Promises

   The proclamation of identity establishes the prophetic purpose and His promise. Vs 32 & 33

   
   

6. Inadequacy Is A Platform For Fruitful Partnership With God

   The inadequacies of man is the platform for the fruitful partnership with God. Vs 34 & 35

   
   

7. Divine Connection Confirms The Promise

   Divine connection which confirms our promise is a necessary step to enhance our faith and manifest that our promise is alive. Vs 36 & 37. Vs 41

Mary’s lesson is one that reminds us that:

• God isn’t looking for much.

• God still has promises to be carried.

• God desires us to simply be vessels and not designers.

Hebrews 6:12 KJVS That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

D.L. Moody: "God makes a promise; Faith believes it; Hope anticipates it; and Patience quietly awaits it".

The Vessels Response:

Luke 1:38 KJVS And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

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Something’s got to break: Five rules to be broken

Mark 2:1-12 1  And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.  2  And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. 3  And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4  And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5  When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 6  But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7  Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 8  And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9  Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11  I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12  And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

Most of the miracles Christ performed in His earthly ministry were cases of individual or His engagement.

Few of His miracles were as a result of representation being made by others for the need of a particular person.

• Jairus on behalf of his daughter

• The Centurion on behalf of his servant to name a couple.

  
  

This one is of particular interest because it highlights not just a concern but the power of communal interest and action in seeking change on behalf of someone.

The Bible did not give us any indication of the dialogue between the men or the initiation of their action but it has given us enough that can suggest to us the most important aspects of this miracle.

1. There are individuals who need to have an encounter with Christ and would need the intentional effort of some to facilitate it.

   
   

2. The process of facilitating an encounter with Christ requires a commitment to personal cost for the benefit of someone else.

   
   

3. Our efforts to facilitate someone meeting Christ will be challenged with obstacles both human and structural.

   
   

4. The person in need must gain confidence in us that their weight, obstacles or the journey would not deter us.

   
   

5. Obstacles are not there to stop us but to prove our commitment to the process.

   
   

6. Obstructing persons must be intentionally bypassed and hindering structures intentionally broken for those in significant distress to find relief.

   
   

7. The victory of many is connected to our deep conviction and faith that once they are in God’s presence they will be transformed.

Conclusion

Historically we saw the roof broken but I want to submit to us a few rules that were broken that we must break today.

Five (5) rules to be broken

1. Selfish Christianity:

   Focused on things that benefit me.

   
   

2. Sacrificial reluctance:

   Would not be inconvenienced by someone else’s need

   
   

3. Fruitless routine:

   I am comfortable just being in the presence without anything to show

   
   

4. Resistant structures:

   Systems that have made Christ inaccessible for the desperate

   
   

5. Limiting expectations:

   Those who will seek to limit the impact of God on your life to fit their own religious box.

   
   

6. Suspicious mind:

   Those who desire relief must trust those sent to their aid and trust the process.

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From Darkness to Light: The Power of Divine Thought

The Power of Divine Thought “a form of Liberty

Main Points:

• Gods Warning to Nations (Without God national Plans are futile)

• Avoid Conspiracy Thinking or thought (A path to deception)

• Renounce Fear (Fear; a limiting force)

• Exalt God Alone (Give God the highest place of Reverence)

• Lack of Fear for God has Consequences

• Response determines Result (God is a Sanctuary or Stumbling Block)

• Study and Teach these Truths (Hold to this position)

• You will be Set Apart (Be a sign and wonder for God)

• Do not use the occult (The occult leads to greater darkness)

• Things that Promise to Deliver will lead to greater destruction (Ungodly counsel leads to hatred and destruction)

• The Need for Watchfulness (Complacency has consequences)

Summary

Isaiah 8:9-22 (CSB) warns nations against trusting their own plans over God, tells God's people not to fear invaders but to trust the Lord, urges them to follow His Law not mediums, and prophesies darkness and distress for those who reject God's word, contrasting it with the hope found in His instruction and the future Messiah.

Key themes

Divine sovereignty, seeking God's guidance over the occult, and the stumbling block of Christ for the unfaithful, leading to spiritual darkness

Gods Warning to Nations

(Without God national Plans are futile)

Isaiah 8: 9-10 CSB Band together,[g] peoples, and be broken; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for war, and be broken; prepare for war, and be broken. 10 Devise a plan; it will fail. Make a prediction; it will not happen. For God is with us.

• God through Isiah warns that many plans of man are futile, not because they are not well intentioned or well-planned out but often because God has not been factored into them

  
  

• This applies to Enemies and Allies. In this instance God broke Judah because they named His name but didn’t align with his ways.

  
  

• The same God Also protects His people from more powerful adversaries than they can fight because they align with His ways

Isaiah 8: 11-15 CSB The Lord of Armies, the Only Refuge 11 For this is what the Lord said to me with great power, to keep[i] me from going the way of this people:

Avoid Conspiracy Thinking / Thought

(A path to deception)

12 (a) Do not call everything a conspiracy that these people say is a conspiracy.

Conspiracy Definition - a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.

• Conspiracy always focusses the mind on deception

• It blinds you from being open in a divine direction

• It engenders fear and puts your focus on the schemes of others and not the plans and directions of God

Renounce Fear

(Fear; a limiting force)

12 (b) Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified.

• If you are caught up with the same fears as the Nations and Peoples of the world. You will end up in the same positions as them and get the same results.

• Fear in a paralysis force that causes you not to act correctly, see correctly or believe correctly

• Fear also engenders blindness. When we are afraid or overwhelmed, we can’t think straight and are less open to seeing clearly

• We are also less open to having faith in God or perceiving His directions

Exalt God Alone

(Give God the highest place of Reverence)

13 You are to regard only the Lord of Armies as holy. Only he should be feared; only he should be held in awe.

Holy Definition - dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred. sanctified, venerated hallowed, specifically set apart.

• God has no equal.

• Our Fears and our Desires are two of the greatest drivers in Life

• God is advising Isiah and Us to fear nothing and no one more than you fear God and desire and be in Awe of no one and Nothing more than we desire and are in Awe of God

• This ensures that you will be driven or drawn by His will and that you cannot be over power by other desires or fears

  
  

Lack of Fear for God has Consequences

• Absence of Divine wisdom Prov 1:7

• Turn to Evil- Ecc. 8;11, Prov 8:13, Prov 16:6

• Live Carelessly- Mal 1: 6-14

• Miss out on a Life-giving source Prov 14 27

• Ultimate Death- separation from God_ Luke 12:5, Heb :10;21

Response determines Result

(God is a Sanctuary or Stumbling Block)

14 He will be a sanctuary; but for the two houses of Israel, he will be a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be snared and captured.

• Your response to God can make Him your Safe Place and deliverer

• Your response to God can leave you open to fall, be broken or ensnared

Rom 9:33NKJV Behold I Lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offence and who soever believes in Him shall not be ashamed

• Paul aligns the scripture in Isiah with Jesus in the New Testament claiming the same results. Your position towards God or Christ influences His impact in your Life.

  
  

Study and Teach these Truths

(Hold to this position)

16 Bind up the testimony. Seal up the instruction among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will wait for him.

You will be Set Apart

(Be a sign and wonder for God)

18 Here I am with the children the Lord has given me to be signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of Armies who dwells on Mount Zion.

• Isaiah became set apart and stood out and his family significantly because of this counsel

• He became a sign and a wonder. God exalted Him not He himself

Do not use the occult

(The occult leads to greater darkness)

19 When they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the spiritists who chirp and mutter,” shouldn’t a people inquire of their God?[j] Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Go to God’s instruction and testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, there will be NO DAWN FOR THEM.

• The occult can give answers and results but they lead to greater darkness

• If those things you follow do not align with Godly instructions you are leading yourself into greater blindness

Things that Promise to Deliver will lead to greater destruction

(Ungodly counsel leads to hatred and destruction)

21 They will wander through the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged, and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 They will look toward the earth and see only distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction, and they will be driven into thick darkness.

• In their distress and frustration with life’s entanglements they will ultimately blame God and their leaders for the results of their own folly.

• They will only see evil in life, they won’t notice the good

• Distress will be their focus and strife their experience

• Their lives will get even darker

The Need for Watchfulness

(Complacency has consequences)

34 “Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled[a] from carousing,[b] drunkenness, and worries of life, or that day will come on you unexpectedly 35 like a trap. For it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength[c] to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Declarative Prayer:

Dear God

• Open my Eyes that I may See

• Open my Heart that I may Believe

• Strengthen my Will that I may Obey

• Empower me that I may be Delivered

IN JESUS NAME

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