WHEN IT LOOKS IMPOSSIBLE

Religion

This sermon is from the series on THE LIFE OF CHRIST entitled THAT WE MAY KNOW HIM and was preached at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Cherry Log, Georgia on October 26, 2014 by Pastor Paul Mims. You can hear this sermon at www.csbccl.org
Luke 1: 26-38A group of liberal Bible scholars have unanimously agreed that Jesus had a human father, but they are uncertain who it was. Thus, according to these scholars, Jesus was not born of a virgin, was not conceived by the Holy Spirit, was and is not literally the Son of God, but is in the same category with other great religious leaders who were conceived and born in the usual manner. The article states that the birth narratives found in Matthew and Luke are fictitious. The church fabricated the story about the virgin birth of Jesus in order to give Him more status, according to these scholars. The Jesus Seminar admits there is some uncertainty concerning who the father of Jesus was. Some say Joseph, some say Mary was raped by a Roman soldier, but none are willing to accept the biblical narrative at face value. The biblical account of Mary’s miraculous conception by the power of the Holy Spirit is dismissed by these scholars as a theological statement having no historical validity.

Dr. William Evans was an unusually accomplished man. He had most of the King James Version of the Bible memorized as well as the New Testament in the American Standard Version. Dr. Evans also authored over fifty books. His son, Louis, became one of the best-known preachers in America and for many years pastored the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, California. When Dr. William Evans retired, he moved to Hollywood to be near his son, and when Louis was away he would substitute for him.

On one unforgettable Sunday, Dr. William, as he was affectionately called, spoke on the virgin birth. All were amazed when he raised his Bible and tore out the pages that narrate the birth of the Lord. As the tattered scraps floated down toward the congregation, he shouted, “If we can’t believe in the virgin birth, let’s tear it out of the Bible!” And then as he drove home his point, he tore out the resurrection chapters, then the miracle narratives, then anything conveying the supernatural. The floor was littered with mutilated pages.

Finally, with immense drama he held up the only remaining portion and said, “And this is all we have left — the Sermon on the Mount. And that has no authority for me if a divine Christ didn’t preach it.” After a few more words, he asked his listeners to bow for the benediction. But before he could pray, a man in that vast and sedate congregation stood and cried, “No, no! Go on! We want more!” Several others joined in. So Dr. Evans preached for another fifty minutes. (From “Henrietta Mears and How She Did It”)

If the virgin birth seems impossible to some today, just think how impossible it must have seemed to Mary when she first heard about it. There are four interesting similarities between us and Mary when things look impossible to us.

I. BECAUSE OF OUR BACKGROUND (v.1)
“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth.”
Mary had no background in the supernatural and some of us have none either. She was a teenage Jewish girl from a village in Galilee that the religious leaders in Jerusalem looked upon as a corrupt place full of vice and all manner of sin. A Roman garrison of soldiers was stationed near there to police the area. The residents were considered second-class citizens and were looked upon as uneducated country folk. The Judeans looked upon them with contempt and because of their country ways said that they could not even speak correctly.

We have been to Nazareth. It is one of the most beautiful places in Galilee. It is situated on the south-east slope of a hill 1500 hundred feet above sea level that descends gradually into the Plain of Esdraelon which is a 1000 feet lower. The town was built from the white limestone quarries nearby. The water supply was from a copious spring where the citizens would often see each other. But even in Galilee, Nazareth did not have the best of reputations. You remember that Nathaniel who was from the nearby town of Cana asked, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)

Mary was engaged to Joseph and this was equivalent to a civil contract of marriage which would be followed later by the religious ceremony. It was a public festive event at her home made with the blessings of her family and friends with music and dancing under a canopy made especially for the announcement of her engagement. This was no quiet event with agreement just between two people. It had been arranged by both of their fathers. It could only be broken by a bill of divorcement. The relationship was as sacred as marriage and any breach would be treated as adultery.

Mary knew nothing of the appearance of Gabriel to Zacharias and the message that he and Elizabeth would have a child in their old age. And now, Gabriel stood before her. She had never seen an angel before. We are not told where this supernatural event occurred. It must have occurred in her home or in the synagogue while she was alone for the scripture says, “And coming in he said to her…” (v.28)

So you can see that Mary’s background and present situation was not conducive to the great event which confronted her. And so it is with us when were have not experienced the things that God can do in and through us. We think, feel, and sometimes say, “That is impossible in my life!”

“What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.” – Anthony Robbins

II. GOD’S FAVOR CAN MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE.
“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (v.28)
I am not suggesting that our life events are anything to compare with God’s choice of Mary to be the mother of Messiah. But I am suggesting that the reality of God’s working in our lives can be just as personal and supernatural.

Gabriel said to Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (v.30) She was divinely chosen to fit supremely into God’s plan of redemption. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (vv.31-33)

This is the point where Mary was overcome by the event and asked, “How can this be since I am a virgin?” She was saying what the modern skeptics are saying about the virgin birth – that this was scientifically impossible. Every young woman ought to take Mary as her model in that she remained a virgin until marriage. The loss of virginity is so prevalent today that couples who claim to be Christians are atheists at this point.

We are not chosen with a weighty responsibility as was given to Mary, but each one of us is chosen in Christ to fill full God’s purpose for our lives. God’s favor has rested upon us for salvation and for the living of our days. In times when we face that which seems impossible to us God’s favor will be upon us if we live in fellowship with Him.

Do you sense God’s favor upon your life? The only place where your life situation is impossible is in your own thinking. “FOR NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.” (v.37) The people who see victories, dreams restored, lives changed, families brought together, loved ones saved, doors opened, problems solved, finances provided, health improved, and grace to accept and transcend whatever confronts them are the people who have a grip on God and will not let go. When we match the truth that nothing is impossible with God and the knowledge of His favor upon us, we can face the impossible with certainty.

III. THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL CONCEIVE IN YOU… (v.35)
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
This is a picture of which Mary would have heard about through her instructions in the Torah. In the Book of Exodus was the account of how the Shekinah glory of God had rested on the Tabernacle. The Holy Spirit would come upon her in a similar way and would conceive in her womb the child that Gabriel promised. This would be entirely of God without any human assistance.

This is God initiated action for His purpose and glory. Mary was simply the instrument of choice. But can you imagine what God might initiate in you if you were available to Him?

When we face our impossibilities the Holy Spirit can conceive in us a faith that will match the test. You cannot conjure this up of yourself. Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit that is conceived in us when we come before Him in the right manner. “Jesus was conceived when God took off the glove of nature and touched Mary with his naked finger.” (C. S. Lewis) So, when the finger of God touches your heart, a faith far above what you have ever known is conceived in your heart.

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”

This is how faith conceived by the Holy Spirit in us can work in our lives:

As a young man preparing to go to China, Hudson Taylor determined to learn to live by faith alone while he was still in England. His resolve was “to learn before leaving England to move man through God by prayer alone.” He worked for a doctor and was paid quarterly. When the time drew near to receive his salary, Taylor was disturbed that his employer said nothing about it. Taylor had only one half-crown piece, but he determined not to break his resolution and ask for his salary. While visiting a needy home on the Lord’s Day, Taylor felt led of God to give his last coin to the needy family. The next day he received an anonymous gift through the mail, four times what he had given to the poor! The following Saturday, the doctor finished up his work and said, “Taylor, is not your salary due again?” Taylor told him that it was and became disappointed when he learned that the doctor had forgotten about the salary due and sent all his funds to the bank! He prayed about the matter (for he had bills of his own to pay) and left it with the Lord. That evening, the doctor visited him and said that one of his richest patients had come over after hours to pay his bill! He gave the money to Taylor, who rejoiced. He had learned he could trust God and therefore go to China as a missionary. W. Wiersbe, Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, p. 240.

IV. SUBMISSION IS THE WAY TO GOD’S BLESSINGS (v.38)
“And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bond-slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”
The responsibility of becoming the mother of Messiah was not forced upon Mary apart from her will. Gabriel came directly from the throne of God in heaven to Mary to seek her willingness to do what the Lord needed. I have always been impressed with how readily she agreed when she placed doing what God wanted of her up against the possible consequences: possible disgrace from Joseph, family and friends, slander, and death by stoning. But convinced that God would protect her and give her grace to face whatever may come, Mary submitted herself to the Lord and His will for her.

We lose so many blessings because we will not believe and submit to the Lord. What might possibly happen in your life your life if you would come to the point of submission like Mary?

The person of faith sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and does the impossible!

PRAISE BE TO HIS NAME!

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