December 23, 2018 "Gabriel's Good News", Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] on this last Sunday of Advent before the proclamation of the coming celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ I want you to hear some verses of Scripture that tell a story you are familiar with if you spend any amount of time in church the events around the birth of Jesus are recorded in Matthew and in Luke I want you to hear what Luke says in chapter 1 beginning in verse number 11 as I read out of the New International Version of God's Word I invite those who are physically able to stand with us that together we might reverence the reading of the Word of God from Luke chapter 1 beginning in verse number 11 here the extended story of the events that precede the birth of our Lord and Savior Luke writes then an angel of the Lord appeared to him meaning Zechariah standing at the right side of the altar of incense when Zechariah saw him he was startled and was gripped with fear the angel said unto him do not be afraid Zechariah your prayer has been heard your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you are to call him John he will be a joy and a delight to you and many will rejoice because of his birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord he is never to take wine or other fermented drink and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God and he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous does it make ready a people prepared for the Lord Cariah asks the angel how can I be sure of this I am an old man and my wife is well along in years the angel said to him I am Gabriel I stand in the presence of God and I've been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news and now you will be silent and I be able to speak until the day this happens because you did not believe my words which will come true at their appointed time drop down to verse 26 now in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy God sent the same angel Gabriel to Nazareth a town in Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph a descendant of David the Virgin's name was Mary the angel went to her and said greetings you who are highly favored the Lord is with you Mary was greatly troubled in his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be but the angel said to her do not be afraid Mary you have found favor with God you will conceive and give birth to a son and you are to call his name Jesus he will be great and will be called the son of the Most High the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over Jacobs descendants forever his kingdom will never end how will this be Mary asked the angel since I am a virgin the angel answered the Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the most high will overshadow you so the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age and she who was said to be unable to conceive is now in her sixth month for no word from God will ever fail I am The Lord's servant Mary said may your word be to me may your word to me be fulfilled then the angel left her on this last Sunday of Advent I want to talk to you about Gabriel's good news you may be seated in the presence of our God I feel a little awkward and maybe even a little disingenuous standing in the midst of all this Christmas celebration and decoration and people are Doring in red and green the festivities of Christmas the reason I feel a little disingenuous if I can be honest with you I'm not fully into Christmas yet I know we only got about two more days for me to change my mind but but I'm not fully there yet part of my struggle is I'm overloaded and overwhelmed with school right now I've got eleven papers that are due on January 13th at 11:59 p.m. and I got a long way to go I'm a little stressed cuz mom is back home now and I'm her primary caregiver I have to get up earlier in the morning to make certain her breakfast is fixed I've got to leave Church on time to make sure she eats lunch to get dinner marceia she found that bill that I'm gonna have to destroy I'm a little stressed right now I'm so stressed you all I haven't even gone shopping for the kids yet and I know that means tomorrow I must for the whole day dealing with people at the mall cuz I haven't even I I I don't like shopping I hate shopping for other people [Applause] I'm not even getting the boys that gives yet and part of the struggle is that now that they're in this teenage space their personalities and preferences have limited what gifts I can give them I miss the days when 30 minutes at Toys R Us was all it took fighting everybody to be alright now they each have different things that they want and it's a struggle because now that I can't just give them the same gift I I understand that they are acutely aware not only of what they get but what the other one gets if you ever have more than one child you sit and watch Christmas and you'll find out they don't just watch their own stuff they watch what somebody else gets because they don't like it when something seems unfair and so I've got to be diligent and disciplined about what I put under the tree I gotta have the same number of gifts for everybody the boxes have to be the same size they start doing the math in their head I've got to make certain I haven't spent more on one than I have the other because of their age that translates to them that one of them is favored more than the other and they expect dad to gift them equally they're in the season the space where they want everything to be fair and when everything to be the same they want everything to be equal and any parent with more than one child knows you you got to work hard and making certain that your children know you love them the same that you care for them the same that they are equal in your eyesight but the one area where good parent knows you can't be equal with your children isn't how you discipline them if you got more than one child you know that what works on one doesn't always work on the other you raise them in the same house giving the same food giving the same rules and I promise you that one of them Joker's it's gonna be more hard-headed than the other my oldest son my oldest son Charlie all I had to do was look at him and say I'm disappointed he would break down and cry but that youngest one [Applause] I gotta hit him with a brick to get him to change his ways timeout never worked with Cooper I look Cooper in the eye say I'm disappointing that he looked back is that it [Applause] the other day they found out that sometimes dad has to discipline you differently they were fighting with each other they always fight getting get on my last nerve sometime so I said I'm sick of this won't be all on punish me I said Cooper the youngest one you go upstairs you're rude I'll into the oldest Deuce and I said in you you give me your cell phone let me just pause and tell you cellphones are God's gift to punish children when I took deuces phone dick the man that he lost his mind he hollered a bloody murder god no dad that's not fair you sent Cooper to his room and you took my phone why can't I just go to my room I said cuz you're a teenage boy go to your room with your phone is not punishment that's the answer to your prayer [Applause] so I snatched his phone and I said Cooper to the room and they couldn't appreciate it because they don't understand that what makes a parent good at what they do is that you know when you got to discipline differently maybe that's what makes God so good at being God God knows how to gift us equally but yet discipline us differently if you don't believe that God disciplines differently hang out and the events around the birth of Jesus and let me tell them to you in a way storage you've already heard Luke reminds us in the way that he writes his gospel that the story of the birth of Jesus does not begin in Bethlehem and doesn't begin with Mary the events of the birth of Jesus begin in Jerusalem with Mary's cousin named Elizabeth you remember Elizabeth from Sunday School she's been barren she's never conceived she struggled with infertility and when you meet her in Luke 1 she's post menopausal childbearing is way behind her and yet the Lord decides in Luke 1 he's going to take this post-menopausal barren woman and opened her womb to have a child and the Lord decides to allow Lizbeth to get pregnant for one reason make certain you don't miss this God answers Elizabeth's prayer for a child for one reason because the Lord knows in a few months he's going to show up to Mary and Mary is gonna hear the will of God and she's gonna struggle with it God's gonna tell Mary some things Mary can't understand her I can accept that seemed impossible and unreasonable how can a virgin have a child and so the Lord moves in Elizabeth's life because he knows sooner or later Mary is going to struggle and Mary is going to need a living example to testify that God can do anything God wants to do make certain you kisses the Lord takes a season Saint barren woman and gives her a child so a virgin who will be conceived by the Holy Spirit can look at her and know that if God can do it with her then God must be able to do it with me Elizabeth's pregnancy serves one person Mary's encouragement so watch how the pregnancy goes down this gets good God sends Gabriel and angel to go tell Zacharias they're going to have a baby Zacharias is Elizabeth's husband the angel shows up this one Gabriel says Zak I got some good news for you the Lord has heard your prayer you're gonna have a son his name will be John and he will be great make certain you catch the fourfold announcement Gabriel shows up tap Zak on the shoulder says Zak I guess some good news your prayers been answered you're gonna have a son his name is John and he will be great and notice how Zachariah responds how who is this he says I'm old and this is to watch him throw his wife under the bus and so is she that rested there's no way me and my age and heard her age are gonna have a baby how is this gonna happen and when Gabriel hears Zachariah asks how Gabriel goes off it's cleaned up in your Bible so let me give you the Southside translation Gabriel hears Zechariah asked cow and this woody respond what did you say to me Do You Know Who I am my name is Gabriel put some respect on it when you speak it y'all in all say [Applause] he says I I stand in the presence of the Lord and the Lord sent me here to tell you that God has heard your prayer God's gonna give you a child and you ask me how so Gabriel says this because you asked how I will shut your mouth for nine months you can't say anything as punishment for doubting the word of God six months later same angel sent to Nazareth taps Mary on the shoulder Mary I got some good news for you the Lord has favored you you're gonna have a son his name is Jesus and he will be great doesn't that sound familiar I got some good news Mary God has chosen you you're gonna have a son his name is Jesus and he will be great and Mary responds how [Applause] I'm a virgin and the same Gabriel who went off of Zechariah says to Mary baby don't worry about all that [Applause] got you baby where you ain't you ain't got to sweat all the details come here baby come here baby to hold the spirit it's gonna come upon you and God's gonna do what God says matter of fact baby pack your bags and going over the Lizabeth house and see what God is able to do did you catch the difference the same angel gives the same message to two different people who both respond the same way asking how and Zachariah gets punished and Mary gets comforted dueces reading this gon hold on bloody murder how can they both be guilty of the same thing and one be punished and one be comforted why is God seemingly more upset with Zacharias question than he is Mary's question sometimes ask a good question that's a good question is a good question what is it about Zacharias doubt that is more Grievous than Mary's doubt well part of the answer is you have to remember why Elizabeth is pregnant Elizabeth is going to be pregnant for one reason I just told you to encourage Mary so in Elizabeth God is trying to create an encouraging environment so that when Mary shows up she'll be in an environment that helps her when she's struggling that encourages her when she's confused that gives her aid when she doesn't know what God is doing God says I'm trying to surround Mary with people who remind her God is able and in the midst of God creating an encouraging environment here comes Zachariah doubting speaking negativity saying what cannot be and the angel silences him as if to suggest Mary is on her way and when she gets here she don't need to hear all of that negativity she doesn't need you voicing your doubt she doesn't need you telling her well God ain't able to do when she shows up she needs somebody who's living proof that if you trust God God is able to go exceedingly and abundantly above all that you could ask can I tell you why Church can sometimes be a god-awful experience not outfit Street but but that other church used to go to because every Sunday God is trying to create uh encouraging environment because on any given Sunday and any given section on any given pew there's a Mary somebody struggling with God somebody confused about God somebody wondering how the Lord is gonna handle this and the Lord is bringing them to an environment to be encouraged and beyond a shadow of doubt they grind up sitting next to zecharia you know the Zechariah's in church they're religious but they're also messy [Applause] don't look at nobody don't look don't look don't look don't don't that's not Christian don't look at nobody you know the zacharias they sing the hymns and they tell the gossip you know to Zacharias they pass the peace and then asking your phone number saying take you out to brunch after church you know the Zechariah's that come in always negative always critical always got something bad to say always running their mouths always bringing up mess always stirring up stuff and you want to tell them listen I didn't come to church to hear all of that I came to church because I need God to remind me that greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world I came to get a word from the Lord and there's nothing worse than getting in church sitting next to some Zacharias this can I preach right here or somebody you will say Amen right here cuz I I didn't get up out my bed get the family dressed up drive 30 minutes to get here drive around the church seven times cuz 9:30 was late getting out parked three blocks down the street messed up my Jimmy Choos walking on that cobblestone only to get in here and you running your mouth about some stuff I don't need to hear is there anybody that says I came here to be reminded that they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength I came to be reminded that God hears my prayer she trusts might somebody come here fall that I didn't come and and and every now and then I just wish Gabriel would show up at church and find some folk [Applause] because you're messing up the encouraging environment that Mary needs I'm puzzled by this because the question I asked God why did you sing Gabriel to Zachariah anyway say with me States let's have a little Bible study because when the announcement of Jesus comes Gabriel is sent to Mary the mother I need to let you know what God is doing but when the announcement of John comes the angel is not sent to Elizabeth the mother the angel is sent to Zechariah the father Johnny just doesn't seem to make sense to me if if if the angel is sent to mother Mary why not send the angel to Elizabeth or if the angel is supposed to speak to Gabriel why does the Lord nuts in the angel to Joseph I mean really think about it if I'm Joseph I would have really preferred right then if you gonna tell me this is the Holy Spirit that God would have told me first you remember you know the Bible says Joseph found Mary pregnant she didn't tell him she went away to Elizabeth's house came back three months later showing and he found out she was pregnant and she come talking about this the Lord just seems to me that if you gotta tell Gabriel I mean if you tell Gabriel to tell Zechariah you should've told Joseph why does the Lord not tell Joseph wives Lord choose Mary and one incense and Zachariah and another why a father in one and a mother in another this isn't just about gender equality no there's something else going on remember how the pregnancies come about Mary's pregnancy is the Immaculate Conception Mary's pregnancy is of the Holy Spirit and so Gabriel doesn't go to Joseph cuz Joseph ain't got much to do with it Oh Joseph has to do is sit and watch what God does but Elizabeth's pregnancy is not an immaculate conception Elizabeth's pregnancy is going to happen the old-fashioned way yeah I lose you did that that that Elizabeth's pregnancy will happen because God has opened the wound but Zachariah you gotta make a move you can't just put this in God's hands you have to do something God gods create the possibility but you got to act on it and God is displeased because when Zachariah says I'm old he's excusing himself from the responsibility God has given him to make part of the answer of the prayer a reality Zachariah this ain't just God this is you you got to do something here it is because God's answer to your prayer often requires action on your part [Applause] that when you've been praying for it God then turns around and says now what are you gonna do as a result of your prayer because my answer demands your action let me give you a side order Scripture God tells Moses I'll open the Red Sea but you gotta stretch your arm out over at first God tells Joshua I'll bring down the walls of Jericho but you gotta walk around a couple of times first Jesus tells the man at the Pool of Bethesda I'll heal you but you gotta pick up your band and you got to decide you gonna walk Jesus says I raised Lazarus from the dead but you got to show me where you laid him and move the stone out the way you got to do something and God is disappointed with Saints who put it in God's hands and don't want to do nothing with your own can I tell you one of my favorite passage of Scripture read it when you get home one of my favorite passage of Scripture is Joshua chapter 7 let me tell you what happens Joshua the children of Israel have lost a battle to a little city called AI and after they lose Joshua is on the ground praying and wailing and asking God how did it happen and God shows up and you know what God tells Joshua stop praying and start fighting get off of your knees stand on your feet get some back in your backbone some strength in your hands and do what I've been able to do I know who I can appreciate they don't you know that God's answer demands your action God says I'll create the possibility but you gotta fill out the application I put your name on the promotion list but you gotta start showing up to work on time I'll heal your body but you gotta change your diet and get out of five guys and McDonald's and start eating better if you want to be healed yeah I'll send you your bow ass and your atom but you gotta learn to pay your own bills first take care of your own household first take care of your life first you've got to do what I've been able to to do could it be that God is disappointed when we pray but we don't want to be part of the answer God's disappointing when we mess up the encouraging environment but what's the third thing this gets me there's a difference between Zachariah and Mary let me see if you can catch it the angel shows up says Zechariah your prayer has been heard the angel shows up to Mary and says God chose you you are my dog you got it you got it back there no put your hand down you didn't get it gaga's of Zechariah your prayer has been answered God tells Mary God chose you here is different Mary wasn't praying for pregnancy the Lord just rosemary some things God does you alien pray for the Lord just does it here's the problem is that right you've been praying for God to grant you a child and when the Lord says you're gonna have it you doubt whether it can happen how can you pray and not expect God to do what you've been asking God to do for so long now if you don't expect or believe God to do why waste your time asking but mercy maybe it's not just that they didn't expect I think there's a deeper problem here the deeper problem is how God answered help me see themselves and see how smart you are the angel tells Zechariah your wife is going to have a baby Shane got it right now this isn't an ur just show up as a baby it's not an adoption know that this this is a pregnancy and the problem with pregnancy is that it's progressive it's not immediate it takes some gestational time about nine months to be exact so I'm giving you word now that it's gonna happen but it ain't gonna happen today I'm a fact it's not gonna happen tomorrow so matter of fact is not gonna happen next month as matter fact it's not gonna happen to half a year from now this thing is gonna take nine months to develop but hold on here's the good news Zachariah although it's gonna take some time every day your wife is gonna show some signs that what I promised you is about to happen it ain't gonna happen immediately but you're gonna get some signs that it's on the way now I'd say here's the problem here's problem Zachariah waits until John is born in verse 65 to begin praising God cuz that Cariah like men of us cannot handle progressive answers we can only shout when it's fully developed and there's some folk they need every prayer to be answered every way to be made every storm to be delivered before they know how to give thanks but then there's some Saints who don't need it all the way I can see the size and I can praise God that I see it's all the way I need somebody who can tell God listen I don't need complete deliverance all I need is a sign and if you give me a sign I'll bless her name is there anybody here that can declare I may not be healed yet but I feel better and that's a sign may not have all I want yet but got what I need and that's a sign I thank God for the sign I still don't like her and she still acts a fool but she spoke to me today that's a sign I'm not all the way out of it yet but I'm one day closer and that's a sign I still wrestle with the issue in my body but today is a good day and that's a sign and I need some folk who come into the sanctuary and declare I don't need all of it it doesn't have to be complete and done when I see what God is putting together and how God is working it out that's enough somebody say thank God for the sign [Applause] Oh I'm done I go to the mall [Applause] there's if there's one more reason where I think God is upset with Zechariah and and it's the easiest a man of the sermon let me see how smart you are I want you to compare Zechariah and Mary Mary is a teenage girl Zechariah is an old man see I told you when that smart doesn't get Zechariah has lived a long time Mary is just getting started Mary's a teenage girl she ain't seen nothing ain't been through nothing ain't never been sick never had a storm never had some enemies never had a closed door never been rejected never gone through hell so I can understand why she has questions but when God punishes Zechariah what God is saying is that cariah's he's setting us up you too old to doubt God right now you too old to not trust God right now with all the hell you've been through with all the storms you've made it through with every diagnosis you've lived through with every enemy you've outlived with every storm you've endured how dare you not trust God after everything God has shown you in your life [Applause] beloved beloved as I'm getting old I find out that there are some benefits to getting older I like getting older the older I get the less I care about what you think [Applause] the older I get the more I will tell you what's on my mind and the older I get the more I know what I know that I know that I know that I know that I know what God has done for me and I know God is able [Applause] you too old not to trust God you've seen God do too much he's answered too many prayers he's moved too many mountains he's made too many ways I'm too old not to trust God I got to leave y'all but but but I there's some things about church I don't want to say it I don't want to stand how you can sit every Sunday and never think a man never shout thank you I get why they don't praise God in kid Street I understand why crossover gets a little quiet I know why higher ground doesn't break out and praise but how can you bring your groan shelf into the house of God [Applause] and not make a joyful noise [Applause] you can't have gray hair and be quiet you can't have arthritis and shut up when you think of the goodness [Applause] some grubs hope that don't mind lesson the Lord praising the Lord God can do [Applause] come on come on let's go home do me a favor as you stand up lean next to somebody and tell them I'm too old to be quiet [Applause] I've seen them [Applause] well here's the truth the older you are the longer God's resume is I'm I'm making my way towards my comprehensive exams for my PhD and in preparation for the Academy they've been telling us to pull our list of what we've done and published together and I asked the professor said well how do I write my resume in academia he said well first of all you have to know we don't call it a resume it's called a CV if you've never heard of it it is short for curriculum Vita it's a listing of what has happened over my life a resume just highlights things but the CV your resume shouldn't be but about a page or CV can be 20 the longer I've lived with God I don't have a resume Oh God I've got a list of everything God has done in my life and every year that list gets longer and longer I know what the Lord has done for me [Applause] and I've I've grown too old not to thank you I know the government shut down but as much as God has shown you how can you be worried right now you've made it through a recession you made it through furloughs you've made it through sickness and you have never seen the righteous forsaken [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Lord today you've shared some good news that your word can never fail and you have heard our prayers now God teaching me not to mess up the encouraging environment you're making in this place there's a Mary right next to me who needs me to be Elizabeth more than Zechariah they need me to let them know you are able and Lord what I'm praying and asking you to do I'm availing myself to be part of the answer here are my hands God you can use me I expect you to do it the Lord I can praise you even before it's done because you've given me signs that it's on the way and I trust you cuz I'm too old not to I'm too wrong not to believe you I'm too mature to doubt you now thank you for the good news in Jesus name [Music]

Channel: Alfred Street Baptist Church

Views: 33,618

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Keywords: Alfred Street Baptist Church, 2018, #gabrielsgoodnews

Id: fYLgsMLBQtQ

Length: 43min 37sec (2617 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 26 2018