Sermon Note

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Adore Him with Favor By Senior Pastor Tom Harrison Adore Him Sermon Series December 2, 2018 WHY do we worship God? We worship because of God’s creation of the world (and of us). We worship because of God’s gift to the world in Jesus Christ. As such, the worship of God is our primary purpose and our greatest privilege. The worship of God holds us together as a community, but it also holds us together as individuals. It is our core identity, both corporately and privately. While we belong to the Body of Christ, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and become servants of Jesus, we worship first and last. This is what it means to be a disciple. There are many different words we can use to describe HOW we worship. This series is how we ADORE HIM. The hymn, “O Come All Ye Faithful” has a line, “O come let us adore Him.” We emphasize this week: “Adore Him with Favor.” To “find favor in someone’s sight” opens doors. This was a very important concept in the Old Testament. Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, etc. all found favor. Mary and Jesus found favor in the New Testament. APPLICATION: Many of us feel we cannot approach God because of our guilt, shame and fear. The New Testament message is that Jesus brings us God’s favor. When we receive favor from God, it gives us confidence to approach the throne of grace. Do you feel God’s favor upon your life? One of my memory verses is Luke 2:52. Like Jesus, we can increase in favor with God and people. What needs to happen so you can grow this Advent in favor with God and others? Luke 1:26-38 In the 6th 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 He came to her & 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 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." 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. the angel Gabriel “angel” means “messenger.” Gabriel foretells the events of the 1st Advent. was sent from God God = the 1st missionary. The Lord was always sending people. to a city of Galilee named Nazareth Are you kidding me? A CITY? Nazareth is named 33x in the Bible (only in the NT). It was not in the top 100 cities of Israel back then. It was so small it

didn’t even have a traffic light. It got no respect. “Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." John 1:46 Why Nazareth? Why Bethlehem? Why does God choose the least, the last and the overlooked for His purpose? As the saying goes, “How odd of God to choose the Jews.” God chooses the weak, not the strong. I love what Paul wrote (1 Cor 1:27-30) But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And he personally experienced this (2 Cor 12:9-10 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Jesus started His ministry in Nazareth. At first, the “hometown boy” started off well. H were amazed. But He spoke in the synagogue and said the scriptures told God sent Elijah to Gentiles. It was more than the Jews God showed favor upon. The people in the synagogue in Nazareth were the 1st who tried to kill him. (Luke 4:16-30) “to a virgin” Mary is young. The word “teenager” wasn’t known in America until the 1930’s. Until then, we were a child or an adult. A girl became a woman with her 1st menstrual cycle. The Apostles Creed, “born of the virgin Mary.” Jesus = fully human + fully divine (God caused Mary’s egg to be fertilized) His nature is comprised of Mary’s DNA and God’s divine essence. Mary struggled, too. For nothing will be impossible with God." (Genesis 1:1 is my worldview). 28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one" “Favored” is repeated twice in this greeting. “Favor” is found 126x in the Bible. God’s favor = a big deal. The Greek word in Luke for “favor” = the word “charis” (we get the word, “grace”). Grace is the undeserved kindness of God. It is God’s gift. We need God’s favor to be who He’s called us to be and to do what He’s called us to do. God’s favor describes the exchange with some of the great names in the Bible including: Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, David, Daniel, Mary. Why these people? 1.) GOD chose/empowered them. None of what they accomplished would have been possible w/o the favor of God. God chooses to show undeserved kindness to people. 2.) THEY cooperated. They received special privileges. Some people ask for favor with God but really want favors from Him. They were also given special responsibilities. Their favor was not simply for personal privilege and enjoyment, they were used for the glory and purpose of God. Noah was told to build an ark. Abraham was to be the father of many nations, Joseph was to protect his family and his people, Moses was to deliver the Israelites, Ruth became part of the lineage of David (great grandmother) + the Messiah, Daniel was to bear witness during the exile, and Mary was to birth Jesus. God’s favor is having His presence in us so we can accomplish His purpose. It is not intended for our personal privilege, but for God’s redemptive purpose. In some ways, God’s presence makes life easier; but it also means that life get harder in other ways. MARY was “favored” by God, but she and Joseph certainly didn’t enjoy financial blessings. She and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem when she was pregnant. They had to flee Herod’s wrath and go to Egypt until the crazy King died. Then Jesus worked as a carpenter for about 30 years. At some point in the narrative, Joseph disappeared. CW says he died. Yes, she was the mother of the Messiah, but it came at a terrible price – she watched as He was murdered at the cross.

Application How do we get through things? Mary’s response is a model worthy of our response: 1.) Admit Challenges. 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. When Mary learned of her favor from God, she asked good questions, 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Reiterates her status with God. That changes things! We feel afraid, too. We need clarity. We should ask good questions. 2.) Lean into the power of the Holy Spirit "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; 3.) Connect with Others in the faith 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. Mary will consult her cousin, Elizabeth. She + her husband Zechariah were the New Testament equivalent of Abraham/Sara having a baby in their old age. His name will be John. He will be given the descriptive term, “the Baptist.” 4.) Worship w humility/submission. When Gabriel initially told her: Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" the Lord is with you! Start with God’s favor. This was true for Mary and is also true for each one of us today through the grace of Mary’s son, Jesus. This may be very hard for some of us to believe. This is the most wonderful, inexpressible Gift of Christmas. There is a personal sense of worship and there is a corporate sense of worship. Which is more important? They are very different. There is a personal connection we MUST have (daily). There is a weekly connection we MUST have. I am very concerned when people claim to be a Christian yet say, “I do not need to attend worship.” Usually they say that everyone else is a hypocrite or that it’s boring or that they don’t get enough out of it. They are what I’d call, “short-term thinkers.” (Pull on “the party favors hat”)They want the Christian life to be fun, entertaining, exciting. Sometimes it is. There are times in life when things go well for us. Thank God and rejoice for a season of blessing. Yet remain humble and submissive. Don’t be proud. God favors the weak, not the strong. Don’t grow too attached to things. Don’t feel entitled to material favors. Without God, it would all be impossible. Keep walking in faith. And when you are doing well, especially when you are doing well, seek to be a blessing to others. Your blessings aren’t intended to be an end in themselves. Be an “angel.” Be a messenger. If things are NOT going so well right now (stuck in a dysfunctional home, abusive relationship, or a dead-end job, if you are having health challenges) realize this is part of the narrative. Be a long-term thinker. God’s favor (grace) is still there. Ask for His grace. Remain/abide in His favor. Keep looking for it. Sow good seeds. Pedal hard. Don’t give God your leftovers and your junk. Give Him your best. Pay attention to what God has put in front of you today. Don’t pray for “favors” but pray for “favor.” Come to worship. Be part of the Body of Christ. Keep your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. When we say we are available, God will bring opportunities. Seize them! Mary was obedient even though she was young and afraid. What would Joseph say? What would her family say? What would the people of the town say? Think of all the distractions the great people of the Bible had - Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, David, Daniel and Mary. I love Luke 2:52, which was initially used to describe the prophet

Samuel: “And Jesus increased in wisdom, stature and in favor with God and man.” We increase more in times of weakness than in strength. Challenges are great growth opportunities for us! John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. O Come, Let us Adore Him – Christ the Lord.