Divine Moments: I Surrender

                                                                                                                         

 

Divine Moments – Sermon Notes                                                                                                  Pastor Brad Myers

I Surrender                                                                                                                                      December 15, 2024

 

We’re going to talk about the surrender of Mary and her encounter with the angel, Gabriel.

This Christmas We need to Surrender!

·      Surrender our relationships to God

·      Surrender job opportunities to God

·      Surrender future to God: My future looks very different than I ever thought it would.

·      Surrender our wayward children to God: We can’t fix them!!

·      Surrender our generosity (stop holding on)

·      We all have something to surrender

Q)What does surrender even look like?

·      White flag? Raised hands? Tap Out (fight) I quit?? (give up)

·      Surrender isn’t weakness

·      It takes strength to surrender your will to the will of our Father in Heaven!

 

Surrender isn’t giving up. It’s letting go.

 

Surrender is not a moment in time; it’s in all moments all the time! Pastor Graig Groeschel

·      Daily, it’s weekly, it’s monthly, it’s all the time.

 

We remember God’s amazing work in the context of something as silly as that.

Mary and angel Gabriel is way more crazy.

·      Most everyone has heard the story

·      Few heard it like this… today

The Birth of Jesus …

 

Luke 1:26 (NLT)

·      Gabriel:A messenger!

·      This guy showed up 3 times in scripture.

·      To Daniel (OT): Interpreting dreams

·      To Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband, announcing the birth of John the Baptist.

·      Now to Mary: In Nazareth, a village in Galilee.

·      Bustling town??? 20 acres big.

·      300 People!!

·      A nothing!!

Story: Jesus Recruiting Disciples

·      Tons of excitement!

In John 1:35Jesus begins calling His first disciples. After Jesus was baptized, He’s with John the Baptist and John’s disciples. John’s disciples begin following Jesus. One is Andrew, Peter’s brother. Andrew then retrieves Peter so he can follow Jesus too. Jesus then enters the region of Galilee and calls Philip who then finds Nathanael…

 

Pick up the story

John 1:45-46 (NLT)

Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Mosesand the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” ⁴⁶ “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.

 

Some of us who come from a Nazareth. Not so much a small town, but a lot of a broken backgrounds. A place in life where you never thought you were going to be. Then, suddenly, God is pulling you out of those places, and you think, “I don’t have the looks, I don’t have the education, I don’t have the experience, I’m just not good enough. Guess what? It doesn’t matter. You’re exactly who God can use.

God is looking for people He can use.

 

Luke 1:26-27 (NLT)

Luke 1:28 (NLT)

·      Can you imagine?

·      You can be favored!

 

Luke 1:29 (NLT)

·      Mary is shocked by what the angel said! Not by the angel’s presence.

·      When God calls you be ready to be confused and disturbed!!!

Previously Gabriel appears to both to Daniel and Zechariah

·      They shook with fear.

·      Mary is different.

·      “Confused & Disturbed”  by what Gabriel said..

 

Gabriel Said…

 

·      “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

·      What’s wrong with that???

·      LADIES??   Here’s how we’ll address you.. “Greetings, favored woman!”

·      Mary’s not feeling it…. Around 13 yrs old??

 

Sometimes God calls you in moments where you don’t feel like you’re very callable.

·      God calls anyhow…

 

“Greetings, favored woman; favored man! The Lord is with you!”

·      Announcement!

·      Buckle your seatbelt

·      About to get crazy.

 

Mary’s disturbed because she knows, whatever’s about to happen is going be insane, it’s going to be crazy, and she’ll need to surrender, not just that moment in time, but all her future moments of all time.

 

Luke 1:30 (NLT)

·      What did Mary do to find favor with God???

·      Same thing we ask!!

·      CHARIS Specific, unmerited (undeserved) favor from God.

·      You’re selected!! The lucky one!

·      First time in OT: Noah had Charis Favor: Build an ark. Surrender required!

·      First time in NT: “Charis” Favor is Mary!

But Surrender is required from Mary

Luke 1:31-33 (NIV)

·      That’s a lot to take in!!

Fulfilled Prophecy

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

Fulfilled a covenant promise

 

Psalm 89:3-4 (NLT)

 

Gabriel saying, “Hey, there’s a covenant promise here in Psalm 89 that God made to David, where he says that, ‘I will establish your descendants as kings forever.’

·      Gabriel bringing the news after 400 years of silence!

·      Gabriel appears to Mary: This is about to go down, and you’re it!!!

Mary starts to reason with Gabriel: Like Us!!

 

Luke 1:34 (NIV)

·      Church, it’s okay to ask!!!

·      Mary: On earth I need a guy

·      Maybe not where you’re from….

·      Mary: “since I am a virgin?” Gabriel, “GOOD!”

·      Not real effective unless you are a virgin!

 

Gabriel Starts to Explain:

 

Luke 1:35 (NIV)

·      A lot to digest!!

 

Mary says, “I Surrender!”

 

Luke 1:38 (NIV)

·      Mary Believed the angel Gabriel

·      Gabriel leaves AFTER Mary surrenders!

 

Mary understood that her surrender was not just for that moment in time, but all moments all the time. It’s a call, a lifestyle, a lifestyle of surrender.

 

God’s going to chase you until He gets His way with you! Your surrender!

I surrender says I believe!