A Strong Prediction
Please Note: the full transcript is available in the Manuscript link above.
1 Corinthians 3:18 - Let no man deceive himself…
Psalm 138:3 - On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.
3 principles to help us place our faith where it truly belongs
I. God Frequently Offers Promises to Those Struggling to Trust Him
A. A wayward king
2 Chronicles 28:1-4 - Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do right in the sight of the Lord as David his father had done. But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; he also made molten images for the Baals. Moreover, he burned incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom and burned his sons in fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel. He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills and under every green tree.
2160 BC–Call of Abraham
1440 BC–Moses
1000 BC–David
931 BC–Kingdom divided into Judah and Israel
B. A frightening situation
Isaiah 7:2 - When it was reported to the house of David, saying, “The Arameans have camped in Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.
Psalm 20:7 - Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God.
C. An offer from God
Isaiah 7:10-11 - Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
II. Everyday People Can Choose to Trust the Promises of God
A. Mary was poor
Luke 1:26-28 - Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:31-34 - “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.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
B. Mary was honest
Luke 1:35-37 - The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
C. Mary possessed courageous faith
Luke 1:38 - And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
D. Mary was a marvelous blessing
Genesis 12:3 - in you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.
Luke 1:31 - And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
Psalm 28:7 - The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.
Psalm 56:3-4 - When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?
Psalm 62:8 - Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.
Isaiah 26:3-4 - “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
III. God is Honored by People who Choose to Trust in Him
Matthew 1:18-23 - Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
Matthew 1:24-25 - And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
