So it is the season of waiting for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to this land in the human body to save us.
However, Jesus' coming to us is a very unfamiliar concept in the Old Testament.
Because in the Old Testament it says that we always must seek God first.
Prophet Isaiah said;
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near…”(Isaiah 55:6)
Prophet Amos proclaimed;
“This is what the Lord says to Israel: Seek me and live…” (Amos 5: 4)
And God spoke through prophet Jeremiah;
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart…” (Jeremiah 29:12-13)
Yes, the Old Testament always said that we should seek God first.
But the psalmist confesses:
“The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one…” (Psalm 14:2-3)
There is no one who comes to God on his own.
A famous American comedian shared his wish before he died.
"I will donate my body to a medical school for study after my death, but please send my body to Harvard University, because this is the only way I can fulfill my parents' wish. They always wanted me to get into Harvard and this is the only way I can get in there.”
If you cannot enter Harvard when you are living, you may go there when you are dead.
However, it is impossible for us to meet God as living or dead.
God speaks; "Be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:45)
No one can stand before the holy God.
But the angel who came to Mary to notify the birth of the baby Jesus says:
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means, God with us” (Matthew 1:23)
God does not ask us to come to God first, but God comes first to be with us.
And since then, the New Testament no longer tells us to seek God.
Just tell us that the Lord is coming to us, so now open the heart and welcome him.
In John 1:12 it is said;
“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God…” (John 1:12)
I want you all to open your heart to the Lord who is coming to us during this season of Advent.
What we read today is the scene where the angel Gabriel comes to Mary to tell the news that God is coming to us.
On the night that Angel Gabriel came to Mary, Mary was given a special grace among the many Jewish women.
Mary heard from the angel about what will happen to her.
The angel said in verse 28,
“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Receiving a visit from an angel must have been a very special experience.
But Mary was puzzled and did not understand what the angel was saying.
Then the angel continued to speak.
“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 him 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 Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (verses 30-33)
Now, the words of the angel say that Mary will bear a son and that baby will not be an ordinary baby but a son of God.
The baby will be the Messiah.
What an amazing prophecy it is!
According to the theologian "Tom Wright", during that time, holy women eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come so that when they were pregnant they had wondered if the child in the womb might be a Messiah.
When Mary was growing up, she had a thought of having her baby chosen to be the Messiah.
The news delivered by the angel Gabriel must have been a joyous one.
Among the Jewish women, being chosen as the mother of the Messiah is the highest honor.
However, Mary could not rejoice even when she felt so honored to be chosen as the mother of the Messiah.
It is a tremendous blessing to conceive and nurture the Messiah, but the problem is that Mary was a virgin.
If the Angel had said, "Mary, when you are married and become Joseph's wife, you will have the Messiah," that would have been a great news of joy.
However, Mary had been engaged to Joseph only some time ago and she was keeping herself pure until the wedding.
For a bride who was waiting for her wedding, the news that she was going to be pregnant before the wedding was a stunning one.
So in verse 34, Mary asks,
“How can this be, since I am a virgin?”(verse 34)
No matter how hard she thought, Mary could not have been pregnant.
Then Angel Gabriel replied that all these things will be done by the work of the Holy Spirit and the power of God.
The real reason why Mary could not rejoice is not that it was impossible for a virgin to give birth to a child.
Work of God can do anything.
Mary understood.
However, Mary was not sure how to bear it when it really happened.
At that time, the marriage of Israelites proceeded in three stages.
The first step is promised marriage, which was done mainly by parents.
But this does not have legal effect.
Then, when two people reach the age of marriage, it is now called engagement, and it can be regarded as a preparation period for marriage.
Living together as a couple is not allowed for a year after engagement, but the groom has the legal rights as a husband.
Now Mary is engaged to Joseph.
It is a period to keep herself pure until the wedding day.
If she has a child during this period, she will surely be considered as an unclean woman.
If the husband Joseph knew of Mary's conception and testified, "This child is not my child…" Mary could be stoned to death.
It was terrible to think about the shame and insult.
When Mary heard the angel, she could not ignore having these thoughts.
It is a blessing and grace to conceive and bring forth the Messiah of Israel, but yet she was so afraid to think of the things to be done after receiving it.
Mary eventually decides to be obedient to all that providence.
She decided to accept all of them.
It is as it is in verse 38.
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (verse 38)
It is a truly amazing confession.
This is a confession to entrust her life to God.
It is a confession that she will dedicate her life to the work of God's will.
"Now my life is not of mine, but of the Lord. I will give my life to God and do what God wants ..."
This is Mary’s confession.
Mary gave her life to God, knowing how dangerous, harmful, and painful things she may face going through.
And through her confession and determination, the will of God has been fulfilled, and today we are able to rejoice in Jesus Christ and to serve Jesus.
Today we are on the third Sunday of Advent.
I want to look into ourselves today through the story of Mary.
We should receive this message as our own and not just for Mary who lived 2000 years ago.
One pastor led a Bible study.
As he explained the story of the birth of Jesus, a member raised his hand and asked.
"Pastor, where are lots of other good things that Jesus did. Why are you dealing with such a hard-to-believe story? Please do not talk about it. I cannot believe that a virgin has ever conceived ..."
At the moment, there was a sense of tension.
At that time, one of the oldest members got up and gave this pinch to the person who asked.
"The husband Joseph believed, what do you have to say that you do not believe? You are a third party! Get out of the couple’s business! "
As the old member said, maybe we are all in a third party position in the story of Mary and Joseph.
There is no reason why we are involved in the marital relationship.
But what happens between God and Mary, we should not be left as a third party.
The reason we read the Bible is that we must hear it and answer it as it speaks to us.
If we always read the Bible from the perspective of a third person, we will always criticize and not believe.
To properly read today's message, we must become Mary and hear the news of the angel.
We must think about what it means to have the Lord in us, and we must decide what to confess and how to respond to that news.
Brothers and sisters, what is the news of the Lord coming?
It is news that Jesus Christ will come into our lives.
The Son of God, the Messiah is coming to us.
It does not mean that we are receiving Him collectively as a whole world.
It is to me, to come to you right away.
In my house, in my mind, in my bedroom, in the car I drive, where I work.
The Lord is coming right through in your life.
How do you like this news?
As Angel Gabriel said to Mary, this is a very joyful and blessed news.
In verse 28, the angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
This word is also applicable to us.
The Lord is with us.
It is the news that the Savior whom God sent me will enter my life.
It is the news that the Lord almighty will be involved in my life.
The Son of God will remember someone like me and will look for me and look after me.
Brothers and sisters, please take a moment to think about this news.
How do you feel about this news?
Are you really happy and excited?
Now, we have to think about the sacrifice, suffering, pain, and burden that we have to take when Jesus Christ comes into our lives.
Jesus Christ, who wants to intervene in my life, is never the magic lamp fairy.
The magic lamp's fairy accomplishes what I do, what I want.
But Jesus is not.
Jesus came into my life and does not do what I want with all his mighty power.
When Jesus intervenes in my life, I do things that I could not have imagined, but at the same time Jesus could turn my life in the direction I do not want, or ask for something I do not want to do.
Jesus receives me as it is, but he does not let it be.
He wants to use us as His tools to fulfill His will, but first He wants to change us.
When Jesus' will is done in our lives, it is not always good for us.
It is not always welcome.
In many cases, Jesus shakes our life uncomfortably.
Sometimes He asks us to take damages, sometimes He wants us to give up something.
Sometimes that sacrifice and damage can be hard to bear.
As in the case of Mary.
So we have to think seriously at this point.
"Lord, I am the servant of the Lord. I hope that it will be done to me as the Word..."
We have to think carefully about what this confession means.
We must consider the weight and burden of the confession.
This confession is a testimony that Jesus Christ is the sovereignty of my life, not me.
If you make this confession true, you must take your life to open and entrust yourself to the Lord.
If you make this confession true, you have to put it in the hands of the Lord, to entrust your existence and your possessions to be used according to the will of the Lord.
If you make this confession true, you have to prepare to throw away your greed and ambition.
If you make this confession true, you must prepare your heart to give to the Lord, if the Lord asks for your time, knowledge, experience, and talent.
However, brothers and sisters, do not be too afraid.
If you give your life and possessions to God and accomplish the will of God, you will have great joy and the reward will be dozens or even hundreds of times more than what you had to give.
When your life is offered for the will of the Lord, true life goal is achieved.
When you lay down your greed, you can get real satisfaction.
When your possessions are used in the hands of the Lord, they will have eternal value.
If we believe this, we are not worried about the pain that may come in the future.
Like Mary, we might have worries and concerns in our lives, we should look at Jesus Christ and say,
"Lord, come. Come into my life. Please be a master of my life."
Brothers and sisters, please look back upon your life.
How much of your time, your substance, and your strength are used for God’s will?
How much did you allow your life in the hands of the Lord?
How wide is the door of the heart to the Lord open?
I wish as we wait for the Lord to come for this Christmas, we renew our hearts again, confess and make up our minds.
I hope that the Lord will come into our lives, that He will rule our lives, and that we will be glad to confess that we will give everything to the Lord.
"O Lord, come to my life. Please be the master of my life..." Amen
20181216 Sunday Worship Sermon
Luke 1:26-38 “Lord, Come Into My Life
This is the third Sunday of Advent.
The next Sunday will be Christmas Sunday.
As you know the meaning of “Advent” is “waiting.”
It is a season of waiting for Jesus.
So it is the season of waiting for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to this land in the human body to save us.
However, Jesus' coming to us is a very unfamiliar concept in the Old Testament.
Because in the Old Testament it says that we always must seek God first.
Prophet Isaiah said;
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near…”(Isaiah 55:6)
Prophet Amos proclaimed;
“This is what the Lord says to Israel: Seek me and live…” (Amos 5: 4)
And God spoke through prophet Jeremiah;
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart…” (Jeremiah 29:12-13)
Yes, the Old Testament always said that we should seek God first.
But the psalmist confesses:
“The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one…” (Psalm 14:2-3)
There is no one who comes to God on his own.
A famous American comedian shared his wish before he died.
"I will donate my body to a medical school for study after my death, but please send my body to Harvard University, because this is the only way I can fulfill my parents' wish. They always wanted me to get into Harvard and this is the only way I can get in there.”
If you cannot enter Harvard when you are living, you may go there when you are dead.
However, it is impossible for us to meet God as living or dead.
God speaks; "Be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:45)
No one can stand before the holy God.
But the angel who came to Mary to notify the birth of the baby Jesus says:
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means, God with us” (Matthew 1:23)
God does not ask us to come to God first, but God comes first to be with us.
And since then, the New Testament no longer tells us to seek God.
Just tell us that the Lord is coming to us, so now open the heart and welcome him.
In John 1:12 it is said;
“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God…” (John 1:12)
I want you all to open your heart to the Lord who is coming to us during this season of Advent.
What we read today is the scene where the angel Gabriel comes to Mary to tell the news that God is coming to us.
On the night that Angel Gabriel came to Mary, Mary was given a special grace among the many Jewish women.
Mary heard from the angel about what will happen to her.
The angel said in verse 28,
“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Receiving a visit from an angel must have been a very special experience.
But Mary was puzzled and did not understand what the angel was saying.
Then the angel continued to speak.
“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 him 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 Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (verses 30-33)
Now, the words of the angel say that Mary will bear a son and that baby will not be an ordinary baby but a son of God.
The baby will be the Messiah.
What an amazing prophecy it is!
According to the theologian "Tom Wright", during that time, holy women eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come so that when they were pregnant they had wondered if the child in the womb might be a Messiah.
When Mary was growing up, she had a thought of having her baby chosen to be the Messiah.
The news delivered by the angel Gabriel must have been a joyous one.
Among the Jewish women, being chosen as the mother of the Messiah is the highest honor.
However, Mary could not rejoice even when she felt so honored to be chosen as the mother of the Messiah.
It is a tremendous blessing to conceive and nurture the Messiah, but the problem is that Mary was a virgin.
If the Angel had said, "Mary, when you are married and become Joseph's wife, you will have the Messiah," that would have been a great news of joy.
However, Mary had been engaged to Joseph only some time ago and she was keeping herself pure until the wedding.
For a bride who was waiting for her wedding, the news that she was going to be pregnant before the wedding was a stunning one.
So in verse 34, Mary asks,
“How can this be, since I am a virgin?”(verse 34)
No matter how hard she thought, Mary could not have been pregnant.
Then Angel Gabriel replied that all these things will be done by the work of the Holy Spirit and the power of God.
The real reason why Mary could not rejoice is not that it was impossible for a virgin to give birth to a child.
Work of God can do anything.
Mary understood.
However, Mary was not sure how to bear it when it really happened.
At that time, the marriage of Israelites proceeded in three stages.
The first step is promised marriage, which was done mainly by parents.
But this does not have legal effect.
Then, when two people reach the age of marriage, it is now called engagement, and it can be regarded as a preparation period for marriage.
Living together as a couple is not allowed for a year after engagement, but the groom has the legal rights as a husband.
Now Mary is engaged to Joseph.
It is a period to keep herself pure until the wedding day.
If she has a child during this period, she will surely be considered as an unclean woman.
If the husband Joseph knew of Mary's conception and testified, "This child is not my child…" Mary could be stoned to death.
It was terrible to think about the shame and insult.
When Mary heard the angel, she could not ignore having these thoughts.
It is a blessing and grace to conceive and bring forth the Messiah of Israel, but yet she was so afraid to think of the things to be done after receiving it.
Mary eventually decides to be obedient to all that providence.
She decided to accept all of them.
It is as it is in verse 38.
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (verse 38)
It is a truly amazing confession.
This is a confession to entrust her life to God.
It is a confession that she will dedicate her life to the work of God's will.
"Now my life is not of mine, but of the Lord. I will give my life to God and do what God wants ..."
This is Mary’s confession.
Mary gave her life to God, knowing how dangerous, harmful, and painful things she may face going through.
And through her confession and determination, the will of God has been fulfilled, and today we are able to rejoice in Jesus Christ and to serve Jesus.
Today we are on the third Sunday of Advent.
I want to look into ourselves today through the story of Mary.
We should receive this message as our own and not just for Mary who lived 2000 years ago.
One pastor led a Bible study.
As he explained the story of the birth of Jesus, a member raised his hand and asked.
"Pastor, where are lots of other good things that Jesus did. Why are you dealing with such a hard-to-believe story? Please do not talk about it. I cannot believe that a virgin has ever conceived ..."
At the moment, there was a sense of tension.
At that time, one of the oldest members got up and gave this pinch to the person who asked.
"The husband Joseph believed, what do you have to say that you do not believe? You are a third party! Get out of the couple’s business! "
As the old member said, maybe we are all in a third party position in the story of Mary and Joseph.
There is no reason why we are involved in the marital relationship.
But what happens between God and Mary, we should not be left as a third party.
The reason we read the Bible is that we must hear it and answer it as it speaks to us.
If we always read the Bible from the perspective of a third person, we will always criticize and not believe.
To properly read today's message, we must become Mary and hear the news of the angel.
We must think about what it means to have the Lord in us, and we must decide what to confess and how to respond to that news.
Brothers and sisters, what is the news of the Lord coming?
It is news that Jesus Christ will come into our lives.
The Son of God, the Messiah is coming to us.
It does not mean that we are receiving Him collectively as a whole world.
It is to me, to come to you right away.
In my house, in my mind, in my bedroom, in the car I drive, where I work.
The Lord is coming right through in your life.
How do you like this news?
As Angel Gabriel said to Mary, this is a very joyful and blessed news.
In verse 28, the angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
This word is also applicable to us.
The Lord is with us.
It is the news that the Savior whom God sent me will enter my life.
It is the news that the Lord almighty will be involved in my life.
The Son of God will remember someone like me and will look for me and look after me.
Brothers and sisters, please take a moment to think about this news.
How do you feel about this news?
Are you really happy and excited?
Now, we have to think about the sacrifice, suffering, pain, and burden that we have to take when Jesus Christ comes into our lives.
Jesus Christ, who wants to intervene in my life, is never the magic lamp fairy.
The magic lamp's fairy accomplishes what I do, what I want.
But Jesus is not.
Jesus came into my life and does not do what I want with all his mighty power.
When Jesus intervenes in my life, I do things that I could not have imagined, but at the same time Jesus could turn my life in the direction I do not want, or ask for something I do not want to do.
Jesus receives me as it is, but he does not let it be.
He wants to use us as His tools to fulfill His will, but first He wants to change us.
When Jesus' will is done in our lives, it is not always good for us.
It is not always welcome.
In many cases, Jesus shakes our life uncomfortably.
Sometimes He asks us to take damages, sometimes He wants us to give up something.
Sometimes that sacrifice and damage can be hard to bear.
As in the case of Mary.
So we have to think seriously at this point.
"Lord, I am the servant of the Lord. I hope that it will be done to me as the Word..."
We have to think carefully about what this confession means.
We must consider the weight and burden of the confession.
This confession is a testimony that Jesus Christ is the sovereignty of my life, not me.
If you make this confession true, you must take your life to open and entrust yourself to the Lord.
If you make this confession true, you have to put it in the hands of the Lord, to entrust your existence and your possessions to be used according to the will of the Lord.
If you make this confession true, you have to prepare to throw away your greed and ambition.
If you make this confession true, you must prepare your heart to give to the Lord, if the Lord asks for your time, knowledge, experience, and talent.
However, brothers and sisters, do not be too afraid.
If you give your life and possessions to God and accomplish the will of God, you will have great joy and the reward will be dozens or even hundreds of times more than what you had to give.
When your life is offered for the will of the Lord, true life goal is achieved.
When you lay down your greed, you can get real satisfaction.
When your possessions are used in the hands of the Lord, they will have eternal value.
If we believe this, we are not worried about the pain that may come in the future.
Like Mary, we might have worries and concerns in our lives, we should look at Jesus Christ and say,
"Lord, come. Come into my life. Please be a master of my life."
Brothers and sisters, please look back upon your life.
How much of your time, your substance, and your strength are used for God’s will?
How much did you allow your life in the hands of the Lord?
How wide is the door of the heart to the Lord open?
I wish as we wait for the Lord to come for this Christmas, we renew our hearts again, confess and make up our minds.
I hope that the Lord will come into our lives, that He will rule our lives, and that we will be glad to confess that we will give everything to the Lord.
"O Lord, come to my life. Please be the master of my life..." Amen