34Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” 35The angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36And consider your relative Elizabeth — even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.”38“See, I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:34-38
Faith is seeing things the way God sees them and then acting on it.
Faith is seeing things the way God sees them and then acting on it.
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When the angel Gabriel showed up to Mary, he gave her the best and worst news.
This is the best news because she would be the one woman to carry the Messiah. The One prophesied about from the beginning to crush the head of the snake. The One who would come who would save people from their sins.
This is the worst news because Mary was not yet married. This news would bring isolation, glares, questions. What Gabriel had to say would cause Joseph to doubt her. Being the mother of Jesus meant she would have her own soul pierced.
Faith is seeing things the way God sees them and then acting on it…no matter how you think it will play out for you personally.
Mary acted by what God saw when she said, “May it happen to me as. you have said.” Why would she walk by faith, when it would be detrimental to her personally?
So she could be overshadowed by God
Overshadowed v. Overpowered
I love the word overshadowed. God did not overpower Mary. He did not force his will by power onto her. Mary aligned her vision to God’s vision.
When we align our vision to God’s vision, God overshadows us. All of who he is comes over us and our life has all we need for his vision to take place.
As we continually walk by faith because we seek out what God sees, our lives become categorically different. When humans come into constant contact with the divine, we cannot stay the same. Who we are changes. The impact we have changes. Something is different…and no one may be able to put their finger on why we are different.
So she could see the impossible
Mary knew how babies were made.
Mary knew she hadn’t done what it takes to make a baby.
Mary knew Joseph knew how babies were made.
Mary knew Joseph wouldn’t believe her.
Faith in God so he will overshadow us brings about the impossible.
Faith in God so he will overshadow us brings about the impossible.
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Having a baby as a virgin is impossible.
Convincing your future husband you are a virgin is impossible.
Having the strength to endure your Son dying on the cross for the sin of the world, past, present & future, is impossible.
Yet God made all of this happen. And more.
I struggle with knowing I can see the impossible.
I’ve prayed for the impossible, only for the impossible to not happen. I see people do amazing things without God and wonder what the impossible with God even looks like. I struggle with having the faith to step, not know the outcome and rely on God to overshadow me to produce the impossible.
Many of you are so good in your leadership you have seen the impossible without God. Maybe you think God is not worth it. Why risk what you’ve built to what God’s vision is for you?
The first impossible God was doing speaks to both of us. The one who wonders how the impossible happens. The one who thinks impossible is completely up to you.
The first impossible God did was to save our sins.
The first impossible God did was to save our sins.
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Don’t think God loves you more or less because you’ve seen or not seen the impossible in your outward lives.
God proved he loved you by dying on the Cross.
God’s #1 vision for your life is to build you into his image. Starting with the removal of your sin.
We can amass the whole world and be on every magazine cover, but we cannot do anything about our image problem. We can have a life full of failure and God’s image in us is no less.
We know we’re broken. We do everything we can to fix or hide or medicate the problem. God has done everything to fix the problem already. God did everything by sending his Son to a manger so he could die on a cross with our sin on his back.
Faith is seeing our own life the way God sees it. And then act on it by seeking his forgiveness.
This is how God wants to overshadow us and show us the impossible is possible in him.
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