WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:02.839 All your life, you've heard about the three Wise Men 2 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.440 of Christmas. This year, I want to talk to you 3 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:11.039 for just a second about the three Wise Women of Christmas. 4 00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:15.279 You maybe have never realized that there were three wise women, 5 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:19.239 but there were. One of them was married, one of 6 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:24.079 them was single, and one of them was widowed. The 7 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:27.920 first one was named Elizabeth, the second one was named Mary, 8 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:33.000 and the third one was named Anna. Every one of 9 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:39.359 these three wise women faced a major obstacle in their life. 10 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:45.079 Elizabeth faced major disappointment. She was old and unable to 11 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:47.679 bear a child. She had been childless. 12 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:48.880 Her entire life. 13 00:00:49.159 --> 00:00:54.719 Big disappointment. Mary had to face a major change. She's 14 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:58.399 pregnant and she's single. How's she going to explain that? 15 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:03.600 And Anna had lost the love of her life, her husband, 16 00:01:04.120 --> 00:01:06.359 just a few years into her marriage, and so she 17 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:10.680 had to deal with loss. So disappointment and change and 18 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:13.640 loss were the three things these three wise women had 19 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:17.719 to deal with. But they all overcame each of those 20 00:01:17.799 --> 00:01:23.719 because they were wise. Elizabeth overcame resentment and bitterness, Mary 21 00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:30.159 overcame her fears, and Anna overcame her grief because they 22 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:35.159 all made wise decisions. By making wise choices, how do 23 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:39.719 you know when somebody is wise. How do you know 24 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:42.680 when somebody is really wise or not by looking at 25 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:48.519 the decisions they make. Wise people make wise decisions. Foolish 26 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:55.040 people make foolish decisions. Unwise people make unwise decisions. If 27 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:57.239 I want to know if you are wise, if you're 28 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:00.799 truly a wise woman, I want to know if you're 29 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:02.920 truly a wise man, all I have to do is 30 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:05.079 they tell me about the decisions you've made in your life, 31 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:10.280 because your decisions reveal whether you are wise or not. 32 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:14.280 The Bible says this about the wisest man who ever lived. 33 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:17.560 His name was Solomon. He was the king of Israel 34 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:20.520 because God gave him wisdom because when God said, I'll 35 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:23.360 give you anything you asked for, he didn't ask for money, 36 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:26.319 he didn't ask for fame, he didn't ask for comfort. 37 00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:28.120 He said, God, I want you to make me wise. 38 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:31.080 And he became the wisest man in the world. And 39 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:34.199 the Bible says this on the screen First Kings three 40 00:02:34.280 --> 00:02:38.840 twenty eight. The people saw that Solomon had God's wisdom 41 00:02:39.240 --> 00:02:43.159 by the decisions he made. What I want us to 42 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:46.280 do right now is look at the three decisions that 43 00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:49.800 these wise women made because if you want to be 44 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:54.159 a wise woman or you want to be a wise man, 45 00:02:54.759 --> 00:02:59.439 you need to make these exact three decisions this next 46 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:02.639 year and for the rest of your life. So first 47 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:04.360 we're going to start with the first wise woman. If 48 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:06.199 you want to write her name in if you're taking notes, 49 00:03:06.439 --> 00:03:10.240 the first wise Woman of Christmas is Elizabeth. We find 50 00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:13.360 her story in Luke chapter one. We find Mary's story 51 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:15.400 in Luke chapter one, and we find Annas story in 52 00:03:15.479 --> 00:03:19.000 Luke chapter two. Now on your outline, the Bible says this, 53 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.400 when Herod was the king of Judah, there was a 54 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:28.840 priest named Zachariah and his wife was named Elizabeth. Both 55 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:33.400 zachari and Elizabeth were righteous and godly people. This is 56 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:37.199 what the God says about them. Their lives pleased God. 57 00:03:37.319 --> 00:03:41.439 Circle that their lives pleased God because they always did 58 00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:46.159 everything God commanded, and they lived with a clear conscience 59 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:52.960 before God. But they had no children because Elizabeth had 60 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:57.240 been unable to conceive, and now they were both too old. 61 00:03:57.479 --> 00:03:59.759 Now in these couple of verses, we learned a couple 62 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:03.360 of things about this first wise woman. First, we learned 63 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:08.560 that Elizabeth was a very strong woman. She's mature, she's strong, 64 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:12.520 she's godly, she was a woman of God. She was 65 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:17.160 probably a great mentor to young girls. Probably a great 66 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:20.399 mentor because she's very strong in her faith. Verse six 67 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:24.279 says her life pleased God. You know what, as your 68 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:26.439 pastor and coach, that's what God. I want God to 69 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:32.360 be able to say about you, that your life pleased God. 70 00:04:32.879 --> 00:04:35.720 That's what it means to be a godly woman. That's 71 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:38.879 what it means to be a godly man. Your life 72 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:43.560 pleased God. That's the highest compliment. There's nothing better than that. 73 00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:46.079 The Bible says she was righteous. The Bible says she 74 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:49.079 was devout. The Bible says she was dedicated. So we 75 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:51.839 know she was a wise woman. But the second thing 76 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:55.680 we learned in this is that she's carrying a lifelong heartbreak, 77 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:00.480 a lifelong hurt. The Bible says in verse seven, had 78 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:06.759 no children. And many of you can identify with this hurt, 79 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:11.319 with this heartbreak. For some reason, it hasn't happened. You've 80 00:05:11.319 --> 00:05:14.000 always wanted to be a mother, or you've always wanted 81 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:17.279 to be a father, but it hasn't happened so far 82 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:22.839 in your life. The Bible says that Elizabeth was pleasing 83 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:25.600 to God. She did everything right. She was a woman 84 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:28.959 of integrity. But the hurt and the heartbreak in his 85 00:05:29.079 --> 00:05:32.959 heart is that her greatest prayer had not been answered. 86 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:39.560 And this means that Elizabeth had every temptation to get bitter, 87 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:45.279 She had every temptation to get resentful against God, because 88 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:47.480 she could say, you know, God, I have served you 89 00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:51.759 my entire life. I have lived for you. I've done 90 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:54.839 what's right. I've tried to do the right thing. I've 91 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:56.800 tried to honor you and worship you and love you, 92 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:01.399 and yet you haven't answered my biggest, biggest prayer. 93 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:04.399 I want a baby. Now. 94 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:09.079 This is a great temptation to be hurt and to 95 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:13.480 be bitter and to be resentful. You could probably think 96 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:16.040 about something in your life You've prayed about a lot 97 00:06:16.199 --> 00:06:20.279 and it just hasn't happened yet. You can be bitter, 98 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:23.040 or you can be better. You can trust God, or 99 00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:27.600 you can get mad at God. And Elizabeth, in her wisdom, 100 00:06:28.519 --> 00:06:30.959 did not get mad at God. But the point I 101 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.720 want to make here is that living for God does 102 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:39.319 not guarantee you a hurt free life. God never said 103 00:06:39.319 --> 00:06:41.199 that everything's going to happen the way you want it 104 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:44.720 in life. This is not heaven. I've told you this 105 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:48.560 so many times. Don't expect heaven to be on earth. 106 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:54.279 In heaven there is no sorrow, no suffering, no sadness, 107 00:06:54.319 --> 00:07:00.319 no problems, no pressure, no pain, no disappointment, no tears, 108 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:05.399 no grief, no loss. None of these things are in heaven. 109 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:10.279 But this is earth, and on earth everything is broken. 110 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:12.759 Not everything God wants. 111 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:16.079 To happen happens, because the Bible says the Lord's not 112 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:18.759 willing that any should perish, but people perish all the 113 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:22.439 time without Christ. God doesn't want people to sin, but 114 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:25.959 they sin all the time. God gives us that choice. 115 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:31.800 And so to expect heaven on earth is going to 116 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:36.360 set you up for disappointment. Nothing works perfectly on this planet. 117 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:39.720 I've told you this many times. The weather doesn't work perfectly, 118 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:44.519 the economy doesn't work perfectly, your relationships don't work perfectly, 119 00:07:45.079 --> 00:07:50.680 your body doesn't work perfectly. Everything is broken. Living for 120 00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:53.879 Christ does not guarantee a pain free life. In fact, 121 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:56.800 Jesus said just the opposite. He said, in this world 122 00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:03.759 you will have trouble, not might not, might not could happened. 123 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:06.319 It says you're going to have trouble, So we shouldn't 124 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:09.399 be surprised when things don't always go the right way. 125 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:12.600 We shouldn't be surprised when we have pain in our lives, 126 00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:16.920 because it's not heaven. But Elizabeth had wanted a baby 127 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:20.639 all of her life and it hadn't happened. Now we 128 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:24.399 pick up her story in Luke. Chapter one started with 129 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:27.360 verse eight, and this is the story of the miraculous 130 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:29.519 birth of John the Baptist. 131 00:08:29.879 --> 00:08:33.120 Elizabeth was the sister of the cousin. 132 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:36.559 Of Mary, and she was the mother of John the Baptist, 133 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:39.639 who was the forerunner, or the announcer of the Messiah. 134 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:41.240 Here's what it says on the screen. 135 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:46.039 One day, Zachariah was chosen to enter the Temple of 136 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:47.200 God to burn incense. 137 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:48.039 He was a priest. 138 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:51.120 While he was doing that, a large crowd of worshippers 139 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:55.600 stood outside the temple praying. But inside the temple, an 140 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:59.039 angel appeared to Zachariah standing at the right side of 141 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:02.720 the incense altar. When Zachariah saw the angel, he was 142 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:07.879 startled and overwhelmed with fear. But the angel said, don't 143 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:14.720 be afraid, Zachariah. Your persistent prayers have been heard. Now 144 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:17.639 we'll come back to that. I might circle it. Your 145 00:09:17.720 --> 00:09:21.440 persistent prayers have been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will 146 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:25.960 finally conceive. She'll bear you a son, and you are 147 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:29.320 to name him John. This boy will not only bring 148 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:31.159 great joy to you, but many other people are going 149 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:34.559 to be blessed by his life too, and they'll celebrate 150 00:09:34.600 --> 00:09:38.320 his birth one day. John will become a great man 151 00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:41.159 for the Lord. Later, Jesus would call John the Babtist 152 00:09:41.279 --> 00:09:45.200 the greatest human being that ever lived. God said, John 153 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:48.039 the Babtist was the greatest human being that ever lived. 154 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:50.360 John will become a great man for the Lord. He 155 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:53.320 is never to drink any wine or any other alcohol, 156 00:09:54.679 --> 00:09:58.080 and God will fill him with his Holy spirit, even 157 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:01.440 from birth as a baby. And God will use him 158 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:03.799 to bring many people back to the Lord. He will 159 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:08.399 preach with the spirit and the power of Elijah. And 160 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:11.919 he's gonna reconcile fathers and children. He's gonna put families 161 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:16.120 back together, restore harmony in the home. He's gonna get 162 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:19.720 disobedient people to think and act in the right ways again. 163 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:24.799 And this will prepare the people for the coming of 164 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:27.519 the Messiah. Those of you who are old enough to 165 00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:32.080 remember Johnny Carson, anybody remember him, and Johnny Carson's sidekick 166 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:37.720 was who Ed McMahon and everything on night TV. He'd go, 167 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:42.440 here's Johnny. He was the announcer. John the Baptist was 168 00:10:42.600 --> 00:10:46.840 the announcer for Jesus. Here's Jesus, He's coming. He's gonna 169 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:49.799 be here. Get ready. This will prepare the people for 170 00:10:49.879 --> 00:10:53.399 the coming of the Messiah. But then Zacharih said to 171 00:10:53.399 --> 00:10:55.679 the angel, how am I going to know that what 172 00:10:55.679 --> 00:11:00.480 you're saying is true? I can't believe he's doubting an angel? Okay, 173 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:02.639 But he go, ah, am I gonna know what you're 174 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:06.320 saying is he's doubting? He says, I am an old man, 175 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:09.159 and my wife is well along in years too. 176 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:11.000 Notice how polite he is to his wife. 177 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:14.399 I'm an old man, he doesn't say, And I'm married 178 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:18.000 to an old lady. An he says, and my wife's 179 00:11:18.039 --> 00:11:21.000 old in age too, or up there, he's very polite. 180 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:25.919 Then the angel answered, I am Gabriel. I'm Gabriel. I stand. 181 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:28.879 He's an archangel. I stand in the presence of God, 182 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:33.720 and God has sent me to tell you this good news. 183 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:36.840 But because you've doubted my words, you're going to be 184 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:41.759 struck silent and unable to speak any words until the 185 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:45.120 day that Elizabeth delivers her baby. But every word that 186 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:51.200 I've told you will happen at just the right time now. Meanwhile, 187 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:53.480 all the people outside of the temple are wondering what's 188 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:56.600 taking Zachariah so long. He's just going into light incense, 189 00:11:57.240 --> 00:11:59.679 And people weren't allowed in the temple. Only the priest 190 00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:01.480 could go on the temple, and in the Holy of 191 00:12:01.480 --> 00:12:04.000 Holies only one day a year, on the day of Atonement. 192 00:12:04.759 --> 00:12:08.519 But when he came out, Zachariah couldn't speak a word, 193 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:11.759 so they realized that he'd seen some kind of vision 194 00:12:11.799 --> 00:12:15.799 in the temple. Zachariah kept making signs to them, but 195 00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:19.159 he was unable to speak. Now, in this passage, we 196 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:22.440 learned two more things about the wisdom of the wise 197 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:26.919 woman named Elizabeth. First, we know verse thirteen, he says, 198 00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:30.519 your persistent prayers have been heard. So we know that 199 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:37.559 Elizabeth and her husband never stopped praying, even after they 200 00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:42.080 were physically unable to conceive. They kept praying. This is 201 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:45.039 a mark of wisdom, even in all of her pain, 202 00:12:45.559 --> 00:12:48.559 even in all of her disappointment, even in all of 203 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:51.840 her dashed hopes, even as she got older and older, 204 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:57.320 she kept on praying. That's a mark of wisdom. And 205 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:00.919 in verse twenty, when Gabriel says every word that I've 206 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:03.679 told you will happen at just the right time, we 207 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:07.840 know that Elizabeth also understood the timing of God is 208 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:11.559 better than my own timing. She understood what it meant 209 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:14.799 to wait on God's timing. She had her timetable for 210 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:18.559 a baby, but God had his timetable for a baby. 211 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:21.759 She had her plans, and she knew that she could 212 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:25.039 trust God and she could trust God's timing. Both of these, 213 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:31.399 praying persistently and being patient are marks of wisdom. That's 214 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:34.679 why Elizabeth is a wise woman. Now there on your outline, 215 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:42.120 it says this one Peter Luke. Sometime later, Elizabeth became pregnant. 216 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:43.200 This is a miracle. 217 00:13:44.080 --> 00:13:48.120 Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months she never left 218 00:13:48.200 --> 00:13:53.200 her home. Okay, she isolates herself, she's housebound. She never 219 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:55.200 left her home. I think this is probably she's just 220 00:13:55.240 --> 00:13:58.000 being careful and smart with her pregnancy. I'm an old woman. 221 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:01.039 I don't want to miscarry. I'm going to stay home 222 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:05.360 because God's given me this miracle baby. But she kept 223 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:09.879 praising God all these months, saying, the Lord did this 224 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:13.639 for me, and he has shown his blessing and has 225 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:17.799 taken away my shame and pain. Now she gives all 226 00:14:17.799 --> 00:14:20.840 the credit to God, and he says she's taken God 227 00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:23.200 has taken away my pain and my shame. 228 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:25.440 Why would she be ashamed of not having a baby. 229 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:28.600 Well, because she lived in a very different culture than ours, 230 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:34.080 and two thousand years ago, a woman's value was largely 231 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:36.960 determined by how many kids she produced, and if she 232 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:41.159 produced a big family, she was extremely valuable to that family. 233 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:44.799 She was considered the mother of future generations. Now that's 234 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:48.120 not true today. But she felt the shame of the 235 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:51.159 culture of that day because she was unable to have children. 236 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:52.960 If you had a lot of kids, you were highly valued. 237 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:54.679 If you had a few kids, okay, if you had 238 00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:57.919 no kids, well, there was a a there was a 239 00:14:57.960 --> 00:15:00.279 pallor there was a shame on that. She said, God 240 00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:03.720 has taken away my shame. Now we pick up the 241 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:05.559 rest of the story in verse fifty seven. Look up 242 00:15:05.559 --> 00:15:09.799 here on the screen. When Elizabeth gave birth to her son, 243 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:12.759 her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had blessed her. 244 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:14.919 All three of these women get the word blessed in 245 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:18.000 their life. You want God's blessing, you make wise decisions. 246 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:20.720 I'll say it again. If you want God's blessing, you 247 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:24.159 make wise decisions. The Lord had blessed her, and she 248 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:27.840 shared her joy. They shared her joy. Now eight days 249 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:31.679 later later, they that's all the relatives came for the circumcision, 250 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:35.759 and they're gonna name the baby after his father, Zachariah. 251 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:38.799 But Elizabeth spoke up and said, no, he is to 252 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:40.279 be called John. 253 00:15:41.480 --> 00:15:42.240 So they objected. 254 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:45.600 But wait a minute, Elizabeth, you don't have any relatives 255 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:49.840 with that name. So they asked his father Zachariah what 256 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:52.879 he'd like to name the child. Zachariah asked for a 257 00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:58.639 writing tablet, and immediately, and to everyone's astonishment, he wrote, 258 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:02.200 his name is John. This is what they had been 259 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:05.240 told by the angel to name him immediately. As soon 260 00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:07.399 as he did that, he got his voice back. This 261 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:11.799 is the miracle, and he began praising God. Now, this 262 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:16.320 story the miraculous birth, and John is Zacharai getting this 263 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:19.879 miraculous voice back. This story filled the entire community with 264 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:24.759 deep awe and everywhere everyone was talking about it and 265 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:29.039 wondering what kind of special person. Is this child going 266 00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:33.399 to be for what was obvious that God's power was 267 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:39.759 on him. Now Elizabeth understands the delay. Her entire life, 268 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:43.200 She's been praying for a baby. God intended to give 269 00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:46.759 her a baby. But God's plan was bigger than Elizabeth. 270 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:49.440 Elizabeth just wanted a baby. God says, No, you're going 271 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:52.600 to be the mother of the greatest human being ever 272 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:55.960 to live, as Jesus called John the Baptist. You're going 273 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:59.320 to be the mother of the forerunner of Jesus Christ. 274 00:17:00.440 --> 00:17:03.840 Doubt to be the forerunner. John couldn't be born thirty 275 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:08.160 years early or twenty years earlier. He needed to be 276 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:11.279 born just about the same time, literally just a few 277 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:14.319 months before the Messiah is going to be born. 278 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:17.799 Now she gets it. Now, she understands. 279 00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:19.079 All that time he had been praying, I've been thinking 280 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:22.240 God wasn't here in my prayer. Here's the point. A 281 00:17:22.599 --> 00:17:27.119 delay is not a denial. You need to realize that 282 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:31.759 in your life. A delay is not a denial. And 283 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:34.519 the difference between a wise person and a foolish person, 284 00:17:35.160 --> 00:17:37.599 or the difference between a mature person and an immature 285 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:40.400 person is you know, the difference between no and not 286 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:47.720 yet no child knows the difference. When a child asks 287 00:17:47.759 --> 00:17:50.160 a parent can I have this and you say not yet, 288 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:52.279 they think it means no and they start having to crying. 289 00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:57.279 Only when you get mature, only when you get wise, 290 00:17:57.319 --> 00:18:00.599 do you understand the difference between no and not yet. 291 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:04.400 All of Elizabeth's life, she'd been wanting and praying for 292 00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:07.400 this to something to happen in her life that hadn't happened. 293 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:10.640 Maybe you've been wanting and praying for something to happen 294 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:13.119 in your life it hadn't happened yet. It just tells 295 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:16.039 me that a God has something bigger and better planned 296 00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:21.079 for you. You need to be patient, You need to trust God. 297 00:18:21.319 --> 00:18:25.720 Now Here is the choice that Elizabeth made that made 298 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:27.640 her a wise woman. If you want to be a 299 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:30.400 wise woman, if you want to be a wise man, 300 00:18:30.519 --> 00:18:31.640 here's the first thing you need to do. 301 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:32.319 Write this down. 302 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:37.359 Elizabeth was blessed because she chose to trust God's plan 303 00:18:38.359 --> 00:18:43.599 instead of being bitter. She chose it was a decision 304 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:49.279 to trust God's plan instead of being bitter. What are 305 00:18:49.319 --> 00:18:52.599 you being tempted to be bitter about? It just means 306 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:56.599 you're not trusting God's plan. You think you know more 307 00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:01.960 than God does a wise person trust God's plan and 308 00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:06.519 timing even when it doesn't make sense, even when you 309 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:10.319 can't figure it out. Now, the second wise woman of Christmas, 310 00:19:10.359 --> 00:19:12.960 of course, is Mary, and we find her story in 311 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:16.000 Luke chapter one. Start in about verse twenty six. Up 312 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:20.359 here on the screen, it says this, in the sixth 313 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:25.200 month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Remember, Mary and Elizabeth are related 314 00:19:25.400 --> 00:19:27.559 by which makes by the way John, the Babists and 315 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:31.160 Jesus were cousins. In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, 316 00:19:31.559 --> 00:19:36.400 God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 317 00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:40.599 to a young virgin pledged to be married to a 318 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:42.079 man named Joseph. 319 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:47.279 Her name was Mary. Now the angel said, greetings, God. 320 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:49.880 Has chosen you for a special blessing and He is 321 00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:53.960 with you. But Mary was frightened and confused. This is 322 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:57.400 her initial reaction, fear and confusion, and she tried to 323 00:19:57.440 --> 00:20:01.480 figure out what this greeting might mean. So the Angel 324 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:04.240 said to it, don't be a frightened Mary, for God 325 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:07.960 has decided to bless you in a wonderful way. You're 326 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:10.559 going to have a baby, and he will be a boy, 327 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:15.359 and you're going to name him Jesus. He will be 328 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:18.359 great and he will be called the Son of the 329 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:22.559 Most High, and God will give him King David's throne. 330 00:20:22.839 --> 00:20:27.519 But his kingdom is going to last forever and never end. 331 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:29.440 How can this be? 332 00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:32.759 Mary asked, since I'm a virgin, I've never known a man. 333 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:37.880 The Angel answered, God's spirit will come over you and 334 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:41.720 his power will overshadow you. So the holy child that 335 00:20:41.799 --> 00:20:47.000 you carry will be called the Son of God. For 336 00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:50.400 right now, your own relative Elizabeth is about to have 337 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:55.720 a baby, even in her old age, because nothing is impossible. 338 00:20:56.039 --> 00:21:04.119 With God, he can do anything. Then Mary answered, well, 339 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:09.880 I am the Lord's servant and I accept whatever he 340 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:10.640 plans for me. 341 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:15.079 May it happen as you have said. 342 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:20.279 This is a surrender, it's a submission. So the angel 343 00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:23.519 left her. Then Mary got ready and traveled quickly to 344 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:28.240 the town where her relatives, Zachary and Elizabeth lived. When 345 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:31.680 Mary entered their home, she greeted Elizabeth, and when Elizabeth 346 00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:36.519 heard Mary's greeting, her baby leapt in her womb, and 347 00:21:36.759 --> 00:21:42.640 instantly Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Overcome with joy, 348 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:49.200 Elizabeth exclaimed in a loud voice, Mary, you are the 349 00:21:49.240 --> 00:21:54.319 most blessed woman. On earth, and the child you are 350 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:58.079 caring is the most blessed too. 351 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:03.480 But why why am I so blessed that the mother 352 00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:06.640 of my Lord should visit me? 353 00:22:08.200 --> 00:22:10.680 The moment I heard the sound of your voice, Mary, 354 00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:13.839 the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 355 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:18.319 Mary, you are this is the key. 356 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:23.079 You are blessed because you believed that God would do 357 00:22:23.359 --> 00:22:24.640 what he said he'd do. 358 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:28.200 Now. 359 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:31.720 Mary responded by singing her praise to God. My soul 360 00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:37.559 praises God's greatness, and my spirit rejoices that he is 361 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:43.559 my savior. He noticed me, He noticed me. God noticed 362 00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:49.799 me his humble servant girl. And from now on all 363 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:54.319 generations will call me blessed because of what the Holy 364 00:22:54.400 --> 00:22:59.119 God has done for me. So Mary stayed with Elizabeth 365 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:02.680 for about three months and then return home. 366 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:06.400 In those days, men and women married very very young. 367 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:10.200 Mary might have been fifteen years old, probably at the 368 00:23:10.279 --> 00:23:14.559 most sixteen, when she hears this news that she's pregnant, 369 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:19.039 and she's filled with fear. Who wouldn't be first of 370 00:23:19.079 --> 00:23:22.960 an angel showed up. That scare me, probably scare you too. 371 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:26.519 But then what the angel says to that's even more scary. 372 00:23:27.799 --> 00:23:28.119 Mary. 373 00:23:28.200 --> 00:23:32.440 You're gonna be pregnant, You've never known a man, and 374 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:33.559 the daddy. 375 00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:37.559 Of the baby's gonna be God, right right? 376 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:41.200 Okay, So imagine all the possible fear is going through 377 00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:44.279 her mind. First, there's a fear of criticism. How'm I 378 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:45.200 gonna tell my mom? 379 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:48.920 Hi? Mom? Uh, yeah, I know I'm. 380 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:52.400 Engaged to Joseph, but I'm pregnant and Joseph isn't the daddy. 381 00:23:53.319 --> 00:23:56.559 Oh and by the way, the daddy is God and 382 00:23:56.599 --> 00:24:00.720 I'm caring the son of God. Would your mother believe that? 383 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:07.720 Pretty unlikely? Teenage girl? Hi Mom, I'm pregnant and God's 384 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:11.759 the reason. So how am I gonna explain that to 385 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:13.759 my mom? How I'm I gonna explain it to all 386 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:17.000 my aunts and my uncles, to my sisters. How am 387 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:19.519 I going to explain it to Joseph, the man I love. 388 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:20.119 That I'm gaging. 389 00:24:20.359 --> 00:24:23.279 Hi, honey, I'm pregnant and you know we haven't had sex. 390 00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:27.880 How am I going to explain it to the whole community. 391 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:31.000 It's probably one of the reasons why immediately after she 392 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:34.440 heard this news, she goes to another town for three months. 393 00:24:35.640 --> 00:24:36.960 To live with her relatives. 394 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:39.319 Elizabeth Zacharie because she doesn't want to have to explain 395 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:42.519 this to everybody. It's not gonna make any sense at all. 396 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:45.079 So there's the fear of criticism. But there's also the 397 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:47.400 fear of the supernatural. She said, how am I going 398 00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:49.279 to be pregnant? And the Holy Spirit I mean and 399 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:52.880 angel says, the Holy Spirit will come over you and 400 00:24:53.079 --> 00:24:56.119 overshadow you. The fear of the supernatural. What's gonna happen 401 00:24:56.200 --> 00:24:59.519