THE STORY OF ELIZABETH AND MARY A BREATHTAKING REPORT OF GOD’S ASTONISHING POWER AND LOVE.
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It is incredible to me how few people have ever heard or understood the Holy Spirit orchestrated meeting between Elizabeth and Mary.
For the sake of brevity and simplicity, most Christmas sermons and messages omit the first chapter of Luke, which is where the most critical events in the sequence of happenings that culminated with God’s entrance into the world in the person of the human Jesus, were reported by Luke.
Luke was a stringent perfectionist and meticulously investigated all of the eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus. He was the only Gospel writer to include all the things that happened surrounding the birth of Jesus.
Luke wrote about things he could not have known without having personally studied them and hearing them from the one person who knew them all, Mary.
John the disciple traveled to Ephesus in what was
known as Asia Minor which is now Turkey, teaching the Gospel. While in Turkey on a ministry trip, I heard the locals tell the story that John the Disciple came there and evangelized the area, including the villages containing the seven churches of Revelations. History tells us that Mary traveled with John. Which makes sense because Jesus told John while He was dying on the cross to become Mary’s son and to take care of her. (John 17:29)
They spoke of Mary having a home in Ephesus. Luke, the follower of Paul, traveled there with Paul, who was also evangelizing the area, and it is my belief that Luke met and interviewed Mary in Ephesus. This is how Luke learned the entire story in the first chapter of his report.
Following is an astonishing news report. Don’t try to comprehend it with your natural flesh mind. Unlock the Spirit inside your heart and use your spiritual eyes to receive and believe it.
Remember that everything you read here happened because of how much Jesus loves you personally, without regard for your behavior or lack thereof. All of it was done to save you for Himself because YOU are HIS glorious inheritance. YOU are what Jesus got as His reward for the horrible death he suffered.
(Ephesians 1:18)
God chose Elizabeth to receive one of the greatest blessings/miracles ever.
Elizabeth, the wife of the unbelieving Zachariah, was chosen by God to receive one of the greatest blessings in history. Despite her advanced age and the societal stigma of barrenness, she miraculously conceived and gave birth to John the Baptist, the greatest man that ever lived according to Jesus. Her story is a testament to the power of God’s grace and the fulfillment of His promises.
Ironically, Elizabeth falsely believed that her barrenness was a product of some violation of one of the six hundred and thirteen ordinances of the Jews. She falsely believed that she was suffering the curse of the Abrahamic covenant, as did her friends, the community, and her relatives, including her husband.
NOTE:
Like Elizabeth and the people of her time, we often judge and condemn ourselves and others for sins that Jesus has already forgiven. The primary purpose of God’s coming to earth as a human was to forgive all of our past, present, and future sins, which He accomplished by paying for them on the cross. This should bring us a sense of relief and gratitude.
(Psalm 103:1-3, Isaiah 53:4-5, John 1:29, 1Peter 2:24, Hebrews 8:12, Hebrews 10:10-18, Revelation 1:5)
Let’s study Doctor Luke’s description of the events in her life. We begin with Zachariah and Elizabeth leaving Jerusalem after the scene with him serving at the temple and his rebuke of Gabriel, and Gabriel’s powerful and quick response of shutting his unbelieving mouth before he spoke John the Baptist out of existence.
“So it was as soon as the days of his service were completed that he departed to his own house.”
Now, after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she hid for six months, saying:
“Thus, The Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked on me to take away my reproach among people.”
Elizabeth was speaking of the condemnation the community gave her for being barren. She spoke of her constant embarrassment. That is what she meant by “My reproach among people.”
“Now in the sixth month, God sent Gabriel to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin promised to a man whose name was Joseph of the House of David.”
The virgin (widely considered by theologians, historians, and students of humanity to be no older than fifteen or sixteen years old. (That was the custom of the day.) Being engaged did not mean being sexually active. On the contrary, engagements sometimes lasted for several years until the betrothed was of age.
“And having come in, the angel said to her, Rejoice, highly favored one the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
To begin to understand the sight Mary saw, read Daniel’s description of the appearance of Gabriel in Daniel chapter ten, verses five through six.
“But when she saw him, she was troubled at what he was saying and considered what manner of greeting this was. Gabriel then told her, do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
NOTE:
God chose this humble virgin girl from a sheep-herding town of fishermen and shepherds in Galilee, the poorest part of Israel, to bring His Son into the world. This stark contrast from today’s grossly ornate mega-churches and the Vatican should inspire us with the knowledge that God’s choices are not based on worldly standards.
More from Gabriel:
“And pay attention, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father, David, And He will reign over the house of Jacob Israel and His believers) forever and of His Kingdom, there shall be no end!“
NOTE:
This is why even though God the Father, God Jesus, and God Holy Spirit are the same, Jesus called Himself the “Son of God”.
(John 14:7-9)
Jesus’ Kingdom is everything that exists. His Kingdom is this present moment. His Kingdom is our hearts and all of infinity. His Kingdom was in the beginning, is now, and always will be. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
“Then Mary said to the angel. How can this be since I do not know a man?”
“And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; Therefore, also that HOLY ONE who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
At this point, most women would have died from shock! God in the person of the Holy Spirit spoke through the giant arc angel Gabriel that the Holy Spirit would hover over her, and the power of God would overshadow her, and she would become pregnant. Yet Mary said these words full of terrific faith:
“I am the handmaiden (the servant) of the Lord!!! Let it be done according to the Words that you have spoken!!!!! As my buddy/partner says: HARRUMPH!
THAT PROFOUND STATEMENT OF BELIEF AND ACCEPTANCE FROM MARY IS WHY SHE IS MY FAITH HERO. IT IS WHY I ALWAYS WISH PEOPLE A VERY MARY CHRISTMAS.
“Now indeed, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.”
EXPLAINING HOW BOTH OF THE MIRACULOUS PREGNANCIES OCCURRED, GABRIEL MADE A PROFOUND STATEMENT THAT EVERY BELIEVER SHOULD MEMORIZE AND SAY EVERY DAY.
“FOR WITH GOD NOTHING IS EVER IMPOSSIBLE, AND NO WORD FROM GOD SHALL BE WITHOUT POWER OR IMPOSSIBLE OF FULFILLMENT!”
“Then Mary said, Pay attention, I am the servant of the Lord! Let it be done to me according to your Words.“
Oh, how Jesus prays to hear that statement from all of His children! What would happen if we all believed His message without a doubt and, as Mary, acted in joyful celebration of its truth???
“And Gabriel departed from her.”
Here comes the Boom Part!
“Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zachariah and said hello to Elizabeth.”
This is the most power-packed moment you will ever read or hear! It is almost a little scary. You are about to read and visualize an experience created by God, employed by the Holy Spirit, and involving two women who could not possibly have known what they knew.
BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELTS!!! You have never known a moment like this, and if it doesn’t shock and amaze you, you are void of the Holy Spirit.
“And it happened when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting; the babe (John the Baptist) leaped in her womb!”
Remember that Gabriel told the unbelieving Zachariah, his father, that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his conception!
So get this picture: the baby, John, in the womb of Elizabeth, perceived by the prompting of the Holy Spirit that His King was present and jumped for Joy!
Because John was in Elizabeth’s womb, she also got a dose of the Ghost! And while drunk in the Spirit, under His guidance, She began to prophesy things she could not know.
That is just one piece of the astonishing series of events. Read on:
“And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”
“Then she spoke out loudly and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? Indeed, as soon as your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb FOR JOY!.“
Soak in those words for a moment. Open your spiritual eyes and receive them. Ask yourself these questions:
How could Elizabeth know that Mary was pregnant? Mary never had a chance to tell her. Mary could not have been showing. Mary was only a few days pregnant. How could Elizabeth know that Mary was blessed among all other women? How could she know that the fruit of Mary’s womb was blessed? How could Elizabeth have known that Mary was the Mother of her King?
NEVER FORGET THESE NEXT WORDS!!!!! Paint them on the back of your eyelids!
“BLESSED IS SHE WHO BELIEVED FOR THERE WILL BE A FULFILLMENT OF THOSE THINGS WHICH WERE TOLD HER FROM THE LORD!
Allow me to summarize what Elizabeth just said: Mary believed the utterly impossible words of the messenger of God. Therefore, because of her belief and joyful celebration of the fulfillment of the promises God gave her, she enjoyed seeing those promises come true in her life, every single one of them.
Jesus bought great and precious promises for us with His blood. We receive them by steadfastly believing them and celebrating having them regardless of what our senses tell us, which just happens to be my definition of faith.
Faith is living in this present moment, joyfully celebrating our receipt of Jesus’s great and precious promises, regardless of what our senses perceive.
Try this promise from Jesus:
“Solemnly I (the Great I Am) tell you, whosoever steadfastly believes in me, the works that I do, shall he also do; and even greater works than mine shall he do because I go to My Father. (John 14:12-14)
Mary was blessed for all time, and we received the Kingship of our loving Jesus because of her unquestioning belief and joyful celebration of God’s great and precious promises, regardless of what her senses told her.
A VERY MARY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS
END OF TEACHING
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