Pastor Jon Burgess
December 27, 2015 - W1552

From as long as I have known Lillie Knauls (our special guest artist), she has been sharing the gospel with the world, through her gift of singing. She is such a great example for us. What’s your gift? Is it hospitality? Is it business? Can you glorify God through your gift?

Today, Pastor John and I are going to team teach on why God came to Earth, as we extend Christmas just a little bit.

I do not know much about sheep, but, the Bible likens us to sheep. Sheep do not have good eye sight and are followers of each other. They do not walk, and they do not run, they boing! – boing…...boing….boing. In fact, a few years ago, in Turkey, 400 sheep fell off a cliff as they boinged to their death, following another sheep. They were thinking “Oh look! – George is turning right, so we should go too.” Now that is just dumb.

What I do know about sheep, is that they desperately need a shepherd to guide them for their existence, and for their survival, because they get lost very easily. This is why God likens us to sheep. The Bible says, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds, we are healed. We all, like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him an iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5-6 “He saw the crowds, and He had compassion upon the crowds because they were like sheep, lost without a shepherd.” Mark 6:34

So the real question today is, “Why are you here?”, and not “Why is God here?”

God has been here since the beginning of time. He is omnipresent. The Bible says, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

In the beginning God said, “Let there be light.” This meant the beginning of His presence commanding the Earth and bringing order to it.

If God is light, then He moves just as fast, if not faster than light. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. If God were creating at ten times the speed of light, then in six days, it would be 6 billion years, in man’s measurement. In other words, it would take man 6 billion years to create what God created in 6 days, which was the Earth and the universe.

We can never measure what God does because He moves faster than light, and because we are unable to fit God into our intellect. The Bible says, “The greatest wisdom of man is foolishness to God.” His ways are higher than our ways.

There was a story of a little boy who asked God, “How much is a million years?” God replied, “A second.” The boy then asked God how much is a million dollars?” God replied, “A penny.” The little boy then said, “Wow! Can I have a penny?”

So let me ask you, “Why are you here?” God never does anything at random. “From one man He made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth, and He determined the times set for them and the very places where they should live. God did this so men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him though He is not far from each of us.” Acts 17:26-27 This scripture says that God has an assignment for you, and that He has determined your time and your place on Earth.

The Bible says, “God chose you, and He appointed you that you should go forth, and bear fruit, and that your fruit shall remain.” John 15:16

If you follow God – (also called “obedience”), trust in Him, and commit yourself to Him, then you will become what God has called you to be, even when you mess up.

I remember a story of a nurse who was steadfast in praying for this dying patient. She would not leave him alone, and kept praying for him, because she told the patient that he was too young to die. After one week of praying, the vital signs of this patient had fallen to a low; however, she refused to give up. After work, she pressed into prayer again, and the next morning when she walked into his room, he was sitting up eating breakfast. He then told her that her prayers had saved him. She replied, “My prayers didn’t save you, God healed you, and it is your responsibility to find out why”. God’s timing is wonderful. You can either fight His timing, or you can be grateful for it.

Now here is Pastor John who will unpack the rest of this message:

Many times we have our own plans, but they are not God’s plans. God says to give Him your plans so He can direct you according to His purposes. To extrapolate upon this, I’d like to share about three places where Joseph, Mary, and Jesus went. They form a metaphor for what God is doing in your life.

1. Bethlehem: TREASURE

The word Bethlehem means treasure, house of bread, or house of provision.

Many times in our lives, we do not recognize or treasure God’s provision. The Bible talks about how God provided for Joseph and Mary. “Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We have seen His star as it arose, and we have come to worship Him.’ Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. ‘Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?’ he asked them. ‘In Bethlehem,’ they said, ‘for this is what the prophet wrote; “O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house where the Child and His mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before Him and worshiped Him. Then the opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matt. 2: 1-6, 10-11

God called Joseph and Mary to Egypt – a foreign and faraway place from their home land. To go and stay there would be costly for them; however, God provided for their financial sustenance through the gifts brought by the kings.

God will provide us with His provision, if we act according to His will. Sometimes it is hard to treasure what God has given us. Family is a provision from God that we should treasure.

Victor Borge said, “Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year.” During Christmas family members may trash you, but God wants you to realize that although it may be hard to treasure them, they are a gift from Him.

Before their marriage, Joseph brought pregnant Mary to meet his family. How do you think Mary felt? In those days, the timing of her pregnancy would have allowed others to stone her to death. The Bible says, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19

You can’t FIX your family, but you can FORGIVE them.

Can you forgive those who have hurt you this year, and can you choose not to carry that hurt over to the year 2016? After all, though we don’t deserve forgiveness; God has forgiven us. God has turned our trash into treasure, and has called us to do the same for others.

2. Egypt Timing

After Bethlehem, God told Joseph and Mary to go to Egypt.

The word Egypt means a place of refuge and a place that is tight, or a place that forms you.

Just like Joseph and Mary, you only want to stay where you are for the length of time that God has called you to be there, or be a part of something. The Bible says, “But when it was time to leave they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up and flee to Egypt with the Child and His mother,’ the angel said. ‘Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the Child.’ That night Joseph left Egypt with the Child and Mary, His mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: ‘I called My Son out of Egypt.’” Matt. 2:12-15

By looking at scripture, you will learn how God leads us in ways like He did for Joseph and Mary. If this couple had not paid attention to God, they would have not fulfilled the purpose for which God had created them.

Here are some Biblical highlights that I would like to share with you:

• Egypt was both a refuge from famine and a place Abraham needed to run away from to save his wife, Sarah. (Genesis 12)

• Joseph went from a slave to a ruler in Egypt. (Genesis 39-45)

• The people of Israel went from small to great and from great to slaves (Genesis 46-50, Ex. 1)

• Moses was delivered to Egypt and then he became a Deliverer of God’s people from Egypt (Exodus 2-14)

We can learn about God’s timing from the events that took place in Egypt. As we relate these Biblical events to our lives, we learn not to cling to thoughts, events, or situations in our lives that God has asked us to give to Him. Egypt is a place in our lives where we learn that we are not in control of things - God is in charge.

My question here is what are you HOLDING on to that is now HOLDING on to you?

If you had told me at the beginning of 2015 that I would be the Sand Island pastor at the end of 2015 I would have laughed, because I had recently arrived in Kona, and started pastoring New Hope Legacy. Everything was going well - my kids were enjoying their schools, and my wife was making friends. Then, Pastor Wayne asked me to come to Oahu to be the campus pastor. Although I was honored, I had conflicting thoughts, because this invitation did not align with my timing.

If you allow God’s timing to prevail over your own timing, then you will never regret it. Therefore, ask God questions such as, “Is this the ministry that You want me to serve in, or should I be serving in another ministry? Am I to stay in this relationship, or do I move on?”

So Bethlehem is where we learn to treasure what God has given us. Egypt is where we learn God’s timing, and Nazareth is where we learn God’s training.

Nazareth: TRAINING

Literally, Nazareth means a sprout or a branch. Spiritually, Nazareth means a descendant. It is a place where you and I can grow. The Bible said, “When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him, ‘Get up and take the Child and His mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the Child are dead.’ So Joseph returned immediately to Israel with Jesus and His mother. But when he learned that the new ruler was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid. Then, in another dream, he was warned to go to Galilee. So they went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets concerning the Messiah: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’” Matt. 2:19-23 NLT

During the era of Jesus, Nazarenes did not garner much respect, because Nazareth was a dangerous place to live; however, Jesus grew up there and learned to obey his earthly father, and also learned to hear the voice of His Heavenly Father.

The question is, “Why did the disciples follow Jesus who was looked down upon, because of where He was born and raised?” Jesus’ disciples followed Him because He surrendered to the training and humility of the Father.

Tonight I’d like to ask you this question, as Jesus had asked His disciples,

Which level of life do you live on? SURVIVAL, SUCCESS, or SIGNIFICANCE?

Some of you just survived 2015. Some of you have been very successful this year, having made great business decisions, great family decisions, or having accumulated important material possessions.

If you will submit to the training of Nazareth, and humble and submit yourself to Jesus, then you will move past surviving, past the world’s view of success, and enter into a place of significance. This is a place where the decisions you make will impact the world.

In closing, I would like to remind you of a promise of God. “For I know the plans I have for you, ‘declares the Lord,’ “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer. 29:11 NIV

How are you going to get from the plans you have, to fulfilling the plans, hopes, and future that God has planned for you? You do this by visiting the same three places that Mary and Joseph did. You need to go to Bethlehem, where you will learn to treasure what God has given you. You also need to go to Egypt, where you will learn to submit to God’s timing. Finally, you need to go to Nazareth, where you learn to submit to His training.

You are here on purpose, not by accident. You are here because God has called you here.

Questions:

• What events or circumstances have taken you to Bethlehem, Egypt or Nazareth? How did you grow from these visitations? If you missed these visits, how can you rectify this when the next opportunity arises?

• What are your gifts?

• How will you use your God given gifts to take you to a level of significance in 2016?