Called and Faithful - Mary

Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church Henley and thanks so much for tuning

into our podcast.

Our prayer is that through this podcast you can have an encounter with Jesus that will

change your life.

And now get ready for an inspiring message from our preaching team.

Hello.

So for those of you who don't know that gorgeous individual right there, that is my first

born daughter, Cadence.

So Cadence is 14 and a half years old and I asked her to do this reading for a few reasons.

One, she is my kid.

I reserve the right to show her off whenever given the opportunity.

Two, that she is my reason for my journey of faith.

And three, she is about the age that Mary was when God sent the angel Gabriel down

with the biggest news of her life.

Imagine being the age that Cadence is and being sent an angel by God letting her know.

Girl, you're about to be pregnant with the Son of God.

This is like kind of a big deal, okay?

He's going to be the saviour of the world and stuff.

You cool with that?

Don't stress, girl.

You are going to slay motherhood because you're like the most faithful girl I know.

I don't know how many 14-year-olds would be like, yeah, sign me up for teen pregnancy.

Sign me up for ridicule.

Sign me up for the whispers behind my back.

People wondering who the daddy is.

I'm pumped to have the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Carry the Son of God.

Yeah, let's go.

So despite all this, Mary answered the call of God with nothing but faith.

At this moment, what God is asking Mary to do is huge, really huge.

Something that could and will have a really large effect on her life.

It could ruin what little social standing she had.

She had the potential to end her relationship with her fiance, change the relationship with

her family, have everyone think she's a liar.

I wonder if faced with the same dilemma, how many of us would be willing to put ourselves

on the line for the call of God, especially if it meant upturning our lives, risking the

little that we had, would we have the same trust as Mary?

Some of you may have heard the story of Cory Ten Boom.

Cory was a Dutch watchmaker who, along with her father, sister and other members, helped

many Jewish people escape the Nazis during World War II.

They did this by opening their home and allowing the Jews a space to hide.

Cory and her family believed that all humans are equal in the eyes of God.

And even though the risk to them was great and it held grave consequences, they did it

anyway.

Sadly, after some time, they were caught and imprisoned.

Their father died shortly after this and Cory, along with her sister Betsy, was sent to a

concentration camp in Germany.

For some, this could have challenged their faith, perhaps caused them to doubt God.

But Cory and her sister Betsy continued to be faithful to God despite the horror of their

circumstances.

When they arrived at the concentration camp, their barracks were littered with fleas.

Betsy encouraged Cory to thank God for all their circumstances, even the fleas.

They later discovered that the very fleas they begrudgingly thanked God for were the

very reason that the guards never came into their barracks, a gift for their faithfulness,

you might say, as this gave them the opportunity to have their nightly worship services and

continue to pray, worship and teach others about God.

Sadly, Betsy lost her life in the concentration camp, but Cory would go on to be released

12 days later due to a clerical error.

A week after this, all the women in her age group were sent to the gas chamber and killed.

Due to her steadfast faith, Cory went on to have a successful life and continued to open

her doors to those who needed it and share her faith until her own death some 39 years

later at the age of 91.

How can we be so faithful and so trusting like Mary or even Cory and Betsy when God puts

a call on our life like that?

Tim spoke about Jonah last week who would rather be swallowed up by a whale than answer

the call of God.

He didn't like public speaking.

Same Jonah, same.

And in week one, Tex spoke about Moses who was like, anyone but me, big fella, I'm not

your guy.

How about my brother Aaron?

He's better at this than me.

He can do this, right?

When we are faced with a calling that we think is impossible, how do we know we can trust

God?

I mean, Jonah and Moses were flaky at first, making all the excuses.

But with some gentle and not so gentle prompting, they got through in the end.

God showed them the way.

Mary was just a young girl betrothed to a carpenter, accepting God's call would flip

her life on its head.

Change her trajectory in ways none of us could imagine.

But despite being troubled by Gabriel's words, she said, yes, I am the Lord's servant.

May your word to me be fulfilled.

It's here that we get a sense that Mary's desire to serve God was greater than the

fear she felt.

In that very moment, she made a decision to surrender control.

She made a decision to trust God.

And then some 30 years into the future, trust God again by surrendering that very child

so as to fulfill the will of God.

So what have we learned so far from Cori, Betsy, Jonah, Moses and Mary is that despite

the difficulty of surrendering to God's will, it's necessary for our spiritual growth and

maturity.

We won't always see the path that God has planned for us.

Both Tim and Tex ignored their calling to ministry for some time.

The path that God had us planned for us isn't always as straightforward as maybe Mary's.

Some of our paths have twists and turns, maybe even roundabouts.

It can be uncertain and we won't always know if we are following it correctly.

But Mary's story is one that we should reflect on and be encouraged by.

If he can guide Mary, who simply answered the call of faithfulness, imagine what he

can do with our lives.

The Bible is littered with verses of God assuring us that he is here for us, that his

plans are to prosper us, not harm us.

Matthew 2820 says, and behold, I am always with you to the end of the age, or Joshua

9, have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous, do not be frightened, and do not

be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Isaiah 4110 reads, do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your

God.

Deuteronomy 31 6, be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or terrified, because of

them for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave nor forsake you.

There's more, Zephaniah 317, the Lord your God is with you, the mighty warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you, in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will

rejoice over you with singing.

God is constantly telling us he is here for us, and that his plans are to prosper us.

He doesn't promise it will be easy, but his plans are always for good.

Jeremiah 2911, for I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you

and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

All that God asks in return is our faithfulness.

We just need to desire to honour God and serve God, so that we can fulfil his plans for us,

and know that his purpose on our life is greater than our fears.

It probably seems like it's easy for me to stand up here and tell you how simple it is,

how easy it is to listen to God, especially when our path is not as straightforward as

we had always dreamed.

But I haven't always been a Christian.

I did grow up going to a Catholic school, following the sacraments and ticking the boxes.

I would say though that I was a believer, but I had never made a choice to follow Christ.

And most of my life people have always pointed out my childlike faith, some, like Tim, have

even suggested that it's a spiritual gift.

But I never questioned things like Jesus dying on the cross rising three days later, that

he turned water into wine, that he fed 5,000 with just a few loaves of bread and fish,

that he walked on water, or even that he healed a leper or the blind.

Even still, when I actually needed that faith during my life, it was a struggle for me.

Caden Sue is up here before, was one of my biggest answers to prayer.

I prayed and I begged God for my child.

But as time passed, I began to question whether he could hear me, and if he really desired

to answer that one prayer on my heart.

But when I had almost lost hope, he answered and I became a mother for the first time.

I knew that I wanted more than one child.

But as time passed, it seemed as though cadence may be an only child.

Doctors bluntly and coldly told me that I was suffering from secondary infertility, and

I simply probably wouldn't have any more children.

Something stirred in me and I prayed harder.

And God blessed us again with Delilah faith.

Yep, her middle name is Faith, even though we weren't Christians.

I knew that her coming into our lives was an answer to prayer, one that was born on

faith and faith alone.

God in his graciousness blessed us once more with our third Cecilia.

It would be another three years before I understood that faith in God is what got me through that

time.

But sometimes in the moment, it can be hard to believe.

Our doubt is the root of it.

So how do we change that?

In the Gospel of Matthew, we are told that faith, even as small as a mustard seed, is

enough.

Even if we have a little, we have some, and that's enough.

And even though it might only be a little, we can always ask for more.

To be honest, I didn't and still don't entirely know God's plan for me.

But I do know that he has steered me on the right path time and time again, and that without

faith, I wouldn't be where I am now.

If we reflect back on Mary, she can be seen as a supreme example of what happens when

God is at work by grace.

She reserves no social standing in her town.

Nazareth at the time was an insignificant village with a population of around 2,000.

Mary was no one, yet the angel Gabriel greeted her with a title of highly favored one, an

unusual title for not only a female, but also a young teenager.

When the angel tells her of her upcoming pregnancy, Mary questions him, but this seems to be a

request for more knowledge or information rather than proof.

And then, even without full comprehension of what this news could bring, she responds

with affirmation and faithfulness.

In this moment, Mary shows complete obedience, but also quiet heroism, because in biblical

times infidelity and adultery were punishable by death.

But Mary recognises that this is God's will.

She had seen it before when God had kept his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so she

knew that God would keep his promise to her, and so she faithfully accepts.

She might be wondering, what is faithfulness?

In a biblical context, it is simply steadfast loyalty that can't be swayed.

We need to follow God even if we'd rather choose another path.

Moses would have rathered another path.

He tried.

Remember Aaron?

Jonah lived in the belly of a whale for three days, but in reality, being truly faithful

to God means that we submit our ways to God.

We relinquish control and realise that we are in need of a saviour and stop trying to

be the saviour.

Perhaps you're like me, and you have a child like faith, and just hearing the words of

Scripture are enough for you to know that God will be there when you need Him, or maybe

you're a little bit more like Pastor Tex in his early days and need more tangible evidence

that God will deliver.

Mary was 14.

She was pregnant out of wedlock.

Who would believe a young teenager when they say they are carrying the Son of God?

Who would one day become the saviour of the world?

Why would her fiance believe her?

Did he stay?

Scripture tells us that Joseph did in fact stay.

He was a good man and had no intentions of publicly disgracing her.

Rather, he had planned to leave her quietly.

That was until the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.

The angel told him not to fear.

The angel told him not to fear and that his child was in fact the Son of God and conceived

by the Holy Spirit.

Joseph faithfully honoured and trusted the Word of God and took Mary home as his wife.

When Mary accepted the will of God, she went to visit her relative Elizabeth, whom the

angel had told her was going to have a baby in her old age, despite being told she was

unable to conceive.

When Mary came to visit Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth's womb leapt at the sound of

Mary's voice.

Elizabeth could not believe that Mary, who was to be the mother of her Lord, would come

to see her, declaring that Mary is blessed for she believed that the Lord would fulfil

his promise to her.

And he did.

A son was born to Mary and Joseph, whom they named Jesus, the name the angel had given

him before he was conceived.

God was good to Mary and Joseph.

He fulfilled his promise and Mary did give birth to the Messiah of the world.

So, just to clarify, Joseph stayed and married Mary.

Elizabeth wasn't just happy about Mary's pregnancy, she was expectant because she knew

whom Mary was carrying.

And let's not forget, the baby born to Mary did go on to become the saviour and hope of

the world.

But how can we trust in God the way that Mary has?

How can we believe his Word?

How can we trust him in the unknown or in the depths of our turmoil?

How can we surrender to him and his will and follow him faithfully?

You might be sitting here and thinking, yeah, okay, no worries, Cara.

I'll just be faithful like Mary because God fulfilled the prophecy and Jesus was in fact

born to Mary, but how do I do that?

Here are five practical ways that I think we can be more faithful to God in our everyday

lives.

1.

Cry out to God.

When we are praying, we surrender and cry out to God.

Hebrews 5.7 says, While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings with

a loud cry and tears to the one who would rescue him from death.

And God heard his prayers.

Moses cried out for mercy and challenged God.

Jonah challenged God.

I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble and he answered me.

I called to you from the land of the dead and Lord, you heard me.

But in their challenges, God showed up.

He answered their cries.

Our God is not one who is afraid of doubt or challenges.

So in your prayer, cry out and challenge God if that's what you feel you need to do.

You can do this by setting aside time to be intentional in prayer.

Even if it's a little bit of time each day, show God you are faithful by giving him your

time.

2.

Turn away from bad and turn toward God.

Acts 19 tells us, Now repent of your sins and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped

away.

Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord.

Sometimes it's easy to fall into the ways of sin.

We can succumb to gossip, lust or self-pride.

If we can, we should turn away from these things and turn toward God, ready and expectant.

Will it be easy?

Absolutely not.

Nothing in life is easy.

But when we turn away from the evils of this world and cry out to God, we begin to see

transformation.

Do you need to repent?

Perhaps there is something you need to confess to God.

In your intentional time of prayer, lay it down.

Repent, put to death the desires of this world and the flesh and find new life in God.

3.

Read the Word of God.

Sit in the Word, let the good news wash over you.

Scripture tells us to read the Bible, James 1.23-25, for if you listen to the Word and

don't obey it, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.

You see yourself, walk away and forget what you look like, but if you look carefully into

the perfect law that sets you free and if you do what it says and don't forget what

you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

Spending time in His Word will help you trust God and deepen your faith.

When we spend time in the Word, it helps us stay pure and turn away from sin.

Much like prayer, we need to be intentional in reading the Word.

Perhaps you can journal what you've read.

This becomes a spiritual practice, a display of faithfulness.

4.

Rest in God's love.

God never made a promise to us that this life would be an easy one.

John 16.33, I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows, but take heart because I have overcome

the world.

Even in the turmoil and suffering, God is there.

We just need to ask.

Sometimes when life is loud and full of heartache, it's hard to hear God above all the noise

and trust that He will be here for us.

There are times we need to trust God the most.

Mary's faith in God wasn't blind.

She started with a posture of faithfulness and then God's faithfulness continued to

reveal itself to her time and time again.

In your intentional prayer in Bible time, leave some space for quiet.

Listen for the voice of God.

Show Him your faithfulness by giving Him the space to move.

John 5.

Don't depend on yourself.

Often when we are faced with trials or difficulty, we try to do things in our own strength or

we look to the ways of the world to fix our problems.

God tells us in Psalm 55-22, give your burdens to the Lord and He will take care of you.

He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

We can show faithfulness by depending on God and not ourselves.

This can even include depending on those who He puts in our paths.

Don't be afraid to tell God of your worries.

Don't assume that you can only do things in your own strength.

Don't be afraid to surrender your burdens to God.

The weight of expectation can be heavy, but God has promised to lighten our load.

Okay, great.

How do we apply these to our lives, you ask?

Well, let's visit everyone's favourite weekly segment of Henley Homework.

Yay!

So over the next week, I would love to challenge you to think about the call God has placed

on your life.

Perhaps you are like Pastor Tim, who didn't want to be a pastor because it's maybe what

people expected of him.

Or maybe you're like Pastor Tex and the thought of your call was simply inconceivable.

Perhaps you have pushed away the notion of the call simply because like Moses, you feel

ill-equipped, like there is someone better out there for the job, or like Jonah, you're

responding with feelings rather than faithfulness.

Think about the call God has on your life.

If you don't know it, spend time in prayer and faithfully ask God what his call for you

is.

If you do know your calling and you haven't done anything, perhaps you need to apply the

five practical ways to help you have faith and listen to the calling God has for you.

And they were one, cry out to God, two, turn from bad and turn to God, three, read the

word, four, rest in God's love, and five, don't depend on yourself.

So some of those scriptures I read before, I was going to put a print out here, but I

forgot them.

I have them, but I forgot to put them here.

So if you would like those later, come and see me.

I have a whole bunch.

So the benefits of being faithful are that like Mary, we can show others how to trust

in God by being faithful ourselves.

This can prove the reality of God for something.

If they see that in our hard times, we are faithful and turn to God for help, why can't

they themselves do so?

And much like a muscle, faith gets stronger when we exercise it.

If you want the benefit of bigger muscles, you train harder.

You want more faith, keep being faithful.

Mary is a model for faithfulness and much like we can learn this from her.

Jesus likely learned this from her too.

We can and should be models of faithfulness for our own children and those around us.

Let's not forget Mary is the first one to point us to Jesus.

Mary shows us how to live by accepting God's will.

She models how we can live without having to control our own lives.

She surrenders her son into the trust of God, showing us that God is in charge.

Jesus modelled great faithfulness by carrying out the will of God, fully knowing the cost.

Mary knew when she accepted God's will that she would bring his son into the world only

to watch him leave it in ways we could only ever imagine.

Jesus knowing God's will had moments where he could have chosen to be unfaithful to the

call on his life.

In the garden, he could have given in to the temptations of Satan, but he chose to remain

faithful.

When he was questioned and accused, he remained faithful.

He could have rejected God's will.

He could have chosen to end the suffering before it began.

But he remained faithful to the call until his end.

Not just to God, but to Mary too.

The call on his life completed Mary's mission that God had entrusted her with.

And even in these last moments, Jesus showed faith, not just to God, but also to Mary as

he entrusted her care to his beloved disciple, John.

Jesus had no earthly treasures, but in his final moments, the care of his mother remained

important.

We can remain faithful because Jesus taught us how.

He learned from his mother, and now we can learn from him.

The band can come back up.

So friends, there is no doubt that the calling on Mary's life was huge.

And maybe at the time, she even doubted that she could do it.

Who wouldn't?

But Mary knew that she could trust in God.

Because he had showed her time and time again that he could be trusted, we even say in her

prayer the Hail Mary.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

And she continued to put her faith in God.

She exercised her faith muscle, and God was good to her.

He gave her the gift of his only son, Jesus, a baby who would go on to fulfill a prophecy,

born of a heavenly father to an earthly mother.

Mary continued to be faithful as she surrendered that very child to the will of God, giving

his life for our own.

It is an honor and a privilege to give life.

Being a mother continues to be one of my life's greatest blessings.

Mary was fortunate to be not only the mother of Jesus, but a good and faithful servant.

I'd like to hope that my faith is steadfast and true.

I may not be able to do some of the things that Mary did, but I know that at every twist

and turn along my journey, God is with me.

He is there in the deepest of valleys and on the highest of mountains.

He is alongside me in my walk, behind me if I fall and in front of me when I lose my way.

And his only ask is that I remain faithful.

So friends, be like Mary.

Listen to the call of God, act in faithfulness, know that you can trust in him even if you

can't see him.

Be faithful, be like Mary.