Season of Surprises

This sermon series is one that was done by Pastor Garlow for the Christmas season. I really encourage people to listen to them. It's a five part series and I'll link you to each one as we go along, but I just wanted to give the general overview of each one. If you're one of those people that like what the pastor is claiming to be proved to you - I will proudly admit to being one of those people - then you'll want to listen to them yourself. Pastor Garlow goes over Biblical evidence for each one of these, and it's rather interesting. Unfortunately, I cannot go over that much material in one post (it's five full sermons after all), so I will just be giving the general "thesis" of each sermon and some highlights that really stuck out to me.

Part One: Unplanned Parenthood [Listen Here]
Thesis: When you find yourself in an unfamiliar place, look for the hand of God.

Pastor Garlow used Moses as his main focus point in this sermon. Moses spent his whole life in unfamiliar places. Raised in the Egyptian palace, even though he was a Hebrew, from the very start he was out of his element, but as an Egyptian prince, he learns how to talk to a people. Then, after killing an Egyptian, he goes to the desert, where he learns to be a shepherd and meets God - the whole burning bush thing. God constantly brought Moses into unfamiliar places, but through those unfamiliar places he was trained to be a man capable of leading God's people out of Egypt and 40 years through the desert. Things he learned as a prince, from his father-in-law, and from living in a desert for so long, he used in guiding God's people.

So when God brings you into a situation that is unfamiliar, look for His hand. He's probably giving you training that will be valuable to the expansion of His kingdom - that will make you a person better equipped for fulfilling His will in your life.

Pastor Garlow urges that when you find yourself in that unfamiliar place, ponder. Mary (Jesus' mother) is constantly pondering the events that take place - that are very unfamiliar to her -  in her heart. Talk to God about where you've found yourself. Even more importantly, let Him talk to you.

Part Two: Last Minute Detours [Listen Here]
Thesis: When you are hit by a detour in life, keep your eye on the ultimate destination.

Mary find herself getting hit by three major detours in her life. She was betrothed to Joseph, planning on getting married, when all the sudden an angel tells her she's going to get pregnant, as a virgin. What is Joseph going to think about that? He'd probably refuse to marry her, thinking her a liar if she tried to explain. Instead she says to the angel, "I am the Lord’s servant...May your word to me be fulfilled."

Then, she's very close to giving birth to Jesus and instead of having her family and midwives around her, preparing and supporting her, she's in a cart on her way to Nazareth. Still, the Bible never says Mary complained.

Then, she doesn't even get to raise him in her homeland, amongst her family, because an angel warns Joseph of Herod's plan to kill Jesus and they flee to Egypt. Still, Mary doesn't complain. Keeping her eye on the ultimate goal - that her son will be the Messiah of her people - she faithful accepts the detours in her life.

Pastor Garlow also talked about the many detours faced by Abraham, which are too many to put in this post. However, when you look at the lives of Mary and of Abraham, you realize these people were not unfaithful people. They were some of the most faithful servants of God recorded in the Bible, but still, these detours are thrown into their lives. These detours are not a punishment for lack of faith, but with faith they accept these detours without complaint.

When it comes down to it, the ultimate destination, is the fulfillment of God's will.

Part Three: Less Than Perfect [Listen Here]
Thesis: When your dreams are crushed, keep dreaming.

Again looking at Mary's life, her dreams were crushed time and time again. Her dreams to get married, have children, and live a normal life, never came to pass. However, time and time, she keeps dreaming. In the end, she is one of the few people with Jesus at the time of his death. His disciples were scattered, but a few women - including Mary - were there until he breathed his last breath. By not letting her crushed dreams stop her, Mary became a part of the greatest legacy in the history of the world.

Joseph - son of Jacob, not earthly father of Jesus - is another example of this. Joseph has a dream, that one day his entire family would bow to him. However, being an immature child, he tells his family this, and they are - obviously - not pleased. His brothers are so displeased, they sell him into slavery. Joseph's dreams are crushed. However, God keeps his promises. Those who know the story, know that in the end, his entire family does bow to him. In fact, he even saves one of the greatest nations at the time from famine. At the time that Joseph's dream was revealed, he was not ready. He had a lot of maturing to do. But in the end God, who is always faithful, kept his promise. Sometimes, when dreams are crushed, it doesn't mean they won't be fulfilled, they're just delayed, until we are ready.

Part Four: A Friend in Low Places [Listen Here]
Thesis: No matter how low you get, Jesus has been lower and is with you now.

Philippians 2:6 says:

[Jesus], being in very nature God,
   did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. (NIV)

In this life, most people look for social elevation. Instead, Jesus, who was God, chose to become a human, so that he might reach us. He found that choosing to bring himself down to the level of humans was "to his own advantage," to the advantage of God's will.

When Jesus died, it said he descended in Hades (or Hell). Some say this is just figurative, but Pastor Garlow asserts that it was meant very literally. So no matter how low you get, you'll never go lower than Christ did (Amen to that). When he was born, he was seen as an illegitimate child. In a small town were everyone knows everyone else's dirt, they didn't understand that Mary conceived because of an overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. As far as people were concerned, Jesus was illegitimate. Jesus chose to be born the lowest of the low and he died a criminal's death.

So never think you're in a place Jesus can't reach you, a place he can't relate to. He's been there, and he's with you now.

Part Five: Your Biggest Surprise [Listen Here]
Thesis: You are highly favored by God; He may regret when you disobey Him, but He will never regret adopting you as His own.

Luke 2:15, which is the latter portion of the song sang by the angels when they told the shepherds of Jesus' birth, says:

Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. (NIV)

God created all of heaven and earth, and on you of all of creation "his favor rest." You are the apple of his eye. Zechariah 4:8-9 says:

For this is what the LORD Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you - for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye - I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me."(NIV)

God's favor, his protection, is on you. However, Acts 7 describes a story of David who, having realized he was favored by God, asked Him if he could build his Lord a dwelling place on this earth. He knew God's favor rested with him and wanted to know what he could do to repay God for that. So now the question is posed: Having realized you are favored, what are you going to do about it?

Pastor Garlow went to tell a very powerful story, which I will not share here. However, if you feel overwhelmed by all this, if you're wondering, "Why would God ever want me? I'm broken, I screw up time and time again. Does he regret adopting me as His child?" remember that God will never regret adopting you. He may regret the times you disobey Him, but He will always forgive you and He will always love you. You are the apple of His eye.