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Mercy Seat Mother – Touched By An Angel Christmas Series

Mercy Seat MotherGod chose angels to be His messengers on earth. We can see in His Word many accounts of angels visiting people to share the heart of God. Powerful! This message is not about angels but more about looking at why the angel came to the individual and how we can apply it to our lives.

Do angels visit people on earth today? This has been a subject of much controversy. Everybody has their opinion, but I remember a time when I was praying alone in my bedroom many years ago. I was laying prostrate on the floor crying out to God. Actually feeling like a worm because of some bad choices I had made in my past. I didn’t like myself and thought I had blown any chance of doing anything with my life. Then, as I was praying, I sensed an angelic being hovering over me. Now I didn’t see them with my eyes as I was laying with my face to the ground, but in my spirit I could see one of the cherubim that hovered over the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant above me. Their wings were so long and wide they went through my bedroom walls into my living room and out the outer walls of my house. Again, I saw this all in a vision in my spirit. As they were hovering over me I knew I was in the presence of holiness. It took my breath away. I worked up some courage and asked, “Why are you here?” and the cherubim replied, “I hover over holy things.” I began to weep. My mental opinion of myself was terrible and now this angelic being was telling me they “Hovered over holy things.” I was calling myself “un-holy” and God wanted me to get the message that I was holy because I was forgiven and he washed all of my impurities away. This message brought by the angel visiting me that day changed my view of myself and actually changed my life.

We can learn from the angelic event that happened to Mary, the mother of Jesus, let’s read Luke 1:26:38.

What we can learn from the Mother of Jesus

1. Favor comes from God.

Luke 1:28 – 30 Amplified Bible
“And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women!! But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace (free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness) with God.”

Mary was just an ordinary young lady with an extra ordinary assignment. She was favored by God. This means that she was endued with grace. She was favored as the Lord was with her. She was human just like you and I. But I believe she received favor because she lived doing the right thing. She was highly favored among women. She was beautiful inside and out.

Grace is “unmerited favor,” meaning something we receive despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mary needed grace from God just as the rest of us do. Mary herself understood this fact, as she declared in Luke 1:47, “. . . and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. . .” Mary needed a Savior just like you and I.

God gave His unmerited favor to us when He forgave our sin through the sacrifice of His Son. We can ask for His favor to go before us where ever we go. We are His children.

The word Favor means “to grace, that is, indue with special honor: – Make accepted, be highly favored.”

This is our portion too. Sometimes we receive God’s favor when others think we shouldn’t. I love it when God uses the foolish things to confound the wise. When He uses me in spite of what others think I deserve or what they think I should be doing.. God brings promotion not man. We can receive a promotion that we were not even qualified for. That’s God’s favor! When God gives you favor He puts you somewhere you have no qualifications, or maybe even no right to be there and it is God who keeps you there. Trust in God for His favor.

Remember when God does promote you that you are nothing without Him. Tell yourself: “I am everything in God and I am nothing without Him!” This will keep you humble which is what Mary was and I believe that is why God favored her so highly.

2.  Be teachable.

Luke 1:34 Amplified Bible
“And Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have no [intimacy with any man as a] husband?”

Mary asked the angel, “How can this be?” It is what Mary does not say that I find remarkable.  She does not say, “You have got to be kidding me. That is not going to happen!”  She just asks a question in a posture of learning. We too should be teachable, ready to learn even when it seems impossible.

How many times have you questioned God? Maybe God has asked you to do something and your brain just can’t seem to wrap around it because it doesn’t make sense in your natural reasoning.

Can you imagine being in Mary’s situation? You are young, and you’ve never been with a man and now an angel comes and tells you that you will be pregnant and give birth to the Son of God. Mary’s character really shined at this moment because she didn’t shrink back in disbelief. She was in for a lot of ridicule and shame from people who would think the worse in her situation; either she was unfaithful to Joseph, was pregnant before they were betrothed, or even worse, that they had sex out side of marriage. In those days it was the worse evil a woman could do. Yet, Mary was open to what was going to happen. It messes with our natural thinking. This is where a lot of people turn their backs on accepting Jesus because of His miraculous conception. This is why so many atheists fight in our nation to get Christ out of Christmas. It doesn’t make sense and they don’t believe.

Doesn’t make sense

Often God doesn’t make sense. Did it make sense when the Israelites finally were freed to go into the promised land and they came to the Red Sea and water was on one side and the Egyptians were on the other and yet the Israelites prevailed and walked on dry land and their enemies were destroyed and drowned? Did it make sense when the blind man needing to see and Jesus spit in the dirt and put it in the blind man’s eyes and he could see? Did it makes sense that Jesus lingered a few more days while his close friend, Lazarus was very ill and died? Did it make sense that Jesus raised him from the dead? Did it make sense when Jesus died and then rose again and sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for you and me?

We all have had “How can this be” moments in our life. This leads me to my next point…

3.  Jesus is our Mercy Seat.

Luke 1:35 Amplified Bible
“Then the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining cloud]; and so the holy (pure, sinless) Thing (Offspring) which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God.”

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining cloud];…” The word “overshadow” is really interesting when you find out more about it.

Other versions of the Bible state;

CEV – “God’s power will come over you.”
GNB – “God’s power will rest upon you.”
ISV – “Holy Spirit will come over you, and the power of the Most High will cover you.”
LITV – “Holy Spirit will come upon you.”
Message Bible – “Power of the Highest hover over you.”

“Come over,” “rest upon,” “cover you,” “come upon you,” “hover over you”… all these statements are what happened to Mary in the conceiving of the Son of God. The Holy Spirit overshadowed or hovered over Mary to make her fruitful.

Overshadow is translated in the Greek (G1982 Strongs Hebrew and Greek Definitions): “to cast a shade upon, to envelope in a haze of brilliancy; (figuratively) to invest with preternatural (Supernatural) influence.”

God supernaturally investing Mary with His power, his life, and she was divinely impregnated. This makes me think of the Cherubim who hovered over the covering or lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark represented God’s presence, the most holy place. The lid or covering was also known as the mercy seat. Read Exodus 25:17 – 22.

In the Old Testament, Leviticus 16 talks about how the Priest were to approach the mercy seat. How they were to bring a cloud of incense to cover the mercy seat so that they wouldn’t die. They were to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifices and on the mercy seat for atonement for the uncleanness of the children of Israel sins (Lev. 16:12 – 17). God spoke to Moses in the Holy place from the mercy seat (Numbers 7:89).

Mercy seat is translated “to cover, to condone, to cancel, appease, make an atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon; to pitch or to purge (away), (make) reconcile (-liation).” (Strongs #H3722)

Jesus Christ, was the ultimate High Priest appearing before the throne of God after His making atonement or covering of the sins of humanity, and He is our mercy seat (Hebrews 9).

The very act of the Holy Spirit hovering or overshadowing over Mary, who would give birth to the “mercy seat” (Jesus) to pardon, cleanse, conceal, cover, disannul to pitch or purge away our sins has brought the Old Testament to the New Testament as Jesus Christ covers us all. He is the mercy seat of atonement! Mary was the Mercy Seat mother.

We need the Mercy Seat (Jesus) in our relationships with people to pardon what they have done to us and help us forgive them. We might even need the Mercy Seat to pardon what we have done to others. It is a place of mercy. How many of you need mercy today? We all do.

Getting back to Mary’s teachable question: “How can this be?” It was the Holy Spirit that made Mary’s womb fruitful. The Holy Spirit makes us fruitful (Fruit of the Holy Spirit Gal. 5) and equips us with His power (Acts 2) to do what God has called us to do.

When we have those “How can this be” moments in our own life remember no matter the task; be it great or small, public or private, physical or spiritual, God is faithful to equip us with His power through His Holy Spirit. We can stand and remember that “Nothing is impossible with God!”

Luke 1:37 Amplified Bible
“For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.”

4.  Be obedient.

Luke 1:38 Amplified Bible
“Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. And the angel left her.”

Mary could have refused to be pregnant and NOT carry the Son of God. I am sure she was surprised that the angel told her she would give birth, let alone to the Son of God. It was unexpected. Something she didn’t even expect or think could happen to her. Yet, she trusted God and His plans and purposes.

Mary had an immediate response of obedience.  She had and exemplary attitude of servanthood in the face of a crazy word from an Angel!  She knew that she would get looks, loose friends, get ridicule, and receive persecution.  She was about to be pregnant as a Virgin!  She is not married yet!  She knew this would be very difficult and the community would shame her, BUT despite this, she said, “I am the Lord’s Servant!”  Q. Can you say that?  Are you quick to obey God no matter the circumstances?  Are you sticking close to his Word, not wavering from the Truth no matter what others might say or do?  Let’s be like Mary!

Has God ever asked you to do something you never expected to do? Mary’s trust in God, and her obedience and cooperation with God’s plans and purposes, is a great example to follow. Allow God to work in you as He wants to, and know that all His plans for you are for your good. When unexpected things happen, keep trusting Him!

5. Mary knew how to be quiet and trust God.

Whatever Mary may have thought or felt, she controlled it because she said to the angel who first brought the news, “…let it be done to me according to what you have said.”

I believe that when God speaks something to us, many times we need to keep it to ourselves. He gives us the faith to believe what He has said to us, but if we try to tell it to others, they may think we have lost our minds. Other people do not always have the faith to believe what God has told us.

Luke 2:19 NKJV
“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

When God spoke to Mary through the angel, there was a gift of faith that came with that word to her from the Lord so that she was able to say, “Let it be done.” But she was also wise enough not to go around knocking on doors saying, “I just had a visitation from an angel who told me I am going to give birth to the Son of God. I am going to get pregnant by the Holy Spirit, and the Child I will bear will be the Savior of the world.” Mary knew how to keep her mouth shut and her heart open. I encourage you to do likewise.

Allow the Holy Spirit to equip you. Spend some time with Him as He hovers over you to do great and mighty things. God can use anybody and He wants to use you. Don’t think less of yourself. Know that since God created you, He has good plans for your life. Have you given up on a dream God gave you? It is time to resurrect that dream and believe all things are possible with God. He will help you fulfill what He has called you to do. Don’t give up!

Your sister in Christ,
Pastor Kris Belfils

http://www.krisbelfils.com
http://www.HopeFellowshipSpokane.com
http://www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

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The Hope Series – “Hope That Stands In The Storm”

hope that stands in the storm_wide_t_nvTo many, hope seems elusive or unattainable, but there is a hope that will stand for all time. It stands in the middle of struggles and storms. It stands when common sense tells you to give up.

What do you do when you experience a hardship or a storm? Do you cower? Do you give up? Do you get mad at God? God wants us to be mature Christians who are not tossed by every wind and wave that comes our direction.

Are you stable? Maybe you are one who is juggling so many things in life that if one more thing came your way you would crash.

There is an anchor, an unmovable hope, that stands the test of time.

Psalm 46:1 – 3 NKJV

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and thought the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah”

Even though all these things might be going on in your life, you still have hope that God will protect and rescue you. No one, nothing will ever take this away from you. This hope is strong because you have placed it in God alone and nothing else.

Hope commands us to be:

1.  Joyful

Romans 12:12

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”

Be joyful in hope. Sometimes the circumstances of your life (and condition of this world) make it difficult for you to be joyful. When you’re searching for Joy, where do you turn? One of the best places to find true Joy is in hope.

Ephesians 1:17 – 18 ESV

“[May God] give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.”

Since you are a co-heir with Jesus, this blessing is definitely for you. When present circumstances are weighing you down, grasp onto hope for dear life! It will help you not only to survive but to thrive – to live joyously.

In some ways, hope is like a hot-air balloon. It is very buoyant, so it can lift you up above your troubles. It enables you to soar in the heavens with Jesus – helping you see things from a heightened, big-picture perspective. To embark on this heavenly journey, you must climb into the basket beneath the balloon – by trusting fully that your hope in God will not let you down (Jesus Today, Sarah Young, Experience Hope Through His presence).

Proverbs 23:18

“There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

We are joyful in hope when we stand in the midst of tragedy or hardship. We are immovable hiding in our mighty fortress of our Strong Tower. In the midst of the storm God is working and healing and cleansing you. Often storms are there to bring change in our lives. Change to our mundane living, change to how we think and function, and change that comes from the inside out of you.

We have a Strong Tower to run to in the middle of any storm.

Psalm 61:1 – 4 NKJV

“Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You. When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.”

Video:  Strong Tower  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc5fqU0Owo4

2.  Strong when we are wounded.

2 Tim. 2:3 CEV

“As a good soldier of Christ Jesus you must endure your share of suffering.”

Being wounded doesn’t give you a “free ticket” to leave this spiritual battle we are in. We have to see the bigger picture of destroying the enemy. We are a threat to him when we stand strong and continue wielding our sword after being wounded. There is a hope that wells up inside of us to keep going in the face of our fears or hurts and struggles.

True story:

Tommy Rieman was a teenager pumping gas in Independence, Kentucky, when he enlisted in the United States Army. Today, he wears the Purple Heart and the Silver Star of an American hero! He was, in fact, introduced to the nation during President Bush’s 2007 State of the Union Address.

Now, there’s been much disagreement about the war in Iraq, but there’s no disagreement about the heroism of soldiers like Sgt. Rieman!

The day his squad was ambushed by enemy fire in the midst of a reconnaissance mission, they were outnumbered ten to one! Their vehicles kept moving as Sgt. Rieman dove into the backseat and used his body as a shield to protect his gunner! As they sped away from the ambush, they found themselves ambushed AGAIN by some fifty enemy attackers! Rieman was shot in the right arm, he was shot in the chest, he had shrapnel wounds to his chest and stomach and ear, and his squad was out of ammo! HOWEVER, IN SPITE OF HIS WOUNDS, Tommy Rieman began firing away with his grenade launcher at their attackers! Finally, the enemy’s guns fell silent. ONLY THEN DID Sgt. Rieman began tending to his wounds and the wounded! That’s what you call a Certified Hero! Someone who’s been wounded – even badly wounded – and they still keep fighting! They realize, the Warfare Doesn’t Cease Because They’re Wounded…So With Everything They’ve Got…They Continue to Wield Their Weapons!

That’s what Spiritual Heroes do, too! In Spite of Their Wounds, They Continue to Wield Their Weapons, Knowing that the Warfare Doesn’t Stop Because They’ve Been Wounded!

3.  Steadfast

Hebrews 6:19 NKJV

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.”

Steadfast means: “resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering” (Dictionary). That’s what anchors do. Our hope is an anchor to our soul so we will never be shaken. Be resolute in your hope. Hope is always there, we are the ones who give up on it. Be firm and unwavering in hope.

We have been given freedom to enter behind the veil. The veil to the Holy of Holies was ripped in two when Jesus died on the cross. That means we have full access to enter into God’s presence in prayer and worship. Let it become your lifestyle!

Psalm 9:9 NKJV

“The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”

Our hope is an anchor, immovable and always present. Remind yourself Who God is when struggles or battles come. God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble.

Let’s look at Psalm 46 again…

Psalm 46:1 – 3 NKJV

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and thought the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah”

The hope is that no matter what we go through, no matter what happens in this world, God is our refuge and strength and no one can take that away from us. This brings peace in the middle of any storm. God helps us in the middle of our troubles. Our job is to allow Him access to every area of our lives. If you have to hide it, don’t do it!

Psalm 71:5, 14 – 16 NKJV

“For You are my hope, O Lord, God; You are my trust from my youth…. But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, For I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.”

4.  Hope Givers

Psalm 16:9

“Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.”

We rest in our Living Hope, Jesus Christ daily. But not only do we rest in Him, but we need to become givers of Hope!

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

Mark Twain

How do most people feel when they’re around you? Do they feel small and insignificant, or do they believe in themselves and have great hope about what they can become?

The key to how you treat people lies in how you think about them. It’s a matter of attitude. What you believe is revealed by how you act.

“Treat a man as he appears to be and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he already were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

1749-1832, Poet and Novelist

Hope is perhaps the greatest gift you can give another person as the result of nurturing, because even if people fail to see their own significance, they still have a reason to keep trying and striving to reach their potential in the future.

Don’t treat people less-then their full potential. Encourage them to rise up to a higher level in life and in their relationship with God. Let them know they have value and that you care about them. This helps hope to arise in their hearts.

5.  Patient

Far too often we want to give up when we don’t see answers to our prayers. But being hopeful requires patience. It is one of the fruit of the spirit.

Galatians 5:22 – 23 ESV

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Having the Holy Spirit living in us will produce fruit. The question is are you allowing that fruit to produce? Patience requires self-control, love, and peace.

The kind of fruit that the Spirit produces in us is a cheerful and hopeful patience.

James 1:2 – 4 NKJV

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

The word “patience” is translated in the original Greek as; “cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy: – enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting)” (Strongs G5281)

Whenever we are impatient we fall into our flesh. Ask God to help you walk in the spirit and produce the fruit and character He wants in your life. We are to be people of Godly character. Has God been patient with you? Yes! How many times have you messed up and God patiently waits for you to call out to Him for help? If you are like me, infinite times. I long to have God’s character and not my own. In order to have that we have to experience tribulations and trials. It produces the patience and hope we desperately need.

Romans 5:3 – 5 NKJV

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Hope does not disappoint! I love that! We are never ashamed by holding onto the Living Hope. Some people put their hope in themselves, or people, or circumstances, but we put our hope in nothing but God and His love that is poured out into our hearts. All of this comes when we experience storms or trials. Wow, how beautiful and yet how difficult at the same time.

This is the love of God to allow us to walk through hardship or suffering so that we persevere and godly character is grown which produces the hope we need for everyday living.

So what about you? How do you respond when storms arise in your life? Do you get mad at God and turn your back on Him? Do you give up? Do you get all upset and think there is no hope?

Today, God wants you to be a person of His character who stands in the middle of any storm you may face. Not only do you stand, but you have this cheerful, hopeful endurance to keep on going in the face of this storm! This is what God wants to instill in each of us. Are you willing? Let’s be mature Christians and not babies in our walk with God and live that victorious life we all called to live!

From one steadfast storm stander to another,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com