It Came to Pass

Making the Most Out of Your Season of Preparation

Mac Hammond nov dec 2001 (1-11-02)

One of the most powerful accounts of Scripture is the revealing of he redemptive plan of God for mankind. This biblical account is what’s known today as the Christmas story. Like you, I've read about the birth of Christ many times and have heard many sermons preached from these passages during the holiday season. It's a familiar story. But recently I was reading through the gospel of Luke and saw something in the Christmas story that got my attention.

I noticed a phrase being consistently repeated. Its the phrase, it came to

pass. Now, I’ve read this phrase many times in the past. But this time, my spiritual mind was enlightened to a new understanding. As we study the it came

to pass sequence in the gospel account of Luke, you will notice stages through

which you must progress in order to arrive at the promise of God being born

in your life.

Topic: THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

When we think of the Christmas story, we usually think about the principle characters being Mary, Joseph, and the Christ child, Jesus. But actually story began long before Mary ever received her angelic visitation. As we see in the account of Luke, God was working behind the scenes in the live of others that were to play an important part in the unfolding of God s redemptive plan.

Let s look at the first chapter of Luke. It s there that we find the first it came to pass.

And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course... (v.8)

Zacharias was fulfilling his call as priest and going about his day being faithful when the Word says, it came to pass. What came to pass? Verse 2 explains:

And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right

side of the altar of incense. (KJV)

In this dispensation. God uses the

Holy Spirit to speak to the hearts of

His children rather than sending

an anaelic messenaer.

The first thing that came to pass was a supernatural visitation.

Likewise, if you are faithful to seek the Lord and obey God s Word, then He will reveal His plan for your life. Does that mean you can expect to see angelicbeings and hear thunderous voices from heaven? No. In this dispensation, God uses the Holy Spirit to speak to the hearts of His children rather than sending an angelic messenger.

If the Holy Spirit begins to deal with u about Gods divine plan for yer life, do not write it off to the pizza you ate last night. Embrace it as a supernatural visitation & take heed to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to yer heart. As u do, God will begin taking u on a wonderful journey right into the divine destiny Hes laid out for u.

But the angel said unto him. Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard;

and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make readv a neonle oreoared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel. Whereby i shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him,I am I Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, i thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak,

i until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou belieuest not my i words, which shall be fulfilled in their I season.

Luke 1:13

Luke 1:17-20

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." And Zacharias said to the angel,

"How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."

(Luke 1:13,17-20 NKJV)

Here we learn God s divine purpose for Zacharias son, known throughout

history as John the Baptist. Johns purpose was to prepare the way for the

coming of Jesus, the Messiah. He was to set the stage for the ministry of Jesus to be launched. John had a vital role to play in God s redemptive plan.

This same principle holds true for you as well. In preparation for Gods purpose to come to pass in your life, God will have someone else first prepare the way as a result of his or her own divine purpose being realized.

Another important lesson we learn from Zacharias experience is that words have the ability to abort the plan of God. Zacharias had trouble believing the angels message to him and began to voice words of doubt.

Jesus birth was so important that the Lord could not allow Zacharias lack of faith to impede His redemptive plan from coming to pass at its appointed time. As a result, Zacharias was struck dumb to prevent him from speaking doubt and unbelief.

Some of God s plans are set for an appointed time and cannot be put off for another time. The birth of the Savior was one of these events. Some things pertaining to the overall plan for the world are going to happen in the fullness of time regardless of opposing circumstances.

If the birth of John had not been crucial to the overall plan of God coming to pass, Zacharias lack of faith would only have resulted in his due season being drawn out until he could get in faith about God s promises.

Topic: YOUR DUE SEASON

This is the case for most of us as well. I We would like to see the promise of God manifest immediately. But we must wait for it to come to pass in due season.

Galatians 6:9 says, And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. The only question is, how long is your due season?

The answer is different for each person.

However, if you are believing the promise, speaking in line with the Word of God instead of speaking unbelief, and not getting weary in well doing, it shall come to pass. In other words, the more you align your life with the principles of God s Word, the shorter your due season becomes. That is good news.

For Elisabeth and Zacharias, their due season was approximately nine months after they received the promise of a son. For you, it may be longer or it may be shorter. The point is, you don t have to wait indefinitely for God s promise to become manifest.

It must first grow and develop within you much like a pregnancy. And in due season, you too will deliver the plan and purpose of God into the earth.

Topic? THE REDEMPTION PLAN UNFOLDS

Six months after Elisabeth had conceived, another dimension of Gods redemptive plan was triggered.

Elisabeths cousin, Mary, was visited by Gabriel the angel who gave her a message from God that she would conceive and give birth to a son after the power of the Holy Spirit came upon her. Mary conceived of the seed of Gods Word and her pregnancy of the Savior began.

Then Gabriel informed Mary that her cousin, Elisabeth, had conceived a son in her old age and was in her sixth month of pregnancy. After hearing the news from the angel, Mary went to visit Elisabeth, and in Luke 1:41,45 we discover what came to pass.

And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb for joy. Blessed [is] she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.

Elisabeth was being used by God to prophesy to Mary, confirm what the angel

had said, and to encourage and exhort her to walk out the plan of God. In the following ten verses of scripture, Marys response is beautifully expressed in a

worshipful outpouring of her heart, which is commonly known as the Magnificat.

Topic: THE IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS

There is an important lesson to be learned through the example of Mary and Elisabeth s relationship that we often overlook. If you are going to receive the promise of God in your life, it is very much dependent upon the promise of

God coming to pass in the lives of those with which you have a relationship. They are interrelated. In the passages we’ve just studied, for the promise of God to be manifest in Marys life, it first had to come to pass in the life of Elisabeth because her son, John, was to prepare the way tap the Lord.

In this respect, all your relationships the are potentially crucial to the plan of God being realized in your life. God uses people as a vehicle through which to bring His blessings and provision.

In time of financial need, most of us would like God to drop a sack of coins on our heads out of heaven. Bud God doesn’t work that way. He works through the people with whom you associate. To meet a financial need, for instance, He’ll deal with your boss to give you a promotion or a raise. He will send someone to invest in your new business venture. Or He may direct someone to give you f financial gift.

No matter who is it, God will most likely use those with whom you already have a relationship with.

With that in mind, can you imagine what it would have been like if Marys relationship with Elisabeth had been strained? What if Elisabeth was jealous that her cousin, Mary, had been chosen to carry the Son of God instead of her?

Its not fair that Mary gets to deliver the Son of God. I am more mature in the Lord. I deserve to be chosen over her. That sounds silly, doesn’t it? Yet, we so often entertain such petty thoughts.

If Elisabeth had been jealous of Mary, do you think she would have encouraged and exhorted her the way she did? I think not. If the two were in strife, do you think Mary would have made the effort to make such a long and grueling trip to see her cousin? I don’t believe so.

For that reason, we must protect our relationships by resisting the temptation of pride, jealousy, and offense that would keep us from being in right relationship with the people God has placed in our lives.

Remember, anything that cuts you off from a relationship with another person may delay the promise of God from becoming manifest.

Topic: WHO IS YOUR "ELISABETH"?

Unlike the birth of Jesus that came about in the fullness of time, the plan of God for you depends upon your free, moral agency. God does not impose His will on you just because you are His You must choose to receive His promises and obey His direction. Only then can God bring His plan to pass in your life.

As I have already illustrated, God uses your relationships as an instrument to bring about His divine will for your life. However, you don’t necessarily know whom God is going to use to bring direction and blessing to your life.

It may be your spouse. It maybe a child or a sibling. It may be a relative or a friend. Or even a coworker or a boss. You may not know who your Elisabeth will be.

I can guarantee you, as soon as you decide who you think your Elisabeth is, God will use someone entirely different. He may even choose someone you have difficulty with.

So if you have a little strife and unforgiveness working here, and a little jealousy and envy evident there, you may have just extended your due season indefinitely. Because until the promise of God is born in the lives of those we are in relationship with, it cannot be born in our own,

Last topic: THE KEY TO BRING IT TO PASS

What is the key that will ensure that your relationships are healthy and in

right standing? How can you be sure that all your relationships are available for God to use? The answer is love. Part of the Lord s greatest commandment is that we love our neighbor as ourselves.

How do I do that? you may Well, the word love that is used here not mean affection. This kind of the love, the God kind of love is a love that The Bible says that God so loved (agape) the world that He gave.

As we learn to love other people with the God kind love a love that gives then we secure our relationships and make them available to God.

The plan of God for each one of so intricate, so complex, there are probably thousands of people He uses to fulfill His divine plan for each one of His children.

So as you contribute to progress of others, you may indirectly contribute to Gods plan being fulfilled in your life without you even realizing it.

Remember, love is the key. And nowhere is love more beautifully described than in 1 Corinthians 13: Love never gives up. Love cares for others than for self. Love doesn't what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut. Love doesn't have a swelled head. Love doesn't force itself on others. Love isn’t always, 'me first.' Love doesn't fly off the handle. Doesn't keep score of the sins of

others. Love doesn't revel when others grovel. Love takes pleasure in the flowering of truth. Love puts up with anything. Love always looks for the best. Love never looks back. Love keeps going to the end. Love never quits. (The Message Bible Version).

Throughout history, God has people to bring blessing and direction. As u bless other people, God will see that you are blessed. As you help others accomplish their vision and calling, God will bring others across your path to you fulfill your divine destiny. That is the way God works.

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But you must make sure that your relationships are in right standing so they can be used of the Lord. And the best way to keep your relations healthy is to nurture them with the God kind of love the love that gives.

When you learn to love others in the fashion that is defined in the Word of God, your relationships will prosper and you will prepare the way for Gods promises for your life to come to pass.