Don't Miss the Sign

Signs are very useful, aren’t they? They help to direct traffic, give us traffic patterns and give us a flow. If everyone respects the sign, everything is going to be OK.

How many of you ever get frustrated with people who do not follow the sign?

The other day as I was driving I pull up to a car who is signaling to turn right on a red light. Now this lady was carefully watching the cars to make sure that she only turned right when it was safe.

Now while she was busy looking at the cars to her left she failed to see that the light had turned green. She no longer needed to wait on the other cars because she has the right away. So I’m seeing that she’s not seeing the green light, so I give her a little honk. Just a little one. Not a big honk, just a gentle little honk to let her know that she’s got the right away, if she would just look up and see the sign.

Well this lady looks in her rear view mirror and she doubles down. She’s not moving, as if my little beep-beep was on par with insulting her mama. She’s saying things to me while her light continues to be green. Now I’m starting to lose my patience because we are stopped at a green light and this lady is losing her mind, yelling at the ever so patient and ever so helpful Pastor right behind her.

So I do what every sensible person should do in that moment. I decide I am going to drive around her while she stays parked on this green light.

How do you think that went. Now all of a sudden she remembers how to step in the gas pedal. Now all of a sudden she wants to turn right on a green light. Now all of a sudden she wants to follow the sign.

I’ll spare you the rest of the story, but here’s my point Lighthouse, signs are wonderful when you follow them.

I want to get to the sign in just a moment, but let me back up and give you some context first.

The Original Plan

If we go back to the beginning of creation we see the plan of God in motion. Like poetry, God begins to speak things into existence.

He said let there be light, and light appeared.

He said let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and a firmament appeared.

He called for the land to gather together in one place, and out of nowhere land begins to gather and create shape.

This went on for five days and then God created the first man, Adam.

We read in the scriptures, and we learned last week together, that God created Adam and Even and he put them in the garden to rule over it. They would have dominion over what God created. He entrusted to them the ability to name animals, locations, to build civilization and to create culture.

The plan of God was that this would be a forward moving Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.

But becuase of the free will that he gave to Adam and Eve, they broke covenant with God. They took what God had given them, and took advantage of it.

Suddenly the plan of God has shifted and God goes back to work to redeem this broken relationship and to continue to be their God.

The New Normal

Now what happens next is a new normal for mankind. Although God’s original plan and his original intention was to have this inseparable and intimate relationship with his creation, sin has entered into the world. It severs us from Him. The reason being is sin cannot exist in Him. Light and darkness cannot coexist.

But, and this is important, he does not cease to be their God. He does not cancel Adam and Eve.

No, as a matter of fact, when Adam and Eve first realized that something has changed God himself clothes them with a garment.

I want you to get this picture of the goodness of God.

Rather than condemn them, he clothes them.

Grace didn’t begin at the cross, it was personified on the cross.

Adam and Eve, in the garden, encountered the grace of God after they fell.

Let me pause for the cause right here in this moment and remind some of you that the situation you may be going through right now wasn’t the plan of God, but he has grace for wherever it is you find yourself.

Let me break this down some more...

Many times we put ourselves into a bad spot because of very poor decisions that we make. As a matter of fact, I believe that most of the trouble we face in life have nothing to do with the devil and everything to do with our lack of discipline.

We made the poor decision.

We didn’t pray about it.

We listened to the boy that your mama told you to stay away from.

We ran with the crowd that our Dad said to stay away from.

But in spite of what we did or where we find ourselves, we read in the Bible that there is enough grace to cover our mistakes.

God does not cancel us, and he does not throw away. He covers us and he loves us back to life.

In the new normal, God was still their Lord. He still looked after his creation and created a space for them to connect with him.

This is why throughout the old testament we read about men and women who found God again. Men and women who refused to settle into the severed relationship with God, but by faith believed God.

Abraham, believed God.

David, believed God.

Esther, believed God.

Solomon, believed God.

In the new normal, God was still present for those who sought him.

Check The Sign

Even though God made a way for those who loved him to find him, he wasn’t satisfied with what had happened with creation.

We read here in Isaiah’s prophecy that the Lord spoke to the King, Ahaz, and let him know that a virgin would conceive, and this would be a sign.

Can we just pause here for one moment. I can’t help but exegete this for just one second.

God said that a virgin would give birth, and this was just a sign. That’s it. A sign.

Not THE MAIN EVENT, but a sign.

I mean, if this ever happened again, I guarantee you this would be the event. This would have the medical community buzzing. This would be the headline.

But in this story, this is just a sign.

What does a sign do?

An object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else.

So what is that something else?

Someone say Immanuel.

Immanuel - God With Us.

This was the main event of the story and this was what God began speaking about hundreds of years before it would happen.

God would begin to whisper into the ears of those who would listen that the new normal was about to come to an end and God was about upend everything that Adam upended.

Here’s something else you need to know; you are not big enough to cancel God’s plans for you.

Adam made a mess, but the plans of God move forward in spite of the mess that Adam made.

And in your life, you need to know that you are not always going to get it right. You are going to make some mistakes along the way. You are going to take some L’s. But keep your little ego in check. You are not THAT BIG. You are not THAT STRONG. You are not THAT FAMOUS. God will accomplish his plans and his purposes through you. You just need to keep on moving forward.

Tell you neighbor to keep on moving forward.

Just because you fell down, it doesn’t mean that you are supposed to stay down.

God is going to lift you up and get you right back on track again and he will do it all for His glory.

Just Say Yes

Now this brings new light to the Christmas story doesn’t it. The Angel comes to Mary, and he just needs her yes.

Sometimes all God needs is your yes.

I love this, because there are times when we think God needs our intelligence. Sometimes we think God could use our business degrees. Maybe, God could use our voice. Perhaps, God needs our platform. “You know I have like 1,250 followers, so I guess I’m kind of famous, so I’m sure that God would want to use me...”

God doesn’t need any more than your yes.

God can do more with your yes than he can do with your education. God can do more with your yes than he can do with your experience. God can do more with your yes than he can do with your influence.

Thousands of years ago God just needed a yes and the same is true here in the City of Vista on a Sunday under a tent. God just needs your yes!

Mary said yes, and now we have the sign.

The Main Event

Isaiah 9:6 NKJV

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

As I said earlier, as miraculous as the virgin birth of Jesus was, it was just a sign that pointed to Him. He is the reason we celebrate and recognize His birth all around the world. Mary’s yes is to be honored but it was a part in the big plan of the birth of the Messiah. He is God with us.

He steps into our story to redeem it and bring it back to himself. What Adam got wrong, Jesus got right.

The life that was intended for us could have been lost in the garden, but Jesus steps into our world to walk among us and live among us to bring us back to him.

Don’t Miss the Sign!

And now every year we get to this month and this season and we are once again given this sign. Christmas and all of the festivities that it brings should be viewed in the lens of eternity as a yearly sign that points to the His birth and His life.

Like the lady who was too busy looking at the cars that she failed to see the sign, we too can get so caught up in the moment that we forget to see the sign.

And I believe that there is nothing worse for you than to lose your peace because you stopped looking at the God of peace.

There is nothing worse than losing your joy, when this is supposed to be a season of joy.

There is nothing worse than losing your loved ones during the season that you are supposed to be surrounded by them.