The Spirit’s Most Significant Mission, Part 3

Chuck Swindoll: There isn't a person sitting here today who doesn't have something impossible that you're facing. Something you cannot fix, you cannot change, you cannot alter, you cannot start or stop. It's impossible for you.
Bill Meyer: What would it look like to simply say "yes" to God, even when you don't have all the answers? Even when the road ahead is anything but certain? Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll presents a challenge that's deeply personal for every one of us. Because somewhere in your life right now, God may be asking you to say "yes" to a risky mission with unclear instructions. Chuck picks up our study in Luke, chapter one, where an angel leaves the glory of heaven and arrives at the doorstep of an ordinary home.
Chuck Swindoll: Planning our salvation, knowing our need for the savior, our God already has put together the plan that on this very day at this particular time, this messenger angel would leave the throne room of the Father and come to this earth. And we read he would come to the city in Galilee called Nazareth. We would call it a village. Nazareth is where Mary lived. It's where Joseph lived. It's where they had been betrothed. He comes to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. Remember, she wasn't expecting it. It was an absolute sudden surprise to her. She looks up and she sees the visible manifestation of an angelic being. Coming in, he said to her, "Hail, favored one, the Lord is with you." You're not surprised to read that she was very perplexed, verse 29. The word means to be caught up in intense curiosity. "How could this be?" because "a man I do not know," literally the statement reads. Remember, it has to be a man. And I'm in love with Joseph, but I've never been intimate with Joseph. I do not know a man. She's asking how can it be, and now he explains. It doesn't help her with all the answers, but it at least describes the supernatural nature of the conception. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. You shall name him Jesus. He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob, and his kingdom will have no end." How can that be? "I understand you're talking Messiah here, but what I don't get is how this will occur. I can't figure it out." Verse 35 is crucial because it represents the Holy Spirit's most significant mission. The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you. The power of the Most High will overshadow you." These are all human terms, accommodating human ignorance and an inability to grasp the truth. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you. The power of the Most High will overshadow you. For this reason, the holy child shall be called the Son of God." What you must understand, even the most intense skeptic listening right now, is that you will never, ever unravel the puzzle. You can't because it's a miracle. God comes, God makes the announcement, God leaves Mary in her puzzlement, wondering what it's all about, just as any one of you ladies in these teenage years in which Mary was would find yourself absolutely shocked. But God doesn't back off. He says the Holy Spirit will come upon you and will overshadow you. Somewhere between this announcement and Mary's arrival at Elizabeth's place of residence, a conception took place. Now, the thing I love about Mary's response is what follows in this passage of scripture. Before I get there, I just want you to look at verse 37 and let it sink in. He says, "For nothing will be impossible with God." If I want you to remember anything as a result of this time together, it's that statement. Because there isn't a person sitting here today who doesn't have something impossible that you're facing. Something. Something you cannot fix, you cannot change, you cannot alter, you cannot start or stop. It's impossible for you. I think it's that statement that causes Mary finally to rest her case. She doesn't have to know all the details. She simply must understand that the God who is revealing this message is the God of impossibilities. The next two verses are wonderful verses. Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed. First, what she calls herself, I think, is significant. "I'm a bondservant." In other words, I'm not running my own life. I'm not in charge of the events of my life. And even though I have no idea how God is going to pull this off, I want it known right now that I see myself as a humble servant of the living God. I am available to him to do with me whatever he may wish. Mary, the woman of strength and character, says immediately, "I am the Lord's bondservant." It's a statement of humility. While we're on that, would you hold your place here and look at First Peter, chapter five? I want to point out three benefits of true humility right here from First Peter 5. Verse five concludes with, "With humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore," stay with the word, "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Go back to verse five. The first benefit of humility is that we're given grace to accept whatever. Grace comes to the humble. You see that? He gives grace to the humble. Grace to hear, grace to accept, grace to believe, grace to embrace. So the first benefit is we're given grace to accept whatever. Humility will help you be accepting, accepting. The second thing is that it comes with a promise. "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you at the proper time." We rest in his promise when we humble ourselves. God will reward this kind of an attitude. "Lord, I don't understand it. I'm not necessarily in agreement with it. I don't have enough of the facts to feel at peace about it. But I trust you." And as a result, we are told we will be exalted at another time. So later on, the exaltation comes. That's the promise. We rest in God's promise. Third, we are relieved of anxiety. And who doesn't want that? "Casting all your anxiety on him because," literally it means it matters to him concerning you, the verse literally reads. What concerns you is a concern to him, and that removes the anxiety. I think back to Luke 1. I think there was all of that in Mary's acceptance. She said, "If that's the plan and if with God nothing is impossible, I'm not fighting this. I'm not going to resist it. I'm not going to worry about what people will say, all those gossips that live near in the town of Nazareth. I'm not going to let that hold me back. I'm going to accept this." I notice also in her response, verse 38, chapter 1 of Luke, "May it be done to me." So she welcomes the plan. She welcomes the plan. One man writes, "Mary's submission is a very lovely thing. Whatever God says, I accept. Mary learned to forget the world's commonest prayer, 'Thy will be changed,' and she's embracing the one that is the greatest prayer, 'Thy will be done.' Thy will be. May it be so. If I am the chosen one, let it be. May it happen. I leave the details to you, God." You know what's wonderful? What's wonderful is what is absent. Think about it. First, there's an absence of any request for further information. Truth be told, some of us just want more information. And then after somebody explains, we want even more information. The thought of risk is enough to keep us awake through the night. Mary knows there are all kinds of stuff she will never understand. So she starts by laying down the need for any further information. The absence of the problem with telling Joseph—she has to tell her fiancé, "I'm pregnant." She certainly knew that the gossips all over Nazareth would be talking in a few months. "Hey, she's already wearing maternity clothes. When did they get married? What is it? Somebody said it's from God? Yeah, right. Right." And how about trying to convince her fiancé? "Oh, by the way, Joseph, before I leave to go see Elizabeth, I'm carrying a baby. But it's from God." Right. There's not a guy here that doesn't understand what Joseph must have felt. Joseph has never read Luke 1 either. All he knows is what she just told him. By the way, if God wants to change the laws of nature, he has the right to do that. I love the way one theologian puts it: "The laws of nature are not chains which the divine legislator has laid upon himself. They are threads which he holds in his hand and which he shortens or lengthens at will." He could stop the sun. He made the sun. He could change the heart of that most stubborn individual that you're trying to deal with. He made that individual. He's never met his match. There's a third thing I notice. There is no resistance because she'll have to face her parents. I've rarely heard anyone address the mom and dad in this situation. How about her rabbi, who has on the record at the synagogue the betrothal of this couple, and they've signed on to where they're known as husband and wife during the betrothal period, but they're to keep themselves pure from sexual involvement with one another during this period of betrothal? The rabbi has signed on as well. She's got to face her rabbi with this information. She begins by saying, "I'm the Lord's bondservant." And so, in other words, I have to leave this up to him. May it be according to your word. You know, that's when the angel departed. Look at the end of verse 38. The angel departed. That was enough. Done. I think the angel thought at that moment, "Time to go back to the throne room. Mission accomplished. Mary's received the message. She will never be the same. I'll leave the rest up to the one who sent me with the message," and he's gone. The angel's gone. The good thing is that the Holy Spirit has never left, and he's hovering over Mary. Shortly after the visit, Mary experiences conception. Miraculous. Within a matter of weeks, even months, certainly she's feeling the flutter in her womb. Life. How many times she must have stood in front of a mirror and smiled. The Holy Spirit accomplished his mission. To do it, he needed a messenger and he needed one to receive the message. Let me go there as I talk about the practical value. First, I want some of you today to identify with Gabriel. Not as an angel, but as a human agency of information. Could it be that the Lord's plan for you this very week is for you to be the messenger of good news to someone who has not heard it and is not expecting to receive it? I will say to you again what I've said often: You will encounter people in your sphere of influence no one else will encounter. No one is with you 24/7. You will talk with a friend at work. You will be with a neighbor. You will be at a party, and there'll be someone that'll be there that you are just now getting acquainted with, or you haven't seen for a long time. You may be planning to make a flight, and you're going to be flying to some destination. You're going to be on a plane or whatever the vehicle; you're going to be with someone you probably don't know. Could it be tolerate the question—could it be that you're to be the Gabriel in their lives? Could it be that God would have me open my mouth and speak to the person at the dry cleaners where I drop off the clothes? Or someone across from me as I'm pumping gas into my car? Or somebody at the grocery store I may run into, and we speak and normally walk like ships in the night passing by one another? Could it be that a smile would say, "I'd like to meet you," or say to me, "You could say something to this person that could make the difference in their eternity"? This isn't just about an angel visiting a woman. This is about an application for us. I'm speaking today to messengers. Some of you can't remember the last time you spoke to anyone about their soul. It really isn't that difficult. And if handled tactfully, it can be a remarkable exchange of conversation. Oh, they may not immediately respond, but they will never forget. I remember a young man in the Marine Corps that I tricked into helping me with my Bible verses. I was memorizing verses of scripture, and I was working with the Navigators, and we had a little verse pack. I said to this young man who had told me, "I don't want any of your religious stuff. I've already heard you're a fanatic." So that was our opening conversation. So I realized if I'm ever going to talk to this bunk buddy of mine, I'm going to have to trick him into it. And so I said to him one day, "Hey, I'm going over these verses. I'm trying to memorize." "I don't want your religious—" I said, "No, no, no, just help me know where I'm making mistakes, okay?" "Okay." So I tossed him John 3:16. "For God so loved..." He'd say, "So loved." "Yeah, oh, so loved. I forgot. For God so loved the world that he..." "Gave." "Gave! That he gave, that he gave." And I'd go over John 3:16 over and over and over. John 3:36, First John 5:11 and 12, Ephesians 2:8 and 9. "For by grace you are..." "Saved." "Yeah, saved. Saved through faith. That not of yourself." More than 20 years passed. Never saw Eddie until my phone rang. The phone rang, and on the other end of the line was a familiar voice. "Hey, Chuck." "Yeah." "Eddie! Eddie! Where are you?" "I'm in New Orleans. I'm running a car dealership down here. Hey, you know that trick you did on me?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "Hey, it worked. I'm loving Jesus. I want you to know that." So if you've got to deceive them into the kingdom, deceive them into the kingdom. Whatever, whatever it takes. If I have to deceive you to be careful with something that could be tragic in your life, you'll thank me for it. Hopefully, I don't have to be deceptive. But for some people, you've got to work very cleverly. And Eddie thanks me and will thank me to the end of his life for being a Gabriel, telling him what he didn't want to hear at a time he really needed to hear it. If that's for you, remember, the challenge is laid out there. The word angel, by the way, means messenger. You be the angelos, the messenger. Now, you know where I'm going. The other side of this is Mary. You may be the Mary in this story. It has nothing to do with babies for you; it has to do with receiving a message you weren't expecting. Several of you have heard the story of Jesus and his death on the cross so many times you could repeat it back to someone else. But truth be told, you've never received the message. You've never taken it personally. You've never said, "May it be done to me according to your word." I bow myself before the God of heaven. I acknowledge that I could never get myself into heaven. Not on the way I've lived my life. And God, if you want to do the miracle of changing my life, I accept the message today. I'll give you a little encouragement in case you are one of those individuals. You have no idea what God's plan is for you until all is well with you. All those kids in the classroom that said "abortion," had they thought about it, they would have never said so because they would have realized that in his 57 brief years on this earth, Beethoven left nine complete symphonies that are still being played all around the world. Numerous sonatas, concertos for violin and for piano, instrumental trios and quartets and quintets, overtures, minuets and opera and oratorio, masses, cantatas, canons. Lovely tunes the world sings and enjoys. Some have even put lovely lyrics to them, and for romantic evenings, Beethoven brings encouragement and hope to this day. You have no idea the future God has for you. But if you're outside of his family, you'll never know. Today, take the message. Believe it. Receive it. Bow with me, will you, for just a few moments. Just sit quietly right there. For some of you, you've never once in your life said, "Lord Jesus Christ, I'm a sinner, I'm lost, I'm away from you, God, and I cannot find my way to you. But I realize today you've offered me a gift." So today, I invite you to take the gift. Receive Jesus Christ, and you will have eternal life. You won't have to work for it. You won't have to promise to be holy. You won't have to give up your sins. You won't have to be at church every Sunday. You don't earn your way; it's a gift. Take it. When Mary left the presence of that angel, within a matter of moments, she was pregnant. When you leave these words, in a matter of seconds, you can be born again. New life within, a whole purpose without. If this will help, follow me in this prayer: Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that I'm a sinner. I've never trusted in you before, but I now take Jesus Christ and him only to be my Lord and Savior. Thank you for coming into my life. I turn away from my unbelief, and I turn to you, dear Father, and I accept the gift you've given me. Thank you for Jesus. Father, thank you for this time of the year when they're singing our songs out there. They're going through the motions and they're even using words that they don't understand. Enable us, Lord, to fill in the blanks, to bring answers to where there are questions, and to offer hope for the wellness of people's souls. Thank you, Lord, that this week will be the first time some will trust in the Savior, and you'll use us in the process. Free us up to do that, Lord. Make us passionate about the sharing of the message so that there can be others who've not ever come to your side come to him this week. Now, Lord, dismiss us with the encouraging thought that you go with us everywhere we go, every moment of our lives, waking or sleeping. And we will walk with you in joy and gratitude. In the name of your Son we pray. Everyone said, "Amen."
Bill Meyer: Somewhere today, for the very first time, someone said "yes" to Jesus. And Chuck Swindoll's prayer reminds us that we get to be a part of that. We get to carry the message. We get to be the Gabriel in someone's story. That's the breathtaking conclusion of this 12-part series, How Great is Our God. This is Insight for Living. The message we heard today was the final one in this teaching series. So while it's fresh on your mind, we encourage you to take advantage of the Bible study resources we have that go along with this series. Just look for the series called How Great is Our God when you go to insight.org/offer. Well, summertime is here, and it's the perfect season for equipping your children with soul-feeding entertainment. When was the last time you placed a book in your child's hands that you knew, truly knew, was going to do them good? Well, The Overcomers is the first-ever Paws & Tales novel from Insight for Living. And it was written with exactly that purpose in mind. The author is the creator of Paws & Tales, Dave Carl. There are 300 pages of adventure, imagination, and gospel-rooted storytelling designed for the 10-to-12-year-old reader who's ready for something with real substance. The Paws & Tales audio series has shaped young hearts for years, and now this book carries that same mission into a whole new format. These are characters that kids already love, set in a world they already know, and the story they're about to discover may be the one they remember best. To purchase The Overcomers novel right now, call 800-772-8888. That's 800-772-8888. Or go online to pawsandtales.org. In addition to this brand-new novel, Insight for Living continues to offer our classic line of Paws & Tales entertainment. To see what's available today, visit pawsandtales.org. I'm Bill Meyer. Join us again on Monday when Chuck Swindoll begins our next study, this time on the colorful story of Job, right here on Insight for Living. The preceding message, The Spirit’s Most Significant Mission, was copyrighted in 2008, 2009, 2016, 2019, and 2026, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2026 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.