God is Up to Something, Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley

0:38 Lord, you and I both know I'm not worthy to stand and speak for you. So take my head and my heart, anoint my mind and my mouth. Allow there to be no gap between your will and my words. Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening. In Jesus' precious and perfect name we do pray, amen.

1:00 On this third Sunday of Advent, I would that you hear the reading of a passage of scripture that is both familiar and appropriate for us who find our way towards the manger in Bethlehem to experience, to bask in the glory and share the good news of God coming in the Christ child. You all know that the stories of the birth of Jesus are exclusively located in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke. This morning I would that you hear Luke's account with full detail as is recorded in Chapter 1 of his Gospel. If you have your Bibles or if you can navigate on your devices to Luke Chapter 1, I want to begin reading in verse number 26 from the New King James Version of the Bible. It is our custom to ask all those who are physically able to stand with us as together we reverence the reading of the word of God from Luke chapter 1, beginning in verse number 26.

2:04 The word Lord reads, now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, Rejoice, highly favored one. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the highest.

3:02 And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom. There will be no end. Then Mary said to the angel, how can this be since I do not know a man? And the angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore, also the holy one who is to be born will be called the son of God. Now, indeed, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

3:51 For with God, nothing will be impossible. For with God, nothing will be impossible. That feels good to me. And for with God, nothing will be impossible. Then Mary said, behold the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. Do me a favor, be a preacher for a moment and find a neighbor next to you and tell him, neighbor, oh neighbor, God is up to something. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. God is up to something. I wish you felt that in your spirit.

4:51 God is up to something. Family, I'm going to ask for your sincere prayers this week. As some of you may know and some may not, both of my children have holiday birthdays.

5:11 Cooper is a Thanksgiving baby. Deuce is a Christmas baby. And as of Wednesday of this week, I will have two teenage boys in my house. Y'all get ready, for there are some witnesses here that them teenage years will put you on your knees. The fun is just getting started. I have two teenage boys and I realize that my greatest responsibility for them as their father is to raise them to be good men. My responsibility is to raise them to be good black men. My responsibility is to raise them to be good Christian black men. And because I'm desiring to raise them to be good Christian black men, Zach and I realize that there are some conversations we need to begin having.

6:15 Now that college is but two years off the road, and my oldest will be leaving us in a short matter of time, it's important to have some difficult conversations with them. I need to teach them, Brother L.C., about being a man, and that means that you've got to stand at a crossroad of decision. You've got to weigh out your options. You've got to fall on your knees and pray. You've got to seek wise counsel. You've got to make a decision. And then you've got to learn to live with the consequences of that decision. I realize that I need to teach them about young ladies and being a good Christian black man when you're courting a young woman. You teach them how to open up doors and how to never walk in front of a woman at a restaurant. Teach them how to know what the lady wants to order and you place the order with the waiter because it is inappropriate for a strange man to talk to your woman at the table.

7:19 I need to train them. Siobhan had a look and discernment whether this is a good woman or whether Belle Biv DeVoe was right. That girl is. wear your mask and touch.. Poisony. Never troas.. I need to have some talk with them about money. So they understand the power of credit and the danger of credit cards.

8:06 I need to teach them about time management. Learn how to do what you have to do so you've got time to do what you want to do. Now that my oldest has a learner's permit, I've had to have a discussion with him about what to do when he's pulled over by the police let him know that his life is in danger if his hands are not seen and if his mouth is not checked now they are spending more time with their friends and there's nothing teenagers like more than hanging out with their friends now that they go to the mall with their friends and the movies with their friends and stay over at their friends' houses and go to parties with their friends now that they are outside of my protection and my presence I felt like I needed to give them some street smarts.

9:06 I needed to teach them how to discern when something is about to go down. I need you to be able to look out and know when somebody's about to act a fool. You need to know when danger's in the air. You need to know when trouble is around the corner. If you are out and about, and you see two brothers arguing at a party, and one of them leaves and goes to the parking lot and comes back in in five minutes, it's time to get out of there. because something is about to go down. If you're in a building and it's warm and somebody walks in with a trench coat and a backpack, it's time to leave, because something is about to go down. If you're sitting and all of a sudden you see four or five of us run out of a building, don't wait.

10:02 Don't try to figure out why. if you see us running, you run right with us. because something is about to go down. One of the signs you're maturing in life is when you can look at the scope of what's going on around you and know that something is about to go down. Beloved, that's not just good lessons for teens. That's good lessons for maturing disciples. that one of the skills you must acquire in your faith walk with God is to know how to look around the edges of your life and discern that God is up to something. To not become easily discouraged, to not throw in the towel, to not give up, but to be able to look at your life and see the signs that let you know God is up to something.

11:02 beloved I believe that that's one of the lessons we're supposed to learn in the birth of Jesus because in the birth of Jesus God is finally fulfilling promises that God has made about the coming of the Messiah Clint if you see scripture you'll find out that the very first promise of the coming of Jesus can be located as early as Genesis chapter 3 verse 15. It is there in that third chapter when Adam and Eve have failed God. God shows up and shares with them the consequences of their failure and their sin and God says to them and one of your seed will crush the head of Satan. And early in the third chapter scholars identify a prophecy of the coming of Christ who will crush Satan and sin. And from Genesis all the way up to the Christmas account, the Bible records 414 prophecies of the coming of the Son of Man. 414 promises that Christ will come.

12:15 414 promises that Satan does not win 414 promises that God's going to show up and God is going to handle this thing 414 promises that the son of man, the Messiah, the Christ will be born God has made a promise that Jesus will show up and in case you don't know it I want you to know this God does not make idle promises. God does not make idle promises. Whatever God promised, God will perform. Whatever God says, God will do.

13:09 Whatever God has written in his word, God will reveal in your life. I came by to encourage somebody on a Sunday morning to know that our God is faithful to the promises he has made. He will work all things together for your good. He will open up doors. He will make a way out of no way. He will heal your disease. He will walk with you. God is faithful. God never makes a promise that God's not going to fulfill. What you need to understand is that in every season of your life, God is preparing to fulfill another promise.

14:01 No matter what it looks like, no matter what it feels like, I want to tell you this. God is always at work. God is never idle. God is never sitting on the sidelines of your life just watching life happen to you. God is never sitting on his omnipotent hands and saying, oh well. God is never watching you fail and struggle and saying you brought it on yourself. God is always at work in your life. God is always behind the scenes. God is always backstage. God is always on the periphery. God is always in the secret places. God is always working in the midnight hour. God is always putting his promises together.

14:53 He's always at work because he's always fulfilling his word. And for somebody on your pew today, your issue is not whether God can. And your issue is not whether God is at work. Your issue is much deeper. Your issue is just when. I know God can, and I believe God will. What I want to know is when.

15:21 God, when are you going to work this thing together for my good? When are you going to pull me out of this mess? When are you going to bring my prodigal child back home? When are you going to stabilize my marriage? When are you going to move that crazy co-worker to another department? When are you going to help me with this burden I'm carrying? When are you going to heal me of the disease I have? When are you going to open up the windows of heaven and pour out my blessing? When are you going to make it so that I don't have to struggle every month to make ends meet? When, oh God, are you going to do what you promised? Have you ever had a win with God? A God win.

16:17 And Deacon Amanda, the trouble with being in a win space with God is that the devil has a way of convincing you that while you're waiting, God has quit you. That while you're sitting, God has walked away. That God has forgotten what God said he was going to do. You've been praying and ain't no answer. God's not going to answer. You've been waiting and God hasn't moved. God's not going to move. You've been holding out and God hasn't delivered. God ain't going to deliver. The devil creeps in your mind to get you to think that somehow, someway, God has failed to do what God said he's going to do.

17:02 And in that when season, when you're wondering when God's going to do what God said God was going to do, I want you to hang out with Mary right here in Bethlehem. Because what we see in Mary is that if you open your eyes and take a good look at what's happening in your life, you will see that there are some signs that God is up to something. I don't know who I can appreciate. God has not forgotten about you. God has not abandoned you. You have not committed suicide on God's promises. God has not aborted your destiny. God is at work around you. And if you open your eyes, there are some signs to encourage you that God is not finished with you yet.

17:58 Can I prove it to you? Can we hang out with Mary for a little bit? And let me share with you the signs that God is up to something. God sends Gabriel to this virgin named Mary and tells him, Mary, you're about to have a baby.

18:18 And the story of the birth of Jesus does not begin with Gabriel going to Mary. No, it does not. the Christmas story does not begin with Mary and Joseph. The Christmas story begins with Elizabeth. You read chapter 1 that before Gabriel finds his way to Bethlehem, he stops at Liz's house. Now, you need to know Elizabeth is the cousin of Mary. And two things you need to know about her. Number one, she's barren. Let the church say barren. She's never been able to have a child. And not only is she barren, she's old. Let the church say old. That ain't nice. That ain't nice. She's older.

19:11 and she is post-menopausal. For the brothers in the house, that means she's beyond her childbearing years. She's barren and she's post-menopausal. Not only is she old, her husband is. I want you to see the problem here. she's barren she's postmenopausal and he's old and the lord shows up opens up her womb empowers her husband And they conceive a child. Now, what you ought to be asking is, if she's been barren, and if she's now old and he's old, why does the Lord show up now to give her a baby?

20:15 God could have done this 30 years ago. She wanted a child years ago, and God waits till she's old with her old husband to grant her baby. Why does God show up now? One answer. Mary. Because God's about to go to Mary and tell Mary something Mary ain't going to believe. God's about to show up to Mary and say, Mary, guess what, girl? I'm about to impregnate you and you've never even touched a man. And God knows Mary is going to have difficulty believing that God can do that. So when Mary questions how it can happen God says if you think that's tripped out I need you to go see Elizabeth your cousin who is barren and old and now is pregnant because I need you to know that with God, nothing is impossible.

21:18 Come on, come on, come on. You want to know how you know God is up to something? When you see God at work in the lives of people around you. That God has a way. Before God does something in you, God will find another brother or sister to work in their life so that when you doubt what God can do God will send you in the presence of somebody who's living testimony that God can do anything I don't know who I'm preaching to but whatever your struggle is in life I came by to tell you you're not the first one God's dealt with it you're not the first sister to get breast cancer you're not the first brother to get laid off your job you're not the first marriage to struggle you're not the first parent to have a child addicted to drugs you're not the first one to deal with this and God says and when you deal with it and you have trouble believing that I'm going to do what I said I'm going to do? Here's what I'm going to do.

22:36 I'm going to send you to Elizabeth. Now make sure you catch this. God does not tell Elizabeth to go see Mary. God tells Mary, go see Elizabeth. Because when you doubt what God can do, the Lord sends you into the presence of some Elizabeths who are living witness that God is able. Watch this. Watch this. Here it is. I love this. And he says, go in the sixth month. Luke is very specific. Twice in this passage, he says the sixth month, which means you ought to take attention to the fact that Mary is sent to Elizabeth in the sixth month. Why the sixth month? it's really not that hard.

23:28 He sends Mary to Elizabeth in the sixth month because in the sixth month, she's showing. If he sent her earlier, Elizabeth would have to talk about what she can't prove. But when Mary shows up in the sixth month, Elizabeth ain't got to say nothing. Elizabeth just got to stand up and you can see that God has been at work in my life. I don't know who I'm preaching to, but I need some Elizabeth who can declare I ain't got to open my mouth. All I got to do is stand up and my life is a witness that God is able. Love it, love it. That's why you need to belong to a church.

24:22 Because when you hit that Mary season of life and you're wondering if God is going to do it and when God is going to do it and can God do it, God says, push your way to 301 Alfred Street and let me show you some people who know what God is able to do. So when that doctor tells you it's cancer, show up at Alfred Street so I can show you a brother that was diagnosed with stage four and is yet in the land of the living. You ain't got to say nothing. All you got to do is stand and show somebody God is able. Do me a favor.

25:26 Would you touch somebody and tell them, go see Elizabeth? God is at work in your life when you see God at work in the lives of others. Can I push it? You're not going to like point number two. You know God is up to something when God starts to shift and break relationships. you thought you needed.

26:12 I'm going to say it again so you tweet it right. God is at work. Temporal, when God begins to shift and break relationships you thought you needed. God has a way of stressing and straining relationships as a way of getting you ready for the fulfillment of promise. I know you don't want to hear this. God has a way of plucking people out of your life as a way of preparing you for something amazing God wants to do.

26:55 Have you ever been in a season where relationships started shifting and you don't know what you did? I mean, you ever have folk just start acting funky on you and you never said anything to them? Watch it. Here's how it goes down. I want you to see it in Bible so you won't be discouraged in life. God shows up and says, Mary, guess what, girl? We about to have a baby. And Mary's response is, but I don't know Joseph yet. Joseph isn't connected to me yet. And God's answer is, this ain't got nothing to do with Joseph.

27:38 You think you need Jojo? This is about you and me. Watch it, watch it, watch it. It's deep. So God says, Mary, I'm going to do something in your life that's going to cause Joseph to doubt who you are.

27:58 You read Matthew 1, Joseph has trouble. Listen, Mary don't just show up pregnant and Joseph go, oh, the Holy Spirit? No. Mary shows up pregnant. And remember, Shavon, I love the way it goes. The Lord tells Mary, you're going to get pregnant. He sends her away to Elizabeth for three months, and then she comes back showing pregnant, telling Joseph, it's the Lord. Right here. So you's at your cousin's house. Thank you.

28:38 I love the Bible. So I'm going to do something in you that's going to cause Joseph to doubt if you really are who he thought you were. Joseph's going to have issue with you because of what God did in you. So watch this. Sometimes you lose people, Adam, not because of what you've done to them, but because of what God is doing in you. that there's no way for God to work a great work in your life and not edit some people out of your life. Hear me, beloved, this is a rough lesson. You can't grow close to God in a crowd. Anointing and popularity don't go hand in hand. God has a way of isolating you from individuals.

29:36 In order to do a great work, let me give you a side order of scripture. God finds Gideon down in the valley and says, Gideon, I want to bring victory against the Midianites. And Gideon goes and grabs thousands of people. And God shows them and tells them, you got too many folk. You can't win with that many. You don't get that? Jesus shows up at Jairus' house. Jairus' daughter looks dead. And the crowd that is in the house begins to laugh at Jesus when Jesus says she's just sleeping. And they say, show us. And Jesus says, I'm going to raise her, but y'all got to get out first. Because I cannot work the miracle with too many people in the presence.

30:13 Okay, okay. One of my greatest responsibilities as a pastor is to travel with Reverend Jackson to go visit the sick. And every now and then we'll go visit people who are getting ready to go into surgery. And if you've not been with someone who's going into surgery recently, let me tell you how it happens. When you show up, you are in the admission room. And the admission room is where everybody is. When it comes time to get closer to the surgery, they pull you into the family room. Now, everybody can't go in the family room because some folk ain't family. They got to stay in the admission room. So then you get to the family room. But after that, they move you to the pre-op room. And in the pre-op room, only two folk can go with you. And when you get ready to go into the operating room, nobody but the surgeon can go in with you. Because the closer you get to the place of healing, the fewer people are allowed to walk with you.

31:12 I don't know who I'm preaching to, but when you start losing people, people, you're getting closer to the promise of God. Do me a favor, touch somebody and tell them God is up to something. When you find yourself losing people in your life, you are just getting closer to your healing. God's up to something. When you see God at work in the lives of people around you, God is up to something when God starts shifting and breaking relationships in your life. And watch this third one. God shows up, tells Mary, we're going to have a baby. You're going to be the mother of Christ. Call his name Jesus.

32:05 He's going to save the world. Of his kingdom, there will be no end. All that sounds good. But I found out God never asked Mary, do you want it? Uh, God never asked her, is this a good time to get pregnant? God never asked her, is this part of your plan?

32:35 Very rarely does God care about your plans. I would argue with you that God impregnating Mary causes a problem. This pregnancy is a problem. Number one, it is ill-timed. We are on our way to the wedding. We are engaged. Invitations have been sent out. And now I'm pregnant, and that causes a problem. Now we got to cancel the ceremony and have a private ceremony at the Justice of the Peace.

33:20 Now I can't wear that white dress that I got fitted for. Now I got some explaining to do, To Joseph and his mama and daddy. Now folk are going to talk. And I've got to endure the rumor. God, this is not the best time for me to get pregnant. And God shows up and says, I don't care about your plans.

33:45 You want to know how you know God is up to something? When God messes up all your plans. That's a word. Somebody, you came in with your vision board. of what you thought your life would be like right here and right now. You were supposed to be running this business. You're supposed to be married to this brother. You're supposed to have this many kids. You're supposed to be making this much money. You're supposed to be having that in your bank account. And God has a way of showing up in your life and messing up every plan you put in place to prove that God knows better for you than you know for yourself. Have you ever had God mess up your plan?

34:45 Somebody said right now, yes Lord! God will mess up your plans. God will interfere with your dreams. God will disrupt the ideas you had for your life. God has a way of messing up our plans. The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 14, verse 12, there's a way that seems right to us, but it leads to death. Hear me. you can be on a path that you think seems right to you, but it leads to death. You can deceive yourself because you think you know what's best for you. And when God sees you on a path that leads to death, God will show up and disrupt your path and your plan to point you in another direction.

35:51 hear the grace of God God loves you too much to let you travel your whole life down a road that's going to lead to your death and so watch what God will do the Bible says in Revelation 3 get ready for the shout God says Revelation 3 chapter 7 I can open a door that no one can close but if you think that's amazing watch this and I can close a door that nobody can open. And there's a witness in this place of God closing some doors that your prayer didn't open, that your tears didn't open, that your begging didn't open. God knows how to shut some doors.

36:41 Anybody know about the ministry of shut doors? But here's the good news. Whenever God closes a door, it's because God has something better for you. Let me prove it. This ain't for the children, Christian. This is for the mature saint. I'm looking for about two folk over there, two folk over there, three up there, and I'll make one more who can declare that there are some seasons in our life when we are walking down a road for what we thought we wanted in life. And God closed the door. And now that I look back at the closed door, I thank God that God didn't let me go where I wanted to go. Is there anybody in Alfred Street that can thank God for closed doors?

37:42 He will redirect you to something better for you. Alpha Street, I never wanted to be a pastor. My granddad was a pastor. My dad was a pastor. I saw the struggle they had. I knew how much money they didn't make. I did not go to Duke to be broke. I was in medical school minding my own business, following the path I had set out for my life. and God closed the door and sent me to seminary sent me through Massachusetts landed me in a place that I never could have seen for my life.

39:00 God will mess up your plans. that's how you know he's up to something so watch this and this is where I want you to land when Mary realizes that God's at work in Elizabeth when Mary realizes that God is changing her relationship with Joseph when Mary realizes that God is messing up her plans here's what she says be it unto me according to your will You want to know how ultimately you can discern that God is up to something?

39:37 When you stop struggling and start surrendering. when you stop holding on to your plan and avail yourself to God's plan, when you stop fighting what God is doing and say, Lord, be it unto me according to your will.

40:00 You know what God wants from you, my sister, my brother? It's simple. Availability. Lord, I want to be like Mary. I avail myself to whatever you want to do. Lord, I'm available to you. My will I give to you. I'll do what you say do. Use me, Lord, to show someone the way and enable me to say my storage is empty and I am available to you. In this moment, beloved, rather than a shout and rather than a praise, I want you to look within yourself and ask the question, what is God calling you to do that you're fighting?

40:54 What is God calling you to release that you're holding on to? What is God calling you to be that you don't want to be? And maybe the message of Christmas is simply this, Lord, be it unto me according to your will. Because, beloved, amazing things happen when you surrender to the will of God. Things you never knew could be in your life will come when you surrender to the will of God. Won't you look within your own heart now and ask, Lord, am I really available to you? My will I'll do. All God wants is you to say, use me, Lord.

41:56 and enable And if they will be to save. My storage. My storage is empty. And I am. If you're here today and you want to live a surrendered life, would you stand with us and let's lift our voices together with Voices of Triumph. It's a simple song. Lord, I'm available to you. Come on, won't you lift your hand to the Lord? I will surrender yourself. I'll do what I do. I'll do what you say.

42:49 Use. Use me, Lord. The stars above the grave. And enable me to say. My storage is empty. My storage is empty. And I am. And I am. Listen, listen, I'm not going to see the gospel ministry. I don't know much sign language, but I do know what this means. I do know that when anyone walks to you like this, it means number one, I am surrendered. I have nothing in my hands. I have no fight left. God, I surrender to you. When a child comes to you in this position, they're giving you an indicator that I want you to pick me up from what I'm in and hold me in your arms that I might be safe.

43:49 So I want you to worship God today. I know this is different for us. I know, I know. But if you would just lift your hands to the Lord and let the Lord know, God, my life is surrendered to you. My will is surrendered to you, God. Everything I have, everything I am, oh God, is yours today. You can have your will, have your way. Work in my life, God. Use me, God, as you will. I surrender to the will of God. Can you worship? Let's lift our voices together. Lord, I'm available.