Third Candle of Advent

Today is the third Sunday in Advent; therefore, the third candle was lit today. This candle traditionally represents Mary and Joseph and joy. They received God's promise in a way that we cannot truly understand. To have a life filled with God's power and victory it is imperative take to take the lesson from Mary and Joseph and receive God's promises. The angels sang a message of JOY! “…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2:7-15

Sometimes God’s promises are a scary and difficult to understand. Mary and Joseph knew that very well. God promised a Savior through a virgin birth and Mary and Joseph believed that and got to receive it first hand. What great joy to welcome their first son, God's son!

God gives us lots of promises all the time, to receive God’s promises you have to know who the Promise Giver and the Promise Keeper is, if anybody makes you a promise, you have got to determine the integrity and credibility of the person. If it is somebody wacky, someone who is not credible, you are not going to take them seriously. The person who gives you the promise has to have credibility and integrity. In this case, the Promise Giver and the Promise Keeper is God Himself. As we study about who God is throughout the Scriptures, we discover that He is Almighty God. Because He is Almighty God, there is credibility in His promises. He possesses all ability, all power and all power to fulfill His promises.

The word ‘power’ in Greek talks about both dunamis and exousia. Dynamite comes from the word dunamis. There is an explosion, a power, which is the ability to do. But that is not all. God himself also has exousia – the authority or the right to do. Some of us have the ability to do something, but not the right to do so. Some of us have the right to do something but we don’t have the ability to accomplish it. But God is the Almighty God, which means that He has both the ability and the authority. If God has all power and all might, and He makes this promise to you, you can be sure that He will fulfill it. God always fulfills His promises. The Bible tells us that God is not a man that He should lie Numbers 23:19), and that the promises of God are “Yes and Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). But we also need to understand that as God gives us a promise, He waits for us to live within the boundaries of His condition. God loves to give us promises, He wants to fulfill His promises, but He waits for us to meet His conditions. I believe fully that Mary and Joseph both had to have a willing spirit for the promise of Christ to come through them.

Knowing what the promise is besides knowing the Promise Giver and the Promise Keeper, we need to know what the promise is. If you do not know what the promise is, you will not be able to grasp it and experience its fulfillment. So you have got to know what God’s promises are. I believe that Mary and Joseph knew and understood the intensity of the promise that was about to be brought forth in their lives. Are we open or closed to receiving God’s promises in our lives?

Seven is the traditional number of completion in the Bible and theology. I believe that there are seven promises that we as Christians need to become more consistent about receiving.

Promise #1 The Promise of Promotion, Deuteronomy 28:13 says, “ And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail.” You are born to lead. God promises us that you will always be leading. This promise talks about a promotion of God in our lives. The promises of God is putting you and I into a leadership position and He will promote you. Am I saying that you will always be the first, or the boss? No, I am saying that when we are living in the promises of God you won’t be lacking. God will give you guidance and that translates into leadership.

Promise 2 is you are blessed. You have the promise of purpose through this. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. You are going to be blessed with all the good things of heaven. You are blessed because God has a purpose for your life. You are blessed to be a blessing.

Promise #3 You are more than a conqueror this is the Promise of Victory Romans 8: 37 – Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. This third promise deals with victory. It doesn’t matter what situation or difficulty you are in right now; you will be victorious because you are more than a conqueror.

Promise #4 You will have a way where there seems to be no way [The Promise of Open Doors] Isaiah 43:19 – Behold, I will do a new thing! Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. You will have a way where there seems to be no way. That’s the promise of open doors. God promises you open doors. Sometimes it takes many closed doors to find the open one, closed ones are a blessing that don’t always feel good. Keep believing but He waits for us to meet His conditions.

Promise #5 is the promise of Grace and Sufficiency: you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. This has to do with God’s grace and God’s sufficiency. You can rise above your situation and say, “I can do all things, because God’s promise backs you up.

Promise #6 You have a hope and a future [The Promise of Hope and a Future] Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you”, says the Lord, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” You have a hope, you have a future. Don’t let the devil chisel you and knock you off your feet because you have hope, you have a future in God.

Promise #7 the Promise of Peace Philippians 4:7 – And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. God has promised you peace in the midst of chaos. It doesn’t matter what the situation is; it may overwhelming but even in the midst of it, you have God’s peace to anchor you, and you will walk through it successfully. I believe these are promises God wants to release into your life. If you receive God’s promises, they will transform you. They will cause you to live with intent, and living a life of intent will lead you to success. Perhaps we aren’t living with intent in the past. Perhaps you have had some bad experiences. But you can be intentional and experience new meaning in your life starting today. The Promise Giver is God Himself, and His promises are “Yes and Amen”. Receive God’s promises today!