Ray McCormick | NewLife Baptist Church

12/29/2024 Anna the Prophetess witnesses the infant Jesus

Anna was a Prophetess at the time of the Saviors birth, a woman well into her 90's.

She just happened to be going to the Temple to give thanks to the Lord when she witnessed the infant Savior of mankind.

Listen in to Pastor Ray McCormick as he preaches about the effect of this beautiful event.

Duration:: 45m
Broadcast on:: 31 Dec 2024
Audio Format:: other

[music] Hello, and thank you for joining the New Life Baptist Church Podcast. It is such a privilege to be able to share God's Word with you through this platform. And it's our desire that you would have an open heart to receive what the Lord has for you through this message. If you'd like to contact us, please visit our website at newlifecosagrande.com. There you'll find contact information to reach us directly, or if you're local to the Casagrand area, you'll find information to plan your first visit. If you benefit from this sermon, please share it with a friend or feel free to leave a review. Now, let's get ready to hear what God has for us today. Word of God, the rest of you open your Bibles to Luke chapter number two again. Luke chapter number two is where we're going to be today. Several weeks ago, we had the opportunity to look at the Christmas story during our Christmas celebration. Understanding Jesus Christ has come, the announcement of the angels, and what God has given to us through his sunny manual. And so glad that Christ is here. Last week, we took the opportunity to look at an unfamiliar character that ought to be very familiar in our Christmas story. And that is the story of Simeon. And if you missed that, I'd encourage you to go back and listen to that sometime this week, if you would. We're going to look at another character that is unfamiliar to us. It ought not to be that she is, but needs to be elevated this morning. So if I said this statement, I think you would recognize it, and you could help me finish it. Ready? Here we go. At the right place, at the right time, right? So we say that, and it's a phrase that kind of rolls off our tongues. I was at the right place, at the right time, and I got that deal, right? I was at the right place at the right time, and I met that person. But here's the reality of it. God never works in chance. God never works in random moments. Everything God's done has always been the right time and has always been at the right place and always in the right moment with always the right person because he's God. Now when you and I say, I was at the right time, at the right place, at the right time, you know as well as I do, 90% of the time, you're meaning that as I got lucky. You know it's the truth. When you and I use that statement, here's what we're saying, boy, man, I'm just so glad that I was at the right place at the right time. Now, I could say that about meeting my wife, right? Was my freshman year of college, and church was over, and me and my roommate were getting in line to get some food for supper that night, and we used to find this really good-looking red-headed girl. And Brian happened to know her, and I'm like, "Hey, man, do you know her?" He's like, "Yeah, I know her very well. What's her name? Her name is Robin. What's her major? She's nursing." Right? And so I was at the right place. I was right behind her in line at the right time because I had Brian there to give me all the details I needed to know to kind of swoose, you know, and trick this girl into liking me, right? And then the conversation began, and I guess you could say it was all random. It was all chance, or there's a big God that is always at work, and he's a good God. And if we're obedient and faithful to be where we're supposed to be, we'll have every opportunity we'll ever need. And that is the emphasis of the story. When I look at the life of Anna, when you read it, you're going to understand how we could say she happened to be in the right place at the right time. Anna only gets three verses, but man, these verses are absolutely packed with some things that I think will be a help to us this morning. So let's grab them. Luke chapter number two, we're going to begin reading with verse number 36. Luke chapter two, verse number 36. Here's what the Bible says. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, that simply means that she spoke God's word. She was a teacher of the Old Testament. She would have been given revelation of the Word of God and just simply taught it and shared it in the temple in her life. Now notice what the Bible says. The daughter of Penil, the tribe of Asser, she was of great age. Now we're going to find out she was not quite as old as my mother-in-law, but she was old, man, I'm telling him, just kidding. She was of great age. Here we go. The Bible says, "And had lived with and husband seven years from her virginity." So let's talk about this. Unlike our time in Jewish days, a Jewish girl would get married. I know this is going to be kind of shocking. In this time, somewhere around the age of 13, to probably around the age of 16 or 17, she would have been given in marriage. All right, now that's early for us, but that is what it is. So let's say the earliest point she would have been married would have been 13 years old. Now she's been married for seven years, okay? Seven years from the point of her virginity she has been married, all right? So now we've got a woman that is maybe 20 years old, okay? And the Bible says this, and she was a widow of about four score and four years. So that's 84 years she was a widow, which puts this lady at 104 minimal years of age. Now this is going to be significant in a moment because you're going to read some things and they're going to go, "You're going to go what?" At 104, yes. She was 104 years old, minimal if she got married at 13. So the Bible goes on to tell us this, and she had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, and she was a widow of about four score and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in, that instant gave thanks, likewise unto the Lord. The instance referred to it, again, if you were here with us last week, you would be caught up in the story. Here's where we're at in the story. Jesus Christ has been born. The Bible says in a manger, he's been wrapped in swaddling clothes. It was shortly thereafter, the angels revealed themselves and told of the child and where he lay. They came to worship him. Eight days later, he is circumcised by Jewish law. Forty days after his birth, he would have to be taken to the temple so that Mary could be purified. Now, again, if you weren't here last week, that's all going to sound crazy, but that's a part of Jewish law. After a male child is born, the mother has 40 days to go to the temple to offer sacrifice for purification. If it's a female, she has 80 days to get there to offer sacrifice for purification. So by law, 40 days later, she is now standing in the temple. She is going to offer a sacrifice, the typical sacrifice for this by law was a young lamb, one pigeon, one dove. But if you were poor and could not afford the lamb, you could sacrifice two pigeons and two doves. And that's what the story says she did. So we know she was very poor. So now Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus are standing in the temple 40 days after his birth. Remember last week in the temple stands Simeon. The Bible says was a dedicated man of God that I believe ought to be in every picture of every nativity or any picture of the birth of Jesus, even more than wise men who didn't show up to like three or four years later. Simeon, the one who heard from God himself, he didn't hear from angels. He did no prophecy, but he was told by the Holy Spirit of God that he would not die until he saw the child Jesus. Simeon, it's standing there in the temple. Okay, so you got the story. Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, Simeon, and by chance, right place, right time. Anna walks in. This is the moment referred to in this story. Of course we don't believe it's by chance, we're going to see why in a moment. Anna walks in. So the Bible says when she comes in that instant, she gives thanks, likewise into the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. When they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, remember we already talked about that, they returned into Galilee to their own city Nazareth. Wow, what an opportunity given to Anna. What an opportunity given to Anna. I wanted to take just a little time this morning to look at Anna's opportunity and see how she got to this moment. Was it by random chance or was there something else working that even works in our lives that we need to see today? All right, so first of all, let's take a look at Anna's opportunity and the opportunity that she took in her life. So here's what the Bible says. This is a woman. She's now 104 years old, but many years prior to that, Anna made a decision to seek and to follow God. She made a decision to be devoted to the things of God, to the service of God. God chose her to be one who would speak of himself to others who came to the temple. This was Anna, the one speaking truth for God. So number one this morning, the opportunity taken, she lived a life that pursued God. That's what the Bible says, she departed not from the temple. Now some people believe that this statement meant that she actually had a little room somewhere in that temple courtyard and she lived inside the temple gates and was there to serve. Some believed that that's not actually what it's saying. She probably had a place right outside of the temple area, but came every single day to the temple to serve day and night and it was there serving in the temple. And here's what is happening, sacrifice is happening every single day. It's the temple. This is where people come to give sacrifice to be purified or to give sacrifice to have sins forgiven her, to give sacrifice to follow the direction of the law. People are here every single day, praising, praying and worshiping God. They were right here inside this temple and she was involved in it all. This woman pursued God. She knew God. She fellowshiped with God. She knew the law of God. She knew the prophecies of God. She was driven and continually giving herself to serving and worshiping God. She pursued him. The Bible says she would have had to have known this because she walked in and remembered right away. She recognized. I wonder if there were days where she had been working in the temple and she would tell people, hey, hey, someday, someday we're going to see him. Don't you know the prophecy that is found in the book of Micah chapter 1, 3 and verse number 1? The prophecy that all of a sudden Messiah is going to come, our Redeemer is just going to show up right here in the temple. He's coming someday. I can see her urgency day in and day out. Matter of fact, the Bible says this in Micah chapter 3 verse 1, "Behold, I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me in the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to this temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in behold, he shall come stay up the Lord of hosts." And Anna knew this. She was one who pursued God. She took the opportunity in her life to know God day in and day out. It was just her life. Now I know it's hard to make a connect because the church is a little bit different than the temple. The temple was a place of daily activity except on the Sabbath. The church is a place of maybe twice a week. If you come on Sunday morning to worship the Lord, if you come on a Wednesday night for Bible study and services, if your kids are involved in a wan and kids ministry, you might be here two times, three times. So it's hard to kind of make a connect to Anna being in the temple every single day. But don't forget, we're not talking about the church because the church is not the temple. I hope you recognize that from our in-depth study last year. The church is not the temple. We are the temple of the Holy Ghost, but we are the church. As a body, a unified collective body of believers coming together, assembling. That's the church, but you and I individually are the temple of the Holy Ghost. He no longer lives in a building made of hands. He lives inside of us. And if you want to make a connect, the connect is every day you and I should pursue to meet with the God who lives inside of us, to know Him and to fellowship with Him, to tell of Him what we have been given through revelation. We have the Bible. We have the Word of God. And this is what Anna did. Number two, I want you to see this. She poured out her life in service to God. Notice the text. She departed not from the temple, but served God. This woman was somebody who took the opportunity just to serve God. She took the opportunity to pursue God. She took the opportunity to pour herself out and serve God. Matter of fact, the Bible says this, it's in our service that we pour ourselves out and become a sweet smelling saver to our God. This is just Anna's life. Seth, she was always in the temple doing something. She was always busy serving Mark and Tracy, doing something to serve her God daily in the temple, making a difference for the kingdom. Mac, I mean, she was active at that every single day. She just took the opportunity, the opportunity that God had given, an opportunity to pursue God, an opportunity to pour herself out in service to God. We have that same opportunity every day. We have given us the opportunity to pour ourselves out in service for him, to know him and to pursue him. Notice number three, the Bible says that she departed not from the temple, but served God with fasting and praying. Think about it every day, praying every day, fasting. You know what? You may come up here and say, Pastor Ray, I cannot do what you do. I could not stand and serve God by preaching. I get that. Some have been given a gift from the Holy Spirit to do that. Some have not. Well, Pastor Ray, I don't have the gift of telling others about Jesus. I think all of us have a story to tell, but some of us may not be quite as comfortable at doing it; evangelism may not be like what comes naturally to us. Some of you would say, well, Pastor Ray, I mean, I just can't serve like others can serve, but here's what you cannot say. There's not one of us in here that cannot say, Pastor, I cannot pray, and yet the thing that all of us can do is the thing that is most often neglected. She prayed every day. She fasted every day. I don't know. She fasted every day. She says she continually prayed and she continually fasted. She continually brought herself before God and emptied herself out before God in prayer, calling upon God. You say, Pastor, what is this? It's just her taking the opportunity to do it. Opportunity. It's just her. Just being obedient. Remember what Jesus said? Remember after he came into the temple and they were selling items, he came in and he flipped tables. Remember the story? You shall not make my house a den of thieves. My house shall be a house of prayer. Take the opportunity. You have God living inside of you. You don't have to go before the priest to get to God anymore. You and I can just go straight because of our high priest sitting at the right hand of Jesus. We can pray and fast because he lives inside of us. This is what Anna did. She just took the opportunity to pray and to fast, taking the opportunity. Now, here's what I want you to see that's kind of crazy. She didn't do this not just in her 30s. She was a hundred and four, a hundred and four. She didn't just do this at a hundred and four. She did this as a widow who had lost her husband only after seven years of being married. I don't know what that first day was like. I don't know what that first year was like for Anna. But I know the Bible says for 84 years after the seven years of being married, she made her way to the temple. She pursued God. She worshipped God. She served God. She prayed and she fasted even in the middle of difficulty. I find it so amazing how rapid we as believers quit on God and how finicky we are. We're so fickle. And this is not me beating you up today. This is just helping Ray to see Ray. This is so easy sometimes for us just to say, I'm just tired. I'm not in my 60s, I'm retired. I'm done. I've given Jesus all my days. My mother law is not a hundred and four years old, but she's creeping up on 80. This lady is still teaching kids in a Christian school in Florida. Still serving Jesus in her church. When I was a little boy, I had a Sunday school teacher, her name was Shirley Parnell. As a matter of fact, I called my mom yesterday and I said, "Mom, can you call Miss Shirley's daughter and see if she can send us a picture?" I want to put it up on the slides and I got the picture laid and never got into the slides. I know you can't see it, but it's one of those old photos. The color is really strange. This is a picture of Shirley Parnell with her Sunday school class and I'm in there. I remember Shirley Parnell, she would take that flannel graph board, a kid's way before screens, right? The church has always used stuff like this that the world has used to show Jesus, but back in the old days before screens and TVs, it was called flannel graph. Then after flannel graph, it went to the big slides that you put on the screen and project and it's gone to projectors and now this, right? Miss Parnell would take her hands and I thought she was ancient when she was my teacher, right? When you're like six or seven, you're your teacher's man, they're like 80 and she would take those little hands and she would stick the, I remember, I'm telling you this is not me making it up. I vividly remember Miss Parnell putting up the cross and her little hand shaking and tears running down her face as she told this classroom of little boys about Jesus Christ given his life upon the cross of Calvary and rising again from the grave. I remember that vividly. Shirley Parnell died about 12 years ago. I'm like 12 years ago. Was she 200? That's how it felt to me, right? Of cancer before she died, she was still teaching Sunday school. Here's the crazy thing. Shirley's husband was a non-believer. Miss Parnell served Jesus Christ without her husband for almost 30 plus years before her husband ever came to Jesus and accepted him as his Savior. I think about Shirley, I think about her giving her life, I think about her serving her God and I think about her doing this in the middle of difficulty when her husband did not support her or even care in the middle of getting old and then sickness hitting her body. She still continued to serve Jesus. I know what she was doing, she was just simply taking the opportunity given and being faithful. That's all. All of us have opportunity. Anna took the opportunity to be in the temple, Anna took the opportunity to pursue God. She prayed, she served, she gave herself to this ministry. This was Anna. But because of the opportunity taken, there was an opportunity given. And even though she wasn't affected by time and she wasn't affected by difficulty, God said, okay, I'm going to give you something that is going to be above and beyond anything you could ever imagine. And this brings us to our story. At that instant, notice number one, the opportunity given. The faithful are given the opportunity to see. Those who are faithful are given the opportunity to see. To see. Those who quit, don't get to see. Those who are in sometimes and out sometimes, they don't really get to see. Those who are part of part-time Christianity don't really get to see. Those who are faithful, just taking the opportunity, faithfully, every day, those get to see. My wife not knowing at all what I was preaching today, asked me the question last night. She said, you ever thought about what it would be like if we had a state in South Carolina? When I, after I got married, we lived in Florida for about a year and then we moved to Greenville, South Carolina where Robin's family lives and we attended the church there and grew in the Lord in such a, just a great way, had good three years right there in South Carolina. Before we ever had kids, and then God opened up a door for me to be a youth pastor here in Marana, Arizona, just south of here, a little north of Tucson, and we moved out here in 2000. She said, you ever thought about what life would have been like? She had no idea that I was preaching this, she had no idea that these thoughts were already on my mind. Yeah, I guess, I guess we could kind of put ourselves back in that, that environment, but all what I would have missed out on, in seeing God's faithfulness over the years. In the lives that God has changed and, and the miracles God has done, I could have been faithful there, I could have seen miracles there, God can work in any situation, but man, staying faithful when she was sick in the hospital, staying faithful, even though we lost some babies, staying faithful, all those who were diagnosed with the disease, staying faithful, although people would rise up and, and, and be frustrating, I don't know if you know this, but people can get frustrating and mean sometimes and, and staying, staying faithful through it. I thought many a times I'm glad that you have the opportunity to not show up. I don't have that opportunity. If I make you mad, you don't have to come next week, but if you make me mad, guess where I have to be next week. Right here, I'm glad that you have that privilege. I don't get that. I just got to stay at it. You ought to stay at it and a state at it. I can't imagine the hypocrites she saw walk through there as she was walking through town and like, boy, I know what he was doing last week. He needs a lot more sacrifice than that. She probably saw that she was there every single day, y'all, serving God every day, pursuing God every day, teaching about God every day, worshiping God every day, offering the smell of her worship to God every single day, to the faithful, are given the opportunity to see. If you don't believe me, let's let Scripture speak for itself. Hebrews 11 verse 6, but without faith, it is impossible to please him for he that come into God must believe that he is and he is a re-water of what? Of them that diligently seek him. Right? What a promise. James 4, 7, submit yourselves, therefore, to God, resist the devil and he will what? He will flee from you, but draw night of God and he will, he will draw night of you. Matthew 6, 33, but seek ye first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And then all these things shall be what? Added unto you. I think about the man David, a man after God's own heart, because he stayed faithful in the shepherd's field, when his brothers were off doing the cool stuff, he finally got to face a giant and slay him with a stone, because he was faithful when the family pursued him, when King saw pursued him, he got to settle the throne of Israel. I think about Esther. She lost her husband, she lost her father-in-law, all in one fell swoop, but because she sought after the God of Naomi, Jehovah God, she later became the great grandmother of David. In the line of Jesus, she's got to be faithful. When Orpah said, "I'm going to go back to my people," Esther said, "Excuse me, sorry, Ruth. I'll see everybody smiling. I got it now." Orpah said, "I'm going to follow after my mother-in-law's God." Faithfulness. The Bible tells us in Luke chapter 12, verse 42, "And the Lord said to that steward, remember, who then is that faithful and wise steward, who his Lord shall make ruler over his household to give them their portion of meat-induced season, then answered, "For unto whomsoever much is given, much shall be required. God gives, and then he requires of us to simply trust and to follow him and take what he's given the opportunities and be faithful in that." The story of Mary and Martha, you know the story Jesus had come to their house. I could see some of you ladies right now. Who's coming? I can see you. I know you. Right? My wife. Jesus is coming. You get out the mop, you're mopping the floors, and you're panicking your calls and everybody else in the house to panic too. Now we're all edgy because you're edgy. Right? We're putting stuff in the trash, putting stuff away, stuffing it in the closet. Jesus is coming. Jesus shows up and sits down and begins to talk and to teach. Martha's still at it. "Lord, don't you care that I come for about surfing?" And Jesus says, "Basically, I don't believe he was mad at Martha. Just Mary chose what was better for that moment." Mary has chosen what is best. She is sitting at my feet. She is worshiping and gleaning from me. Church people, God honors faithful people who pursue him, who serve him. And because she was faithful, the Bible says, "And in that instant." I don't know what that was like, "Hey, by the way, you need to think for a minute." Do you think this was the first baby she saw that day? Do you think this was the first baby she saw that week? No. This was the law. There were thousands of Jewish people at that time. They'd have been coming day in and day. There would have been mothers and fathers walking into the temple courtyard to offer sacrifice 40 days, 80 days, girl, boy, purification. It would have been happening. What in the world did she know when she walked in, that instant? That's the one. That's the one. It begins to praise and thank God. Notice what the Bible tells us next, number two. The faithful are given the opportunity to see, and those who see are given the opportunity to praise. The Bible says, "And she coming in, that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord." Those with spiritual maturity somehow recognize when God is working, and is able to see and to give praise to God. This was not just any baby. This was the son of God. This was the one that she would praise God for. This was, you're going to be about to find out what she knew to be redemption for Israel. This was not any average baby, and she recognized it. So watch. The Bible says that with spiritual maturity, we know the next thing that comes is praise and thanksgiving. How can we decipher the difference between somebody who is unfaithful and somebody who is faithful, criticism or praise? Complaining and griping or praise? This woman walked with God, she knew God as she knew when she was in the presence of God, and the Bible said she praised God. What else did she do? Notice the text. The Bible says, "And speak of him to all them that look for redemption in Israel." Church, listen to this, this is so good. This is good news. This is good news. She walked into that temple courtyard. She sees Joseph and Mary, and I don't know if Simeon still had the baby because the Bible says, "Simeon had taken the child and blessed him," or if Mary had gotten the baby back, but in walked Anna, right place, right time, and praises God. And then she begins to go from person to person sharing the good news that not just any child had come, but the redemption of Israel had come. He's here. He's here. Let me tell you. I just got to tell you the story. You just won't believe it. Okay. I don't know how she did it. She was 104. Let me just tell you the story guys. You know, I don't know. Like I walked into the temple, I was just there like I was. Every day I was going to help with sacrifices, and I was actually helping a family in the gate at the time, and they were trying to balance the baby and some other kids and the offerings, and I was carrying their bags, and I got inside, and as soon as I walked in, I saw Simeon standing there with this couple, and I'm like, "It's him. Wherever he's be the God." It wasn't chance. You know why she got this opportunity, because she was faithful. She was there every day. She took the opportunity to do what she knew she should be doing, and because of that, she was in the place that got her danger to be, and got to see the holy child of Israel, and then begin to tell everybody about it, "Hey Church, we have been given the good news of Jesus Christ. We have it. We have Him. We have Him. Take the opportunity given us." We're not waiting on the Son of God. We have the Son of God. Take the opportunity given us. I don't know what your 24 was like. I don't know if you can look back over 24 and say, "God, I was faithful in 24. I'm looking for your promise in 25." I don't know what your life is, but the Bible says, "God blesses those who were faithful and they're able to see," as Luke chapter 2 says right here. I want you to do me a favor. Take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Revelation chapter number 3. In this passage, we get the finality of the seven churches that are being prophesied of by John through the revelation that God has given him. Now, some believe that these churches are prophetic stages throughout history, and that's fine. We can see some correlation throughout history of these seven churches. But what is true is that this passage was given to John right then, so right then in that time, there was a Laodicea, and there was a Pergamos, and there was a Sardis, right? And right now, all seven of these churches at that one time were dealing with each of these seven things. So we could say that it is true that in America right now, there are churches that fit all seven of these categories. There are some churches right now that are being persecuted for their faith. They are literally people dying because they're standing for Jesus Christ right now and today. But the one that is more relatable to us right now in America is Laodicea. It is the seventh church, and you'll see a little bit of that as we read it, and notice what the Bible says in verse number 14, and the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, "These things say at the amen, the faith from the true witness," that's Jesus. To begin in the creation of God, "I know thy works," and here's what he knows about the church of the twenty-first century, or the church of Laodicea, that thou arten either cold nor hot. I would that thou weren't cold or hot, and what he's saying is, he's not saying, this is not what he's saying, he's not saying that he wishes you were cold and indifferent, or he wishes that you were hot and on fire. That's never in Scripture told his people that he wants them to be cold and indifferent. That is not the interpretation of that text. You have to take that text back to Laodicea in the time in which it was written to understand that Laodicea had two rivers. There was one river that flowed from a hot spring, and it was hot, and there was one river that flowed out of the mountains, and it was cold. And right outside of Laodicea, the two rivers merged. The hot spring offered purging and cleansing for elements. The cold spring offered a soothing and relaxation and help, but when they merged, they became worthless. When they merged, they were neither hot nor cold, so the Lord would spew that out of his mouth. So you understand, God's what he's saying is, I don't wish you were hot and I don't wish you were cold. What he is saying is, I want you to be effective, but you're not effective. You become lukewarm. You understand what he's saying in the text now. Makes beautiful sense. All right. Now, the Bible goes on to say this, why are you not effective? Because, thou sayest, I am rich and increase with goods and have need of nothing. And know it's not that there are wretched and miserable and poor and naked and blind. And because of that, read verse 20, I'm outside the door. I'm standing and knocking. You've got all you need on the inside. You think you're okay, but I'm actually on the outside and I'm knocking, but if any man will open up and let me in, I'll come in and sup and we'll make this thing right. And that is what the text is saying. We live in a culture where we've gotten comfortable. We think we have everything we need and Christmas time really does that to us, doesn't it? Boy, I got everything I wanted. Now, I want you to think about this, I'm sorry to mess your Christmas up. Can we mess it up together? Christmas is over. I've got some cool gifts for Christmas. I got some headphones because I'm going deaf. I got some headphones that if I put them in, it enhances you talking to me and I don't have to get hearing aids. I just need my headphones in. That's pretty cool. I can listen to music and when you start talking, the music goes down and your voice is elevated and I can hear you talking. That means I have no more excuses when my wife says, "Honey, did you hear me?" Right. I got some cool gifts. But here's the truth of the matter. We all got some cool stuff, but the Bible says with all that stuff, we're still naked and miserable, broke, poor, and blind. Having stuff doesn't change our effectiveness. What you really need, notice what he says. This is what we really need for Christmas. I counseled the in verse 18 to buy of me gold, tried and fire, something that endures, that thou may as be rich and white rameth, that thou may as be clothed. Thy shaman, thy nakedness do not appear, and an anoint thine eyes with eyes out. I can actually take the merging of those two rivers and the muck that it's created that thou may as see. You don't need that junk, you need me. As many as I love, I rebuke and chase and bezealous, therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in him and will sup with him and he with me, watch, verse 21, "To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne." You know what the word "overcometh" means, "to him that endures." To him that endures, church, Anna was faithful. She endured and she got to see the blessing of God. I say all of this because Anna was claiming a promise. The promise kept her obedient. The promise kept her faithful that she would someday see the Messiah that was coming, right? Okay, here's your promise. This is why we read, like how in the world did we go from Luke 2 about Anna and Jesus's birth to Revelation and the Church of Laodicea because here's your promise. He that endures. Will I grant to sit it by right hand? Did you know that in Revelation there are seven churches? Each of them, if they endure, get a reward. Out of all seven churches, the one that is the most honorable reward is Laodicea. You say, "Wait a minute. I thought the church of Samarna who was persecuted, I thought they got a pretty good reward." They did, but not as honorable as the seventh church. And here's why. I believe this church, please listen to this, and I'm not being arrogant at all. I believe if those doors were opened and a man came in with the gun and made his way down here and he was not stopped and he put that gun to this pastor's head and said, "Renounce Jesus Christ, I believe without hesitation, without hesitation, and with ease." And I'm not being arrogant. I would look him in his eye and I'd say, "I do not. Renounce Jesus Christ. Pop my life would be gone." You say, "I really do. For me to live as Christ and the die is gained, you can't scare me with heaven. I'm going to be with my Savior. I know that." But you want to know what's really hard is for me to live every single day and endure materialism and say no to myself and yes to Jesus. It is so difficult as for Ray to be faithful to God every single day and not let this world think that I'm okay when I'm really not, to not clothe myself with the riches of this world and not to enjoy all the toys and trinkets in replacement of pursuing God with all my heart. And the Bible says, "We that opened the door and led him in and endure this craziness will someday be at the right hand of the Father." Look, I'm telling you, endure those who are faithful will see. Anna Saul, that was her promise. This one's ours. Indoor. Be faithful. There's a good God. Those who are faithful see, those who are see, praise. Those who praise tell others. And that's what Anna did in this little, you're like, "That's in three verses." No, it's in a life of obedience. It's in a life of faithfulness, of not being random, of saying yes to God. It's not about being in the right place at the right time. It's a life of faithfulness. Check this out. If we live a life of faithfulness, guess where it will be. Are you tracking? Are you smart enough to finish it? If we're faithful, guess where it will be in the right place at the right time. Father, we love you. Thank you for sharing these little stories after the big story of your birth. Thank you for giving us insight into dedicated, faithful people who were waiting on your promise. And so Lord, we wait on your promise today. There's another one coming. One day, the heavens are going to open once again. And the voice of the Archangel, with the Trump of God, it's going to blow. And we're going to be called away to be with you, to ever serve with you. But until then, Father, God until then, help us to be faithful, to take every opportunity we have to pursue you, to pour out ourself in worship and in service and to pray, to walk with you to know you. I hope that someday we can stand before you and you can save. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Lord, thank you for 24. We've taken opportunities, but Lord, we have another year around the corner, more days to serve you. And I pray that you'd help us to do that. Lord, help us to look for the promise of your coming and to live like we believe it's going to happen in Jesus' name with heads found. We want to thank you for joining us on the NLBC podcast today. We hope that God will allow this message to truly make a difference in your life. As you learn more about him and as you study his word, we pray that it will cause you to live out the gospel in a whole new way. Again, if you would like to connect with us, feel free to reach out by visiting our website at newlifecosagrande.com. If you are local to the Casagrand area, then we would love to have you join us in person. We have services at 830 and 11 a.m. each Sunday morning with a host of other opportunities to develop a godly community to learn and to grow. We'll see you next week on the New Life Baptist Church Podcast. [MUSIC] (upbeat music)

Anna was a Prophetess at the time of the Saviors birth, a woman well into her 90's.

She just happened to be going to the Temple to give thanks to the Lord when she witnessed the infant Savior of mankind.

Listen in to Pastor Ray McCormick as he preaches about the effect of this beautiful event.