Lord Make Me A Sign // Change At Home // Dr. Dharius Daniels

I want to call our attention to a gospel narrative in the book of Luke chapter number one beginning at verse 26 And we're gonna read a couple of verses there Hey, I want you guys to welcome everybody that's here for the first time and our online family give it up for a change global Luke chapter 1 verse 26 says this it says in the sixth month of Elizabeth's Pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth which was a town in Galilee He sent Gabriel to a virgin that's pledged to be married to a man named Joseph who's a descendant of David the Virgin's name was Mary and The angel went to her and said greetings You who are highly favored the Lord is with you. I want to pause the reading of scripture there and I want to share as a subject for this sermon a Statement that was released by pastor William McDowell During our miracle week prayer call on Wednesday morning. He said something that resonated with me So strongly I felt the need to unpack it in the context of a sermon So the topic of tonight's teaching is inspired by that conversation and the title is this Lord Make me a sign. I Need a better a man than that Lord make me Make me a sign This Passage here in Luke family, I think is a powerful picture of a principle I've affectionately entitled the principle of exposure and This principle for those of you who are unfamiliar with it or who may have forgotten simply suggests that God uses exposure to what he has done with others as

an avenue to increase your Expectation of what he can do with you I'm gonna read it one more time. I want it to sink in your mind God uses exposure to what he has done with others as an avenue as an instrument as an impetus to increase your Expectation of what he can do with you in other words There are times when God gives us a front-row seat To what he has done with others Not to make us jealous But to make us hungry Jealousy is the feeling you get when you mismanage your exposure Jealousy Jealousy is the consequence of an individual allowing exposure to drive them to Comparison when exposure should produce confirmation of God's capability Therefore God doesn't just perform Signs and wonders he prepares people to be signs and wonders He doesn't just work miraculously to work Miraculously, he works miraculously so that our lives can be a mirror of his miracle working power God doesn't just perform miracles for those who need the miracle He performs miracles for the people that need to see he still works miracles Therefore every believer that deeply desires to be used by God Should have a holy conviction that says Lord Make me a sign Lord Don't limit my usage to my time my talent and my treasure Use that but beyond using my time my talent and my treasure use my testimony Did you hear what I just said

Because watch this because your testimony speaks louder than the usage of your time your talent and your Your treasure, your testimony becomes undeniable, irrefutable, unequivocal evidence of God's miracle working power. People could argue doctrine with Lazarus. They could argue philosophy with Lazarus, but they could not argue his resurrection. Come on in here. They could not argue that he was sick and in the tomb for four days. But when Jesus walked up to the tomb and said, Lazarus, come forth, the Bible says Lazarus literally comes out of that tomb and we know he comes out of the tomb in grave clothes because Jesus tells those that are around him, loose him and let him go. You missed it. He allowed the same people who watched him go in the tomb to be the same people that were hanging around when he came out of the tomb because he wanted to use not just Lazarus' time, not just his talent, not just his treasure. He wanted to use his testimony. And I wanna know, am I talking to anybody in the room today that can say to your neighbor, don't tell them, but if they ask you, what does a miracle look like? You could just tell them, it looks like the person sitting next to you

because I wasn't in Lazarus' tomb, but I was in my own tomb and somehow some way he gave me a resurrection. So if you don't believe in miracles, look at the person sitting next to you because you are sitting next to one. Let me hear, not just the people who want a miracle, let me hear the people who are a miracle make some noise tonight. Lord, make me a sign. And this text here is an example of what I'm articulating. Very often, Rayshawn, the story of the incarnation focuses on one woman and this one woman is named Mary and Mary deserves attention, does she not? Mary deserves appreciation, does she not? Mary deserves adoration, does she not? Mary is one of the ultimate examples of submission that we see in scripture because the, watch this, her assignment, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, her assignment disrupted her desires for her own life. She didn't ask for this, she's engaged to the love of her life. I mean, he put the flowers on the sidewalk, he had her friends and loved ones there, the candles were lit, had her airplane fly above in the sky, Mary, will you marry me? She's got Joseph, the man of her dreams and then all of a sudden, she got to sit Joseph down and tell Joseph, I'm pregnant and God did it. Her assignment disrupted her desires for her life.

So Mary deserves the attention she historically receives but tonight, we need to have a different conversation about another strong sister in the text whose name is Elizabeth. Did you hear what I just said? Yeah, yeah, yeah, Elizabeth is important, Elizabeth is essential, Elizabeth is significant, Elizabeth is necessary because Elizabeth, stay here, is Mary's sign. I've got a little bit of help in here, I'm gonna say that one more time, I said, Elizabeth is Mary's sign and I believe this, I promise you, I believe this in my soul, I really believe what God is getting ready to do through this message is awaken a degree of contentment with some of your assignments to be Elizabeth's. Ooh, because we live in a culture, a Christian cultural context where many of us prefer to be Mary. Spotlight, front and center, premier, adored, admired, exalted. The center of attention, the focus of people's affection. But I believe that some of us in the room have the anointing of Elizabeth. Pastor, what do you mean? It's here in the text. In Luke chapter number one, we read it together. Here's what Luke, who is a physician, so he's detailed. Here's what Luke makes sure we know.

Luke says it's in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth in a town called Galilee. Wait a minute, I thought this story was about Mary. But Luke says, just so you know, it's in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy that Mary gets the word that she's supernaturally conceived. Come on here. I'm gonna say this one more time. Luke says it's in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy that God sends the angel Gabriel to announce to Mary, you're pregnant. Okay, one more time. It's in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy that God sends a messenger angel Gabriel to Mary to let her know, you're pregnant. Why not the first month? Why not the second, third? Because in the sixth, you're showing, showing. Who's gonna help me preach tonight? He waited until she was showing before he sent a word to Mary that she was pregnant. Maybe you're unfamiliar with Elizabeth's story. Elizabeth was unable to conceive a child. As a matter of fact, the Bible says she was past childbearing age. Did you hear what I just said? So biologically, she was incapable of conceiving a child. Age-wise, she is incapable of conceiving a child.

Her husband, who works in the synagogue, did not even believe she could conceive a child. And because doubt is so dangerous, God took his voice. Come on here, come on here. Because doubt is dangerous when you're in a season where you're trying to give birth to something that is uncommon, unusual, and supernatural. And God was protective of what Elizabeth was carrying because he knew that Elizabeth needed to get pregnant, not just so that she could get pregnant. She needed to get pregnant so that Mary could believe supernatural pregnancy is possible. Woo! So he took Zachariah's voice and said, I can't let you speak doubt over this. She's too fragile right now. So he waited until the sixth month and he comes to Mary and say, Mary, you are blessed and highly favored because you're going to carry the answer to the issues that exist in the world. Here it is, God uses people as previews of your promise. And so Mary's need Elizabeth's, Mary's need Elizabeth's. Not so that you can believe, come on, that God can do it for Elizabeth. But so that you can believe God can do it for you. Now here's one of the ways, are y'all okay? Here's one of the ways I believe you can discern if God is using this season of your life to make you a sign. Are y'all ready for this? Did he let people see you in your non-childbearing season?

Did you catch it? They missed it. He made sure that your non-childbearing season had an audience. Because if people did not observe you in your non-childbearing season, they would not be able to diagnose and affirm that your pregnancy is a miracle. So he says, I'm going to create an audience on the back end that feel like doubters and haters. Did you hear what I just said? I'm going to create an audience in your non-childbearing season that feel like critics and cynics. And then I'm not going to remove them, I'm going to keep them in close proximity. So that the same ones that were cynical and critical in your non-childbearing season will have to be the same ones that scratch their head when you walking around showing. Lord make me a sign. Make me a sign. So what does this text, y'all tired already? What does this text teach us about becoming a sign? See Luke here is not just reporting a miracle. Luke is revealing a pattern. He is showing us the different ways God may want to use us to be a sign for others. Here it is. Can I give you a few things? All right. Here it is. The first thing I see in the text here is God may want to use you and me to be a sign. Watch this. To show a miracle in the person. Okay. A woman past childbearing age isn't supposed to be able to conceive. And a virgin isn't supposed to be able to conceive. Did you hear what I just said?

I said a woman past childbearing age shouldn't be able to conceive and a virgin shouldn't be able to conceive. But if I'm able to conceive when I'm past childbearing age, it is God demonstrating his sovereignty over time. Not sovereignty over a period of time, but it's God demonstrating he's got sovereignty over time. Did you hear what I just said? Yes. Sovereignty is not controlled or limited. by our time frame. He is sovereign over time. So Elizabeth getting pregnant says to us that God is able to empower you and me to give birth to things in a season where naturally it's too late. Did you hear what I just said? Yes. And I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you don't get this revelation, the enemy will use time to torture you. And the enemy who is an accuser of the brethren will keep reminding you of the time you wasted and keep reminding you of the time you mismanage and keep reminding you of the opportunities you missed because you did not take advantage of them earlier in your childbearing years. But God put women like Elizabeth in the Bible to let you and I know he is sovereign over time. And because he's sovereign over time, he can do it in a season in your life where other people think it's too late. Now I'm getting ready to tell you to declare something and you can just sit there and not if you don't believe it. But if you believe it, I want you to say it with conviction, he's still gonna do it. I'm not as young as I used to be, but he's still gonna do it. And I made some mistakes, but he's still gonna do it. And I mismanaged some seasons, but he's still gonna do it. And I don't have the energy I used to have, but he still wants it. He may not come when you want him, but he's always on time. If you believe he's still going to do it, raise your voice and give him praise. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it.

Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. He's still gonna do it, not because you deserve it. He's still gonna do it because Mary needs to see him do it. Did you hear what I just said? See, you think he's not gonna do it because you don't deserve it, but he's not doing it for you. He's doing it for Mary. Mary needs to see that he can still do it. Somebody should have felt that in your soul. The miracle in the person. But then secondly, that's Elizabeth. Secondly, there's a miracle in the process. So, so, so the Lord may make you a sign by the miracle he works in you. Pregnancy is a metaphor for that. What he does in you, the miracle in the person. But for some of you, the Lord may want to make you a sign by the miracle he does in the process. What do you mean? Mary was a virgin. Okay. We don't have to do biology, do we? Theology, let's not do biology. Mary was a virgin, but she was pregnant. Now, there's normally a process. But the Immaculate Conception is a revelation of God's ability to do it without the process. that everybody else has to go through to get it done.

Come on here, yeah. And I know everybody else has had it done a certain way, but sometimes God works a miracle by exercising his sovereignty and allowing you and I to skip a process. It means that you and I do not have to live a life where we believe God is bound to specific and certain processes. This is not an endorsement of shortcuts, it's a revelation of sovereignty. Mary's pregnancy, if you're not behind schedule, don't say anything here, but Mary's pregnancy, the immaculate conception is a miracle where God enables a woman to skip some steps. Whoa, you missed it. There's a step in between, come on church, that she got to skip. And watch this now, the Bible says, he makes my feet like Hein's feet. Did you hear what I just said? Yeah, and I don't know if you've ever seen Hein or a deer. Deers don't just step, deer is a leap. God is not just the God that orders your steps. God is also the God that orchestrates your leaps. And I know every leap year comes around periodically, but in the kingdom, every year is a leap year. And I want somebody that believes you're getting ready to skip some steps and you're getting ready to leap forward, that God's going to make up some lost time

to go ahead and thank him, this is my leap year. This is my leap year. This is my leap month. This is my leap week. I'm leaping into my future. I'm leaping into my assignment. I'm leaping into God's next for my life. I believe people are getting ready to ask you, how you get there? And you're going to tell them I leaped here. Good God Almighty, how did you accomplish that? I leaped here. How did you come back from that? I leaped here. Somebody that believes God's getting ready to help you leap, raise your voice and shout in this house. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. Watch me leap. Watch me leap. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping.

I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping.

I'm Leaping. I'm Leaping. If you believe that, one more time, release some praise all over this house. I believe we stepped in something. We done hit a prophetic flow. God wants to just reiterate that point. He wants to remind you. He wants to push out all doubt all anxiousness all fear you get ready to catch up. I Said you're getting ready to catch up. I Said you're getting ready to catch up. You're getting ready to leave somebody's Oh I'm done I'm done Oh He's calling me Oh God may want to use you to show I can do a miracle in a person God may want to use you to show others I can do a miracle with the process Well, finally he may want to use you to show others I can do a miracle with a partner Here's what the lord showed me Elizabeth is mary's answer to the issue of isolation Because sometimes you feel like i'm the only one Right And i'm talking to people tonight Who got a crowd around you, but you still feel lonely They love you, but they can't relate to what you carry Did you hear what I just said They don't know what it's like to carry what you're carrying They don't know what it's like for your feet to swell

They don't know what it's like to go through morning sickness They don't want to they don't know what it's like to have to sleep on your side and on your back They can't relate and sometimes we deal with isolation Because you're carrying something very few people carry I know what i'm talking about tim. I felt that way carrying this church Third way king's way that can feel real lonely Because a lot of people love second way And second way is lucrative Second way is popular And so when you're carrying third way, you can feel isolated. You can feel like a zebra without stripes And elizabeth represents the the person God is the person God supernaturally sends to your life Who is He is so who is so divinely joined that when you come into proximity what's in you leap? Do y'all know this story When you come in a proximity with each other what's in you leap? And what's in them leap come on here because there's a divine synergy and God may want to use your story to let Mary know you're not the only one. Be the answer to somebody's issue of isolation. Lord, make me a sign. Not just the recipient of miracles but a reflection of them. Not just someone who sees your power but someone who becomes living proof of it. Elizabeth was a sign but she had to be had to live six months feeling like she was the only one. She had to had to live six months before God sent Mary to make sense out of what she was carrying. Some of you confused now because it doesn't make sense but you're not in the sixth month yet. The sixth month is coming where God makes sense out of it all.