Preparing For The Lord's Promise

The Christmas story reminds us that God never gives a promise without purpose and never fulfills one without preparation. During the Immanuel series at Calvary Orlando, we are learning that Christmas is not only about celebrating what God has done, but about preparing for what He is still doing in us.

In Luke 1, Mary receives a life-changing promise from heaven. Her response reveals a powerful truth. Preparation is the proof that we believe the promise.

From Expectation to Preparation
Mary did not try to earn God’s promise, but she did choose to shape her life around it. After receiving the angel’s message, Scripture tells us that Mary got ready and hurried to visit Elizabeth. God did not command her to go, but Mary understood the importance of shared faith.

Environment matters when you are carrying a word from the Lord. Mary surrounded herself with someone else who was experiencing a supernatural promise. Faith grows best in community.

Preparing the Environment
Just as parents prepare a home for a child, believers must prepare their lives for what God has spoken. This includes what we allow into our homes, our conversations, and our hearts.
Preparing your environment is not earning the promise. It is honoring the promise. What we listen to, watch, and allow around us shapes the atmosphere of faith we live in.

Stretching While You Wait
Isaiah 54 calls us to enlarge our tents and strengthen our stakes. Waiting seasons are active seasons. God uses them to stretch us spiritually and strengthen our character, knowledge, and discipline.

Preparation often requires effort, sacrifice, and growth. Because we believe the promise, we are willing to prepare.

The Example of the Magi
The wise men prepared long before they met Jesus. They studied Scripture, watched for signs, sacrificed comfort, and traveled with expectation. They even brought gifts before ever seeing the King.

Preparation is a prophetic action. It declares faith in what God has promised before it is fully seen.

Four Ways to Prepare
As we prepare for God’s promises, Scripture invites us to focus on four areas:

1. Prepare your heart through repentance, forgiveness, and realigning your priorities around God
2. Prepare your life by obeying the last instruction God gave you
3. Prepare your expectations by speaking the promise, writing it down, and praying with faith
4. Prepare your environments by surrounding yourself with faith-filled people and healthy influences

A Season of Preparation
Christmas was not only the arrival of Jesus. It was the fulfillment of generations of preparation. As a Christian church in Orlando, we believe God is still birthing purpose, calling, and hope through His people.

This Christmas, we celebrate God’s promises and choose to live prepared and expectant.

PASTOR KEVIN'S SERMON NOTES
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