WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:04.240 Good morning. I feel like we've all heard or 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:08.179 have said to ourselves the phrase, I'm just trying 00:00:08.179 --> 00:00:11.800 to find my way in life. Or maybe something like, 00:00:11.859 --> 00:00:14.619 I'm just trying to find my way in this world. 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:17.519 You know, as a follower of Christ, I believe 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:22.339 that I've not only found my way, but I've found 00:00:22.339 --> 00:00:25.940 the way. This week, we're beginning a new series 00:00:25.940 --> 00:00:30.000 titled, The Jesus Way. Finding the Way of Jesus 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.880 in the Gospel of Luke, a series in which I'm 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:38.320 going to try to share the way for abundant and 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.600 eternal life. But before we dive in, I want us 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:45.219 to talk about that word gospel, because if we're 00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:48.799 going to be studying the gospel of Luke, we've 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.179 got to understand what gospel means. And I don't 00:00:51.179 --> 00:00:53.020 like to pretend that everybody's on the same 00:00:53.020 --> 00:00:55.780 page when it comes to the Bible or when it comes 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:58.500 to Bible things. So let's cover this word really 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:02.460 quick. The word gospel comes from the Greek word 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:06.000 euangelion. And don't let that long word for 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:09.219 you. It's a very simple word that just means 00:01:09.219 --> 00:01:14.040 good news. So we're looking at the good news 00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:17.980 of Luke. otherwise referred to as the good news 00:01:17.980 --> 00:01:21.879 account of Luke. So Luke's perspective or Luke's 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:26.060 observation of this good news. But good news 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:28.620 only makes sense if we understand that there's 00:01:28.620 --> 00:01:30.340 a problem in the first place, right? There has 00:01:30.340 --> 00:01:34.319 to be bad news for there to be good news. I would 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:37.319 say if there's a problem, well, the good news 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:42.159 is we can fix that. Because the truth is, if 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:44.739 we're honest, Christian or non -Christian, we 00:01:44.739 --> 00:01:47.620 can look around the world and we can see that 00:01:47.620 --> 00:01:49.959 something's not quite right, that something is 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:53.819 broken. Relationships, they don't last. Sickness 00:01:53.819 --> 00:01:57.040 touches us or those we love. Violence, injustice, 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:01.239 and fear seem like they just never stop. And 00:02:01.239 --> 00:02:03.299 even in the good moments, in the good times, 00:02:03.340 --> 00:02:05.620 when the good things are happening, we might 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:09.199 feel this feeling in the background like, this 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:13.460 just can't last, right? That idea of just waiting 00:02:13.460 --> 00:02:16.520 for the other shoe to fall, because we know that 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:19.680 something's not right. Something is quite wrong 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:22.120 with the world or with our existence around us. 00:02:22.219 --> 00:02:24.419 I mean, just think about the news we see on TV, 00:02:24.500 --> 00:02:27.340 especially right now in this climate we live 00:02:27.340 --> 00:02:30.039 in, where there are things going on that are 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:35.129 seen as great evils. Great problems. We see that 00:02:35.129 --> 00:02:36.949 there's something wrong. You just scroll through 00:02:36.949 --> 00:02:40.629 Facebook or Twitter for just a few minutes. You 00:02:40.629 --> 00:02:43.009 stand in the checkout line at the Walmart and 00:02:43.009 --> 00:02:45.650 it doesn't take very long for you to realize 00:02:45.650 --> 00:02:48.669 just how messed up this world is. We all know 00:02:48.669 --> 00:02:52.110 this. Unless you live in a cave, you know that 00:02:52.110 --> 00:02:54.449 something is wrong in this world. Nobody looks 00:02:54.449 --> 00:02:57.150 at this world and says, oh, it's sunshine and 00:02:57.150 --> 00:03:00.550 roses. We know there's something off. And the 00:03:00.550 --> 00:03:03.110 Bible doesn't ignore that reality. Christians 00:03:03.110 --> 00:03:05.349 shouldn't pretend like it doesn't exist. If I 00:03:05.349 --> 00:03:07.590 sit here and tell you that everything's okay, 00:03:07.789 --> 00:03:13.669 I'm lying. There is something very clearly wrong. 00:03:14.949 --> 00:03:18.110 So we have to name it. We've got to label it. 00:03:18.129 --> 00:03:20.930 We've got to expose it. We put a face or we face 00:03:20.930 --> 00:03:23.330 it head on and we remember its root. We remember 00:03:23.330 --> 00:03:25.689 where it comes from. And that's where the gospel 00:03:25.689 --> 00:03:28.520 message comes into play. To help us understand 00:03:28.520 --> 00:03:31.719 this, I want to show you a diagram that I like 00:03:31.719 --> 00:03:34.780 to use. And if you look right at the beginning, 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:37.780 there's this world. That's the world that God 00:03:37.780 --> 00:03:40.060 created in the beginning. As followers of Christ, 00:03:40.180 --> 00:03:42.340 we believe that God created the world. He created 00:03:42.340 --> 00:03:44.960 everything in it. So God creates this perfect 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:47.840 world, this place where man and God can live 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:49.939 together, where man can walk amongst animals 00:03:49.939 --> 00:03:55.810 and live peacefully. live in abundance, a place 00:03:55.810 --> 00:03:59.330 of flourishing, a place of perfection that God 00:03:59.330 --> 00:04:03.789 created to be our home. But humanity rebels and 00:04:03.789 --> 00:04:06.750 humanity messes up. If you've heard the Adam 00:04:06.750 --> 00:04:11.469 and Eve story, you know, man sins and then God 00:04:11.469 --> 00:04:15.750 has to come in and address that sin because now 00:04:15.750 --> 00:04:19.779 we've broken the relationship. We've tainted 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:23.160 this relationship. We've caused separation. We've 00:04:23.160 --> 00:04:28.100 brought death to the human story. And that's 00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:30.819 the reality we live in. That's our sad existence 00:04:30.819 --> 00:04:33.819 that we created for ourselves, that man created 00:04:33.819 --> 00:04:35.759 for ourselves, thinking that we could be our 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:38.839 own gods, thinking that our way was better than 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:41.379 God's way, thinking that what we want, what we 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:45.069 desire is the right thing. And we know that to 00:04:45.069 --> 00:04:48.329 be true, right? We live in a world where selfishness 00:04:48.329 --> 00:04:52.790 is often the cause of so many problems. I'm a 00:04:52.790 --> 00:04:55.990 firm believer that pride is the root of all of 00:04:55.990 --> 00:04:59.689 the world's problems. And so we see that reality. 00:05:00.550 --> 00:05:03.610 But I want to say this, where there's bad news, 00:05:03.670 --> 00:05:06.829 there always has to be good news. Where there's 00:05:06.829 --> 00:05:10.189 a bad thing, hope has to be a part of the story. 00:05:10.290 --> 00:05:12.889 It has to be a part of the equation. And so here's 00:05:12.889 --> 00:05:16.009 the hope. The gospel is not just a story of what 00:05:16.009 --> 00:05:17.990 went wrong. The gospel is not just about how 00:05:17.990 --> 00:05:20.889 bad people are. It's not just about how broken 00:05:20.889 --> 00:05:23.730 this world is. The gospel isn't about how evil 00:05:23.730 --> 00:05:26.670 everything we do is. It's not about all of the 00:05:26.670 --> 00:05:30.370 bad things. The gospel is the story of what God 00:05:30.370 --> 00:05:34.220 promised to do about it. It's the story of what 00:05:34.220 --> 00:05:36.800 God promised to do about all of the things we 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:39.480 did to ruin this world, all of the things man 00:05:39.480 --> 00:05:43.759 has done to mess things up. The gospel says God 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:47.399 is still going to make something good happen. 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:50.980 And we see that right after Adam and Eve sin, 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:53.100 they get caught in their sin. They're exposed. 00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:56.800 God shows up and he gets onto them and he deals 00:05:56.800 --> 00:05:59.180 with them. And as he's doling out these punishments, 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:02.370 God makes a promise. And he makes this promise 00:06:02.370 --> 00:06:05.629 to the serpent, the one who deceived them. And 00:06:05.629 --> 00:06:08.250 this is what he says in Genesis 3, verse 15. 00:06:08.470 --> 00:06:11.610 I will put enmity between you and the woman and 00:06:11.610 --> 00:06:14.209 between your offspring and her offspring. He 00:06:14.209 --> 00:06:16.829 shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his 00:06:16.829 --> 00:06:19.589 heel. Right there, God is telling the serpent 00:06:19.589 --> 00:06:22.949 about someone that's coming, the offspring of 00:06:22.949 --> 00:06:25.930 the woman that will come one day. And when he 00:06:25.930 --> 00:06:30.800 comes, he's going to crush your head. In other 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:35.019 words, he's going to destroy you. And God, again, 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:36.920 he makes that promise to the serpent, the one 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:40.040 who deceived Adam and Eve. So God looks at the 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:42.620 serpent and he says, you're going to pay for 00:06:42.620 --> 00:06:45.759 what you did to my creation. You're going to 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:48.259 pay for what you did to my people, my children. 00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:53.019 Isn't it so cool that even in humanity's darkest 00:06:53.019 --> 00:06:57.220 moment, in the moment where everything should 00:06:57.220 --> 00:07:00.959 be over, Because like God told Adam and Eve, 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.079 if you eat of that fruit, you'll die. So in the 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:07.339 moment where death has come onto the scene, God 00:07:07.339 --> 00:07:12.860 is promising redemption. God is not just going 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:16.970 to let Adam and Eve walk out with this. thought 00:07:16.970 --> 00:07:19.569 of suffering forever, God is going to leave them 00:07:19.569 --> 00:07:23.129 with a message of hope saying, I'm going to restore. 00:07:23.250 --> 00:07:26.029 I'm going to redeem. Evil's not going to win. 00:07:26.250 --> 00:07:28.509 Death is not going to have the final word. A 00:07:28.509 --> 00:07:35.069 redeemer is coming. Where there's bad news, there 00:07:35.069 --> 00:07:38.110 has to be good news. And even when the way seems 00:07:38.110 --> 00:07:41.750 dark, when the way seems painful, when it seems 00:07:41.750 --> 00:07:47.279 hopeless, God says, here's a light. Here's hope. 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:51.680 I'm reminded of when my youngest sister was born. 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:56.660 My youngest sister was born, and in the days 00:07:56.660 --> 00:07:59.019 surrounding her birth, there were some things 00:07:59.019 --> 00:08:02.980 that went on and things that came up where DHS, 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:05.860 Department of Human Services, or in Georgia, 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:08.699 they would call it DFACS, they had to be called 00:08:08.699 --> 00:08:12.490 in. And they were going to the different places 00:08:12.490 --> 00:08:15.930 where me and my other siblings lived, and they 00:08:15.930 --> 00:08:18.350 were rounding us up, essentially, to bring us 00:08:18.350 --> 00:08:22.889 to this facility where we would stay until either 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:25.910 we were released to a family member or released 00:08:25.910 --> 00:08:29.470 into foster care. I was in middle school at the 00:08:29.470 --> 00:08:33.009 time. And as a young kid, I was terrified. I 00:08:33.009 --> 00:08:36.649 remember very plainly, I went into the room that 00:08:36.649 --> 00:08:39.809 I stayed in, and I went into this room, I barricaded 00:08:39.809 --> 00:08:42.429 myself, I put everything I could in front of 00:08:42.429 --> 00:08:46.750 the door, and I was determined to hide in this 00:08:46.750 --> 00:08:50.549 room for however long I thought that a 12 -year 00:08:50.549 --> 00:08:52.470 -old or however old I was at the time could hide 00:08:52.470 --> 00:08:56.269 in a room by himself with no food or any other 00:08:56.269 --> 00:08:59.789 types of essentials. Of course, also, I was like, 00:09:00.169 --> 00:09:02.269 Again, 12 years old, so the barricade probably 00:09:02.269 --> 00:09:04.370 wasn't going to hold up if somebody a lot stronger 00:09:04.370 --> 00:09:10.830 than me came to the door. But in my fear, I remember 00:09:10.830 --> 00:09:14.450 my grandma coming to the door, and through the 00:09:14.450 --> 00:09:18.690 door she spoke very calmly and said, I'm going 00:09:18.690 --> 00:09:22.350 to come get you. I will come and get you. You 00:09:22.350 --> 00:09:26.230 don't worry. I promise I'm coming to get you. 00:09:27.149 --> 00:09:29.169 And the truth about my grandma is even though 00:09:29.169 --> 00:09:31.809 we didn't have a lot growing up, my grandma always 00:09:31.809 --> 00:09:35.110 made good on her promises, except for Disney 00:09:35.110 --> 00:09:36.590 World. We still haven't been to Disney World, 00:09:36.610 --> 00:09:40.049 and I am holding that against her. But on a serious 00:09:40.049 --> 00:09:41.789 note, she always made good on her promises. She 00:09:41.789 --> 00:09:43.850 always made sure we had food. She always made 00:09:43.850 --> 00:09:45.850 sure that the lights were on, that the water 00:09:45.850 --> 00:09:48.350 was running. She always made sure that we were 00:09:48.350 --> 00:09:51.350 okay. Even when we weren't in the greatest circumstances, 00:09:51.549 --> 00:09:55.169 we always had what we needed. And because I trusted 00:09:55.169 --> 00:09:57.009 my grandmother, because she had always proven 00:09:57.009 --> 00:09:59.450 to be true to her word, she always made good 00:09:59.450 --> 00:10:02.509 on her promises, when she says, don't worry, 00:10:02.730 --> 00:10:07.909 I'm coming to get you, my fear went away for 00:10:07.909 --> 00:10:12.009 a little bit because I believed her. I believed 00:10:12.009 --> 00:10:14.769 what my grandma was saying, that she would come 00:10:14.769 --> 00:10:17.250 and get me, even though waiting was hard. So 00:10:17.250 --> 00:10:20.009 we did eventually go to the facility. And in 00:10:20.009 --> 00:10:21.850 that facility, there was a lot of uncertainty. 00:10:22.009 --> 00:10:25.669 The facility workers were not the nicest people. 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:29.360 some of my siblings, they just could not believe 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:31.100 that we were going to be okay. They thought we 00:10:31.100 --> 00:10:32.700 were going to get split up and sent off into 00:10:32.700 --> 00:10:35.019 foster care. There were other kids in this facility 00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:37.279 that had been there for a long time, and they 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:39.899 were convinced that nobody could ever get in 00:10:39.899 --> 00:10:41.919 and get out of this place, that if you came in, 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:44.220 you were stuck there, and if you got out, it 00:10:44.220 --> 00:10:46.519 was to go to foster care where you'd be mistreated. 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:49.340 This was the feeling while we were waiting, but 00:10:49.340 --> 00:10:51.679 I just had to keep telling myself, my grandma's 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:57.879 coming, even when it was the hardest. In fact, 00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:02.100 we got there one day and we stayed for a little 00:11:02.100 --> 00:11:04.279 over a week. And I remember the night before 00:11:04.279 --> 00:11:08.799 my grandma came to get us, I'm laying in the 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:12.980 bunk bed above my little brothers. And I think 00:11:12.980 --> 00:11:14.840 they were sharing a bed because they were scared. 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:19.240 And I'm laying in the bed above them and I'm 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:22.519 just listening to them cry because they're scared. 00:11:23.980 --> 00:11:26.299 And I can hear my little sister, who's not even 00:11:26.299 --> 00:11:30.519 a week old at this point, in another room, screaming. 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:34.360 And they're trying to get her to calm down. And 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:36.059 I'm laying there thinking, is this ever going 00:11:36.059 --> 00:11:39.500 to get better? Is this ever, is this going to 00:11:39.500 --> 00:11:42.460 end? Is someone going to come get us? Or is this 00:11:42.460 --> 00:11:47.600 our new life? Is this our new reality? And thank 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:51.259 God, the next day, my grandma shows up. She brings 00:11:51.259 --> 00:11:55.740 us home. And that's what we see in the Bible. 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:01.340 We see God make a promise. We see God... Look 00:12:01.340 --> 00:12:04.500 at Adam and Eve and look at mankind. Even when 00:12:04.500 --> 00:12:06.539 we are the ones who do the messing up. When I 00:12:06.539 --> 00:12:08.679 was a kid, we didn't mess up. Somebody else messed 00:12:08.679 --> 00:12:10.860 up and that's why we went to the place we went. 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:14.259 But when God shows up, it's mankind who has messed 00:12:14.259 --> 00:12:17.200 things up. It's man who deceived and it's man 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:20.080 who has murdered and it's man who has lied and 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:22.299 it's man who has stolen and it's man who has 00:12:22.299 --> 00:12:24.419 corrupted all of the things that God had meant 00:12:24.419 --> 00:12:27.320 for good. And so in the midst of all of that, 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:30.539 God makes a promise saying, hey, Forget it. I'm 00:12:30.539 --> 00:12:38.039 going to redeem you. He makes this promise. And 00:12:38.039 --> 00:12:40.620 from that point, there is a long period of waiting. 00:12:42.419 --> 00:12:45.889 But God... doesn't go ghost on his people. He 00:12:45.889 --> 00:12:48.330 actually stays involved with them. He makes this 00:12:48.330 --> 00:12:50.929 promise of a coming savior, of a new kingdom 00:12:50.929 --> 00:12:53.990 that is never going to end. And he makes this 00:12:53.990 --> 00:12:55.850 promise all throughout the Old Testament. In 00:12:55.850 --> 00:12:58.350 fact, there are dozens of times where God makes 00:12:58.350 --> 00:13:00.710 this promise directly. And then there's hundreds 00:13:00.710 --> 00:13:03.509 of times where he makes it indirectly. And all 00:13:03.509 --> 00:13:06.710 of these times, God is pointing to his plan to 00:13:06.710 --> 00:13:10.250 save his people. This restorative, redemptive 00:13:10.250 --> 00:13:12.529 mission that God has been on from the beginning 00:13:12.529 --> 00:13:15.200 when we messed up. up, God was determined to 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:18.580 save us. And it was all God's way of saying, 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:23.700 I know it's hard. I know it's painful. I know 00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:28.139 it's uncertain, but don't worry. I will come 00:13:28.139 --> 00:13:32.240 and get you. One of the clearest pictures of 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:35.480 this is in Isaiah. In the book of Isaiah, God 00:13:35.480 --> 00:13:38.080 speaking through his prophet there in the 35th 00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:40.279 chapter, he says, the wilderness and the dry 00:13:40.279 --> 00:13:43.480 land should be glad. The desert shall rejoice. 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:46.039 Is there anything to rejoice about in the desert? 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:51.679 And in the desert will blossom like the crocus. 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:54.120 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:57.620 joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be 00:13:57.620 --> 00:14:00.639 given to it. The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:03.399 They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty 00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:06.340 of our God. Strengthen the weak hands and make 00:14:06.340 --> 00:14:09.179 firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have 00:14:09.179 --> 00:14:14.399 an anxious heart, be strong. Fear. Behold, your 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:17.399 God will come with vengeance, with the recompense 00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:23.879 of God. He will come and save you. Then the eyes 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:26.600 of the blind shall be opened. and the ears of 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:29.700 the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap 00:14:29.700 --> 00:14:32.019 like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing 00:14:32.019 --> 00:14:34.519 for joy, for waters break forth in the wilderness, 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:37.320 and streams in the desert. The burning sand shall 00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:39.620 become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs 00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:42.580 of water. In the haunt of jackals, where they 00:14:42.580 --> 00:14:45.600 lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes, 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:47.879 and a highway shall be there, and it shall be 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:53.200 called the way of holiness. The unclean shall 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:56.720 not pass over it. It shall belong to those who 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:00.870 walk on the way. even if they are fools. They 00:15:00.870 --> 00:15:03.649 shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, 00:15:03.750 --> 00:15:06.629 nor shall any ravenous beast come upon it. They 00:15:06.629 --> 00:15:09.590 shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall 00:15:09.590 --> 00:15:12.529 walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall 00:15:12.529 --> 00:15:16.250 return and come to Zion with singing. Everlasting 00:15:16.250 --> 00:15:18.769 joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain 00:15:18.769 --> 00:15:22.070 gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall 00:15:22.070 --> 00:15:26.190 flee away. It's gonna be gone. It's fleeing away. 00:15:27.210 --> 00:15:29.809 I want you to take a minute to just picture that. 00:15:30.570 --> 00:15:34.990 Just imagine it. Barren wilderness blossoming. 00:15:35.929 --> 00:15:40.909 Dry desert springing forth with water. Blind 00:15:40.909 --> 00:15:44.490 eyes seeing for the first time. The lame not 00:15:44.490 --> 00:15:46.529 just being able to stand, not just being able 00:15:46.529 --> 00:15:51.809 to walk, but the lame leaping. Sorrow fleeing. 00:15:53.129 --> 00:15:58.019 And joy abounding. You know, this makes me think 00:15:58.019 --> 00:16:01.580 of those military homecoming videos. And I'm 00:16:01.580 --> 00:16:05.080 purposely not showing them because I know that 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:06.919 if I do, you'll start crying. And I don't need 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:08.740 you crying. I need you focusing on the gospel 00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:12.539 here. But think about those videos. where maybe 00:16:12.539 --> 00:16:14.799 little Jimmy's sitting at his table in kindergarten 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:16.820 and he's coloring on a piece of paper and the 00:16:16.820 --> 00:16:18.659 teacher gets his attention and she says, little 00:16:18.659 --> 00:16:20.820 Jimmy, look at the door. And so he looks at the 00:16:20.820 --> 00:16:23.940 door and in the doorway is a man standing there 00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:28.700 in his military uniform. little Jimmy gets up 00:16:28.700 --> 00:16:30.600 and he just runs to the door as fast as he can 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:33.240 and grabs the man because that man is his dad 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:35.679 and his dad's been deployed and he's finally 00:16:35.679 --> 00:16:38.440 home. And there was fear, there was uncertainty 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:41.840 of when dad was coming home, but no matter what, 00:16:41.940 --> 00:16:44.879 when he came home, he was going to be met with 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:51.519 such a joyous celebration, with joyous feelings 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:56.559 inside. And that is what we see here. With God's 00:16:56.559 --> 00:17:00.840 promise. Because God doesn't just promise to 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:04.140 come back and make things okay. He promises to 00:17:04.140 --> 00:17:07.880 come back and make things. great. In fact, he 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:09.700 promises to make them greater than they could 00:17:09.700 --> 00:17:12.940 ever imagine, greater than actually possible. 00:17:13.140 --> 00:17:15.119 Because think about a desert. There's no springs 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:17.660 of water in a desert. That's not possible. It 00:17:17.660 --> 00:17:19.880 wouldn't be a desert if there was. A blind man 00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:23.059 can't see. A lame man can't walk, much less jump. 00:17:23.220 --> 00:17:26.319 And so for God to say, when this time comes, 00:17:26.660 --> 00:17:30.579 you are going to see sorrow flee and joy abound. 00:17:30.599 --> 00:17:33.160 What he's saying is, I'm going to do something 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:37.779 unthinkable. I'm going to do something amazing. 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:41.819 It's this picture of hope. It's this imagery 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:45.619 of restoration, of renewed life. And God doesn't 00:17:45.619 --> 00:17:48.339 just make this promise. God makes this promise 00:17:48.339 --> 00:17:51.559 knowing good and well that he is faithful to 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:54.259 keep it, even if it requires a little bit of 00:17:54.259 --> 00:17:56.440 patience on our end. And I got to say this too. 00:17:56.559 --> 00:17:58.279 I think it requires a little bit of patience 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:01.680 on God's end. Because think about it. God wants 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:03.859 to be with his children. God wants to walk with 00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:05.940 us. He wants to live with us. He wants to be 00:18:05.940 --> 00:18:08.079 in that perfect home that he designed in the 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:10.480 beginning with Eden. He wants all of that to 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:14.420 be with us. And so you can't, I can't imagine 00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:17.160 how much patience it requires God to sit there 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:19.640 for centuries, for thousands of years, trying 00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:23.039 to slowly put this mission together. And we see 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:25.619 centuries later, after he makes this promise, 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:28.500 God begins fulfilling it in a small, unexpected 00:18:28.500 --> 00:18:33.799 way in Luke chapter one. In Luke chapter 1, an 00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:36.759 angel comes not to a palace, not to a king, not 00:18:36.759 --> 00:18:40.140 to these high and mighty officials. An angel 00:18:40.140 --> 00:18:44.539 comes to a small town, to an ordinary young woman 00:18:44.539 --> 00:18:48.279 who wasn't married, by the way, named Mary. And 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:51.940 here's what the angel says to her. In Luke chapter 00:18:51.940 --> 00:18:54.819 1, verse 28, he says, Greetings, O favored one. 00:18:55.730 --> 00:18:59.170 The Lord is with you. So I don't know about you, 00:18:59.230 --> 00:19:01.269 but I can only imagine if an angel appeared to 00:19:01.269 --> 00:19:04.710 me, I'd be pretty terrified. So Mary is understandably 00:19:04.710 --> 00:19:07.910 terrified, but she listens anyways, as the angel 00:19:07.910 --> 00:19:09.430 explains. I guess she didn't really have a choice 00:19:09.430 --> 00:19:12.150 because what would you do, run? So in Luke 1, 00:19:12.230 --> 00:19:14.390 30 through 33, this is what the angel says to 00:19:14.390 --> 00:19:18.089 her. Don't be afraid, Mary, for you found favor 00:19:18.089 --> 00:19:21.269 with God. So there it is again. I love that the 00:19:21.269 --> 00:19:25.369 angel is kind of telling Mary, hey, God. favors 00:19:25.369 --> 00:19:27.849 you. He thinks something special about you. And 00:19:27.849 --> 00:19:30.109 again, she isn't somebody special. She's just 00:19:30.109 --> 00:19:33.029 an ordinary person, but God clearly found favor 00:19:33.029 --> 00:19:35.509 with her. So he goes on to say, and behold, you 00:19:35.509 --> 00:19:37.869 will conceive in your womb. Remember, Mary wasn't 00:19:37.869 --> 00:19:40.410 married and she hadn't done anything to do the 00:19:40.410 --> 00:19:43.210 thing that you do to have a baby. But the angel 00:19:43.210 --> 00:19:45.549 says, you'll conceive in your womb and bear a 00:19:45.549 --> 00:19:49.049 son. You shall call his name Jesus, and he will 00:19:49.049 --> 00:19:51.670 be great. He'll be called the son of the most 00:19:51.670 --> 00:19:54.619 high. And the Lord God will give to him the throne 00:19:54.619 --> 00:19:58.420 of his father, David. So right there, the angel 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:01.700 is saying that this child that you're going to 00:20:01.700 --> 00:20:05.099 bear is going to be the one that God promised 00:20:05.099 --> 00:20:07.279 way back in the Old Testament that would sit 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:10.579 on the throne of David. So this is messianic 00:20:10.579 --> 00:20:14.039 prophecy, otherwise known as prophecy of a Messiah, 00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:16.660 right? And so the angel is saying, hey, it's 00:20:16.660 --> 00:20:18.700 happening. And it's going to happen through you. 00:20:19.460 --> 00:20:22.549 And he'll reign forever. He'll reign over the 00:20:22.549 --> 00:20:26.170 house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom, there 00:20:26.170 --> 00:20:31.990 will be no end. Again, prophecy, promise. The 00:20:31.990 --> 00:20:34.549 angel's saying it's happening, Mary. And God 00:20:34.549 --> 00:20:39.750 has chosen you to be the beginning of this part 00:20:39.750 --> 00:20:44.029 of the mission. You know, Mary had no power. 00:20:44.170 --> 00:20:46.809 Like I said, she wasn't special. She wasn't wealthy. 00:20:46.950 --> 00:20:49.789 She didn't have prestige. She was seemingly a 00:20:49.789 --> 00:20:56.269 nobody. Yet God chose her. And then if you look 00:20:56.269 --> 00:20:58.730 in Luke chapter 2, when Jesus is born, it's not 00:20:58.730 --> 00:21:00.849 in a palace. It's not in the nicest hospital 00:21:00.849 --> 00:21:04.730 in town. Jesus is born where? In a stable. And 00:21:04.730 --> 00:21:06.430 who are the first witnesses? The first people 00:21:06.430 --> 00:21:09.410 to proclaim the arrival of the Messiah. It's 00:21:09.410 --> 00:21:11.809 not these people that these religious leaders 00:21:11.809 --> 00:21:13.829 who have been studying and waiting and training 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:16.349 their whole lives. It's not the elites. It's 00:21:16.349 --> 00:21:18.849 not a king. It's not the special spokesperson. 00:21:19.049 --> 00:21:23.410 It's not celebrities. The first witnesses, shepherds, 00:21:23.410 --> 00:21:28.420 men that just tend sheep. Not the type of people 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:30.980 that you'd expect to be a part of the fulfillment 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:34.359 of this thousands of years awaited promise of 00:21:34.359 --> 00:21:37.940 the saving of the world. This is a very unlikely 00:21:37.940 --> 00:21:41.059 cast of characters, but that's how God works. 00:21:41.339 --> 00:21:43.799 God loves to work through the unlikeliest of 00:21:43.799 --> 00:21:46.019 people. He loves to work through the people that 00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:48.500 nobody would expect. It's this kind of upside 00:21:48.500 --> 00:21:51.240 down methodology that allows for God's greatness 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:53.740 to really be on display, for it to really shine 00:21:53.740 --> 00:21:56.079 through. Because if God can do something great 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:58.960 through somebody seemingly not great, then it 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:02.339 has to be explained in one way, a miracle. And 00:22:02.339 --> 00:22:05.380 all of the things that God does are miraculous. 00:22:05.460 --> 00:22:08.259 They're amazing. They are only capable through 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:11.759 the power of someone like the God of the universe. 00:22:13.299 --> 00:22:17.519 And this matters for us today because the truth 00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:22.440 is most of us listening are not special people. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:27.680 Most of us are not prestigious. We're not We're 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:31.619 not the most likely people to proclaim this good 00:22:31.619 --> 00:22:38.740 news. But we have to know that God is still working. 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:42.980 And God loves to do some of his best work through 00:22:42.980 --> 00:22:46.599 people like us. Ordinary people like me and you 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:48.920 who don't have it all together, who aren't perfect, 00:22:49.059 --> 00:22:51.680 who aren't elite, who aren't wealthy, who aren't 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:56.250 powerful, but we're just normal people. Some 00:22:56.250 --> 00:23:00.069 of us not so great people looking at myself here, 00:23:00.150 --> 00:23:04.910 but we often struggle because We expect something 00:23:04.910 --> 00:23:07.289 from God and the people in this time expected 00:23:07.289 --> 00:23:11.210 something from God, like a God who works on their 00:23:11.210 --> 00:23:14.410 schedule, but also works on in their understanding. 00:23:14.650 --> 00:23:17.650 We expect God to do these big things through 00:23:17.650 --> 00:23:20.809 big people, these amazing things through flashy 00:23:20.809 --> 00:23:24.349 means. But what God does is he says, hey, I need 00:23:24.349 --> 00:23:26.849 you to just trust me. And instead of instant 00:23:26.849 --> 00:23:29.490 fulfillment and instead of it being flashy, I 00:23:29.490 --> 00:23:32.589 need you to just trust and be patient and understand 00:23:32.589 --> 00:23:35.029 that I am. faithful and I need you to be faithful 00:23:35.029 --> 00:23:39.109 too. Mary didn't have all the answers, but what 00:23:39.109 --> 00:23:42.369 Mary had was an understanding that the God who 00:23:42.369 --> 00:23:45.509 made this promise was the same God who over and 00:23:45.509 --> 00:23:48.369 over and over again in her people's history made 00:23:48.369 --> 00:23:52.529 good on his promises. She knew that she was getting 00:23:52.529 --> 00:23:55.109 this promise from the ultimate promise keeper, 00:23:55.329 --> 00:23:58.700 the most faithful. And so she's able to trust 00:23:58.700 --> 00:24:01.200 him in this way because she knows the history 00:24:01.200 --> 00:24:05.299 of not only her people, but the God making this 00:24:05.299 --> 00:24:08.039 promise. And I want to emphasize a point here 00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:10.140 because I think it's a key piece in what we're 00:24:10.140 --> 00:24:12.400 going to see as we go through Luke's gospel account. 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:15.960 And that is who God includes from the very beginning. 00:24:16.039 --> 00:24:20.619 Again. God doesn't go and do the greatest deeds 00:24:20.619 --> 00:24:23.160 through the most powerful people. He doesn't 00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:25.319 go to the most impressive, the most talented, 00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:28.759 the most prestigious. What God does is he finds 00:24:28.759 --> 00:24:31.180 the humble. He finds the ones that are overlooked, 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:33.880 sometimes that are marginalized, the ones that 00:24:33.880 --> 00:24:37.099 are unexpected. You know, I've heard Luke referred 00:24:37.099 --> 00:24:40.059 to as the social justice gospel. And I know that 00:24:40.059 --> 00:24:42.440 that phrase social justice may have some political 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:44.920 connotation. I don't mean it that way. And so 00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:47.279 please don't take it that way. What I'm saying 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:51.319 is look at who God works through and who Jesus 00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:55.220 is working with in this gospel. You'll see it 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:57.500 as we go through. He works with the most unlikely 00:24:57.500 --> 00:25:00.420 people, sometimes even the people that it was 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:03.559 considered maybe taboo to be dealing with or 00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:06.359 people that he shouldn't necessarily want to 00:25:06.359 --> 00:25:08.819 be around if he wants a good reputation for himself. 00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:12.240 You see Jesus hugging the leper. You see Jesus 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:14.740 sitting with the woman at the well. You see Jesus 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:17.319 saying that those that are sleeping with pigs 00:25:17.319 --> 00:25:19.559 have a chance at coming home and being redeemed. 00:25:20.140 --> 00:25:23.619 And so what we see in Jesus is justice being 00:25:23.619 --> 00:25:26.720 done. in a very social way with people that were 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:31.740 considered social outcasts. And so as we go through 00:25:31.740 --> 00:25:35.819 Luke's account of the good news, I want to challenge 00:25:35.819 --> 00:25:38.200 you to pay attention to who God uses and who 00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:42.500 Jesus interacts with, who he encounters. And 00:25:42.500 --> 00:25:46.299 that's important. But it's also for us to know 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:49.660 that we're not too insignificant. I want us to 00:25:49.660 --> 00:25:53.130 know that we're not too unqualified. I often 00:25:53.130 --> 00:25:56.170 feel like I'm not the right person to be doing 00:25:56.170 --> 00:25:58.410 the things that I do in ministry. I often feel 00:25:58.410 --> 00:26:00.470 like I'm not the person that should be telling 00:26:00.470 --> 00:26:02.390 people about the goodness of God because I'm 00:26:02.390 --> 00:26:05.430 not very good myself. I also think Luke's gospel 00:26:05.430 --> 00:26:08.349 is important so that we realize that the under 00:26:08.349 --> 00:26:10.990 or the overlooked should not be the overlooked. 00:26:11.069 --> 00:26:13.990 In fact, Jesus goes out of his way often to go 00:26:13.990 --> 00:26:18.309 to the overlooked. And so just as we see that. 00:26:18.700 --> 00:26:21.019 happen. We've got to understand that we're a 00:26:21.019 --> 00:26:23.980 part of God's story. Just as Mary said yes to 00:26:23.980 --> 00:26:26.440 a role she could barely understand in God's promise, 00:26:26.599 --> 00:26:29.519 God invites us to trust Him. Even if we don't 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:32.099 feel like we belong, even if we don't feel qualified, 00:26:32.259 --> 00:26:34.960 even if we don't feel like we are the ones that 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:38.019 He should be using, God is inviting us to trust 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:41.319 Him, to walk in hope, to walk in patience, and 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:44.700 to participate in the unfolding story of His 00:26:44.700 --> 00:26:48.680 redemption because As I will say, the gospel 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:54.420 story is not complete. It has begun, and it is 00:26:54.420 --> 00:26:59.539 actively happening. Man sinned. God promised 00:26:59.539 --> 00:27:03.029 to redeem. His people to bring us back to His 00:27:03.029 --> 00:27:05.930 home. He sends His Son to start that redemption 00:27:05.930 --> 00:27:09.470 process. Jesus comes. He dies on the cross. He's 00:27:09.470 --> 00:27:13.029 buried. He raises again. He tells us to go and 00:27:13.029 --> 00:27:15.329 proclaim the good news of this death, burial, 00:27:15.349 --> 00:27:17.670 and resurrection, of this salvation, of this 00:27:17.670 --> 00:27:20.650 redemption, of the Messiah coming. He tells us 00:27:20.650 --> 00:27:23.549 to go share that with people. And He also promises 00:27:23.549 --> 00:27:25.730 that He's coming back. And when He comes back, 00:27:25.789 --> 00:27:28.230 He's going to make all things new and bring us 00:27:28.230 --> 00:27:30.339 into the perfect home that we were We're always 00:27:30.339 --> 00:27:32.480 supposed to live in with God. Here's the truth. 00:27:32.539 --> 00:27:36.579 That other part, the he's coming back, he's going 00:27:36.579 --> 00:27:38.599 to make things new and we're going to live with 00:27:38.599 --> 00:27:41.019 God forever. That hasn't happened yet. There's 00:27:41.019 --> 00:27:43.359 still time and we're still a part of that. God 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:45.619 is inviting us to be a part of that. And just 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:48.859 like Mary said, yes, my prayer is that as we 00:27:48.859 --> 00:27:51.660 explore the way of Jesus, that we will find ourselves 00:27:51.660 --> 00:27:56.779 saying yes to following Jesus in his path of 00:27:56.779 --> 00:28:01.390 restoration for all of mankind. And I know this 00:28:01.390 --> 00:28:03.809 morning that some of us are still waiting. for 00:28:03.809 --> 00:28:06.250 that final fulfillment of the promise, the other 00:28:06.250 --> 00:28:09.549 half of the gospel to be completed. We're waiting 00:28:09.549 --> 00:28:12.349 for things to be made right. We just can't, we 00:28:12.349 --> 00:28:14.549 feel like we can't make it in this world any 00:28:14.549 --> 00:28:16.769 longer. We need things to happen a little bit 00:28:16.769 --> 00:28:19.269 quicker. We say things like, Lord, come quickly. 00:28:19.490 --> 00:28:21.410 Lately, I've been saying, Lord, come quickly 00:28:21.410 --> 00:28:23.930 a lot more, although I still want to be here 00:28:23.930 --> 00:28:26.829 because I also like spending time with my family 00:28:26.829 --> 00:28:29.470 and friends. But I also know that there's something 00:28:29.470 --> 00:28:32.730 so much better. And in that home that God is... 00:28:33.150 --> 00:28:35.849 has promised us that there's no more suffering, 00:28:35.930 --> 00:28:37.490 there's no more death, there's no more injustice. 00:28:37.789 --> 00:28:39.950 And so we say things like, Lord, come quickly 00:28:39.950 --> 00:28:42.190 because we're hurting and we can't take this 00:28:42.190 --> 00:28:46.049 anymore. But I want you to know that God is working 00:28:46.049 --> 00:28:50.710 in a perfect timing. And so the invitation for 00:28:50.710 --> 00:28:52.829 us today isn't to have everything figured out. 00:28:52.890 --> 00:28:55.210 It's not for us to give up hope. It's not for 00:28:55.210 --> 00:28:57.190 us to feel like things have to be perfect right 00:28:57.190 --> 00:28:59.829 now. The invitation today is to trust that God 00:28:59.829 --> 00:29:03.880 keeps his promises. Trust that God is faithful. 00:29:05.140 --> 00:29:08.880 And then for us to stay present, to stay faithful 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:14.359 in the waiting for Him to return. Anytime I give 00:29:14.359 --> 00:29:17.099 a lesson, my hope is that it connects with those 00:29:17.099 --> 00:29:18.900 that have been following Jesus for a long time 00:29:18.900 --> 00:29:21.460 and for people that have never given their lives 00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:24.140 to Christ yet. I hope that this message can connect 00:29:24.140 --> 00:29:26.619 with people on all ends of the spectrum here. 00:29:26.779 --> 00:29:29.240 And so this morning, whether you have followed 00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:31.859 Jesus for years or you are just beginning to 00:29:31.859 --> 00:29:34.599 ask questions about who Jesus is and what is 00:29:34.599 --> 00:29:37.700 this way of following him that we're talking 00:29:37.700 --> 00:29:42.380 about, wherever you find yourself this morning, 00:29:42.460 --> 00:29:45.170 the good news. is the same, and that is that 00:29:45.170 --> 00:29:48.670 God has promised to come and get us. He started 00:29:48.670 --> 00:29:51.930 this restorative mission. He started that work 00:29:51.930 --> 00:29:55.369 by sending Jesus, and He is not finished yet. 00:29:55.549 --> 00:29:57.890 He's still got some work that He wants to do, 00:29:57.950 --> 00:30:00.730 that He's going to do. So this morning, if you 00:30:00.730 --> 00:30:03.130 need help trusting in God's faithfulness, if 00:30:03.130 --> 00:30:06.910 you need help just understanding who Jesus is 00:30:06.910 --> 00:30:08.970 and what is this good news, and you want to learn 00:30:08.970 --> 00:30:11.490 more about that good news, wherever you sit today, 00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:14.859 Whatever it is that you need, we're still here, 00:30:14.920 --> 00:30:17.059 even though we're not physically here in the 00:30:17.059 --> 00:30:18.799 church building together. Well, I'm here. You're 00:30:18.799 --> 00:30:21.859 not. But we're still here. We're a text, a phone 00:30:21.859 --> 00:30:25.640 call, an email away. Whatever you need. If you 00:30:25.640 --> 00:30:28.559 need prayers for encouragement. If you need to 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:31.579 study the gospel or the word more, if you are 00:30:31.579 --> 00:30:34.240 ready to make a commitment to Christ, even though 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:36.480 it's cold outside, the water in the baptistry 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:38.980 is still hot, we can make it happen. Whatever 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:41.920 you need, let us know. We're here for you. We're 00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:44.140 praying for you. And we can't wait to be with 00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:47.180 you again as we continue this conversation and 00:30:47.180 --> 00:30:49.819 this exploration of the gospel of Luke as we 00:30:49.819 --> 00:30:53.720 study the good news and we seek to live out the 00:30:53.720 --> 00:30:57.029 way of Jesus. I hope you'll be blessed and have 00:30:57.029 --> 00:30:57.470 a great day.