WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.240 When you flip through your Bible, assuming you 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:06.339 still use a paper copy, you may notice that when 00:00:06.339 --> 00:00:09.140 you come to the end of the Old Testament, after 00:00:09.140 --> 00:00:12.080 the book of Malachi, like right after, there's 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:16.019 usually a blank page or two. There's a couple 00:00:16.019 --> 00:00:19.320 blank pages. And after those blank pages, you 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:21.500 arrive in the New Testament. Well, those two 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:24.660 pages, those blank pages represent about 400 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:29.230 years of silence from God. For 400 years, after 00:00:29.230 --> 00:00:31.550 all of this time where God was actively working 00:00:31.550 --> 00:00:34.210 in the lives of Israel or the life of Israel, 00:00:34.329 --> 00:00:36.850 and God is leading them through battles, he's 00:00:36.850 --> 00:00:38.590 leading them through the wilderness, he's providing 00:00:38.590 --> 00:00:41.250 for them, he's arriving and speaking to them 00:00:41.250 --> 00:00:44.030 through prophets and judges and kings and all 00:00:44.030 --> 00:00:47.329 of these different modes that God connects with 00:00:47.329 --> 00:00:52.189 his people. After all of that history, God goes 00:00:52.189 --> 00:00:56.380 silent for 400 years. The Israelite people don't 00:00:56.380 --> 00:00:59.039 hear from God. This chosen nation of Israel, 00:00:59.140 --> 00:01:01.299 they don't have the prophets anymore sharing 00:01:01.299 --> 00:01:03.520 these direct messages from God. They don't have 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:05.620 God working expressly through the kings and the 00:01:05.620 --> 00:01:09.099 judges. It's just silence. And so for 400 years, 00:01:09.379 --> 00:01:11.700 the Israelite people who had been promised a 00:01:11.700 --> 00:01:14.500 Messiah, a Savior who would come down and free 00:01:14.500 --> 00:01:17.420 them from all of the pain of this world, the 00:01:17.420 --> 00:01:22.840 Israelite people waited. And they listened, but 00:01:22.840 --> 00:01:27.620 they heard nothing. Can you imagine waiting 400 00:01:27.620 --> 00:01:31.799 years and not hearing anything? Some of us get 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:33.799 upset when we text someone and they take more 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:36.819 than 30 minutes to respond. Even worse, if we 00:01:36.819 --> 00:01:38.980 see that they saw our text and then they didn't 00:01:38.980 --> 00:01:42.420 respond. But waiting, seriously, for 400 years, 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:44.799 the Israelites had been promised a Savior who 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:46.939 would set everything right, yet here they are 00:01:46.939 --> 00:01:50.620 still waiting and not even a, hold on, I'm on 00:01:50.620 --> 00:01:55.040 my way, text from God. But right after those 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:57.719 two pages, after 400 years of silence, something 00:01:57.719 --> 00:02:00.540 starts to happen. So we get to the Gospels, the 00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:03.299 Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus Christ. 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:07.159 And all of the Gospels start with how Jesus got 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:09.960 here. And so I want you to look with me at Luke 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:13.319 chapter 1. We're going to start in verse 5, and 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:15.360 we're going to work through the passage here 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:17.680 in Luke 1 this morning. If it's underlined, I 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:20.770 would love if you read along with me. In the 00:02:20.770 --> 00:02:23.210 days of King Herod, there was a priest named 00:02:23.210 --> 00:02:26.009 Zechariah, and he had a wife named Elizabeth. 00:02:26.250 --> 00:02:29.289 They were both righteous before God, walking 00:02:29.289 --> 00:02:32.050 blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes 00:02:32.050 --> 00:02:35.009 of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth 00:02:35.009 --> 00:02:37.870 was barren. and both were advanced in years. 00:02:38.129 --> 00:02:40.729 Now, while he was serving as priest before God, 00:02:41.009 --> 00:02:43.750 he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the 00:02:43.750 --> 00:02:46.330 Lord and burn incense. Now, you'll notice that's 00:02:46.330 --> 00:02:48.889 a little bit paraphrased, but what I did there, 00:02:48.990 --> 00:02:51.509 and please read that in your own Bibles, what 00:02:51.509 --> 00:02:53.569 I did there was just, I gave you the essentials 00:02:53.569 --> 00:02:56.750 in that passage. So the story starts with a priest 00:02:56.750 --> 00:03:00.159 named Zechariah. 1 Chronicles tells us that among 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:03.240 the nation of Israel, the priesthood was organized 00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:06.680 into 24 divisions. And so each division would 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:10.080 serve twice a year for one week as far as the 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:12.759 temple goes. And by this point in history, due 00:03:12.759 --> 00:03:15.419 to such a large number of priests, there was 00:03:15.419 --> 00:03:18.280 about 20 ,000 priests believed to be at that 00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:22.360 time. Most of these men... would never be chosen 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:26.120 for the job of entering into the holy place for 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:28.879 the job of burning incense. And so this was a 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:31.759 really big task. This was a big deal for you 00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:35.099 to be able to get to do this. And so you live 00:03:35.099 --> 00:03:37.039 your life, you serve as a priest, and you're 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:40.319 doing what you can to earn some notoriety as 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:43.039 a priest. But you know that for this high honor, 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:46.479 you may never get chosen. And even if you do, 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:50.620 it'll be by random happenstance. Well... On this 00:03:50.620 --> 00:03:57.000 day, Zechariah was chosen. So Zechariah, we could 00:03:57.000 --> 00:03:59.500 say, has this once -in -a -lifetime opportunity. 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:03.240 And so he goes in, he's doing his job, everything 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:06.000 is going how it's supposed to, it's standard 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:09.000 operating procedure, until we get to verse 11. 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:13.599 Well, Zechariah was chosen. Important note. Verse 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:16.819 11, and there appeared unto him an angel of the 00:04:16.819 --> 00:04:19.120 Lord standing on the right side of the altar 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:25.040 of incense. After 400 years of silence, 400 years 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:30.680 of God not appearing via angels, an angel appears. 00:04:31.629 --> 00:04:35.449 God sends an angel on his behalf. So this generation 00:04:35.449 --> 00:04:37.730 of Jewish people, they had heard stories about 00:04:37.730 --> 00:04:39.990 angels. They knew their history really well. 00:04:40.110 --> 00:04:42.269 They knew the story of their people really well. 00:04:42.310 --> 00:04:44.310 So they had heard these stories about angels 00:04:44.310 --> 00:04:47.189 appearing to people in these great happenings. 00:04:47.189 --> 00:04:50.610 But as far as we can tell, nobody in this generation 00:04:50.610 --> 00:04:56.029 had seen them. In this period of 400 years. And 00:04:56.029 --> 00:04:58.970 so until now, when Zachariah, this ordinary priest 00:04:58.970 --> 00:05:01.569 who was randomly chosen by Lot, he sees this 00:05:01.569 --> 00:05:05.189 angel. And not only does he see the angel, he 00:05:05.189 --> 00:05:09.470 hears the first words to break the silence from 00:05:09.470 --> 00:05:12.129 God. Now, I find this to be relevant because 00:05:12.129 --> 00:05:14.850 I believe God could have chosen any other priest. 00:05:14.970 --> 00:05:16.790 He could have chosen anyone in the priesthood 00:05:16.790 --> 00:05:19.389 for this, for this historic moment. But he chose 00:05:19.389 --> 00:05:23.050 Zechariah to receive the message that this angel 00:05:23.050 --> 00:05:26.050 is bringing. And what a message it was. Bear 00:05:26.050 --> 00:05:27.870 with me as we read through this, but it's good 00:05:27.870 --> 00:05:29.970 stuff. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 00:05:30.089 --> 00:05:31.930 There's nothing underlying on this because there's 00:05:31.930 --> 00:05:34.149 a lot, all right? And Zechariah was troubled 00:05:34.149 --> 00:05:37.050 when he saw him. And fear fell upon him, but 00:05:37.050 --> 00:05:40.189 the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zechariah, 00:05:40.189 --> 00:05:42.730 for your prayer has been heard, and your wife 00:05:42.730 --> 00:05:45.250 Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall 00:05:45.250 --> 00:05:48.990 call his name John. And you will have joy and 00:05:48.990 --> 00:05:51.550 gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 00:05:51.730 --> 00:05:54.269 for he will be great before the Lord. And he 00:05:54.269 --> 00:05:56.790 must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will 00:05:56.790 --> 00:05:59.009 be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his 00:05:59.009 --> 00:06:02.180 mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children 00:06:02.180 --> 00:06:04.279 of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will 00:06:04.279 --> 00:06:06.860 go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah 00:06:06.860 --> 00:06:09.259 to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children 00:06:09.259 --> 00:06:11.819 and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just 00:06:11.819 --> 00:06:15.339 to make ready for the Lord a people prepared. 00:06:16.019 --> 00:06:18.939 So let's break that down really quick. Your prayer 00:06:18.939 --> 00:06:21.160 has been heard. Good news, John, God heard you. 00:06:21.540 --> 00:06:24.470 You're going to have a child. And that child, 00:06:24.569 --> 00:06:26.310 he's going to be great in the eyes of God, and 00:06:26.310 --> 00:06:27.750 you're going to be happy about it. You're going 00:06:27.750 --> 00:06:29.250 to be filled with joy. You're going to be filled 00:06:29.250 --> 00:06:32.069 with gladness. And this child is not just going 00:06:32.069 --> 00:06:34.250 to be any ordinary child that makes you happy. 00:06:34.310 --> 00:06:37.850 He is going to be a man who leads a bunch of 00:06:37.850 --> 00:06:41.589 God's people back to God and prepares the way 00:06:41.589 --> 00:06:46.689 for the coming Messiah. If you got all that, 00:06:46.889 --> 00:06:51.829 say, I got it. So John gets this incredible news. 00:06:52.509 --> 00:06:54.949 This incredible message about what is going to 00:06:54.949 --> 00:06:57.389 become of this son that he's going to have, that 00:06:57.389 --> 00:06:59.589 he's going to be blessed by God. Could you imagine 00:06:59.589 --> 00:07:02.949 if I could definitively tell you right now that 00:07:02.949 --> 00:07:05.050 you are going to have a child and that child 00:07:05.050 --> 00:07:07.769 would not only be great in God's eyes, but they 00:07:07.769 --> 00:07:10.870 would do great things that leads the nation to 00:07:10.870 --> 00:07:14.310 salvation. Could you imagine what you would feel? 00:07:14.449 --> 00:07:19.250 I mean, I think I would either maybe. feel some 00:07:19.250 --> 00:07:23.569 really good feelings of joy and excitement. But 00:07:23.569 --> 00:07:26.410 I think more likely, I'm going to respond with 00:07:26.410 --> 00:07:30.430 disbelief and shock because we know what the 00:07:30.430 --> 00:07:33.189 Scripture says, that Zechariah was an older guy, 00:07:33.329 --> 00:07:37.709 his wife was barren, and she was older. So I'm 00:07:37.709 --> 00:07:41.310 looking at this saying, you may have chosen the 00:07:41.310 --> 00:07:44.029 wrong person. Or maybe you didn't choose me. 00:07:44.050 --> 00:07:45.910 Maybe you've got the wrong person. Check the 00:07:45.910 --> 00:07:48.610 address on the invitation. You may have had the 00:07:48.610 --> 00:07:51.990 wrong guy in mind. We're no different than Zechariah. 00:07:52.649 --> 00:07:55.149 Look what he says in verse 18. And Zechariah 00:07:55.149 --> 00:07:58.230 said to the angel, how shall I know this? For 00:07:58.230 --> 00:08:01.889 I'm an old man and my wife is advanced in years. 00:08:03.649 --> 00:08:06.009 Zechariah had been chosen by God that day. He'd 00:08:06.009 --> 00:08:08.970 been chosen by God. to receive this incredible 00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:11.949 news, to be the father of this incredible child. 00:08:12.730 --> 00:08:15.110 He's hearing this message from God, breaking 00:08:15.110 --> 00:08:18.230 the silence of 400 years, and what is his response? 00:08:19.050 --> 00:08:23.170 How? I'm too old, and my wife's too old. Men, 00:08:23.410 --> 00:08:26.970 I don't recommend you say that. Don't call your 00:08:26.970 --> 00:08:31.060 wife old. Seriously, though, it's like Zechariah 00:08:31.060 --> 00:08:33.639 isn't sure the angel knows who he's talking to, 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:36.639 as if the angel got the wrong assignment or was 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:38.899 supposed to appear to a different, much younger 00:08:38.899 --> 00:08:40.919 Zechariah. Maybe there was another guy named 00:08:40.919 --> 00:08:42.879 Zechariah that also happened to be a priest, 00:08:42.980 --> 00:08:44.679 and the angel was supposed to go to him and not 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:49.659 me. But do you know what this tells me? It tells 00:08:49.659 --> 00:08:52.919 me that Zechariah didn't quite understand God. 00:08:53.870 --> 00:08:56.470 It tells me that Zechariah didn't quite understand 00:08:56.470 --> 00:08:59.830 who God is, God's track record, what God has 00:08:59.830 --> 00:09:02.370 done, how God has enjoyed operating for all of 00:09:02.370 --> 00:09:04.830 this time of human history. And do you know why 00:09:04.830 --> 00:09:07.710 that's important? It's important because I think 00:09:07.710 --> 00:09:12.049 sometimes we don't quite understand God. I don't 00:09:12.049 --> 00:09:16.019 think we really know. who God is. I don't think 00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:18.659 we really understand how God works or how he 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:21.379 operates. I mean, I want you to think, what's 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:23.879 your version of how shall I know this? I'm too 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:28.200 old. Is it I'm too far gone? I've done too many 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:31.259 bad things. I've been too bad a person. Or is 00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:33.600 it I'm just too ordinary? I'm just a normal guy. 00:09:33.700 --> 00:09:35.460 I don't have any special gifts or abilities. 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:38.340 I'm not a person of prominence. What kind of 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:45.159 influence can I have? What is your How? How, 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:48.580 God? You see, I think sometimes we hear of something 00:09:48.580 --> 00:09:51.820 that could be incredible that would include us, 00:09:51.960 --> 00:09:56.700 and we think, no, that's not meant for me. I 00:09:56.700 --> 00:09:58.500 think that's probably meant for someone more 00:09:58.500 --> 00:10:01.379 capable. My favorite thing working in a church, 00:10:01.539 --> 00:10:04.100 and I'm sure people get this in every facet of 00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:07.039 work. This is my experience. Man, it'd be really 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:10.000 cool if we did fill in the blank as a church. 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:14.889 Yeah, that's a great idea. You should lead that 00:10:14.889 --> 00:10:16.950 ministry or you should be in charge of that. 00:10:17.070 --> 00:10:20.169 Oh, no, no, no, I meant like someone else should 00:10:20.169 --> 00:10:24.389 do this. Somebody else, more qualified, somebody 00:10:24.389 --> 00:10:26.789 who knows the people, somebody who has the skills, 00:10:26.850 --> 00:10:29.429 someone who has the background. We think, no, 00:10:29.549 --> 00:10:31.990 it's not for me. That's for someone much younger. 00:10:32.730 --> 00:10:35.250 That's for someone wealthier or more popular. 00:10:35.590 --> 00:10:38.110 And the list goes on of all the excuses we can 00:10:38.110 --> 00:10:41.230 make and all of the, well, that's somebody else's. 00:10:41.690 --> 00:10:44.149 John. Or maybe that's somebody else's calling. 00:10:44.330 --> 00:10:47.529 And we question if God actually meant to include 00:10:47.529 --> 00:10:51.730 us in the first place. As I said earlier, we 00:10:51.730 --> 00:10:55.570 are no different than Zechariah. And so the angel 00:10:55.570 --> 00:10:58.509 responds to him, hey man, are you sure you never 00:10:58.509 --> 00:11:01.490 heard the story of Abraham and Sarah who gave 00:11:01.490 --> 00:11:03.669 birth to your ancestors when they were in their 00:11:03.669 --> 00:11:06.669 90s? Could you imagine being in your 90s having 00:11:06.669 --> 00:11:10.740 a kid? The angel doesn't actually say that to 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:13.919 Zechariah. But what he says is actually a lot 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:18.059 better than my sarcasm. Look at verse 19. I am 00:11:18.059 --> 00:11:21.340 Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God and have 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:25.440 been sent to speak to you and give you this good 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:30.100 news. He looks Zechariah in the face and he says, 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:35.129 dude. I'm one of the archangels. I'm one of God's 00:11:35.129 --> 00:11:37.450 people that sits next to God and gets these direct 00:11:37.450 --> 00:11:39.850 messages from God and gets sent to do these important 00:11:39.850 --> 00:11:43.509 missions for God. And God sent me directly to 00:11:43.509 --> 00:11:48.279 you to share this good news. The good news that 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:51.139 your people have been waiting on for 400, actually 00:11:51.139 --> 00:11:54.220 more than 400 years, because God promised way 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:56.639 back in the garden that he would send a Messiah 00:11:56.639 --> 00:12:00.159 to crush the head of the enemy. And so your people 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:02.379 have been waiting on this news, and you say you're 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:04.460 a faithful people, you say you're a faithful 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:07.519 priest, well, check the track record. God is 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:10.700 sending me to you to do what God has done all 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:13.659 along, and it is work through old people who 00:12:13.659 --> 00:12:18.389 think they know better than me. You see, what 00:12:18.389 --> 00:12:21.450 Zechariah didn't understand, what we sometimes 00:12:21.450 --> 00:12:24.889 fail to understand is that God does not care 00:12:24.889 --> 00:12:27.809 how ordinary you are. God does not care how old 00:12:27.809 --> 00:12:29.970 you are. He doesn't care how unbelieving you 00:12:29.970 --> 00:12:36.950 are. He will use you. Last week, we talked about 00:12:36.950 --> 00:12:39.929 how God could use an outcast and a murderer like 00:12:39.929 --> 00:12:43.549 Moses. He could use a man like that to lead his 00:12:43.549 --> 00:12:46.090 chosen people out of slavery and into the promised 00:12:46.090 --> 00:12:49.519 land. And today we see this cool story of God 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:52.100 choosing this old man to have a son who will 00:12:52.100 --> 00:12:55.980 be the forerunner for the Messiah. And yes, I 00:12:55.980 --> 00:12:58.179 said forerunner. Another word for it would be 00:12:58.179 --> 00:13:01.620 the trailblazer. for the Savior. John, maybe 00:13:01.620 --> 00:13:03.279 you've heard of him, John the Baptist, would 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:06.159 be the one who would prepare the way for Jesus' 00:13:06.419 --> 00:13:08.940 arrival. See, right here in this opening scene 00:13:08.940 --> 00:13:11.779 of Luke's gospel account, God breaks his silence 00:13:11.779 --> 00:13:14.980 to choose this unexpected man to be the father 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:18.259 of a man of immense worth in the gospel story, 00:13:18.539 --> 00:13:21.500 immense worth in the redemptive mission of God. 00:13:21.620 --> 00:13:24.179 Can you just imagine what that would do for a 00:13:24.179 --> 00:13:30.519 man's feeling of worth? To know, man, The God 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:34.700 of the universe, he can use someone like me. 00:13:35.659 --> 00:13:38.360 The God of the universe would care to choose 00:13:38.360 --> 00:13:42.039 someone like me. The God of the universe, the 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:44.279 creator of it all, the one who has been leading 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:47.659 my people for all of this time, that same God 00:13:47.659 --> 00:13:52.440 can use and choose and wants to use someone like 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:56.519 me. How valuable do you think Zechariah must 00:13:56.519 --> 00:13:59.759 have felt leaving that temple? I mean, I just 00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:02.559 imagine there had to be like a glow about him. 00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:04.200 And when he walked out, people were like, what 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:06.799 in the world has gotten into Zechariah? I mean, 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:09.179 he was only one of some 20 ,000 priests, but 00:14:09.179 --> 00:14:12.820 God chose him. And then as Luke 1 continues, 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:16.799 God sends Gabriel to another man and woman. to 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:18.960 tell them about a child they'll have. God sends 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:21.860 Gabriel to Nazareth, this worthless town in the 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:24.259 eyes of many at that time. But because of what 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:27.039 God was about to do, Nazareth would become this 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:29.639 town that is going to be worth so much more in 00:14:29.639 --> 00:14:33.000 the history of the world. And in Nazareth, Gabriel 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.340 is going to deliver a similar message as the 00:14:35.340 --> 00:14:38.080 one he just gave Zechariah, except this one will 00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:41.480 be not to an old couple who is barren. This will 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:45.470 be to an engaged teenage couple. And their son 00:14:45.470 --> 00:14:48.210 wouldn't be the forerunner for the Messiah. Their 00:14:48.210 --> 00:14:51.769 son would be the Messiah. Their son would be 00:14:51.769 --> 00:14:54.750 the savior of the world. Their son would be Jesus. 00:14:56.330 --> 00:15:00.549 Once again, God chooses people that we would 00:15:00.549 --> 00:15:04.110 never choose in places that we would never expect. 00:15:05.889 --> 00:15:09.370 And they all reply with the same disbelief. And 00:15:09.370 --> 00:15:13.669 they all respond with, who am I? Or are you sure? 00:15:14.669 --> 00:15:20.889 There's no way you mean me. But God does. See, 00:15:20.970 --> 00:15:22.509 when they're all questioning their worth, when 00:15:22.509 --> 00:15:27.710 they're given these excuses in the midst of being 00:15:27.710 --> 00:15:30.690 given these incredible parts of this story as 00:15:30.690 --> 00:15:33.509 if God made some kind of mistake. And I say this 00:15:33.509 --> 00:15:35.029 a lot, and I'm going to keep saying it, and I 00:15:35.029 --> 00:15:37.490 hope you believe this. God does not make mistakes. 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:41.539 He chooses who he chooses on purpose and rightfully. 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:44.580 He does what he does on purpose and rightfully. 00:15:44.659 --> 00:15:47.179 When he created you, the way he created you, 00:15:47.220 --> 00:15:49.340 where he created you, where he placed you, in 00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:51.960 the circumstances you're in, God did not make 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:54.779 a mistake. And when he chooses to redeem your 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:57.559 life and use you for something incredible, he's 00:15:57.559 --> 00:16:01.000 not making a mistake. It's intentional. So we've 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:04.440 got to stop believing that God... did not mean 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.860 what he said he was going to do in and through 00:16:07.860 --> 00:16:13.059 our lives. And as is the thesis of this series, 00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:18.440 God does not see our value like we see our value. 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:24.279 God looks at us and he doesn't see sinner. He 00:16:24.279 --> 00:16:27.039 looks at us and he doesn't see cheater. He doesn't 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:30.080 see liar. Now he sees that we've sinned. Don't 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:34.159 get me wrong. But he doesn't see that. When he 00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:38.200 looks at you, he sees you. He sees his child. 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:42.039 He sees this being that he created, that he formed 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:46.519 in the womb intentionally, that he gave a place 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:51.460 in history. God sees you as an indispensable 00:16:51.460 --> 00:16:57.720 person created for great things in his redemptive 00:16:57.720 --> 00:17:01.350 mission. From the start of this series, we've 00:17:01.350 --> 00:17:04.589 said our worth was never something that we earned. 00:17:04.670 --> 00:17:06.630 It's never been something we proved, and that 00:17:06.630 --> 00:17:09.349 is absolutely true. Our worth has already been 00:17:09.349 --> 00:17:13.250 settled by what God was willing to pay. Our worth 00:17:13.250 --> 00:17:15.390 has already been proven by the lengths that God 00:17:15.390 --> 00:17:18.490 would go through to save us, to purchase us, 00:17:18.589 --> 00:17:21.829 to redeem us. And likewise, Zechariah's worth 00:17:21.829 --> 00:17:24.769 isn't created the moment Gabriel appears to him 00:17:24.769 --> 00:17:27.329 and gives him this message. His work was already 00:17:27.329 --> 00:17:30.009 there. Gabriel just revealed it. it to him. He 00:17:30.009 --> 00:17:32.210 revealed to him what his purpose on this world 00:17:32.210 --> 00:17:36.210 was for. I think Zechariah was probably content 00:17:36.210 --> 00:17:39.950 to just be an ordinary priest among this 20 ,000 00:17:39.950 --> 00:17:42.609 member priesthood. I think he was content to 00:17:42.609 --> 00:17:44.930 just live into his old age with his barren wife. 00:17:45.049 --> 00:17:48.079 I think he was okay. with where he was. Now, 00:17:48.099 --> 00:17:50.400 sure, he probably wanted a kid. Sure, he wanted 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:52.619 some significance, but I think he would take 00:17:52.619 --> 00:17:55.380 what he's got over the alternative being, you 00:17:55.380 --> 00:17:58.960 know, being worthless and poor and having no 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:01.960 wife. And so I think Zechariah was okay, but 00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:04.059 what God looks at when he sees us is not people 00:18:04.059 --> 00:18:06.279 that he wants to be okay. God sees people that 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:08.799 he wants to thrive. There's a reason that when 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:11.099 Jesus comes and he says, I come to give life, 00:18:11.220 --> 00:18:13.759 he doesn't just say eternal life. He says abundant 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:16.609 life. We were not put here to just survive. Five, 00:18:16.630 --> 00:18:20.309 we were put here to thrive, to do great things 00:18:20.309 --> 00:18:23.849 in the kingdom for the kingdom in this world 00:18:23.849 --> 00:18:26.690 to change it. And so we might look at ourselves 00:18:26.690 --> 00:18:30.430 and think, I'm too old. I think maybe I said 00:18:30.430 --> 00:18:31.869 this last week. I don't know. I said it to somebody 00:18:31.869 --> 00:18:35.369 recently. Another thing I love hearing when I'm 00:18:35.369 --> 00:18:37.789 working in a church is, well, I've done my time. 00:18:38.430 --> 00:18:42.109 That's for the young people to do now. Or my 00:18:42.109 --> 00:18:45.299 other favorite thing is, well. We've just, you 00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:46.559 know, we're young parents and we've just got 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:49.720 so much going on and we're so busy. The old retired 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:52.220 people, they can handle it. And so you've got 00:18:52.220 --> 00:18:54.220 these two groups saying the other person can 00:18:54.220 --> 00:18:56.220 do it. Well, guess what happens if everybody's 00:18:56.220 --> 00:18:58.259 saying the other person can do it? Nobody does 00:18:58.259 --> 00:19:00.220 it. And then we wonder why things don't happen. 00:19:01.160 --> 00:19:03.779 And so what needs to happen is we need to see 00:19:03.779 --> 00:19:07.019 the calling and say, yeah, maybe I was chosen 00:19:07.019 --> 00:19:10.259 for this. Maybe this is where I step up and step 00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:12.640 in and do the work that God has put in front 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:14.859 of me. We've got to stop looking at ourselves 00:19:14.859 --> 00:19:17.359 and saying, I'm too old. I'm too young. I'm not 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:19.400 anything special. I don't have any great talents. 00:19:19.779 --> 00:19:22.059 I'm not qualified. I'm not smart enough. I'm 00:19:22.059 --> 00:19:23.980 not cool enough. I'm not strong enough or whatever. 00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:27.740 Because to all of those excuses, I say, and God 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:32.869 says, baloney. That's baloney. There's no such 00:19:32.869 --> 00:19:38.349 thing as I can't. I'm not good enough. If God 00:19:38.349 --> 00:19:42.049 put the job in front of you, it was not a mistake. 00:19:42.750 --> 00:19:46.009 And sometimes we feel a conviction. We feel a 00:19:46.009 --> 00:19:49.390 strong pull to say this needs to be done. You 00:19:49.390 --> 00:19:51.029 know, I've had so many people come up to me in 00:19:51.029 --> 00:19:52.849 the year that I've been here. And the thing that 00:19:52.849 --> 00:19:55.009 they say is we need to get our youth ministry 00:19:55.009 --> 00:19:58.309 going. And I'm like, yeah, we do. Where will 00:19:58.309 --> 00:20:01.190 you sign up to serve? We need a youth minute. 00:20:01.269 --> 00:20:03.490 Okay, where will you sign? We need our small 00:20:03.490 --> 00:20:04.990 group. You know, we really need to do more about 00:20:04.990 --> 00:20:06.849 connections. Okay, sign up for a small group. 00:20:06.869 --> 00:20:09.150 By the way, I'm reorganizing the small groups. 00:20:09.230 --> 00:20:11.470 If you've signed up, great. If you haven't signed 00:20:11.470 --> 00:20:14.029 up, today is the deadline. Please do so. Because 00:20:14.029 --> 00:20:16.730 we've got these things that will say this needs 00:20:16.730 --> 00:20:19.190 to happen, but we're not willing to actually 00:20:19.190 --> 00:20:22.470 do what it means to prove that we believe it 00:20:22.470 --> 00:20:25.509 needs to happen. If we are convicted by something, 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:28.700 If we believe that God has put something in front 00:20:28.700 --> 00:20:31.740 of us, then we have one response, and that is 00:20:31.740 --> 00:20:36.839 to do what we've been called to do. The whole 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:40.519 narrative of Scripture is just story after story 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:45.460 of God choosing unlikely people to do great things. 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:51.720 And again, God does not make mistakes. And all 00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:54.039 throughout Scripture, the people that obey... 00:20:54.279 --> 00:20:58.240 what God has chosen them to do? Well, they're 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:01.119 in the book. We remember them. We tell our kids 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:03.240 stories about them. We sing songs about them. 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:06.640 And maybe you've got people in your life that 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:09.380 you can think of that were chosen, that stepped 00:21:09.380 --> 00:21:12.619 up in roles that really didn't make sense for 00:21:12.619 --> 00:21:16.720 them to step up into. But you remember the example 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:19.680 that that set and how that affected your life, 00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:21.779 how that affected a community, how that affected 00:21:21.779 --> 00:21:25.680 the church. I brag all the time and I will continue 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:28.079 to do so about my youth minister who was not 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:30.240 a youth minister by trade. He wasn't paid to 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:32.519 be a youth minister. He just did it voluntarily. 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:35.740 He was in his late 40s. He had two daughters 00:21:35.740 --> 00:21:37.400 that were getting ready to go off to college. 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:40.700 He had all of his own responsibilities. But he 00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:42.940 still stepped up to deal with some snot -nosed, 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:46.119 rugged old middle school boys who could care 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:48.380 less about doing the right thing. And because 00:21:48.380 --> 00:21:53.000 of him, I'm here. Because a man who was unlike... 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:56.579 in an unexpected place, decided to step up to 00:21:56.579 --> 00:21:58.960 something he believed God was calling him to 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:03.420 do. We remember those people. We tell stories 00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:07.500 about those people. There's a reason for that. 00:22:07.559 --> 00:22:10.500 The truth for us today, regardless of your thoughts 00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:13.599 about yourself or whatever lies the devil has 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:20.220 sold you, is this. God not only wants you, but 00:22:20.220 --> 00:22:24.089 God highly favors you. And he wants everyone 00:22:24.089 --> 00:22:26.890 he chooses to know, every one of his children 00:22:26.890 --> 00:22:31.109 to know how much he thinks they are worth, even 00:22:31.109 --> 00:22:35.549 when they don't believe it. Which, by the way, 00:22:35.609 --> 00:22:40.069 there are consequences for unbelief. You know, 00:22:40.089 --> 00:22:42.869 like I said, we tell stories, we sing songs about 00:22:42.869 --> 00:22:46.190 the people that obeyed. But I also remember a 00:22:46.190 --> 00:22:48.049 story about a man named Jonah getting swallowed 00:22:48.049 --> 00:22:51.750 by a fish because he didn't do what he was supposed 00:22:51.750 --> 00:22:55.609 to do. I also remember a story about a woman 00:22:55.609 --> 00:23:01.089 ruining mankind's future because she couldn't 00:23:01.089 --> 00:23:04.789 just trust God and not eat a fruit. And in the 00:23:04.789 --> 00:23:07.990 story of Zechariah, Zechariah decides, well, 00:23:08.089 --> 00:23:10.470 I mean, he doesn't decide. He just has this unbelief 00:23:10.470 --> 00:23:11.910 in the moment when the angel brings him this 00:23:11.910 --> 00:23:14.349 message. And if you read on, you'll notice the 00:23:14.349 --> 00:23:16.710 angel makes Zechariah mute for a period of time 00:23:16.710 --> 00:23:21.609 due to his unbelief. Faith matters. Acting on 00:23:21.609 --> 00:23:25.009 faith. And so when we find ourselves thinking 00:23:25.009 --> 00:23:27.710 we can't do it, when we find ourselves thinking 00:23:27.710 --> 00:23:30.490 that we're not worth anything, we need to remember, 00:23:30.650 --> 00:23:33.390 we better remember God's track record. We better 00:23:33.390 --> 00:23:35.829 remember who he is and what he's done and how 00:23:35.829 --> 00:23:38.029 he has operated all throughout human history. 00:23:38.230 --> 00:23:41.190 We need to remember the list of people that God 00:23:41.190 --> 00:23:45.589 has chosen and used before us. Because I promise 00:23:45.589 --> 00:23:48.430 there are some stories out there. There's some 00:23:48.430 --> 00:23:50.960 stories in this room. I know there are. of some 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:54.619 really unexpected people who obeyed God's call 00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:57.119 and have made a difference in the kingdom because 00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:01.920 of it. So we need to remember, I'll say it again, 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:04.380 God doesn't make worthless people. And I believe 00:24:04.380 --> 00:24:07.980 that to be true. He uses us not to give us worth, 00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:11.200 but because we have worth. You don't choose a 00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:14.539 tool that doesn't work well for a job to do that 00:24:14.539 --> 00:24:17.150 job that it doesn't work well for. That God, 00:24:17.329 --> 00:24:19.269 when he chooses us, he chooses us for what he 00:24:19.269 --> 00:24:23.049 knows we can have an impact on. And by using 00:24:23.049 --> 00:24:26.430 us, we are able to feel what God has already 00:24:26.430 --> 00:24:29.970 proven to be true, that we have immense value. 00:24:30.130 --> 00:24:32.289 See, we remember these people like Zechariah, 00:24:32.309 --> 00:24:35.990 Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph because of what God 00:24:35.990 --> 00:24:38.730 did through them. Not because of who they were, 00:24:38.890 --> 00:24:42.880 but because of what God did. Because despite 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:46.039 who they were, what they were, what they weren't 00:24:46.039 --> 00:24:49.259 capable of, God still used them in powerful ways. 00:24:49.559 --> 00:24:52.400 And now you might not be Mary delivering the 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:56.180 Son of God, fair. You may not be Zechariah directly 00:24:56.180 --> 00:24:59.559 getting a visit from the angel of God, fair. 00:25:00.339 --> 00:25:04.900 But you still have a chance to be used in a powerful 00:25:04.900 --> 00:25:07.880 way. We are all chosen to deliver the good news 00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:11.720 of Jesus to the world, to prepare the way. for 00:25:11.720 --> 00:25:16.059 Jesus to return. And that's not a task given 00:25:16.059 --> 00:25:18.480 to worthless people. Like I said, you don't choose 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:20.720 a tool for a job that that tool is not good for. 00:25:22.519 --> 00:25:25.339 That's an essential part. We have an essential 00:25:25.339 --> 00:25:28.880 part in God's plan to redeem the whole world. 00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:32.259 It's a great responsibility, but God deems us 00:25:32.259 --> 00:25:35.059 fit for the job. He looks at us and he says they 00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:37.529 can do it, not on their own. not by their own 00:25:37.529 --> 00:25:39.450 strength, not by their own talent, but by His. 00:25:39.789 --> 00:25:42.630 He walks with us. And you'll notice in every 00:25:42.630 --> 00:25:45.410 moment in history in the Bible, when God calls 00:25:45.410 --> 00:25:47.650 somebody and says, go do this, and they're like, 00:25:47.650 --> 00:25:49.849 I can't do that, God, I'm not. I will be with 00:25:49.849 --> 00:25:53.509 you. Don't worry about it. Because God knows 00:25:53.509 --> 00:25:57.690 that it's by His power that His will will be 00:25:57.690 --> 00:26:00.630 done. And so we need to be mindful of that as 00:26:00.630 --> 00:26:03.390 we live this life. Every day, God presents us 00:26:03.390 --> 00:26:06.130 with... presents us with choices of how we can 00:26:06.130 --> 00:26:09.950 be used by him. Maybe not presented by an angel 00:26:09.950 --> 00:26:11.509 in the holy place of the temple. Again, I get 00:26:11.509 --> 00:26:15.329 it. But they're presented to us. Things like 00:26:15.329 --> 00:26:17.569 doing good and making a difference in the community, 00:26:18.089 --> 00:26:21.549 leading or being an example in the church, comforting 00:26:21.549 --> 00:26:24.250 others or teaching them the Bible, praying for 00:26:24.250 --> 00:26:26.910 others and standing up for truth in this world 00:26:26.910 --> 00:26:29.869 and being faithful to God even when it's not 00:26:29.869 --> 00:26:32.569 easy. We have all these opportunities that if 00:26:32.569 --> 00:26:35.029 we're not careful, we will turn down because 00:26:35.029 --> 00:26:38.730 we don't believe. But God did not make a mistake 00:26:38.730 --> 00:26:41.529 in presenting that opportunity to you or choosing 00:26:41.529 --> 00:26:45.589 you, and so you need to believe it. And so right 00:26:45.589 --> 00:26:47.450 now, I want you to think of one opportunity, 00:26:47.650 --> 00:26:50.730 one thing, one place where you feel like maybe, 00:26:50.890 --> 00:26:53.190 like if you think, you're like, maybe that was 00:26:53.190 --> 00:26:57.480 God calling me? Maybe that was a sign? I want 00:26:57.480 --> 00:26:59.220 you to think about one opportunity that God has 00:26:59.220 --> 00:27:01.339 put in front of you that you have talked yourself 00:27:01.339 --> 00:27:05.720 out of, or at least you've tried to. I want to 00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:08.640 say this to you in as pastoral of a way as I 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:15.900 can. Stop. Stop not believing. It's time to stop 00:27:15.900 --> 00:27:18.640 believing the lie that God couldn't possibly 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:22.880 want you on the mission. This isn't like when 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:28.069 I was... I'm the second oldest of eight, and 00:27:28.069 --> 00:27:30.509 so I have plenty of little brothers and sisters. 00:27:30.849 --> 00:27:33.910 And I can remember being little, and my mom or 00:27:33.910 --> 00:27:35.650 my grandma or whoever I was living with at the 00:27:35.650 --> 00:27:38.289 time would say, you should take your brother 00:27:38.289 --> 00:27:42.410 with you. Some of you have been there. You should 00:27:42.410 --> 00:27:49.230 take your sister with you. No. Yes. No. Yes. 00:27:50.970 --> 00:27:56.019 This isn't that. Nobody's telling God, hey, bring 00:27:56.019 --> 00:28:03.380 Tim along. You know, he, yeah, yeah, yeah, right? 00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:07.759 No, it's hey, Tim is valuable to the mission. 00:28:07.900 --> 00:28:10.880 Bring him along because he has a big part to 00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:14.279 play. Like this isn't some accident. Nobody's 00:28:14.279 --> 00:28:18.160 forcing you. God has chosen you on purpose. You 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:20.819 have value to the mission. You're not just a 00:28:20.819 --> 00:28:24.779 tag along. You're there on purpose. As Paul says 00:28:24.779 --> 00:28:28.359 in 1 Thessalonians 1 .4, for we know, brothers 00:28:28.359 --> 00:28:33.240 and sisters, loved by God, that we have been 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:37.380 chosen, that he has chosen you. I'm sorry. He's 00:28:37.380 --> 00:28:41.599 chosen you. It's time to stop doubting God's 00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:45.619 love for us because we made some mistakes. It's 00:28:45.619 --> 00:28:48.380 time to stop the disbelief and the trust that 00:28:48.380 --> 00:28:50.799 God has chosen us to be a part of his family. 00:28:50.980 --> 00:28:53.980 It's time to stop doubting that we have a part 00:28:53.980 --> 00:28:58.819 in his redemptive mission for this world. So 00:28:58.819 --> 00:29:02.099 today, if you're struggling to believe that God 00:29:02.099 --> 00:29:05.259 could use someone like you, if you're struggling 00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:09.019 to believe that God could possibly redeem someone 00:29:09.019 --> 00:29:12.450 like you, or if you're just struggling, Like 00:29:12.450 --> 00:29:14.750 in general, if life's just been hard, if things 00:29:14.750 --> 00:29:18.349 have been weighing on you, please let us pray 00:29:18.349 --> 00:29:20.730 for you. Give us the opportunity to put hands 00:29:20.730 --> 00:29:23.910 on you, pray and lift you up to God this morning. 00:29:24.430 --> 00:29:27.069 We offer the invitation and we mean it. This 00:29:27.069 --> 00:29:29.910 call is not an accident. We don't make mistakes 00:29:29.910 --> 00:29:33.329 either. We want you to know that we are a family 00:29:33.329 --> 00:29:35.329 that wants to love you and pray for you and pray 00:29:35.329 --> 00:29:38.950 with you and lead you closer to Jesus because 00:29:38.950 --> 00:29:41.809 that's what we've been put here for. That's our... 00:29:41.980 --> 00:29:47.539 call. And we have one choice. It's a song to 00:29:47.539 --> 00:29:51.640 trust and obey. And so this morning, if you need 00:29:51.640 --> 00:29:53.920 help trusting, if you need help understanding 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:55.980 or believing that you're a part of God's plan, 00:29:56.220 --> 00:29:58.700 wherever you're at this morning, we invite you 00:29:58.700 --> 00:30:00.500 to come now as we stand and as we sing.