Sermon Central
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Initiating The Turn(2023)-3
Contributed by Byron Sherman on Oct 3, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: 3 of ?? Luke informed his audience of the initial steps that God took to turn His people toward Himself. God began the process of turning of His people toward Himself. But what principles does God use to begin turning people toward Himself? In Initiating the Turn, God uses...
‘INITIATING The TURN’-III—Luke 1:10(:5-25)
Attention:
Marine Corps exercise regimen for people over 60.
As Always Contact Your Physician Before Beginning A New Exercise Regimen.
Older Marines Still in Good Condition Can Double The Time If They are Able.
•BEGIN by standing on a comfortable but stationary surface, where you have plenty of room on each side.
With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides. Hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, & then relax.
•Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.
After doing this daily for two weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags.
Then for two weeks, you’ll be able to lift 25-lb potato bags.
After two more weeks you’ll find that you’ll be able to lift 50-lb potato bags.
So after just a total of 8 weeks you’ll find yourself in tip-top shape for the REAL challenge...
After you feel confident at ‘the 50-lb potato bags’ level, try it all over again with ‘the 5-lb. potato bags.’....
EXCEPT this time put a potato in each bag & try that for two weeks. Then after that, move up to two potatoes, per bag, etc....
Major changes only occur when we actually ‘initiate’ the necessary ‘process.’ You have to START at the beginning & work your way up!
Likewise, for God to accomplish the promised ‘turning of people’ to Himself, He had to INITIATE the actions that were necessary to bring about mankind’s eventual salvation & glorification in Christ Jesus(Rom. 8:17-21, 30).
*The title of this series ‘turns’ on Lk. 1:16-17.
Isa. 43:18-21—“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?”.....“This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.”
Need:
Everybody has a need to have an unchanging & eternally lasting peace, certainty, & confidence in their lives...which anyone CAN have...IF...
...IF a person willing TURNs to God, thru implicitly/unconditionally trusting God’s one-&-only Son Jesus, who is the promised Christ/Messiah.
•Jesus is also God the Son, who emptied Himself of His heavenly glory, & took on human flesh, so that He could pay the redemption price for your sin, my sin, & the sin of all mankind of every generation.
•Whoever chooses to trust Jesus by faith, is freely appreciative of Him, freely loves Him, & is freely grateful for Jesus’ rescuing him/her from their otherwise impossible situation.
Over 2000 years ago, God ‘INITIATED’ that TURN toward Himself, thru a Jewish couple in Israel whose names were Zacharias & Elizabeth.
Luke informed his audience of the initial steps that God took to turn His people toward Himself.
God began the process of turning of His people toward Himself.
And we are answering the question...
...What principles does God use to begin turning people toward Himself?
11 principles God used to begin turning people toward Himself.
The last time we looked in Luke, we found that:
In initiating the Turn to Himself, God uses...
1. RIGHTEOUS FAITHFULNESS(:5-7)
2. PRIVILEGED DUTY(:8-9)
Today we’ll find that:
3—In Initiating the Turn to Himself, God also uses...
CONCERTED & DUTIFUL PRAYER(:10)
*By ‘CONCERTED’ I mean—involving others together ‘simultaneously’, or ‘occurring altogether at the same time.’
•In order to properly offer ‘concerted’ prayer, God’s people must be all together, unified, & of a singular mind in Christ.
3—In Initiating the Turn to Himself, God uses...
CONCERTED & DUTIFUL PRAYER(:10)
Explanation:(:10)
:10—“And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.”
*The “incense” offering not only coincided with the time of the ‘burnt offering’, but also coincided with a set time for “prayer” throughout the entire temple complex.
There would not be individually designated people to pray, but would have included all the priests & Levites in the ‘Priests Court’, where the animal sacrifices were offered.
•Each ‘court’ associated with the temple complex, represented a degree of separation based upon 1)Prescribed task(priests, Levites, the populace), 2)Role-responsibility(men, women), & Tribal or Revelational responsibility(Jew or Gentile).
•“Prayer” involved all the Jews in the ‘Court of Priests’, the ‘Court of Israel’(Men), the ‘Court of Women’, & also involved the Gentiles(all who were not Jews) in the ‘Court of Gentiles.’
*So upon Zacharias’ entering to burn “incense”(:9), “the whole multitude of the people” outside the Holy Place of the Temple, entered into a ‘concerted’ time of “prayer.”
•The “incense” offering for the nation, coupled with temple-wide “prayer”, took place every day, twice a day!
“The hour of incense” was a Divinely prescribed picture of the people’s “prayers” rising into God’s presence. So, that the symbol & purpose of the “incense” demanded the need for ACTUAL “prayer”!
•The smoke of the “incense” rose, as a tangible, visual, & symbolic picture of Israel’s overall admission of NATIONAL SIN(& personal sin) before YHWH God!
