Never Too Late, Never Too Early
Christmas Stories – week one
Promo Video of The Story…
Talk about the coming year long series ‘The Story…’
THIS MORNING – we are kicking off a new series that we will conclude on Christmas Eve… (2 services this year 3 and 5 pm). I am calling this new series, ‘Christmas Stories…’ AND – for the next few weeks we are going to look at some of the stories that are found within the greatest story ever told.
AND – as we do we will encounter people and experience events that changed lives 2000 years ago and are still changing lives today.
NEXT WEEK – (Joseph) Awakened To The Call
12/23 – (Jesus) The Image Of The Invisible God
12/24 (The Shepherds and Simeon) The Wait Is Over!
AND TODAY – we are going to meet an elderly couple and a teenage girl who are going to teach us a life altering and world changing truth, that it is… Never Too Late, and it is Never Too Early.
OKAY – would you please stand, as I read a few passages of Scripture…
WE – do this often at The Grove
BUT BEFORE - I read these verses… let me ask you a few questions.
Do you think that what I am about to read is true?
Do you believe that it’s even true for you?
Do you think that even though you may have heard some of these verses countless times before… do you think that God ‘still’ could use them today to speak to you in a new, fresh, powerful and transforming way? Good… me too!
God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. – Genesis 1:27,28
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. - Matthew 5:13-16
But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. – 2 Cor 3:16-18
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
– Ephesians 2:10
Prayer
QUESTION… and you don’t have to raise your hands (but you can if you want to…)
Does anyone in this room want to be used by God?
Do you think God wants to use everyone in this room? (look around)
Do you think He wants to use you?
Does it blow you away that GOD (that the Creator of the Universe) would actually wants to use you… and the person to your right and left?
Do you really believe that GOD has plans for your life?
Do you really believe that you actually and literally are His masterpiece? Yeah, I know… this is some ‘crazy stuff’
QUESTION…
Why does God want to use us/you? For what purpose?
For His Glory
To reflect Him and His likeness to a dark world
To fill the earth with the glory and wonder of His image
To be salt
To be light
The first point in your notes…
Never Too Late
NOW - we are going to look at Luke 1:5-25 to unpack it’s fuller meaning…
BUT BEFORE – we go there, we need to take a brief moment and look at some words from the prophet Malachi…
YEAH – I know a lot of you woke up this morning and were wanting to hear a word from Malachi… well hear it is I didn’t want to disappoint you.
UNDERSTAND – our God is a sovereign God. He rules over all times, nations, languages, cultures, races, classes, and genders of people. He is working out everything according to his plan. What He says will happen has and will always happen. And throughout Scripture we see God predicting and declaring the future in advance through His prophets.
And, one of those occasions is in the last book of the Old Testament, the Book of Malachi chapters three and four.
AND LISTEN - this word from God in Malachi will be ‘the final word’ that God will speak to His people until we pick up the story in Luke chapter one (400 years later).
SO… IN - Malachi 3:1, written 400 years before Jesus is born, the sovereign God of the universe says,
Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.
AGAIN - God is speaking, saying, “I am coming, but before I come into human history a messenger, a preacher, a prophet will come. And he will proclaim and announce my coming.
Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. – Malachi 3:1,2
NOW THIS - is an Old Testament prophecy about John the Baptist who was coming as the messenger to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
AND ONCE – John has prepared the way (which he did)… Jesus the Lord would appear at the Temple which he did as well. AND THEN MALACHI – ends his book saying the following about John the Baptist…
“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers…. – Malachi 4:5,6
IN OTHER WORDS – John the Baptist will bring about a great revival among God’s people…
AND THEN - there are 400 years of silence. No book of the Bible is written, no prophet speaks. Some begin to wonder if God’s provision has left the nation.
One generation to the next becomes a little more stiff necked, hard hearted, and cold. People aren’t walking with God as they ought and as they should anymore . YES – there is a remnant, a few who are seriously devoted to the Lord. But, it’s still 400 silent years.
AND THEN - everything begins to change in Luke 1:5.
In the time of Herod king of Judea,
• this would be the guy history knows as Herod the Great
• he was a puppet king for the Roman Empire and he was a (crafty and cruel) politician.
• AND - he is not a godly man. He didn’t love God or God’s people.
• He is the same guy Matthew says ordered the slaughter of all male babies in Bethlehem in an effort to kill Jesus. Murdering innocent babies…
• But then again murder was something he was quite fond of. I MEAN – Herod pretty much murdered anyone who threatened him or stood in his way… he even murdered his own wife and two of his sons.
• The Roman Emperor Augustus once jokingly said, “it’s better to be Herod’s pig than his son.” Implying that though Herod may have a problem eating a pork chop and would not even hesitate to kill a family member. No not a very good guy.
• And in addition to all of this… Herod he was one of the most legendary builders of that time… building epic structures, cities, palaces, temples and places of worship… including rebuilding the Temple In Jerusalem.
They’ve unearthed some of the original stones from the wall that Herod had built. Every stone is cut 36 feet by 12 feet by 12 feet, weighing the same as a Boeing 747, with Herod’s logo on every single one. So, wherever you walk you’re like, that’s amazing. Herod, Herod, Herod, it’s like the Nike Swish is on everything. The whole city is dedicated to Herod, including the temple.
UNDERSTAND - this is the setting (the times of Herod) for the greatest event in human history. The coming of Christ!
“Herod’s world was cruel, materialistic, hateful, exploitive, cynical and filled with despair. The Jewish people suffered much at the hands of their rulers. When Herod and Rome were not oppressing them, their own religious leaders were. The religious life of the Jews (an integral part of their social and political life) had lost it’s vitality and helpfulness. The Pharisees had made their traditions a burden almost impossible to bear; and the Sadducees were using religion to amass personal fortune.”
Paul Butler ‘The Gospel Of Luke’
NO – it sure didn’t look like a time when anything great and significant would happen. Most people had given up hope. And when it came to faith and following God’s commands they felt ‘why bother, I mean, what difference does doing the right thing make anyway…’
HOWEVER – there was still a faithful remnant and we are about to meet two of them…
there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
SO… what do we know about this couple. Quite a lot.
• He’s a priest/pastor… And Elizabeth a pastor’s wife
• They R both ‘very old’ (well advanced in years) probably in their 80’s
• And they had no children
They’re beyond childbearing years, unable to have children. Emotionally this is devastating. Financially this is dangerous. Unlike our day, there were no hospices, there were no care centers, there was no social security, so, if you got old, your children in general and your sons in particular, they looked after you. No sons, great danger.
• And we also know that even though things did not go the way they had wanted them to go. Even though God had not answered their prayers… they did not turn their backs on God.
“God, we know that you are the one who opens and closes the womb. We believe the Bible. If you give us a baby that would be awesome, we’d love to be parents. BUT - if not, we’re still going to love you and serve you.” And they did. They’re still in ministry. They’re still worshiping. They’re still praying. They’re still serving. And, they’re still asking God for a baby. Is it okay to keep asking? Yes. It’s no problem at all. They keep asking.
One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.
0 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
During this time there were approximately 21,000 priests who were subdivided into 24 divisions, of about 900 men each. And they’d each get to go to Jerusalem for one week, two times a year to minister at the temple, two weeks a year.
And they would all come together and they would roll dice to see who got to do the big job. The big job was, go in, throw some incense on the coals, and say a prayer. That was it. AND - once you got to do it, you were done for life. AND - they declared you holy and blessed. You never got to do it again. This is it. This is your Super Bowl, this is your big day.
So the whole goal was, to be one of those priests. And that’s how it would work. And every year, Zechariah, for I don’t know how many years, maybe 30, 40, 50 years, he goes all the way to Jerusalem, they roll the dice: loser, loser, loser, loser, he never gets picked.
He’s like the guy in gym class, never gets picked. AND NOW - he’s getting pretty old and he is starting to wonder… “Will I ever get picked?”
BECAUSE - some guys never do get picked.
AND THEN ONE DAY - they roll the dice: “Zechariah, it’s your turn.”
SO – he goes into the Holy Place to throw incense on the coals… And the people would be outside, down on their knees with their hands lifted, praying…
Now, what incense is symbolizing in Scripture is prayer. See, Revelation talks about a big bowl that’s in the presence of God. And that big bowl, Revelations says, is filled with the prayers of God’s people. When you pray, think of it like that. It goes into the presence of God and it ascends to him and it smells sweet to him. What an awesome picture of prayer.
SO - here’s Zechariah’s big moment. He comes in, one shot deal, drops his incense, closes his eyes, prays… Opens his eyes. Here’s what happens.
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.
YEAH – no kidding…
But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth…
(John – ‘The Lord is Gracious)
WOW – isn’t that awesome! I MEAN - don’t you just love watching God show up and do His thing in the lives of people? Especially in the lives of people who had waited so long and had been so faithful, even though…
for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord.
John will be what? In whose eyes?
Oh, this is good. I MEAN - Herod thinks he is something special… Herod “the Great.” BUT - the angel says, “Not really. John will be great.
SURE - Herod will make more money, build more buildings, subjugate more people, have more followers. But, he won’t give his life to humbly serving God. Your son will. And he’ll be the great one.”
UNDERSTAND – we have to continually fight the temptation to let greatness be defined by the standards of the world and by people like Herod. LISTEN - If you love God and serve God and accept his will in your life, if you walk with him faithfully, being and doing whatever he’s ask you to do and be… YOU ARE - great in the sight of God. And the truth is, he’s are the only ones that ultimately matter.
I love it… Zechariah is no one from nowhere doing, in the eyes of the world, nothing. And God says, I heard your prayers. Here comes your son. He will be grace to you, amazing. And he will be great in my eyes.
MAPLE GROVE - may that be said of us all and our children and our children’s children. That we are great in the eyes of God.
He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
Okay
Where have we heard that before?
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
I’m too old. We’re too old. It’s too late.
19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!
I love it… Gabriel is like come on are you serious bro.
20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has looked upon me with his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
What does Elizabeth do? Nothing for five months, I think she’s just worshiping God, rubbing her belly, making baby blankets, setting up the nursery and rejoicing that she has a mute husband.
I mean, I can see one hand on her belly, and she’s like, “Oh God, I thank you for this baby and the mute husband. All of my prayers have been answered. For nine months, I win every argument. Thank you, Lord.”
Come on… Don’t you love this picture of Elizabeth? God loves her and he’s blessed her and he’s answered her prayer and she’s going to be a mom and he’s going to be a prophet and prepare the way for the coming of Jesus and fulfill the promises of Malachi.
Wow… what a powerful story… tucked away within the Christmas Story
It’s Never Too Late
It’s Never Too Late To Be Used By God
Sure Zechariah and Elizabeth may have thought it was too late for them…
QUESTION…
Why would anyone think it’s too late?
Why would we/you think it’s too late to be used by God?
Reasons why someone may think it’s too late
1. I’m too old
Moses 80
Caleb 85
Abraham 90
Zechariah and Elizabeth probably in their 80’s
Bill Graham is 94
2. I’ve messed up too many times, my sins and failures are too great
David, Samson, Paul
3. Wasted too many great opportunities
Peter
Okay – the next point in your notes is
Never Too Early
Luke 26-38
NOW - we won’t spend as much time breaking down this story…
BECAUSE - I think most of us are very familiar with Mary’s Story.
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
• In that time and culture a girl shortly after hitting her teen years would be engaged… (14 years old)
• And Mary is engaged to a guy named Joseph. A descendant of who? And why is that important?
• The engagement would last about one year and it was legally binding and could only be broken by death or divorce. YET sexual relations were not permitted until after the wedding.
NOW - this is probably an exciting time for Mary…
She’s young. She’s a virgin. She’s engaged. Looking forward to and planning her wedding day.
Any of you ladies been there planning a wedding. That’s what Mary is thinking about… Counting the days until her wedding. All is fine. All is normal. All is well. UNTIL – Gabriel enters the picture with this remarkable message.
28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you are highly favored! The Lord is with you!” 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
Kind of interesting… the sight of Gabriel freaked out Zechariah… Mary on the other hand seems more troubled by the message.
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Wow…
That is some crazy stuff for a 14 year old girl to hear.
Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.
37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
UNDERSTAND – our God can. Our God can..
• create everything out of nothing.
• take an elderly woman like Elizabeth and open her womb.
• take a 14 year old virgin like Mary and give her a son.
•
•
•
•
• Take on human flesh and enter into human history as the man Jesus
• Rise from death
• Forgive our sins through the cross of Jesus.
• Hear and answer prayer.
• Take enemies and make them friends.
Nothing is impossible…
Maple Grovel, nothing is impossible with God, it’s not.
He can
He is able
This is why we’re happy and hopeful, this is why we sing and pray because our God is a God of the impossible. A God who take nobodies from nowhere and does great things…
That’s what he does. nothing is impossible with God
AND THIS - is what the angel says, and he totally knows what he’s talking about.
AND SO…
Mary takes it all in… and then she (a 14 year old girl) gives one of the most amazing responses to God ever given. I’m serious. It’s legendary.
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” And then the angel left her.
I love it… I MEAN…
Here’s this simple 14 year old girl… From a simple town with a simple faith, but it’s a sincere and simple faith. She knows very little. She’s not been formally educated. She doesn’t have the bible on her smart phone…She has bits and pieces of Scripture that she treasures in her heart.
BUT HERE’S - what she has: faith. She actually believes what God says.
LISTEN – most of us in this room, have far more information than her and far less faith in it. We think, “I need to learn a lot more,” maybe we do, BUT - first things first, let’s believe what we’ve already been taught.
Mary knows very little, but she trusts it all. It’s amazing… She actually trusts God, takes him at his word. And she responds and says, “I’m the Lord’s servant, whatever he wants, that’s what I want, I will serve as he calls.”
It’s up to Him, not me
It’s His story, not mine
AND UNDERSTAND – before Gab showed up and crashed the party…
Mary had a script for her life: “I’m going to marry Joseph, it’s going to be a great wedding, the dress will actually fit, and then we’re going to consummate our marriage and then we’re going to make babies and everybody’s going to think I’m a good person and nobody is going to call me a tramp because I will be a virgin.”
AND THEN - the angel shows up and says, “New script,”
AND - Mary says, “Well, whatever the Lord wants, he gets to write the script for my life. I love him, I trust him, and I’m his servant,”
says the junior high girl.
Never too early
Reasons why someone may think it’s too early
1. I’m too young
Josiah
Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12
2. I need to ‘live a little’ first
3. I need to get some stuff straightened out first
The Key…
“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”
Never underestimate what God can do when he impregnates His purposes into life of any purpose regardless of age.
Never too late
Never too early
