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God's Unmerited Favor - Part 2 ( Luke 1:26-38)
16 Plays3 months ago
Sunday Message recorded 21 July 2024
by Associate Pastor Josh Shell
First Baptist Church -- Columbus TX
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
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Transcript
Significance of Baptisms on Sunday
00:00:07
Speaker
All right, well, good morning once again. It's good to be with you guys. You guys are awake? I hope so. I mean, this is an incredible morning, right? Hey, any morning, any Sunday morning that starts off with baptisms deserves a huge pre or round of praise, amen? Because that just means um
00:00:32
Speaker
Because just means that, again, I said this last week, and i will I'll say it as long as I have breath in my lungs, when there's baptisms and there's waters moving, that means that the Lord is still moving. That means he's alive. He's not dead. And that means that his his kingdom is coming. And his kingdom has come, but it is also coming.
Revisiting Luke 1 and Continuing the Message
00:00:50
Speaker
And we that's something we'll actually be looking at today, so which is pretty cool. But if you have your Bibles, go ahead and get those out for me. We're going to be back in Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter one, and I just want to say thank you to Victor for allowing me to come back again this week to finish up the message from last week. But i the passage that we looked at last week, there's just so much good, there's so many good things in it that I didn't want to miss it, right? You guys ever come across the passage like that in your own study? We're just like, man, I got to go back and reread that about like five or six times, right? Because this is so rich.
Gabriel's Announcement to Mary
00:01:23
Speaker
But the passage that we looked at last week was the the birth of Jesus being foretold, right? This annunciation from Gabriel to Mary about Jesus being born, right? She's gonna conceive and bear a bearra son. And this is a passage that is typically, we typically walk through this passage during the Christmas season, right? Obviously we're in July, where it's the hottest it's ever been. So it doesn't feel like Christmas, but I can say this. This week is Christmas in July. So, you're welcome. Okay, you're welcome. So we get a little bit of a glimpse.
00:01:58
Speaker
um But this is an incredible passage, right? Like I said, we typically look at it through the lens of the Christmas story, the nativity scene, right? And how Gabriel came and proclaimed this good news to Mary that she would bear that she would conceive and bear his son in a miraculous way. And this son that she would bear wouldn't be just any ordinary man, but rather it would be the Christ, the Messiah, our Emmanuel, our God with us, right? but There was four things though as I was working through this passage that I wanted to bring to light to us that I hope is is not something that you've ever seen before as you've studied this passage,
400 Years of Silence Before Zechariah's Message
00:02:37
Speaker
right? So last week we talked about two of those things. And we talked about the first thing was the timing and the place of the announcement and how it was significant, right? We talked about how there was a 400 year period, this inter-testamental period where God was silent. He did not speak. He did not interact with any of his people. He didn't send a messenger. He didn't have angels, nothing. 400 years of silence. The people cried out. they They were pursuing him, but he was silent because of their disobedience.
00:03:05
Speaker
Right? And I encourage you, this is a side note, go on your own personal time and study the inter-testamental period. Okay? This 400 year silence, because it's actually, it it really does set up a lot of where we pick up in the New Testament with the Gospels, of why the Jewish culture is the way that it is at that time. So that's just a side note, but we're not going to do that today. We don't have enough time for that. Okay? So, but I do recommend you go in and do that. So we talked about the timing of it, right? And how um this 400 years of silence, this inter-testamental period, and and after 400 years, God finally spoke again right to this guy named Zechariah the priest.
Gabriel's Message to Zechariah
00:03:49
Speaker
He was of this division of Abijah who just happened to be on duty in the temple in Jerusalem. And of all the people, they cast lots and it falls on Zechariah to go in to to give the the sacrifice of burnt incense. right
00:04:04
Speaker
And so Zachariah goes into the temple and while he's there, Gabriel appears to him. over After 400 years of silence, Gabriel, this messenger of God, who, by the way, when we see pictures of angels with like wings and they're like innocent, whatnot, that's not who appeared to Zachariah, okay? As you read in the account, he was terrified of this angel because of how, just his presence and how he was created, right? So these are these are fearful beings, but yet they're messengers and ambassadors of God.
00:04:35
Speaker
So he appears to Zechariah. He proclaims to him this this message of how him and his wife, Elizabeth, who was a daughter of Aaron, who was also barren, right? Meaning that she could not have children as many times as they tried. They could not bear a child, but yeah they would bear a child in their old age. And what was his response? Are you sure about that? Are you serious, God? Are you serious about this, Gabriel? And he says, yes. And because of that, you're going to be silent because you doubt it. So he he goes silent. He goes mute. but It comes to fruition where Elizabeth would conceive and his name would be John. Right. And y'all remember with the description that they gave of John?
00:05:19
Speaker
and how he would be, let's see, he would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children to Israel, the Lord their God, and he will go before the Lord their God, or sorry, he will go before him in the spirit of the power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobeying the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord people prepared. That's quite the description. So again, but and all this took place though in the temple in Jerusalem, right?
Mary's Humble Background and Divine Choice
00:05:48
Speaker
So this big announcement. Then if you fast forward six months, Gabriel then reappears and who's he appeared to? Mary. Where was Mary located? In a small town in Galilee called Nazareth. And Mary in herself was no prominent figure, right? So at least zechariah was ah Zechariah was a priest, right? He was a religious man.
00:06:14
Speaker
who was righteous before the Lord's eyes. And then Gabriel, God says, Gabriel, I want you to go to this, this young lady over here who, again, scholars think that she was between 12 to 14 years of age, right? Barely just becoming a woman at that time to bear children. And Gabriel goes and appears before her and and he says, greetings, O favorite one. You have found favor with the Lord, right? and But Mary, and and again, what we looked at with Mary was that she herself wasn't somebody of noble like reasoning for God to choose. She was a lowly humble servant in Nazareth. You guys remember Nazareth was, like I said, it was just a small town on the road between two port cities of Tyre and Sidon, and it was actually a bad reputation.
00:07:01
Speaker
because of the people who dwelt in that area, whether it was the Romans or the the Gentiles, right? So it was not this prominent city. So right off the bat in this announcement between Zechariah and Mary, the birth of John to the birth of Jesus, we see that God, there is no barrier or boundary by which God chooses to use people. Did y'all catch that? Doesn't matter where you're from, what lineage you're from, or your demographic, how much money you have, your prestige, none of that matters. Because what God looks at is the heart and the willingness for for people to be used by God, right?
Responding to God's Calling Like Mary
00:07:41
Speaker
So, so that we looked at the time and the place of this announcement, and then we looked a little bit more into Mary. And as I said, Mary and herself was not worthy of anything, but yet she was just a 14 year old child or a kid at this time, who was a virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, who just happened to be from the line of David, from the house of David, right? And then from there, um we see that when Gabriel approaches her there in Luke chapter one,
00:08:13
Speaker
And it says in verse 28, he says, and he came to her and said, greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. We talked about how that phrase, O favored one, has a tendency of getting taken out of context as if like she is set apart from the rest of humanity because of the favor that was bestowed upon her. But we looked at how that Greek word kairos or karis, caria eo, caria teo, I think is what it is in the in the Greek. But what it is, it's meaning that God has bestowed favor upon her. God chose to bestow favor upon her. There was nothing in her that was worthy of it, just like you and I. And I love how Chuck Swindoll or Charles Swindoll said it this way. He says, the greeting favored one is simply emphasizing that Mary was a recipient of God's unmerited favor.
00:09:02
Speaker
She was just a recipient of it, a pattern for other believers who would be the recipient of God's free grace.
00:09:12
Speaker
So the same favor that was bestowed upon Mary is bestowed upon anybody who believes and confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. Y'all hear me? There is nothing special. I know it sounds weird for me to say there's nothing special about Mary inherently. She is a broken, sinful woman just like you and I, but yet God chose her and she chose to be obedient to fulfilling God's command.
00:09:35
Speaker
So the takeaways from last week was was that was this question of where are you at today and how are you letting God use you? How are you letting God use you? Now granted, this encounter with Mary was an absolutely incredible and one of a kind account. There's only one Messiah that was born, right? And that was Jesus, this immaculate conception. However, you can't limit God on what He's wanting to do with you. The same God who used Mary is the same God who desires to use
The Announcement to Mary and Old Testament Prophecies
00:10:07
Speaker
each of you. So how are you gonna respond when He does place a calling on your life? Are you gonna be like Zechariah? When with looking at the call, are you gonna be like, man, God, this i'm too I'm too old. I'm i'm retired. I'm retired. Or I'm too young.
00:10:26
Speaker
I have no hair. I don't know. I wear glasses. I can't do that. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like what excuses are you going to try to make? Or are you going to be like Mary who in the moment when the message was given to her and the moment she did question, you remember that? She says, how is this possible? How is this possible that I will conceive when I am a virgin? But that wasn't out of the sense of doubting God's capabilities, but rather it was just addressing the here and now in that moment, right? But listen to how Gabriel responded to her in verse 35.
00:11:01
Speaker
and the angel will answer her the holy spirit will come upon you and the power the most high will overshadow you therefore the child to be born will be called holy the son of god So again, ah Gabriel was just addressing the nature by which God was going to use it, the avenue by which God was going to use it, the Holy Spirit. So again, when God calls you, are you going to be submissive and obedient as Mary was? Because there in verse 38 at the end of it, and Mary said this, she says, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.
00:11:36
Speaker
That word servant there is in the Greek, it's called doulas, right? It's not a, is that what it means is she's not being forced into servanthood. This isn't what we think of when we think of slavery, but rather this is a volunteering herself into the servanthood of for Christ. She's volunteering herself to go into the servanthood. So are you going to be willing to volunteer yourself to be used by the Lord? Because the reality is for anyone who's in Christ today, That's the expectation. If you truly surrendered your life to Christ, then you are making yourself ah willing and available for God to use you. And when you choose not to be used, that's a dangerous place to be. Right?
00:12:26
Speaker
So but today, though, we're going to look at the last two points. OK, so again, the first two points were the time of place. The second one was the recipient. Thirdly, we're going to be looking at the announcement, the announcement that Gabriel gives to Mary. All right. But before we do that, I'm going to stop it. I'm going to pray for us. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. So let me pray. Lord God, I pray that as we look at this next aspect of this passage that you will go before it. Lord, this is such an incredible announcement that Gabriel gives to Mary, one that this world will never see again because of who it was speaking to and the weight of by which the life that came. So Lord, I pray that you will open our hearts and our ears to what you have in store today. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
00:13:12
Speaker
So you guys, I'm gonna read to you guys verses 31 through 33 again, just because this is this is the climax of Gabriel's encounter with Mary, right? So let's go back to verse 30. It says, and the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Verse 31, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. And he will be great and will be called the son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David. Now, when y'all read this, I want y'all to be honest, when y'all read this these two verses, how does that make you feel?
00:14:01
Speaker
Because the reality is, is when we read these verses, we have a tendency of being like, oh, that's a really cool announcement, like Messiah is being born. But we totally get lost, and we totally lose the fact of how much Old Testament prophecy is being fulfilled in this moment.
00:14:19
Speaker
These verses here as Christians today, these are the verses that we find all of our hope, joy, peace, and everlasting comfort in and out of each season. And today, my goal is to unpack why.
Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecies
00:14:33
Speaker
Okay, and these two verses alone and then the rest of these verses as well. But verses 31, 33 specifically. Because again, as I said, the what we see here is Old Testament prophecies being fulfilled in this birth of Jesus being fulfilled and then ultimately one day will be fulfilled as a result of his birth. So let's look at these things. There's gonna be five of them I wanna pull out. So the first one is this in verses 26 and 27 and ultimately in verse 31.
00:15:02
Speaker
So go if you go back to verse 26 and 27, it says this, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel who sent from God to the city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. If you jump to verse 31, it says, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
00:15:28
Speaker
Jesus, right? This is an Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled from Isaiah 7 verse 14. Let me read this passage to you. Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive, embarrass son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. Y'all remember how long ah how far before Isaiah was written before the New Testament? About 700 years. That's a long time. That's a big window of time, right? And what we're seeing here is Isaiah chapter seven, verse 14, spoken that long ago, being fulfilled now in these verses with Mary, and ultimately with the birth of Christ. And also in Matthew chapter one, verses 22 and 23, this is the Lord speaking to Joseph in a dream about the things to come. He says this, right? And all of this took place to fulfill what the Lord has spoken by the prophet.
00:16:27
Speaker
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear his son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel. So again, not only in Luke, but also in Matthew, we see Isaiah chapter seven, verse 14, being fulfilled ah regarding the the birth of our Emmanuel to a woman who was a virgin. So again, when we read this, the power that's in these verses is not just men, Christmas, right? No, this is Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled, which means that the the the entirety of Scripture is coherent. Nothing within Scripture is out of place. You can trust the Old Testament just as much as you could trust the New Testament. Nothing should be taken out. The second thing that we see here is in verse 32.
00:17:18
Speaker
And it says here that he will be great and we be called the son of or sorry he will be called the son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father, David. And I'm gonna break this down into two different things. First, we see that he will be great and will be called the son of the Most High. And we see actually in both of these, the fulfillment of 2 Samuel chapter seven, verses 12 and 13. And for those of you guys who were in Sunday school a couple of weeks ago, we actually looked at this. this Old Testament prophecy, right? And it says this, when your days are fulfilled, this is talking about David, when your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
00:18:08
Speaker
So what we see in that passage, if y'all remember the Sunday school lesson, right, imminently, who is he talking, oh, who is this who iss this figure talking about? David's son, right? Solomon. But when it comes to the greater picture of being fulfilled from the line of David, it is talking about Jesus. It's talking about this right here. he will be He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High. And the Lord will give to him the throne of his father, David. So point two is that he will be great and be called the son of the Most High. That's the second thing I want us to see. And the third is that he will be given the throne of David, the throne of David. So we will not only see in the Second Samuel chapter seven, but we also see it in 2 Chronicles 22, 9, and 10.
00:18:59
Speaker
And we also see in Isaiah chapter nine, verses six and seven. Let me read these verses to you. For to us, a child is born. Does this sound familiar? To us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end. On the throne of David and his and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
00:19:36
Speaker
So again, what we see here, verse 32, that the Lord will give him the throne of David. We see it being fulfilled here in Isaiah, chapter nine, and then also in Jeremiah 23, verses five and six, where it says this, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, a righteous branch that shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called. The Lord is our righteousness.
00:20:15
Speaker
Absolutely incredible. We are seeing prophecy being fulfilled in these verses. In the next one, in verse 33, the fourth thing is that he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And if you guys remember the lineage, right? So all this started with a guy named Abram, who eventually became Abraham, right? And then through his son Isaac, this promise would be fulfilled, right? So Isaac had Jacob and Esau, right? But it was through Jacob that it would continue through the 12 tribes of Israel. who Jacob and Israel is the same person, right? Through the 12 tribes of Israel. And then from those 12 tribes of Israel comes this moment.
00:20:57
Speaker
And we see it in ah verse 33, where it says, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will, there will be no end. And this is the fulfillment of what we see of the star of Jacob at Numbers 24, 17. This is, and this is, if you go back to Numbers 24, it's an oracle of this non-Israelite prophet named Balaam, right? And when he says, I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. It shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth." Absolutely incredible. Are y'all getting goosebumps yet? Am I the only one? Like seriously, this is incredible.
Jesus' Everlasting Kingdom and Prophecies in Daniel
00:21:45
Speaker
And then you go on to the second half of verse 33, which would give us the fifth thing that I wanted us to see is that of His kingdom, there will be no end. And we see this being fulfilled back in the book of Daniel, which is the last time before Gabriel appears to Zechariah and Mary. It's the last time Gabriel appeared. He appeared to Daniel. But in Daniel chapter 2, verse 44, it says this. This is Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream And it says this, and in those days or in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall that shallt never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all the key all these kingdoms and bring to them an end, and it shall stand forever.
00:22:33
Speaker
talking about in those days, talking about now, Jesus's kingdom now. Daniel chapter 7 verse 13 to 14, this is the a vision that Daniel had of the Son of Man. He said, I saw in the night in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of Man and he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." And I could go on and on and on and on and on when it comes to the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, but we don't have time for that.
00:23:23
Speaker
Right? So, but this is just five things to pull out this one little passage that speaks to the reality of who Jesus is and what he is fulfilling and then one day will fulfill when it comes to him establishing his kingdom forevermore. And if that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will.
00:23:49
Speaker
Because the reality is, is that we have a God who set into motion this divine redemptive plan from the very beginning for all mankind, including you and I, so that way we can spend eternity with Him. But yet, oftentimes when we read His Scriptures, when we read through these things, we we look over it. Or we, I'm gonna say it, we get lazy and we don't look into it. See, God desires us to know Him, to know Him. And when we want to know Him, what does what does that mean? We have to study His Word. We have to study it. That's how you know something, right? We've used this illustration before when it comes to counterfeit money. When the when the guys, when they're those who study counterfeit money, where do they study? Do they study all the different variations of counterfeit money or do they study the original? They study the original so that way they know it inside and out.
00:24:45
Speaker
That when when they do see something counterfeit, they can they they stick out plain as day. So is that what we're doing? I'm not going to lie. I'm just as bad as you guys are at times. I don't study the word of God like I need to at times. But when I say at times, it's a lot of the times by being honest.
00:25:09
Speaker
But God desires us to know Him. and And that's why I get so excited about passages like this. Because as I study it, this is the humbling part for me as a pastor. And I'm sure Victor's the same way. As we study these passages, things like this come to light. And I'm like, oh, God, why did I not do this before? Right? Are you all with me on that? OK, we'll move on. I know you guys are tired of it. But this is an absolutely incredible announcement. And again, like I said, this is just a small glimpse of the process of the greater prophecies in scripture that i have been fulfilled through the birth of Christ and ultimately through his life. But with that said, though, bring this all back to this account with Mary.
Mary's Emotional Response to the Angel's Message
00:25:52
Speaker
Can you all imagine how Mary felt in this moment hearing these words?
00:25:59
Speaker
What about you guys? I'm not of Jewish descent, so I didn't grow up in Jewish culture and studying the Torah and studying the Old Testament prophets and things like that. Mary was. She was of that culture. She may not have been the most educated or she may not have gone to school, but she grew up hearing all the stories and the prophecies about this Messiah that would come to redeem their people, to bring them out of captivity, to bring them out of enslavement, to bring them into an everlasting kingdom. So she may not have been ah an incredibly educated woman, but at the same time, as a young woman who heard the stories, I can only imagine how her head was spinning at the sound of these words.
00:26:39
Speaker
Which is why I think she responded the way she did there in verse 34. But she was like, how is this possible? I'm just a virgin, right? Like, I don't blame her for asking that question. But listen again, listen to how the angel responded. He said, the angel answered her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born would be called Holy, the Son of God. And then he goes on in verse 36 and he reassures her of what God is fixing to do through her cousin Elizabeth and what he just did through Elizabeth, right? He says, to behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son
00:27:21
Speaker
And this is the sixth month with which she would be called, or sorry, the sixth month with her who was called barren, for nothing is impossible with God.
00:27:36
Speaker
So again, I can only imagine how Mary felt in this moment. But one thing is for sure is that in this moment, she had a peace that overcame her. to where she could faithfully walk forward knowing that God would be with her, that the Holy Spirit will be with her and guide her. Do you really think she understood the implications of what it meant to raise the Messiah as her son? Talk about all the mobs in the room. Can you imagine if your child was truly perfect? I know some of y'all think they are, but they're not.
00:28:18
Speaker
Right? I mean, i have ah I have a three-year-old daughter. She just turned three yesterday, and she is wild. She is not perfect. But can you imagine for Mary how that must have made her feel, being an imperfect woman raising the Son of God? That's intimidating. But she remained faithful and it led her to verse 38, right? And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word. And then the angel departed from her. So the the this the this is one will close on the implications for us out of this passage as believers.
00:28:58
Speaker
Because it's easy again to sit here and read through this passage and to study and be like, man, this is an incredible story. this is ah We know that Jesus is real. We know that he was born. but But really, how do you practically apply this to your own life today? Because again, we have a tendency of taking Mary and elevating her to a place that's untouchable. Right? We have a tendency of saying, man man, I can't be like Mary. There's no way. But the reality is, yes, you are. You're just like Mary. We are all just like Mary in the sense of that we are undeserving of God's unmerited favor. God chose to extend that grace, that favor to Mary to fulfill his good and perfect plan. And he desires to do that for you today.
00:29:44
Speaker
But here's the implications, y'all ready? One is this, God has a redemptive plan for all mankind.
God's Redemptive Plan Through Christ
00:29:50
Speaker
Can we agree with that? I sure hope you do, because if you don't believe it, then I really think that you should question whether or not you have a relationship with Jesus. Not to step on your toes, but I did. God has a redemptive plan for all mankind, and it is being fulfilled. It's been fulfilled through Christ, and it is still being fulfilled because Christ has not yet returned.
00:30:17
Speaker
And we see this in Luke chapter four, verse 18, it says, the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me, this is Jesus speaking, to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed. God has a redemptive plan and it is being fulfilled and has been fulfilled through Christ and has continued to be fulfilled today through the Holy Spirit in us and through us. take The second thing is that God uses people like you and I to bring about this redemptive plan. Christ came and did and fulfilled his part of the of the job. Jesus came with the perfect life, died a perfect death. He was buried and three days later he rose from the grave and then ascended back into the Father to prepare a place for us who are in Christ. He's done his part. Now it's time for the Holy Spirit to come in and use us. Amen? That's the church. That's the Great Commission.
00:31:18
Speaker
God's return to plan is fulfilled through the miraculous birth, life, death, and resurrection of his one and only son, Jesus, but his kingdom has not yet been fully established.
00:31:29
Speaker
Christ will return, and it is imminent. Shall I hear that? Christ will return, and his return is imminent. Now, okay, have you have anybody seen the chosen before? I'm kind of hesitant to refer to it, but there's a phrase in that in that sees in that series that Jesus likes to use as soon. Could you catch on to that? Soon is a very relative term, right? Soon could be the next five seconds, soon could be the next 10 years, soon could be the next one hundred years, thousand years, whatever. But the reality is that his return is imminent. But yet we do not know the time or day at which will happen as Mark 13, 32 through 33 says this, but concerning that day or that hour, not even the angels in heaven nor the son, but only the father, be on guard, keep awake for you do not know when the time will come.
00:32:23
Speaker
In other words, be on mission. In other words, live for Christ daily. Don't stop. This is a race of endurance for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. And we should not stop until we cross that finish line at 100%. Right?
00:32:49
Speaker
The next thing, and i say I've already hit on this, but God, until Christ does return, God desires His church to bring as many people into a relationship with Him as possible while we still have today.
00:33:03
Speaker
1 Peter 4, 7 through 11 says this, to the end of ah the end of all things is near. I'm gonna say that again, the end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and self-reminded for prayer. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining." Do I need to repeat that?
00:33:35
Speaker
Just as one has received a gift, use it to serve others as good stewards of the very grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God's words." I will repeat that one. If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God's words. If anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
00:34:06
Speaker
So, my question to us as we wrap up is this. I think this is the question I asked you guys last week. How are you gonna respond in light of this reality? How are you gonna respond in light of these truths of this passage about who Christ is and why he came? But ultimately, how God chooses to reveal his redemptive plan to people. Are you gonna be like Zechariah? Or like those who've gone before, like Jonah? who who was called by God and tried to flee from his presence like that's possible? Or are you gonna be like Mary? Are you gonna be able to stand before God and say, behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word. I pray that's all of our responses today. Because again,
00:35:01
Speaker
God's redemption plan is still at work. There are still many people out there who are lost who need the saving grace of Jesus. And he desires his church, you and I, not this building, but the people to go out to be the hands and feet to share this good news. I think about all those Pineco staff, not to call you all out again, but all those Pineco staff who are out there week after week over the summer sharing the good news to those students. I know, are y'all tired? if you're lying If you say no, you're lying. But they're out there week after week, right? But it shouldn't just be a seasonal thing. My prayer for them is that they'll go back and continue this same heartbeat to those in their school. That we as a church will continue in the same heartbeat as them to go and to share the good news. Because Christ has come.
00:35:57
Speaker
Christ has come through the life and and through this through this birth of Mary, right? Or through the birth of Mary with Jesus. Christ has come and He has fulfilled His part of the plan and He is sitting at right hand of the Father right now, but He is coming back.
00:36:16
Speaker
And what a sad day it would be for Him to return without us giving everything we have to bring those who are lost back into His kingdom.
00:36:24
Speaker
So that's my charge for us today. So I'm gonna ask the musicians to come. and i go to As we go to this time of invitation, really, I just want this time to be for you guys. I want this time to be a time where you guys go before the Lord and just pray that He will reveal the areas in your life that you have not submitted to Him. For some of you in this room, you've never surrendered your life to Christ. And if that's you, I pray that you'll do that today. You can come down and talk to me. I would love to have that conversation with you. If not today, let's plan a time. Let's go get coffee. We can have conversation. Because the reality is that surrendering your life to Christ is the hardest and the most significant thing that you'll ever do in this life. And you do not need to take it lightly.
00:37:08
Speaker
But for the rest of us, you have already turned our life to Christ. I pray that we will be the hands of you that he's called us to be, that we'll be just like Mary and say, here am I, Lord, right? That's Isaiah. But Mary says, I will do what you have me to do. You got to pray with me. Father, we come before you, Lord, and we just thank you so much for your word. And with this, for the example and the testimony of both zechari Zechariah and Elizabeth, and also of Mary, and I pray, Father, that we will learn from them. But Lord, we just I pray that as believers in Jesus, this is my prayer right now, that we'll be students of your word. Lord, that we'll allow your word to penetrate to our heart and our lives, to where everything that we do in and out of season is c centered upon it. That we'll be seasoned like salt. That we'll be a city on a hill that can not be hidden for the good news of the of Jesus.
00:38:03
Speaker
And so Lord, I pray that there's anyone here today who's never surrendered life to Christ, to Jesus, Father, they will do that today. But Lord, if there's any believer in here though who is feel like they're on a wayward path, or they they just have a hard time surrendering something, Lord, I'm right there with them. I pray that we'll surrender that to you today, right now, ah we'll do the work that surrender to you and allow you to work in our lives. But Lord, we love you, we praise you, we thank you so much for the way you first loved us. In Jesus Christ's name we pray, amen.
00:38:39
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church, located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.