In the beginning
Good afternoon everyone. Roshan was telling me that the with the same force that I gave the announcement about Christmas I should've done it about Sunday so that more people would've seen the need to attempt. Instead of the main discouraged by it that I am I'm actually very thankful that you all found it within your hearts to realize what God has done for you and the need to come to church I pray that God would bless you abundantly and I pray that you would help me in reaching out to those families who don't see the need of coming to church after any church event it's a serious problem and it's one we need to address as a church I is that sin cannot do it on my own people will only listen to me for short amount of time because it only known me for a short amount of time you've all live next to these families for many years you were witnessed your encouragement I believe is is as powerful as mine would be some asking you very humbly I need your help to make sure that we have more people attending each and every Sunday shall return to the Gospel of John chapter 1 verses one John's gospel is by far my favorite gospel and I I really like Matthew Mark Luke and John the something very different about John's the way that he writes it it it's of a different level he has a different style he is a different angle different point of view when he writes whereas Matthew Mark and Luke they write from more the historical angle and they tell you the exact it offends John actually wrote this gospel much later it's believe that around 90 to 100 A.D. is when this book was and down to this a lot of time for reflection is a lot of time for the words of Christ to develop into coherent thoughts within his heart and those thoughts are being now presented to us for our edification and we read this passage it's sometimes easy to to gloss over the beauty that there just in that first verse in the beginning was the word diving in order to appreciate true genius we need to know a little bit of the background and member when we were growing up were in our elementary science classes we had heard in Einstein's famous equation E = MC squared and him and we knew that Einstein is a genius and whatever that equation meant it was really something but it wasn't until we went on to study physics and we learn about quantum mechanics only understood what this actually is quite impressive that something so profound could be is summated in this simple three variable equation and the beauty of that can only understood when we get a little bit of the background if we take a step back and retrace his steps so we should do the same for John one John says in the beginning was the word we the know what does the term word means the original years of John wrote to Greeks and he wrote to Jews that we look at the Greeks this term word in Greek logos logos meant something very significant him and the reason him and will him and logic and it was something that they all admire all Greeks looked up to this logos I was is reviewing a book that on philosophy if anyone is in the philosophy all recommend for you a fantastic book for cartoons looking at philosophy that will because of the cartoon pictures of May makes more sense to me a but it's also pretty deep and so in that is this a character who I remember faintly studying about when I took my introduction to philosophy class years back Heraclitus advises known for us you philosophical ideas one of them is if you studied philosophy is you never step into the same river twice meaning no matter what as soon as you take your foot out and put it back in it's not quite the same river it slightly different because the water is constantly flowing and so he had this idea change and change is always there and then he believe that there is some power beyond this change that's able to direct and die each and every change so that it appears in a very logical and coherent way and he called that power logos later on in this just to give you a sense of the timeline this is really the he lived in 470 BC so around the time of prophet Nehemiah and as run when the Israelites are coming back after Babylonian captivity in the coming back to Jerusalem the want to rebuild the Temple you have a Greek who is coming up with these kinds of philosophical ideas of the logos this logos that governs everything that hides everything that somehow behind the scenes it's not personal but still real later on Plato picked up on this idea Plato believed that logos is the basis for the notion of all laws of nature to he was under the assumption that because there is such a thing as logos this the reason this will this power when able to actually look and make sense of nature were able to understand with some sort of without any ambiguity and were able to understand and study what goes on around us because of logos you fast-forward to the time when this was written the philosophical the philosophers of the day would all say that God is the equivalent of God would be this logos everyone understood that at the time and so what John did it he said yes this logos this will this reasoning is logic that you speak of he was a a with God and he is God and it was very that part of it wasn't so profound for the Greeks I would say because okay they understood this is an ultimate being but then when you get to verse 14 and he says that idea that you all aspired to know more about became flesh and lived among us and suddenly now the Greek years apart and now they're little bit curious is the logic of this the of philosophical idea that we had focus so much attention on your saying it's a person yes John's millets take a sidestep and look at the Jews what was the Jewish understanding of this term logos will definitely when we read this book when it starts it starts out in the beginning in the beginning the way that it's written in Greek is the exact translation of the Hebrew in the beginning that we find in Genesis in the beginning metal sheath and the Jewish people would have known it right away because I like us they name the books of the Bible according to the first words of the book so unlike our Genesis they called it in the beginning so they went immediately understood John is saying something very significant when he starts his book the exact same way that Genesis starts so the heat Hebrews by listening intently what you have to say John and he says in the beginning was the word with a know what this word is for them logos in Hebrew was the but how did God create the world when we look at Genesis chapter 1 he spoke he spoke forth let there be light and light came into being by the very word of his mouth he was able to create a for the Jewish people this guy Bob this logos was so important because this is the creative power of God this is the stuff that makes reality know why that's so important for the Jew it's so important for the Jew because when you look at their history this is something we don't study enough when you look at their history a promise was given to Abraham his son finally makes it to the promised land and suddenly there's a famine they migrate to Egypt and ever since then it went downhill the Egyptians enslaved them finally they get make their way back in they develop their own nation and the Philistines constantly harassing them then later on we have the Babylonians who come in and pull away the best and the brightest which is where we get Daniel and me shack and said I can Abednego those of the best and the brightest been taken away into Babylon and that really hurts the Jewish national sentiment after some time they were allowed to come back because the Persians had taken over in the Persians declared everyone goes back: Persians continued to dominate the scene finally has an empire started to wane then we have the Greeks then we have the Romans and that's where we find ourselves now throughout the course of the history the was only a brief moment in time when they were free for them this.Bob was so important because they needed that creative power of God to bring about a restoration for them so when John was getting a gospel something new the good news and he starts out like Genesis and he says that creative power was with God and that creative power is God he then goes on to say in verse 14 that creative power that is able to bring light out of darkness became a human and him walk right next to you and you live and breathe just like you live in Greek it's so beautiful when we look back even David understood this David and his Psalm 51 how does he expect a new heart to come about he says create in me a clean heart the word that he uses for create is the same word that's used in Genesis it the kind of creating that only God can do David understood that what if not for the creative power of God and his life his heart would never be clean he would never experience grace of forgiveness and restoration the Hebrews long for that century after century of being under low-pressure and John tells them this good news that creative power is a lie that creative power preach to us in touch that healed us we've experienced in earnest the brilliance of John is that he is able to speak to two different cultures using that one word logos and he is able to explain to them that Christ is the one that you are looking for Paul later on did it when he was speaking in Athens on Mars Hill he said to the I looked around or sitting I see that you're very religious people and you have a number of God is everywhere and there's one God that you have it says the unknown God and I'm here to tell you that unknown God you do not know is Christ focus on him worship you Christmas is meant to remind us that Christ is the answer that we are searching for a we have to apply this passage to our context in order really get the fullness of it in those days it was really important to the Greeks that they understand logic and reason and it was really wouldn't to the Jews that they experience that creative power what does this world needs today this is where we come into play this is where God has gifted us with the ability to think and we have to figure out what does this world desperately yearn for I would say yearns for love I was just reading an article that was posted on Facebook today in San people homeless people died because of cold in the richest part of this country in the Bay Area where is the love that this world seeks can we say like John can we be as humble was brilliant whichever way you want to save and say in the beginning was love that love that you seek after it was very the beginning with God it is God and that love came down to earth and his name is Jesus seek after him and you will find love and put it into another context piece how many people are looking for peace I'm not talking just about peace between governments piece in our homes these in the workplace can we tell people in the beginning was piece and pieces with God piece was God in that piece that you search for is Jesus Christ the beauty of Christmas is that we are reminded that he is this ultimate answer he is a thing that every heart searches for John put it in the context of the Greeks and the Jews it is our responsibility to put it in the context of this day and age there is a Scottish evangelist named Gypsy Smith the fund name he said that there are five Gospels Matthew Mark Luke John and you but most people will never read the first four Gospels can we be like John can we declare to the world what this world so desperately needs instead of coming for and I I don't say this to criticize you because you all are here but to the to critique our church instead of coming for a service a Christmas Carol service and him and not showing up to thank and praise him on Sunday what does that say about what we are searching for if we have not found Christ and it makes sense that it's the way it is now but if we have experienced him and I know we have if we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good then we must we must declare like John in new words for this culture to understand that what we seek came to us not in in any way that you would ever expect it in the lowest of the it came in a manger where there was no room for him and he grew just like anyone of us and he was tempted to psych anyone of us and out of love for us we went to the cross and died for us and because of his and that because of his giving up of himself for us we breeze we breathe not only physical ever we breathed spiritual life and that is what the world needs to know when the good Lord give us the courage that it takes for the good Lord give us the wisdom that it takes to be the fifth gospel that this world needs to hear some of the world could understand what is Christmas.WatchNotesDownloadDateTitle
- Dec 22, 2013In the beginning
In the beginning
Good afternoon everyone. Roshan was telling me that the with the same force that I gave the announcement about Christmas I should've done it about Sunday so that more people would've seen the need to attempt. Instead of the main discouraged by it that I am I'm actually very thankful that you all found it within your hearts to realize what God has done for you and the need to come to church I pray that God would bless you abundantly and I pray that you would help me in reaching out to those families who don't see the need of coming to church after any church event it's a serious problem and it's one we need to address as a church I is that sin cannot do it on my own people will only listen to me for short amount of time because it only known me for a short amount of time you've all live next to these families for many years you were witnessed your encouragement I believe is is as powerful as mine would be some asking you very humbly I need your help to make sure that we have more people attending each and every Sunday shall return to the Gospel of John chapter 1 verses one John's gospel is by far my favorite gospel and I I really like Matthew Mark Luke and John the something very different about John's the way that he writes it it it's of a different level he has a different style he is a different angle different point of view when he writes whereas Matthew Mark and Luke they write from more the historical angle and they tell you the exact it offends John actually wrote this gospel much later it's believe that around 90 to 100 A.D. is when this book was and down to this a lot of time for reflection is a lot of time for the words of Christ to develop into coherent thoughts within his heart and those thoughts are being now presented to us for our edification and we read this passage it's sometimes easy to to gloss over the beauty that there just in that first verse in the beginning was the word diving in order to appreciate true genius we need to know a little bit of the background and member when we were growing up were in our elementary science classes we had heard in Einstein's famous equation E = MC squared and him and we knew that Einstein is a genius and whatever that equation meant it was really something but it wasn't until we went on to study physics and we learn about quantum mechanics only understood what this actually is quite impressive that something so profound could be is summated in this simple three variable equation and the beauty of that can only understood when we get a little bit of the background if we take a step back and retrace his steps so we should do the same for John one John says in the beginning was the word we the know what does the term word means the original years of John wrote to Greeks and he wrote to Jews that we look at the Greeks this term word in Greek logos logos meant something very significant him and the reason him and will him and logic and it was something that they all admire all Greeks looked up to this logos I was is reviewing a book that on philosophy if anyone is in the philosophy all recommend for you a fantastic book for cartoons looking at philosophy that will because of the cartoon pictures of May makes more sense to me a but it's also pretty deep and so in that is this a character who I remember faintly studying about when I took my introduction to philosophy class years back Heraclitus advises known for us you philosophical ideas one of them is if you studied philosophy is you never step into the same river twice meaning no matter what as soon as you take your foot out and put it back in it's not quite the same river it slightly different because the water is constantly flowing and so he had this idea change and change is always there and then he believe that there is some power beyond this change that's able to direct and die each and every change so that it appears in a very logical and coherent way and he called that power logos later on in this just to give you a sense of the timeline this is really the he lived in 470 BC so around the time of prophet Nehemiah and as run when the Israelites are coming back after Babylonian captivity in the coming back to Jerusalem the want to rebuild the Temple you have a Greek who is coming up with these kinds of philosophical ideas of the logos this logos that governs everything that hides everything that somehow behind the scenes it's not personal but still real later on Plato picked up on this idea Plato believed that logos is the basis for the notion of all laws of nature to he was under the assumption that because there is such a thing as logos this the reason this will this power when able to actually look and make sense of nature were able to understand with some sort of without any ambiguity and were able to understand and study what goes on around us because of logos you fast-forward to the time when this was written the philosophical the philosophers of the day would all say that God is the equivalent of God would be this logos everyone understood that at the time and so what John did it he said yes this logos this will this reasoning is logic that you speak of he was a a with God and he is God and it was very that part of it wasn't so profound for the Greeks I would say because okay they understood this is an ultimate being but then when you get to verse 14 and he says that idea that you all aspired to know more about became flesh and lived among us and suddenly now the Greek years apart and now they're little bit curious is the logic of this the of philosophical idea that we had focus so much attention on your saying it's a person yes John's millets take a sidestep and look at the Jews what was the Jewish understanding of this term logos will definitely when we read this book when it starts it starts out in the beginning in the beginning the way that it's written in Greek is the exact translation of the Hebrew in the beginning that we find in Genesis in the beginning metal sheath and the Jewish people would have known it right away because I like us they name the books of the Bible according to the first words of the book so unlike our Genesis they called it in the beginning so they went immediately understood John is saying something very significant when he starts his book the exact same way that Genesis starts so the heat Hebrews by listening intently what you have to say John and he says in the beginning was the word with a know what this word is for them logos in Hebrew was the but how did God create the world when we look at Genesis chapter 1 he spoke he spoke forth let there be light and light came into being by the very word of his mouth he was able to create a for the Jewish people this guy Bob this logos was so important because this is the creative power of God this is the stuff that makes reality know why that's so important for the Jew it's so important for the Jew because when you look at their history this is something we don't study enough when you look at their history a promise was given to Abraham his son finally makes it to the promised land and suddenly there's a famine they migrate to Egypt and ever since then it went downhill the Egyptians enslaved them finally they get make their way back in they develop their own nation and the Philistines constantly harassing them then later on we have the Babylonians who come in and pull away the best and the brightest which is where we get Daniel and me shack and said I can Abednego those of the best and the brightest been taken away into Babylon and that really hurts the Jewish national sentiment after some time they were allowed to come back because the Persians had taken over in the Persians declared everyone goes back: Persians continued to dominate the scene finally has an empire started to wane then we have the Greeks then we have the Romans and that's where we find ourselves now throughout the course of the history the was only a brief moment in time when they were free for them this.Bob was so important because they needed that creative power of God to bring about a restoration for them so when John was getting a gospel something new the good news and he starts out like Genesis and he says that creative power was with God and that creative power is God he then goes on to say in verse 14 that creative power that is able to bring light out of darkness became a human and him walk right next to you and you live and breathe just like you live in Greek it's so beautiful when we look back even David understood this David and his Psalm 51 how does he expect a new heart to come about he says create in me a clean heart the word that he uses for create is the same word that's used in Genesis it the kind of creating that only God can do David understood that what if not for the creative power of God and his life his heart would never be clean he would never experience grace of forgiveness and restoration the Hebrews long for that century after century of being under low-pressure and John tells them this good news that creative power is a lie that creative power preach to us in touch that healed us we've experienced in earnest the brilliance of John is that he is able to speak to two different cultures using that one word logos and he is able to explain to them that Christ is the one that you are looking for Paul later on did it when he was speaking in Athens on Mars Hill he said to the I looked around or sitting I see that you're very religious people and you have a number of God is everywhere and there's one God that you have it says the unknown God and I'm here to tell you that unknown God you do not know is Christ focus on him worship you Christmas is meant to remind us that Christ is the answer that we are searching for a we have to apply this passage to our context in order really get the fullness of it in those days it was really important to the Greeks that they understand logic and reason and it was really wouldn't to the Jews that they experience that creative power what does this world needs today this is where we come into play this is where God has gifted us with the ability to think and we have to figure out what does this world desperately yearn for I would say yearns for love I was just reading an article that was posted on Facebook today in San people homeless people died because of cold in the richest part of this country in the Bay Area where is the love that this world seeks can we say like John can we be as humble was brilliant whichever way you want to save and say in the beginning was love that love that you seek after it was very the beginning with God it is God and that love came down to earth and his name is Jesus seek after him and you will find love and put it into another context piece how many people are looking for peace I'm not talking just about peace between governments piece in our homes these in the workplace can we tell people in the beginning was piece and pieces with God piece was God in that piece that you search for is Jesus Christ the beauty of Christmas is that we are reminded that he is this ultimate answer he is a thing that every heart searches for John put it in the context of the Greeks and the Jews it is our responsibility to put it in the context of this day and age there is a Scottish evangelist named Gypsy Smith the fund name he said that there are five Gospels Matthew Mark Luke John and you but most people will never read the first four Gospels can we be like John can we declare to the world what this world so desperately needs instead of coming for and I I don't say this to criticize you because you all are here but to the to critique our church instead of coming for a service a Christmas Carol service and him and not showing up to thank and praise him on Sunday what does that say about what we are searching for if we have not found Christ and it makes sense that it's the way it is now but if we have experienced him and I know we have if we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good then we must we must declare like John in new words for this culture to understand that what we seek came to us not in in any way that you would ever expect it in the lowest of the it came in a manger where there was no room for him and he grew just like anyone of us and he was tempted to psych anyone of us and out of love for us we went to the cross and died for us and because of his and that because of his giving up of himself for us we breeze we breathe not only physical ever we breathed spiritual life and that is what the world needs to know when the good Lord give us the courage that it takes for the good Lord give us the wisdom that it takes to be the fifth gospel that this world needs to hear some of the world could understand what is Christmas. - Dec 8, 2013Growing in Grace
Growing in Grace
Good afternoon! today's the gospel passage is taken from Luke chapter 1 verse 57 to 66 Luke's gospel chapter 1 verses 57 to 66 was is a very familiar passage as I've said before every week in this Advent season we read a little bit from this chapter from Luke from Luke chapter 1 next week we will take a step back and will see what the angel had to say to Joseph before he found that's when he found out that Mary was pregnant and after that we will change tracks and will look at something slightly more theological to be John's gospel chapter 1 that the Sunday before Christmas and then of course will come back to Luke for Christmas they when we look at this passage one of those is a bunch of characters that we have grown up with the names it we've heard for so often Zechariah Elizabeth and John of the main three characters in the story that I I'm pretty sure that you all know the names especially in the Old Testament names had a meaning that nowadays it's not so much the case but back then when the given name it it happened meaning in that meaning was very important is very critical that you would live up to the meaning of that name does anyone know what the meaning of Zechariah is the God remembers say that was once a this God remembers very good. Comes from two words from the Hebrew word for this saccade and then the first part of Yahweh's name Yost of the new put Zach yeah that's how God remembers that's that is a nice name the know that God never forgets to know that he remembers Elizabeth does anyone know what Elizabeth name means is a little trickier we have very good very good God is my oath door or or my oath is God for God is my promise they could be seen in different ways perhaps that's also very nice name and if you look at their lives a it it actually makes sense after so many years of not having a child finally God reminds them that I have not forgotten you and so Zechariah's name actually is truth in his life and the thing that God had promised them that they would have a child in old-age and Elizabeth believed it NPC believe that I believe partly because her name was that so she had to believe that's who she is she's a person who wants to believe that God will fulfill his promises a what is John me God is God's gift God's gift or God is gracious correct and him he will in him Greek it's a little different the way it's pronounced it son John Greek for some reason when we take these Hebrew names and Greek name is and we bring them in the English language and him and somehow butchered John is actually I have given to double-click it to are you on this that's that's John actually Greek units that Yanez means God is gracious is gracious so if John's name means God is gracious what that looked like how will that be fulfilled or how can we read this passage and understand a little bit more about what grace looks like a first of all know you now you all know we all know just like Abraham and Sarah Elizabeth and Zechariah had to wait a long time before they finally were blessed with a child they can imagine how difficult it was for them in the Jewish community should be without child for so long many people within the community will be giving all sorts of tips if only you did this if only pray like this then you would've had a child they would've faced all kinds of nonsense advice and and and and on looks because people would automatically assume ODs is as a priest without a child he must be doing something evil and some people would look down on them even so is a very desperate sad situation that they were in out of that situation comes this wonderful gift of a child definitely we can say the children are a gift of God the thing is when we look in John's life is pans really didn't get to hold on to from the beginning Zechariah was told that your son is destined for great things your child is not going to be the one who always leans on you is not to be the one who stays at home and helps out he has big big things in store for him if we read later on in this chapter and verse 80 it says that John the Baptist was in the wilderness until he started his public ministry so from a very young age is quite likely that John the Baptist left home and entered into serious training spiritual training theological training Scriptural training whatever it may be that he was preparing himself for public ministry when we say God is gracious and he gives this gift of life what sense is it then to have this gift of life go off somewhere in be away from you for one beautiful thing that so contrary to the way that we think is this truth but in order to understand grace you have to realize grace is meant to be given away it's a very strange thing when we think of grace we think of getting something when Noorda understand what grace is about what it's intention is all for it's for the expansion it's always meant to be given out it was a bittersweet moment when I told my parents that you want to go for ministry aimlessly in the sense that yes they and are happy that I'm going to do this it's been in the sense that they know that I'll never get Christmas with them I'll probably never I get New Year's with them they'll have to come and see me and so I am in America and I'm not going to be in catalysts shifting around they know that I'm not can be as free as my brother would be who can just say a him taking these days often I'm going and they would just kind of vacation come down whenever they want to it son and of the where like my brother who gets to stay in one place and he gets this plant his roots into the ground gets to settle their offends knew that it's can be difficult to give him to that kind of a lifestyle it was better for them in that sense but now if you asked them there's no bitterness they they understand that grace is always meant to be let go of you don't hold on to it you don't stuff it in your pocket you give it out and then when you do you realize the beauty that this grace actually multiplies adding have said this story here before but that if you don't remember if you don't recall the say again when I was in order so we have had a one-month practical in order so when I was there in the mission field we would do we meaning the evangelist that would give Kathy to the kids candy and small cookies and I noticed something soon as they get the candy Saladin the pocket and I was recalling back to how it was in in Catalonia we have a VBS or when it's Christmastime in the Christmas father Santa Claus comes and goes Candia the same thing would happen kids would take the candy and seven in the pockets and what I've seen in Kellaway whenever they get a chance not all about kids but some of the kids they would take this candy go off somewhere where no one Cinnabon the them this art eating so when I saw this in the mission field that they're taking this candy or cooking putting in a pocket and I leaned over to the evangelist I said agate kids everywhere all the same we all can do the same things can keeping it for themselves and he looked puzzled and he looked at reason know that keeping it safe so that when they get home they can share with her brother and sister and and were talking about a tiny little hard can be they will break it they will crack it and share little bits and pieces with whoever's there in the family I felt horribly embarrassed for thinking that about those kids understood what grace means they knew that this chance to get this can be world cookie whatever it is it's not an opportunity for me to court but it's a chance for me to share when we read this passage we have to know that Zechariah and Elizabeth understood this wonderful gift of life that they had been given is meant to be given back for society is meant to be given back to the Lord in the Presbyterian Church some pastors will do this just before they do the baptism the asked a few questions publicly to the parents and one of the last questions is the toughest one last question is if in the course of time God calls your child to be with him will you let your child go what a difficult question how can you Hansen is very tough is very tough with all the blessings we have with the good clothes with a good car with the good homes that we have it's difficult to let go of that but unless we are able to let go of it we can't say that we understand grace grace is meant to be given just to emphasize that one step further to my post of first Peter chapter 4 verse 10 this is not some concept that I'm just kind of making up is not something that I'm reading into the text first Peter chapter 4 verse 10 is someone didn't read that out loud this is exactly what we said like good stewards of the manifold grace of God serve one another with what ever give each of you has received so a good steward of grace gives it out to others about the first thing that we can learn we can understand about John God is gracious humans what the second thing if we look at verse 3463 and 64 were 63 and 64 what do we read the asked for a writing tablet and wrote his name is John all of them were amazed immediately his mouth was open that his tongue was freed and he began to speak crazing God the other thing that we have to know about grace is that it's only after we a knowledge that this is God's grace can we be effective witnesses up until this point we know the Zechariah was mute was unable to speak he was unable to communicate properly in that state there's no way he could tell about the glories of God the people it was only after he you wrote down this phrase his name is God is gracious suddenly he can speak suddenly he has a witness again suddenly he's praising God do we realize that every talent that we have needs to be acknowledged as gods grace and by doing so we can be witnesses of God's good this is how can we witness unless we've experienced how can we experience unless we do what the psalmist says taste and see taste and see that the Lord is good finally he was able to express that God is gracious and went that and we went around him understood something about who God it's can we do the same we who have experienced so much grace are we acknowledging it as much as we should all be proclaiming God's goodness in our lives are we being witnesses like Zechariah was the third thing when we look at the Scriptures we look earlier on in verse 15 it says very clearly the angel said before he's born he will be what filled with the Holy Spirit even before birth is filled with the Holy Spirit, so still waiting for Steve before he was born already added now if we were in that situation if once we get to the age of understanding we are told Monnet I had an angel come and tell me that even before you were born you have the police are to me if our us when we be so happy when we think wow I'm set I done what more is there after that I had that's all the highest honor anyone could be told we don't find that sort of the stagnation happened in John's life is and say oh well thank you I'm done if we go further down to the last verse in the chapter not Lazarus and chapter and verse 80 it says that while he was in the desert he grew and he grew in the spirit that was constant grow we a have the grace of the Holy Spirit before he was born but he understood that grace is not a one-time event when we say God is gracious and him and with just that sentence coming to church two times a year because those our favorite Sundays isn't grace that's not how it's done do we know that it's meant to be growing in we know that it's meant to be developed we are just small and young children who are just finally experiencing this grace and now we have to grow winnings suggest like every day we eat food in order to grow every day we have to develop in that grace just like every day at least we we hope that we would exercise we should do the same thing in our spiritual lives John the Baptist whose very name means God is gracious understood that I have a great task ahead of me I must grow in it I must soak up the word I must study a mystery even get as much as I can of who this Christ is heated know Christ it not in this fullness but we do we have that opportunity in first Peter chapter 3 verse 18 it's the same concept Peter tells them but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are we growing a regrowing when we look at this passage we can see three things we can learn three things the name John means God is gracious grace is never meant to be ported grace is meant to be give can we give all that we have back to the Lord for the sake of others if you can do it don't worry it's quite likely that he will not ask you to do that but you need to be willing to do that's the difference just like Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac God did not take Isaac from him but that wheeling this shows something that shows our witness because once we have experienced grace remember to once we have experienced grace and acknowledge grace then only do we become effective witnesses and the third thing in order to realize the fullness of grace we must grow when it day by day minute by minute prayer) we should grow in that wonderful experience of grace from this passage may God teach us about this grace this grace that on the 25th we actually give it a new name Jesus in this Jesus came to be with us and he came to show us that grace is not some abstract concept grace is a person a person who wants to have a relationship with us and we growing that relationship can we share that relationship with his which he with others can we witness to the may the good Lord help us and strengthen us.
- Nov 17, 2013A God how knows us personally
A God how knows us personally
Good afternoon once we start the to read from Luke's gospel chapter 1 we know that Christmas times coming in soon today starts the first of a series of Sunday's relating to Luke's gospel chapter 1 after we get really close to the birth then we jump to Matthew and we read from Matthew and then we come back and we finished off with the actual birth of Jesus Christ of the church calendar set up in such a way that it's meant to build up anticipation and our eager hopefulness for the coming of that date so as we started a we don't look too far forward we just try and stick with what we have the passes that we have in front of us the Gospel according to Luke with Nasca sites requested who wrote the Gospel of Luke Lucas is a trick question only in the sense that I said it was a trick question infection not requested Luke Luke wrote it down Luke wrote this book and one other book do know what the other book is the Luke wrote acts this is the first part in a two part volume in a two-part series that Luke writes to a certain man named Theophilus we don't know much about this Theophilus we have some assumptions he has some ideas of who he might be but nonetheless this is most likely someone who has heard of Christ and now is receiving extra information so to confirm his faith in Christ the with that in mind Luke is writing this book to a person named Theophilus in order to strengthen his faith when we read it we should look at it at that angle first and then will have to look at it from our own context as well but we look at it from that angle one isn't that Luke is trying to teach a awfulness here what is he trying to convey what spiritual truths are trying to be is Luke trying to accentuate in these verses that I had it written here verses three and for which I did not read in the have and give you leveling guild started from verse 51 this is just so you all know that the book is written to Theophilus when we start off in verse five one thing that we can notice is that it says in the days of King Herod of Judea that we were not talking about long time ago in a land far far away this is knots the beginning of a fable was not the beginning of like a really cool children's story this is this history this is an actual event that happened during the time of King Henry and we know when Herod the great was in charge was in power we can go back and study and secular history books and find out that there was this the Pacific time where that took place so what not talking about philosophy not talking about ideas and ideologies were talking about real people in real situations in real life context so Theophilus needs to know something merciful unlike some people nowadays who feel like Christianity and its origins is something detached from regular normal lives Luke sets out from the very beginning to say this is something that happened just close by I C I thought there are witnesses who have accounted for its abuses firsthand information of what really took place so when you hear the stories that happened throughout this book know that this is not me making it up this is not me thinking back and kind of by imagining how it could've been this is real situations if you were to build a time machine and go back you would find a scruffy looking man would probably long hair while they didn't look all that great and people called Jesus they would find a character like that a real person like that here we have a surreal situation and where the real people who we are looking at is the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth and in verse six and seven it says that they were righteous before God living blameless sleep according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord but the first seven starts the word but but they had no children because Elizabeth was barren and both were getting on in years seen this is not Theophilus is not a story of how when you do a good you automatically blessed this is not that kind of story like that may sound familiar for for the Indian year it's not a story of, where as long as you do enough good you'll get it back at some point in time is not one of those kinds of stories this is a story about a man and a woman who would devote who followed God who did everything they were supposed to do but there was still something wrong they were fully satisfied it was something missing in their lives this is how the gospel begins and it's a beautiful thing the the gospel begins like this because it teaches us that sometimes it's not what we think it should look like know my that sometimes there are some years we've done everything right squeezed tight we've gone to church as often as we could we've attended the prayer meetings of the discipline in our family prayer in our personal prayer and still things just don't go the way that we thought it should go sometimes it's like that but the beauty of the beauty of starting the gospel story with this kind of a situation is it teaches Theophilus the you know what that's where it should begin it should began with a person who's try and he's failed because his mats can only go so far the gospel story begins when human merits and the gospel story starts when all other hope is finished we have a husband and a wife who are golden age who had been praying I'm sure they had been praying consistently with tears and year after year after year nothing not even a hint of an answer from Christ the from God until finally until finally while he had been selected to offer the incense the Angel comes in he speaks to him and when the Angel comes in speaks to him what happens there in verse 13 to 17 the Angel said that him do not be afraid Zechariah for your prayer has been heard your wife Elizabeth will bear you aside and you will name him John and it goes onwards to verse 13 attitude toward to it ends at verse 17 one thing that kind of ironic about the story does anyone know what Zechariah's name means Zechariah it means God remembers is more specifically it means Yahweh remembers so uses the proper name of God that was given in Exodus Yahweh remembers if that's your name if your name is that your God remembers and you've been praying year after here after year what you start to think about the situation a we find a husband and a wife who after years and years finally the moment they had been waiting for happened and the Angel comes and says your prayer is that heard the what you need to learn Theophilus what you need to understand from this part of the story is that God always hears your prayers he works alone in a timeline that you don't understand perhaps we need to know that what is impossible by human standards that's nothing for God he can make those things happen when you think that after years of not being able to have your prayer be fulfilled don't think for a second they got has forgotten you Theophilus whatever your prayer requests may be don't give up know that he will work the impossible in your life it is a difficult road and when we look at this devout man and wife we know the pain and misery they would've gone through even Jesus himself said in Matthew's Gospel you said that the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to salvation we all know that but when where in that situation can we hope against what the world tells us can we hope against what common sense may tell us that he's forgotten this and he no longer hears my senior in seminary is an XML room Jubilee Jacob which when I met him he was my first roommate in seminary is very passionate about the addiction is he learned and read everything and anything he could about alcoholism and about how to get people out of it and add some boy named people would joke about how passionate he was about this sort of ministry he would spend a lot of time on it his thesis that it of being on this topic and so when he was my roommate I asked him you know why is this new what's the reason why you're so passionate about this and he told me that his father was known by everyone to be the other drunk he would rarely show up to church and he was abusive he was violent at times it was a pathetic situation I tend after a chin after I to try to reach out to him and he never worked J sin and his younger brother and mother they for some reason because the grace of God to touch their lives frankly with they never gave up hope and they kept praying in the Praying but it was never easy my he told me that there would be a number of nights that he would he and his brother would go and sleep on the roof because his father when he is drunk can get up there to be them it was a pathetic situation pretty much everyone in the church assumed that there's no hope for this family but the beauty that we get from this passage. That we get from a family like that is that God can work miracles no matter what situation we find ourselves in we should never get to the point where we feel like this is how we start the Advent season and in anticipation that are great hope will one day be fulfilled when we go further on to verse 18 it's interesting to note how Zechariah responds to this wonderful news if you just heard in verse 18 he says how will I know that this is so Fryman old man and my wife is getting on in years when we look at that and we know what happens afterwards that the Angel understood that this is the question of a person who is losing his faith and so you reprimands him what kind of funny because later on in the story a year later on in this chapter Mary also has a similar question Mary's question how can this be since I'm a virgin will look at these two questions Zechariah's quest in the how well I know that this is so and Mary's question how can it be we have to distinguish written notice something space addle but very important Zechariah's question was a question not of that sought understanding with Zechariah's question was one that fundamentally could not accept what was being said he needed more proof in order to believe it. It's not that doubts are wrong that I've talked to is a design about this I've mentioned in other places too it's not that our doubts are evil or wrong it's how we present our doubts to Christ it's how we approach God with our doubts here we can only assume that Gabriel understood maybe from the inflection of his question of the look on his face that his question how can this be so was one of a person who sought more evidence how many times 20 times have we been in the dark moment of our lives and we struggle to believe that God works all things for the good of those who love and we struggle to believe that promise until and unless we get at one tiny me glimmer of light as long as I get that just that small little glimmer of light then I believe the rest God but that's not faith that's not how our relationship with God is supposed to work a really beautiful phrase that I've heard bad read from John or birds or birds book faith and doubt do not doubt in the dark what you have seen in the light Junot doubt in the dark would you have seen the light I can only imagine that as Luke writes this in no way the the the writing though the words between the lines go something like this Theophilus in your search for who Christ is don't push for more evidence than a humble open-heart needs Joan go beyond that trust him he has revealed certain truths to you already things that you had already been taught believing those things apply them in the midst of the darkness and let that hope flourished there let that faith guides you met it upholds you those three things that I kind of pulled out of this text that I think that Lucas teaching to Theophilus and to us and just so you know Theophilus it is a Greek name is a Greek name that comes from two words fail us an adult. Sorry Bayless and Phyllis fails means God and Phyllis means friend's friend of God who which one of us is not a friend of God so Paul so Luke says to Theophilus who says to us friends of God he says remember that even though a you are as righteous as you possibly can be used to need grace you still need to his divine intervention to overcome what is lacking in your life the second thing that we should learn is that we should trust him never doubts never will never for a second believe the lie that God is not able to work these things out in your life know that God works in the impossibilities of the human struggle and the impossibilities of the human situation in this passage have not even touched upon the bigger impossibility that's behind-the-scenes the impossibility of after 400 years this prophecy that was given to prophet Malachi the last verse of the Old Testament after 400 years and still not yet been fulfilled even in the midst of 400 years of human impossibilities God can do the impossible and in the final thing is never despair never never doubts what God has shown you in the light don't pass for more than what a humble heart needs and if you have don't despair repents and still pressing to him and by doing so I do believe that we can mentally prepare ourselves for this this time in the church calendar that Super Bowl of of all that we have in our whole year this is what it this is the beginning of it all of the details and propose Easter also without Christmas that there is at least it starts from somewhere so I pray that we would be able to reflect on these words but the words of Paul with the the words of Luke would not fall on deaf ears that we would be able to somehow and somewhere apply these to our own problems our own dark moments in our own minds with the good Lord bless us and guide us these words could ask one of you to please leaders in order for him and him think I actually finished story of what happened with Jovita Jacob Hutchens father he after years and years he finally did give up drinking and he became one of the most active members in his church the money that he was using towards buying alcohol he finally was able to use towards finishing the construction of his home that had been started when J was a small child I went there when I was in Canada and I spent time with them and you would never us expect that he had such a dark past and so it he was 100% supportive of his son when he decided to join ministry and I believe that same spirit that causes renewal in his life can cause that same when you will in our lives and the lives of our loved ones.