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Information about this sermon:
Preacher: Pastor Chuck Holiday
Scripture: Luke 1:5-20, 67-79
The incarnation turns our prayers into praise!
Transcript
[Music] thank you Spencer for leading us it’s just awesome having you here and uh I want to take just a few minutes you know God really put this on my heart this week it’s been deeply encouraging to me and I I hope it will be for you just a few minutes to think about how uh Jesus coming to Earth change the way we can pray and I know it doesn’t sound terribly exciting to you just as I say that but um you know if if if it if life ever is ever hard for you and if this year has been disappointing for you and and you’re still uh just waiting for the promise that you feel like God has given you and it hasn’t shown up yet I think this is going to be deeply encouraging for you you know and if if that’s not true you just don’t want enough I mean if if this has been a great year and you’ve got everything that you could have thought or hoped for you just don’t want enough and I want to ask you to to let yourself hope again uh maybe maybe there’s things that you hoped for decades ago that you’ve given up hoping for and that was the case with this couple that we’re going to talk about for just a minute you know ever since God promised to Eve that one of her descent descendants would crush the head of the serpent God’s people had been praying for God to send the one who would fulfill the promise who would defeat the evil one you know there’s an enemy in this world and he’s got a whole band of of of soldiers that fight with him against you and against your relationship with God they despise you because they despise him and it’s a real Warfare but God has not left us alone he’s given us weapon for that war and our primary weapon is to pray and uh there was a couple in Israel we didn’t read it this morning but I want to you know you know the story I want to read it briefly Zachariah and Elizabeth had been God’s people faithful serving God in praying for decades they were they were well advanced in years years and they had been praying for the Messiah as all faithful Israelites would pray but they were also praying that they would have their own baby and God had not seemed fit to answer that prayer and God waited so long to answer that prayer that they quit believing that it would ever happen and uh you know I don’t know about you but that’s been so true for me some of the biggest prayers that God has answered for me have been things I quit praying for because I just got so discouraged and so tired and in the pain of hoping got so intense I just quit caring has that ever happened to you that’s what happened to Zachariah and Elizabeth they had quit hoping it was too painful and then what happens the angel of the Lord shows up Luke chapter 1 this is um verse I’m just going to read selected verses here verse 11 then an angel of the Lord appeared to him standing at the right side of the altar of incense when Zachariah saw him he was startled and he was gripped with fear but the angel said to himo not be afraid Zachariah your prayer has been heard your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you are to give him the name John he will be a joy and a delight to you and many Will Rejoice because of his birth wow so Zachariah believed right away because this is what he’s been asking for for 70 years right no Verse 18 Zechariah asked the angel how can I be sure of this I’m an old man and my wife is well along in years the angel answered I am Gabriel I stand in the presence of God and I’ve been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news and now you will be silent not able to speak until the day this happens because you you did not believe my words which will come true at their proper time wow man that just grips me you know when does God show up for me it’s rarely in those moments of of intense prayer where I can just feel God giving me what he wants me to pray for and expecting it usually what follows that for me is a period of where I battled depression and I battle discouragement and my heart grows cold because I felt like God was going to do it it felt like he put that prayer in my heart and then bam nothing happened or most often something worse happened you know the hope that was barely alive felt like it got buried and then one day when I’ve quit praying and hoping God shows up and he does it I hope that’s encouraging to
you because you’re not the only one that’s the way it normally works because you know what even our prayers we would take as as something that we did you know we would claim the victory because of our faith and because of our boldness to storm the Gates of Heaven and because we prayed Faithfully well my friends that’s not the way it works God does not hear our prayers because you are faithful and you’re praying he hears your prayers because Jesus is a faithful Savior
okay they waited so long God waited so long to answer their prayer that they’d Stop Believing and God did it
anyway you know this is going to be real simple but I want you to hear this God still hears your prayers even when they’re discouraging even when they’re they’re poorly uttered even when you’re maybe sometimes even bitter and angry in your prayers God still hears your prayers God hears the prayers that you’ve stopped praying
do you believe
that but the other side of that is in verse 13 you know it’s clear that God does it because you prayed it said the angel said ver in verse 13 your prayers have been heard now this is one of the great Mysteries of the Christian Life my friends God does does it all your prayers don’t earn any of it but God doesn’t doesn’t do it without your prayers somehow he has bound his eternal purposes to the prayers of his people they’re they’re discouraged prayers a lot of times sometimes they’re prayers of great faith and boldness but often they’re they’re selfish prayers sometimes they’re misguided prayers a lot of times they’re they’re the the tired prayers that are barely uttered but God works through our prayer
so even if you’re tired even if you’re discouraged and today this morning I especially want you to think are there things that God has put on your heart to pray for decades ago that you have even forgotten about because it was just too painful to keep asking maybe God wants to resurrect some of those prayers for you this morning he’s done that for me maybe he’ll do that for you because that’s how God works it’s not the efficacy of your prayer it’s not the it’s not the righteousness of your prayer it’s not that you did it faithfully and you did it correctly and you used the right words no it’s it’s you came as you were you prayed as you could but God hears you because Jesus J is praying for you and Jesus is the perfect prayer and he’s seated at the right hand of God today praying your prayers even the pray prayers you forgot or or or got tired of praying or got too discouraged to pray Jesus is still praying now look at look at chapter one verse 68 I want you to see the how how this changes because God said not only are you going to have a baby which has been your dream and your prayer but your baby is going to announce the Messiah not only is John is your baby John the Baptist going to be born but his cousin is going to be the Messiah oh my goodness and and so what does Zechariah say when he hears this because he believes now because God has done it you know for him and so when Mary says hey guess what guys I’m pregnant too you know I don’t have a husband hband but I’m pregnant and God says this is the this is the one Zechariah believes it now so in in down in verse 68 stting in verse 67 his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied praise be to the Lord the god of Israel because he has come and has redeemed his people he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David as he said through his holy prophets of long ago salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us to show Mercy to our fathers and to remember His Holy Covenant the oath he swore to our fathers Abraham to rescue us from the hand of the enemies and to enable us to serve him without fear in Holiness and righteousness before him all our
days this is when prayer turns to praise this is when begging God turns to thank you God you know but but I want you to notice that when he when when God turns his begging prayers into praise and complete confidence the Messiah has not even been born
yet but a seed has been
planted the baby is growing in his mother’s womb and that’s all he needs he said okay he hasn’t saved us yet haven’t even seen him yet but he’s here it’s gonna happen it’s all GNA happen now because he’s
here this is what I loved about uh Spencer’s song I can see the promise I can see the future you’re the god of Seasons I’m just in the winter if all I know of harvest is that it’s worth my patience than if if you’re not done working God I’m not done waiting you can see my promise even in the winter because you’re the god of greatness even in a Manger for all I know of seasons is that you take your time you could have saved us in a second instead you sent a child this is what Zachariah understood okay he’s not even here yet we we can’t even see him but but the seed has been planted and the tree is going to grow
my friends we live in the New Covenant not the old Covenant but so many of our prayers are like the old Covenant prayers God will you please send them one day and God says no he’s here the seed has been planted not only is the seed been planted in his mother’s womb but but we’ve actually seen him born grow up and live a perfect righteous life die and innocent death for our sins resurrected back to life ascended to Heaven he sent the Holy Spirit whom he promised and is it all finished yet no no it’s not but the tree has been
planted Jesus said that’s the Kingdom of Heaven is like a tree it starts as a small seed but but it gets so big the branches fill the whole earth and my friends we live in the age of the the spirit we live in the age of the New Covenant Christ has come it’s all going to
happen notice notice I just just want you real quickly just see these two this verse in verse 68 zechariah’s prayer praise to you the Lord the god of Israel because he has come and has redeemed his people well had he redeemed his people yet well no Jesus wasn’t even born yet he didn’t die on the cross yet he wasn’t resurrected yet but he can speak in last tense God you already did it because he’s here he’s
here and my friends how much more so for us has he done it all no but he’s he’s here he’s come he’s reigning he’s resurrected as I love that line from Shane and Shane we’re fighting a battle that’s already won
how do we fight the battle in our prayers but we’re fighting a battle that’s already
won the kingdom has come my friends it’s not fulfilled yet but it’s come the King has come the kingdom has come Christ is reigning in heaven and so your prayers don’t need to be pathetic begging God please one day will you they can be God God I know you’re going to do it help me to be patient help me to wait now
truthfully Jesus has secured for you every blessing but it doesn’t always feel like it some of you have lost loved ones this year that you prayed would be healed some of you have lost jobs that you thought were your career some of you are still just in places of terrible confusion waiting for the mate you think God has promised or for the deliverance from a difficult relationship that you felt God had told you was going to happen I mean that’s life right but my friends and this is this is again this is true this is God’s word behind every no there is a bigger yes
in 2
Corinthians the Apostle Paul chapter 1 says but as surely as God is faithful our message to you is not yes and no for the Son of God Jesus Christ who was preached among you by me and Silas Timothy was not yes and no but in him it has always been yes for no matter how many promises God has made they are yes in Christ they are yes has God not answered some of your prayers as he said no to some of your prayers well truthfully he says no to a lot of my prayers do you believe that there’s a bigger yes
amen there is a blessing in the waiting the not Now does not mean
never that the day will come when everything sad will come untrue my friends if Jesus came died on the cross for our sins was resurrected is reigning in heaven and has said that all my promises are yes and amen then my friends it’s going to happen in Romans chapter 8 this is we’ll close with this but Romans chapter 8 for God promises that all things work together for good to those who love
God he says in verse
31 what shall we then say in response to this if God is for us who can be against us he who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things all things
and my friends just just in
closing how can that be how can God turn every sin in my life somehow to part of his plan that’s going to end up blessing me and blessing the world and bringing glory to him how can all my discouragement all of my failures all my unfaithfulness turn into a fulfillment of his faithful plan to bless his people for all eternity how can that happen because Paul says he did not spare his own son he can spare you of all the the curse you deserve my friends because he did not spare his own
son it’s not free it’s free to you and it’s free to me but Jesus paid for all the blessings that you and I get he who did not spare his only son has promised to work all things together for good for you God hears our prayers because Jesus lived a righteous life died an innocent death and is a faithful prayer and you get to pray in Jesus
name he who never sinned who died for sin who is raised to life has crushed the head of the
serpent Satan gets his licks in but he never ever gets to
win so the burdens you carry for your children for your grandchildren for your parents for your lost friends for your own health my friends all the promises of God are yes and
amen you’re in a season of winter some of us are in a season of winter but my friends it’s a season and the and the seed has been planted and the tree has grown and it’s going to keep growing until the day when it fills the whole all of Heaven and Earth with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea and we are part of the blessing now let’s pray
together father thank you for Jesus thank you for the promise thank you that you never forgot your promise even when we We the People your people got so dis tired and discouraged and we so Unfaithful you never forgot your promise thank you Lord that Jesus has come and in giving us Jesus you have given us everything Holy Spirit would you Revive Our Hope and our faith today believing that you’re good believing that you’ve done it all that we’re fighting a battle that’s already won come Lord Jesus come quickly do it
all in your name we pray Lord Jesus amen
[Music]
