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The passage this morning is
Zachariah’s prophesy the coming of a Savior, a savior who would redeem his
people
Zachariah understood that all the old testament prophecies were coming true in
the arrival of the messiah, Jesus Christ
God's one and only son to planet earth
through the detail of Zachariah’s prophecy we can see that Jesus came to give
humanity a second chance
a second chance at life
and a second chance at eternal life
so as we look at the reality that God is a second chance giver
let's begin by opening up God's word
Luke one sixty seven three seventy nine
then his father Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy
praise the Lord the God of Israel because he has visited and redeem his
people
he has sent us a mighty savior from the royal line of his servant David just as
he promised through the holy prophets long ago
now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us
he has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant
the covenant He swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham
we have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear in
holiness and righteousness for as long as we live
and you my little son will be called the prophet of the most high
because you will prepare the way for the Lord
you will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their
sins because of God's tender mercy
because of that mercy the morning light from heaven is about to break
Upon us to give a light to those who Sit in darkness that in the shadow of
death
and to guide us
to the path
of peace
Thank you Ken Zachariah’s prophecy
is both about Jesus and then a portion is about
his very own son
if you came to the Christmas celebration you got
a great prep for today's message
the whole story about
Elizabeth and Zachariah
Two old people who could never have the child
An angel came and said guess what
you're up
It’s your turn
you're going to have a child
and Zachariah
turned and looked at his
wife and
well he laugh
be careful if you laugh at God
you're allowed to laugh with him
but be careful you might not be able to speak from that moment until the child
is born
that's a long time
God does the miraculous
it is a foreshadowing of the miracle
of his one and only son coming to this planet
Zachariah does an excellent job of describing
the job description
that Jesus will fulfill
when he comes to this planet
Zachariah says he will be the Lord the redeemer of his people
He will be a mighty savior
now we will have the opportunity to be saved
we will be rescued
Jesus will be an expression of God's tender mercy
He will come to give light to those who are in darkness
to guide us to the path
of peace
now how is Jesus to accomplish
all of these things
will Zachariah not only understands
who Jesus is and what his purpose was
in coming to this planet
but he also realized in this moment of
visionary prophecy that his
his son
would be John the Baptist
that he would be the messenger that would go before Jesus declaring
Jesus’ purpose on this planet
verse seventy seven
you will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins
that's why Jesus came
so that we could find salvation
we could enjoy a whole new way of living
and a different destiny
in our death
He came so that we would understand
the meaning and purpose that only Jesus can bring to our life
And Zachariah is very astute it comes though the forgiveness of our sin
now I think through this series of messages I’d convince you, you're at
least imperfect
you may not be a an out and out sinner but you're a lease
you're at least a little imperfect
God came to deal with that imperfection
He came to deal with
our failures and our faults
Our bad choices our mistakes
all of that is wrapped up in the word sin
that the Bible speaks about
God wants to forgive us and forgiveness
is primarily about repentance
I had to take a
medication this morning then I’ll never take it on a Sunday again
this giving me cotton mouth
In the worst way
repentance
that's what
that's what Peter talks about
Peter is
declaring the gospel and he wants to summarize it
And he quickly says
each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, there it is
we have to repent
and we have to turn to God we’re off in the wrong direction in life
doing our own thing
not really concerned about God’s agenda but we are very concerned about
our own agenda
and now all of that agenda is not
wrong
or bad
or sinful
but some of that agenda
is at least not the best for you as a human being
as someone created in the image of God
and we get focused in this direction and it is a very egocentric direction
I’m going to do what I want to do
Peter points out that it
that the repentance that Christ came to give us is really a turning around
the process
instead of looking to ourselves we look to God
now what I find interesting is that
will we always sin above the speed limit
and we always repent below the speed limit
We put a lot of
energy in
at sinning and doing our own thing and then when we repent now we are just out
for a walk
casual stroll
and when the scriptures talk about repentance
it is talking about that point in our life when we confess the fact
That we are imperfect
that we’re sinners
that we need some changing in our lives
and we turn around
and we make
the effort we can make
to move in a more positive direction
last week we talked about second Timothy three sixteen and seventeen that
God has given us his word
so that we would know where the right path lives
and to realize that we've gotten off the right path
and it will help us turnaround, correct ourselves
and get us back onto the very best path
now this repentance
is really about a rethinking of our attitude
that life really isn't about ultimately our agenda it's about God’s agenda and
those are not always mutually exclusive in fact I don't think there ever
mutually exclusive
there is many times there is a great overlap and terms of what we want to do and what
God wants us to do
but in the spiritual realm it is much more black and white
you're either living for yourself or your living for God
and that's the choice we have to make
and were able to make that choice because of Christmas
see God makes the first move towards us so that we can
take the second step towards Him
without Christ coming
without Christ’s
crucifixion without Christ’s resurrection
we would have no choice
we would have no hope
it's a rethinking of our attitudes isn't it interesting at Christmastime
we have a shift in our thinking
we take
the center stage away from ourselves and we actually began to think about others
more money and more gifts are
gathered up for the needy
marginalized the disadvantaged in our country
at Christmastime
why is that
because the Christmastime we take the focus off of ourselves
and we begin to look at other people
sharing what we have with other people
as we've been blessed we bless others
Our mind, our thinking
makes a shift at Christmas time, doesn't it?
and so does our behavior
it's a rethinking of our attitude
and it's a re-orienting of our life
and it's interesting at Christmas time we re-orient our lifestyle
we shift from the receiving mode into the giving mode
we need a little change at Christmastime for Christmas to go right, don’t we?
If everybody wants to get and nobody wants to give that would not be a very fun
Christmas would it
and we have this shift of lifestyle
we focus more on the giving than we do
about the getting
and when we're talking about the turning around that must take place
in our spiritual life that's what repentance is all about
don't think that you could repent
and not
Think some new thoughts
because you will need to think some new thoughts
there's new information for you to take and in terms of your intelligence
there's a change that happens in our lifestyle
isn't there
going in this direction by definition means were not going in the best
direction
it may very well mean that you're headed in the wrong direction
but at least you're headed in a less than best
direction
and we turn around and we not only think new things
but here's the hard part
we begin to live our lives differently
and that's a problem for some of us
the problem we face is a lifestyle issue
No, no, no I want to gather in in all the good and I am
Going to turn around and keep
living my own way? no
repentance is founded on the idea that we turnaround and we make an effort to
go in a Godly direction
now when we look at repentance don’t compare yourself to anyone else
if we gathered up everybody and we went out to the parking lot
and we decided to have a race who could run the fastest from one side of the
parking lot to the other
I can't tell yet I’d be in the back of it today
Some of us are faster than others that's why it's not about
comparing ourselves to someone else
because comparing ourselves to someone else gets a little discouraging
Doesn’t it?
I will never be as holy as they are
and that's not what this is all about
what Christmas is all about is
you being the very best that you can be
because we’re all different and God
only judges our perspective
he doesn't, thank God he does not grade on a curve
No, His desires that everyone
would believe, that everyone
would enjoy eternal life
A re-orientation
of our lifestyle, a rethinking
Of how we view life
and when we begin to get our arms around this changing process we realize wow if
we're going to have our needs met our spiritual needs met
then we're going to need to change
because facing this way our spiritual needs are definitely not being met
nor are some of our other needs
yes maybe some of our cravings
maybe some of our desires
but as we turn around now we are properly positioned
and Christmas gets us changing
Doesn’t it?
there's a little scrooge inside of all of us isn't there
And we fight that little fight with our inner scrooge to do what? to break out
to be gracious
to be loving
I buy a better present than they deserve
we change a little bit at Christmas we change for the good
and God wants to change us for the good
Matthew five three
God blesses those who realize their need for him
God knows
You need Him
if you notice when Jesus came to the planet
God didn't ask our permission did He
in fact he didn't ask anybody's permission
he came
he came so that
he could bless us
he came so that he could change us for the better
God knows we need him
the only question is do we realize
that we need him
See repentance and forgiveness is really about humility
and Solomon is right that
the humility brings wisdom to someone's life
and the wisdom that we need to have is to realize that
that the greatest gifted Christmastime is Jesus himself
and he offers himself to us as a free gift
it's free it's available to everyone
don't try to buy it you won't find it on the shelf except maybe
at the Bible bookstore
you can't buy it and
thank the Lord
we can earn it
it's not about what we do it's about what God has done for us
and that makes it a free gift
and that gift can only be received if we are humble about it if we think we have
it all together
well then we’re like a person with an arm load of gifts
We don’t have room for one more thing to be stacked onto the gifts that we have in
our arms
it often means setting aside some lesser things in life so that we can what
trade-up
the great message of Christmas is that we could trade up in life
that yes God wants to give us a fresh start and a new beginning
he wants to give us a second chance at life
now this becomes very confusing for
camera people
What do I do with him he is taking a drink
listen to what
Jesus says in Matthew
he said God blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
for they will be satisfied
how satisfied do you feel today as you come to worship
and then Jesus goes on, he says
seek the kingdom of God above all else
and he will give you everything that you need
We can trade-up
in life
and that trading up requires a repentance from us a realization a humble
realization
that we're not as satisfied as God intended us to be
that particularly when it comes to our spiritual needs
whatever we've been chasing spiritually is not meeting our needs
and we need to have our spiritual needs met and God is gracious
he not only gives us what we need
he gives us what we want from time to time as well
isn't that what our prayers are about most of the time
the idea that we have a need or someone has a need
and we’re looking to God to meet that the need
to satisfy that need
and God wants to satisfy us
he wants us to have our
our deeds particularly our spiritual needs met
and that means a change for us
how does
how does that change how would you describe that change
in Jesus Christ well, number one
it is a
it's a change of purpose
The Lord has made everything for his own purpose
were we really made for our own purpose or God’s purpose
well the Bible says that ultimately
you were placed on this planet to be in a relationship with God
even on this planet
you do not wait to have a relationship with God until you get to heaven
you were intended to have it in this life as well
and that means a different purpose
it simply means instead of living in our own selfish way in this world
we reorient
our thinking and our lifestyle
to please God
glorify God
it means realizing that the living of our life, let me ask you this question
why do you think you're here today
why do you think you're on this planet
is that really all about you
is a really all about me
Christmas reminds us that it's all about God
it's about not living for ourselves but living for God and carrying out his
purposes
and God has placed you in this pew this morning for a reason
you've come to this church because well
he's giving you a spiritual gift
and he's given you that spiritual gift so that you can give it to others around
you
Share it with those around you
lift those around you
he's got a purpose for you
in fact again were
as different
as different can be
and God has a different purpose a unique purpose for you
as well as a purpose for us as we gather together
and we don't live out that purpose when we're headed in this direction
we only carry out God's purpose when we're headed in his direction
in our life
it's also a different perspective
our eyes are taken off of ourselves
and put upon God
so whatever you eat or drink
or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God
I love that verse
Living for the glory of God is not
just about
what you do when you're at church
it's about what you do when you're at a party
when you're out your backyard when you're meeting with
the gardening group, the bowling group the golfing group
Each and every day is about bringing glory to God
about doing what he would have us do in our life
and that's a very different perspective
a different perspective you go to the Christmas tree on Christmas morning
and you have got to make choice
is your initial response what am I getting
or is your initial response
I wonder how they're going to like what I got them
and when we're little children we don't care about anybody else in the
house
but as we mature
we begin to realize that Christmas is not just all about us
that Christmas is really all about God
that all the gift-giving and tree trimming and all that celebration and
food
it's all what? to glory of God that's a very different perspective
and finally it's a different product
it does mean a at different lifestyle
Paul writes in Ephesians for we are God's
Masterpiece
he has created us anew in Christ Jesus
so that we can do the good things planned for us long ago
Wow, see long ago
God knew
that you would have the opportunity to turn around
that you would repent from your sins and that would create a new purpose and a
new perspective
that new perspective and that new purpose
will create a new product in your life
a better you
I hear all the time
about how people who follow God's word feel as though they're living out
a better way of life
and there is usually a stream full of people across my path
who also say you know if I could only do what the Bible tells me
to do
I know my life would be better
A young man came to my office a few weeks ago and
he was sent here by his father
he said you go down to talk to pastor Scott
he can answer your question
and of course
he was a bright kid and I had to field some pretty classic hard questions
and then as we got pass those questions he looked at me with great sincerity and
he said I’m tired of the way in my life is going
tired of it
looking for something new
something better
and it was easy for me to say
what you've got to do is repent
you know you need it
and then you have to head in God's direction
to the best of your ability
and when you do that this old product
that was so unfulfilling so damaging in your life
it'll be replaced by a sense of purpose
sense of meaning
A change in your ultimate destination
this only happens because God is truly a forgiving God
if we confess our sins to Him
he is faithful and just to forgive us
he forgives our sins and he will cleanses us from every wrongdoing
I love that about God
we're going in this direction
that's been costly to us
we turn around and head in his direction
he does not dog us like a little terrier
nipping at our heels
no
he didn't come into this world to condemn us
he came into this world to save us
to save us from ourselves
and when he forgives us
he wipes slate clean
we really don't believe that about God most of us do not
because we think God is like us
We will forgive but we don't forget
No, the Bible makes it clear that God
forgives him when he forgives he forgets
in fact he doesn’t
even clean the slate he gets a brand new slate out for us
he gives us that second chance
that we often pray about
that we know we need in life
it really is
John three sixteen isn’t it
God so loved the world that he sent His one
and only son
so that everyone could believe in him
and not perish
but have what?
eternal life
and as I mentioned last week eternal life starts now
you do not have to wait for heaven
It is already here in part
and it is a heavenly experience to receive God's
forgiveness
after confessing to him
our shortcomings
And repenting
in the best direction in life
Zachariah knew that this baby
born in a cave
would be the man who would die on the cross for our sins
the man who would resurrect and give us resurrection hope each every day
who wouldn't
who wouldn't want to repent
towards a God like this, let us pray
Lord all of us at Christmas time are a little bit of a mixed bag
a lot of life is going well but there are always those areas where we know we
we need to confess to you
and we need to not just
give it lip service but Lord
it should show up in our actions which is always the biggest challenge
aligning our
actions with our thinking
And so Lord today we want to offer
that area of our life to you
and we confess Lord that we've been living a very selfish life
in that area
we've been only
really thinking about ourselves and our own cravings and are own
well good
Lord you give us a perspective
you give us a purpose and you change the product
and Lord help us to experience that better you that you came to this planet
give us
Lord in our confession that we need you
help us to feel your presence and your power as we repent
and head in the better direction your direction
Lord we are thankful for the season that
that gives us this opportunity once again
to openly and honestly evaluate what it means to have Jesus come to our life
what it means to have you be
our savior the leader of our life
what it means for you to be the Lord of our life each and every day each and
every step
Lord thank you for that great reality thank you for being
the greatest gift ever given Amen.