Sermon Central
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Initiating The Turn-5(2023)
Contributed by Byron Sherman on Oct 24, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: 5 of 12. Luke informed his audience of the initial steps that God took to turn His people toward Himself. God began the process of turning of His people toward Himself. But what principles does God use to begin turning people toward Himself? In Initiating the Turn, God uses...
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‘INITIATING The TURN’-V—Luke 1:13a(:5-25)
Attention:
Our youngest son, has always been sport’s minded. In high school he played football, threw shot-put, dabbled in wrestling, & played rugby in college.
‘Game day’ is very different for ‘throwing shot-put’ than it is for ‘football.’ In shot-put, there IS an ‘overall’ team effort. However, there is no team involvement other than encouragement. The effort is centered on the ability of the individual thrower. He literally gets ‘one shot’ to get it right, & beat the other individual’s throw.
His participation for the team is expected. He is expected to honor the school team when it is ‘his turn.’
He trains constantly. He anticipates his opportunity.
He has only 60-seconds to throw one shot.
And he has only three overall rotations, to put his absolute best ‘on-the-line’ with one throw in each rotation.
No one else can throw for him. No teammate can ‘take up the slack.’ The stress is intense & palpable. Because if he fails, it is solely upon him as an individual. If he has a ‘bad day’, it’s on him alone. If he has a great day, he gets the recognition by others!
He must not only be prepared, BUT he must also ‘put’ the ‘shot’ at the appropriate time & in the appropriate manner.
*Preparation is useless without ‘INITIATING’ the necessary process!
Likewise, God accomplished the promised ‘turning of people’ to Himself, by INITIATING the actions that were necessary to bring about mankind’s eventual salvation & glorification in Christ Jesus(Eph. 1:6-8, 13-14; Rom. 8:17-21, 30; Heb. 2:9).
*The title of this sermon ‘turns’ on Lk. 1:16-17. ‘INITIATING The TURN’-V—Luke 1:13a-??(:5-25)
Need:
Everybody has a need to have an unchanging & eternally lasting peace, certainty, & confidence in their lives...which anyone CAN have...IF...
...IF a person is willing to TURN to God, by unconditionally trusting the Christ of God, Jesus of Nazareth.
Over 2000 years ago, God ‘INITIATED’ that TURN toward Himself, thru a Jewish couple in Israel whose names were Zacharias & Elizabeth.
Luke informed his audience of the initial steps that God took to turn His people toward Himself.
God began the process of turning of His people toward Himself.
And we are answering the question...
...What principles does God use to begin turning people toward Himself?
12 principles God used to begin turning people toward Himself.
So far in Luke’s Gospel, we have found that:
In initiating the Turn to Himself, God uses...
1. RIGHTEOUS FAITHFULNESS(:5-7)
2. PRIVILEGED DUTY(:8-9)
3. CONCERTED & DUTIFUL PRAYER(:10)
4. HEALTHY FEAR(:11-12)
Today we’ll find that:
5—In Initiating the Turn to Himself, God also uses...
DIVINE COMFORT(:13a)
Explanation:(:13a)
:13a—“But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard;...”
“But the angel” counteracted “Zacharias’” “fear” by verbally assuring him that he had “no” need to “be afraid.”
The direct command from God to “Fear not” OR “Do not be afraid” appears over 100 times in Scripture!
In fact “Zacharias’” “fear” was ‘technically’ inappropriate, given that the angel’s appearance had come about in answer to “Zacharias’” own desire, that he had expressed thru “prayer.”
•It’s easy for us with 20/20 hindsight to criticize “Zacharias.”
“Zacharias’” “prayer”, ‘MAY’ HAVE BEEN very personal. That is, “Zacharias” ‘MAY’ have petitioned YHWH so that he & Elizabeth would have at least one child/son together, seeing as she was barren(:7).
•However, such a prayer request would have been odd, given that “Zacharias” considered himself to be “old” & his wife to be “well advanced in years”(:18), HOWEVER.....
However, it is MORE LIKELY, in light of “Zacharias’” current priestly duty of burning the incense in the temple(:9), that “Zacharias” was praying for God to bring about the fulfillment of His promise to Israel. IF that is the case, THEN “Zacharias’” “prayer”, was for God to bring about Israel’s salvation & restoration within the confines of the perfections of God’s righteousness & holiness(Jer. 23:5-6).
•An example of ‘praying for Israel’ is in Lk. 2:25, at Jesus’ being officiallly ‘presented to the Lord’, some 41 days after His birth(Lev. 12:2-4):
•Lk. 2:25—“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, & this man was just & devout, waiting for the Consolation[paraklhsiv] of Israel, & the Holy Spirit was upon him.”...
•Incidentally, “The Holy Spirit” is also known as the paraklhtov—the Counselor, or Consoler, or Comforter, or One who lovingly comes alongside another.
*God had INDEED ‘INITIATED’ “the consolation of Israel.” Israel’s salvation & restoration would come in righteousness & holiness. And it would be realized or arrive in it’s fullness, thru the ministry of John the Baptist, as his ministry would play directly into the ministry of Jesus the Son of God.
*Regardless of the exact nature of “Zacharias’” prayer, the angel comforted/‘consoled’ “Zacharias” by telling him “your prayer is heard.”
Knowing that your “prayer is heard” by God, is enough to strengthen your faith. It secures for the one that is praying, the expectation that God’s involvement brings His power ‘to’, ‘in’, & ‘over’ our circumstance.
