THE POINT: When I’m in a tough situation, worship will bring a peace that worry never will.
ME
I’m going to admit something… something that many people would not be brave enough to admit… I like reality TV!
• I know that most of it isn’t real.
• I know that the idea of reality TV is contrary to everything TV has historically stood for.
• I know that there is a weird voyeuristic part of reality TV
• I know that some of it is just bad… in so many ways
But I still like reality TV…
And I’m not alone – Reality TV is BIG MONEY. It’s big money because it is so popular and so loved by so many Americans…
From America’s Funniest Videos to Dancing with the Stars to Survivor to Big Brother to American Idol to American Chopper to Intervention to Rock of Love w/Brett Michaels… WHATEVER
Reality TV is KING… we love reality TV.
But why? WHY is it that we love reality TV so much? Why is it that we are willing to invest our time in watching non-celebrities or “B” grade celebrities behave poorly while trying to win money and restart their careers? I mean, if I want to watch a mid-life/mid-career crisis I don’t have to give up my evenings to do it…
So why is Reality TV so popular? I think I know the answer.
It’s the unknown. It’s the fact (or at least the perception) that, in reality TV, things are UNSCRIPTED… we love the fact that ANYTHING is possible. We love the fact that we don’t know what’s going to happen next. We love the fact that there are no guaranteed outcomes.
WE LOVE UNSCRIPTED TV BECAUSE IT IS MORE EXCITING…
… BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LOSE THE SCRIPTS TO OUR LIVES?
What happens when we lose that sense of control? What happens when we come to the realization that we don’t know what will happen next? What happens when – what happens next ISN’T what I planned?
Suddenly “UNSCRIPTED” is a lot less attractive… am I right?
When we suddenly recognize that our lives are unscripted… that our greatest plans are not going to happen… That no matter how much planning we do, no matter how much energy we expend, no matter how much we try… WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL…
When our best laid plans collapse in a heap on the ground…
When our dreams have to be put aside…
When we are diagnosed with an illness…
When we lose a job…
When a child is sick and hospitalized…
When a marriage crumbles…
WHEN EVERYTHING BECOMES UNCERTAIN…WHEN OUR PEACE IS DISTURBED…WHEN LIFE ISN’T WHAT WE EXPECTED…WHEN GOD CALLS US TO WALK THE HARD ROAD…
When we come face to face with the UNSCRIPTED we have a tendency to respond with fear, with doubt, with anger and with worry.
BUT…
We don’t have to. We don’t have to respond like that…
Open you Bibles to Luke 1:46-55. If you don’t have a Bible with you this morning, raise your hands and our ushers will make sure you get one so you can follow along.
[Ushers hand out Bibles to those who need them]
We’re going to continue looking at Mary’s story. We’re going to see what she did when she realized that her life was UN:scripted.
You see, when my life is UN:scripted, I want to complain, I want to whine, I want people to feel sorry for me. When my life is UN:scripted I feel like I’m not in control and I DON’T LIKE NOT BEING IN CONTROL…
That’s when I get angry and depressed and worried.
But not Mary…
WE
[Video Clip]
Worship or Worry? Which do you choose when you’re in a tough situation…? What an awesome question to consider.
It’s no secret that often God calls us to difficult tasks – painful tasks. It’s not a secret that life is sometimes incredibly painful and seemingly cruel. It’s not a secret that difficulty is part and parcel with life.
Some of you are dealing with that right now.
…sickness & pain
…strained and broken relationships
…disappointment
…job loss
…worries about the economy and our uncertain future
The fact is that life is painful and stressful!
So what do you do when you find yourself neck deep in trouble? (By the way, trouble often happens AS A RESULT of obedience to God.)
Mary had done nothing wrong. Mary was a righteous young woman. She was chosen by God because of her exemplary character… But in choosing to obey God (as we saw last week) her life was suddenly UN:scripted… and when life is UN:scripted, life is painful…
What do you when life hands you a raw deal? What do you do when God calls you to obey him in a way that is difficult and will lead to pain and loss on your part?
What do you do?
Do your respond with worry? Or will you worship Him?
Let’s take a look at Mary’s response… Mary gets it, she knows that when I’m in a tough situation, worship will bring a peace that worry never will.
GOD
Mary has reason to worry – her life is at stake, her future has been forever altered, her plans with this man Joseph may go unrealized, her dreams – they’ve been undone. But in the midst of difficulty Mary chooses to respond with WORSHIP rather than WORRY…
46And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
Mary has EVERYTHING to worry about, but instead she WORSHIPS God because he has chosen her… Rather than focus on the potential pain, rather than focus on the difficulty, rather than focus on the what was lost…
…Mary chose to focus on GOD and on the blessings he had poured out on her life and the promise of blessing he had for her in the future…
She makes this VERY personal. It’s not just a “God, you’re good!” worship song… It’s a “God, you’re good to ME!” worship song.
We need to grasp that fact. It’s not just that God is good in general… HE IS! He alone is truly good. But God is GOOD TO ME! God is good to ME and blessed me and even in the midst of pain, frustration and confusion he continues to be good to me.
When I can’t see his plan – he is good to ME
When I don’t understand his plan – he is good to ME
When I am hurting and feel alone – he is good to ME
He is good to ME and he is worthy of WORSHIP…
When life hurts, I tend to worry. The problem with worry is that it doesn’t solve the problem, it creates more pain in my life and it’s a SIN! - That’s right, worry is a sin. It’s the sin of NOT TRUSTING GOD!
GOD IS IN CONTROL… HE HAS A PLAN… MY JOB ISN’T TO UNDERSTAND THE PLAN, MY JOB ISN’T EVEN TO KNOW WHAT THE PLAN IS… MY JOB IS TO TRUST HIM!
Jesus was REAL CLEAR on this…
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:25-33 (NIV)
Life will be tough… sometimes it will be tough because we have chosen to obey and follow Jesus… but WORRY IS NOT THE RIGHT RESPONSE…
Mary, with everything to worry about instead worships GOD and she makes it personal… God is good to ME!
When I’m in a tough situation, worship will bring a peace that worry never will.
Mary then broadens her worship of God in the rest of the song… She moves outward. Not only has God blessed her, but he is a good and gracious and loving God to all… It’s good and necessary – even essential to worship God on a personal level true worship never stays merely at the personal level… It has to expand – He must be worshipped for EVERYTHING he does… for his blessings to ALL PEOPLE!
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
Luke 1:46-55 (NIV)
Look at how she describes Him…
• He extends mercy to those who fear (respect, honor, worship) him
• He performs mighty deeds
• He has brought down the proud and self sufficient (scattered the proud, sent the rich away empty)
• He has lifted up the humble
• He has fed the hungry
• He has kept his promises…(promise to Abraham to bless all the nations through his offspring)
"I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."
Genesis 12:2-3 (NIV)
Reaching back more than 1500 years is this promise to Abraham that God will bring forth – through his descendents – the Messiah, the savior of all people… through Abraham’s descendents ALL THE NATIONS (people) would be blessed.
And now Mary understands, at least on one level, that this blessing will be realized through the child that she is carrying.
Now – carrying this child will be no picnic. It may cost her everything she has loved and known to this point in life. It may be a much more difficult life than she imagined. It may involve pain that she CAN’T imagine… but she knows that even in this UN:scripted situation, God is faithful and is faithfully keeping his promise to an entire nation… an entire planet.
Mary knew, in her heart she knew that when you’re in a tough situation, worship will bring a peace that worry never will.
Remember – Mary didn’t know the end of the story. WE DO. It’s easy for us to look at the story and think Mary’s response is natural; after all that’s Jesus she’s carrying. But Mary doesn’t know how this story will play out.
She’s a frightened but faithful teenage girl who has made herself available as a servant of the God most high.
She’s pregnant and not married.
She has to tell her fiancé that she talks to angels… and the angels tell her she’s going to have a baby that will be the son of God.
She doesn’t know how this will play out… but she does know that when you’re in a tough situation, worship will bring a peace that worry never will.
And so she chooses to respond in worship.
She sings this spontaneous song of God’s amazing grace and mercy and faithfulness; God’s compassion and concern for the weak and down-trodden.
Mary responds to her desperate situation by making a deliberate choice to WORSHIP!
SO WHAT?
Let’s unpack this so we can take it home… so we can live it out this week.
YOU
Has your life seemed a bit unscripted lately?
If it weren’t for bad news you wouldn’t have any news at all?
You feel out of control and a little bit lost?
Let’s just be real honest for a moment. We have all experienced those less than wonderful times in life. We have all experienced that feeling of our lives being unscripted and out of control.
It’s scary.
It’s maddening
It can be depressing
It’s in those times that we desperately want to cling to even the smallest shred of peace…
You see, we don’t get to pick if or when our lives will suddenly be unscripted. We don’t get to pick when tragedy will strike. We don’t get to pick when pain will pierce our world.
But in those times, when we feel out of control, when we desperately grasp for stability and peace… in those times we DO GET TO CHOSE OUR RESPONSE.
We can respond with anger, fear, depression… worry. Or we can respond by making the choice to WORSHIP JESUS!
When you’re in a tough situation, worship will bring a peace that worry never will.
WE
We’re going to close our time together this morning by taking communion. Communion is an ACT OF WORSHIP… it’s an act of surrender and intentional worship of JESUS because he followed a script that is tougher than any unexpected, unscripted scene in life we can ever imagine…
• We worship him because he died upon the cross in our place…
• We worship him because his death paid the penalty for our sin…
• We worship him because three days later he rose again – defeating death, sin and the grave
• We worship him because he gives us hope and a future
• We worship him because – even when our lives feel unscripted we can rest confidently in the knowledge that he has a plan and his plan is for our blessing
I know that sometimes life seems to be UN:scripted. I know. But I also know that when life is UN:scripted, if I will surrender in worship to Jesus… If I will trust in his work on the cross… that I will have a peace that can not be found in any other.
When you’re in a tough situation, worship will bring a peace that worry never will.
[Close with communion]
Let’s Pray.
