STILL OBSERVING GOD At WORK—Luke 1:57-80
While the brokers were busily calling potential customers to drum up business, the president of the firm stopped to eavesdrop on a new employee. He listened as the young man talked eight consecutive contacts into moving their stock portfolios to him.
The boss approached the young man & said, "I’ve been listening in, & I must say I’m impressed with your ability.
Where did you learn so much about talking to investors?"
"Yale, sir," the young man answered.
Impressed, the boss said, "Oh, that’s fine, just fine.
And what’s your name?"
"Yackson," he replied.
Observing someone at work can reveal some interesting things...
Likewise, Observing God at work reveals the needs in our own lives.
John the Baptist’s parents knew with certainty the implications of their son’s birth.
The events surrounding the birth of John the Baptist have implications for God’s people.
What is implied from observing God at work?
Implications drawn from seeing God at work.
Previously we have seen that Observing God at work implies a need for Expanded...
1. SATISFACTIONs(:57-59)
2. BOUNDARIES(:59-63)
3— Observing God at work implies a need for...
Expanded CONVERSATIONs(:64-65)
Explanation:(:64-65) Perceptions
:64—“Immediately his mouth was opened & his tongue loosed, & he spoke, praising God.
Immediately upon his writing the words, Zacharias’ tongue was freed whereas before it had been bound.
Upon having his mouth/tongue opened/loosed, Zacharias began praising God before those present. He spoke in praise of God. This was in answer to Gabriel’s promise(:19-20).
Prior to your being set free in Christ, your tongue was mute regarding God’s truth. If God was praised at all, He was praised distantly & generally.
:65—“Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; & all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.
This action by God upon Zacharias caused all those who lived near him(& Elizabeth) to fear. It also caused a great stir among the people so that the miracle & word was the topic of conversation in all the hill country of Judea.
Judah (:39) is 1)The area occupied by specifically by the tribe of Judah;
Judea(here) is the entire area west & South of the Dead Sea. distinguished from Samaria, Galilee, Peraea, & Idumaea.
Argumentation:
Deut. 6:6-9—““And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, & shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, & when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, & they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house & on your gates.”
Our Conversations are guided by the affairs of our heart. And physical reminders speak of the importance of these spiritual Conversations.
*Col. 4:6— “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.”
Col. 3:12-17—“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy & beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, & forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; & be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching & admonishing one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Php. 1:27— “Only let your conversation[conduct/lifestyle] be as it becometh the gospel of Christ:...that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;...”
Eph. 2:1-3—“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses & sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh & of the mind, & were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
Mat. 12:34-37—““Brood of vipers![Pharisees] How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, & an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, & by your words you will be condemned.””
Illustration:
CNN & Fox News/Talk incessantly about political things/Certain reporters have obvious slants or biases/Their CONVERSATIONS are limited by the belief system that is apparent in their much speaking/Need Expanded CONVERSATIONs
Seems not many desire conversations regarding God/Spiritual matters....They would rather continue in their assumptions, thinking truth is subjectively determined.
Application:
?How do your ‘CONVERSATIONs’ effect your celebration of God’s Work?
?What are your ‘CONVERSATIONs’ for this Worship Service?...This Day...Your Life...of Jesus?
?What colors your CONVERSATIONs regarding this service?...these people?...this place?...these words?...this music?...this giving?...this occasion?
The events surrounding John the Baptist’s birth show us that Our Despiritualized CONVERSATIONs severely restrict our celebration of God’s work & our worship.
4— Observing God at work implies a need for...
Expanded EXPECTATIONS(:66)
Explanation:(:66)
:66—“And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What kind of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him.”
Look for what the Lord is up to in any given situation.
Our expectations are limited by what we are willing to accept... ...The perfect Word of God..OR..The fallible word of man.
All who were told of the happenings regarding Zacharias, Elizabeth & John set them in their hearts so that they regarded them & their possible implications/ramifications(future & present).
Their pondering caused them to ask—because the birth has been attended by such works of God, then it raises a real potential for a greater understanding of God. What does this mean For John himself?....For those in attendance... For Israel? What is God doing or about to do?’
They asked these things because it was obvious to all that God was specifically working in the life of the child(John) & thus indirectly upon both family & country.
When we see God at work it should cause us to take spiritual inventory of our own lives....& those to whom we align ourselves spiritually, both personally(Christian brethren) & corporately(church).
“Kept them in their hearts”—Took them to heart
Lk. 2:15-19—“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem & see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste & found Mary & Joseph, & the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things & pondered them in her heart.”
Lk. 2:48-51—“So when they saw Him, they were amazed; & His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father & I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them & came to Nazareth, & was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.”
Argumentation:
Lk. 21:25-26—“ “And there will be signs in sun & moon & stars, & upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea & the waves, men fainting from fear & the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
Amos 5:18-24—“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, & not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him! Is not the day of the LORD darkness, & not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings & your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Lk. 13:6-9—“He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, & he came seeking fruit on it & found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree & find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered & said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it & fertilize it. ‘And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’””
Js. 4:13-17—“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such & such a city, spend a year there, buy & sell, & make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time & then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live & do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good & does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Illustration:
Pastorium in Cordele, GA/A plant native to South America—Yellow Allamanda(similar to a large Carolina Jessamine)/Beautiful yellow flowersAssumed it was dead/Mom nurtured it/Sat for 1 year with no sign of life/In the Fall leaves appeared/I needed Expanded EXPECTATIONS
Application:
?How do your ‘EXPECTATIONs’ effect your celebration of God’s Work?
?What are your EXPECTATIONs for this Worship Service?...This Day...Your Life...of Jesus?
The events surrounding John the Baptist’s birth show us that Our Despiritualized EXPECTATIONs severely restrict our celebration of God’s work & our worship.
5— Observing God at work implies a need for...
Expanded REDEMPTION(:67-71)
Explanation:(:67-71)
:67—“Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, & prophesied, saying:...”
At this time Zacharias became filled with the Holy Spirit as had been Elizabeth(:41). When the Spirit of God fills people they are able to prophesy.
When the human spirit alone fills one, they are able to forge ahead without God, never rising above the limitations of the flesh.
What follows here is a prophecy of praise, foretelling & forthtelling centered in God’s desire.
:68—“"Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited & redeemed His people,”
Zacharias has learned/grown from his silence. He is appreciative of God’s work & ability to use fallible human vessels in its accomplishment.
Zacharias proclaims that the Lord the God of Israel is a blessed treasure. Particularly for His people.
Zacharias wanted others to know that the birth of his son John signaled that the Lord had visited His people Israel.
Thru John’s birth & thus the certainty of Jesus’, God had accomplished redemption for those whom He calls His own. Not that the redemption had been brought to fruition but that the redemption had been set in motion by John’s birth. Thru God’s visitation, unalterable things had been set in motion which would, with absolute certainty, accomplish the redemption so much so that it could be spoken of as taken place in the past. John’s presence is the sign of the certainty of the Savior’s presence & work.
GOD’S PRESENCE(:68)—
:69—“And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,”
God’s visitation had raised up something tangible to give sight to salvation. the Salvation is for God’s people.
The salvation had occurred thru the house of King David. David’s physical kindred were part of God’s plan.
God had promised to raise up salvation thru His Messiah & that this Messiah would be from David’s flesh or genealogical line.(Isa. 9:7; 11:1-2; Jer. 23:5-6; 33:20-26; Eze. 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Amos 9:11; Rom. 1:3)
SALVATION(:69, 71)—
We are redeemed, With what?—Precious perfect blood of the Son of God. From what were we redeemed?—Our fleshly decisions to trust ourselves.
Thru DAVID:
Isa. 11:1-5—“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.”
Mat. 1:1-2, 5-6, 16 —“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac....”....“Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.”....“And Jacob[NT] begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.”
:71—“That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us.”
The salvation will encompass any & all who despise/oppose God’s people.
“Enemies”—ecyrov—Adj.—1) Hated, odious, hateful; 2) Hostile, hating, and opposing another. Strong—from a primary ecyw(to hate); Hateful (passively, Odious, or actively, Hostile); usually as a noun, An adversary (especially Satan):-- Enemy, foe. (CONT...)5— Observing God at work implies a need for...
Expanded REDEMPTION(:67-71)
“Hate”—misew—V.—1) To hate, pursue with hatred, detest; 2) To be hated, detested.
Argumentation:
Deut. 32:35—“Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.’”
Gal. 3:11-14—“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Titus 2:11-14—“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
1Pet. 1:18-23—“knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,”
Col. 1:13-14—“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Illustration:
POW/Forced Public Confession/Under compulsion/Gets better treatment by enemy/Still wants to be home/Expanded REDEMPTION
Matthew thumps Ellinor’s head because she’s annoying him/Apologize Matthew!/But she was bothering me!’/Reluctantly— ‘Awright!—I’m Sorry’/Expanded REDEMPTION
God doesn’t just Redeem you for eternity, but redeems you for the now! Your redemption is seen & desired by others because your life is changed significantly in Christ!
Application:
?On what are your REDEMPTIONs based?...Historical fact...Revealed Word...God’s power...Personal repentance?
?How do your REDEMPTIONs effect your celebration of God’s Work?
?How do your REDEMPTIONs effect this Worship Service?... This Day...Your Life?
The events surrounding John the Baptist’s birth show us that Our Despiritualized REDEMPTIONs severely restrict our celebration of God’s work & our worship.
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Where did you learn so much about talking to investors?"
“Yale, sir,” the young man answered.
Impressed, the boss said, "Oh, that’s fine, just fine.
And what’s your name?"
“Yackson,” he replied.
We can learn much from observing someone at work.
Action:
Observing God at work implies a need for Expanded...
3. CONVERSATIONs(:64-65)
4. EXPECTATIONs(:66)
5. REDEMPTIONs(:67-71)
1. SATISFACTIONs(:57-59)
2. BOUNDARIES(:59-63)
3-5 Presented 03/20/2011pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
1-2 Presented 03/06/2011am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
1-4 Presented 12/10/00pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 31797
