‘INITIATING The TURN’-XI—Luke 1:24a(:5-25)
Attention:
The aftermath of Hurricane Helene(Cat. 4; Landfall in Florida, Sept. 27, 2024; Sept. 28 it carried not only wind, but unprecedented amounts of rain into mountainous areas of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, & Tennessee causing devastating flooding.)
Everybody wants to help. But without organization, chaos ensues & reigns!
The disaster relief has to be approached in a planned manner. Logistics can be the difference between life & death.
I watched a YouTube documentation of a small group of church men(from North FL/south GA?), who came to the Asheville, NC to help. They brought a large trailer full of supplies for the stranded people who had lost their family members, land, homes, livelihood, & security to the storm’s devastating rains.
They pulled up to a First Baptist Church somewhere east of Asheville.
There were many pallets of bottled water arranged in the church parking lot. The person in charge of seeing to visitors with supplies, told the men that the best way for them to help, was to leave their supplies there at the church, because the church was a known & designated place for supplies coming in. He also told them that if they didn’t want to leave their supplies at the church, they should leave them at the ‘First Responder’s’ drop location at a fire station up the road some miles away.
They ‘guys from down south’, continued out of the church parking lot with their trailer still full of supplies. They continued to drive around looking for some ‘OTHER’ way to help.
As they drove along they passed the ‘First Responder’ supply drop location. All sorts of vehicles—from tractor trailers to sedans—were lining both sides of the road, loaded with supplies to help the flood victims. They all waiting for their turn to drop off their supplies.
The ‘men from down south’ continued on their way until they soon came to their first washed out bridge & couldn’t proceed further.
The ‘men from down south’ didn’t listen to good sense. They didn’t care who was in charge. They didn’t try to abide by the logistical maze of effort that had been established by authorities.
And as a result of their hard headedness & pride, they wasted their efforts as well as the efforts of the good Christians who had acquired the supplies & trusted the supplies to the men.
*And I said all that, to say this:
*There is a lot of interconnection & involvement in this Disaster Relief process. But the process must be ‘properly & correctly’ ‘INITIATED’ in order to bring about the needed relief!
Likewise, God accomplished the promised ‘turning of people’ to Himself—God’s relief & rescue mission. He did that by ‘properly & correctly’ 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 series ‘turns’ on Lk. 1:16-17.
Need:
Every person has a deep-seated need for certainty, settled peace, & confidence in their lives. BUT many if not most, never experience those things! HOWEVER, I can assure you, that peace, certainty, & confidence CAN indeed be yours!....
But ONLY IF you willingly & unconditionally TURN to God, by trusting Christ Jesus as Savior & Lord.
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 & uses 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)
5. DIVINE COMFORT(:13a)
6. DIVINE PARTNERSHIP(:13b-17)
7. DIVINE CHASTISEMENT(:18-20)
8. An ENHANCED PERSPECTIVE(:21)
9. An ENHANCED Or SPIRITUAL SENSITIVITY(:22)
10. An ENHANCED CONTINUANCE(:23)
Today we’ll find that:
11—In Initiating the Turn to Himself, God ALSO uses...
CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT(:24a)
Explanation:(:24a)Fulfill Your Promise
:24a—“Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; ...”
Following Zacharias’ encounter with the angel, Gabriel(:11-20), He & “Elizabeth” did indeed ‘get pregnant.’
•Please keep in mind that interestingly enough, the name ‘Zacharias’, is a Hebrew name meaning,—‘YHWH Has Remembered Again’(D. L. Bock in BECNT)
“Elizabeth” who was formerly barren(:7) for all of her ‘child-bearing years’, now “conceived” just as Gabriel had said!
The historical significance of “Elizabeth’s” ‘miraculous’ pregnancy differed from that of the historical significance of Mary’s ‘virginal pregnancy’ six-months later(:34-35).
•But, “Elizabeth’s” pregnancy was STILL a miraculous work of the Lord, in that God specifically & actively enabled her to “conceive.”
So what exactly is a miracle?:
•“A miracle is an act of God that interrupts the natural course of events.” “A miracle is a divine intervention, a supernatural exception to the regular course of the natural world.”—‘Miracle’ in ‘Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics’(N. L. Geisler)
•A miracle is “an event which runs counter to the observed processes of nature.” The objective of the miraculous is “intended to bring the glory & love of God into bold relief.”—‘Miracles” in ‘Evangelical Dictionary of Theology’(W.A.Elwell)
Argumentation:
Ex. 3:16-21; 11:1-3, 9; 12:29-37—“Go & gather the elders of Israel together, & say to them, ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, & of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you & seen what is done to you in Egypt; & I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites & the Hittites & the Amorites & the Perizzites & the Hivites & the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk & honey.”’ “Then they will heed your voice; & you shall come, you & the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; & you shall say to him, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; & now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ “But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out My hand & strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; & after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; & it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.”.....“And the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh & on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. Speak now in the hearing of the people, & let every man ask from his neighbor & every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver & articles of gold.” And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants & in the sight of the people.”.....“But the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.””.....“And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, & all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, & all the Egyptians; & there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. Then he called for Moses & Aaron by night, & said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you & the children of Israel. And go, serve the LORD as you have said. Also take your flocks & your herds, as you have said, & be gone; & bless me also.” And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, & they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, & clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.”
Acts 2:21-24—“And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.’ “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, & signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--“Him, being delivered by the determined purpose & foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, & put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”
•Jesus caused Peter to catch so many fish that his nets began breaking.(Lk. 5:3-7)
•Jesus walked on the water.(Mt. 14:25)
•At Jesus’ invitation, Peter walked on the water.(Mt. 14:28-31)
•Jesus healed a Gentile centurion’s servant without being anywhere near him.(Mt. 8:5-13)
•Jesus raised a synagogue ruler’s little daughter from the dead.(Mt. 5:41)
*And that is just a taste of what Jesus presented to us, regarding the ‘Confirming Fulfillment’ of His nature, & purpose.
Luke 24:35-45—On resurrection Sunday, Cleopas & an unnamed disciple had an encounter with Jesus(unrecognized) while walking on the road. They were sharing the unnerving encounter with the 11 disciples in Jerusalem:—“And they told about the things that had happened on the road, & how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, & said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified & frightened, & supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands & My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me & see, for a spirit does not have flesh & bones as you see I have.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands & His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, & marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish & some honeycomb. And He took it & ate in their presence. Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses & the Prophets & the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”
Illustration:
Suppose the local government intended to dam the Great Pee Dee River. Their intention being, to provide hydro-electric power to the county & beyond. Foregoing all the years of legal back-&-forth, suppose it became a reality. BUT, you discover that as a result of the ‘building of the dam’ that all your land & house & belongings would be underwater. The government offers you monetary compensation for your possessions, & requires you to move out of the area. But you are incensed about it not being fair, & you hard-headedly stay put on your original land with all your ‘stuff.’ When the water behind the dam, where your land & possessions are, begins to touch your possessions, you will have a CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT that the state was indeed serious about their endeavors. When the water touches your house, you will have a CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT that the state was indeed serious about their endeavors. When the water touches the inside of your house, you will have a CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT that the state was indeed serious about their endeavors. When the water inside of your house keeps you from doing anything but swimming to safety, you are experiencing a CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT that the state was indeed serious about their endeavors. And prayerfully you will see the need to respond to it by evacuating.
*God will always CONFIRM The FULFILLMENT of His promises to you! CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT will always come directly to your heart by His Holy Spirit. CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT may come to you thru others of the family of God. CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT may come thru someone close to you, or thru someone very distant from you. CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT may come to you thru events you experience.
Application:
?Can God depend on YOU to recognize His CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT in Turning people to Himself?
?Will YOU serve God in ‘initiating the turn?’
You will become more adept or better at recognizing the CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT of God’s promises & protection & provision for you, as you READ thru the Scriptures, & commit them to your memory.
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
As people have initiated rescue efforts for Hurricane Helene flood victims,.....
So, God also INITIATED the process of rescuing humanity by ‘turning people’ back to Himself.
Action:
In Initiating the Turning of people to Himself, God uses...
11. CONFIRMING FULFILLMENT(:24a)
1. RIGHTEOUS FAITHFULNESS(:5-7)
2. PRIVILEGED DUTY(:8-9)
3. CONCERTED & DUTIFUL PRAYER(:10)
4. HEALTHY FEAR(:11-12)
5. DIVINE COMFORT(:13a)
6. DIVINE PARTNERSHIP(:13b-17)
7. DIVINE CHASTISEMENT(:18-20)
8. An ENHANCED PERSPECTIVE(:21)
9. ENHANCED Or SPIRITUAL SENSITIVITY(:22)
10. ENHANCED CONTINUANCE(:23)
Pt# 11 only! presented 10/06/2024am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
