CHRISTMAS: THE STORY BEFORE THE STORY Greg Laurie harvest.org Luke 1 For some, the Christmas story—the message of the baby Jesus being born in the manger in Bethlehem, the brilliant star in the sky, the wise men bowing and all of that, is nothing more than a fable. Some people know more about Rudolph, Santa, and Frosty than they know about Jesus, and sometimes even people in the church get the story confused. With all of the misinformation floating around, Luke’s gospel gives a proper telling of the story of Jesus Christ, in order to produce a belief in the truth. In this study in Luke 1, we will look at the story before the story—the announcement of John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Lord. God set Zacharias apart for an amazing task. PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES 1. He was a humble man – Zacharias was a humble servant of God. If you want to be used by God, He is looking for humble men and women. James 4:6 tells us, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (ESV). 2. He was faithful man – Zacharias was faithful in the job that God set before him going into the holy of holies in the temple in Jerusalem, offering sacrifice on behalf of the people of God. 3. He and his wife Elizabeth were godly and blameless people – They were righteous before God and had a good reputation. God blessed them and their prayers were heard. 4. He was human and flawed just like us – Zacharias could have rejoiced at the news of a son, but instead he questioned, and was made mute until the promise took place. “And Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years’” Luke 1:18 (ESV). GREG’S NOTES A NEW BEGINNING TEACHING OUTLINES > > > > > > > >>>>> harvest.org RELEVANT REMINDERS • If you want to be used by God, you need to be humble, wait on Him, and serve where you are. Do what God has set before you. • If you are faithful in little things, God will give you greater opportunities. Take your gifts and start using them. • We all have doubts. When you have doubts, call out to Jesus. Bring your doubt and questions to Him. • It is important to pray and not give up. Your prayers are heard by God and remembered. APPLICABLE ACTIONS God does extraordinary things through ordinary people, and it gives us hope that we can be used of God wherever we are. God wants to invade your ordinary life and do something amazing. Will you stand by and say, “Not me. I am out,” or will you say, “Here I am Lord. Send me.”
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 09:26:06 +0000
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