Pastor Greg Laurie recommends a great film about the 40th President of the United States. We have a movie that's going to tell you the story of this man who changed the world. Ronald Reagan was a man who believed in Jesus Christ. You're going to be inspired by it in this brand-new film starring Dennis Quaid. It's called Reagan, and it's our gift to you for your gift of any size.
Available on DVD and digital download at harvest.org. God is looking for humble people to use. I mean, look at the Bible. The Bible is filled with the most unexpected people being used by God. It's been said we can never be too small for God to use, only too big. Pastor Greg Laurie says our limitations are God's opportunities. It's not that he won't use a strong or talented person, but often he does some of his greatest work through unexpected people so he will get the glory. We tend to carve those in Bible stories into our mental Mount Rushmore.
We think of them as uniquely talented, uncompromising, and above reproach. But a careful reading of those stories shows in almost every instance that they were rather ordinary, unremarkable people whom God used in remarkable ways. And today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie focuses on one such individual who helped prepare for the coming of Christ.
Good encouragement is coming. Let's grab our Bibles and turn to Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1 and the title of my message is Heaven's Light Breaking. God gave a promise, one of many promises in the Old Testament, about what was going to happen. In the last book of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi, we have this statement from the prophet.
I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me and suddenly the Lord that you are seeking will come to his temple the messenger of the covenant whom you desire will come says the Lord God Almighty. And that one to come before the Messiah would be John the Baptist, the forerunner, the voice of one crying in the wilderness. And that's the story we are reading about now. This is the story before the story.
But it is all part of the big story. The story of John that came before Jesus. So he had a dad named Zechariah and a mother named Elizabeth. He hadn't been born yet. They were very old, Zechariah and Elizabeth. And they always wanted a child, specifically a boy. And God had not answered their prayer.
He had effectively said to them, wait. So Zechariah was a country priest. He goes into the temple with the incense, little realizing that this day is going to change his life.
Let's read about it. Luke chapter 1 verse 11. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, to Zechariah. Standing at the right side of the altar, when Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear. That's the way people usually reacted when angels showed up. The angel said to him, don't be afraid Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard.
Underline that statement. Don't be afraid. Your prayer has been heard.
I will come back to it. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you. And many will rejoice because of his birth. And then it goes on to say, he will bring many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
We will stop there. I love this story. Now why did God choose this humble country priest, Zechariah, and his wife Elizabeth? And why did God cause them to be the parents of the forerunner of the Messiah? He could have found some nice young couple to be the parents but he says I am going to pick these folks right here. Why?
Well here is just a few things I would point out if you are taking notes. Zechariah was a humble man. God is looking for humble people to use.
James 4 says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. I think sometimes we don't know what it means to be humble. Maybe you think to be humble means you speak very quietly. I am just so humble. I can't hear you. I am just humble.
No you are weird. Speak up. To be humble means I see myself for what I am. I am a sinner serving a powerful God but I am not something great but God is great. God is looking for humble people. We think God is looking for talented people and strong people. It is not that he won't use a strong or talented person but often he does some of his greatest work through unexpected people so he will get the glory. I mean look at the Bible. The Bible is filled with the most unexpected people being used by God to change the world. But the Bible does not say God is looking for people who are qualified as much as it would say that he will qualify the people he calls.
He is not looking for ability nearly as much as he is looking for availability. Just someone to say well Lord I don't have a lot to offer but I give it to you. God says I will take you up on that. Here is what the Bible says.
Second Chronicles 16. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him. So God chose Zechariah to be this man.
Number two. Zechariah was a faithful man. He was a faithful man. He did not know this day would be different than any other day.
He did not know this is the day where his life would be changed. He was just going about his duties as a priest. And you see this in the Bible. When people were called they were just busy doing whatever it was they needed to do. Moses was tending his sheep. So was David when they were called by the Lord. Elisha was plowing in a field when he was selected by Elijah to take his place. Gideon was threshing wheat. Peter and John were mending nets that they used for fishing when Jesus called them to become fishers of men. Listen.
It is difficult to steer a car when the engine is not running. So it is a good thing to just be faithful in little things and God will use you in greater ways. Sometimes we have visions of grandeur. We will say Lord I want to cross the sea and preach the gospel. The Lord might say nice why don't you just start by crossing the street. You haven't talked to your neighbor yet.
You want to cross the sea? Just be faithful in a little thing. Number three Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were godly and blameless people. They were godly and blameless people. Look at verse six. They were righteous before God walking in all of the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
To be blameless doesn't mean you are sinless but it means they walked in a godly way before the Lord. Now they are getting on in years and they haven't been able to have children and sometimes it was thought back in these days that if you as a woman did not bring children forth you were described as barren and that might be the judgment of God but the very opposite was the case. These are godly people. It was all about timing and sometimes we wonder well maybe you're a couple and you would say why have we not been able to have children conceived children or you might say I'm single why have I never found a man or a woman or my career why is my career not gone the way I hoped it would go or or my ministry why did my ministry not take off as I had anticipated it would. Well I don't know the answer but God has this timing for all things. Remember he makes all things beautiful in his time but it's not because they were godless. They actually were very godly. And now the Lord's going to answer their prayer above and beyond.
That would say you could ask or think. Yeah I'm going to give you a son in your old age and he's not going to be any son. He's going to be a very special son. Your son is going to be the greatest of the old testament prophets. Greater than Isaiah, Jeremiah, greater than Moses, greater than Elijah, Elisha, greater than David.
The list goes on. He'll be the greatest of all of them and he'll be the last of them. The final old testament prophet.
You say where did that come from? Jesus said of those born among women there has never been a greater than John the Baptist. And I'll tell you why he was the greatest in a moment but their prayer is going to be answered above and beyond that which they could ask or think with this beautiful prayer. Because God heard their prayer and if we call out to God he will hear us as well. Psalm 34 15 says the eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right.
His ears are open to their cries for help. Another point about Zechariah. He was human and flawed just like us.
Human and flawed just like us. Look at verse 18 of chapter 1 of Luke. Zechariah said to the angel how shall I know this I'm an old man and my wife is well advanced in years. By the way that's pretty diplomatic. Wouldn't you say I'm an old man and my wife she's a no well advanced in years.
Maybe a nicer way to say it. I'm well advanced in years. That's my wife.
Me I'm just an old man. And so he's doubting this and look what happens next. Verse 19. Here's what the angel says. I am Gabriel. All caps.
Full stop. I am Gabriel. Maybe it echoed. I am Gabriel. A little echo there. I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to you with this good news. Since you didn't believe what I said you'll be silent until the child is born for my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time. Zechariah time out. Go sit in the corner.
You're not talking until the kid is born. But I love this. I'm Gabriel. It's like dude I'm Gabriel.
I'm not just any angel. I'm Gabriel. Maybe you've read about me in the Old Testament. I mentioned by name in the book of Daniel. I actually identify when Messiah would come and how Messiah would die. And you're standing there saying well how should I know this is going to happen.
Hello. So now you have a time out. And Zechariah now is not able to talk. So meanwhile outside of the temple people are waiting for Zechariah. Seems to be taking a while.
Doesn't usually take this long. Here's what happened. Luke chapter 1 verse 21. The people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary wondering why he was taking so long. And he finally came out and he couldn't speak to them. And they realized from his gestures and his silence he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary. So he did a little pantomime. He's trying to act it out for them.
And they're trying to figure it out. But God had answered the prayer. And then finally he could speak. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We love to hear from listeners who've been impacted by Harvest Ministries. Pastor Greg thank you for providing support to Harvest Maui.
My husband and I met there. And while we no longer live in Maui we still consider it home. After the horrible fires in Maui I appreciate how you set up a donation page for those of us who wish to help. I knew I could trust Harvest to make sure the money got to where it was needed most. Thank you. We appreciate hearing how Harvest Ministries has touched so many lives. And if you have a story to tell contact us and share it. Just call 1-866-871-1144.
That's 866-871-1144. Well we continue now with Pastor Greg's encouraging message called, Heaven's Light Breaking. Jesus said, I tell you of John the Baptist in Matthew 11. There is none greater that has ever lived than John. Now why is John greater?
I mean let's stop and think about this for a moment. How could John be greater than Abraham? How could John be greater than Noah or Moses the great law giver? How can he be greater than Jeremiah or Daniel or Elijah?
He never wrote a prophetic book like Isaiah or Jeremiah. He never performed a miracle like Elijah. Why is he greater?
Very simple answer. John was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets because he and he alone was the direct forerunner of the Messiah. His greatness was a result of his closeness to Jesus. And I loved his mission.
It was such a simple mission. He was the voice crying in the wilderness. By the way he was quite the celebrity in his day. It's worth noting that the Jewish historian Josephus wrote more about John the Baptist than he did about Jesus himself.
Why is that? Because John was a big deal. Multitudes went to watch John.
To listen to John. He called out the Pharisees. He was fearless and he dressed weird. You know his hair was wild. He wore his crazy outfits.
He ate locusts and wild honey. Let's go see what John's up to today. So he had all the attention of the people and one day his cousin and yes he was related to Jesus comes down to the Jordan River and the Lord reveals that's the Messiah. And John says behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is baptized. John's work is done.
He's completed his mission. And he summed it up perfectly when he said I must decrease and he must increase. John's job was to clear the way, prepare the way, and get out of the way. And in many ways that's our purpose as well. To clear the way, prepare the way, and get out of the way.
It's not about us. It's about Jesus. And like John said I must decrease and he must increase. It was about he must increase.
It was about pointing people to Christ. And he did an amazing job of that throughout his life until his mission was completed. So in closing what do we learn from the life of Zechariah and Elizabeth and John himself? Well number one be humble and wait on the Lord and serve him right where you are. Number two keep praying and don't give up because your prayers are heard and remembered.
Number three believe what God tells you and act in faith not in feeling. Zechariah, Elizabeth, John himself, even Mary and Joseph they were ordinary people. They were people just like you and I. They were flawed people. They were sinful people that God handpicked to bring about the greatest story ever told.
They all had their part to play and we all have our part to play as well. And what's the ultimate plan? It's to bring Jesus into the world to fulfill his mission. And why was Christ born? He was born so we could all go shopping and wait in lines.
No no. He was born to die that we might live. You see as Lewis said the Son of God became a man that men might become sons of God. He left his home in heaven so we would have a home in heaven. And he came to this world to die on the cross for our sin and to rise again from the dead.
Oh I know we don't like to think of that beautiful baby and the manger dying to death. But that was his mission. That was his purpose. And I pointed out last time the wise men seemed to get that.
Because what did they bring? Gold frankincense and myrrh. Gold because he would be the king of kings. Frankincense or incense because he would be our high priest representing us to God and God to us. And finally myrrh which was an embalming element because he would die for the sin of the world so we could receive the gift of eternal life.
I mentioned earlier that John was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. God had a plan for him before he was even born. The same is true of me and the same is true of you.
I've told you this before it's not new. But I was conceived out of wedlock. I wasn't planned. But God had a plan for my life. And God has a plan for every life. And every life is precious to him. And God has a plan for your life.
And I know things have happened to you that have not made sense and you've had setbacks and hardships. But God has a plan for you. And that plan is to forgive you of your sin and make you one of his own children. And this is the great gift that comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The gift of eternal life that we talked about last time. So we're going to close now in prayer.
And I want to extend an invitation to anybody here or anybody listening to this wherever you are. If you don't have a relationship with Jesus you can start today because God loves you. And God has a plan for you. And God wants to remove that barrier that separates you from him called sin. So you can start this relationship with him through Jesus Christ.
You need to open the door and ask him to come into your life. As that old Christmas hymn says, let every heart prepare him room. You have to prepare room.
You have to make a space. You need to say, Lord come into my life. And he will. Right here.
Right now. If you want him to. He's just a prayer away. Let's all pray. Father thank you for sending Jesus. Lord Jesus thank you for coming and being born in that manger of Bethlehem.
And then walking our planet and breathing our air and living our life and dying our death and rising again. And thank you that you're alive and here with us right now standing at the door of our heart and knocking. And you say to us in scripture if we'll hear your voice and open the door you will come in. Jesus we want you in our life. And I pray that you will speak to any person here or any person watching.
If they don't know you yet let this be the moment they believe. While we're praying. If you want Jesus to come into your life. If you want him to forgive you of your sin. If you want to receive the gift of eternal life.
If you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven. You could just you could just pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you like. But pray this prayer to say Lord Jesus I know that I'm a sinner but I know that you're the savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. Jesus come into my life. I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my Lord and Savior.
As my God and my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer. In Jesus name I pray.
Amen. Such an important prayer and what a great time to be making this decision. Today on A New Beginning Pastor Greg Laurie praying with those making a change in their relationship with the Lord. And if you've just made that decision we want to help you get started walking with the Lord. We want to send you Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible. We'll mail it your way without charge.
It not only contains the scripture text in an easy translation to understand but there are literally hundreds of special helps Pastor Greg has prepared to get you started in your new faith. So get in touch for your New Believers Bible. Just call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-7 phone number even here during the holidays 1-800-821-3300.
Or write A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside, California 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click Know God. And Pastor Greg we're so thankful for the work God is doing through this ministry. We're touching lives for eternity and we're really thankful for our friends who see the fruit of this ministry and invest so this work can reach even further.
Isn't that right? Absolutely. When you invest in Harvest Ministries you're investing in the souls of men and women, boys and girls. And what is the value of a soul?
Well let me personalize it. What's the value of your soul? What's the value of the soul of your husband, your wife, your son, or your daughter, or your mom or your dad, or your best friend?
Well I would say you probably couldn't put a price tag on it. It's so valuable. Well listen God says all souls are mine.
God loves us and sent his son to die on the cross to pay the price for all of our sins so we could be forgiven and come into a relationship with him. I can't think of a better investment of my resources, of my money, than in the work of the kingdom of God. So we would ask you to prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries as we continue on to fulfill the Great Commission. Yeah that's right and you can make your donation right now at harvest.org or write us at A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside California 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-7 phone number 1-800-821-3300. Well next time Pastor Greg brings us more insights to help prepare us for Christmas. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Lauren.
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