The Great Rescue - The Unlikely People, Part 1

When you think of a special ops team on a critical rescue mission, what kind of personnel do you think of? Seal Team Six, the best of the best. They're going to do the impossible.

Now pause for a second. We're going to look at God's special ops team that he sent to rescue the world. And I just want to prepare you. What you will hear will absolutely amaze you.

Stay with me. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Chip's our Bible teacher for this international discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christians. And we're nearing the end of our series, The Great Rescue. In the first couple of programs, Chip laid out God's perfect plan that kicked off this incredible mission. But for these last two programs, he'll focus on the essential team God assembled to complete it. As always, if you want to go back and listen to any part of this series, go to the Chip Ingram app. It's a great way to listen to Chip and Living on the Edge anytime.

Well, with that, go in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter one for Chip's message, The Unlikely People. It can be one of your kids. It can be your mom. It can be your dad.

It can be your best friend. Because when you get the news on this, you will be deeply engaged. Somewhere between New York and Paris, terrorists on that plane took over the plane. They have now redirected that plane, and that plane has landed. Terrorists now have 161 hostages of which your mom, your dad, your wife, your husband, or one of your kids is there. The U.S. military has a special ops team immediately working in the area, deciding what they're going to do, knowing that with the demands and the beheadings that have occurred, that they will do a special operation.

Now, here's my question. What kind of a group do you want to help rescue one of these hostages that you love very deeply? What kind of qualifications do they need to have? What do you want to know about a special operations, whether it's Green Beret or Delta Force or the SEALs or the Army Rangers?

What do they need to have to be successful in this? Well, I did a little research and listened to, this is from our federal government armed services. Those who make up the U.S. Special Forces are a special breed of warrior. It's their job to push beyond limits that are mentally tougher, physically stronger, and 100% committed to serving our country and protecting its freedoms. It's a job for the best of the best. This elite team of heroes goes where others won't because they aren't trained and they cannot do what others do. It goes on to say, the requirements to make it into the special operations are some of the most demanding in the military. It calls for training that is physically and mentally harder and more strenuous than any other in any career. To make it, you have to have the will, the strength, and the endurance. In this special one, 730 days of training. Every recruit thinks that they're up for the challenge, but very few are.

Most of them fail. And then there's a criteria. You need to be between 20 and 30 years old. You need to be a citizen. You need a level of education.

On one course, you have to have 110 score. On your armed services operational course, 100 score. Security clearance, airborne training, physical fitness, and 20-20 vision. If you know anything about any special operations, they're the elite of the elite of the elite. And I don't know about you, but if they have my wife, my daughter, my son, my best friend, that's the kind of people I want, don't you, to do this rescue operation. Now, a rescue is what?

It's to save someone from a dangerous or distressing situation, to keep them from being lost or abandoned, or to retrieve them. We want to retrieve these hostages alive. And so what I can tell you is this group, they're going to come up with a plan, the right people we're going to send in, they're going to have innovative methods, they're going to look at the situation and what they need to do, and it might be different from anything they've ever done. Their timing is going to have to be, not impeccable, but perfect.

And they're going to have to execute flawlessly. Now, I want you to think of an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-wise God, who's created all that there is, and it's not there's a few people, there's a whole planet full of humanity that is held hostage. Hostaged by evil, hostage by sin, hostage by death, hostage by an evil imposter, and God is going to rescue them, and so he has a special ops team. But as I've studied his special ops team, it's really different than ours. We want the best of the best, the most highly trained, the most intelligent, the strongest. And so what I want to do with you is I want to take you on a little journey, and I want to walk you from chronologically the first mention we get of God's rescue operation, right up to the birth of Jesus, which is the birth of the launching of his rescue operation. And let's look at what I like to call the unlikely people.

I want you to be thinking about, wow, I wonder if I could qualify. What is it about these people that I have in common with them? Why would God choose them? How does God really work?

Because it's quite a bit different than us. So chronologically, if you go through Scripture, what you find is the first people that you would discover would be there's a group called magi, and these magi were not just astrologers the way we think. They were a very influential group of wise men. They're referred to in Daniel 2. They're referred to in Jeremiah 39. These were the counselors to kings. These were people that were involved in what's going to happen in the future. And they started watching the stars and this phenomena at least two years before the birth. They probably made at least a 300-mile trek. I began to ask myself, now, this is a special operation of God's holy people, the Jews, and the first people who recognize that the king of the Jews is going to be born the savior of the world is a group of Gentile people staring at the stars that had hundreds of years of history of giving counsel to kings and who were referred to as magicians and sometimes even sorcerers.

Is this really the group you want to start this plan with? I mean, really? Doesn't it seem a little unlikely? These pagan, Gentile stargazers are going to be the ones who are the first to mention chronologically of this great rescue plan. Well, we move from the magi to Zachariah, Matthew chapter 1. Zachariah is a priest. We know he's not yet 50 because you have to automatically retire at 50 from the priesthood. Twice a year he would go and serve in the temple.

They would cast lots because once a year someone would go into burnt incense in the holy place, and the incense were a picture of prayers going up to heaven. We know that Zachariah is married to Elizabeth, who is barren, and in that day to be barren is assumed to be cursed of God. They've been begging God, begging God, praying for a son, but the biological window has closed.

She can't have kids now. And he's chosen by lot, just happenstance. And you can only do this once in your lifetime if you're chosen. So Zachariah goes into the holy place, he burns the incense, and why is there an angel appears?

Whoa. And as this angel appears, he begins to tell Zachariah that you're going to have a son, he's going to prepare the way for the Savior of the world, and he begins to lay out all these things. This man has studied the Bible his whole life. This man has prayed to God, give me a son. And the angel comes and lets him know this is what's happening. And what's his response?

Unbelief. So because of his unbelief, the Lord causes him to be dumb. He can't speak. So he comes out, what happened, what happened?

You know, he's just freaked out. So he can't speak, and we find that he can't say a word until the baby is born. And, you know, they've been waiting all their life.

It's a miracle. Everyone's just freaked out that Elizabeth is having a baby, first of all. And then we're going to name him Zachariah because, I mean, you're family line, and that's, I mean, that's really important stuff. And Elizabeth says, no, his name's going to be John. And they take him to the father and say, no, wait a second, you don't buy that. And he writes, his name is John. And the moment he says that, he can speak. And you can read it, and he prophesies. And he begins to talk Old Testament passage after passage, reaching out of Isaiah, and there's a forerunner who's going to prepare the way for the Savior of the world. And God is going to push down the proud and exalt the humble, and he's going to make a way because he cares for everyone.

Kind of unlikely. A cursed couple that can't have kids, and a priest that doesn't have much faith. The next person in this story chronologically is Mary. She's a peasant teenage girl, probably 15 to 17 years old. She's devout. She really knows God. Unusual for a woman, she's had some theological training because when we hear her pray later, she'll quote parts of at least seven or eight Old Testament passages. But this is a girl, we know she's a peasant or she's really poor because when she goes to the temple and dedicates Jesus, there's two offerings, and there's an offering that's normal, and there's an offering for really poor people, and she and Joseph have to give the offering that really poor people give. So here's the special ops team.

This is, we're going to rescue all humanity. So we start with a bunch of stargazers, then we move to an unbelieving priest with a barren wife, who everyone thinks is cursed by God, and now we go to a teenage girl, unlikely? And the angel says to her, O favored one of the Lord.

What? I mean, can you imagine being a 15, 16 year old girl and an angel shows up in your bedroom? You're a favorite of God. You're going to have a baby. There's a problem here.

I've never been with a guy. Oh no, no, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. And this humble peasant girl says, be it unto me according to your word. You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and Chip will be back in just a minute to finish today's talk. But quickly, this program is supported by the generosity of listeners like you. And right now, during our year-end match, it's a great time to partner with us. Between now and December 31st, every gift we receive will be doubled dollar for dollar.

You can give today by going to livingontheedge.org or by calling 888-333-6003. Well, with that, here again is Chip to continue his message. Can you imagine being 15, 16, 17 years old and telling your closest friends, an angel came to my bedroom? Sure. Hey, got you, Mary.

Right? And God says, here's a sign. You know your cousin Elizabeth, the baron one of you? She's six months pregnant. And the text says she hurried off into the villages. And the moment she walks in the door, what do we know? The baby leaps within Elizabeth's womb, and she's filled with the Holy Spirit. And she begins to declare, this is the mother, our Lord. And she begins to quote Old Testament passages about the Messiah.

In fact, Elizabeth, in her prayer, says, blessed are you who believe what the Lord has said about you. The next person is Joseph. He's a young, devout man.

He's a blue-collar worker, not a lot of education. He's a righteous man because when he hears that Mary is pregnant, he decides to divorce her quietly. In the Jewish betrothal period, you would be betrothed, and you'd be committed, and you weren't married, but the only way to get out of a betrothal is you had to have a divorce. And so he was going to put her away quietly because he was a righteous man, and before he can do that, he gets the angel in the dream. And in his dream, this angel reassures him, Joseph, I just want you to know this 15- to 7-year-old teenager that you're going to marry who is pregnant has never been with a man.

You'll believe me, right? And so I want you to go ahead and marry her, but I want you to abstain from any sexual relationships with her because what I want you to know is that God is visiting the planet. I mean, okay, we've got a peasant girl, blue-collar worker, a poor young man, and then it says the census is going to be taken. There hadn't been one in ages, and so sovereignly, out of the blue, Corinna says from Syria, let's have a census, and he says all the inhabitants of the world, no exceptions. And then next is the town where it all happens, Bethlehem. It's a no-name little dinky town, seven miles outside of Jerusalem. And about the only claim to fame is that, you know, that was where David was brought up. And they go back to Bethlehem.

And as they go there, what we learn is there's no room. So God uses a Roman governor who decides to have a census, and so are you starting to see this unlikely arrangement? This isn't like a special ops of the most holy, the greatest, the smartest, the best, the elite followers of God.

This is like a collage of unlikely people. And so they go to Bethlehem, and when they go to Bethlehem, you know the story, then there's the manger, Luke chapter 2. The king of the universe is going to be born in a manger, and I almost hate to say this, because I hate to mess up your stories. The thing about three wise men, number one, there weren't necessarily three, and there weren't necessarily wise men. Sorry. In fact, in one text it says, and all of Jerusalem, they probably had quite the caravan that came in.

These are uppity guys, okay? Second, it says when there's no room in the inn, but the word for inn is actually the guest room of a house. In that day, there weren't hotels, so you would go to your relatives, so they went to the relatives, and the way the houses were is there was an upstairs guest room, there's a family room here, and there was an open area where they would cook, and then right inside there would be a manger because to protect your animals. And so really there wasn't room in the guest house, and so this baby is born in a manger with animals.

Think of how unlikely the king of the universe coming and being born in a manger. Well then the next group that we find is shepherds, Luke chapter 2 verse 8. You need to understand shepherds are like the lowest on the socioeconomic scale of the day. In fact, it's not just the lowest class of people, but if you get the night shift, you're the lowest class of the lowest, right? So God chooses the lowest class people, and of the lowest class people, those who get the night shift, and angels fill the sky. And they go and they worship Jesus.

And they become the first evangelists, if you read the text carefully, they went and shared the wonder of what the angels had said. This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and you've been listening to part one of Chip's message, The Unlikely People, from our series, The Great Rescue. Chip will be back shortly to share some helpful application for us to think about. In this series, Chip studies the most successful rescue mission ever attempted that should forever change how you celebrate Christmas this year. Learn about the incredible plan God put into motion at the beginning of time, the unlikely team He used to accomplish it, and the perfect child that came to save us. Discover the reason why we can have unexplainable joy and hope this holiday season. For more info about The Great Rescue, visit livingontheedge.org.

That's livingontheedge.org. Well, I'm joined in studio now by Chip, and Chip, you have something really important you'd like to share with our listeners. And we have a few minutes left here, so why don't you go ahead and do that.

Thanks, Dave. And I just want to remind all of you, as the year is coming to an end, our year-end match is coming to the end as well. And I know it happens every single year. Literally thousands of people say, I meant to, I'm intending to, I was going to give. But you haven't done it yet. I don't want you to miss out. Until December 31st at midnight, every gift given is going to be doubled dollar for dollar.

That means the impact will be doubled as well. If you've intended to, if you've prayed about it but not yet done it, or if you just have thought, you know what, I need to do that, can I encourage you, go online or get out that checkbook, make sure it's dated December 31st, get it in the mail, so your gift will be doubled, and we can make a bigger difference than ever before. Thanks so much.

Thanks, Chip. And let me just add, when you partner with Living on the Edge, you're helping us train and encourage pastors across the globe, create new discipleship resources to motivate Christians to deepen their faith, and winsomely engage this next generation with the hope of the Gospel. All of this is possible through your support during our year-end match. Now to give a gift, visit livingontheedge.org, or call 888-333-6003.

That's 888-333-6003, or go to livingontheedge.org. App listeners, tap donate. We're deeply grateful for you giving whatever the Lord leads you to give.

Well, here again is Chip with his application for this message. As we wrap up today's program, I hope you caught just how much I love the Christmas story and all the people in it. You know, every time I spend time reading it, thinking about it, studying it, I get so encouraged because these aren't superstars. They're regular, ordinary people like you and me. In fact, candidly, they're not even ordinary people. They're the lowliest. They're the marginalized.

They're often the misfits. I didn't grow up in the church, and I know I'm ordinary, and I am absolutely amazed. And what gives me hope around Christmas is that God doesn't need superstars. He needs ordinary, available people. I do believe that He does extraordinary things through us regular, ordinary people. I mean, a teenage girl brings the Savior into the world. The lowly shepherds are the first evangelists.

I mean, the story goes on and on. So this Christmas, could I encourage you? You're precious and you're valuable, but you're also a messenger.

There's people that will be family, and I know it's hard. There'll be people that have needs, and I know you've already given. But I just want to encourage you to say, Oh Lord, this Christmas, would you use an unlikely person like me? And so when He prompts you to give a gift, to help a homeless person, to say a word of affirmation, to forgive an ex-mate, to do something that seems crazy but it's loving and it's kind, or maybe you're asked to step up and share your faith or do something that you think, Oh, that's not for me. That's for someone stronger, better, more intelligent, on and on and on. Could I encourage you this Christmas, be one of the unlikely people that God uses to rescue others, for God's glory and for your good.

Great challenge, Chip. As we close, if Living on the Edge has made a difference in your life, consider becoming a financial partner during our year-end match so others can benefit from this ministry. From now until midnight, December 31st, every gift we receive will be matched dollar for dollar. To give, go to LivingOnTheEdge.org or call 888-333-6003. That's 888-333-6003 or go to LivingOnTheEdge.org. App listeners, tap donate and let me thank you in advance for your support. We'll listen in next time as Chip wraps up his series, The Great Rescue. Until then, this is Dave Drewy saying thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge. Music