How Will You Respond?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
The reality is that everything that God does in our live’s is good and something we do not deserve.
God is always at work around us. He is working in our lives; pursuing us because he loves us.
Listen to this quote from our High SchoolExperiencing God study...
“When we are passionate about a goal, we will do whatever it takes to achieve it. If we will do this for our goals, how much more will God pursue His goals? He desires to be in a relationship with you, but sin prevents you from ever finding or working your way to Him. So, God pursues you.”
God is always at work doing good in our lives. Making our plans, other people’s plans, and even Satan’s plans work out for God’s purposes for us. And that purpose revolves around Him loving us and wanting to be in a relationship with us.
Which leads me back to the theme question for tonight:
How Will You Respond?
Let’s consider this in the story of John the Baptist’s birth...
John’s birth shows us that...
Regardless of who we are or what we’ve done...
God Gives Mercy
God Gives Mercy
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
Facts about Elizabeth and Zechariah
Elizabeth was barren.
Elizabeth and Zechariah were both older than is normal for having children.
Everyone in their community knew their situation.
In that time, bearing a son was seen as God showing favor on someone.
So to go from barren and old - to having a son - in this time - was seen as a HUGE DEAL. And it was!
God really was showing Zechariah and Elizabeth mercy.
Zechariah, when he was first told about this merciful action from God, didn’t believe God, but believed the news was too good to be true!
But God followed through on His word and they bore a son. Not just any son, but one of the most important men to walk the earth, John the Baptist:
66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
Even Jesus knew how important John was.
Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
John’s importance was completely connected to and defined by His relationship to Jesus and how he was God’s instrument for making Jesus BIG!
He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Side Note
For us, like John, our importance and usefulness and the blessing we are to people like our parents and others around us is also completely connected and defined by our relationship to Jesus. If Jesus is BIG in our lives and we continue to get smaller while he gets BIGGER, the more important and useful we will become here.
To be BIG, you have to become small so that Jesus is seen in and through you!
God showed INCREDIBLE MERCY to Elizabeth and Zechariah by gracing them with John as a son.
Because...
Regardless of who we are or what we’ve done...
God Gives Mercy
God Gives Mercy
When God gives mercy, that...
Mercy Deserves Obedience
Mercy Deserves Obedience
Remember the Angel Gabriel’s instructions to Zechariah...
But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
“You are to call him John”
That’s a command!
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,
but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
Elizabeth resists peer pressure
Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.
He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”
Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.
Just imagine being unable to talk and people want to know what you desire and they start pushing hard for you to have what is opposite of what you want. But you have no way to tell them with your words. Imagine the desperation!
Even John’s obedience required desperation and great effort: He had to pursue something to obey the angel’s command.
Not only does mercy deserve obedience, it is intended to produce obedience.
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
When we respond to God’s mercy with our obedience, He will use it to bring Himself more glory!
65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
Obedience is really just about doing the thing we said John was seen as important and useful for doing:
He must increase, but I must decrease.”
This is for everyone. Not just super Christians or people who work at a church.
To be BIG, you have to become small so that Jesus is seen in and through you!
Do you want your life to be for the glory of God?
Then choose, this day, to respond to His mercy with obedience!
When God gives mercy, that...
Mercy Deserves Obedience
Mercy Deserves Obedience
In Summary
God gives everyone mercy and, in turn, deserves our obedience.
The truth is he deserves our obedience simply because he is GOD. But, by nature, He is loving and gracious so he shows people like us mercy. This mercy is an invitation to us all to be in relationship with Him.
Invitation
Invitation
Two groups being invited
First Group: If you are here tonight and you have never OBEDIENTLY responded to Jesus’ work for you on the cross and resurrection, then I invite you to OBEDIENTLY respond.
What this looks like is for you to take what you believe and know to be true about Jesus (being God the Son, Savior who died for you, King who resurrected and defeated death) take that and SUBMIT to Jesus!
Tell Him you are sorry for disobeying Him by rejecting Him and running from Him. Tell Him you choose to submit to Him and follow Him.
Even if you’ve grown up in church or you’ve been baptized, this may be your act of obedience.
If you have obeyed Jesus in faith and repentance (submission) then tonight, do some inspection.
Be honest with yourself about how active you are in submitting to Jesus.
If you’ve struggled to submit to Him, then confess it to Him, ask for forgiveness, and ask Him to give you the strength and willpower to begin making daily submission to Him your habit.
How will you respond?
Grow Group Questions
1. Why does God constantly pursue us and work all plans for us to know Him?
2. What ways have you seen God show you mercy?
3. Why was John the Baptist seen as important in God’s story?
4. How are we to find importance and usefulness in this life?
5. What are some ways our Jesus Mission Importance can be manifested in school, on our sports team, in band, or at our job?
6. According to Pastor Caleb, if we want our lives to be for the glory of God, how must we respond to God’s mercy?
7. Have you submitted to Jesus and His gospel? Why or why not?