 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
"Great Expectations" Page 1  | 2 | 3
| 4 | |
Mike Slaughter  |
|||
 Advent
- this Christmas season - is about expecting the unexpected. I am really
excited because God has been teaching me a whole lot about faith. This
past week, as I was reading the Bible, I was reminded that Jesus was
not able to do many miracles in his hometown because of the unbelief
of people and I began to wonder. What miracles are not being done in
my life because of unbelief? What miracles are not being done in our
lives because of negativity, cynicism or fear? What is keeping God's
purpose from being birthed through our life? Great expectations.
|
||||
Luke 1:5, 7 5: In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 7: But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years. |
I. Faithful but Not Fruitful  This
month preceding Christmas we will be in the first chapter of Luke. We
have just been introduced to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah had
a vision when he was in the temple. This couple, who were more the age
of grandparents, were going to have their first child. That child would
be John the Baptist who would prepare the way for the Messiah, Jesus.
Verse five, "In the days of King Herod of Judea there was a priest named
Zechariah who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah; his wife was
a descendent of Aaron and her name was Elizabeth." Everyone who was
a descendent of Aaron was a priest, so by this time in history there
were about 24,000 priests. More priests than you knew what to do with.
More priests than anyone needed. "Both of them were righteous before
God living blamelessly according to the commandments and regulations
of the Lord. But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren and
both of them were getting on in years." This passage shows us that we
can be faithful but not fruitful. You can be faithful, you can love
God, you can be committed to keeping the commandments of God but not
bear the life of God for other people. Zechariah and Elizabeth were
the kind of good people that always showed up when you needed them.
This was a big temple. You could use about 1000 priests at a time but
you couldn't use 24,000. So there weren't any full time priests at that
time. It was like being in the army reserve. Two weeks a year you were
called up to do your priestly duty at the temple. This was Zechariah's
two weeks. He was called and showed up like so many faithful people
I know. You are asked to teach and you teach. You are asked to be part
of some kind of task group and you say yes. You are asked to give and
you give. Notice in verse seven there is a spiritual barrenness, a spiritual
infertility. You live by the laws of God, you love God, but you are
not reproducing the life of God in other people. Why is this verse so
important? This is what life is about. God wants to use your life as
a womb of blessing for other people. God wants to use you to make ready
a people who will be prepared for God. So God is looking for people
who are willing to carry miracles full term for the sake of other people.
God needs surrogate parents.A lot of folks I know are
faithful but they are not fruitful. Todd Carter makes video stories
for us almost every week. Sometimes I don't know about these folks until
I see the video. Like Leland Sprecher. Todd showed us that great story
about how Leland fetches people and brings them here to worship. A few
weeks ago Todd introduced us to Lisa and Paulette. Lisa is faithful
and shows up every week to drive to Parkside, picks up brothers and
sisters in Christ and brings them to church. Not only is she faithful,
she is fruitful. Paulette was a sister who always had the desire to
drive. God heard Paulette's prayers. God is looking for wombs of blessing
who will be an answer to other people's prayers. Lisa was not only receptive
to picking people up and bringing them to church but she was receptive
to being a vehicle of God to help Paulette get her license. Then Lisa
helped Paulette get a car. That is a surrogate parent for a miracle
of God. Not only was she faithful she was fruitful. |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||