1 00:00:01,520 --> 00:00:02,800 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 2: I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 3 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 2: I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope 4 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 2: this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it 5 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 2: gives your perspective to see God is moving in your life. 6 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: Enjoy the message. 7 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 3: Ladies and gentlemen, remain standing and welcome to our epam 8 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 3: all over the world as you continue to hug your neighbors, 9 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 3: your friends, your family, and complete strangers. 10 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: It is my great joy to announce to you. 11 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 3: That today, preaching her final sermon of the year twenty 12 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 3: twenty five, it's my favorite Verdic, your favorite Fernich, everybody's 13 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 3: favorite Arnach. 14 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: Y'all give it up for holly. 15 00:00:52,400 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 4: Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas. 16 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: Let me just get a good look at you. 17 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 5: What an amazing time we have had in worship today. 18 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 5: Feels so good in here. The Lord is present in 19 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:19,119 Speaker 5: this place. 20 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: Amen. The Bible says that He. 21 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 5: Inhabits the praises of his people. I think that means 22 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 5: he's here with us today. And you made it to 23 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 5: church on the Sunday before Christmas, whether you're at one 24 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 5: of our. 25 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: Locations or you're joining us online. I know that that means. 26 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 5: That your heart is expectant today, that you want more 27 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 5: than just checking off things off your to do list 28 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 5: this week, that you want to get your heart right 29 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 5: this week? 30 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 1: Can you want to be in the presence of Jesus? 31 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 5: And I believe that God has a word for us 32 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 5: today and I'm really honored that I get. 33 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: To bring it to you. 34 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 5: So, okay, real quick, before you take your seats, I 35 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 5: just want to read our scripture for today. I'm going 36 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 5: to be reading from Luke chapter one if you. 37 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: Have a Bible. 38 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:12,679 Speaker 5: And last week Pastor Stephen talked about how God provides 39 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 5: and he prompts. 40 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: It was so powerful. Were you here? Amazing? 41 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 5: The sermon was called Mary's Prayer, and so I want 42 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,359 Speaker 5: to pick up today with a little bit more of 43 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 5: Mary's story and we're going to start reading. In the 44 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 5: middle of the passage, the Angel has come to Mary 45 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 5: and he's announced to her that she's going to give 46 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 5: birth to the Son of God. 47 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: And we're going to start reading right there. 48 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,119 Speaker 5: In verse thirty four, Mary asked the angel, but how 49 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 5: can this happen? 50 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: I am a virgin. 51 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 5: The angel replied, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, 52 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 5: and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. 53 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 5: So the baby to be born will be holy, and 54 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 5: he will be called. 55 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: The Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has 56 00:02:59,360 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: become pregnant. 57 00:02:59,919 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 5: In her old age, people used to say she was barren, 58 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 5: but she has conceived a son and is now in 59 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 5: her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail. 60 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 5: Mary replied, I am the Lord's servant. May everything that 61 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 5: you have said about me come true? And then the 62 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 5: angel left her. A few days later, Mary hurried to 63 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 5: the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. 64 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 5: She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 65 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: At the sound of. 66 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 5: Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was 67 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 5: filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry 68 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 5: and exclaimed to Mary, God has blessed you above all women, 69 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 5: and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored 70 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 5: that the mother of my Lord should visit me. When 71 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 5: I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped 72 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 5: for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the 73 00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 5: Lord would do what he said. Father, would you bless 74 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 5: the reading of this word today. 75 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: We love you, we want to hear from you. It's 76 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: in Jesus name, we pray. Amen. All right, the. 77 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 5: Title of my sermon don't sit Downia, don't it Donia. 78 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 5: The title of my sermon is blessed because you believed. 79 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 5: On your way to your seat, ask your neighbor, are 80 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 5: you blessed? So several weeks ago, my husband stood up 81 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 5: here and he told all of you about how I 82 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:40,359 Speaker 5: am a terrible liar. 83 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:42,839 Speaker 1: It's true. 84 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,360 Speaker 5: I don't know why, but I am really just the 85 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 5: worst liar. And what that means is, don't ask me 86 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 5: if I like your haircut. Please do not put me 87 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,480 Speaker 5: on the spot like that, because sometimes I just can't 88 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,600 Speaker 5: think of anything to say, and like the best thing 89 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 5: that I might be able to come up with is like, wow, 90 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 5: you look so good, and then you won't believe me. 91 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 1: And I'm you know, I just I'm a terrible liar. 92 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 5: And what that means, though, also is that my inability 93 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 5: to lie it also makes me extremely gullible. I'm just 94 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 5: I'm a believer. Okay, So I am a car salesman's dream, you. 95 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 1: Know, Like I'm gonna be like yeah, like. 96 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 5: Oh, a little old lady drove this car. She only 97 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 5: drove it to church in the grocery store every week. 98 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 5: I mean, I just I just believe what people say 99 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 5: to me, and I also believe. I've recently come to 100 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 5: realize everything that comes into my Instagram feed, and this 101 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 5: drives my family crazy. Like I will frequently show my 102 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 5: kids videos and be like, look at this, this is amazing, 103 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:54,799 Speaker 5: and my kids will look back at me and they're like, Mom, 104 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 5: that's not real. And so then I find another one 105 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 5: I want to show. I gotta showsting this baby. You're 106 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,039 Speaker 5: not gonna believe this, and he'll look at me and 107 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 5: they'll be like, hell, you know that's AI right, Okay. 108 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: So I'm slow. 109 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 5: I'm learning because I just believe that things are true. 110 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 5: Like the other day, this video came into my feet 111 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 5: on Instagram, and I don't know if you guys saw 112 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 5: this one, but it was ring doorbell footage and which 113 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 5: means it's true. And there was a cat and a 114 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 5: baby on a front porch and a bear wanders up 115 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:34,279 Speaker 5: and the cat hissses and like swats at the bear 116 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 5: and saves the baby. And when I saw this video, 117 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 5: I thought, wow, Dad is one amazing cat. And soon 118 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 5: A couple days later, another one comes into my feet. 119 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: Different porch, different cat, different baby, and I thought, I 120 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:55,080 Speaker 1: think we need to get a cat. 121 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:03,279 Speaker 5: So then a third one came, and this time I thought, 122 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 5: wait a minute, like, how many moms are. 123 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: Leaving their babies alone on a porch? This must be AI. 124 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 1: You can't fool me three times. 125 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 5: I recently saw another one of this family of dolphins 126 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 5: and they were like breaching the water and this tiny 127 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 5: little baby dolphin like. 128 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: Pops up out of the water. It was the. 129 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 5: Cutest thing I have seen in twenty twenty five, and 130 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 5: I was like, oh, wait, maybe this So I went 131 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 5: to the comments, because you know, in the comments, people 132 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 5: will let you know if this is AI. If one 133 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 5: of the first comments that I saw, this woman said, 134 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 5: if this is AI, don't tell me. I don't want 135 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 5: to know, And I was like, Amen, it's real. 136 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: How many of you would agree. 137 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 5: It's getting harder and harder to believe. When I was 138 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 5: in my twenties, I thought that belief was black and white. 139 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 5: This is what I believe, this is what I do 140 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 5: not believe, and I believe that this is what you 141 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 5: should believe too. I was really fun to be around you, 142 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 5: would have enjoyed it. As I've gotten older, though, I've 143 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:07,760 Speaker 5: learned to let go kind of of the black and white, 144 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 5: and I've had to learn that believing God is so 145 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 5: much more about who He is than it is about 146 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 5: what I think he should do. And in our story, 147 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 5: Elizabeth told Mary that she was blessed because she believed. 148 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: And when I read this, those words just leapt off 149 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: of the page. 150 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 5: For me, the blessings in my life are directly tied 151 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 5: to my beliefs. 152 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 1: What I believe about God has. 153 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:40,959 Speaker 5: To be at the center of everything that I say 154 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:44,439 Speaker 5: and everything that I do. And what I want you 155 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:49,080 Speaker 5: to know today is that God is not Santa. We 156 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 5: don't grow out of believing in him. 157 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:54,679 Speaker 1: We grow into. 158 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 5: Our belief as we walk with Him, as. 159 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:01,440 Speaker 1: We begin our journey with Him. Well, we begin it 160 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: with salvation, right. 161 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:05,559 Speaker 5: Maybe you accepted Jesus as a child and you've known 162 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 5: him your whole life. Maybe you accepted Jesus here at 163 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:10,679 Speaker 5: elevation you raise your hand and you got one of 164 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 5: those orange Bibles. Maybe you accepted Jesus online through our ministry. 165 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 5: We begin by knowing Jesus as our savior, but then 166 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:22,560 Speaker 5: we get to know that God is so much more 167 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 5: than that. God never intended for us to stop with salvation. 168 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,960 Speaker 5: The gospel is not about accepting Jesus just so that 169 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 5: we can go to heaven. That's the beginning and the end. 170 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 5: But you will be blessed because you believed in Him. 171 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 5: The Gospel is about believing in God and getting to 172 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 5: know Him in the middle part, in the time that 173 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 5: we have here on earth. We get to know God 174 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:50,440 Speaker 5: when we worship him, when we bring our questions to Him, 175 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 5: and our sorrows and our disappointments, and when we lay 176 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 5: them before Him and we begin to grow in. 177 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: Our belief of who He is. 178 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 5: This February, our church is going to celebrate our twentieth anniversary, and. 179 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 1: I'm so excited. I just want you to know We're 180 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: going big. 181 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 5: I've told my husband, I was like, we're doing this right. 182 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: Twenty years is a big deal. 183 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 5: So I've been coming through old videos and pictures and 184 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 5: I've just been feeling all of the feelings of what 185 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 5: it's been like these past twenty years, and I just 186 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 5: want to tell you it has been the blessing of 187 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 5: a lifetime. To believe that God could use two kids 188 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:39,480 Speaker 5: from South Carolina to be able to lead a church 189 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 5: and a ministry like this. We were twenty five years 190 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 5: old when we started this church. I don't know who 191 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 5: wanted to come to a church led by q twenty 192 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:53,120 Speaker 5: five year old kids, but thank you for coming. And 193 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 5: I'm so glad that God did actually call us to 194 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,839 Speaker 5: start this when we were young. When we started this church, 195 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 5: I was so naive. And Stephen tells this story. I'm 196 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 5: sure you've heard about how we were on our front 197 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 5: porch in Shelby, North Carolina, and I looked at him 198 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 5: and I said, it's time for us to start this church. 199 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 5: And I believed with all of my heart that God 200 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 5: was calling us to go and to do this and 201 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 5: to step out in faith and to follow him. But 202 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:25,200 Speaker 5: I had no idea how much I would grow in 203 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 5: my understanding of who He is as we walked out 204 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 5: what we believed that He was calling us to do. 205 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:35,840 Speaker 5: I want you to know that I have come to 206 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 5: know God as Jehovah Jirah, because from the moment that 207 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 5: we took the first step to move to Charlotte, We've 208 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:46,400 Speaker 5: seen Him provide over and over and over again, every 209 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 5: person that he put in our path, every resource that 210 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 5: he prompted someone to give every connection that led us 211 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 5: to the next step. I've also come to know him 212 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 5: as Jehovah Nissi, the one who fights our. 213 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 1: Battles for us. I've come to know him as Jehovah Rafa, 214 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 1: the God who heals. 215 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 5: And I've seen him bring healing and restoration to so 216 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,960 Speaker 5: many people across our ministries, families that were put back together, 217 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:13,640 Speaker 5: marriages that were restored. 218 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:16,559 Speaker 1: I've come to know him as Emmanuel. 219 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 5: God with us in the ups and the downs and 220 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 5: in everything in between. 221 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: I have come to know that God is with me. 222 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 5: I am blessed because I believed, and you are blessed 223 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:34,160 Speaker 5: because you believe. And the Christmas Story is about a 224 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 5: cast of characters who dared to believe that God, God 225 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:42,080 Speaker 5: was telling them what would come to pass, and that 226 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:45,359 Speaker 5: it was true. So my message. 227 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: Today is very simple. 228 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 5: It's so simple that I'm almost embarrassed. 229 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: That this is what I'm bringing to you. 230 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:55,200 Speaker 5: It's very common sense. And in the time that we 231 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 5: have left, I want to show you three things that 232 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 5: I believe about God that I see in this part 233 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 5: of the Christmas Story. 234 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 1: And I just want to warn you my parts, my points. 235 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 5: They're not catchy, they don't rhyme, they don't spell anything 236 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 5: at the end, so don't be prepared to be in 237 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 5: awe at the end. We're going to leave that for 238 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 5: when Pastor Stephen comes back. 239 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: It's just a simple message today. 240 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 5: Three truths that we can believe about God this Christmas, 241 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 5: and the first one is I believe that God believes 242 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:29,080 Speaker 5: in me. 243 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 1: Let's go back to our scripture, verse twenty six. 244 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:35,720 Speaker 5: In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the 245 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 5: angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a 246 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,920 Speaker 5: virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to 247 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,200 Speaker 5: a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel 248 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:50,160 Speaker 5: appeared to her and said, greetings, favored woman, the Lord. 249 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: Is with you. 250 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 5: Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel 251 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:59,480 Speaker 5: could mean. Don't be afraid, the angel told her, for 252 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 5: you have found favor with God. 253 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:04,120 Speaker 1: Now. 254 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 5: Nowhere in this passage do we find a reason why 255 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 5: God picked Mary. God didn't pick Mary because she was strong. 256 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 5: It doesn't say that God didn't pick Mary because she 257 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 5: was accomplished. It doesn't say that God didn't pick Mary 258 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 5: because she was experienced. 259 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:26,200 Speaker 1: She did not apply for this job. 260 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 5: She did not campaign for this job, and she did 261 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,840 Speaker 5: not volunteer for this job. But one day an angel 262 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 5: comes to her and he says, you have found favor 263 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 5: with God. Now, when I think of the mother that 264 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:43,240 Speaker 5: I would have picked for Jesus if I was God, 265 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:46,480 Speaker 5: I would have picked a woman that already had a 266 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 5: full brood of children, a woman whose children were homeschooled 267 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 5: and responsible, like they had a chure charte that they 268 00:14:56,640 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 5: actually used. And a woman who's children were respectful, a woman. 269 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 1: Whose children like looked after each other. 270 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 5: And you know, I would have picked a woman who 271 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,560 Speaker 5: knew the difference between croup and pneumonia. I would have 272 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 5: picked a woman whose house was clean and orderly, and 273 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 5: especially I would have picked a woman who could cook good, 274 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:19,680 Speaker 5: home cooked meals for the son of God. 275 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 1: But God picked Mary. 276 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 5: And all we know about Mary is that she was 277 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 5: a virgin who was blessed because she believed that she 278 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 5: was the one for the job. 279 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 1: And that's all that God requires of you as well. 280 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 5: And I wonder how different my day would be if 281 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 5: I woke up each morning and I set out loud. 282 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 5: God picked me for this. God picked me for this day. 283 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:49,920 Speaker 5: God picked me for this job. God picked me for 284 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,600 Speaker 5: this child. Whatever the circumstances were that led me to 285 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 5: this moment that I am in today, I am going 286 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 5: to operate under the belief that God believed I am. 287 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: The one for this now. 288 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 5: I think we all live in the tension of the 289 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 5: things in our life that we feel called to and 290 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 5: the things in our life that we might not necessarily 291 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 5: have chosen for ourselves. Like, there are things in life 292 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:19,960 Speaker 5: that we go after, right. God put a desire in 293 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 5: your heart. He gave you a gift and a passion. 294 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 5: And yes it's hard along the way, and yes there 295 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 5: are obstacles and things that you have to overcome, but 296 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 5: you're going after what you feel like you are supposed 297 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:35,120 Speaker 5: to do. Anybody ever feel that way, And it's wonderful, 298 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 5: and you should. 299 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:38,240 Speaker 1: When you feel like you're called to do something, you 300 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: should go after it. But then there are things in 301 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 1: life that I don't know, it seems like. 302 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 5: They go after you, right, Like the things that you 303 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 5: didn't plan for, or the things you didn't expect, or 304 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 5: the things that you don't feel qualified for, the things 305 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 5: that seem to have just been like placed in your 306 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 5: life or in your lap that you did not ask for. 307 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:06,960 Speaker 5: And I want you to hear from me that God 308 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 5: believes in you. 309 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 1: He chose you. 310 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 5: He chose you to be born at this time, at 311 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 5: this place, in this family. 312 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:19,880 Speaker 1: He gave you the children that you have. He gave 313 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 1: you the opportunities that you have. He chose you. 314 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:29,880 Speaker 5: God believed in you before you believed in him, before 315 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,880 Speaker 5: the world began. He knew the number of your days. 316 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 5: You are not an accident. You are chosen and selected 317 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 5: to glorify God with your life. 318 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:43,159 Speaker 1: I don't care what you've done or what you have 319 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:45,200 Speaker 1: not done. The only thing that. 320 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 5: Disqualifies you from being used by God is believing the 321 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 5: lie that He can't use you. 322 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:52,120 Speaker 1: That's it. 323 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:56,800 Speaker 5: God believes in you. You're chosen even when you don't 324 00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:59,679 Speaker 5: feel capable. You're chosen, even when you don't feel like 325 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 5: you did deserve it. 326 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 1: You're chosen. 327 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:06,520 Speaker 5: And if you wait until you feel ready or worthy 328 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:12,120 Speaker 5: or qualified or prepared enough, you're gonna miss what God 329 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:13,159 Speaker 5: has for you. 330 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:16,600 Speaker 1: You're gonna miss the opportunities that are right in front 331 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: of you today. 332 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 5: So Mary accepted the calling that God placed on her life. 333 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:25,679 Speaker 1: She said, I am the Lord's servant. May it be 334 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:27,360 Speaker 1: to me as you have said. 335 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 5: It's my favorite verse in the whole Bible. It's the 336 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 5: thing I want to operate from. Is the way I 337 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 5: want to live my life. Okay, God, I'm your servant. 338 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 5: May be to me as you have said. And then 339 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:42,120 Speaker 5: the scripture tells us that she moved in the direction 340 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,639 Speaker 5: that she felt that God was leading her. So the 341 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:48,679 Speaker 5: second thing that I believe is I believe that God 342 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 5: leads me. Now this one is tricky because unfortunately God 343 00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:58,760 Speaker 5: does not always spell. 344 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:00,119 Speaker 1: Everything out for us. 345 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,919 Speaker 5: Right. He doesn't like write our next steps in the sky, 346 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:09,480 Speaker 5: but he does strongly suggest what we should do next. 347 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:11,640 Speaker 1: Look at Mary again. This is verse thirty five. 348 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:15,400 Speaker 5: It says the angel replied, the Holy Spirit will come 349 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:17,720 Speaker 5: upon you, and the power of the Most. 350 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 1: High will overshadow you. 351 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:20,919 Speaker 5: So the baby to be born will be holy and 352 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:24,400 Speaker 5: he will be called the Son of God. What's more, 353 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:28,360 Speaker 5: your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant. In her old age, 354 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:30,119 Speaker 5: people used to say that she was barren, but she 355 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:32,160 Speaker 5: has conceived a sun and is now in her six months. 356 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:35,880 Speaker 5: For the word of God will never fail. And Mary responded, 357 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 5: here it is I'm the Lord servant. May everything you 358 00:19:38,359 --> 00:19:42,320 Speaker 5: said about me come true, and then the angel left her. 359 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:47,600 Speaker 5: I want you to know that sometimes what's next is 360 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:53,440 Speaker 5: what you already know. The angel left Mary, and I 361 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:55,360 Speaker 5: imagine that she had to sort of. 362 00:19:55,359 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 1: Like take in everything that had just happened. She was like, Okay, 363 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:07,320 Speaker 1: did that just happen? Okay, what happened? And she's replaying 364 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 1: it in her mind. Okay. 365 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 5: The angel came and he said I was going to 366 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:14,920 Speaker 5: give birth the Son of God. But then he said 367 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:21,600 Speaker 5: something about my relative Elizabeth. Elizabeth is pregnant. Well, let 368 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 5: me go see if that's true. So verse thirty nine says. 369 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:28,680 Speaker 5: A few days later, Mary hurried to the hill country 370 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:34,440 Speaker 5: of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered 371 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 5: the house and greeted Elizabeth. Sometimes the next step is 372 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:44,679 Speaker 5: the thing that you already know to do, but you 373 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 5: haven't done it yet. The thing is, God's not going 374 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 5: to reveal more to you until you do that. Now. 375 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:57,840 Speaker 5: One of the ways that God leads us is through 376 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:00,480 Speaker 5: the people that he puts on our path. So God 377 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 5: led Mary to Elizabeth. But when Mary got to elizabeth 378 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,120 Speaker 5: elizabeth home, she enters the house. 379 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:09,159 Speaker 1: And the moment she opens her. 380 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,679 Speaker 5: Mouth to say hello, the baby and Elizabeth's womb jumps 381 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 5: and confirms what the angel said. And Elizabeth says to Mary, 382 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:19,399 Speaker 5: why am I so honored that the mother of my 383 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 5: Lord should visit me. God will send you people when 384 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:30,159 Speaker 5: you moved towards what you know. God led Mary and 385 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:33,399 Speaker 5: Joseph to Bethlehem because of the census that was ordered, 386 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:35,120 Speaker 5: and it was there that the baby was. 387 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:37,560 Speaker 1: Born in a barn. But it was also there. 388 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 5: That the shepherds came and visited them, and they said, 389 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:42,840 Speaker 5: we saw an entire host of angels, and we came 390 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 5: to worship the Christ Child. And in eight days after 391 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 5: that they took Jesus to the temple. 392 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:50,200 Speaker 1: It was the custom. It was the thing that they 393 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:51,160 Speaker 1: were supposed to do. 394 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 5: It was what you did with your baby when they 395 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:55,719 Speaker 5: were eight days old. You came to the temple and 396 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:58,840 Speaker 5: you dedicated them there. And when they were there, Mary 397 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:03,560 Speaker 5: and Joseph they into two different people, Simeon and Anna, 398 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:07,399 Speaker 5: the prophetess. And at the temple, both Simeon and Anna 399 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:11,120 Speaker 5: confirm what God is doing, and they said, they said, 400 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:16,200 Speaker 5: this is Jesus, and they became, we have seen the salvation. 401 00:22:16,119 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 1: Of the Lord. 402 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 5: The path for Mary was going to be so challenging, 403 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:25,760 Speaker 5: But I believe that every time that doubt crept into 404 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:28,359 Speaker 5: Mary's heart when she thought she didn't have what it 405 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:30,439 Speaker 5: took to be a good mom, and she thought she 406 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:32,640 Speaker 5: didn't know how she was going to protect her son 407 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,359 Speaker 5: or how she was supposed to provide for him, I 408 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:39,159 Speaker 5: believe that she could recall what God had spoken to 409 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 5: her through Elizabeth, through Simeon, through Anna, through the Shepherds, 410 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:44,359 Speaker 5: through the wise Man. 411 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,360 Speaker 1: And I want you to know that God is going 412 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: to guide you too. 413 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 5: He's going to tell you what you need to know, 414 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 5: and as long as you keep moving and what you know, 415 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 5: he's going to send people to confirm that you are 416 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:00,119 Speaker 5: on the right path. But it's important to know. Oh, 417 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 5: God's not gonna reveal the entire plan to you. God 418 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:07,680 Speaker 5: is gonna show you what you need to see when 419 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 5: you need to see it. The Angel came to Mary 420 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:14,240 Speaker 5: and said, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. 421 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:16,720 Speaker 1: The Angel didn't give her a timeline. 422 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:19,840 Speaker 5: He didn't say, see, we know the story, so it's 423 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:23,240 Speaker 5: easier for us, right. But the Angel didn't say to her, Okay, 424 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:25,879 Speaker 5: first you're gonna have the baby, and he's gonna be 425 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 5: born in Bethlehem. I know that's weird, but you're gonna 426 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:29,760 Speaker 5: be there by accident kind of for the census. 427 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:30,880 Speaker 1: Then you're gonna go to. 428 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 5: Egypt for two years because Herod's gonna kill all the 429 00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:35,440 Speaker 5: baby boys and it's not gonna be. 430 00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 1: Safe for Jesus to stay in Judea. 431 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:39,359 Speaker 5: But eventually you're gonna come back and you're gonna settle 432 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:39,960 Speaker 5: in Nazareth. 433 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 1: And Jesus' ministry isn't gonna even. 434 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,359 Speaker 5: Start until he's thirty, so you'll have him for thirty 435 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 5: years with you, and then you're gonna get to see 436 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,400 Speaker 5: him do this amazing ministry and he's gonna perform these 437 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:53,560 Speaker 5: incredible ministry miracles, and then the things that he's gonna 438 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:55,040 Speaker 5: do is just gonna blow your mind. 439 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:56,120 Speaker 1: But then he's gonna die on. 440 00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 5: The cross and it's gonna be awful, but don't worry, 441 00:23:58,520 --> 00:23:59,840 Speaker 5: because he's gonna rise again on the third. 442 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: It's all part of the planet. 443 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:07,359 Speaker 5: And I think, like, as parents, we want that for 444 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 5: our kids, Like, wouldn't it be nice if they came 445 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 5: with a timeline and we were like, it's okay, it's 446 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:16,680 Speaker 5: all part of the plan. Here's where they're going to struggle, 447 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 5: here's where they're gonna shine, and this is what you 448 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:21,240 Speaker 5: should do when this happens. And this is what you 449 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,760 Speaker 5: should do when that happens. And you should intervene here. 450 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:27,840 Speaker 5: But don't worry here. God doesn't work like that, because 451 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:31,119 Speaker 5: God is more concerned with you than he is about 452 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:37,520 Speaker 5: your situation. God wants a relationship with you. A couple 453 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:39,920 Speaker 5: of weeks ago, Pastor Stephen preached something that. 454 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:41,439 Speaker 1: I will never forget. 455 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:44,840 Speaker 5: It was just a small point in his sermon, but 456 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:47,959 Speaker 5: he did this visual thing that just like I don't know, 457 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:50,400 Speaker 5: it just like reached into my heart and I don't 458 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 5: think I'll ever forget it. 459 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:52,879 Speaker 1: But I don't know if you remember this. 460 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:56,560 Speaker 5: He said, faith is more like this, and he kind 461 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:58,160 Speaker 5: of like closed his eyes and he put his hands 462 00:24:58,240 --> 00:24:59,720 Speaker 5: like this out and he said, it's like. 463 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 1: Grappling in the dark. 464 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:04,960 Speaker 5: It's like feeling your way around and trusting God with 465 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 5: each tiny step that you take. He said, it's more 466 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 5: like this than it is like this holding tight to 467 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:20,159 Speaker 5: what I thought this was gonna be. And then he said, 468 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:25,080 Speaker 5: you hold tight to the promise, but you hold loosely 469 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 5: to the plan. 470 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:29,520 Speaker 1: Babe. That might have been the most impactful thing that 471 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:32,560 Speaker 1: you said this year. It marked me. 472 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:36,000 Speaker 5: It helped me because how many times in my life 473 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 5: have I thought that faith is not wavering, it's not 474 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,520 Speaker 5: letting go of the original plan. I have to believe 475 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:44,960 Speaker 5: if I just believe, if I just come to Him 476 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,000 Speaker 5: over and over again, reminding him of my plan, and 477 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:51,240 Speaker 5: eventually everything will happen the way that I thought. It's 478 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,399 Speaker 5: so hard to let go of what I thought was 479 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:58,320 Speaker 5: the plan. I don't even want to think about how 480 00:25:58,359 --> 00:25:59,800 Speaker 5: many times I have. 481 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:03,160 Speaker 1: Said something to God that was of the nature of God. 482 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:07,800 Speaker 1: This was not the plan. Maybe you feel that way today, 483 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,119 Speaker 1: like God. 484 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:13,639 Speaker 5: Divorce was not in my plan, sickness was not in 485 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:17,359 Speaker 5: my plan. Job loss at Christmas time was not in 486 00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:21,160 Speaker 5: my plan. And I'm not saying that God causes these 487 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:23,200 Speaker 5: hard things to happen to us in life. 488 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:24,360 Speaker 1: What I am. 489 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 5: Saying is that faith is remembering His name will be 490 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:37,520 Speaker 5: called Emmanuel. God with us. His plan is to be 491 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 5: with me every step of the way. His plan is 492 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 5: to comfort us. His plan is to guide us through 493 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:50,720 Speaker 5: the difficulties. His plan is to grow us, mature us, 494 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 5: and strengthen us in the process. That's God's plan. 495 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:56,639 Speaker 1: Jeremiah twenty nine to eleven. 496 00:26:56,680 --> 00:26:59,040 Speaker 5: God says to Jeremiah, I know the plans I have 497 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,359 Speaker 5: for you, Plans to prosper you, not to harm you, 498 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 5: Plans to give you a hope in the future. This 499 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 5: this verse has gotten me through some really hard times 500 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 5: because it helps me know that when my plans don't 501 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:14,280 Speaker 5: go my way, I hold on to the promise that 502 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:21,800 Speaker 5: He has good plans for me. The plans are his, 503 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:27,840 Speaker 5: The plans are his. He holds the plans. We hold 504 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 5: on to him. The very first promise that was made 505 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:38,160 Speaker 5: to marry was that the Holy Spirit will come upon you. 506 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:43,360 Speaker 5: And you know you have that promise too. Jesus told 507 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:47,160 Speaker 5: the disciples this is John sixteen thirteen. He said, when 508 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,919 Speaker 5: the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into 509 00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:56,280 Speaker 5: all truth. The promise that we cling to is that 510 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:59,399 Speaker 5: the Spirit will guide you. The promise is not a 511 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,800 Speaker 5: map with and by turn directions. The promise is that 512 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:06,000 Speaker 5: you're taking a journey with the ultimate Guide, who you 513 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 5: know is going to lead you through the hard parts. 514 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:13,760 Speaker 5: Belief is not knowing how God will do it. Belief 515 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:18,040 Speaker 5: is trusting the one who will. We hold tight to 516 00:28:18,119 --> 00:28:20,360 Speaker 5: the promise, not to the plan. I have to tell 517 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:23,800 Speaker 5: myself this over and over and over again. My job 518 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:27,000 Speaker 5: is not how man I wanted to be, how I'm 519 00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:30,960 Speaker 5: really good at. How my job is not how my 520 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:35,959 Speaker 5: job is. Who who do I trust? And who is 521 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,719 Speaker 5: he calling me to be? When the plans aren't working 522 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 5: out the way that I thought? 523 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:43,560 Speaker 1: I can't control the plan. I mean, you know what 524 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:45,200 Speaker 1: I think. We all need to say that out loud. 525 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:46,160 Speaker 1: Let's stay together. 526 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:50,120 Speaker 5: I can't control the plan. But you know what I 527 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,720 Speaker 5: can't control me. 528 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,960 Speaker 1: I can control me. I can control what and who 529 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:00,840 Speaker 1: I go to when I feel disappointed. 530 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:04,120 Speaker 5: I can control what I say and what I don't 531 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 5: say when I feel frustrated. 532 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:08,920 Speaker 1: I can control my attitude. I can control most of 533 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 1: the time. I can control my responses. 534 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:14,920 Speaker 5: When things don't go my way, I can do that. 535 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 1: That's the faith part. 536 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:19,760 Speaker 5: When things don't go my way, can I release my 537 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,680 Speaker 5: grip on what I thought would happen? Can I cling 538 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 5: to the one who promised to be with me and 539 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:28,920 Speaker 5: do the things that I know he has already told 540 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:29,560 Speaker 5: me to do. 541 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:31,960 Speaker 1: You don't get. 542 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 5: The next step until you do the things that you 543 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,000 Speaker 5: know he's supposed to do. So maybe some of you 544 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:42,240 Speaker 5: the word for you today is attitude. God's like I 545 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 5: just want you to work on your attitude in this situation? 546 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:50,040 Speaker 5: Can you have a better attitude? Philippians one six says 547 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 5: he who began a good work and you will be 548 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,640 Speaker 5: faithful to complete it. You don't have to know the plan. 549 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 5: You just have to stay close to the one who does. 550 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 5: You have to stay close to the one who promises 551 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:06,840 Speaker 5: to be faithful to complete the work that he started, 552 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:10,040 Speaker 5: not the work that I started, the work that He started. 553 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:11,920 Speaker 5: And I know that so many of you came in 554 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:15,080 Speaker 5: here this Sunday before Christmas feeling like you don't know 555 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 5: what to do next in this situation, and I want 556 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 5: you to know that God is going to show you 557 00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 5: the next step. 558 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:25,040 Speaker 1: You don't have to solve the puzzle. 559 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:28,640 Speaker 5: You don't have to manipulate the situation. You don't have 560 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 5: to cheat your way into it. All you have to 561 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 5: do is take the hint, ask God to open your 562 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,640 Speaker 5: eyes to see where he is working and ask him. 563 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: Ask him to stop asking. 564 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,920 Speaker 5: Him to change your situation and start asking him to 565 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 5: clearly show you what to do next. God spell it 566 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:50,640 Speaker 5: out for me, make it plain, and I will obey. 567 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:54,720 Speaker 5: The point is, though, that you're going to him. You 568 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,720 Speaker 5: go to him with your problems. You go to him first, 569 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:02,320 Speaker 5: and then like Mary, Mary heard from the Lord and 570 00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 5: then she obeyed, and then God confirmed through Elizabeth. You 571 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:09,200 Speaker 5: go to God and then He might send a person 572 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:11,960 Speaker 5: to encourage you. He might give you a verse to 573 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:14,280 Speaker 5: cling to. He might give you a song to sing 574 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 5: in this season. He might show you a tiny, little 575 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 5: next step to take. If you believe that He leads you, 576 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:26,640 Speaker 5: you will be looking for him everywhere you go. 577 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:31,640 Speaker 1: God leads you believe that. Do you believe that God 578 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:33,280 Speaker 1: will lead you in your situation? 579 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:44,200 Speaker 5: The last thing that I believe is that God hears me. 580 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:47,840 Speaker 1: Oh, this is a hard one to accept. 581 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:51,880 Speaker 5: I think when most people read the Christmas story, they 582 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:56,400 Speaker 5: start where we started with the Angel coming to Mary. 583 00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 5: But God, in the book of Luke, he begins to 584 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 5: Christmas story through Elizabeth, Mary's relative, and her husband Zechariah. 585 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 5: I don't know if you've ever read the first chapter 586 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:11,240 Speaker 5: of Luke. It's really beautiful. It tells like this really 587 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 5: beautiful story that God is weaving. And so in the 588 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:17,920 Speaker 5: beginning of Luke we find Zechariah. He was a priest 589 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:22,200 Speaker 5: and his wife, Elizabeth was Mary's relative, and she was barren. 590 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:26,920 Speaker 5: They had no children in a culture where having children 591 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:31,160 Speaker 5: was actually like a mark of how blessed you were. 592 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:32,680 Speaker 1: It was everything. 593 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:36,920 Speaker 5: And Zachariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a child, but 594 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:40,360 Speaker 5: God had not answered them. Look at what Luke tells 595 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:47,120 Speaker 5: us about them. In verse eight. It says, one day, 596 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:50,880 Speaker 5: Zechariah was serving God in the temple for his order. 597 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 1: Was on duty that week. 598 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 5: As was the custom of the priest, he was chosen 599 00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:57,840 Speaker 5: by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and 600 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:00,840 Speaker 5: burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great 601 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:05,160 Speaker 5: crowd stood outside praying. And while while Zechariah was in 602 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:08,520 Speaker 5: the sanctuary, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him, 603 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 5: standing to the right of the instance Altar. Zechariah was 604 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:15,720 Speaker 5: shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him, but 605 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:18,640 Speaker 5: the angel said, don't be afraid, Zechariah. 606 00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:22,080 Speaker 1: God has heard your prayer. 607 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:25,800 Speaker 5: Your wife Elizabeth will give you a son, and you 608 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:28,080 Speaker 5: are to name him John. 609 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:33,520 Speaker 1: God has heard your prayer. 610 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:40,200 Speaker 5: Now this prayer, this was a prayer Zachariah and Elizabeth 611 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:44,200 Speaker 5: had put to rest. They had come to terms with 612 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 5: the fact that it was too late for them to 613 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:49,760 Speaker 5: have a baby, and a baby is just it's just 614 00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:53,120 Speaker 5: not a part of our story. They're too old. But 615 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:57,240 Speaker 5: yet the Bible tells us that they continued to faithfully 616 00:33:57,720 --> 00:34:02,280 Speaker 5: serve God. Zechariah was just doing his duty. He was 617 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 5: a priest. Burning incense was something that happened twice a 618 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:08,320 Speaker 5: day in the temple, but this time he got chosen 619 00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:10,719 Speaker 5: to go in and burn the incense. 620 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:13,200 Speaker 1: You know, I believe that. 621 00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:18,360 Speaker 5: God often does the biggest work in the most ordinary 622 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:23,320 Speaker 5: parts of my life. I believe that God saw every 623 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:28,800 Speaker 5: single day that Zechariah showed up and continued his duties. 624 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:35,680 Speaker 5: Day after day. Zechariah was on duty. He was doing 625 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:40,560 Speaker 5: his job, and an angel comes to him and tells 626 00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:44,600 Speaker 5: him that his son, the one he never thought he 627 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:48,920 Speaker 5: would have, the one he had given up on ever having, 628 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 5: his son, is going to be the forerunner of Christ. 629 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:56,040 Speaker 5: All this time they had prayed for a child, they 630 00:34:56,160 --> 00:34:58,640 Speaker 5: believed for a baby, and it never came to pass 631 00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:02,520 Speaker 5: until the time was right and God was about to 632 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:05,120 Speaker 5: place a baby in their laps. Just it wasn't just 633 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:08,560 Speaker 5: any baby. This was a special baby. This was a 634 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:12,640 Speaker 5: baby that the prophets Isaiah and Malachi foretold. This was 635 00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:15,600 Speaker 5: the baby that had to be born at this time, 636 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:19,360 Speaker 5: and God chose Zechariah and Elizabeth to raise this baby. 637 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:23,080 Speaker 5: You know who it was, right John the Baptist, the 638 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:26,239 Speaker 5: one who would prepare the way for Jesus. I mean, 639 00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:30,280 Speaker 5: arguably the second most important baby born in the New Testament. 640 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:34,439 Speaker 5: Right and God chose Elizabeth, but he wanted to use 641 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:38,240 Speaker 5: her pregnancy in her old age to confirm to Mary 642 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:40,200 Speaker 5: what was going to come to pass for her. 643 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:43,000 Speaker 1: The time had finally come. 644 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 5: I thought about calling this message he heard you the 645 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:54,480 Speaker 5: first time, because I want you to know that God 646 00:35:54,840 --> 00:36:03,400 Speaker 5: hears our prayers. God hears our prayer. God here's your prayers, 647 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:07,879 Speaker 5: and just like Pastor Stephen taught us last week, he 648 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:14,839 Speaker 5: doesn't need our prompts. God has been speaking to me 649 00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:18,400 Speaker 5: so much about prayer this year, about what it is 650 00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:22,440 Speaker 5: and kind of more what it's not. And there's so 651 00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:26,920 Speaker 5: many beautiful aspects of prayer. There's written prayers, there's spoken prayers, 652 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,480 Speaker 5: there's silent prayers, there's private prayers, there's public prayers. 653 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:34,040 Speaker 1: But what I am learning is that prayer is. 654 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:39,319 Speaker 5: Mostly about coming into God's presence, however you can do that. 655 00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:42,280 Speaker 1: It's about bringing Him into. 656 00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:48,120 Speaker 5: Your situation and as God's child, as God's children, we 657 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:51,640 Speaker 5: have so many biblical examples that tell us that we 658 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:53,400 Speaker 5: can and we should come to Him. 659 00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:54,480 Speaker 1: With our requests. 660 00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:59,600 Speaker 5: That is perfectly acceptable, and you should come to God 661 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:01,960 Speaker 5: your request. But I want you to know, if all 662 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:05,439 Speaker 5: you ever do is make requests, you are not going 663 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:08,160 Speaker 5: to experience the power and the presence of God in 664 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:12,279 Speaker 5: your life. If God worked like Sannah and you could 665 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 5: just send them a letter every December and magically all 666 00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:18,960 Speaker 5: your hopes and dreams would come true, there would be 667 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:20,520 Speaker 5: no faith required in that. 668 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,839 Speaker 1: There wud be no relationship needed in that. It's just 669 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:27,400 Speaker 1: some guy that you write a letter to. A couple 670 00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:28,040 Speaker 1: of months. 671 00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:31,439 Speaker 5: Ago, I was so frustrated about a situation that I've 672 00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:35,080 Speaker 5: been praying about for years. I mean, I have brought 673 00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:39,120 Speaker 5: this thing to God, and I've asked him to change it. 674 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:44,080 Speaker 5: I have suggested many ways that I thought he could 675 00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:48,879 Speaker 5: change it. I've even been so good as to work 676 00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:51,799 Speaker 5: out the times that I thought that God would move 677 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:52,719 Speaker 5: in this situation. 678 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:57,759 Speaker 1: And I found myself back in that same place of frustration. 679 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:00,880 Speaker 5: And I hope it's okay for me to tell you this, 680 00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:04,959 Speaker 5: but I said to God, God. 681 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:08,799 Speaker 1: I can't talk to you about this anymore. I just, 682 00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:10,640 Speaker 1: I just I just can't. I don't, God, I don't. 683 00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:13,320 Speaker 5: I don't even know what to say to you anymore. 684 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:17,319 Speaker 5: When I pray about this, nothing happens. So I I 685 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:21,560 Speaker 5: just I'm just not gonna talk about it anymore. I 686 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:25,520 Speaker 5: feel like God whispered right straight into my heart. I 687 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:33,239 Speaker 5: feel like he said to me, good, I can work 688 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:38,600 Speaker 5: with that. Just come into my presence, Holly, Just you 689 00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:40,359 Speaker 5: don't have to talk to me about it. Just come 690 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:44,640 Speaker 5: into my presence. Just sit in my presence. I heard 691 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:48,239 Speaker 5: you the first time. Now, Remember, there's nothing wrong with 692 00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:51,600 Speaker 5: being persistent and having the faith to keep praying for 693 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:53,360 Speaker 5: God to do something in your life. 694 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:54,759 Speaker 1: The Bible supports that. 695 00:38:55,160 --> 00:39:02,200 Speaker 5: But sometimes you need to exercise the faith that believes that. 696 00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:04,839 Speaker 1: He hurt you and that he's working in. 697 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:09,320 Speaker 5: Your situation, the faith that believes that He is telling 698 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:12,240 Speaker 5: a story on this earth that is so much bigger than. 699 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:13,799 Speaker 1: You and your situation. 700 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:18,600 Speaker 5: And faithfulness sometimes looks like showing up to the things 701 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:20,840 Speaker 5: that we know we're called to do, just while we 702 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,120 Speaker 5: wait for the things that we hope for. 703 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:25,960 Speaker 1: That's what Zachariah was doing. 704 00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:30,680 Speaker 5: There's a lady who's a part of our EPAM, and 705 00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:35,319 Speaker 5: she sent this letter to Pastor Stephen and thank you, 706 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:37,200 Speaker 5: by the way, to all of the people who who 707 00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:41,120 Speaker 5: send us letters. Your stories mean a lot to us. 708 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:43,920 Speaker 5: And this story, I just I want to share this 709 00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:47,960 Speaker 5: parts of this story with you because it's just incredibly incredible. 710 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,720 Speaker 5: She writes this, I have been faithfully watching Elevation Worship 711 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:54,640 Speaker 5: services at nine thirty am Sunday mornings for the last 712 00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:55,280 Speaker 5: six years. 713 00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:57,440 Speaker 1: I wanted to write you for a long time. 714 00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:00,440 Speaker 5: I've wanted to share my testimony with you and let 715 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:03,680 Speaker 5: you know how you changed this particular chapter in my 716 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:07,080 Speaker 5: life with one of your sermons. 717 00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:13,040 Speaker 1: And she says, sorry. The next place that I want 718 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:14,000 Speaker 1: to read, she. 719 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:18,320 Speaker 5: Says, your sermons continue to bring me hope and comfort. 720 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:25,840 Speaker 5: And she goes on to talk about how she was 721 00:40:25,920 --> 00:40:28,880 Speaker 5: raised in the church and her husband was raised in 722 00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:31,680 Speaker 5: the church, and they raised their children in church. They 723 00:40:31,719 --> 00:40:36,520 Speaker 5: had three boys and one baby girl after their three 724 00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:40,120 Speaker 5: boys were born, and they raised their children to believe 725 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:40,560 Speaker 5: in God. 726 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:43,040 Speaker 1: They raised them in church, they taught them to love God. 727 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:46,919 Speaker 5: And then she begins to share how in twenty twenty one, 728 00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:52,560 Speaker 5: their daughter became involved with some very bad influences and 729 00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:56,120 Speaker 5: she began to make some really poor choices, and she 730 00:40:56,280 --> 00:41:00,520 Speaker 5: eventually ended up. This is every mother's nightmare. She ended 731 00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:03,440 Speaker 5: up living with a man who was an alcoholic and 732 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:07,440 Speaker 5: who was abusive to her daughter, both mentally and physically. 733 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:08,640 Speaker 1: And she says that they. 734 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:12,960 Speaker 5: Prayed fervently for their daughter, and she says that finally 735 00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:15,919 Speaker 5: one day their daughter came to them and she said 736 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:19,120 Speaker 5: she wanted to come home, but she said she couldn't 737 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:22,719 Speaker 5: because she believed that this man would harm her and 738 00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:25,680 Speaker 5: harm her family if she left. 739 00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:26,520 Speaker 1: And the letter. 740 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:30,000 Speaker 5: In the letter, she says that the situation just felt 741 00:41:30,440 --> 00:41:36,160 Speaker 5: helpless and helpless, and then she says, on July second, 742 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:41,200 Speaker 5: twenty two, we got a call that she had been 743 00:41:41,239 --> 00:41:43,440 Speaker 5: involved in an accident. 744 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:45,399 Speaker 1: And she said they rushed to the. 745 00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:48,520 Speaker 5: Scene and they saw where her car was totaled and 746 00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:51,399 Speaker 5: found out that she had been drinking, and so right 747 00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:56,000 Speaker 5: there she was charged with a felony dui and they 748 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:58,520 Speaker 5: took her to the hospital and they treated her for 749 00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:02,440 Speaker 5: bruises and broken knows in a broken hand. And she 750 00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:06,759 Speaker 5: writes this, She said, she said I had to help 751 00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:09,680 Speaker 5: her in the backseat of the police car. Once she 752 00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:13,680 Speaker 5: was released from the er. She was on her way 753 00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:19,839 Speaker 5: to jail for the night. And initially my thoughts were really, God, 754 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:25,040 Speaker 5: we gave her to you to watch over her, and 755 00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:27,280 Speaker 5: this is what you allow to happen. 756 00:42:28,120 --> 00:42:29,440 Speaker 1: And then she says, yes. 757 00:42:30,280 --> 00:42:33,719 Speaker 5: I believe he did, because she was able to get 758 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:37,439 Speaker 5: out of that man's house safely and move back home 759 00:42:37,480 --> 00:42:40,480 Speaker 5: with us. And we know that without his intervention, she 760 00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:43,680 Speaker 5: would not have even survived the crash. 761 00:42:43,719 --> 00:42:45,200 Speaker 1: And she came home, and she spent. 762 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:48,480 Speaker 5: The next several months in AA and in therapy. She 763 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:51,440 Speaker 5: was extremely faithful to her recovery, and she made the 764 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:54,320 Speaker 5: necessary changes in her life, and they were feeling really hopeful. 765 00:42:54,680 --> 00:43:00,560 Speaker 5: But her court date came around, and on February twentieth, 766 00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:03,839 Speaker 5: twenty twenty three, she goes on to say that, to 767 00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:08,480 Speaker 5: their utter devastation, their daughter was sentenced to one hundred 768 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:12,440 Speaker 5: and eighty days in jail. And she goes on to 769 00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:16,000 Speaker 5: write she says, I was angry with God. I could 770 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:18,839 Speaker 5: not believe that he would allow this to happen. Now, 771 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:22,279 Speaker 5: after she had spent so many months turning. 772 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:24,200 Speaker 1: Her life around. 773 00:43:24,320 --> 00:43:28,480 Speaker 5: Jail, she said, I spent my whole life trusting in God. 774 00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:32,160 Speaker 5: And she says, side note, trust was my word for 775 00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:37,640 Speaker 5: the year, but now my trust was gone. 776 00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:39,160 Speaker 1: This is where it gets good. 777 00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:44,160 Speaker 5: The next Sunday, I was home alone and out of 778 00:43:44,200 --> 00:43:45,960 Speaker 5: habit I think, lol. 779 00:43:46,520 --> 00:43:49,840 Speaker 1: I turned your service on. The songs they sang that 780 00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:50,640 Speaker 1: day were all. 781 00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:52,920 Speaker 5: My favorites, which I didn't want to hear, but they 782 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:56,560 Speaker 5: made me cry. God was working despite my acceptance, despite 783 00:43:56,600 --> 00:44:00,239 Speaker 5: my anger. The title of your sermon was God is 784 00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:08,600 Speaker 5: up to something upstream. Anybody remember that one. I kept 785 00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:11,520 Speaker 5: telling myself he was up to something, but I wasn't 786 00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:14,120 Speaker 5: having it. You kept giving examples in the Bible of 787 00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:17,080 Speaker 5: how God was always twenty miles ahead of your situation 788 00:44:17,200 --> 00:44:21,160 Speaker 5: or circumstance. He's twenty miles ahead, He's twenty miles ahead. 789 00:44:21,239 --> 00:44:24,240 Speaker 5: I kept hearing it over and over again, and something 790 00:44:24,320 --> 00:44:28,919 Speaker 5: hit me. I grabbed my phone and typed in directions 791 00:44:29,120 --> 00:44:31,400 Speaker 5: to the county jail from my house. 792 00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:40,080 Speaker 1: I'm gonna cry. Guess how far away it was? Twenty miles, 793 00:44:41,560 --> 00:44:47,240 Speaker 1: she said. I dropped to the ground. Tears were flowing 794 00:44:47,560 --> 00:44:53,600 Speaker 1: down my face. God was twenty miles ahead, she said. 795 00:44:54,600 --> 00:44:58,120 Speaker 1: And a week or so later, in our conversation. 796 00:44:58,160 --> 00:45:01,359 Speaker 5: She told me she was having Bible study in her 797 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:06,360 Speaker 5: cell and teaching and singing elevation music to all the girls. 798 00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:14,319 Speaker 5: She did four and a half months time and the 799 00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:16,400 Speaker 5: day we picked her up was one of the best 800 00:45:16,480 --> 00:45:20,240 Speaker 5: days we have had. God gave us so much grace 801 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:22,920 Speaker 5: and so much mercy during those months I thought I 802 00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:24,040 Speaker 5: would never make it through. 803 00:45:24,520 --> 00:45:25,319 Speaker 1: Wasn't inner plan. 804 00:45:26,160 --> 00:45:28,640 Speaker 5: She said, Please keep my family and myself in your prayers. 805 00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:32,000 Speaker 5: We have learned to take one day at a time, 806 00:45:32,520 --> 00:45:34,880 Speaker 5: and we just keep praising our. 807 00:45:34,760 --> 00:45:47,320 Speaker 1: Father for all he does. Meant what a story. 808 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:53,720 Speaker 5: God is so faithful, He's so faithful, He hears us 809 00:45:54,080 --> 00:45:55,200 Speaker 5: when we pray. 810 00:45:55,920 --> 00:46:00,400 Speaker 1: He heard you the first time. He knows things that 811 00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:01,160 Speaker 1: we don't know. 812 00:46:02,320 --> 00:46:06,040 Speaker 5: And we have to trust the one who is working 813 00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:12,719 Speaker 5: in our situation even when it doesn't make sense. I 814 00:46:12,719 --> 00:46:16,160 Speaker 5: love how the letter ended with we just keep praising 815 00:46:16,200 --> 00:46:21,200 Speaker 5: our Father, one day at a time, because I think 816 00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:26,240 Speaker 5: that's it. Maybe if you find yourself in a place 817 00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:28,960 Speaker 5: this Christmas where you're wondering if God heard your prayer, 818 00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:33,480 Speaker 5: where you're feeling like nothing is happening in your situation, 819 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:38,279 Speaker 5: maybe we can take our cues from this lady who's 820 00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:43,000 Speaker 5: a part of our ephan and from Mary. Because Mary 821 00:46:43,040 --> 00:46:47,239 Speaker 5: didn't prompt God, she didn't list out all of the 822 00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:49,520 Speaker 5: things that God was gonna need to do to work 823 00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:50,319 Speaker 5: everything out. 824 00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:50,759 Speaker 1: For her. 825 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:52,799 Speaker 5: She didn't remind God of all the things that could 826 00:46:52,840 --> 00:46:55,759 Speaker 5: go wrong. She didn't suggest people who were more qualified 827 00:46:56,000 --> 00:47:03,280 Speaker 5: for this calling. She praised her. She was blessed because 828 00:47:03,320 --> 00:47:06,640 Speaker 5: she believed that God believed in her, that God was 829 00:47:06,680 --> 00:47:09,160 Speaker 5: going to lead her, and that God hurt her prayer. 830 00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:13,000 Speaker 5: She was blessed before she had seen any of these 831 00:47:13,040 --> 00:47:14,720 Speaker 5: things come to pass. 832 00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:18,400 Speaker 1: And Luke tells us he gives us her prayer. 833 00:47:18,480 --> 00:47:23,879 Speaker 5: It's called the magnificat, and she says, my soul magnifies 834 00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:27,279 Speaker 5: the Lord. My heart rejoices in God, my savior, for 835 00:47:27,480 --> 00:47:31,720 Speaker 5: he lifts the lowly, and he has done great things 836 00:47:31,960 --> 00:47:32,279 Speaker 5: for me. 837 00:47:32,520 --> 00:47:34,800 Speaker 1: He hadn't even done anything for her yet when. 838 00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:37,560 Speaker 5: She said that, she said, he has done great things 839 00:47:37,920 --> 00:47:38,239 Speaker 5: for me. 840 00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:42,239 Speaker 1: And I want you to know that praise is a reset. 841 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:46,279 Speaker 5: It enables you to take your eyes off of your 842 00:47:46,360 --> 00:47:49,560 Speaker 5: situation and place them on your Savior. 843 00:47:51,200 --> 00:47:53,120 Speaker 1: So I want us to follow Mary's. 844 00:47:52,760 --> 00:47:56,920 Speaker 5: Example today, and I want us to magnify the Lord together. 845 00:47:57,080 --> 00:47:59,319 Speaker 5: I want us to bless his name for who he 846 00:47:59,440 --> 00:48:01,839 Speaker 5: is and for what he's done, so that we can 847 00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:04,040 Speaker 5: trust him with what's next. 848 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:08,560 Speaker 2: Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of 849 00:48:08,600 --> 00:48:11,600 Speaker 2: you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of 850 00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:14,560 Speaker 2: you that this ministry is possible. You can click the 851 00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:18,320 Speaker 2: link in the description to give now or visit Elevationchurch 852 00:48:18,480 --> 00:48:21,719 Speaker 2: dot org slash podcast for more information and if you 853 00:48:21,800 --> 00:48:25,040 Speaker 2: enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it 854 00:48:25,080 --> 00:48:27,399 Speaker 2: with your friends. You can click the share button, take 855 00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:29,759 Speaker 2: a screenshot and share it on your social stories and 856 00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:32,680 Speaker 2: tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God 857 00:48:32,680 --> 00:48:38,080 Speaker 2: bless you.