When God Breaks In: God Does the Impossible

When God Breaks In: God Does the Impossible

Luke 1: 26 – 38

Introduction

Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent, and the fourth Sunday of Advent means something. 

Traditionally, this is the Sunday we light the candle that reminds us of God’s Love.  Advent is a season of anticipating the coming of Christmas / the appearance of Jesus.  During Advent we stop to acknowledge that when God sent his Son, Jesus, God gave us true Hope, true Peace, true Joy and true Love.  Jesus was born on the first Christmas, because God Loves us…For God so Loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son…

The fourth Sunday of Advent also means that Christmas Day is right around the corner.  Today is our last Sunday to worship Jesus as the Reason for the Season.  However, it is not our last worship service before Christmas.  We will gather to worship again on Christmas Eve to light the Christ Candle and to remember that God has called us to spread the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love of Christ around the world—all year long.

Over the first three Sundays of Advent, I have preached about how God breaks into our world.  We read three Old Testament stories about how God broke into the world through the lives of Moses, Samuel and Jonah.  Today, we continue to read about God breaking in, but we shift our attention to the New Testament and to the story of how the angel, Gabriel, announced the first Christmas to a young woman named Mary.

When God broke into Mary’s life, God did the impossible and the world has never been the same.

Luke 1: 26 – 38…

Mary was a small-town girl from a fairly insignificant town in Northern Israel.  Nothing good had ever happened in Nazareth and nothing good had ever come out of Nazareth.  If you were from Nazareth no one really expected you to do much with your life.  Boys followed in their fathers’ footsteps and worked in the family business.  Girls followed in their mothers’ footsteps and hoped to marry a good, hard-working boy and then have lots of babies.  More than likely, these were Mary’s goals in life.  She wanted to marry Joseph, have Joseph’s children, and live in Nazareth for the rest of their lives.

Mary’s goals may not translate very well in Twenty-First Century American culture.  Girls in our culture dream of becoming the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or being elected President of the United States.  But, there was nothing wrong with Mary’s goals.  They were good goals.  They just needed to be achieved in the right order.  Get married.  Have babies.  Live in Nazareth for the rest of her life. 

The angel’s announcement shattered Mary’s dreams.  It got her goals out of order.  Mary wanted to do things in the right order—get married and then have babies.  The angels said that God had other plans—Mary was to have a baby before she got married.

God Calls.  Mary Objects.

The angel’s announcement and Mary’s response are similar to other biblical call stories.  Do you remember what Moses did when God spoke to him through the burning bush (Exodus 3)?  God called.  Moses expressed his objections.

When God first called Moses, Moses listed out all the reasons why Moses thought he was not really the best choice. 

Moses’ first objection was a general observation about himself—Who am I?  This is another way of saying, “God, I am a nobody.  You can do better than me.”  Moses knew that he had fled from Egypt because he had murdered a man.  Moses didn’t think God could use a murderer.  Moses did not feel qualified.

Later, Moses objected to God’s call because Moses was not an eloquent speaker.  Traditionally, we have believed that Moses was a stutterer.  Moses didn’t think he would make the best spokesman for the word of the Lord in Egypt.  Again, Moses didn’t think he was qualified, because he was a murderer and a stutterer.

God answered all of Moses’ objections with a promise.  God promised that he would always be with Moses.  God would make up for all of Moses’ shortcomings and use an imperfect Moses to accomplish God’s perfect plan.

I think we can see the same dynamic at work in Mary’s words to the angel.  In verse 34, Mary offered only one objection.  She didn’t think God could use her to give birth to the Promised Messiah, because Mary was an unmarried virgin.  Of course, there were many other objections Mary could have voiced to the angel.  Mary was a simple girl with simple dreams.  Mary lived in a small, insignificant town—nothing good ever came out of Nazareth.  Mary knew who she was and did not feel qualified to be the mother of the Messiah.

Through the words of the angel, God gave Mary the same assurance he gave Moses at the burning bush.  God would be with Mary.  Mary would be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit.  The presence of God in Mary’s life would make up for any shortcomings she felt about herself…And God would use Mary to change the world.

The Virgin Birth.

Mary only voiced one objection to God’s call.  Mary knew that it was impossible for her to have a baby at this time in her life.  She was an unmarried virgin.  It is impossible for an unmarried virgin to give birth to any baby—even the Promised Messiah.

The virgin birth is an important part of the Christmas story, because it is an important part of Christian theology.  The virgin birth informs and shapes what we believe about God, Jesus and salvation.  Another way to express this is to say, the virgin birth explains what we believe.  However, we need to be careful…Because we cannot explain the virgin birth. 

One of the persistent objections to the virgin birth is the fact that it cannot be explained by science.  According to science, things like this are not supposed to happen.  Things like this do not happen.  Science can explain the conception of a baby; the growth of a baby in the womb and the birth of a baby.  But, science cannot explain Jesus’ birth.

At this point we need to offer a description of what science is and what science can do.  Scientists observe natural events and then perform experiments to recreate those events in controlled environments.  Therefore, science is the study of repeatable events.  The birth of a baby is a repeatable event.  It happens thousands of times every day and millions of times every year.  But, the birth of Jesus—the virgin birth—is not a repeatable event.

Science is the observation and study of repeatable events.  History is the study and interpretation of unrepeatable events!

If we search for a scientific explanation of the virgin birth, we will be disappointed.  However, we can study the virgin birth as historical event and interpret it and the implications it has on our theology.  The virgin birth is an important part of the Christmas story, because it is an important part of Christian theology.

The virgin birth reminds us of other miraculous birth stories in the Old Testament.  Abraham and Sarah were too old to have a baby—but God broke in and gave them Isaac.  Isaac and Rebekah could not have children—but God broke in and gave them twins, Jacob and Esau.  Jacob and Rachel could not have children—but God broke in and gave them Joseph. 

Each of these Old Testament birth stories played an important role in establishing Israel as the People of God.  From a human point of view, it was impossible for Israel to come into existence.  Yet, God had made a promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Against all odds, God broke in and kept his promise to establish the People of God.  This was humanly impossible.  But, God kept his promise.  And, now, God does the impossible once again in the birth of Jesus, who expanded the People of God beyond the racial boundaries of the Jews.

The virgin birth is a new creative act of God.  Just as Adam and Eve were created through the power of the Holy Spirit, So Jesus was born by an act of the Holy Spirit.  Everything in history led up to this new creative act.  This was not an ordinary birth.  God broke in and did something new.

The virgin birth also teaches us that Jesus is the Son of God.  Jesus became the son of Joseph when Joseph named him.  This was a sign that Joseph had adopted Jesus and accepted him as his son.  However, Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus.  Jesus was born the Son of God.

This was an important theme in the Gospel of Matthew.  In Matthew’s opening chapters, Matthew goes to great lengths to trace Jesus’ genealogy.  In this genealogy Matthew shows us that Jesus is the son of Adam (a true human), the son of Abraham (a true Jew), the son of David (a true member of the royal family) and the Son of God. 

The virgin birth affirms that God is at work in the life of Jesus.  Everything Jesus says is the word of God.  Everything Jesus does is the work of God.  Everything Jesus is reveals the character of God.

The virgin birth tells us that God has broken into our world in a new way to do something new…to do something that is impossible through normal human efforts.

Conclusion: Nothing Is Impossible with God

I love the angel’s last words to Mary in verse 37, “Nothing is impossible with God.”  But I do want to point out that this is a double negative—Nothing and Impossible are both negatives.  The angel’s words could also be stated positively…God can do anything!

Think of all the impossible things God did in the story of the Gospel.  Jesus was born of a virgin—impossible.  Jesus lived a sinless life, fulfilling every Law and commandment of the Old Testament—impossible.  Jesus voluntarily offered himself on the cross as the final sacrifice for our sins—impossible.  Three days after the crucifixion, God raised Jesus from the dead—impossible.  God provided the only way that our sins can be forgiven, that we can be made Righteous, that we can have relationship with the holy God, and that we can have eternal life—impossible.  But, nothing is impossible for God.  God can do anything.

If nothing is impossible with God, then whatever you are facing today must not be impossible.  God can do what we cannot do for ourselves.  God can break the power of addiction.  God can restore broken relationships.  God can bring comfort to our grief and hope to the hopeless.

Ultimately, this biblical encounter between Mary and the angel, Gabriel, is not a story about Mary.  This is a story about God.  Nothing is impossible with God!  And God uses simple people like Mary…and simple people like you and me…to do the impossible.

Several years ago, my family was visiting with our extended family out of town (notice that I am not saying which extended family or which church).  We went to church with them on the Sunday after Christmas.  The pastor was not preaching that Sunday.  Their associate pastor was preaching.  He preached a sermon about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  The main point in his sermon was to emphasize Mary’s faith and purity.  He basically said that God can only use people like Mary, who are faithful and pure.  I left church that day feeling worse than I had felt when I entered the church.  I didn’t feel like I measured up and wasn’t sure if I was good enough, faithful enough or pure enough for God to use me.

There are two mistakes we can make when we talk about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  One mistake is to say more about Mary than the Bible says about Mary.  The danger is to overemphasize Mary’s character and purity.  Some even elevate Mary to the point of worship.  Another mistake is to say less about Mary than the Bible says about Mary.  The danger is to reduce Mary to a biological role—to say there was nothing special about Mary, she was nothing more than a biological mother to Jesus.

I think the remedy to these mistakes is to take seriously how Mary responded to the angel.  In verse 34, Mary asked a simple question: “How can this be?”

There are two ways a person can respond when God breaks in and calls.  The wrong response is to say, “I knew it.  I am faithful and pure.  I have known for a long time that you wanted to use me.  I have just been waiting for you to finally figure out that I am the person you are looking for.”  The right response is, “How can this be?  Who am I?  I am inadequate for the job.”

Instead of focusing on Mary’s faith and purity, I think we should focus on Mary’s humility!  God uses humble people, who trust in the presence of God to overshadow all our inadequacies and shortcomings.

Mary is an example for us.  We don’t need to say more about Mary than the Bible says about Mary or less about Mary than the Bible says about Mary.  But, the Bible does tell us that Mary was a recipient of God’s Grace and the Holy Spirit.  Mary is an example for us, because she allowed God to use her to do the impossible.

It is not possible to be good enough, faithful enough or pure enough for God to use you.  However, it is possible to resist God’s call and resist God’s work in your life.

When God Breaks In: God Disturbs the Status Quo

When God Breaks In: God Disturbs the Status Quo

The Story of Jonah

Introduction.

I am taking a different approach to Advent this year.  Traditionally, the four Sundays of Advent revolve around four themes: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.  Taken together, these four Advent themes, tell the story of the first Christmas.  God sent his Only Begotten Son to be born of a virgin in order to give us true Hope, true Peace, true Joy and true Love.

This year, I am approaching Advent differently.  Christmas is the only way we could ever experience Hope, Peace, Joy and Love because God has broken into our world. 

Do you believe that God breaks in?  Or, do you believe that God lives far away from us and remains aloof and unconcerned about our world?

Some people believe that God is something like a “cosmic watchmaker.”  A watchmaker makes all the individual parts of a watch (gears, springs, face, hands, etc…) and precisely assembles all the pieces into a beautiful, functional watch.   Once the watch has been made and assembled, the watchmaker winds up the watch and sets it in motion.  Then, the watchmaker stands back and never concerns himself with the watch ever again. 

This is not a biblical view of God.  In the Bible, we discover that God created the heavens and earth.  God precisely assembled all the parts and pieces of the creation.  Then, God set the universe in motion.  But, God does not stand back and watch his creation.  God is continuously interested and involved in his creation.

The cosmic watchmaker is not a Christian view of God.  In the Christian view, God is constantly breaking into his creation.  God even went to the extreme by sending his Son, Jesus, to bring us Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.

The Bible is filled with  stories about how God’s breaks in.  God broke in and revealed himself to Moses.  God broke in and called Samuel by name.  And, God broke in and disturbed the status quo in the story of Jonah…

What do you think the story of Jonah is about?  If we went into one of our children’s Sunday School classes and asked them, I guess the most popular answer would be that it is a story about a whale.  In fact, I think most adults would probably give the same answer.  Jonah was swallowed by a whale. 

But the Book of Jonah is NOT a story about whale.  Now don’t get me wrong, there is a whale (or perhaps a fish, we don’t really know) in the story.  But the fish only shows up in 3 verses.  The fish has a very minor role in the story.  All it does is follow God’s command to swallow Jonah and follow God’s command to spit him out.

The story of Jonah is really a story about God.  We know this because in Jonah 1: 1 we read…The word of the LORD came to Jonah…God is the 1^st character introduced in the story…And God is the main character throughout the story…God is the one doing most of the work…Sometimes behind the scenes…Sometimes out in the open…

Jonah 1: 1 – 5a…1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." 

3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. 

4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.

The Book of Jonah teaches us some very important things about God…God IS interested in what goes on in the world…God IS involved in the affairs of the earth…

When God noticed the wickedness of the people of Nineveh, God called Jonah to the Great City and to preach to the people.  But, Jonah did not want to go.  Instead, Jonah ran away from God, bought a ticket and boarded a ship bound for Tarshish…Did God sit back and watch?  NO…God sent a wind, a storm…

The men on the boat decided Jonah was to blame and threw him into the raging sea…Did God sit back and watch?  NO…God sent a fish, a whale

Jonah 1: 17…17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

Notice that verse 17 says God “provided” a great fish.  This was not a bad thing.  It was actually a Grace of God.  When Jonah was swallowed by the great fish, God saved Jonah’s life.  If there had been no fish, Jonah would have drowned in the ocean!

In the belly of the fish, Jonah cried out to God for mercy…Did God sit back and watch?  NO…God caused that fish to spit Jonah onto land…

Jonah 2: 10…10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

When Jonah repented and committed himself to God, did God sit back and watch?  No.  God called Jonah a 2^nd time, and this time Jonah went!

Jonah 3: 1 – 5…1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." 

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city--a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." 5The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

God gave Jonah a second chance.  And, this is important.  Jonah’s second chance was actually a second chance for the great city of Nineveh.  Jonah obeyed God and went to preach God’s word to the people of Nineveh.

There is something unusual about Jonah’s preaching in Nineveh…It just doesn’t seem like his heart is in it…His sermon is only 5 words in Hebrew, 8 words in English… “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned”…  Jonah didn’t put a whole lot of effort and study into his sermon.  It was not what we would call a good sermon.  And, Jonah was half-hearted in his delivery.

Did God sit back and watch his half-hearted prophet?  NO…God used a bad sermon and a half-hearted prophet to bring about the greatest spiritual awakening ever recorded in the Bible…Over 120,000 people repented and followed God…(The spiritual awakening was so great that even the cows repented!)

There are two remarkable things about the spiritual awakening in Nineveh.  First, this is the largest spiritual awakening recorded in Scripture.  120,000 people repented and trusted in God for salvation. Second, Jonah should have been happy about these results…but Jonah was not happy!

Jonah 4: 1 – 11…1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knewthat you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." 

4 But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?" 

5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." 

9But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" 

"I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die." 

10 But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

After participating in the most successful spiritual awakening in Scripture, Jonah went outside the city limits to feel sorry for himself…Actually I think he went to wait for the fireworks…I think he still wanted God to destroy Nineveh…Did God sit back and watch?  NO…God sent a vine to grow overnight and give Jonah shade…

NOW Jonah could be happy…Happy because he finally got his way…Happy that he could sit in the comfortable shade…In fact, Jonah was complacent… He was happier that he could sit in the comfort of the shade from a vine than he was that the sinners in Nineveh had turned to God…Jonah was happy about a vine, God was happy about Nineveh…Did God sit back and watch?  NO…God sent a worm to teach Jonah a lesson.

I want you to notice something about this story…Notice how God was involved in the story…

God sent a MAN to Nineveh…

God sent a STORM to the sea…

God sent a FISH to swallow Jonah and commanded it to spit him out…

God sent a VINE to give Jonah shade…

God sent a WORM and a WIND to teach Jonah a lesson…

And only one of those disobeyed God…

Jonah is not a good character…He was a disobedient, half-hearted, complacent complainer…  In other words, There is a little bit of Jonah in all of us!

God Always Works According to His Nature.

Jonah knows how to pray.  He prays his honest feelings to God.  He was angry, and he told God that he was angry.  If you ever find yourself in this situation, let me give you some advice.  Tell God the truth.  There are 3 reasons why you should tell God the truth:

1.        God can handle the truth.

2.        God knows what you are feeling, even before you tell him.

3.        At least you are talking.  Relationship problems begin to develop when we stop talking.  Notice how open and honest the Psalms are…

Jonah was probably angry because God made him look bad…Jonah looked like a false prophet…He prophesied destruction…But destruction never came…What would people think?

 Or, Jonah was angry because people back home in Israel would find out he was responsible for the salvation of 120,000 foreigners / Gentiles.  Jonah did not want God to do the right thing…Jonah wanted God to hate just like he hated!

Gracious…God’s attitude toward those who are undeserving.  Unmerited Favor…Undeserved Blessings…

God offers salvation to those who do not deserve to be saved…Did the people of Nineveh deserve to be saved?  Of course not…Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, who utterly destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel…Nineveh was the home to the pagan goddess Ishtar, goddess of love and war…The city was filled with cultic worship involving promiscuous sexual activity and gratuitous violence…These people did not deserve salvation, they were immoral and idolatrous!

But guess what…So was Jonah…And so are you.  You are an immoral and idolatrous people who do not deserve salvation…But God has offered it to you through Jesus.

Compassionate…This is the loving nature of God…Motherly love.  The Hebrew word for compassion is the same word for a mother’s womb.  God surrounds us and protects us the way a mother surrounds and protects her unborn child.

There is no better verse to describe this than John 3:16…For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him would not perish but have eternal life…  This explains why God is gracious…Because he loves us…

Slow to Anger…The idea is patience…God waits and withholds his anger toward us…God does not respond like we do…When someone commits a sin against us, we are usually quick to anger…God patiently endures…Look at the way he dealt with Jonah…

Does this imply that God is easy—a “push over?”  NO…It means that God wants us to repent…And therefore gives us every opportunity to turn from sin and give ourselves to him…

Abounding in Love…The word is hesed…Hesed is probably my favorite Hebrew word… 

There is no English word good enough to capture the meaning of hesed…English translations = loving kindness, steadfast love, mercy…There are two prominent ideas in this…Covenant Love & Active Love. 

Covenant => Ongoing relationship…God is faithful, committed…

Active => God does not say he loves us, or even feels love toward us…God has demonstrated his love…Perhaps this is the idea behind what Paul said in Romans 5: 8…God demonstrated his love for us in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…

Relents from Sending Calamity…Does not mean that God changes.

Rather God stays the same…Offers the same Loving kindness to all who repent…

Imagine that!  Jonah is mad at God and accuses God of the worst things he can come up with.  And the worst he could say is… “God, I am mad at you because you are Gracious, Compassionate, Slow to Anger, Abounding in Love and Relent from Sending Calamity.” 

Conclusion.

Why was Jonah angry?  He was angry because of Grace!  Jonah was thinking, “If God shows Grace to outsiders—people who are not like me—then I don’t want to live!”

It is God’s will that all people repent and be saved…Including the people that we don’t like…Including rebellious and angry prophets like Jonah…

And that is the way the book of Jonah ends…God asks a question and issues a call for repentance… God calls Jonah to repent!

                The story of Jonah does not have a happy ending.  In fact, it doesn’t have an ending at all.  Instead, it ends—in the middle of the story—with a question from God.  I think this was an intentional device to make us think about ourselves.  The story does not end here.  It is left to us to finish the story.

                Of course I don’t mean that we should finish WRITING the story.  I mean that we should finish LIVING the story!

                When Jonah saw God at work in the world, Jonah saw God for who he really is.  Gracious, Compassionate, Slow to Anger, Abounding in Love, One who Relents from Sending Calamity…  And Jonah was angry.  He couldn’t stand for others to know the Grace of God.  Jonah didn’t like to see God working in the world.

We see this same character of God at work in the Christmas story.  For example, just think about the first visitors who came to see the baby Jesus.

Luke tells us the first visitors were shepherds.  Shepherds were honorable men in the ancient world.  Every family kept sheep and needed a shepherd in the family.  But, shepherds spent a lot of time with sheep.  As a result, shepherds were dirty and smelled like sheep.  Jewish Law also tells us that shepherds were unclean and could not enter into the Temple without going through a period of religious cleansing.  The shepherds could not enter the Temple, but they were invited (by angels) to enter the presence of God at the manger.

Matthew tells us the first visitors were Wise Men (or Magi).  These Wise Men were “stargazers” who had discovered a new star in the night sky.  They traveled from foreign lands to meet the new King.  Since they traveled from afar, we can assume that they were foreigners / non-Israelites / Gentiles.  As Gentiles, they were rejected by the Jews but accepted by God and welcomed to meet with God at the manger.

In the Christmas story, God has broken into our world and disturbed the status quo.  God welcomes dirty and unclean shepherds.  God welcomes foreigners and outsiders.  God calls us to love the people we are inclined to hate.  God did not send his Only Begotten Son just to the insiders.  God sent his Son to the world and calls us to love the world as God loves the world.

When God Breaks In: God Calls Us by Name

When God Breaks In: God Calls Us by Name

1 Samuel 3: 1 – 10

Introduction

Do you remember how exciting Christmas was when you were a child?  We would count down the days, because we could not wait for Christmas to come.  In some ways, this is the kind of excitement we want to create by observing Advent as a church.  For four weeks, we anticipate the coming of Christmas Day.  Each Sunday we light a candle.  Each Sunday we can tell that Christmas is getting closer…the candles are getting shorter…more and more candles are lit.

By observing Advent, we anticipate the coming of Christmas…  Yet, Advent is more than anticipating Christmas Day.  We anticipate the coming / the appearance of Jesus, the Son of God.  When Jesus first appeared as a baby in a manger, God broke into our world.  God broke in and promised that we would never be alone.

The Bible is filled with stories about God breaking in.  And we are going to look at four of these stories over the four weeks of Advent.  But, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.  I don’t want you to think God only broke into the world during Bible times…as if God has stopped breaking into our world today.  No.  We do not worship a God who is far away from us or even a God who is aloof and unconcerned about our lives.  We worship the Living Lord who takes notice / shows an interest in everything about our lives.  He does not leave us to figure things out for ourselves.  Instead, God is constantly breaking into our lives to accomplish his purposes in us and through us.

Last week we read the story of Moses and the burning bush.  When Moses was minding his own business and least expected it, God broke in and revealed himself.  Today we read the story of Samuel as a boy in the Temple.  While Samuel was minding his own business and least expected it, God broke in.  One of the things the Samuel story and Moses story have in common is the fact that when God broke in, God called them by name.

1 Samuel 3: 1 – 10…  1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. 

2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." 5 And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. 

6 Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." 

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 

8 The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 

10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

I read a story this week about a little girl who was learning to pray “the Lord’s Prayer.”  One week in Sunday School, she prayed: “Our Father, who art in Heaven, how did you know my name?”  These may not be the right words, but this is a very good understanding of God and something we read about in the story of Samuel. 

Before Samuel knew the Lord, God called him by name.  The same thing is true for you and me.  God does not think of us as numbers.  We are individuals who have names and distinct identities.  God knows who we are individually and knows us as unique human beings.  Each person has his or her own set of strengths and weaknesses; gifts and abilities; passions and experiences.  You are more than a number to God.  God knows you as an individual.  God knows you by name, even before you know God.

God knew Samuel before Samuel knew God.  This is an important part of Samuel’s story.  Samuel’s mother, Hannah, wanted a child of her own but could not have children.  So, Hannah prayed for a child.  Hannah even promised God that if God would give her a child, she would commit that child to the Lord—to serve the Lord for the rest of his life.  Therefore, we can say that God had his eye on Samuel before Samuel was even born.

When Samuel was born, Hannah brought him to the Temple.  Samuel lived with Eli, the priest, and learned how to serve as a priest before God.  One of Samuel’s responsibilities was to spent the night in the same room as the Ark of the Covenant and make sure that the “Lamp of God” did not go out. 

The Ark of the Covenant and the Lamp of God were two very important symbols for the Jewish people in Samuel’s day.  They both represented the presence of God.  The cover on top of the Ark of the Covenant had two golden angels with their wings pointed upward.  The Jewish people believed that the presence of God rested in the space where the tips of the four wings came together.  The Lamp of God stood next to the Ark of the Covenant and served as a visible reminder that God was present.  As long as the Lamp burned with fire, the people knew that God was present.  Samuel was responsible for keeping the fire going…to keep the reminder before the people that God was with them.

Perhaps there is a hint of irony in the story of Samuel in the Temple.  The presence of God rested on the Ark of the Covenant.  The Lamp of God burned to remind the people that God was present.  Yet, when Samuel heard a voice call him by name in the middle of the night, he ran into Eli’s room.  He thought Eli was the only other person in the Temple!

Of course, Eli wasn’t the best priest Israel had ever known.  In fact, this story appears in between two prophecies about the end of Eli’s tenure as priest.  Eli had two sons (Hophni and Phineas) who had followed their father into the priesthood.  Eli’s sons were corrupt priests.  They used the priesthood as a means to steal from the people financially and to take advantage of women.  The people complained to Eli, but Eli “honored his sons more than he honored God (1 Samuel 2: 29).”  Eli lost his position as a priest before God, because he refused to correct his own sons.

Despite Eli’s faults, he does something very important for Samuel.  Eli was the first person to recognize it was the Lord who was speaking to Samuel.  God called Samuel three times, and Samuel ran into Eli’s room three times.  On the third trip, Eli told Samuel it was the Lord speaking and taught Samuel a simple prayer as a response to God: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

In many ways, I believe this might be the most important prayer we could ever pray.  “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” 

Notice how this simple prayer places more emphasis on the words God says to us than the words we say to God.  Most of the time, our prayers sound something like this: “Listen, Lord, I have something I need to tell you.”  We assume that we know better than God knows.  We assume we have a better understanding of the situation than God does.  We assume our plans for the future are better than God’s plans for the future.

The best way I know to describe this kind of prayer is to say it reflects an “upside down theology.”  We place our knowledge above God’s knowledge.  We place our plans ahead of God’s plans.  We make ourselves lord and think of God as our servant.

If God is calling you today, this is still the best way to respond…Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.

Actually, I believe God is calling you today.  And I believe there are four calls God issues to every person.

God Calls Us to Salvation

As Christians, the Christmas season is very important to us.  Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  And, celebrate is the right word for Christmas and the birth of Jesus.  Christmas demonstrates the fact that God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son.  God took the initiative by sending his Son.

God sent his Son, Jesus, to fulfill all the religious teachings and instructions about forgiveness of sins.  Our sins separate us from God and require some kind of sacrifice in order that we might be in a right relationship with God.  By sending Jesus, God has revealed his love for us and eventually took on himself the sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus fulfilled the religious teachings of the Old Testament by living a perfect and sinless life.  Jesus also fulfilled the religious teachings of the Old Testament by dying on the cross as the final and perfect sacrifice for our sins.  God accomplished in Jesus what we could not accomplish for ourselves.  Now, God calls us to receive this free gift of salvation—forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life.

God uses all sorts of circumstances to call us to salvation.  For some people, God’s call comes in a church service or through the words of a preacher.  Other people hear God’s call to salvation through conversations with friends or family.  But, God is calling…

The proper response to God’s call to salvation is the way Samuel responded.  Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.  Of course, that is not the way everyone responds.  Some people object to God’s call and insist that our modern culture is too sophisticated to believe in antiquated concepts like sin and sacrifice for sin.  We think we know better than God.

But, God is calling.  His words are more important than our words.  His ways are better than our ways.  The proper response is found in the simple prayer Samuel prayed, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

God Calls Us to Discipleship

Salvation is not the end of the Christian life.  In fact, salvation is only the beginning.  God first calls us to accept his free gift of salvation—to approach life and eternal life according to God’s wisdom rather than human wisdom.  Then, God calls us to become his disciples / his followers.

The story of Jesus’ earthly life is found in the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).  In those Gospels, we read that Jesus had a group of twelve disciples.  In the ancient world, a disciple was a student, a learner, or even an apprentice.  A disciple attached himself to a master teacher and learned through a process of obedience and imitation.

When God calls you to salvation, God does not want to leave you as you are.  God wants you to grow in your faith; to grow in your knowledge; to grow in the way you express your faith through the way you live your life.

Just like the original twelve disciples looked to Jesus as their example and learned by imitating Jesus, God calls all Christians to the same kind of discipleship.  God is calling you live like Jesus lived, to love like Jesus loved and to serve others like Jesus served others.

God has a better plan for your spiritual life.  Again, the proper response is found in the words of Samuel’s simple prayer, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

God Calls Us to Vocation

It is possible to think of discipleship and spiritual growth as a focus on your “interior life.”  Faith is a very personal experience with God and answering his call to grow spiritually.  However, God does not want your spiritual life to be entirely interior.  The interior life must affect the way we live on the outside.

There are a couple of ways we can talk about living out our faith.  One very popular way is to say God is calling each of us to find our true purpose in life.  But, I like to use the word “vocation.”  God is calling you to a specific “vocation.”

Most of the time, we associate the word “vocation” with our job or career.  Some people are physicians, lawyers, teachers, salesmen, government workers, etc…  But, that is not what “vocation” meant originally.

Our English word “vocation” is based on the Latin word “vocare.”  The Latin word “vocare” means “to call” and it is the root of our English words “voice” and “vocal” and “vocation.”  Therefore, we should not think of our vocation as our job / career.  Instead, we should think of it as our “calling in life.”

Sometimes a person finds their “calling in life” in the job they get paid to perform.  But, that is not always the case.  Many people go to work just to make enough money to survive.  And, other people go to work to make enough money so they can fulfill their life calling for free.

In my understanding of “vocation” and life calling, it is not about making money.  If you believe your purpose in life is to make money (or to make more money), then you have sold yourself short.  There are more important things in life than money.  And it’s ultimately very selfish to think your purpose in life is to accumulate more money.

Your “vocation” / life calling should have two important characteristics.  First, God is calling you to serve other people—to place others and their needs ahead of yourself.  Second, God is calling you to “seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6: 33)”—to establish the justice and Righteousness of God on earth as it is in Heaven.

We discover “vocation” by comparing our gifts and passions with the needs of the world around us.  God created you with gifts and passions that meet the greatest needs of the world.  Your “vocation” / calling is found at the intersection of your greatest passion and the world’s greatest need (Fredrick Buechner).

(Someday) God Will Call Us Home

The final way God calls us is actually the final call.  Those who have faith in Jesus, who have answered God’s call to salvation, will one day hear God call us home.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus made a promise to his disciples.  After the Resurrection, Jesus was going away.  He was going to His Father’s House.  Jesus left his disciples with two promises.  First, Jesus was going to “prepare a place” for all who believe—a place in Our Father’s House / an eternal home (John 14: 1 – 6).  Second, Jesus promised to come back to bring each of us to the Father’s House to be with him forever.

Conclusion

The first Christmas story is a story of God Breaking In to Call Us by Name.  He calls us to salvation, to discipleship, to vocation, and (someday) he will call us home.  But, the Christmas story began with God’s call to Mary and Joseph.

We could learn a lot from Mary and Joseph in the Christmas story.  When God called them, they responded in obedience.  They did not argue with God.  They did not insist that they knew a better way.

I can imagine Mary and Joseph arguing with God.  “God, this doesn’t make sense.  No one has ever done this before.  Your plan will never work.”

But, Mary and Joseph knew that God is the Lord, and they were his servants.  His ways were better than their ways.  We celebrate Christmas today because Mary and Joseph responded like Samuel… “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

How will you respond when God breaks in and calls you by name?

When God Breaks In: God Reveals Himself

When God Breaks In: God Reveals Himself

Exodus 3: 1 – 15.

Introduction

I know it’s hard to believe that today is the first Sunday in Advent.  Advent is a season of waiting and anticipating.  It begins four Sundays before Christmas Day.  We light a candle each Sunday, so we can visualize that Christmas Day is getting closer.  We can tell Christmas is getting closer, because the candles are getting shorter and more candles are burning.

The word “Advent” refers to the “appearing” or the “coming” of Jesus.  For Christians, this is what Christmas is all about.  It is not about celebrating the winter season.  It is not about family gatherings.  It is not about decorating the house inside and out.  Instead, Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior and God’s Only Begotten Son.

In Matthew 1, we read about an angel who announced the birth of Jesus.  The angel first appeared to Joseph and told him that his young fiancée (Mary) was expecting a child.  The angel assured Joseph that Mary had not been unfaithful to him.  Rather, she had conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.  This child was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel—which means ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1: 23, quoting Isaiah 7: 14).”

In other words, the Christmas story is a story about God Breaking In.  When Jesus was born of the virgin, Mary, God broke into our world like never before.  God broke in and promised that he would always be with us.

Over the next four weeks (the four Sundays of Advent), we are going to look at some examples of what God does when God breaks into our lives.  We are going to read biblical examples.  But, I don’t want you to think God has stopped breaking into our lives / our world.  No.  God is not distant and aloof.  God is intimately concerned about your life and often breaks into our lives in big ways and small ways.

One example is the story of Moses and the burning bush…

Exodus 3: 1 – 15…1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up." 

4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." 

5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 6Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 

7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." 

11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" 

12 And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." 

13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" 

14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " 

15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

I usually refer to this passage of Scripture as “the call of Moses.”  God broke into Moses’ life and called him to return to Egypt in order that Moses might lead God’s people out of slavery.  If we refer to this as “the call of Moses,” then we are missing the big picture.  Yes.  God called Moses.  However, this calling was only a small part of what God was doing on a worldwide scale.

We can catch a glimpse of this big picture in verses 7 – 10.  God’s people were suffering as slaves in Egypt.  They cried out to God.  God heard their cries.  God saw their misery.  God felt compassion about their circumstances.  Then, God came down and did something about it.  What did God do?  God called Moses and gave him the responsibility to lead God’s people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.

One of the remarkable and memorable details of this story is the fact that God spoke to Moses from a burning bush.  The Bible tells us the bush was on fire but was not consumed by the fire.  Have you ever wondered why God spoke through a burning bush?

It’s possible that God used the burning bush to get Moses’ attention.  It was an unusual sight.  It was so unusual that Moses stopped what he was doing to get a closer view.  If God was trying to get Moses’ attention, it worked.

Or, perhaps the fire itself contains a message about God…  Fire is one of the most important human discoveries of all time.  However, fire cannot be completely contained / controlled.  It is simultaneously comforting and dangerous.  Just like the presence of God.

This was no ordinary fire.  It was a fire that did not consume the bush.  If the bush was not consumed, then the fire would never go out.  If this fire can be read as a symbol for the presence of God, then Moses encountered a presence that would never go away.  He had an experience with God that would last for the rest of his life.

God Spoke

Moses first saw a strange sight.  Then, Moses heard something even stranger.  There was a voice coming from the bush…And the voice knew his name.  The voice from the bush called out, “Moses, Moses.”  It was the voice of God.

The most important thing to note about the voice from the bush is that it was the voice of God.  And when God speaks, God always has something to say.  In fact, God does most of the talking in the rest of the story.

God spoke about the suffering of his people in Egypt.  God spoke about his plan to rescue his people.  God spoke about his plan to bring them to the land he promised to Abraham.  And, God spoke about how Moses fit into God’s plan.  When God speaks, God speaks about redemption.

Notice that redemption is God’s idea and that God took the initiative.  Moses did not come up with this plan.  Moses had an important role to play in God’s redemptive plan, but Moses didn’t know it until God broke in and revealed his plan to Moses.

The same thing is true for you and me.  We don’t always know what God is doing or how God plans to use us.  But, God is not an absentee lord.  He hears the cries of his people and enters into our world to accomplish his redemptive purpose.  God uses people like Moses—people like you and me—to bring about redemption for others.

God knew Moses by name, even before Moses knew God.  God knew all about Moses’ strengths and weaknesses.  God had been at work in Moses’ life to prepare him for this calling.  And, God used all of Moses’ gifts and experiences to prepare him.

If you don’t feel qualified / prepared to be used by God, look to Moses as your example.  The life of Moses teaches us that God knows better than we do.  God did not call Moses because Moses was qualified / prepared.  God qualified / prepared Moses because he was called to be a part of God’s redemptive plan.

It is our responsibility to be sensitive enough to know when God is calling us and then to respond in obedience.

God’s Name

Of course, Moses did not immediately respond in obedience.  He heard the voice of God call him by name.  He heard what God wanted him to do.  Then, Moses listed out all the reasons why God should not use him.  Moses tried to use four excuses with God.  Only two of those excuses show up in the Scripture we read this morning.

First, Moses asked, “Who am I?”  Moses knew all of his past failures and thought they had disqualified him.  God answered Moses’ objection by promising that God would always be with him.

Second, Moses asked God to tell him his name.  If you think about it, that makes sense.  God knew Moses’ name.   Shouldn’t Moses know God’s name?

Exodus 3: 13 – 14…13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

In the ancient world, names were much more important than they are today.  A name was more than just the word you used to refer to another person.  The ancients believed that a name actually revealed a person’s character.  That is why the Bible gives us several examples of people who had their names changed by God.  When God changed their character, God also changed their names.  In this sense, Moses is not simply asking how God wants Moses to address him.  Moses is asking about God’s character.

Look at the way God answers Moses’ question.  This seems like a very funny answer.  Moses asked for God’s name.  God answered, “I AM WHO I AM.”  It almost sounds like God is telling Moses not to worry about what God’s name is…God is who God is…There’s no need for a name.

However, there is something bigger and better at work here.  This really is the name of God…Tell them I AM has sent me to you.

When I was living in Waco, I once heard a sermon about this name for God.  The preacher made a point to emphasize that God said his name is “I AM,” not “I was,” or “I will be.”  I’m sure he had a very good point.  But, I think he missed the point.

In Hebrew, “I AM” comes from one verb.  It’s a form of the Hebrew word Hayah.  Hebrew does not have past, present and future tenses like we have in English.  In Hebrew, there are only two main tenses—perfect and imperfect.  A perfect tense indicates an action that is already completed—I was.  An imperfect tense indicates an action that in not complete—I am, or even I will be.  In other words, there is some ambiguity in the name of God.  It can be translated “I am” or “I will be.”

This ambiguity raises some very interesting possibilities in verse 14.  What we have traditionally translated “I am who I am” could also be translated “I will be who I will be,” or even “I am who I will be.”  In fact, “I will be who I am” is my favorite way to think about the name of God revealed to Moses.  It emphasizes the unchanging character of God.  God never changes.  If God can be trusted in the present, then God can be trusted in the future.  Because God does not change. 

If verse 14 focuses on God in the present and the future, then verse 15 focuses on God in the past.  God reminded Moses that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

God was always faithful to Abraham.  God led Abraham to a land he did not know.  God gave Abraham a son in his old age.  When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son on the altar, God provided a lamb.

God was always faithful to Isaac.  God saved his life on the altar.  God led him to find a wife for his son.

God was always faithful to Jacob.  God blessed him with twelve sons who became the heads of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

If God has been faithful to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the past, then God will be faithful to Moses in the future.  God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

This is one of the reasons why we read the Bible.  The Bible reminds us of the ways God has been faithful in the past and promises us that God will be faithful to us in the present and the future. 

When God breaks in, God reveals his character as faithful and unchanging.

Can you think of a time in your life when God provided for your needs?  Perhaps, there was a time when you didn’t know how you were going to make it to the end of the year, the end of the month, or the end of the day.  But God provided.

Can you think of a time when God comforted you in your grief or uncertainty?

Can you think of a time when God gave you wisdom to make the right decision?  Or, a time when you needed more than wisdom—you actually needed God to take you by the hand and guide you through a series of difficult decisions?

God has not changed!  If God has provided for you in the past, God will do the same for you in the future…no matter what you may be facing in the days ahead.

Conclusion

When God broke into Moses’ life, God revealed himself.  We can say the same thing about the first Christmas.  At the birth of Jesus, God broke into our world and revealed himself.  In the life of Jesus, we can know who God is.

God did not show himself as an angry and vengeful God.  He revealed himself as a God of compassion and love.  He heard the cries, saw our misery and came down in the form of a baby in a manger.

That baby grew into a man full of Grace and Truth.  Jesus demonstrated the love of God through acts of compassion toward the poor, the hungry and the sick.

That baby grew into a man who demonstrated the love of God on the cross.  Jesus willingly gave his life as the final sacrifice for our sins and rose from the grave as the first to experience eternal life.

God continues to break into our lives to reveal his Love, and God does not change.