This is the final sermon from our Advent series titled “God’s Glory Revealed.” To recap, we began with ‘Glory Promised,’ where we were reminded that it all started with a promise in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned against
God and were separated from Him, He promised to restore the broken relationship. In our sermon ‘Glory Anticipated,’ we discussed the waiting period and the reminders from God through prophecies. And in our last sermon, ‘Glory Witnessed,’
we witnessed the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, who came to give us joy and peace. In today’s sermon, ‘Glory Fulfilled,’ we will explore the following:

1.What did God accomplish through the sacrifice of His Son?
2.How does this change and impact the lives of believers?
3.What should be our response to Him?
The passage we are looking at is 1 John 3:1-3
The answer to the first question “What did God accomplish through the sacrifice of
His Son?” is

1. He Established his unfathomable love for us by inviting us into his family (1 John 3:1)

1 John 3:1 (ESV)
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
This grace and favor showcases God’s glory in His benevolence, mercy, and love. The transformation of believers into children of God is a powerful testament to His redemptive work and His desire for a relationship with humanity.
Romans 5:8 (ESV)
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Glory Fulfilled – 1 John 3:1-3 2
This verse from Romans 5:8 highlights God’s love for us. Even while we were still sinners, separated from God, He demonstrated His love by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for us. This act of sacrificial love is a powerful testament to God’s grace and mercy.
Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV)
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”
This passage from Ephesians 2:4-5 emphasizes God’s mercy and love towards us. Despite our sinful state, God, in His great love, made us alive together with Christ
and saved us by His grace.
“God’s glory is seen in His willingness to bridge the gap between the divine and the human.”
Imagine reconciling with your worst enemy, someone who may hate you deeply. Imagine approaching that person willingly, even though you are blameless and have never done anything wrong. Picture yourself offering them your best gift, embracing them, and pleading for reconciliation. Furthermore, envision yourself welcoming them back into your life with open arms. Isn’t it difficult to imagine doing such a thing for our earthly enemies? However, this is precisely what God did for us. We were His enemies, yet He offered His best gift, His son, as a sacrifice to reconcile with us.
Galatians 4:4-7 (ESV)
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

This passage from Galatians 4:4-7 highlights the purpose and significance of Jesus’ birth. It emphasizes that God sent His Son into the world at the appointed time to redeem those under the law and to grant them adoption as sons. Through this adoption, believers become heirs of God and have a close relationship with Him, calling Him “Abba! Father!” This is another powerful testament to God’s love, grace, and the transformation that takes place in the lives of believers. The fulfillment of God’s glory through Jesus’ sacrifice and the establishment of believers as children of God is a remarkable demonstration of His love, grace, and desire for a restored relationship with humanity.
And this is how it’s now impacting our lives

2. He is now transforming us into the image of his son Jesus (1 John 3:2)
   1 John 3:2 (ESV)
   “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be
   like him, because we shall see him as he is.” The promise that believers will be like Christ when He appears again points to the
   ultimate fulfillment of God’s plan for humanity. This transformation and the realization of this hope reflect God’s glory, demonstrating His power to change lives and fulfill His promises. The eventual revelation of believers in their glorified state is a testament to God’s victorious and transformative power.

“God is glorified not only when we are justified by faith in Christ, but also in the transformative journeys of his children.”

Similar to a parent who not only celebrates the birth of their child but also continues to rejoice as they witness their child’s growth and maturity, God also takes pride and glory in observing the transformative journeys of His children. Here are how God transforms us into the image of his son Jesus Regeneration & renewal through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5 (ESV)

“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration
and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”

This verse from Titus 3:5 emphasizes that our salvation is not based on our righteous works but is a result of God’s mercy. It highlights the role of the Holy Spirit in the process of regeneration and renewal, which is essential for our transformation into the image of Jesus.

Renewal of the mind
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the
will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This verse from Romans 12:2 emphasizes the importance of renewing our minds and not conforming to the patterns of this world. Through the transformation of our minds, we can discern and understand God’s will. This renewal is an ongoing process in our faith journey, allowing us to align our thoughts and actions with what is good, acceptable, and perfect in God’s eyes.

By Engaging us in Spiritual disciplines
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that
the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
This passage from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 emphasizes the importance and usefulness of Scripture in the life of a believer. It states that all Scripture is God-breathed and serves various purposes such as teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. By engaging with the Scriptures, believers can be equipped and prepared for every good work, enabling them to grow in their faith and reflect the
image of Jesus.

Through trials and testing

James 1:2-4 (ESV)
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces
steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
This passage from James 1:2-4 encourages believers to consider it a joy when they face trials of various kinds. The testing of their faith produces steadfastness, leading to maturity and completeness. It highlights the transformative nature of trials and the growth that can occur through them, ultimately shaping believers into the image of
Jesus.

Community & Accountability

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

This passage from Hebrews 10:24-25 emphasizes the importance of community and accountability among believers. It encourages them to consider how they can spur others toward love and good works. Meeting together and encouraging one another is vital, primarily as the return of Christ draws near. Through community and accountability, believers can support and challenge each other in their faith journeys,
contributing to their transformation into the image of Jesus.

nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

This passage from John 13:14-17 highlights the importance of humility, servanthood, and obedience in the lives of believers. Jesus, as their Lord and Teacher, demonstrated humility by washing the feet of His disciples and set an example for them to follow. He emphasized that they should also serve one another in the same manner. Jesus taught that a servant is not greater than his master and that obedience to His teachings brings blessings. By practicing humility, servanthood, and obedience, believers reflect the character of Jesus and bring glory to God.
To conclude, God is glorified when his children embark on transformative journeys and align themselves with his Spirit, allowing him to work deeply in their hearts. Our response should be to …

3. Pursue purity on account of our new identity in
   Christ

The encouragement for believers to purify themselves, just as Christ is pure, reflects God’s glory in moral and spiritual terms. Believers strive to live in purity and righteousness, reflecting God’s character and bringing glory to Him. The process of sanctification, where believers grow to be more like Christ, is a personal journey and a demonstration of God’s work in the world. To do so, we have to grow in dependence on God.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV):
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
This verse from 2 Corinthians 3:18 highlights the ongoing transformation that believers experience as they behold the glory of the Lord. As they fix their eyes on Him, they are being transformed into His image, growing from one degree of glory to another. This transformation results from the work of the Lord, who is the Spirit. It further emphasizes the Holy Spirit’s role in sanctification and the continuous growth of believers.

Conclusion

In light of what we heard today, here are a couple of New Year’s resolutions I recommend as we approach the new year. By keeping these resolutions in mind, we allow God to transform us into his son Jesus’s image and bring him glory.

1. Daily Devotion – Prayer / Bible reading
2. Stay connected with other believers – Community, Church, DNA meets
3. Find opportunities to serve
4. Share your faith with others

Good evening everyone. Merry Christmas and a warm welcome to all who have joined us in the hall and tuned in online as well. We’re glad you’re with us and we pray that everything that is being done here today would serve you well and draw you nearer to Jesus. 

During the month of December, we’ve been going through a short sermon series titled God’s Glory Revealed – and what we’ve been seeing is that among all the festivities, food and family gatherings, let’s not miss the point of Christmas. 

The point of Christmas is about God revealing His glory to us through His Son Jesus – God revealing His character qualities, His beauty, His worth through His Son Jesus. Before I begin, I’d love to pray for us.

On the 19^th of November this year, the world had witnessed a major spectacle. Yes, it was the Cricket World Cup final between India and Australia. We won’t talk much about the outcome of the match, but nevertheless it was a major spectacle.  

Over 1 Lakh people watched the match live in the Narendra Modi stadium. Everyone who was a somebody was there present at the stadium from SRK to Asha Bhosale. Our PM and HM were also present for the match. And this was just within the stadium – on TV there were about 300 million people who watched the match live. And despite this just being a sporting game, it garnered such huge attention and media coverage. 

And yet, if we go back a little over 2000 years ago there was a history altering moment which took place – when God sent His Son Jesus to the earth. This was the most glorious event in all of human history. All of the Jews in the OT eagerly waited for this to happen and yet it happened in obscurity. 

It wasn’t published anywhere. It had no coverage. It wasn’t attended by heads of state or religious leaders of that time. In fact, the invitees for this event were ordinary shepherds. But they witnessed glory!! And so today we’ll be following the journey of these ordinary shepherds to understand what was this glory that they witnessed with their own eyes. Maybe there are some take aways for each of us as we follow their journey. 

1. Joy (v8-12)

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 

10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

The passage starts out by describing these shepherds who were on a night shift. Until this moment, they didn’t even know that they were invited. 

And then an angel of the Lord appears to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and the verse tells us that they were “filled with great fear”. 

And maybe that’s an automatic reflex action – the moment we realize that we’re in the presence of God (Holy God), our reflex action is fear thinking “I’m in big trouble, I’m in danger because I’m sinful, I’m unworthy”.

But the response of the angel (representing God) is so interesting. The angel responds by saying “Fear not” – don’t fear. 

(Parents / kids) And the reason for not fearing is because the angel came as an agent to bring good news of great joy! And this good news of great joy was not just meant for these shepherds or a specific group of people alone. 

This good news of great joy was meant for “all the people”. Which includes everyone in our family. Everyone in our neighborhoods. Everyone in our workplaces. Everyone in our city. Everyone in our country. Everyone in the whole world.  

And then in v11 – the angel goes on to describe this good news of great joy. He said that in the city of David (Bethlehem) a child was going to be born who is a Savior, Christ and Lord.

• Savior: Someone who was going to save, rescue & deliver
• Christ: Anointed One, Messiah who was promised in the OT
• Lord: Supreme authority, Controller, Master, Ruler

And so in that way of describing Jesus, the angel was basically dropping a hint on what Jesus was coming to do. He was coming to save and rescue us from something. 

Some kind of serious trouble that we’re in, and Jesus was coming to save us from that. He was the one was expected and promised right from Genesis. He was the one who will be the supreme authority overall. 

And just as the shepherds heard that, I’m sure they were expecting this to happen in a palace. They would have expected to be invited to the “Buckingham palace” of the day. 

But to their surprise and astonishment, they are told that this Jesus who is Savior, Christ and Lord would be found in a stable. 

And instead of a nice, comfortable cushion, Jesus was going to be placed in a manger – which is basically a feeding trough for animals. 

And I can imagine them being taken aback by that. I wonder if they asked the angel to repeat the sign again because it doesn’t make sense. 

As confusing as this seems to be, God was telling the shepherds and all of us, that His Son Jesus was not coming to this world to Lord it over us. He was coming to humbly serve us – even if it meant being embarrassed and humiliated by sleeping on a feeding trough for the first night on the earth. 

He has not come to make you afraid, He has come to give you Joy. He is Your Savior and Lord. He’s not come to enforce His authority over you. 

He has come to serve you by humbling Himself no matter what the cost. In all of this – I can see that here is our God who is not finding reason to go away from us, but is  drawing near to us and that’s why it brings us Joy…Great Joy.

But not only does it bring us Joy, it also brings us

2. Peace (v13-14)

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”[d]

Just right after this encouraging message by the angel, a multitude of heavenly host break out into the most amazing Christmas carol song. 

Last night we had such an amazing time singing Christmas carols (with the mic, sound and music) and now think about what it might have been to have witnessed a choir filled with all the heavenly hosts singing songs of praise. I can imagine the shepherds being speechless witnessing all of this. 

And now take a look at what they were praising and singing.   V14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”[d]

They start by praising the greatness and uniqueness of God. (Glory to God in the highest) He is all-powerful. He is all-wise. He is all-knowing. There is nothing in all of creation which can be compared to Him. 

He is of a different league altogether. And even as the song talks about the greatness and uniqueness of God, it tells us that God has come to make peace among those with whom He is pleased.

And let’s ask ourselves – who is God pleased with? The one who reads His Bible everyday? The one who attends church every week? The one who doesn’t use foul language? The one who doesn’t drink? The one who doesn’t smoke? Who is God pleased with? 

7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:7,8)

We simply cannot please God in our sinful nature – no matter who we may be – we might be super-spiritual like the Pharisee or unspiritual like tax collector – either way we are on the same boat – we cannot please God. 

And so that poses a big problem. So if we cannot please God, then how is God going to maintain peace with us? That’s the problem right? 

Which is why Jesus had to come. Jesus came to the earth so that He could live the life which we needed to live but couldn’t live. He lived a perfectly pleasing life unto God. 

Then when He was 33 years old, He died the death that all of us deserved to die as enemies of God. Imagine if you or I were a hostile enemy of the king of the land (monarchy), what do you think would have been our judgment? 

Jesus took that punishment upon Himself and died as our representative – our substitute on the cross. 

But he was pierced for our transgressions;

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

    and with his wounds we are healed. (Isa 53:5)

He was buried and on the third Day He rose again so that whoever may repent of their sins and trust in Jesus’ work for them would now be “made” pleasing to God thereby maintaining a permanent relationship of peace between us and God. 

So not only does it bring Joy and Peace but is also evokes 

3. Praise (v15-20)

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Let’s remember that the shepherds were still on their night shift. They are supposed to guard the flock but upon seeing this great sight and proclamation from the heavenly hosts, they immediately leave for Bethlehem and found that things to be exactly how it was described to them. 

And V20 mentions that they returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told to them. 

That was their response to the birth of Jesus something so marvelous that they witnessed. 

Let’s take a moment to pause and ask ourselves – as people who are on this side of the cross – where we’ve not only seen Jesus’ birth but His death and resurrection, what should our response be to the good news of Jesus? 

Shouldn’t we be praising and glorifying God in response to who Jesus is and what He came to do for us? And if we are not experiencing that sense of joyful praise in our hearts, could it be that we’ve allowed other things of the world or anxieties to steal that from us? What is God calling us to repent of today? 

Or maybe we haven’t yet believed in Jesus and today as we’ve heard that good news of Jesus, our hearts have been moved to realize that our need to repent of our sins and trust in Jesus’ work for us and make Him our Lord. Then here’s the opportunity to do that today in response to the good news. 

Good morning church and those watching on Zoom. We’re back on Sunday and we’re back to our Advent series. And we’re one week away from Christmas. When someone would ask what I remember about Christmas growing up I always said biryani. Because my mom would make biryani around Christmas time. But nowadays I’m realising that it’s not just good food I associate with Christmas but good weather too. At least for us Mumbaikers. All throughout the year we have extreme heat, then humid rains then more humidity post-monsoon and finally November comes along and we have good weather. It’s not too hot neither is it too cold, it’s like a perfect balance. And also, our electricity bill comes down during Christmas. That is a Christmas blessing. You’re not using the AC and we’re using the fans less, so there’s a beautiful low amount on the electricity bill.

And another thing about the days leading up to Christmas is just simple excitement we have. Maybe you’re looking forward to time off work, you’ve got a holiday planned, or a family visit or a nice get together with others in the city, or a simple time with family and friends. And maybe in some of your offices there’s a slowdown, colleagues are soon to leave or left for holidays, clients are on leave, the agencies you work with are also slowing down. I’m sure many can relate to the feeling of excitement and building anticipation when the day your leave starts looms closer.

And this feeling of anticipation has been going on for several hundreds of years, even back in ancient Israel. Of course, they weren’t anticipating the December Christmas. But they were anticipating a promised Saviour. A Messiah that would deliver them from all their enemies.

You know a long time passed since Israel last heard any kind of prophecy. History tells us that around 400 years passed between the last prophecy and Jesus’s birth. During these 400 years the world change in significant ways. Israel was ruled by Persia. Then Alexander the Great came along, defeated Persia and promoted the Greek culture. Then Alexander the Great died and then Israel was ruled by Antiochus Epiphanes, who brutally persecuted the Jews and did not allow any religious freedom. After that the Romans came into the picture. They taxed the Jews heavily and controlled all they did. The Jews by this time have all the hope in them squeezed out. The only thing they’re clinging on to is that one day, a Messiah is going to come and deliver them from their enemies. It’s prophesied in the Scripture that they have, which is the Old Testament for us. There are passages like Jeremiah 33:16 which says that Jerusalem will live securely and Judah will be saved.

Jer 33:14-16 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

It goes on to say “17 “For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever.””

It goes way back in Genesis 49:10

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him;[a] and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

This is a brief backdrop into the setting we find ourselves in. This is where Mary is. Where Elizabeth is. We can safely assume that Mary knew the prophecies of the coming Messiah.

And when she goes to Elizabeth and calls her blessed then she breaks out in a song of praise, probably understanding the Lord’s promise is being fulfilled.

In her response we see why we should also break out in a song of praise, why this passage is good news. In fact, this passage shows us our utterly helpless condition and what God did about it that will leave us thanking Him.

So what are the things we see that make us want to break out in a song of praise?

1) First is that God sees our helpless condition and helps us

In the beginning of her song, Mary says

“My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant

I’m looking at specifically verse 48 which says, “for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant”. The phrase humble estate in the Greek is a word Tapeinósis (tape e no sis) which translates to lowness and humiliation. Here Mary is saying that her life was that of a lowly person, and she was really a nobody. But not only that, this Greek word it pointing towards a lowness where she understands her spiritual capacity or rather lack of it. One of the resources call it abasement, it means your lowering yourself to a point where you see your lack of uprightness and that leads you to a place of helplessness and need.

In fact that’s the real spiritual condition of us all is that of littleness and nothingness. This passage mentions the kind of people God opposes, the proud of thought, the haughty sitting on their thrones, the rich who do not see their need for God. This is who we are. We are that tapenosis. We are of low estate.

We don’t deserve to be looked at.

It’s like a criminal, who was found guilty of raping a little girl, and the people of the village catch him, beat him up with sticks, punching and kicking till he’s barely alive. And they leave him there to die. This beaten up criminal is covered with wounds, his ribs are broken, his eyes and lips are swollen, clothes are torn, he’s trying to survive by crawling towards a safe place. At night the rats eat his open flesh. Who will want to look at this criminal? Who will even care? More than that, he doesn’t deserved to be looked at because he’s guilty of a great crime.

This is actually our spiritual condition. We deserve to be punished for our sin and left like that criminal. Because our crime is going against God. We think we don’t need God, we’re finding comfort in our possessions and we’re seeking more. We think we’re the God of our life and we’re good people. But we’re nothing like that, we’re just like that criminal.

But the good thing is that God looks at your humble estate. He’s the only one who will because He made a way to make you lookable again. The Bible says that God is too pure to look at evil but He can look at you because you’re not evil but pure in God’s sight because of the one Jesus Christ.

That leads me to the next point. How does God do this? Or what is the basis? It’s because of His mercy.

2) He remembers His mercy

In v54 and 55 it says

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

God remembers His mercy. And it says “as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever”. In other words, He remembers His promise, His covenant that he made to the people of Israel.

The promise, the covenant is His basis of looking down on the humble estate of anyone. I mentioned Jeremiah 33:14-16 earlier where God says He will fulfil His promise made to Israel and Judah where a righteous Branch will spring up for David and will execute justice and righteousness. It’s not only in Jeremiah but it goes back to Genesis in a verse that Saju mentioned last week. Genesis 3:15 says

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[e] and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

This is God talking to Satan, proclaiming that the woman’s offspring, that is Eve’s, will bruise the head of the serpent. Theologians call this proto-evangelium, or the first gospel, the first good news.

It’s not like He forgot His promise or the covenant He made. It’s saying that He showing mercy because He made the promise.

This promise was to take away the sin of the world, to take away your sin by suffering in a brutal way. In Isaiah 53:5 is say

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

And then in Romans 3:21-25 is says

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Conclusion

What do you have to do here? There are a couple of things to note from this passage. It says those who have humbled themselves, God has exalted. Elisabeth calls Mary blessed for believing that were would be fulfilment of what was spoken by the Lord. And then there’s verse 50 which says the His mercy is for those who fear Him.

She’s called blessed because she believed. She’s called happy because she believed. She adopted a posture of humbling herself to a point of acknowledging her deep need for God that God exalted her.

It goes to show that we need to have a that posture of daily accepting our need for God and believing in the One who forgives us. And to those who fear Him, that is obey, respect and honour Him, they will receive mercy.

What did Mary do to deserve this favour from the Lord? Nothing. But she did come with a humble heart, because she understood her weakness and depended on the mighty God, who exalted her.

So, is it with you. You come to God not with a Performance Improvement Plan but with a heart of repentance and belief. Because blessed are you who believe. You come with your sin in humility and God will not condemn you but forgive you in Jesus name and exalt you to a place where you remember your place as a son and daughter of the Most High God.

We are beginning a 4-week Advent series on the occasion of Christmas. Speaking about Christmas a few things to clarify, 25th Dec is certainly not the day when Jesus was born, the exact date we don’t know. We celebrate Christmas because it gives us an opportunity to remind and share the Gospel to our hearts first and then to others.

Importance of the Gospel

The Gospel is the most essential truth that our hearts need to hear again and again. Of all the things we expect from the church, expect for them to regularly point our hearts to the Gospel, to Christ. We live in a world where people are running after new age philosophies, teachings and experience to entertain themselves and also to find joy and hope for themselves, but as a believer we ought to understand that its only the Gospel that gives us the right perspective and points out hearts to long lasting joy, happiness and fulfillment.

The Advent Series

We have named our Advent series “God’s Glory Revealed”, where ‘Glory’ in this context means ‘the exalted status of God in Christ’ or ‘the divine radiance and presence of God revealed in and through Christ Jesus’. In this series we will explore the purpose and significance of God’s glory revealed in and through his son Jesus’
The title of todays sermon is “Glory Promised”, and we are looking at the passage Luke 1:26-38.

Why promise? – Because if all began with a promise. The passage from Luke 1:26-38 is the initiation of that promise, also known as the Annunciation story.

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, he created man in his own image and likeness. He created man to have fellowship with him, but under his rule and dominion, walking in obedience to his statues. But man disobeyed God and rebelled against him, he ate the forbidden fruit and was alienated from God.

It was the serpent who tempted Eve to ate the forbidden fruit. In Genesis 3:15 God says to the serpant “I will put enmity between your offspring and hers, and between your offspring and hers; he (referring to Jesu) will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” This is where the first promise appears in the Bible mentioning about Jesus.

Around 700 BC, in Isaiah 7:14, God speaks through prophet Isiah to king Ahaz who was facing a political tension, reassuring to Ahaz that God is with them, says “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign, Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel (which means God with you)” In Micah 5:2, the promise is comes with some more clarity –

Micah 5:2 (ESV):
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.”

Luke 1:26-38 describes to us the moment when God, in his great wisdom executes his promise, that will change the course of mankind forever.

A divine intervention

Luke 1:26-38 describes God divine intervention when he send the angel Gabriel to a virgin women called Mary, an ordinary women who finds favor in the sight of God.

The word ‘favor’ means ‘approval’ or ‘an act of kindness’. It was an act of kindness
shown by God that reached out to Mary, not because she was great or holy. She was just an ordinary person like us.

Mary’s response

In response to God’s intervention, we see Mary obedient response, she says “Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”
Today we will stop right here, and will continue with the rest of Jesus’s birth story in the
coming weeks.

What I want us to focus from his passage are two things –

1. God’s divine intervention in our lives
2. Our response to God’s interventions

God’s divine intervention in our lives

What if I told you that this very moment we are in is orchestrated by God. Though it might look a bit chaotic for some – The fact is He planned this day and moment well in advance. This sermon is the exact message he wants you to hear (or read) just as
much as he orchestrates every other moments in our lives – the good, the bad, the ugly, the happy ones etc

Psalms 115:3, Divid writes, “Our God is in the heavens, he does all that he pleases”

Our moments may not always look divine as it was for Mary but it still an divine intervention, an act of kindness he is showing towards us. Why? – To give us another opportunity to hear, to know and understand the truth, where he is revealing his great love for us – convicting us of our sins and reassuring his love and presence, giving us another opportunity to search our hears, repent of our present sins and put our faith
back in Jesus and to to trust Him for all things. It’s just like the moment described in Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says “Behind, I stand
at the door and know. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me”
What does it mean to open our hearts to Jesus?

Our response

Our Response – Just like Mary he is expecting is to respond saying “Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”

It may seem impossible for your to chance or experience any kind of transformation in your lives but the word says “there is nothing impossible for the Lord”

Ponder on these two verses as we conclude –

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16 (ESV)

Romans 10:9 (ESV):

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Conclusion:
If you believe today, this very moment is a divine intervention of God in your lives, I want to encourage to respond like how Mary did.

May God bless you

As we reach the end of the book of Acts, chapter 28:30-31 provides a visual of a camera panning out on our protagonist, Apostle Paul. It shows us what he is doing during the last days of his life and gives us conclusions about who he has become and
what he continues to do.

From this, we can conclude that Paul lived a life of relentless commitment to the Gospel
and unwavering dedication to the mission of God. This is a beautiful climax in Paul’s life and ministry.

Now, let us contemplate: What if the camera were to pan out on us today? What would the audience see and conclude about our individual journeys? What kind of person have we become since we were born again? What is the mission of our lives?

Regardless of what we are doing in life, I believe that every Christian’s life should have similar conclusions as Paul’s. It may be on a different scale and in a different context, but aren’t we all called and commissioned to live a life of relentless commitment to the gospel and show unwavering dedication to the mission of God? The answer is yes.
Here are some scriptures to support my statement above.

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV):
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Isaiah 43:7 (ESV):
“everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
1 Peter 2:9 (ESV):
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own
possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.”

Now, suppose we go to Apostle Paul and ask for advice on how to achieve such a climax in our lives. Here are seven pieces of advice he would give us. There could be more, but here are seven that come to my mind.

1. Embrace and experience the transformative power of the Gospel in your lives.

There is a moment in our lives when we are justified by faith. However, there is also another aspect where we are sanctified by Him, being transformed into the image and likeness of His son, Jesus. Unless we are all truly experiencing the transformative work of the gospel in our lives, we will fail to reach such a climax in our lives.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV):
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away;
behold, the new has come.”
Galatians 2:20 (ESV):
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me.”
Romans 1:16 (ESV):
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

2. Learn to endure adversity, pain & suffering

Adversity, pain, and suffering are part of our sanctification process. Through these experiences, God draws us closer to Himself and helps us grow and mature in faith. Jesus never promised a life of comfort.
2 Corinthians 11:24-27 (ESV):
“Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from
robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and
exposure.”
John 16:33 (ESV):
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

3. Listen & teach sound doctrine

I believe Paul would put a very strong emphasis on sound doctrine, especially when it comes to the understanding of the gospel.
1 Timothy 1:3-4 (ESV):
“As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.”
Galatians 1:8-9 (ESV):
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him
be accursed.”
1 Timothy 4:6 (ESV):
“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.”

4. Cultivate a non-judgmental and sacrificial love towards others

Love should be at the center of our life and ministry. Without expressing the love of Christ, everything else becomes a meaningless pursuit. We can only show true love if we have experienced that true love from Christ.
Philippians 2:17 (ESV):
“Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.”
Romans 5:8 (ESV):
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 Peter 4:8 (ESV):
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

5. Focus on Christ’s power, not personal strength

The reality is that we cannot overcome the world and the challenges within it solely by our own strength. We need God’s power to guide and sustain us.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV):

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

6. Cultivate a heart for fervent prayer life

As a Christian, prayer is crucial because it demonstrates our dependence on God when we pray and plead with Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV):
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Ephesians 6:18 (ESV):
“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”
Colossians 4:2 (ESV):
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”

7. Be ready to die for Jesus

Philippians 1:21 (ESV):
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
2 Timothy 4:6-7 (ESV):
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Good morning church! Hope you’re well and glad you’ve joined us this morning. Here at the Gathering, we constantly remind ourselves that Sunday Gathering is not just another event or activity.

It’s actually a gift from God to feed our souls – and that primarily happens through God’s Word as it’s being sung, read and preached each week.

And especially now as we’re about to enter a dedicated time with the Word, I’d urge us all to engage with the Word prayerfully, attentively and expectantly.

As most of you might be aware, we are continuing this series from the book of Acts titled God of Power.

One theme that we’ve seen repeatedly week after week (almost like a broken tape recorder) – is that this book is not primarily telling us about extraordinary men and women who did great things for God. Rather this book points us to an extraordinary God who does great things through ordinary people like you and me.  

Right now we find ourselves nearing the end of the book of Acts – and this is so unlike the start of the book where we witnessed the excitement in seeing the church explode on the scene – multitudes of people following Jesus

But in contrast, the end of the book is quite somber and subdued. The story seems to be getting harder and worser for the apostle Paul. But before we jump into it, I’d love to pray for us.

(Pray)

Before the introduction of Google Maps, all that we had was “Roadside Stranger Maps” where when we were lost on the road, we were fully reliant on the experience and confidence of the roadside stranger.

And in those detour moments can cause alot of anxiety especially if your detour has landed you in the middle of nowhere.

And that’s true not just with detours on the road, the detours of life can seem more anxious and confusing to us. We feel like we’ve been doing everything that God wants us to do, we’ve been faithfully following Jesus and yet life doesn’t get any easier. Our situations don’t get any better.

And in those moments we often ask ourselves “what is God doing during these detours of my life”? If God could only shed some light on His purposes, then maybe I could make some sense of this detour.

And I think through a passage like the one we read today, God is trying to reveal what He is doing through these detours of life. God wants to lift the cover off so that we can see His purposes through a detour.    

So what is God doing during the detours of life?

1. He’s revealing His Fame through us

God is revealing His fame and glory to a lost and dying world through us.  

Let’s do a quick recap of where we’re at. More than two long years had passed since Paul was imprisoned at Caesarea without a proper warrant.

And then in last week’s passage, we saw how Paul was made to defend his faith in front of the some of the most powerful people alive at the time – governor Festus (who wrote down minutes of the meeting which would be passed on to Caesar for his reference during Paul’s appeal) & Herod Agrippa (who was carefully scrutinizing every thing that Paul said and did).

After serious examination of Paul’s defense, Herod Agrippa’s the conclusion was that – Paul did nothing wrong deserving death or imprisonment. He could have been released had he not appealed to Caesar.

In other words, this was a vindication of Paul’s innocence and yet somehow he was made to undergo an unending, unnecessary, unjust trial.

Chapter 27 starts off by telling us that the date of the appeal in front of Caesar was finally decided, and was going to sail to Rome.

What follows during his journey to Rome is nothing short of eventful. In fact you could make a thrilling movie out of this story – there’s a brewing storm, there’s a shipwreck and there’s even a snake bite.

But let’s not miss the point God is trying to make through this unbelievable, thrilling events which took place in this passage. What God’s doing is that He is revealing His fame and glory / character qualities / attributes to a lost and dying world – and how He’s revealing? Through ordinary people like us!!

Let’s see what evidence do we see in this passage:

• God’s wisdom:

9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast[a] was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. (v9-12)

Paul wasn’t trying to show off his maritime knowledge and skills by giving this advice to the crew. He obviously didn’t have the training, knowledge or experience that the captain or his crew or the majority of those on the ship had.

In fact he was the only one on the ship sounding an alarm, he did that because the all knowing, all wise God revealed something to Paul which wasn’t readily available to the others. God was revealing His wisdom to the others through Paul.

• God’s protection:

21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ (v21-24)

Despite the fact that the entire crew went against the counsel of God, but because Paul was on the ship and because God had ordained for him to stand and testify before mighty Caesar, God spared all of the other passengers on the ship. Through Paul, God was revealing His protection – He is the God who Protects us.

• God’s sovereignty

25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. (V25)

Paul wasn’t just trying to build everyone’s morale. He wasn’t being overly optimistic. He fully trusted in what God said and what God would do. He knew that God doesn’t make false promises – He sticks to His word – and not just that God has the absolute authority to make it happen exactly the way He choses. And that’s what gave Paul the confidence to say that to dejected crew and passengers on the ship. Through Paul, God was revealing His sovereignty to the others on the ship.

• God’s comfort

33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength,[f] for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. (V33-36)

Due to how bad the storm was and the duration of time that it went on for, you can imagine how everyone onboard lost all hope and stopped eating because they didn’t think they were going to survive. And in the midst of that, Paul reassures them by telling them that not a hair is going to perish from their heads (big bold statement). And by consuming food in front of them, he displayed his full trust that God would save all of them. And seeing that, everyone else on the ship followed suit and were encouraged and ate food. Through Paul, God’s and assurance was being revealed to the others on the ship!

• God’s Power

3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice[b] has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. (v3-6)

7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. (V7-8)

God’s miraculous Power was being revealed to the residents of Malta & the passengers who were on the island.

Now imagine if you were one of the passengers on the ship or one of the residents at Malta witnessing these events in Chapter 27 and 28. You would come to the conclusion that the God Paul worships and serves is not like any of the other gods they worship. You would come to acknowledge that this God is perhaps the One True God who controls every single piece of the puzzle (even the detours) to ensure that His purposes advance.

How does this speak to the detours in our life? This passage should encourage us to know that despite the detour, God is revealing His fame and glory and character to a lost and dying world through us.

Trust me, a watching world is taking notice and wondering why are we different from the others despite the situations or people in our lives.

After all this is a restoration of what we were created to do in the first place. In Genesis, we see how God created man and woman in His own image – we were created to reflect who God is to the world around us – we were supposed to be mirrors of God’s character.

But sin entered the world, when we were saturated in sin, that image of God became distorted (we didn’t lose it but it got marred). Which meant that we were no longer perfectly reflecting and revealing God’s character as we should. All human beings since then have been carrying this distorted image.

Until Jesus Christ came into the world as man. Because as God’s Son, Jesus carried the perfect image of God and He was able to reveal the fame of God in everything He said and did perfectly.

And then He died on the cross to redeem us from the punishment for distorting the image of God – all of us our seriously guilty of tarnishing the image of God with our sin. Jesus paid the price, buried and on the third Day rose from the dead so that whoever would repent of their sins and put their faith in Jesus’ finished work would have that distorted image restored and renewed in the likeness of Christ.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10)

So it’s not something new that we’re called to do, it’s what we’ve always been created to do. And the detours of life provide a perfect platform to reveal that to a lost and dying world.

Why would a lost world take notice of us if we are being faithful to God in comfortable, pleasant circumstances? That’s what they will expect from people who are experiencing blessing after blessing. What makes them pause and wonder is when they see us respond differently in not so ideal, not so comfortable situations.

And God’s fame and glory and character is being visibly and clearly revealed in seasons like that.

14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.  (2 Cor 2:14)

But not is God revealing His fame to a lost and dying world through us, He’s also

• He’s revealing His Favor to us

God wants to show His Favor to us – His children.

V1 tells us that Paul was handed over to a Roman centurion named Julius who was of the Augustan Cohort – this was a special Roman unit. Paul was being treated as a high-profile prisoner who needed to be accompanied by Julius to get him to Rome.

And despite Julius being someone of such high authority who was tasked to escort a high profile prisoner Paul to Rome, we see him respond with unusual kindness throughout the passage.

Look with me at the following verses from Acts 27:

3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. (V3) – kindness was shown to Paul and special liberties were given to him to go and meet his friends and be cared for.

42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. (v42-44) – Not only was in giving special liberties to Paul, but the Roman centurion also wanted to protect Paul from any harm that could be caused by his own group of soldiers.

It’s pretty clear that this was God’s doing! God was using Julius (a Roman, unbelieving centurion) to reveal His fatherly favor to His child Paul. He wanted to reveal His presence and His care to Paul through this.

That’s a very important principle we need to grasp especially during life’s detours. God is our Father first, before being our Boss. 

Sometimes when we read passages like in Acts where we see that our God is an extraordinary God doing great things through ordinary people – we might wrongly assume God to be a taskmaster first whose main job is to ensure that we’re all put us to work.

Or we only see God as a commander of the army who gives us marching orders and supervises our work along the way. But the truth is that He is our Father first and desires to show His fatherly favor to us His children in all seasons – especially the detour seasons of life.

If we miss this principle Or confuse this truth of God being our Father first, then we’ll easily slip into seeing our relationship with God as transactional and conditional. Thinking that God will love and show favor on me because I’m faithfully serving Him.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth, because time and time again in Scripture we are reminded of God’s fatherly favor over us which is not dependent on how well or how badly we serve our duties and responsibilities.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[1] See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. 

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[15] For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 

And this is true in all the moments when we’re on the right road, and also when we are on a detour either because of our personal sin or because of God’s Sovereign plan. Irrespective of what might the cause, God will still reveal His favor to us because He’s our father and He cannot stop showing His favor on us.

He will correct us and discipline us if we are in, but will not turn His face away from us.

Good morning church! Just wanted to welcome everyone who has joined us here at the hall and those who have joined us online. 

We’re glad that you’re with us this morning and we hope that you’re encouraged and refreshed through this time. 

If you’ve been tracking with us at the Gathering, you would know that we’re going through a series titled God of Power from the book of Acts. 

And it’s been a year-long exciting journey and sad to say that we’re almost nearing the end of this book. 

We’ve got another 2 more chapters to go after this one but we hope that even after the series ends, what remains with us is the truth that our God is a God of incredible and extraordinary Power – not just in the mountain top spiritual moments, but also in the low valley moments – 

which is what see play out in in chapter 26 where Paul finds himself not in a comfortable church service but in the middle of a hostile courtroom. I’d love to pray for us before we jump into this passage.

As we begin our time, I think it’ll be helpful for us to visualize what exactly was going down in this chapter. Paul was on put on trial and needed to defend his faith in front of some of the most powerful and feared authorities of that time. 

On one hand, you had King Agrippa who was the king of Judea (he was more like a proxy Jewish ruler who ruled on behalf of Caesar) but still carried authority and moreover he was well versed with Jewish law and customs. You can expect every single word that Paul uttered being scrutinized.

On the other hand, there was the governor of Caesarea – Porcius Festus who had arranged this session precisely so that he could take down reference notes which would be passed onto Caesar who would refer to these notes during Paul’s appeal at Rome. Whatever transpired in this courtroom could have serious implications for Paul’s future. This was serious! 

On top of that, the previous chapter tells us that military tribunes and prominent men of the city were also present. This trial garnered massive interest and attracted a lot of eyeballs. Everyone was watching this trial proceeding closely. The stakes couldn’t get any higher. 

And usually when people are cornered in situations like these, they usually respond by talking about themselves or by talking about opponents. So they are either using the opportunity to promote and project their accomplishments which can help sway people’s perceptions about them or they can get really nasty and bring out all the stuff that’s wrong about their opponents which can possibly discredit them. 

Paul had all these tools and options available to him, but yet isn’t it interesting that on the biggest platform which was presented to him, he didn’t choose to talk about himself, neither did he chose to talk about his opponents. Instead, he chose to talk about God.  And to talk about what God did to him and through him. He decided to share his salvation story. 

And that’s what we’re going to explore over the next few minutes – why is there power in a person’s salvation story? 

1. We are saved despite who we were (v4-11)

I find it interesting that though Paul was defending himself before some of the most powerful men and women alive at that point, he’s willing to be brutally honest about the man he was before he met Jesus. He’s not brushing his controversial past under the carpet.  

In v4-5, he talks about how he was brought up as a Pharisee (it was the strictest sect among the Jews. They followed the Mosaic law to the tee and plus they added a lot of their own traditions which they imposed on themselves and others). 

So if you were a Pharisee in those days, you were like the front seat student of the spiritual class. That was the kind of person that Paul was. So far that was the good part of his resume. 

But then in v9, he starts uncovering his dark past. He was so zealous about what he believed that he fiercely opposed Jesus and anyone else associated with Him. 

He personally locked up followers of Jesus in prison and even signed off on them being stoned to death. 

V11 says that he punished believers in synagogues and even travelled to foreign cities to persecute them. So intense was the hatred that it made him travel miles to go and persecute them. 

And yet for some reason, Paul is not covering up his violent, abusive past. He’s boldly and honestly talking about it. But why is he doing that? 

It’s not making his resume look any better but he’s telling himself and everyone else how Jesus saved him despite who he was. 

Acknowledging his dark past, openly confessing his violence and abuse toward the church is like a humbling reminder to himself and others that he didn’t bring anything to the table of salvation. He had no part to play in his salvation. It was simply a gift of grace.  

And that’s why we can’t overlook or exclude the part about “how we were before we met Jesus” from our salvation stories. 

Because we won’t be able to appreciate all that Jesus has done for us unless we acknowledge how bad our story was. We have to accept that the story was really bad before it started getting better. 

To an extent this has to do with our view of the depth of our sin. When we think of how deep we were in our sin, do we imagine it to be like being stuck in a shallow pond? (Where we think that if we tried maybe we could have resolved our sin problem ourselves).

Or do we imagine the depth of our sin to be like an ocean in which were drowning and are desperately yelling for help? Because the person drowning is the one who needs to be saved. The one drowning needs rescue and so the person acknowledging is literally saying I couldn’t have saved myself. I didn’t bring anything to the table of salvation. 

That’s why it’s good for our hearts to acknowledge the depth of our sin, the dark, embarrassing past because it’s a sobering, humbling reminder that Jesus saved us despite who we were.

But not only does our Salvation Story tell us that we are saved despite who we were but it also tells us that

2. We are saved because of who He is (v12-18)

In these verses, Paul is describing his life altering encounter with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. Lets not forget that he was on a persecution mission, and enroute, Jesus decided to meet him. 

Jesus appeared to Paul in an extremely bright, radiant blinding light – in Paul’s words – brighter than the sun. The impact of the encounter was so great that Paul and his companions fell to the ground!

And then Paul heard a voice telling him in Hebrew “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?” 

“It is hard for you to kick against the goads” was a Greek proverb, but it was also familiar to the Jews and anyone who made a living in agriculture. 

An ox goad was a stick with a pointed piece of iron on its tip used to prod the oxen when plowing. 

The farmer would prick the animal to steer it in the right direction. Sometimes the animal would rebel by kicking out at the prick, and this would result in the prick being driven even further into its flesh. In essence, the more an ox rebelled, the more it suffered. 

And then person introduces himself in verses 15 as this “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting”. What Jesus meant was that by persecuting His’ followers, He was personally attacking Jesus himself. This was considered as a personal attack, and Jesus was not going to take this attack lying down. Jesus had to intervene.

So at this point, we can understand why Jesus decided to meet Paul. He had to intervene and stop this man from what he was trying to do. 

In fact we’re expecting Jesus to bring down fire and immediately judge Paul and his companions because of all the terrible atrocities that they’ve committed towards the church. 

Or at the very least where Jesus takes out a list of all the offences that Paul has committed and throws it on his face – shame him, guilt him, condemn him – put in his place. That’s how we would normally respond to someone who has treated us as an arch enemy. 

And yet that’s not how Jesus treats him in v16. We see grace and kindness in the way Jesus treats Paul – the fact that Paul didn’t die immediately was an indicator of God’s grace. 

But to then save him from his son and then him and enlist to go as an authorized servant and witness to tell others about Jesus! That doesn’t make sense to my human mind! 

I know that most of us are familiar with Paul’s conversion story, so it kind of loses the impact it should  but if you heard this Salvation Story for the first time, it would shock and amaze us because there is no worldly explanation as to why Jesus would select a persecutor to be His preferred preacher to the world! 

And yet it’s true because through this Jesus wanted to reveal that He is indeed a God of immense kindness and grace. 

And every believer in Christ can relate to this. If anyone were to come and ask us a believer “why did God decide / chose to save you? Was it your spiritual life? Was it your talents? Was it your looks? Was it your accomplishments?” 

And our response to that would be “Jesus didn’t save me because I had any great quality. In fact Jesus saved me despite who I was. In fact I don’t know why Jesus did chose to save someone like me. It was simply God showing His grace on a sinner like me”.

But not only does our Salvation Story tell us that we are saved despite who we were & we are saved because of who He is but it also tells us that

3. We are saved to proclaim what He has done (v19-23)

In V19, Paul goes on to share “what changed in his life after meeting Jesus”. It’s no small minor change, it’s radical change! He starts preaching from the very place where he went on a persecution mission – but this time he’s on Jesus’ side. 

And then he proceeds to preach the same in Jerusalem and Judea and in all of the Roman known world about all that Jesus did for him and for them! 

So much so in v21, that Paul becomes a threat to the Jews because of the message that he’s preaching and the growing influence of the church. 

So the Jews now are responding to him with the same hatred and anger that he once had toward Jesus and his followers. 

And then in v22-23, he goes on to faithfully testify about Jesus’ death and resurrection in the middle of a courtroom where’s he’s on trial. 

God had it all planned out and had Paul in the middle of what He planned long ago. Paul was deeply aware of what was happening in the background. 

Somehow and in someway, that hostile courtroom was being converted into a holy church service as Paul was lifting the name and work of Jesus before some of the most powerful and feared people of the time.  

In that moment, God was using Paul’s words and his life to showcase how gracious He is to a lost and dying world. Grace wasn’t just a theory or a concept, Paul was able to show and tell with his own life. 

This is how he describes grace in 1 Tim 1:12-17:

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.[d] Amen.  (1 Tim 1:12-17)

And maybe that’s God’s calling for each and every one of us as well – not to give an eloquent, intellectual lecture on grace, not to release a thesis on grace but to show and tell about Grace through our lives. 

The perfect preachers and examples of grace are the ones who have firsthand experienced it themselves, and that’s why He has chosen us.  

Application:

1. Question – Do you have a Salvation Story? If yes Reflect and Praise God for it daily / If no, it’s not too late today – God is eager to give you your own Salvation Story. 
2. Persuade others by sharing your Salvation story (v26-28) – 

 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”

3. Have a real burden for those who don’t have a Salvation Story (v29) : 

29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

Good morning church! A warm welcome in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to all who’ve joined us at the hall and online on Zoom today. Over the last month as our family has tried to settle down with our second child, it has been exciting and challenging at times.

And in different ways God has reminded us of how much we’ve missed and need fellowship and community life. We’ve been reminded how these are not just routine weekly spiritual activities, but God’s design to shepherd and care for our hearts.

And so we’re glad that we’re slowly getting back to our rhythms. This last Friday our whole family joined the Chandivali GC and it was great to not only introduce them to the newest member in our family but also resume gospel community life.

So that was a quick update from our family and now we’ll get straight into our text. As most of us might be aware, we have been going through a series titled God of Power from the book of Acts. And today we find ourselves in Acts 25 where the situation seems to be getting increasingly confusing and difficult for the apostle Paul. But before we go a

Imagine if all of us went to watch a play in one of the theaters in Mumbai (let’s say – Prithvi theater). While the play is going on, we are completely glued to the storyline because of how realistically the actors are playing their parts. In other words, it almost seems like the actors are solely responsible for running the show.

But what we don’t realize is in the background, behind the stage there is an extremely skilled director who is masterfully putting together all the pieces – sound, lights, script and even directing the actors on what expressions work best so that the storyline moves forward.

Similarly, what we see happening in Acts 25 on the surface seems like random events involving random people who are out to get Paul. But what we’ll look to discover today is how in the background there is our Sovereign God who is masterfully putting together all the pieces so that His redemptive purposes and His redemptive storyline moves forward. He is our Purposeful God. There is a divine purpose in all the mundane, insignificant details.

So how does this passage demonstrate that our God is Purposeful?

1. By God’s Protection (v1-5)

[1] Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. [2] And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, [3] asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. [4] Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. [5] “So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.”

In v1 we are introduced to a person by the name of Festus. Now who is he? He was appointed to replace Felix as the Roman governor of Caesarea. This was the place where Paul was kept under house arrest without any formal charges for two years because Felix (who was a corrupt governor) wanted to do the Jews a favor. So between Acts 24 and Acts 25, two years had already passed. And Paul’s case was transferred to the next governor who was Porcius Festus.

And we see Festus get into action right from the get go. Within three days of taking charge, he goes to Jerusalem to meet the Jewish leaders possibly to develop a better working relationship with them. The Jewish leaders immediately ask for Paul to be sent to them for trial while secretly planning to assassinate Paul on the way. But Festus denies their request and instead invites them to Caesarea to begin a fresh trial.

Now on the surface this might seem like a mundane, insignificant discussion between the Jewish leaders and governor Festus but in the background, behind the scenes – there is our Sovereign Lord who was using an unbelieving Roman governor to protect Paul from harm.

I know for some of us, we may hear  this and ask “this seems kind of like a stretch. How can we come to the conclusion that a random insignificant, mundane denial of a request equals to God protecting Paul? Does God really work like that?”

When we turn to Matt 10:28-31, this is how Jesus addresses the topic of God’s sovereignty in the context of persecution:

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10:28‭-‬31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[28] And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. [30] But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. [31] Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

It’s so interesting why Jesus would talk about sparrows because they were considered as the most insignificant among birds and yet none of them even fall to the ground apart from God’s will. And then Jesus says that the hairs on our head are numbered! What? If God cares for the most insignificant of birds, He definitely cares for and Sovereignly controls the lives of His people. Nothing is insignificant or mundane in the lives of His people. Not even a random conversation between Festus and the Jewish leaders.

2. By God’s Proclamation (v6-12)

[6] After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. [7] When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove. [8] Paul argued in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.” [9] But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” [10] But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. [11] If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.” [12] Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”

When we look at a passage like this, what’s evident and plain to all is the political aspect – though Festus is the governor and has the last word in that place, he is still trying to appease the Jewish leaders by wishing to do them a favor with the hope of gaining some future benefits.

What’s also evident is the legal aspect – Jews come forward and make serious allegations without any proof. Paul makes his defense and when Festus indicates that he’s open to handing Paul over to the Jews to be tried in Jerusalem, Paul uses his legal recourse or right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar. In our Indian system, it would be like appealing to Supreme Court.

So the political and legal aspects are pretty straight forward, but what if I told you that in the background, behind the scenes, in the backstage – our Sovereign Lord is masterfully using this situation to advance and push forward His storyline? Let’s look at a few passages from Acts to see if it helps us connect the dots:

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭9:15‭-‬16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[15] But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭23:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[11]  The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

What if God was using all this to bring the Gospel and put it before people who wouldn’t have had an opportunity to hear it any other way?

His ministry in Philippi or Thessalonica or Berea or Ephesus or Lystra or Iconium was fruitful and fulfilling for sure, but that wouldn’t have given him access to those who were ruling the land. So in God’s Sovereignty and wisdom – He assigned him a different mission field (kings and highest authorities) and a different pulpit (prison) so that through Paul’s words and His life He could demonstrate the power and provision of God’s grace in Jesus.

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:12‭-‬13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[12] I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, [13] so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[22] All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

3. By God’s Presence

As I tried placing myself in Paul’s shoes, I tried to imagine the atmosphere of hostility, threat, intimidation, imprisonment and accusations that he was surrounded by. And in all of this – it seems like he was doing it all alone. Unlike the Jewish leaders who have a group of lawyers and representatives, Paul was tasked to defend himself.

Let’s remember that this wasn’t an instant trial – this got stretched into at least two years where he was under house arrest without any formal charge or arrest warrant. And despite Paul being mentally tough, even for someone like him this whole experience would have broken him down. This is immense pressure and I kept wondering as to what explains his resilience?

And I think it’s because in reality He wasn’t left alone. His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was there with him every step of the way. When Jesus says in Matt 28:20 – I will be with you till the end of age – He means it literally.

After all the permanent presence of God was a result of the cross!

Jesus was forsaken and left alone on the cross when He bore our sins and our shame so that all who trusted Him would never experience being forsaken or left alone!

Which is why Paul could say this at the end of his life as he recounts the most lonely and anxious of moments that he went through:

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:16‭-‬18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[16] At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! [17] But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. [18] The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Brothers and sisters, as I close I just want to remind you that our God is a Purposeful God. Just like in Paul’s life, our Sovereign Lord has orchestrated and coordinated every single moment in our lives (many of which we actually assume to be mundane and insignificant).

Just for example think about your work context – I’m aware that many of us are dreading tomorrow which is Monday – just thinking about facing our boss or the pending task list is already giving you a headache. If you were given an option, you’d probably opt to run away and live on an island far away from your office.

And now I want us to remember that our God is a Purposeful God. There’s nothing mundane, ordinary and insignificant in our lives because God has given it a purpose. Now ask yourself these questions:

• In my work context, what are some ways in which I’ve seen God’s protection? Physical or Spiritual or Mental or Professional?
• In my work context, what are some ways in which I’ve seen God’s proclamation? How is He using me to bring the good news to people who wouldn’t otherwise ever get to hear about the Gospel?
• In my work context, what are some ways in which I’ve experienced God’s presence? How has God’s presence been made real to me in my work life?

Similarly, think of other contexts of home, church and recreation. There is a purpose to all of that.

“All people Will Be Blessed Through You” Genesis 12:1-5

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.  “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and All Peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

“All The Nation Will Be Blessed Through You” Galatians 3:8-14

Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham:

“All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” “Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified

“The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:

“Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

The Seed (offspring → Jesus)

Abraham – Nations.

“… between your (The Serpent) offspring (sin) and hers (seed); he (Jesus) will crush your head, and you will strike his heel [on the tree].” Genesis 3:15

Isaiah 62:1-3

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication to be shown in the right shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow (to give).

You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Genesis 15:4-5

Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars-if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring seed be.”

Genesis 17:3-5

Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.  No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham [father of many), for I have made you a father of many nations.

Genesis 22:18

“and through your offspring(seed] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Hebrews 11:8

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

James 2:21-22

21 “Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?

22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.”

1. Unveiling God’s Promise: Galatians 3:8-9

1) The scope of the promise: God’s promise to Abraham was not limited to his descendants alone but included all nations.

2) Understanding Church’s role: As believers, we are partakers of this promise and called to be channels of blessing to the nations.

3) Church’s responsibility: Recognizing that God’s plan involves us and requires our active participation in spreading His love and blessings.

2. The Liberating Power of Faith: Galatians 3:10-12

1) The curse of the law: Exploring the futility of relying solely on works of the law for salvation and blessing.

2) The power of faith: Understanding that faith in Jesus Christ is the key to experiencing the blessings of God.

3) Breaking free from bondage: Encouraging your family to let go of trust in the liberating power of faith.

The Great Nations is Wise & Understanding People.

It comes from Father’s eternal blessing (love & grace) in Jesus.

Deuteronomy 4:6-8

Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”, What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

Our Father desires to use His Church

as instruments of His blessings to impact all nations with the love and grace of Jesus Christ.