Its a Wonderful Life: Part 2
Faithful To What You Value. (It’s A Wonderful Life – Part 2)
Luke 1:8-17
8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. (NLT)
Introduction: We are in a series that is following the Movie…It’s a Wonderful Life…I know today will be a blessing to so many…last week I shared the idea or concept of “Making this Christmas Season with Your Family a Mission Trip and not simply a Vacation.”
The Movie begins with the Towns People of Bedford falls Praying for George Bailey… and in response we hear the interactions of Angels in Heaven…
Play Movie Clip – Opening of the Movie
Transition: You have heard me say for years “Don’t waste your pain…” but Pain must be converted to become Profitable…for it to turn into Promise, Purpose and Power.
Title: You are Faithful to What You Value!
- George Bailey
- George had so many unmet expectations and disappointments that He lived frustrated…
- But even in the frustration He Continued
- To value others more than himself
- He valued the insignificant
- He learned Valuing Others Means Sacrifice
- He learned to Value the Significance of Others such as Violet…
- But I would contend it was Pain that taught him what to Value…
Play Movie Clip…2 and 5
You ever Prayed and then Life Hits You in the Mouth…How do you Respond?
- How to be Faithful or Faith-filled
- See I believe if we are going to ever convert Pain into something profitable…it is going to take Faith…
- For all his faults and frustrations…for the most part George Bailey was Faithful…though his life was filled with Trials, Temptation and Frustrations…He came to realize his life was truly a Wonderful Life
- But I want to look at another Couple who was Faithful…
- Zachariah and Elizabeth Found Faithful
- Zachariah was a Priest…
- Now he was part of an order of possibly 20,000 priest…
- These priests would serve twice a year…once in a lifetime…some may never get the opportunity to serve…
- Zachariah was a Priest…
- So, the lot…fell on Zachariah…and it was his turn to serve and not serve just anywhere…he was able to go into the Holy Place…
- Luke 1:6-7
6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
(NLT)
- This means they were Faithful…
- See I really think the Key to Living a Wonderful Life is Faithfulness…
- I also believe if we are going to Convert Pain…it will take Faithfulness…
Transition: Let me share a few areas to be Faithful as it ties to having a Wonderful Life and the Christmas Story…
- Areas of Faithfulness
- Faithful to Pray
- 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.
- Zachariah had been faithful to pray…faithful for years…seeing no results…
- Faithful to Pray
- The Scripture says they were Old…well you couldn’t enter into the Priesthood until you were 30 years old anyway…
- So Zachariah had been praying for over 30-40 years for a child, specifically a Son…with no answer…
- Besides that…God has not spoken to the Nation of Israel for over 400 years…and many if not most had given up on the things of God…and didn’t really believe if the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob existed anymore…
- Yet Zachariah is being Faithful to Pray…
- Faithful to Integrity
- Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son,
- See as a Priest it was vital to produce an heir…preferably a son or you lost your place in the priesthood…
- So divorce was extremely prevalent in this culture and the number one cause for divorce was Barrenness…
- That is why in Isaiah 54 “God promises to remove the Reproach of barrenness off his people…”
- But the Angel said…”your wife Elizabeth” he maintained his marriage in the face of barrenness…he was faithful…Faithfull when the Dream of a Child didn’t look like it was ever going to come to fruition.
- Give the Person Next to You and Say “don’t Give Up…”
- How many know we live in a culture that lacks Integrity…Where Values are compromised continually on the Altar of Convenience or on the Altar of Me-ism…but not Zachariah…
- Faithful To Serve
8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week
10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
- Zachariah was Faithful to Serve…
- Look what Zachariah is doing…He was serving in the House of God and specifically He was at the Altar of Incense…
- I was taught this by my mother as a kid…
- We serve in the house of God…
- We worship in the House of God…
- My mom modeled Faithfulness to God’s House…Faithful to Worship…Faithful to the Altar…
- I think it is time for People who claim Faith…to return to the Altar and to Worship…
- Proximity Gives Access…
- Because Zachariah chose Proximity…through faithfulness…it put him in the place of Access…
- You want to access Breakthrough
- Answered Prayers
- You want Access to a Miracle…
- It might be time to return to the Altar…and to Worship…
- OH NOW HERE IS THE RUB…
- The Priests…the Teachers of the Law…the Group He was a Part of…
- Taught…if you have no kids…the Favor of God wasn’t on your life…God’s favor had lifted….
- And it was probably because of Sin…in either Your life or the life of your Wife…
- But Zachariah was Faithful to Believe…
- Believing Not Receiving…
- Here is a verse in Scripture…I honestly don’t like to read…ever have those verses…but it helps me…
- Heb 11:13-14
13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. (NLT)
- Faithful Believing…though never seeing here on earth…but will see from Afar…in other words when in eternity, in heaven some things will then make sense…and we’ll see the Miracle.
- Let me drop this right here…verse 36 and 37 tells us “People use to say she was barren, now she is in her sixth month…”
- When you are believing…expect People to talk about you…
- Faithful but Doubting
- I love Zachariah…even George Bailey for the Fact…they are Faithful…but doubting….
- Here is the TRUTH…People of Great Faith…have doubts from time to time…
- It is the great contradiction…we all live with Contradictions…the tension between Faith, Faithfulness, Believing…but Doubting and Asking How, When and Why…
- In these season…Keep Being Faithful…Stay Close to the House of God, the Altar and to Worship…
- Closing
Luke 1:45
45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” (NLT)
- You are Blessed Because You Believed…
- See You and I will be Faithful to what we Value…
- I’m afraid some have been wasting their pain because they haven’t brought it to the Altar…
- Altar
You know today I want us to take a Moment and Come to this Altar, Lift our Hands…and Recommit to Faithfulness this Christmas Season