Song of Grace
Series: Songs of Hope
Speaker: James Barnett
Date: 12th December 2020
00:00:00 --> 00:00:13 If I took out a magnifying glass, came over to you and to your house and to your life and to your family
00:00:13 --> 00:00:20 and applied that magnifying glass to you, what would be the biggest things in your life?
00:00:21 --> 00:00:27 If you went through my life about 10 years ago, the biggest things in my life were probably martial arts.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:37 I loved martial arts. I did martial arts. I watched martial art movies. I would talk about it.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:42 I would argue about which martial art was the best. I have strong opinions about that.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 We can fight later. That's okay. Not literally. It's okay.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:52 It was important. It was what I was focused on and it was a very large part of my life.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:57 And then I had kids and the martial arts kind of had to be pushed to one side.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:01 The kids became one of the biggest things in my life.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:06 If you stopped in any vicinity near me, I would tell you stories about them.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:14 I would show you photos. I would tell you how funny and cute and silly and how amazing they are at all these kinds of things.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 What is your life focused on?
00:01:19 --> 00:01:23 If I took that magnifying glass to your life, what would be the biggest things in your life?
00:01:23 --> 00:01:29 Is it your family? Your friends? Health? Education? Your loves? Your passions? Your hobbies?
00:01:30 --> 00:01:34 When people think about you, what is the first kind of image?
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 You know, when people are thinking and planning what to get you for Christmas,
00:01:38 --> 00:01:42 I'm hoping there's somebody thinking and planning to get you something for Christmas.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:43 What are they thinking?
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 Are they thinking, you know, that Tom, do you know what?
00:01:46 --> 00:01:50 He really needs an ugly Christmas sweater.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 You know, he really needs Kanye West's new album.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 You know, that man needs these things.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 What do people think about when they think of us?
00:02:01 --> 00:02:08 What have we turned our lives towards so that when people see us, they see this as the biggest part of our lives?
00:02:09 --> 00:02:15 We all have things in our lives that we magnify because they make us who we are.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 They give us meaning and significance.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:19 We can feel valued because I have a job.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 I'm the guy who loves martial arts.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 I'm the guy with these three kids.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:26 Now, I'm not that unique.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 I've got kids.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:29 I'm not that unique.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 I'm not unique in that I was into martial arts.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:39 But how do we decide about the things that we choose to magnify in our lives?
00:02:40 --> 00:02:41 How do we decide?
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 Do we actually sit down and think, I'm going to be this type of person?
00:02:46 --> 00:02:51 Or do we just stumble into magnifying certain things in our lives?
00:02:51 --> 00:02:57 And so if we all do it, a question that we need to ask is, why this thing?
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 Am I chasing this because it brings me significance?
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 Is this really what should define who I am?
00:03:04 --> 00:03:08 It's Christmas time.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:10 I'm excited for Christmas.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:11 Is anybody else excited for Christmas?
00:03:12 --> 00:03:19 I'm really enjoying singing with you today, particularly that end of amazing grace where it was just our voices.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 It was a delight to sing with you.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:27 And so this season, we're going to spend a little bit of time looking at some of the songs in the lead up to Christmas.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:31 Today, we're looking at a song known as the Magnificat.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 It's Mary's song.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:41 And in this song, Mary calls us to make God the largest in our lives.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:42 To magnify him.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:47 All because of God's grace towards us.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:55 This 15-year-old girl living in a backwater town is going to challenge us to make God the biggest thing in our lives.
00:03:55 --> 00:04:00 As we are loved by him, let that be what defines us as people.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 So as we have a look at this song, let me pray for us.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:13 Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, that we can be gathering, that we can be singing with our voices loudly in praise to you.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:21 Father, as we consider the things that we magnify in our lives, Father, be placing that magnifying glass on us.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:29 Fill us with your spirit, that we would carefully consider what we value in our lives, so that we can value you more and more.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:30 Amen.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:36 We meet up with Mary in the Christmas story after she is pregnant with Jesus.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:42 She has visited her cousin, Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:47 And Elizabeth calls her blessed because she carries Jesus in her womb.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 She's been chosen by God to carry Jesus.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:59 And responding to all that God has already done in her life, choosing her to carry Jesus, she sings a song.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 So please have your Bibles open.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 Please be bringing your Bible with you.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:04 Have your phone.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:10 If your phone is a distraction, make sure you put it on airplane mode.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:14 Turn off notifications that might ding in the middle to distract you.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 And we're in Luke chapter 1.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 Mary sings,
00:05:18 --> 00:05:18 Mary sings,
00:05:18 --> 00:05:29 Mary starts by singing with all that she is.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 She sings with her soul and her spirit.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 She is singing from the very depths of herself.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 This is not just a polite,
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 I thank you God for letting me be the mother of Jesus.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:49 But she praises God from the beginning of this song with all that she has to the very depths of her being.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 And she glorifies the Lord.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:57 Now I don't often dive too deep into the original words in the Bible,
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 but I found one word fascinating in this study.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:06 The word for glorify comes from the Greek word megaluni.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 There's your new Greek word of the day, megaluni,
00:06:10 --> 00:06:15 which is this idea of magnifying, making something mega.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 Megaluni, to make something mega.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:23 And it was translated into Latin as magnificat.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 And so that is where we get the name for this song from, magnificat.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 And so Mary sings,
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 wanting to megaluni,
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 to magnify,
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 to make God mega
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 with the very depths of her soul.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 But while we have the word magnify here,
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 this is not like a magnifying glass.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:52 A magnifying glass takes something that is small
00:06:52 --> 00:06:53 and makes it larger.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:56 It megalunizes it.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 It makes it bigger before our eyes.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 If you remember being a kid with a magnifying glass,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 I would always point it at ants,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 much to my shame.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 And all of a sudden,
00:07:09 --> 00:07:13 this tiny thing would become expanded in your view.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 But that is not what Mary is doing.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 She is not wanting to make the small God bigger before her.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 God is infinite.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 He is already mega.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 Mary is reflecting on how great he is,
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 how majestic and awesome.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:36 And she wants God to be mega in her life.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 But why?
00:07:38 --> 00:07:38 Why?
00:07:39 --> 00:07:43 Why should God be the biggest thing in Mary's life?
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 As a young, pregnant, unmarried woman,
00:07:46 --> 00:07:50 there are many other big priorities in her life.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 Getting married to Joseph,
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 building a house,
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 having food,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 having some stability in life.
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 She's just about to be a new mom.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 And I know what it's like to be a new dad,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 and that's hard enough.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:04 New mom,
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 trying to take care of God himself.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 There are all kinds of big pressures on her life,
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 calling to be the most important thing.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 And yet,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 she wants God to be the biggest.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 God to be mega in her life.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 She wants God to be the biggest.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 God is what she wants her entire life to magnify.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:32 And that's all because Mary is self-aware.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 She knows who she is,
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 and she knows who God is.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 And she knows which of these two really should be the biggest.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 Mary is rejoiced in God, my Savior.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:50 She doesn't see herself as the offspring of immaculate conception.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 Mary doesn't see that she's perfect,
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 because only a sinner needs a Savior.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 But her song also comes from a place of questioning.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 God, I want you to be the biggest thing in my life,
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 but why me?
00:09:04 --> 00:09:04 Of all people.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:06 Verse 48.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 He has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:12 From now on,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 all generations will call me blessed,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:18 for the mighty one has done great things for me.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 Holy is his name.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:25 Mary is just another young girl,
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 in a backwater town,
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 in a captive nation.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 And yet God chose the unworthy.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 He was mindful of her.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 God has taken out the magnifying glass,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 and he zoomed in on this young girl.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 The God of the infinite universe,
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 who is holding all things together by his will,
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 causing the sun to rise and to set,
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 holding gravity,
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 and listening to billions of hearts beat at the same time.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:56 This great God has this young,
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 insignificant girl in his mind.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 God has lifted her up out of obscurity.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 And so Mary wants to magnify this God in her life,
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 to make him mega,
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 because of God's grace to her.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:14 Grace.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:19 God's unmerited love and favor.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 That he would not only be mindful of her,
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 but that he would choose to give her a crucial role
00:10:26 --> 00:10:30 in the plans for salvation of the world.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 This is a song of unmerited grace.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:34 Verse 50,
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 from generation to generation.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 She knows her place before God.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 This song reveals her humility,
00:10:47 --> 00:10:47 and her lowliness.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:52 And these are both marks of somebody who has stood before God,
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 fully aware of their sins,
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 what they deserve,
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 and how they have received mercy.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:04 She knows that she deserves nothing good from God.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 Can you imagine if she was the opposite?
00:11:06 --> 00:11:10 Can you imagine that if Mary was expecting good things from God?
00:11:11 --> 00:11:15 You see that over-inflated person who is full of pride,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 where they have become mega in their own eyes.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 Can you imagine if Mary had said,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 Oh yeah, no, I actually deserve to be the mother of Jesus.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 I am going to be the best mother of Jesus.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 I'm going to be better than anybody.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 You've picked me,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 and you're lucky you picked me,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 because I'm going to really fix up this whole Israel situation.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 God, I deserve your favor.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 When we see this kind of arrogance and pride,
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 it is distasteful.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 We can find it repugnant.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 Who is this person to speak like that?
00:11:48 --> 00:11:52 And yet we can also struggle to sing a song like Mary's,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:56 where we ask that question,
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 Who am I before you, Lord,
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 that you would choose to have favor on me?
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 At some level,
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 we can struggle thinking that we deserve good from God.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 Mary's song calls us to be in awe of God's gift,
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 especially because we don't deserve it.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 Why would you save me?
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 God, why have you been mindful of me?
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 God, you are mighty,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 but why are you mighty for me?
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 Verse 49,
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 It's not a full stop there.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 He has done great things for me,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 this little person.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 One of my favorite things to do in life
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 is to look at the stars.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 Anybody else enjoy looking at the stars?
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 I really struggle living in a city looking at the stars,
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 because there is so much light pollution,
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 that you look at the stars and it's like,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:54 Oh, look,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 I can see five stars tonight.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:57 You know,
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 I don't know what God was talking about with Abraham.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 I can count these stars right now.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 One of my favorite things to do
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 is when I get out of the city
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 and get far away to actually,
00:13:09 --> 00:13:09 you know,
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 late at night,
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 to look at the sky
00:13:12 --> 00:13:15 and just to stand in awe
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 at the stars.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:20 The reality is
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 that those stars are all around us right now.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 I just can't see it.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:25 And even now,
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 I can't see it
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 because there's too much light from the sun.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 This awesome and powerful
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 and mega luni,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 this mega God,
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 is around us at all times.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 And he focuses on us.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 He is mindful of us
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 and that Jesus died for us
00:13:45 --> 00:13:45 and yet,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:47 so often,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 we can miss out on seeing this
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 because there is so much pollution around us.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 Not light pollution,
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 but busyness.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 Our eyes can be deceived by our own sin.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 But Mary's song is a reminder
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 that God knows us.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 He is mindful of us.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 And we need to continue to sing this song to our hearts.
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 To actually take time
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 to cast our eyes to God,
00:14:14 --> 00:14:17 to go out to the country
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 as we would,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 to look at the stars,
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 to actually take a moment
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 and be in awe of God's bigness.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 That God would make
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 this universe,
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 and we can only see a speck of it,
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 that it would go on
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 for infinity.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 But God has that much love
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 for us.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:39 to take a moment
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 and think,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:40 this God
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 of the universe,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 he is mindful of me.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 That Jesus died for me.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 That not only is he mighty,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 but he is mighty
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 for you.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 How much then
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 should we want to magnify
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 this God in our souls?
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 God's grace causes Mary
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 to want to magnify him
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 because he has been
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 mindful of us.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 Mary continues to sing
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 about how great this God is,
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 that he lifts up the lowly
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 and not just those
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 who are full of pride,
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 not just the rich,
00:15:14 --> 00:15:14 not just those
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 who are mega
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 in their own eyes.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 And we see Mary singing
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 of the justice
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 that God brings.
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 This God is great.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 He isn't biased.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 He treats the lowly
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 and humble with love
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 and grace.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 He lifts them up.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 And now Mary sings
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 of what God does
00:15:32 --> 00:15:32 with those
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 who see themselves
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 as great.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 Verse 51.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 He has performed
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 mighty deeds
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 with his arm.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 He has scattered
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 those who are proud
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 in their inmost thoughts.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 He has brought down
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 rulers from their thrones,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 but has lifted up
00:15:46 --> 00:15:46 the humble.
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 He has filled
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 the hungry
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 with good things,
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 but has sent
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 the rich away empty.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 God scatters
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 those who are proud
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 in their inmost thoughts.
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 Pride
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 competes
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 with God
00:16:00 --> 00:16:00 for glory.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 It's a competition
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 for who is going
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 to be the greatest.
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 Pride in our hearts
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 refuses to acknowledge
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 that God is sovereign.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 And especially
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 when our eyes
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 are clouded
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 with the light pollution
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 of busyness
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 and sin
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 to see God
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 as great,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 pride fills us up.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 And when we are
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 full of pride,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 our lives look different.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 Mary is singing
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 comparing
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 what is going
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 on in her heart.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 She is making God
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 the greatest
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 in her soul
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 and spirit,
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 whereas the pride
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 of others
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 is filling up
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 their hearts.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 The hidden places
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 magnify themselves.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 We all battle it.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 We all can have
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 an inflated sense
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 of what we deserve.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 I think about Christmas.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 I've had a number
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 of conversations
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51 with people
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 in my own family,
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 with friends,
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 about expectations
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 of what Christmas
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 Day will look like.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 Which family
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 do we go and see?
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 What do we do
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 on Christmas Day?
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 When do we do presents?
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 Who's making the food?
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 Who's making the roast?
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 Who's bringing this?
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 And it is just
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 a time that is fraught
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 with pride
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 and comparison.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 I have this expectation.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 I have to do this.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 It has to look like this
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 or Christmas
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 will not be great.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:24 It can be a time
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 of pride
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 where we think
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 I am the greatest
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 and it has to look
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 like this.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 But God
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 hates pride.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 He has lifted up Mary.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 She knew her humble
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 place before God
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 and yet God
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 scatters the proud.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 It's an act
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 of judgment.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 God did it
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 when mankind
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47 got ahead of themselves
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 and built themselves
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 up quite literally
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 into the tower
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 of Babel.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 Full of pride
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 they thought
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 they could ascend
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 to heaven
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 and yet God
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 scattered them.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 When Israel
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 was full of pride
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 and thought that
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 Jerusalem would
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 never fall
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 and they continued
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 to sin against him
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 God scattered
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 Israel.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 God brings down
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 those who are wise
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 in their own eyes.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 He sends away
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 those who are rich.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 the call
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 of Christmas
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 is our desperate
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 need for God
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 to save us.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 And he had to
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 directly intervene
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 in that situation.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 God had to take
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 off his Godhood
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 his divinity
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 and become
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 a person
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 to limit himself
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 to become
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 a humble man.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 And if we attempt
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 to make ourselves
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 greater than him
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 we'll have no part
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 in his salvation.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:40 The powerful
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 and wealthy
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 are inclined
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 to pride
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 so God
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 sends them
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 away empty.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 We continue
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 to see this
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 in the world
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 today how
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 world leaders
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 and government
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 officials
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 indulge in
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 luxury.
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 They give grants
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 to each other
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 and money.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 They swell
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 with pride
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 and can be
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 intoxicated
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 with the spoils
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 of their prosperity.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 And Mary sings
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 that God brings
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 down those rulers
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 from their thrones
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04 but she also
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 calls us
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 to see
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 that God
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 is the greatest
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 that he should
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 be the one
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 that is magnified.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 It can seem
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 like the world
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 runs on riches
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 and people's money
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 but Mary reminds us
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 that God
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 is actually sovereign.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 God is actually
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 in control
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 over all of these.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 The great
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 and rich
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 and powerful
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 face the temptation
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 to lift themselves
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 up to praise
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 themselves before God
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 but this is not
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 just for those
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 on thrones
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 and those
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 who are mega rich.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 Mary's call
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 is for us
00:19:36 --> 00:19:38 to be hyper aware
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 to be on guard
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 that we don't
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 chase these things
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 to.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 Mary's hymn
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 is a song
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 of the powerless
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 and not the proud.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 It's a song
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 not of expectations
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 but God's
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 unexpected grace.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 In this whole song
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 God is the one
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 who is the subject
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 of all the verbs.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 God is the one
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 who does the actions.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 God is the one
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 who acts.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 Just have a look
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 with me.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 Flick through it
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 with me.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 God is the saviour.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 God is mindful
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 of his servants.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 God is the mighty one
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 who does great things.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 God is the one
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 who extends mercy.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 God is the one
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 who performs
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 mighty deeds.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 God brings down rulers.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 God lifts up
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 the humble.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28 God fills the hungry.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 God sends away
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 the rich.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 God is the one
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 who helps his servant.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:34 God is the one
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 who acts.
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 God is the one
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 who acts.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 God is the one
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 who acts.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 God is the one
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 who acts.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 All religions
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 in the world
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 are about what
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 we do
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 but the story
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 of Christmas
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 reminds us
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 that it is about
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 what God has done.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 It's not about
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 what we do
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 whether I have to be
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 meditating
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 to give up
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 worldly attachments,
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 act in the right way
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 to please God
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 or continue
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 to go to temple
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 or church,
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 follow the right
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 cultic practices,
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 to be the sinner
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 who has to go
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 from low to high,
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 from sinner to saint.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 Mary's song
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 flips all that.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 Flips the cultural
00:21:14 --> 00:21:14 expectations,
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 the social expectations.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 God is the one
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 who acts.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 He sees our needs
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 and he starts
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 a revolution
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 that reorders reality.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:29 The highest of highs
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 the great
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 and mighty God
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 intercedes
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 for the lowest
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 of low,
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 this young woman
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 and calls
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 her blessed.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 God ignores
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 those on thrones,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 those who are rich
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 and important
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 and he is mindful
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 of the humble
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 and lowly.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 The almighty
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 restructures
00:21:48 --> 00:21:50 cosmic reality
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 for the
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 un-mighty.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 The God
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 of the magnificent
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 stands with the
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 small and weak
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 and he magnifies
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 them.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 This Christmas,
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 let's not move
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 too quickly past
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 Mary's amazement
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 that God
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 would choose her.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 God had spent
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 centuries preparing
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 for the day
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 when Jesus would
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 come and now
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 he's going to
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 save the world
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 using an un-married
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 young girl.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 Mary's words
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 in that song
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 should be ours.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 He has been
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 humble of the
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 mindful state
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 of his servant.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 He has been
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 mindful of me,
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 the great one
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 has done
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 great things
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 for me.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 He has not
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 just done
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 good,
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 not even
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 great,
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 but mighty
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 things for
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 me
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 and for you.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 How can we
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 get to Christmas
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 and not sit
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 in this note
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 of joy
00:22:44 --> 00:22:46 and astonishment
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 that God
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 would choose
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 to bless
00:22:48 --> 00:22:50 me,
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 that he would
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 choose to
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 bless you?
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 we should
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 all be like
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 Mary,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 amazed that
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 God would
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 work in
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 us.
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 We are like
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 Mary.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 Mary literally
00:23:01 --> 00:23:03 received Christ
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 and carried
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 Christ in
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 her,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 but for
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 everyone who
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 puts faith
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 in Jesus,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 we are like
00:23:09 --> 00:23:11 Mary in
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 that we
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 receive Jesus
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 by the Holy
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 Spirit and we
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 carry him
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 with us.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:19 we should
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 be floored
00:23:19 --> 00:23:21 that God
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 would give
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 us with
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 all our
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 smallness
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 and our
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 flaws
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 and our
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 issues of
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 pride
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 this great
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 gift.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 We should
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 never move
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 too far
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 from this
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 astonishment.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 This is the
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 heart of the
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 Christian gospel,
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 that God
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 would have
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 grace that
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 he would
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 choose me.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 When we
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 are astonished
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 by this
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 grace,
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 it kills
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 our pride.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:46 it kills
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 our demands
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 of God.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 It kills
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 our religious
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 doing of
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 things to
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 please God
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 and we
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 are left
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 in awe
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 and surprise
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 and wonder.
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 Let me
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 encourage you
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 to go out
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 into the
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 country this
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 week.
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 Now I
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 don't literally
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 mean go
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 and find,
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 go for a
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 drive out to
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 Orange or
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 something,
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 unless of
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 course you'd
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 like to do
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 that.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 Find a
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 patch before
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 Christmas.
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 Find a
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 place to
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 sit and
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 be in
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 awe of
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 the God
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 of the
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 universe.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:23 To prepare
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 our hearts
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 for Christmas,
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 the reminder
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 that Jesus
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 would come,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 that God
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 has done
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 mighty
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 things for
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 me.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 So that
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 we can
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 magnify
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 God.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 This
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 Christmas
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 let's
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 magnify
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 God in
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 our lives,
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 not just
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 to have
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 a nativity
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 scene in
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 a small
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 corner of
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 the house,
00:24:43 --> 00:24:46 but to
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 have
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 Jesus
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 front and
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 center in
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 our lives.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 Have you
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 ever set
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 something on
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 fire with
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 a magnifying
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 glass?
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 I know I
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 certainly
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 have.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 I kind of
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 feel I need
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 to go and
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 find another
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 magnifying
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 glass and
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 show my
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 kids how
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 it works.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 I don't
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 necessarily
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 want to
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 start a
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 bushfire in
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 summer.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 There's just
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 something
00:25:04 --> 00:25:06 satisfying about
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 starting a
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 fight.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 Anyway,
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 I can talk
00:25:07 --> 00:25:07 about that
00:25:07 --> 00:25:07 later.
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 But a
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 magnifying
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 glass in
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 and of
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 itself,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 it has
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 no power,
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 no fire,
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 no flame,
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 no light
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 in itself.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 But when
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 you take
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 that magnifying
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 glass and
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 you turn it
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 on the
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 right angle,
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 it magnifies
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 the sun's
00:25:28 --> 00:25:30 rays and
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 it ignites.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 It causes
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 a reaction.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 Brothers and
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 sisters,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 we have no
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 power on
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 our own,
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 but we
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 are like
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 a magnifying
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 glass in
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 God's
00:25:43 --> 00:25:45 hands that
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 he uses to
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 focus and
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 direct his
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 power.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 This
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 Christmas,
00:25:50 --> 00:25:52 as we face
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 the temptation
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 to pride,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 to greed,
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 to high
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 expectations,
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 let me
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 call you
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 to let
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 God be
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 the greatest
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 thing in
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 your life.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 When we
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 do that,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 when we
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 allow God
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 to be the
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 biggest in
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 our life,
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 God turns
00:26:11 --> 00:26:13 us to
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 be like
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 him.
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 When we
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 turn our
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 face to
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 him,
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 God uses
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 us to
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 focus his
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 power through
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 and so
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 that when
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 people see
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 us,
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 they don't
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 just see a
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 person who
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 likes martial
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 arts or a
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 person who
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 has three
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 kids that he
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 also likes,
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 but people
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 see the
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 great God
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 of the
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 universe
00:26:35 --> 00:26:38 and that
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 it would
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 cause a
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 reaction in
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 people's
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 hearts,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 that love
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 would flow
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 out from
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 us,
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 mercy and
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 God's
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 grace would
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 extend through
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 us because
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 we get the
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 chance to
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 magnify the
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 great God
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 of the
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 world.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 Turn away
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 from the
00:26:54 --> 00:26:56 things that
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 trap us,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 turn to
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 God so
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 that he
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 would be
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 magnified in
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 us and
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 through us
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 to all the
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 people around
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 us.
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 Let me
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 pray.
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 Dear
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 Heavenly
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 Father,
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 we thank
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 you so
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 much,
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 Lord,
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 that you
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 would be
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 mindful of
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 us,
00:27:17 --> 00:27:19 that you
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 have done
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 great things
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 in your
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 Son,
00:27:24 --> 00:27:27 that because
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 of Jesus
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 we can
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 see your
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 unmerited
00:27:31 --> 00:27:33 and undeserved
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 grace.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 Heavenly
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 Father,
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 as we
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 head towards
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 Christmas,
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 end of
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 year and
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 all of the
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 busy things
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 that come,
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 Father,
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 we ask
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 that we
00:27:44 --> 00:27:44 would turn
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 our face
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 to you,
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 that you
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 would be
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 magnified in
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 us and
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 through us
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 for your
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 glory.
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 We ask
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 this in
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 Jesus' name.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 Amen.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 Amen.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 Amen.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 Amen.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 Amen.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 Amen.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 Amen.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 Amen.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 Amen.
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 Amen.
00:27:57 --> 00:27:59 Amen.
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 Amen.
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 Amen.
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 Amen.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 Amen.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 Amen.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 Amen.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 Amen.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 Amen.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 Amen.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:04 Amen.