In this sermon from Exodus 33-34, Pastor Jeff Locke preaches on Moses's prayer to God: “Show me your glory.” God answers his request by speaking his name and his grace over him.

As we look at Exodus 17, Pastor Kaiwin Su shares about Israel's rebellion in putting God on trial and His gracious response to their insurrection.

In this sermon from Exodus 16, Pastor Jeff Locke preaches on God's gracious provision, and, his incredible, generous provision of grace.

God's redemption of Israel from Egypt reveals our irrepressible need and God's unwavering love.

Sermon Recap

For a PDF version of this recap, click here.

In our day of constant activity and distraction, we find it difficult to be quiet and alone. Zechariah had been silent since he was struck mute for his disbelief in God’s promise (Luke 1:5-25). God didn’t waste that silence, but used it to show Zechariah and Elizabeth—and all of us—his amazing grace. 

1. Grace Breaks In

Zechariah likely felt the shame of his unbelief and failure as a priest. Elizabeth felt the shame of being childless. In their time and place, they would have been outcasts. But that’s not how we remember them. We remember them as uniquely blessed by God, because his grace broke into their lives powerfully through the miraculous birth of their son, John.

2. Grace Transforms Us

Not only was Zechariah’s silence broken in this passage—God’s was too. God had not spoken by his prophets for 400 years. And he gave Zechariah the incredible privilege of speaking the first prophecy since Malachi. God’s grace transformed Zechariah from failed priest to first prophet of the New Testament. God’s grace changes everything. 

Reflection and Discussion QuestionsHead

1. Zechariah uses the language of the Old Testament to prophesy about John and the coming salvation God would send in Christ. Look at his prayer in Luke 1:68-79. Find as many references to the OT as you can.

2. Why did Zechariah speak in such OT language? What does God want us to understand from that?

Heart

1. Zechariah’s 9 months of silence was imposed on him, but Ecclesiastes 3:7 says, there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” Why is silence difficult for us to practice?

2. God’s grace transformed Zechariah from failed priest to first prophet in the New Testament, and that new identity was good news to him! What story do you tell about yourself or do others tell about you? How might a new identity by grace in Christ be good news to you? How might it seem like bad news to you or to others?

Hands

1. Have you received God’s grace? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, who died for sin and rose from the dead for our salvation? To receive the gift of God’s love, we have only to believe and trust in him. Talk to a mature Christian and ask for help to know how to receive God’s grace.

2. Leading up to or during the Christmas holiday this week, take time to practice silence. It doesn’t need to be a long time—5 minutes is amazing! But take the time to empty yourself of your own words; tell God you are listening; be content to dwell quietly in his love (tip: read Zeph. 3:17 beforehand).

Sermon Recap

Mary received the mysterious prophecy of Gabriel but it took a visit to her cousin, Elizabeth, for her to begin to comprehend what God was calling her to. In her encounter with her, she recognizes the promise that will come true with this child and responds with the first Christmas song in history.

1. The Promise of Grace

Mary was a poor teenager, unwed and pregnant, with no rational answer for her situation. Yet when she meets Elizabeth, both her child and her are called blessed, something nobody probably ever called her before. Elizabeth’s exuberance helps Mary fully comprehend what’s happening and she responds with a song. This song reveals her humility in allowing Elizabeth to speak into her life and confirm what the Spirit is doing. It also reveals that Mary is part of a larger story, God’s history of redemption, that went as far back as Abraham and the first people of Israel.

2. The Promise of Change

One cannot possibly return to status quo after comprehending what this pregnancy was truly about. Mary understood that her child wasn’t going to change her life but would be life itself for her and many others. This child also promised a change to come, a reckoning for those who lived by worldly standards and earthly values. The social, cultural, and spiritual hierarchies were all going to be upended by this Messiah and Mary was witnessing this firsthand. What she saw the earliest hints of, we are able to see with a much clearer view. Our hope cannot be in what the world hopes in but in Christ alone. We are not meant to be authors of our stories but to be written into God’s story.

Reflection and Discussion QuestionsHead

• What are the aspects of Mary’s life that make her one of the most unlikely people to ever be called blessed? What people in our culture today that we would say the same of?

• How is Mary’s song both a song of rejoicing and at the same time, a song of judgment? How is it a song of grace to Mary?

Heart

• How did Mary begin to see her story written into God’s story of redemption? How are you still trying to be the author of your own story? How is your story written into God’s story of salvation with Jesus?

• How was Mary’s pregnancy and story an example of the social, cultural, and spiritual change that Jesus was going to usher in?

Hands

• Let someone in the church who you trust speak into your life about any particular decision or circumstance you currently face. Pray for the humility to listen to them.

• Spend time in praise, whether by yourself or with others, giving praise to God and rejoicing in Jesus!

This is the second sermon in our Advent 2019 series, in which we look at Luke 1:26-38, the angel's announcement to the virgin Mary.

Pastor Jeff Locke closes our James series by teaching How to Stay Close to God

1. Relate to God Through Everything

2. Rely on God's People

3. Recognize Prayer's Power