Small Beginnings Big Faith and the Kingdom of God at Work

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You're listening to a message from Victory. Learn what it

means to have faith. In week one of our Christmas series, Hark, we.

Are starting our new series today and it's about Christmas. Okay,

it's about Christmas. Have you prepared for Christmas preparation? I

don't know. If you follow me in my social media

or you've been to church for quite some time, you

would have known. For our family, Christmas is actually a career. Okay.

We make a career out of Christmas, not just in

our house sold but in the entire Oi family. It's

something that we look forward to around May or June.

My mom would start asking already, okay, Larry Santaios a Christmas,

Larry's Santaios a new Year, So we need to have

an answer already, we prepare for it. But how do

you really prepare for Christmas? Especially when you're asking Lord

kilan byon thirteen month pay? How can I prepare for Christmas.

Is Christmas hinge on your thirteen month pay? Or is

Christmas hinge on money period? Or is Christmas hinge on

the things we need to buy? The red shirt, the

new red shirt, the new green shirt, the new white

green red shirt, the new Christmas tree? Is it hinge

on the decorations inside our home? Christmas? We prepare Christmas,

prepare Christmas every day of our life. We should be

preparing Christmas every day of our life. It's not just

in a season. It's not just in a on a day.

It's not hinge on on on a time. It's not

hinge in that, it's not just on the on December.

That's what the world wants to do. That's how the

world does it. That's why they have a Christmas count

on Christmas eal, pre Christmas sale, Christmas sales, post Christmas

el post pre Christmas post sale. But it shouldn't be.

Christmas is on Jesus and Jesus alone. He He is

the true meaning of Christmas, Christmas season. Christmas seasons would

come and go, but Jesus, the reason for the season remains.

He is. He is the true reason why we celebrate Christmas.

He's actually the true reason why why we can come

here every Sunday and and and and celebrate, sing songs,

worship him, come to church, go to our victory groups,

share the God Gospel. He's the only reason. But my

prayer is that all throughout the as we go through

this four weeks, will know that it's not about the gifts.

It's not just about visiting orphanages. Some would say that

Chrissmuss is about sharing. I love how uh Lizette said

a while ago that that she knows now how to

be blessed and to bless others. Some would say that

Christmas is the time to share, share? What is it

just sharing gifts? Is it simply just going to orphanagists?

Is that is Christmas ison the only time that you

can share gifts, share the gospel and be married. It

shouldn't be. We're starting on a series. It's called Heart. Yes,

it sounds German. It has actually a German origin. Okay.

During the time that they would hunt for dogs, hunt

for for wild hounds, heart they would sayt the heart

heart is to listen attentively, to call somebody, to listen,

to hear, or so to obey. If you look, come

in the Old Testament, in the Book of Deuteronomy, you

would hear it to hear so as to obey, to

listen attentively. And we're gonna be sharing this story. We're

gonna sharing stories of four individuals, four different characters, Zechariah

for this week, Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds, four different individuals,

four different situations in their lives that they're facing. One message,

one message about the birth of Jesus. He's sorry to

dispel the plot of our preaching, but it's about Jesus.

It's about celebrating the true reason for the season. Four

different characters, four different plots. One one message about the

gospel about the birth of Jesus, and one messenger. One

messenger which is the angel Gabriel, the Angel. And we'll

talk about Zacharai today. And I know that we've been

prayed for and uh for some things. Okay, maybe for

the younger people, you've been praying for a new toy,

a new shirt. Okay. I remember, I remember my wife

she said that she looks forward to Christmas because there's

only two two important dates that they can buy toys

and new new clothes. When when she was growing up

and it was only during her birthday or Christmas. And

during Christmas there will be more toys, more food, so

she would look forward to it. But we're gonna look

at Zechariah in his life. He has been serving the

Lord faithfully as a priest, but he's waiting for an

answered prayer. Something that that feeling up in a kitan

the Lord, something that they feel like the Lord with

help from them. Let me ask you this questions. Have

you ever been believing God for something and your timeline

is always Christmas or the end of the year. Have

you been believing God for something that is up until

now un answered. Have you been praying for someone? Maybe

it's someone Lord twenty sixteen, the Lord two seventeen. Now,

where is your promise? Maybe it's someone, Maybe it's a promotion,

Maybe it's even help, or maybe it's about salvation, salvation

of family members, whatever it is. When our prayers are

not immediately answered, how do we respond and react? How

do we respond? How do we react? Do we learn

from from this four people how they reactored? Or are we?

Are we actually in thatcument? Now? Maybe you are searching

and for an answer. Maybe you're you've been waiting for

an answer. Do you feel like you have to come

to church to know that answer? My prayers that we

would learn from Zicariah's life, Zickariah and Elizabeth's life. Let's pray,

pray before we start. Father, We thank you Lord for indeed, Lord,

you are faithful. Thank you, Lord God, that the true

meaning of Christmas doesn't just fade away. But you've given

us the best gift you've presented us, Lord God, real love,

real unconditional love. So my prayer, Lord God, is that

as we go through this series, Lord, that we would

know more of your plans in our lives. And Lord,

may we also see in our very situations. Right now,

Lord God, how you move in Jesus name. We pray

and everybody say amen. It's found in Luke one, the

story of of of Zicariah and just a just a backdrop.

It's it's a time that this is a perfect timing

because they were actually waiting for a Messiah to be born. Actually,

Zicariah is the father of who John the Baptist, the

one who God has called to prepared the way for Jesus.

So again we're going back again to the prepar How

do we actually prepare. We have to prepare our hearts

my prayers, that our hearts are prepared to accept. That

is the accept but actually to be enlightened and to

see where we stand as lovers of God. Let's read

one day, Zikariah was serving God in the temple for

his order was on duty that week and was the

cousdom of the priest. He was chosen by lot to

enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While

the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside praying.

While Zikariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the

Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the

altar of the incense altar. Zakariah was shaken and overwhelmed

with fear when he saw him, but the angel said,

don't be afraid, Zikariah. God has heard your prayer. Your

wife Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are

to name him John. This story is found the Book

of Luke. What I love about the look Apostle Look

is that he's very systematic when he writes. When he

writes the Gospel of his look is very systematic, chronological order,

and he doesn't even miss details. The papas when you

read your Bible, but Nasa Luke Mejo Mahaban basahat in

it averages around forty to fifty even sixty versus when

you read Luke because he doesn't he doesn't mince his words.

He makes sure that everything is there. He's very systematic, systematic,

and very chronological. He's a doctor, look is actually a doctor.

Maybe some would say that how could Luke do that

chronicle that accounts he wasn't even there during the time

of Jesus. He wasn't with the original Apostles of Jesus.

He wasn't there, but he had the first hand witness

that tells him the story, the background of his story.

It was during the time of King Herod. You know

King Herod, right, the Mighty King, the Great King Herod,

who's so evil that the he's really scared, not just

scared that people would get his power, but he loves power, okay,

and he's very paranoid. This king, King Herod, would even

cause people to die. Thousands and thousands of people died

because of him, put him to death, not only people

that he doesn't know, but even his wife he put

him to He put her to death. Even his three

children were put to death. Why because he's paranoid that

they would take his place, that his power would be,

would be God, that they would they were after actually

his power. It was a time where this was a

time where we're in Israel. There was around roughly eight

hundred years of people searching for for for answers, five

hundred years since the last angel appeared and the prophet

the word from God. They haven't heard in four hundred years.

They were searching for answer. Zachariah was a priest serving

as a priest. He's absolutely not a Jew, but he's

a gentile, a gentile priest, and he was advancing years.

His wife's name is Elizabeth, and Elizabeth was also advantaged

in years. But the problem is they didn't have a children.

They don't have children. She was found barren. She doesn't

have a child. And because of that during the Old Testament,

during the time of the early times of Israel, if

you don't have a child, or you don't you haven't

bear a children yours. It's something that's shameful. Although he's

in a status that he's a priest, people would see

maybe he's not as holy, maybe his her husband is

not holy. Or why are they not blessed? Something's missing.

It's a shame for them, for especially for Elizabeth not

to be abble to give a child, to bear a child,

both advancing years, both Eli and then and Zechariah. They

have been praying and were believing, believing God for this

prayer request. But again, it's Christmas about bearing a child.

It's Christmas being about having having not just material but

even spiritual blessings. Let me submit you this that God's

infinite ability is not limited with our present reality. It's

a reality where we live, how we're living right now,

it is our reality. But God is not limited. His

ability is not limited. Let us not box God here

and just here. He is a great God. He is

a big God. Let's learn from the life of Zicarias.

Are we in that predicament? Now? Have we thought about this?

Are we limiting God? You know what? Let me pray

because I pray this prayer also early this morning and

I was asking Lord, what is it in my life

that you're pointing at that you want to make sure

that I'm believing your ability and not my ability not

not not limited to my finite What can we do?

What should we do? One day Zikaria. One day, Zikaria

was serving God in the temple for his order, was

on duty that week and was the cosm of the priest.

He was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of

the Lord and burn incense. Yes, Zicariah was a priest,

but he was among eighteen thousand other priests. It's not

like he was annoyed. Yes, he's annoyed and he's chosen,

but he was among eighteen thousand, so he was just

among one among the crowd. What I want to point

out here is that they would only serve once, maybe

once at the most twice in their lifetime. There's a

cycle because there's so many priests, Sasabdandabing priest eighteen thousand.

They were actually grouped into twenty four different groups to serve,

and it was his time to serve. Then it happened

when it was his time to serve. God intervenes in

their situation, seemingly impossible situation that no one can comprehend.

How can you explain a barren, old mature in age

Elizabeth give birth? Remember the story of Abraham. It was

actually that kind of story. Because God can intervene in

any way He can. Whatever your situation right now, you

cannot say it is impossible. The more impossible it is

for us, the more possible God can move for you, Amen,

the more possible. The bigger God is, the bigger He is,

the smaller or impossibility, the impossibility in their lives can happen.

And there's no accident in God's plan. It is not accident.

This is no accident. God is predestined this day for

Zechariah to hear and to know his ways and his plans.

While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood

outside praying. While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel

of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right

of the incense outer incense. Have you heard of frankensin

and mirror? Remember the three wives men who presented those gifts.

It was actually it was actually used to make incense.

When when you mix frankenson it's made out of minerals

and the mayor, which is out of leaves. When you

mix them together, they would create the if you burned,

and if they create a sweet aroma, and you would

visibly see the smoke going up to heaven. It's symbolic

of our prayers being being being heard, and the whole

Israel was actually praying whenever a priest would go in.

They were praying. Why because of their situation, they're waiting

for a Messiah. They're waiting for for for that someone

that the Prophet has said that would come and take

them out of their misery and save them and redeem them,

redeem Israel. When all of a sudden an angel appeared

to Zechariah was his reaction. He was shaken, he was surprised.

Maybe there's even fear. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with

fear when he saw him. Remember again, four hundred years

ago was the last time that they heard the Prophet.

They were waiting for five hundred years for another angel

to give them news to appear to them. This was

the time all Testament when Jesus was not born yet.

So it's very important for him for them to hear

directly from from God. So I church that do that

lesson the value of knowing Jesus Christ and how Jesus

came here for you and I that we don't have

to wait directly to hear from God that he intercedes

for us. That Jesus is our high Priest, don't you

don't you praise God that we don't have to put

nobody has to go or altern it to sacrifice, to

to to sacrifice for all our sins because Jesus already

did it for you and I. But why was he shaken?

Why was he afraid of angels? Maybe in our in

our minds, angels are something that that are cute. The

angels gets something like out of a out of a

Hollywood film film, or it's like out of a greeting

card Parahollmark, citzilla. Sometimes not a diaper, and during Valentine

they're carrying an arrow. The angel Gabriel, who actually who

Zechariah saw, is not this kind of angel, an angel

that comes from God. A biblical angel represents something that's manly, huge,

it's something powerful. It's something that's that's that's sphere summer. Okay,

there's no gender, but they're that, they're they're big, they're strong.

Even in the Old Testament, when you read the Old Testament,

you can see that one blow of an angel can

actually defeat one hundred thousand people. That doesn't happen with

an angel with a diaper and a arrow. Something strong,

but the Angel said, don't be afraid, Zachariah, God has

heard your prayer. When Zachariah was praying, when he went inside,

when he burned the incense, he was actually praying not

just for Israel, but he was also praying for himself.

He was actually praying and asking, Lord, I've been serving you.

Remember the first few verses when he said that they

are they're there, holy, they're almost perfect. Not they're not,

they don't sin, they live righteously. But every every time

he would be praying for himself for God to answer

his prayer, for God to actually give them that child

when hope was lost because of our situation. Remember that

God hears our prayers. He hears our prayers. He is

not deaf for you and I. Whether your situation is

high or low, whether you're praying for somebody who's or

who you're praying for somebody's salvation, our prayers don't fall

on deaf ears. That I can promise my very life

is a testimony that God is not deaf. Yes, maybe

it took me some time to get to know Jesus

Christ thirty three years after, but it is his timing,

not my timing. Proverbs fifteen, Verse twenty nine said the

Lord is afar from the wicked, but he hears the

prayers of righteous. He is afar from the wicked, but

he hears our prayers. If we have a right standing

with God, he hears us when we pray. He hears

the very Christ that you make. He hears you when

you kneel down and cry for help. He knows even

the pain that you're going through. Do not ever say that, Lord,

you don't know what I'm going through. Lord, why are

you doing this to me? He hears you. And if

the word world or anyone would say that he's not

listening to you, you're on your own. Do not believe that,

because that is not God, that is not from God.

And first Peter says here, for the eyes of the

Lord are on the righteous, and these ears are open

to their prayer. On a Monday, it's our day off,

sorry Sabbath. But then on Tuesday when we come in,

the first thing that I look forward to the or

the prayer request that you're right. Yes, I do read.

We do read your prayer requests, so yes we know.

If you've been praying for a PS. Four for the

longest time, is that you he knows who he is.

Or you've been praying for the salvation of your family

for the longest time, or you're praying for healing, you're

praying for restoration, you're praying for unforgiveness or for forgiveness.

We know those prayers, and we are praying with you.

Stand We stand with you in our prayer. Regardless of

your situation. God waits to call. God's wait for our call.

God waits. God waits for our call. Regardless of your situation.

God wait for us to call on him. God's infinite

ability again is not limited with our present reality. A

testament of Zechariah when he said, your wife Elizabeth will

give you a son, and you are to name him John.

Can you imagine what was his reaction? What could have

been his reaction? I hope you've gone through this, this

this chapter of you've read through this chapter. But then

in reality, have you seen his face? Wouldn't he be jubilant?

Wouldn't it be excited that he's about to do the

prayer in his life is about to come to pass.

God do not just hear our prayers, but God answers

our prayers. He do answers our prayers, but he answers

it in his own timing, but he answered it according

to his faith. He is faithful. He will give you

all the promises. But then again, he would not give

you something or anything that could harm you. Why would

he give something to you that would harm especially your

relationship with God. They may have been given up because

of their situation, Elizabeth and Zachariah, but it is actually

God's timing. Their shame was taken away of being bearing

no child. When God is silent, it doesn't mean that

he is absent. It's not. When he's silent, it means

maybe not now. When he's silent means enough. I have

to prepare you for it. I remember recently my dad

is a very generous lolo, and recently he gave my

son a secondhand car when he celebrated his sixteenth birthday.

I was really excited to bring my son to Lto

to get to finally get his license. But then I

found out a day before his birthday that the government

right now moved the age for a student permit from

sixteen to seventeen. Can you imagine the face of my

son one day before his birthday? He has a Yes,

it's not news. It's okay, it's still a car. It's

part now in my garage, doing nothing. Not yet, not yet.

Maybe God was actually teaching him something, maybe even teaching

me something. But God, God's timing is perfect. He's never absent.

He knows the very account of your hair. He knows

the cries, the wound, he knows it. He's never absent.

He's always there for you. That's his promise. He will

never leave nor forsake us. That's a promise that he

always keeps. And he is a promise keeper. John five,

verse fourteen says, and we are confident that he hears

us whenever we ask for for what, louder for what?

Anything he pleases, anything please that pleases him. And since

we know he hears us when we make our requests,

we also know that he will give us what we

ask for. This is the very verse that I told

my son, you ask for a car, you forgot to

ask for a driver's license. Here it's worth. But he

taught him something, taught him out the way. God's three

answers is always yes, not yet, and I have something

better in mind. Let's never no, Let's never no, Let's

never know when you search the Bible. When you look

at different all the different stories in the Bibles, there's

no word. There's nowhere there that there's an no. It's

always yes, not now. Wait for a while and then

hear something better, something better for you, someone better for you. Look, look,

let's continue. Look one verse eighteen, Zachariah said to the angel,

how can I be sure that this will happen? I'm

an old man now, and my wife is also well

along in years, Zachariah said to the angel. Instead of

being jubilant and happy, he doubted what the angel said.

At first he was shaken, he was afraid, but now

he had the nerve to doubt the angel. Doubt and

faith never goes together. Let me say it again. When

there's doubt, there's an absence of faith. When you're in doubt,

that means you fear something and you're not faithful. When

we look at our situations, doubt can set us, can

set in and shake our faith. Healing when you're praying

for healing. When you're praying for healing and then suddenly

you knew that there's no actually a cure. Do you

doubt or are you in fear? You have to be

in faith. I remember two thousand and six, my wife

and I got saved two thousand and six, March two

thousand and six and December Christmas of two thousand and six.

We were very excited because it's going to be our

very first Simbangabie and it will be held in the

new church plant of Victoria Alabam in Victory, Santa Rosa,

all the way in Santa Rosa. And we were so

excited to go. But then two days before Christmas, we

receive a call. I was in my office with my partner,

my cousin, and I receive a call. My secretary said,

it's a very important call. So I answered the phone

and out of instinct, just just press the speaker phone.

Lo and behold it was somebody on the other line

threatening my family to kidnap us Christmas Day. Hey, this

is a true story. We were shocked. Not only not

only it was just that kind of threat, but he

was very detailed. I know your wife gave us the name.

Your kids go to this school before I only had

two boys. But were we shaken? Yes, we were shaken.

I was terribly shaken that even we even called the police.

The talk to a colonel, and he told us what

to do. So I asked him should he get bodyguards?

And he told me, if you have cash to pay

for bodyguards, go ahead. But one thing that really strike

me there was when he said that if it actually

is a work of God, then not even your bodyguards

can help you. Something click when he said that, because

I said, no, God would never put me in harm,

not now, not now. I never doubted that the relationship

that we had that time is genuine. I have waited

thirty three years of my life to celebrate the true

meaning of Christmas, and now I know Jesus Christ, no

fear can ever get to my heart. Yes, my family

they're in harms. They are, yes, kinda in harm's way.

But then again, I know I have a big God.

I know that my current situation won't limit the ability

of my big God. So we went, we celebrated Christmas,

and later on three years after, we got a call

from the same colonel telling us that that threat was

actually valid, and they even know the person who gave

that threat. Don't limit a God, don't limit our God.

He won't put you in harms way. Verse eighteen, when

the angel said I am Grabriel I stand in the

very presence of God. It was he who sent me

to bring you you this good news. But now, since

you didn't believe what I said, you will be silent

and unable to speak until the child is born. For

my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.

Every word I've spoken to you will come true in

my time. God is saying, every word is according to

my time. Why because again, God's infinite ability is that

limited with our present reality. And this is the best part.

The best part is how he actually moves when we

know that he hears our prayers, that he answers our prayers.

But then what is our prayers? For that God's answers

are bigger than our prayers. We know the story. We

know the story that the one who paved the way

for Jesus, who prepared the way for Jesus, is the

son of Zechariah, John the Baptist. He prepared a way,

something bigger happened, something not just. They weren't just given

a son, but a son that would pave the way

for the coming of the Messiah. You will have great

joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at this birth,

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,

and he will turn many Israelites to the Lord, Dear God.

This part here is very important. This is actually a

promise fulfilled by the last prophet, the very last prophet

who prophesied four hundred years ago, Banaka. He said this,

that come the birth of a Messiah. It will come

after somebody would prepare that way, which is Zechariah's son.

He will be a man with the spirit and the

power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the

coming of the Lord. He will in the hearts of

the fathers to their children, and he will cause those

who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.

They were just asking for a son, and the son

that God gave them will pave the way for the

coming of Jesus Christ. It wasn't long before his wife

Elizabeth conceived. She went off by herself for five months,

brandishing her pregnancy. So this is how God acts to

remedy my unfortunate, unfortunate condition. Why unfortunate? Why that reproach

because she was branded as not worthy or not holy

and not righteous for not bearing a son, but now

much more than a son. His son is preparing the

way for the Messiah. God's infinite ability is not limited

with our present reality. Can everybody say this altogether? God

hears our prayers. God answers our prayers, and God's answers

are bigger than our prayers. It's Christmas and the true present,

the true gift of Christmas is hope. Hope in that

in your current situation, but hope in the Lord. I

remember a story of we used to have a church

in Victory, New Manila, and it's near a barangay in

in in the mayng Laki. And I remember when I

was still a teacher in our kids shirts there. I

remember when we fed the fed the kids it was Christmas.

We gave them burger steak, burger steak right, one piece

burger steak forty nine pesos, memorizing price, forty nine passots.

And when we were feeding them, we were surprised that

some we just eat just a few, just a few

bite and then stop and then they would close the

the the the box. Maybe do you remember this, I

don't know if you remember this, don't box put it away,

start with their pineapple juice, and then eat half of

the French fries, and then put the French fries back

to the plastic, and then continue on with the pineapple juice.

And then we asked, okay, are you fool kaa The

kid answered no, I'm just putting it away. But we

saw one child after another doing that, just eat a

few bite and then put them away. And I said,

I had to ask because I finished mine in three seconds,

gone without rice, but with fries. I had to ask.

And I was actually in tears when the boy answered me,

you know what, because pastor, we were just praying for rice.

That will make it through this Christmas, even with just

rice and the five pesel gravy. But we got to

taste much more then then rise and grievy. We got

to taste burgers steak. So we're putting it away and

we're giving it to our family so that we can

able we will we will be able to share this

Christmas something. This Christmas, it wasn't even Christmas here. They

were just they were They said they were just praying

for rice and they got burger steak. Sometimes our our

prayers are so small and then sometimes we feel like

if we're so deprived, if God didn't answer our prayers,

but he wants big, something bigger than you, for you

and I. Maybe it's not now, but thank you for

listening to this message.

For more messages like these from other Victory Centers, please

visit Victory dot org, dot pH, Slash resources, Slash Podcasts.

Thank you for listening.

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you all,