God's Pursuit: Worth Restored to the Undeserving

Devotional

Day 1: Worth Begins with God’s Pursuing Grace

You do not find God by climbing out of the dark; He steps into it for you. Like the shepherds, you may feel ordinary, distracted, or even distant, yet the Lord breaks in where you least expect it. The story begins with His initiative, not yours, and His glory drawing near when no one was asking for it. Grace does not wait at a distance; it comes running into the night. Rest in this: your worth starts with God’s movement toward you, not your movement toward Him. Glory came looking for you before you knew to look for it [44:16].

Luke 2:8-9
In the same area, some shepherds were out watching their flocks at night. Without warning, the Lord’s messenger stood before them and the radiance of God surrounded them, and they were terrified—because heaven had come to them, not the other way around.

Reflection: Where, specifically, do you feel like you must “measure up” before God can draw near, and how could you invite Him into that very place this week instead of trying to fix it first?

Day 2: God Speaks Value Over the Unworthy

God does not leave fearful hearts to figure everything out; He speaks first, and His word creates joy. “Fear not” is not a pep talk but a promise that the Savior has come for you. Your worth is anchored in who Jesus is—Savior, Messiah, and Lord—not in what you can prove. Peace with God is not earned; it is announced and given. Let His voice be the loudest over your life today, drowning out fear and shame with specific grace: “Unto you.” He declares peace where you could not make any for yourself [53:22].

Luke 2:10-12,14
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid—this is news that ignites deep joy for everyone. Today in David’s town, a Rescuer is born for you; He is the promised King and the Lord over all. You’ll know it’s Him when you find a baby wrapped up and lying in a feeding trough.” Then heaven erupted: “Highest praise to God, and on earth, peace rests on those He kindly sets His favor upon.”

Reflection: In what specific area do you feel most disqualified, and how would receiving “unto you is born a Savior” reshape your next step today?

Day 3: Grace Changes Our Pace—From Delay to Haste

When grace lands, it moves you. The shepherds did not wait for a more convenient hour; they went with haste, because real faith becomes real obedience. They left the familiar to seek the One who had sought them first. Delayed obedience simply keeps you circling the same field while the manger waits. Let grace set your feet in motion where you’ve been postponing God’s clear invitation [57:53].

Luke 2:15-16
After the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has shown us.” They hurried off and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby just as they had been told.

Reflection: What clear act of obedience have you delayed, and what is one small, concrete step you will take in the next 24 hours to go “with haste”?

Day 4: New Sight Gives a New Voice

When you truly see Jesus, you naturally speak of Him. The shepherds didn’t need a script—wonder opened their mouths. We easily “evangelize” what captures our hearts; the issue is usually vision, not personality. Ask for fresh sight of the Savior so that witness flows from worship, not pressure. Let awe loosen your tongue and love shape your words [08:59].

Luke 2:17-18
After seeing the child, they shared what had been told them about Him, and everyone who heard was amazed at their report—unlikely messengers carrying the most astonishing news.

Reflection: Who is one person God is bringing to mind right now, and what is one simple sentence about Jesus you will share with them this week?

Day 5: Same Place, New Heart—Worship in the Ordinary

The shepherds returned to their fields, but not to life as usual. Same job, new joy; same routine, new praise. Their worth was no longer measured by their work, but by the Savior who had come for them. This is the fruit of grace: ordinary days filled with upward glory and grateful song. Let your everyday places become altars where praise rises because Christ has met you there [10:34].

Luke 2:19-20
Mary kept turning these events over in her heart, treasuring them. The shepherds went back to their fields celebrating God for all they had heard and seen, because everything matched the word they had received.

Reflection: Looking at your normal Monday, what one daily task will you intentionally turn into praise to God, and how will you remind yourself to do it?

Sermon Summary

Tonight’s citywide Christmas program at FBC is canceled due to weather, and our Christmas Eve offering will go to help cover funeral expenses for the Bancroft family. With that said, I turned us to Luke 2:8–20 to look at the shepherds and how Christmas unites us in worth. The shepherds were ordinary, untrusted, and overlooked—exactly the kind of people we tend to assume God would bypass. But God stepped toward them. He didn’t wait for them to clean up or climb up; He broke in with glory while they were simply doing their job in the dark. That is grace at its starting point: God pursues the undeserving.

Then God spoke. “Fear not… I bring you good news… unto you is born… a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Their fear wasn’t just emotional; it was the right response of sinners before holiness. But God’s word didn’t just inform them; it transformed them. He didn’t just speak about worth; He spoke worth over them—specific, personal, and Christ-centered. Our worth isn’t in our performance; it is anchored in the identity of the One given to us—Savior, Christ, Lord.

And grace moved them. “They went with haste.” Transformation showed up as urgency, obedience, and witness. They didn’t need a class to talk about Jesus; sight gave them a voice. Seeing the child rightly—Savior, not merely baby—turned nobodies into heralds. Grace also sent them back to their same fields with a new heart. Same job, new joy. Same routine, new worship. The test wasn’t whether they could chase a spiritual high; it was whether Monday now aimed at God’s glory.

So the call is simple and searching: stop clinging to self-made worth, delayed obedience, and respectable sin. If grace has come to you, go with haste into what God has already made clear—confession, forgiveness, generosity, purity, community, and witness. And if you know you’re unworthy and unable to save yourself, you are finally ready for the best news: unto you is born a Savior. Come empty; leave redeemed.

Key Takeaways

1. Worth begins with God’s pursuit God breaks into ordinary darkness while we’re not seeking Him. Salvation starts with His initiative, not our effort, and that’s why grace is secure. Glory came looking for the shepherds—just as God comes looking for us. [44:16]
2. God speaks value over the unworthy “Fear not… unto you is born a Savior.” God’s word doesn’t flatter; it re-creates, naming us by what Christ is for us. Our worth is anchored in His titles—Savior, Christ, Lord—not in our record. [52:55]
3. Grace fuels urgent, obedient movement “They went with haste” shows that real grace creates motion, not mere emotion. Faith that justifies is never alone; it bears the fruit of obedience. Delayed obedience is simply disobedience under a softer name. [60:57]
4. Weakness becomes influence through grace The least-trusted voices became the first heralds, and all who heard them wondered. God delights to enlist the unqualified so no one confuses the power with the person. Influence grows best where weakness is surrendered. [67:32]
5. Ordinary life, new worshipful orientation The shepherds returned to the same fields with a different center—glorifying and praising God. True change is seen when the regular rhythms run on gospel fuel. Worth in Christ reshapes work, routine, and joy. [68:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:35] - Weather update and cancellations
[33:20] - Christmas Eve offering: Bancroft family
[34:34] - Theme: Christmas unites us in worth
[38:32] - Scripture reading: Luke 2:8–20
[41:06] - Point 1: God pursues the undeserving
[44:16] - Glory breaks into the ordinary night
[50:13] - Point 2: God speaks value over us
[52:55] - “Unto you is born a Savior”
[55:51] - Shepherds enlisted as first evangelists
[59:34] - Point 3: Worth realized in transformation
[60:57] - “They went with haste”: obedience
[63:52] - New sight gives a new voice
[66:29] - Wonder at unlikely witnesses
[68:26] - Same fields, new worship
[70:34] - Urgent applications: go with haste
[73:36] - Invitation to the unworthy: come to Christ
[83:04] - Closing prayer and exhortation

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Luke 2:8–20

Observation questions (read the passage first)

What details in Luke 2:8–9 show the shepherds’ ordinary, overlooked status and how does that shape the scene they encounter?
What exact words and titles does the angel use about the child in Luke 2:10–12, and what does each title (Savior, Christ, Lord) point to in the announcement?
The shepherds “went with haste” and then “made known” what they had been told. What steps did they take from the angel’s message to their witness, and what does the text say they did when they saw the child? [01:00:57]
How does Luke 2:20 describe the shepherds’ life after the visit, and what behavior marks their return to ordinary work?

Interpretation questions (focus on what the text means)

What does it mean theologically that God initiates salvation (He comes to the unworthy first) and how does that affect the balance between divine grace and human responsibility? [44:16]
In what sense is the angel’s phrase “unto you is born a Savior” both a personal possession and a public gospel announcement, and why is that distinction important for understanding worth? [53:22]
Why is fear the appropriate initial response when sinners encounter divine glory, and how does the angel’s “Fear not” function as God’s word to transform that fear into joy? [50:36]
How should the pattern “same field, new worship” inform expectations about how conversion changes ordinary work, routine, and daily priorities? [01:08:39]

Application questions (concrete, personal steps)

Many people struggle to admit they are as spiritually needy as the shepherds. Do you see yourself as one who needs God’s pursuit rather than someone who first pursued God? If not, what defenses or comparisons keep you from acknowledging real spiritual need? [48:59]
Identify one obedience you have delayed. What specific action can you take with haste this week to obey God’s call (a conversation, a confession, a generous step, a restored relationship)? Set a date. [01:00:57]
Name one person you will intentionally tell about Jesus in the next seven days. How will you start that conversation, and when will you do it? (Remember: new sight gives a new voice.) [01:04:09]
What weakness, limitation, or sense of smallness could you intentionally surrender so God can use you as an unlikely instrument of influence? Practically, what first step will you take to lean into that humility? [01:06:53]
Look at your normal weekday rhythm. What one concrete change will make your Monday reflect Sunday worship (a short daily gospel reminder, a time to pray before work, a reoriented aim for the day)? Describe the change and when you will start. [01:08:39]
If not yet trusting Christ, will you respond to the invitation to “come empty” by taking one of these steps this week: pray to receive Christ, speak with a believer, or attend a service to learn more? Which step will you do and when? [01:13:36]

Sermon Clips

But let me be blunt for just a moment. You know it was coming, right? The part that we often don't want to hear. Most of us, we have no problem believing that God loves the undeserving. That He gives us worth. But few of us believe we are the undeserving. Right? We want to think, well, I'm not all that bad. I'm better than that guy down the street. I've made mistakes, but I'm trying. I'm better than most. Dear friend, I want you to hear this. Until you see yourself in these shepherds' shoes as undeserving, unseeking, unworthy, you'll never marvel at God's grace. [00:48:20] (44 seconds) #RecognizeYourUnworthiness

You can't receive grace and keep your sin. You can't claim worth in Christ and then continue chasing worth in the world. You can't say, Jesus saved me and then ignore the very voice that saved you. You can't keep delaying obedience and call it a spiritual struggle. Some of you, you need to go with haste, like the shepherds, into what God's already made very clear to you. [01:11:12] (29 seconds) #GraceRequiresObedience

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