Christmas Advent 2018: Zechariah & Elizabeth

Christmas Advent: Zechariah & Elizabeth

I love the Christmas season. I love the lights, music, snow, movies, and the gifts. During the holiday season there are emotions of great joy and moments of great sorrow.

For many this time of the year brings about many sad memories. Maybe it was the loss of a loved one. Or painful memories surrounding this time of the year.

No matter how you view this season, or what experiences you might have had in the past, there is much to rejoice about as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

And I hope that your joy is renewed as we look at the promises of God fulfilled in sending His Son to rescue humanity from our sin.

Illust: It may not look like it at times, but I’m a planner

I’m constantly looking ahead to the future and making adjustments in my life to prepare for what I see. I make plans and dream big dreams for my family, for the people around me, and for my future.

As we look at the first few chapters of Luke, we’ll discover the great detail that was taking place leading up to the birth of Jesus. God looked ahead with Love at His creation and brought about the Greatest Story that has ever been told. God coming to earth as a baby.

The theme for tonight is… Preparing The Way.

Theme: Preparing The Way

Passage: Luke 1:5-25 & 57-66

5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah’s (a-bye-juh) division named Zechariah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years. 8 When his division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 At the hour of incense the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11 An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and overcome with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. 16 He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.” 18 “How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” 19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. 20 Now listen. You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was making signs to them and remained speechless. 23 When the days of his ministry were completed, he went back home. 24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived and kept herself in seclusion for five months. She said, 25 “The Lord has done this for me. He has looked with favor in these days to take away my disgrace among the people.”

Pray: (Pause 3-5 seconds)

Background:

Luke has a unique contribution to telling the story of Jesus. Luke has at least 41 parts that are not in any of the other Gospels. (Good Samaritan, prodigal son, the Pharisee and tax collector, etc) Luke was a physician, he was Dr. Luke. We see this in Colossians when he’s referred to as “the dearly loved physician.” Luke wrote the books of Luke and Acts. We often think that Paul wrote the majority of the New Testament, and he did write the most books, but Luke and Acts together make up the largest contribution to the New Testament.

The last book of the Old Testament is Malachi, a servant and prophet of God. When the book of Malachi ends, God is silent for 400 years. But when we read the Gospels, we are reading God breaking the silence.

“See, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me.Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to his temple, the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies.” - Malachi 3:1

“Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” - Malachi 4:5-6

This is a reminder that God always does what He says He’s going to do!

Main Points:

1. A Heart Of Obedience (V5-9)
   1. God chose Zechariah and Elizabeth to parent the child that was to prepare the way for Jesus. What a great responsibility.
   2. He saw their faithfulness, their righteousness, and their commitment to the Lord. And by His grace, not as something they earned, He gave them favor in the form of offspring or an heir.
   3. Zechariah was a priest. There were about 18,000 priests that existed in Israel at this time. They were divided in 24 divisions and they would serve by division 2 weeks out of the year. He’s of the division of Abijah. And he would serve at the temple. One of the things they would do is burn incense in the temple. And they would cast lots to see who would get to do that. It was a great honor to do it. If you did it you could never do it again and you may never get to do it in your lifetime.

   4. An angel appears and tells him that his prayers have been answered. Some bible scholars think he’s referring to the prayer of a messiah, but i think the immediate context speaks to the fact that he’s been praying for years for an heir, a son, or a child.

      1. You ever prayed for something and then when God answers you’re like “NO, that’s just a coincidence.”

         5. It’s a big deal that God calls them righteous. They not only followed the law, but their hearts were committed to God and obeying His commands. It was more about a relationship than following the motions.
         6. Two things we know about them, they were old and they had no children.

      2. This couple was not a big deal. He lived in a small town (Judean hill country outside Jerusalem V39) and probably worked a normal job as well as fulfilling his duties as priest.

      3. Think of an elderly couple, living in a rural part of town, pastoring a church of maybe 50 people with half of them showing up on Sundays. And the man working a full time job as a local farmer. This is Zechariah and Elizabeth.
      4. They were not considered because of their status, but because of their righteousness. God appointed this couple for a very special assignment.

      5. An Hour Of Doubt (V10-25)

         1. The hour of incense occurred daily at 9am and 3pm.
         2. The burning of the incense was a symbol of the prayers being offered to God as a sweet aroma. We see this again in the book of Revelation.

      6. He would go in to the temple and he would put incense on the coals and then he would pray.

      7. This was the once in a lifetime opportunity for a priest.

         3. Two angels mentioned by name in Scripture, Gabriel and Michael. Michael is the warrior angel. When he shows up, it’s going to get intense! Gabriel is always referred to as the angel that brings God’s messages to His people.

      8. Gabriel is bringing a message standing in the presence of God.

         4. It’s important to note that Zechariah and Elizabeth were suffering due to being barren.

      9. Illust: Struggling to get pregnant

      10. They had been praying for a long time for a child.

      11. Application: God hears our prayers. What have you stopped praying for? God always hears our prayers

          1. And He always responds… yes, no, or later.

             5. Verse 17 - “Spirit and power of Elijah” reference to an Old Testament text.
                1. This echoes the prophecy from Malachi.

          2. Malachi 4:5-6 prophesied that an Elijah-like figure would come and “turn the hearts of fathers to their children…” That new “Elijah” would be John the Baptist.

          3. Other references - Matthew 11:14-15, Mark 9:11-13, and John 1:21-23. Amazing! 2. Verse 17b - to make ready for the Lord a prepared people. This echoes a prophecy from Isaiah

          4. “A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. 4 Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” - Isaiah 40:3-5

          5. “as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; the crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth, and everyone will see the salvation of God.” - Luke 3:4-6
             6. God is in the waiting. Working in the waiting. Giving purpose in the waiting. Preparing the way in the waiting!
          6. A House Of Praise (V57-66)
             1. Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son. Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mercy,and they rejoiced with her. When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. But his mother responded, “No. He will be called John.” Then they said to her, “None of your relatives has that name.” So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote: “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard about him took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him.
             2. They praise God in the hard times. The moments of living barren and growing old. And they praised God in the moments of celebration. Their house was a house of praise and worship to God.
             3. John The Baptist had one job - prepare the way for the Messiah

      12. Application: What a responsibility for Zechariah and Elizabeth. To parent the child that would prepare the way for the Messiah.

Closing: Names are a big deal

Song:

Let’s pray.