December 5, 2010
Morning Worship
Text: Luke 1:11-17
Subject: The Announcement of John’s Birth
Title: Filled for a Purpose
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! Don’t you just love this time after Thanksgiving? I mean, what more could a person want; a time to go out and fight the crowds over so-called bargains; the stress of making sure you get the right gift; the sadness of remembering those who won’t be with us this year… What’s not to like right?
Well, we could look at the season that way – many people do, or we could chose to remember what Christmas is really all about.
In many traditional churches this time of the year is called Advent. Advent is simply the time before the coming of Christ to earth. And in those churches Advent is a time of celebration and reflection about what Christmas really means. We’re not one of those Liturgical churches, but we do participate in the community Advent services. If you aren’t attending those you should consider it if you are able. This week it will be at the Baptist church on Main Street.
I think it is a good thing to consider beforehand what we are about to celebrate on December 25. In Japan as in America Christmas has become very much a time of materialism. It is about gifts and shopping and family and food. A Japanese TV reporter was out in the mall and asked a passerby what the real meaning of Christmas was. A young shopper replied, “I don’t know. Is that the day Jesus died?” How close to the truth is that? That is why it is so important that we think about the true meaning of Christmas beforehand and to let our young ones know the true meaning.
Now having said that I want to take you in the next couple of weeks to some of the events in the Bible that preceded the birth of Christ. The purpose is so that I can show you that there is more there than just a story of a baby’s birth. There is a truth that is intended to touch your life. Today we want to look at the angelic visitation in the temple with Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and see the things that were told about the baby he would bring into the world and how those things relate to the promises God has for your life.
You are filled for a purpose.
Read Luke 1:11-17; 80
Lord I pray for your anointing today as I share Your word. Lord bless those that hear today and let Your Holy Spirit teach the way Your word says He will.
I. YOU ARE FILLED WITH THE PROMISE As we begin today let me just catch you up with what is going on. Zechariah is a priest in the temple. It is his turn to serve. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth are elderly and have no children. In a culture where children were considered to be proof of God’s blessing they had received none. But God wants them to know that regardless of their age He is not finished with them. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. Notice that this occurs at a time of what would be a significant spiritual exercise in Zechariah’s life. The priest that served in the temple only did so at specific times when they were chosen. Some may only serve once in a lifetime. It is what he had trained his whole life for. It was during that time that the Lord sought to speak to him. He wanted to get his attention. Have you ever wondered why God spoke to some in the bible directly and to some He spoke through and angel and yet others He would speak through a dream? Hebrews 1:1, 1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways… God will speak to you in a way that you will understand. We recently talked about the ways that God speaks to His people. The number one and most foundational way He will speak to us is through His Word. The second most common way is through the inner man. Look what the writer of Hebrews says in verse 2. …2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. God couldn’t speak to Zechariah through Jesus… He hadn’t been born yet. He didn’t speak to him through the spirit man. He didn’t have any biblical guidelines to direct him concerning God speaking that way. So God spoke to him in a way that would be sure to get his attention. He sent an angel. Now, the reason God wanted his attention was so He could tell him specific information that would affect, not just his family, not just the nation of Israel, but the whole world and for all time. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. God never speaks just to hear Himself. He’s not like men. So when He does speak to us we should never respond with fear. The bible tells us that fear leads to bondage and perfect love casts out fear. What the angel says is enough to get his attention. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son… I can imagine Zechariah’s thought process. OK, I see an angel. I know that he is speaking God’s word to me. What he is saying has happened before according to the bible – with Abraham and Sarah. But that was then and this is now. God could never do that for me could he? We know that was what he was thinking by reading on in verse 20, And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.” Look at the priority of the message. 1) it was for Zechariah but it really wasn’t about him. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth… 2) The words of the angel were about John but they looked beyond John. The angel tells us about how people will respond to John’s message … many will rejoice because of his birth… 3) What it really tells us is that John will have a special calling on his life. I want to look a little closer at this. The angel says that people will rejoice… John will be someone who attracts people and has influence over them. We know that the common people in Israel held John in high esteem. Our goal as Christians, those who are called by God, must never be to please people. In whatever ministry God has called you to in the church, if you priority is to keep people happy then you may be missing what God wants, because too many times God wants to call people out of their comfort zones and they don’t want to leave them. . 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. Our primary focus must always be to please God. How do we do that? By believing his word and then acting on it. By being faithful to the work that HE has given you to do. If you ever get to the place where you want to please people more than you please God it’s time to step back and reevaluate. Later John would say concerning Jesus, “I must decrease; He must increase. The angel says John would be great… not from a worldview, but in the eyes of the Lord. What makes John special in God’s eyes? First it is his obedience to God’s command for his life. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink… he didn’t. Second, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Though the administration of the Holy Spirit was different then than it is now, the purpose was the same. When I say the administration was different I mean that before the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out for all believers, God sent the Holy Spirit to work a specific work in a specific individual. But the purpose has never changed. The Holy Spirit has always been given to empower God’s chosen people. Now look at verse 16 and you can see that the purpose then was the same as it is now. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is to have power to preach the gospel… to bring people back to God – the same as it was for John. You are filled for a purpose.
II. YOU ARE FILLED FOR A PROCLAMATION John the Baptist was the last of the OT prophets? How can I say that? Wasn’t John only mentioned in the NT? Yes he is in the New Testament but He is not a New Testament prophet. He did not have the benefit of the cross by which he could come to the lord. He could only be justified by his faith. But John still had a role in the New Testament scheme of things. He was the one of whom Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 40:3-5, 3 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” The filling of the Holy Spirit in John was to enable him to be the herald that would proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah… Why? Because anyone who is going to prepare the world to accept Jesus Christ must do so in the power of the Spirit. It was Holy Ghost power in Elijah that enabled him to speak the words of God. It was Holy Ghost power that enabled him to work miracles. It was Holy Ghost power that empowered him to stand against 400 prophets of Baal. It is the same Holy Spirit that is in us to empower us to proclaim to the world that Jesus is coming back. Look forward just a little to Luke 1, verses 39-45. 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Now what is the first thing that Elizabeth does after she is filled with the Holy Spirit? 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” Are you supposed to have the same supernatural abilities as John and Elijah? Well let me ask you this. Is this the same Holy Spirit or a different one? When Jesus said that He would send another Counselor – the word translated “another” meaning one exactly like in nature – and that same counselor is the one who empowered Jesus in his earthly ministry – the Holy Spirit – is it the same Holy Spirit or a different one? So is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers any different than it was in Elijah or John. NO it was enabling power to do the work of God in their lives. The work may be different but the power is the same. James 5:17-18, 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. That being true, and knowing that John the Baptist came to proclaim the coming of the Lord, and we know He is coming back, and we have the Holy Spirit, should we be proclaiming the second advent to a lost and dying world – and doing it in power?
III. YOU ARE FILLED TO PROPHESY Turn over to verse 67. When I talk about prophecy most of you will turn your thoughts either to words concerning the future or personal prophecy. And in fact that is what Zechariah does here in the power of the Holy Spirit. 67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied… Then he goes on in the power of the Holy Spirit to tell of the things that john would do. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
The word that is translated “prophesied” in verse 67 really means to speak under inspiration… to speak forth God’s word. Prophecy is both foretelling and forth telling. So for believers that means speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But let’s move off on a different tangent. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul asked the question, “Are all prophets…” The obvious answer is NO! However if you take into consideration the Great Commission that Jesus Himself has called us to - “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation – And now remember that Jesus told his disciples that they were not to worry about the words they would say when they stood before kings and rulers – and now think of the ministry of the Holy Spirit that Jesus referred to in John 14, 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you… So since you have a message to speak (the gospel) and you are instructed to do so under the inspiration of the Spirit (according to Jesus) then isn’t one of the reasons that you are filled with the Spirit is to prophesy or to speak under the anointing?
In closing I want to tie this all together. I want you to take careful notice of the timing of this Holy Ghost activity. If you remember bible history the last prophet in Israel was Micah, 400 years before the birth of Jesus. For 400 years there is no recorded history of any prophetic utterance among God’s people. Now in preparation for the coming king, the baby Jesus, people are being filled with the Holy Spirit and supernatural activity is on the increase, because more and more people are turning to the whole word of God with and understanding that miracles are still for today. Is it a sign of the second coming? Possibly! But, at the same time we must be aware of other spiritual activity that is not from the God of the bible but from the god of this world, satan. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11, 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie…
You all know that the closer you look at the details of the world news the closer it appears that we are getting to the second advent of Christ. As Pentecostal believers we look forward to an increase in faith to believe the promises of God. It is a great time to be a Christian. And it is a great time to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
D.L. Moody was to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, "Why do we need this ’Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?" A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, "No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody."
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior, isn’t it time to allow the anointing of the Holy Spirit to takes its intended place of prominence in the church?
