THE FACES OF CHRISTMAS
The Face of DOUBT
Luke 1:1-25
INTRODUCTION:
Christmas is a time of hope. But for the people living when the first Christmas appeared, it was anything but hopeful.
It was a dark time for the nation of Isreal. There had been no prophetic word from God for over 400 years. The religious leaders were shackled to their religious legalism. The nation was being ruled by the mad tyrant king Herod. Not to mention, that Isreal was only a puppet province under the iron fist of Rome.
Nevertheless, even in the darkest of days, God has His faithful servants who continue to shine a light in the darkness, and bring the message of HOPE
Such were the testimonies of two obscure, elderly servants Zacharias and Elisabeth.
The very last words of the Old Testament found in Malachi 4:5-6 read, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. (6) And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
The gospel of Luke breaks a silence that has lasted for over four hundred years. Luke begins precisely at the place where the prophet Malachi left off. Luke begins his story with the angelic announcement of Gabriel to Zacharias , an elderly priest, that he and his wife will have a son, a son who will come in the spirit of Elijah the prophet, and who will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and will prepare the way of the Lord.
A FAITHFUL PRIEST
We are introduced to Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth in verse five, “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. (6) And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (7) But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.”
Zachariah and his wife were good people but certainly not important people. They lived in an obscure little village in the hill country of Judah. But more important than physical pedigree was their spiritual devotion. Luke describes them, as “righteous in the sight of God.” They were not perfect but they were set apart from their peers in the way in which they walked with God. Their only sorrow was that they had no family.
Zechariah was an ordinary country priest, one perhaps as many as 20,000 estimated to be living in Palestine at the time. Because there were so many of them they were divided into 24 groups.
Each group would serve at the Temple for a week at a time, twice a year. When it was time for his division to serve he went to Jerusalem.
The story continues in Verse eight, “So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, (9) according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense . . .”
Every day, one of them would be chosen by lot to burn incense in the Holy place. Because there were so many priests, they were only allowed to burn the incense once in their lives, and still some never got the chance to do it.
For a priest to receive the honor of burning the incense was the greatest day of his whole life. In this case the lot finally fell to Zechariah, and in an instant he was at the climax of his life and ministry. This was without a doubt the greatest day in all of his life.
A FEARFUL PRIEST
There can be little doubt that his heart was filled with both awe and fear as he stepped into the Holy Place. Verse nine continues, “…. when he went into the temple of the Lord. (10) And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. (11) Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. (12) And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.”
Gabriel spoke and prophecy, which had ceased at the close of the Old Testament times, occurred for the first time in 400 hundred years.
The text says that Zacharias was “troubled and fear fell upon him.” That is a tremendous understatement. He wasn’t just startled! He was terrified at the sight of the angel Gabriel.
Zacharias was going about his “religious duties” but he never envisioned actually meeting God. I wonder what that says about our own attendance in “worship services,” we come to worship God but do we have any idea that we might actually meet up with Him. Like so many of us today, he seems to have believed in God, but never have expected God to work in his own life.
He served God but he was not ready when God spoke to him personally. He did not live with the expecting God to act in his life.
Think of how you would have felt in that awesome place, where you were you alone were allowed, when suddenly you realized that you were not alone, there was another person present with you.
A FAITHLESS PRIEST
Verse thirteen reveals that the angels first words, were words of comfort; “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias.” But the angel’s next words are a bombshell. The angel continues with “for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
He assures Zachariah that his prayers have been heard. Zachariah was no doubt praying for the redemption of Israel as he entered the Holy Place.
The angel tells him that his wife will bear a son and you are to give him the name, John.
John, Yohanan in Hebrew means, “God has been gracious,” or “God has shown favor.”
The angel continues in verse fourteen to reveal the character of this son. “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. (15) For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. (16) And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. (17) He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
This man, John, who would come to be called “the Baptist.” Was to be an extraordinary man! The Baptist would have a great heart. Jesus would later say of him in chapter seven verse 28, “ For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
You would think that after a lifetime of praying, that Zacharias would be overjoyed with the news of the angel. However, rather than voicing delight, Zach. Expressed doubt.
Zachariah response in verse eighteen, “And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
In spite of Zachariah’s godliness, his obedience to the law and a lifetime of service in the ministry, his faith was weak when it came to believing such a promise.
Zechariah says, “How can I be sure?” He uses an emphatic statement when he says. “For I am an old man.”
God’s blessing for Zachariah are limited by his own lack of faith.
There are several reasons that Zechariah as a man of faith should not have doubted.
First, Scripture gave proof of many times in the past when God had intervened in such a way. There are a number of supernatural births in the Old Testament. God was not promising to do something for Zachariah and Elizabeth that he had not done before and if God had done it before then he could do it again. Secondly, Zachariah was a priest, a man whose life had been characterized by faith. He should have known better. Finally, he was confronted by an angelic being so he knew the message was from God. We must conclude that since Zechariah was an upright man whose life was characterized by faith, his failure here is an aberration.
But because of his unbelief the angel says in verse nineteen, “… I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. (20) But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
Gabriel counters Zachariah lack of faith using his own words, “You may be an old man, but I am Gabriel.” Zachariah in asking, “How can I be sure,” is in effect asking for a sign. Gabriel grants him a sign, but not any sign that he might be expecting. He is to be temporary mute until the birth of his son in fulfillment of the promise.
A FAVORED PRIEST
vv. 21-25
“And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. (22) But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. (23) So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.”
The task that was given to Zachariah was one that could be performed in a relatively short time. The longer the delay in his return the greater the concern of those who waited became. They may have wondered if he had been struck dead it had happened before (Nadab and Abihu). When Zachariah did appear he could not speak.
Zachariah must have found it difficult completing his days of ministry, not only because of his handicap but because of his excitement. He could hardly wait to return to his home and tell his wife the good news.
Verse twenty- four tells us, “Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, (25) “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
God kept his promise, just as he always does, and Elizabeth, in spite of her years, conceived a child. As Jeremiah the prophet says, “There is nothing too hard for the Lord.” (32:17).
Not only was she to have a son, but the birth of her son was evidence that the Messiah was coming. These were exciting days indeed.
What a contrast between these two heroes of faith. Zacharias is given the promise, and refuses to believe. The result is his voice is silenced for nine months.
Elisabeth discovers she is pregnant, embraces the promise and chooses to remain silent for five months, until she meets Mary who has conceived the Christ child, and the Luke tells us that upon seeing Mary, Liz bursts into a song of praise the baby she is carrying is filled with the Spirit.
The reason for her silence I believe is twofold.
First is a practical reason I believe. Women who have experienced multiple miscarriages might be naturalluy cautious to say anything to anybody until she knew for sure the baby was all right and the pregnancy was a sure thing.
Secondly, I believe that Liz gives us an example of how to handle the promise of God. At times it is wise to be silent, and allow the seed that God has planted in our spirits time to germinate and grow.
So how does this apply to you and me today?
The story of Zachariah and Elizabeth has something to teach us about understanding how God works.
First, GOD SPECIALIZES IN THE IMPOSSIBLE. And we can trust him to equip us to do what he calls us to do.
The greater the challenge, the closer god is. The darker the day, the brighter His light. The deeper the pit, the Lord has gone even deeper to catch us.
Do not decry your impossible situation. The more impossible the case, the more that God will be glorified.
This was not the first time an announcement similar to this was made.
You only need to go to the beginning in Genesis where god makes a similar promise to another senior couple.
Genesis 18:9-15
9and they asked, "Where is your wife Sarah?"
"She is right there in the tent," Abraham answered.
10One of the guests was the LORD, and he said, "I'll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son."
Sarah was behind Abraham, listening at the entrance to the tent. 11Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was well past the age for having children. 12So she laughed and said to herself, "Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?" [a] 13The LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? 14I am the LORD! There is nothing too difficult for me. I'll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son."
15Sarah was so frightened that she lied and said, "I didn't laugh."
"Yes, you did!" he answered.
Here in verse 13, when Sarah hears God say that she’s going to bear a son - she laughs and says to herself, "Self- How possible do you think that is?" But God knew Sarah’s Laugh. In chapter 17:17 When God told Abraham that he was going to have a son, Abraham laughed too! And God knew Abraham’s laugh (17:17). This poses an interested contrast.
Abraham laughed at the promise too, but we can only assume since he wasn’t rebuked; that his laughter was indeed a burst of joy and mirth perhaps at the visual imagery of a 100 year old man being the father of an infant child. But it seems clear enough from the fact that God rebuked Sarah that her heart was full of doubt at the giving of the promise.
When God called Sarah on her laughter - she burst out of the tent and proclaimed "I didn’t laugh!" But God is never fooled - not by clever words, and not by a silent mouth. It really was rather foolish for Sarah to try and deny to God’s face what she herself knew to be true.
We can’t fool God into thinking we trust him to work in us, if we don’t really trust him. Again, we consider Hebrews 11:11; if Sarah had not had true faith, there would have been no baby Isaac. We can deny our doubts, but God knows. Notice that God doesn’t rebuke her strongly here though. God’s reproof was gentle, because He knew that was all he needed. A gentle reminder that God is God and we are not; sometimes we need that.
Be honest with God if doubts arise in your hearts. If God is calling you to do something spectacular - it’s going to take faith, but no amount of contrived and insincere faith will do the trick. God knows the inner heart of what we think and he knows if we don’t believe him or trust him.
When you have come to the end of your hope. Hope that a certain family member will change his or her behavior. Hope that the medical problems you have ever be resolved. Hope that you will ever find the right job. Remember that nothing frustrates God.
God didn’t ask Sarah to get pregnant, nor did he ask Abraham to make her so. God committed himself to Sarah’s successful pregnancy . A miracle made all the more remarkable because it followed 90 years of Abraham and Sarah’s failure to conceive.
Could it be that there is something God is asking you to do - something you feel totally inadequate to accomplish? What is it that God has asked you to do that you can’t do? What call has God placed on your life, that you have shoved to the side, maybe even laughing at it?
Be assured of this: GOD SUPPLIES THE TOOLS FOR THE TASK HE ASSIGNS! He is "The God Of The Impossible." And we can trust him to equip us to do what he calls us to do.
Secondly, GOD’S DELAYS ARE NOT ALWAYS HIS DENIALS. Never confuse a “wait” with a “no.” God may simply be saying that you will have to wait. When faced with a wait we can either allow it to cause doubt or we can you the time to grow in our spiritual walk.
Let’s take a look a another unsung hero of the Christmas drama, and learn from his example . It is found in Luke 2:22-32.
It is about an nother old preist named Simeon.
Simeon was a good man.He was devout.
He was devoted to praying to God, reading God’s Word and meditating on it. And the Spirit revealed to Him that he would see the Messiah. He was not going to die until the Messiah had come.
We don’t know when he found out, or how long he had been waiting.
It could have been months.
It could have been years.
It could have been decades.
Nevertheless, we are left with the impression that this is a patient man.
He has been living in expectation. He has had a longing and a focus that has not given up. He has been anticipating the coming of the Lord’s Messiah.
And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God… (27-28).
We don’t know what Simeon was looking for in his own mind. Perhaps he was expecting a king to come out of the sky.
Or perhaps he was expecting a warrior to release them from Rome. Though we don’t know what he was expecting, we do know that when Joseph and Mary showed up with Jesus, he knew!
All that he has longed for has finally come. His great desire has returned. The wait is over.
Can you imagine what it must have been like for him?
I can see him knowing and then moving quickly toward Mary and Joseph.
I can see his eyes filled with tears.
I see him with quivering hands and a trembling body.
I see him taking the child from Mary and gazing at Him, blessing and worshipping God, and then giving this most magnificent acclamation.
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
As he holds Jesus, he knows salvation has come. This is the One!
Yes, it may be strange to see it in a baby. How can one know the future of one so new and small?
But Simeon knows. This baby is the One. This baby is the One through whom God would save His people.
And here Simeon stands holding Jesus, standing in the gap between the covenant and the new.
All the promises that have been made by God…everyone of them…are now being held in his arms.
He is holding the promise.
He is the salvation for all mankind…men, women and children. No one has to live in darkness anymore. Everyone can know the truth.
What are you waiting for God to do for you today? Is it the salvation of a child or spouse? What have been holding in your heart that you are afraid to let go of?
When the angel came and announced the birth of Kohn the Baptist it is interesting to note the contrast in responses between Zach. And Liz.
Zachariah has a first hand first person promise, and he responds with doubt. Liz, discovers that she is pregnant after waiting for so many years. She responds by embracing the seed in her womb and not saying anything until the time was just right. But she knew, God fulfills His promise.
How long have you been waiting? One month, one year? Ten years?
Don’t give up. Embrace the word the Spirit has given you, and continue to serve God believing that it will come to pass in His time.
Galations 4:4-5, But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, 5so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God's children. ( CEV)
Which leads to my final application point,
Third, when God does choose to intervene it is always for His glory and our good.
Let’s turn back to our main passage. Look once more at Elizabeths response to the realization that she is indeed pregnant, and that God has now, finally fulfilled his promise to her.
Now before I read it again, sit back and think for a moment.
Elizabeth is maybe in her late 50’s or early sixties. Some commentators have even suiggested both Elizabeth and acharias were well into their 70’s when this happened.
They have been married for at least 40 or fifty years. As young people they would have been trying and trying to have a child. And as the months and years wore on, so did their hope for a child.
Now, when they are in the twilight years of life, the promise becomes a reality.
Now they have to get a nursery ready. Now they have to buy baby clothes. Now they have to think about all the responsibilities that go aith parent hood.
IN the natural it seems crazy that this should take place at this time in their lives.
That is how it is with God’s ways.
God may not answer your prayer in the way that you expected, but you can be assured that God’s way is best.
How will you respond? Will you embrace the promise, or will you deny the promise?
Listen again to Liz’s response
24After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying,25"Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me,(AX) to take away my reproach among people."Elisabeth embraced the promise. She did not understand all that God was doing, but she reamianed confident that God was in control and that He would be working all things for her good and His glory.
It is Romans 8:28, where the apostle Paul writes, "… we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
That is a wonderful verse of Scripture, but I think that sometimes we don’t really understand what it is saying. Some people seem to think that it is telling us that God has promised those who love Him that everything that will happen to them will be good. But that is not true. That is not what God is promising at all.
ILL. Back in 1921, a missionary couple named David & Svea Flood went with their 2-year-old son from Sweden to the heart of Africa – to what was then called the Belgian Congo. They met up with another Scandinavian couple, the Ericksons, & soon the 4 of them felt led by the Lord to move out of the central mission station & take the gospel to one of the more remote areas of the Congo.
At the village of N’dolera they were rebuffed by the chief, who would not let them enter his town for fear of alienating the local gods. So the two couples decided to go half a mile away & build their own huts.
They prayed for a spiritual breakthrough, but there was none. Their only contact with the villagers was a young boy, who was allowed to sell them chickens & eggs twice a week.
Svea Flood – a tiny woman only 4 feet, 8 inches tall – decided that if this boy was the only African she could talk to, she would try to lead him to Jesus. And in fact, over a period of time she succeeded.
But there were no other encouragements. Meanwhile, malaria struck one member of their little group after another. In time the Ericksons decided they had had enough suffering & left for the relative security of the central mission station.
Then, in the middle of this primitive wilderness, Svea found herself pregnant. When the time came for her to give birth, the village chief softened enough to allow a midwife to help her. A little girl was born, whom they named Aina.
The delivery, however, was difficult, & Svea was already weak from malaria. The birth process was a heavy blow to her stamina. She lasted only another 17 days
Inside David Flood, something snapped. He dug a crude grave, buried his 27-year-old wife, & then took his children back to the central mission station.
Giving his newborn daughter to the Ericksons, he snarled, “I’m going back to Sweden. I’ve lost my wife, & I obviously can’t take care of this baby. God has ruined my life.” With that, he left, rejecting not only his calling, but God Himself. Eight months later both of the Ericksons were stricken with an illness & died within days of each other. The baby was turned over to some American missionaries, who adjusted her Swedish name to “Aggie” & eventually took her with them back to America.
As a young woman, she attended North Central Bible College in Minneapolis. There she met & married a young man named Dewey Hurst. Years passed. The Hursts enjoyed a fruitful ministry. In time her husband became president of a Christian college in the Seattle area.
One day a Swedish religious magazine appeared in her mailbox. She had no idea who had sent it, & she couldn’t read the words. But as she turned the pages, all of a sudden a photo stopped her cold. There, in a primitive setting was a grave with a white cross - & on the cross were the words “Svea Flood.”
Aggie jumped in her car & went straight to a college faculty member who, she knew, could translate the article. “What does this say?” she asked.
The instructor summarized the story: It was about missionaries who had come to N’dolera long ago … the birth of a white baby … the death of the young mother … the one little African boy who had been led to Christ … & how, after the whites had all left, the boy had grown up & finally persuaded the chief to let him build a school in the village.
The article said that gradually he won all his students to Christ … & the children led their parents to Christ … even the chief had become a Christian. Today there were 600 Christian believers in that one village alone …
All because of the sacrifice of David & Svea Flood. Wow!
But that is not the end of the story. Let me continue:
For the Hurst’s 25th wedding anniversary, the college presented them with the gift of a vacation to Sweden. There Aggie sought to find her real father. An old man now, David Flood had remarried, fathered 4 more children, & generally dissipated his life with alcohol. He had recently suffered a stroke. Still bitter, he had one rule in his family: “Never mention the name of God because God took everything from me.”
After an emotional reunion with her half brothers & half sister, Aggie brought up the subject of seeing her father. The others hesitated. “You can talk to him,” they replied, “even though he’s very ill now. But you need to know that whenever he hears the name of God, he flies into a rage.”
Aggie was not to be deterred. She walked into the squalid apartment, with liquor bottles everywhere, & approached the 73-year-old man lying in a rumpled bed.
“Papa?” she said tentatively. He turned toward her & began to cry. “Aina,” he said. “I never meant to give you away.” “It’s all right, Papa,” she replied, taking him gently in her arms. “God took care of me.”
The man instantly stiffened. The tears stopped. “God forgot all of us. Our lives have been like this because of Him.” He turned his face back to the wall.
Aggie stoked his face & then continued, undaunted. “Papa, I have a story to tell you, & it’s a true one. You didn’t go to Africa in vain. Mama didn’t die in vain. The little boy you won to the Lord grew up to win that whole village to Jesus Christ. The one seed you planted just kept growing & growing. Today there are 600 African people serving the Lord because you were faithful to the call of God in your life ….”
“Papa, Jesus loves you. He has never hated you.” The old man turned back to look into his daughter’s eyes. His body relaxed. He began to talk. And by the end of the afternoon, he had come back to the God he had resented for so many decades.
A few years later, the Hursts were attending an evangelism conference in London, England, when a report was given from the nation of Zaire (the former Belgian Congo).
The leader of the national church, representing some 110,000 baptized believers, spoke eloquently of the gospel’s spread in his nation. Aggie could not help going to ask him afterward if he had ever heard of David & Svea Flood.
“Yes, madam,” the man replied in French, his words then being translated into English. “It was Svea Flood who led me to Jesus Christ. I was the boy who brought food to your parents before you were born. In fact, to this day your mother’s grave & her memory are honored by all of us.”
He embraced her in a long, sobbing hug. Then he continued, “You must come to Africa to see, because your mother is the most famous person in our history.”
In time that is exactly what Aggie Hurst & her husband did. They were welcomed by cheering throngs of villagers. The most dramatic moment, of course, was when the pastor escorted Aggie to see her mother’s white cross for herself. She knelt in the soil to pray & give thanks.
Later that day, in the church, the pastor read from John 12:24, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground & dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” He then followed with Psalm 126:5, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.”
(The story of Svea Flood was adapted from the book, “Fresh Power” by Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI)
INVITATION: have your circumstances caused you to lose your hold on hope? Will you dare to come forward, and once more dedicate that dream back to God?
THE FACES OF CHRISTMAS
The Face of DOUBT
Luke 1:1-25
INTRODUCTION:
Nevertheless, even in the darkest of days, God has His faithful servants who continue to shine a light in the darkness.
Malachi 4:5-6
A _______________________________________________PRIEST: 5-9
A _______________________________________________PRIEST: 10-12
A _______________________________________________PRIEST: 13-17
A _______________________________________________PRIEST: 21-25, Jeremiah 32:17
The story of Zachariah and Elizabeth has something to teach us about understanding how God works.
First, GOD SPECIALIZES IN THE ____________________________ Genesis 18:9-15
Secondly, GOD’S DELAYS ARE NOT ALWAYS HIS_____________ Luke 2:22-32.
Third, WHEN GOD CHOOSES TO INTERVENE IT IS ALWAYS FOR HIS_______
AND OUR _________________Romans 8:28
RESOURCES
Sermoncentral sermons: "How Can I Be Sure?" by John Hamby
Warren weirsbe ; Commentary on the New testament
Frank Gabelien, Expositors commentaries
Spirit filled Life Commentary on the New Testament, Luke
