AM sermon preached at Central Christian Church December 5, 2010
Christmas Begins With Christ sermon series #1 John: Clearing the Path for Christ
Show sermon series slide---slide #1 as I’m heading up to the stage.
Once I’m on stage show slide #2 sermon title slide
Imagine this scene: It’s Sunday afternoon. You’re visiting someone in the nursing home. Suddenly in the hallway there’s a whole lot of commotion taking place. You peek your head out of the door to see if you can catch what’s going on and you overhear a conversation between the head nurse and an aid…. You’ve got to be kidding me? No, I’m serious. Mrs. Jones wants to take a pregnancy test. We are talking Elizabeth Jones in room 114, right? Yes, ma’am. That’s the one. She’s 93! What ever gave her the idea she was pregnant? Her husband. I asked him about it. And he acted like he had suddenly lost his hearing and his ability to speak. Now why would Zechariah do something like that? He’s never been the kind to pull a stunt like that. He’s always been a model resident. I know but all that’s apparently changed as of today. Personally if you were to ask me, I’d tell you---I think he’s went off the deep end. I mean seriously, Zechariah’s claiming that while he was setting up the chapel for this afternoon’s worship service that an angel told him that he and Liz were going to have a baby. Look. Here’s the note he wrote me. Read it for yourself…
Think about it---If you were in a nursing home and that kind of thing happened---how would you react? Would you find the situation humorous? Would you think “these poor nurses. I’ll bet they have to deal with crazy stuff like this all the time.” Would you wonder what caused the old man to snap? Would you wonder about Mrs. Jones and her believing her husband? Would you think that the old couple had come up with the idea in hopes of getting out of the nursing home? Think about it---but don’t think too hard about it because the reality is, of course, that that kind of thing will probably never happen to you. But something kind of like that happened about 2000 years ago---not in a nursing home but in the city of Jerusalem. The story’s found in the opening chapter of the New Testament book of Luke.
There was this old man named Zechariah. He was a priest. And he was the lucky winner of a drawing, more or less, which had been conducted to see who would have the honor of serving in the temple as the priest on duty---whose role was basically to be the lighter of candles and burner of incense---while praying for the nation. The drawing had been held because there were far more priests than need for priests on duty. And if I understand the practice correctly---a person could only have the privilege of being the priest on duty once. Many priests never received the call during their lifetime. Zechariah may have been thinking that he was going to be among the ones who never got to serve---when he name came up. And so now---there he was in the temple---filling the honored role when he received a visit from an angel. Let’s read what happened… Luke 1:8-25… SCRIPTURE SLIDES….
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 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 call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” 19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 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 appointed time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
SHOW SLIDE #15
It’s so easy for us to be critical of Zechariah and his lack of faith. So easy for us to say---of course he should have believed what the angel told him---after all we are talking an angel here. We’re not just talking about another ordinary guy telling the old man he’s going to be a daddy. And Zechariah was a priest. He was a man of the cloth, some might say. A man of God. If anyone ought to have faith in an angel’s words, a priest should, right? But before we get too hard on ole Zech let’s put this announcement in perspective. There’s little doubt in my mind that both Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed that God would make them parents many, many, many times through the years. Because back then childless marriages were viewed differently then they are today. Today childlessness is very much socially accepted. Today we know about infertility issues. Today many couples choose to remain childless for various reasons. And today most people figure whether or not a couple brings a child into their home well that’s really their business. But it wasn’t like that back then. Back then childlessness was considered disgraceful. And when a couple was married for awhile and no children entered the scene---you can just about bet they were all but smothered by unsolicited advice. It was probably hard for them to go a single day without someone commenting on their situation. For you see that was because back then everyone pretty much had the idea that if children weren’t being born into a marriage that it was because had done some pretty bad things and as a result God was punishing them. But this obviously wasn’t the case with Zechariah and Elizabeth because back in verse 6 Luke had written that here was a childless couple where both persons had worked hard at living the kind of life God wanted them to live. Nevertheless---even though Zechariah and Elizabeth had tried their best to live lives that pleased God and they had prayed countless times for God to give them a baby---here they were old and without children. If you’ve ever prayed and prayed and prayed---for years you’ve prayed for God to do something which He has not done---then you can better understand Zechariah’s situation---and you’d certainly be less critical of his doubt. But there’s another reason for Zechariah’s doubting here---it’s the fact that Zechariah had to accept that with this angel’s visit to him God was breaking a 400 year silence. In the past God had spoken in lots of different ways to lots of different people. But the last person to have heard or been given a direct message from God was the prophet Malachi---and Malachi died about 400 years back. So Zechariah had to accept not only the message the angel brought about his becoming a Dad, he had to accept along with it the idea that God chose to break that long silence by speaking to him.
It’s often been said that Zechariah’s punishment fit his crime. It was his mouth and his failure to believe the angel’s announcement that got him in trouble and as a punishment the angel made it so Zechariah would be deaf and unable to speak for the duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. But I’m not so sure I agree that the punishment fit the crime. I look at Jesus public ministry and I read that He didn’t perform an miracles in his hometown of Nazareth---and the reason Jesus didn’t perform any miracles there was because of the people’s unbelief. That kind of makes me think if Zechariah’s punishment fit his crime the angel could have said something to the effect---well then fine. Since you don’t believe God can make you and Elizabeth parents in your old age---then that’s what you'll get. You’ll remain childless. And what’s more to prove to you that God has power over people’s bodies and He could have done what I said, I’m going to make it so you will never speak or hear another word as long as you live.” To me that would have been a punishment more fitting to he crime---to cause Zechariah to not only remain childless because of his lack of faith but to also silence him leaving him only to his own thoughts and regrets for the rest of his life. But God was much more gracious to Zechariah. True God took away Zechariah’s ability to hear and speak---but the punishment was temporary. God gave the old guy 9 mines of silence. 9 months to reflect on his reaction to the angel’s announcement. 9 months to look forward to the birth of a son whose ministry would lay the foundation for people to accept the coming Christ. 9 months to think about what he would say when his voice returned.
Now let’s fast forward those nine months. It’s been eight days since Elizabeth’s given birth to their son. Mother and child both appear to be doing well. But John’s voice and hearing haven’t yet returned. The time has come however according to Jewish law to circumcise the infant and to formally name him. Family and friends have gathered for the name giving celebration---and they’re throwing around their suggestions. I can almost imagine it----First, Zech’s cousin pipes in---How about Tom? Dick? Or Harry? Elizabeth’s best friend suggests Amos. A neighbor throws out “Gabriel” and adds “cause he looks like a little angel.” Everyone says “awwww.” Then Zech’s friend Daniel who had been the best man and who always came across as a little strange…one of those people who march to the beat of a different drum exclaimed “I like the name Inglebert! How about it, huh? Can we name the kid Inglebert?” Zech and Elizabeth just smiled as they continued to hear people out even though they’d already decided on a name. One of the more reasonable members of the family spoke up and said “I think you should name the boy “Zechariah” after his father.” Others all began to agree. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Let’s name him Zechariah.” Finally since the boy’s father couldn’t say anything, Elizabeth spoke up and said “we’re naming him, John.” “John? No one in the family’s named John. Why would you want to name him John?” Elizabeth insisted “John’s the name we’ve decided on and John’s what we’re going to name him.” Some present wondered if that was a wise choice and they wanted Zechariah’s input. Here’s the way Luke reports it. Luke 1:61-66
SCRIPTURE SLIDES
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” 62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
SHOW SLIDE #19
At that point Zechariah begins praising God and prophesying about John and the great things God was going to do through him. I’m not going to read or go into all that Zechariah said but I do want to zero in on one comment in particular. It’s found in verse 76—speaking about John, [SCRIPTURE SLIDE—SLIDE #20] Zechariah says, 76 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.” SLIDE #21 Zechariah hadn’t forgotten what the angel had told him about John---of course he hadn’t—remember he had nine months to replay the angel’s words in his mind. So that was to be John’s mission in life. He was to prepare people for the long awaited Christ who was coming.
Now let’s jump ahead about thirty years. Zechariah and Elizabeth are no longer in the picture. I assume they have passed away. Their son John’s now a man on a mission for God. He’s trying to prepare people for the coming of the Christ. Luke brings us up to speed in chapter three. We read in verse 2… [SCRIPTURE SLIDE –SLIDE #22] during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”
SLIDE #24
To say the least after all those years living in the wilderness John had developed some oddities. He dressed in camel skins and he ate honey and bugs. So it’s no wonder when he began preaching that people came out to see and hear this unusual man. And come they did, in spite of John’s lack of social graces, the people came in droves. Now you gotta love the way John greeted them… Skip down to verse 7 of chapter 3… SCRIPTURE SLIDES It reads like this… 7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
SLIDE #28
People coming to see John were greeted with “You brood of vipers!” Obliviously John had failed to read Carnegie’s book “How to win friends and influence people.” John talked of axes cutting down trees and the fires of judgment. Old timers would say of John---“now there’s a guy that preached hellfire and damnation.” But John did much more than warn people about the coming judgment, he preached about living changed lives. Remember the angel’s announcement to Zechariah? The angel had said about John that he would turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous.” And here in Luke chapter three we find that John also preached practical application of the truths he shared. He told people to share with others in need---to be honest in business---to not spread lies about others. But more than anything else John let people know that the Christ, the Messiah, the chosen one of God was coming and they needed to prepare themselves for his coming but turning their hearts back to God. We find proof of this especially in the book of John. So you don’t get confused, I want to point out that the book or gospel of John, the fourth book in our New Testament, wasn’t written by the John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth which we’ve been talking about---it was instead written by the Apostle John.
The Apostle John reports that at one point in time John the Baptist’s ministry of preaching to the crowds that came to hear him in the wilderness had grown to the point the religious leaders in Jerusalem thought they needed to investigate what he was doing and what he was preaching. [SCRIPTURE SLIDES] John 1:19-23 tell us… 19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[c] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
[SLIDE #32]
Now there are a lot of other interesting and thought provoking things we can read and learn about John the Baptist but they’ll have to wait for another day because I want to bring things around to the point of application for you and I today. You see there are probably people here today who came thinking it’s the first Sunday of December and that means we’ll be hearing a Christmas sermon and they’ve been wondering to themselves why’s Darren preaching on John the Baptist? I figured he’d be preaching on Mary or Joseph or the shepherds or wisemen. This just doesn’t seem much like a Christmas related sermon. Oh but it is friends. For it’s meant to help us to refocus our thoughts on the most important thing we can be doing not only for the next 20 days as we await the arrival of Christmas but for the rest of our days. And that most important thing we can do is this---prepare ourselves and others for meeting up with Jesus. Because one way or another that meeting will soon take place. This time of year, better than all others reminds us of this because we get so caught up in getting ready for Christmas. But listen friends, it’s so important that we truly understand and believe that our holiday preparations are secondary to heart preparations. The calendar lets us know that in 20 days it’ll be Christmas. That may or may not be so. Jesus may return before the 25th. And even if Jesus doesn’t return before the 25th it’s possible that you or I may not be here to celebrate the holiday. Far more certain then the coming of Christmas is the coming of Christ. And that’s why I’ve brought up John the Baptist’s ministry this morning. We need to see that we’ve got a mission from God that’s similar to John’s---and that just as God sent John He is sending us---to prepare people for the arrival of Christ. Our message is somewhat different but not altogether different than John’s. Like John our message is one of repentance and reprioritizing one’s life. We too want to turn people back to God and encourage them to live life the way God intends for them to live it. We too want to point people to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who can take away their sins and put heaven in their future. I don’t advise dressing up in camel skins and calling people vipers like John did. But we would do well to remember that John effectively reached a lot of people. And we’d do well to understand that it takes different strokes to reach different folks---and if God can use a guy with camel BO and locust breath to turn hearts back to Him, God can use us no matter what flaws or idiosyncrasies we may have. So I leave you with this challenge as you’re thinking about the coming of Christmas and as you’re preparing for the holiday’s coming---remember that Christmas begins with Christ. Remember that Christ is coming again. Prepare for His coming if you haven’t yet done so. And do what you can, let God use you however He can to help prepare others for the return of Jesus.
Last night Lori was on the phone with her sister and she mentioned that up where she lives---Washington, IL they had 5 inches of snow and it was still coming down. If we’d had that kind of snowfall this morning I wonder if that would have kept some of you from attending it to our worship service? One thing’s for sure if we’d had that much snowfall we’d have had to have cleared a path to the church in order for people to get here. You know though snow isn’t the only thing that sometimes blocks people’s paths to coming to worship or to Christ. Again the call of Christmas is all about clearing the path to God because that’s why Jesus came. He came to clear away the sin that blocked our way. He Himself became the path. It’s up to us to take the path He’s given. And He’s counting on us to point that path out to others.
Let’s stand for the invitation.
John preached these words--- 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
NOTE TO THOSE WHO READ AND OR CHOOSE TO MAKE USE OF ANY OR ALL OF THIS SERMON: I am sharing this sermon with the hopes it will be an encouragement to others. I apologize for any blatant typing errors! If you find any I’d appreciate hearing from you so I can correct them. I try to give credit where credit is due, noting writers and or sources to the best of my ability. I have for years been drawing from a wealth of sources including this website. I recognize that my mind and writing processes are fallible. I may occasionally fail to properly identify a source. Please do not take offense if you see anything of this nature. I never intend to plagiarize. Having said that I want you to feel free to draw from my message. When appropriate I hope you will give credit as I do. But most of all I hope Christ will be lifted up and God will receive the glory in all things.
