HOLY DAYS, HOLY PEOPLE
Ready for a miracle?
Luke 1:5-25; 57-65
Introduction – Christmas is 24 days away!
• Waiting for Christmas is hard…especially for kids.
• Sears catalog in October/November…wonder and wait
• Xmas is a time of waiting for many and it started that way
• God hadn’t spoken to his people for 400 years…waiting
• No angels had shown up with good news for Israel.
• No God fearing king to usher in an era of prosperity.
• No deliverers rose up to throw out the oppressors.
• No word from the Lord since the prophet Malachi. 400
• The worship of God had been corrupted.
• For the most part, God’s people were godless.
• The religious leaders were absolutely terrible.
• Sadducees were corrupt & getting kickbacks from Romans
• Pharisees were legalists who beat people down w/rules
• The Roman pagans were occupying the holy lands.
• They put Herod the Great in charge of God’s people because he was half Jewish.
• He beautified and expanded God’s Holy Temple and then hung a big Roman eagle right over the entrance way.
• These were dark times among Israel w/no hope on horizon
• You think it’s hard to wait for Christmas? Try waiting 400 years for someone to come or for something to change!
Segue: That was the setting of the very first Christmas. And that’s sets the stage for the very first Christmas characters.
Zechariah and Elizabeth (READ vs 5-7)
5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
Righteous in God’s eyes.
• That simply means they were in right standing with God.
• When God looked upon these people he saw faithfulness.
• These people were quietly doing good from within a crooked society & corrupted religion. True believers.
• And I want to point out…the Father noticed.
• Some of you feel just like Zech & Elizabeth….feel like you are the only one trying 2B faithful in your family, marriage, place of employment…know this: God sees your faithful…
• Careful to obey the commandments and regulations.
• Commandments refer to their personal conduct, they obeyed the Law of Moses, kept the faith.
• Also obeyed regulations which were the rules of worship
• If there was an offering required they gave it, if there was a religious holiday they observed it, if there was a church potluck they brought the 3 Bean Salad…or a Jell-O mold.
• For all that was going well there was heartache in their live
• Unable to conceive.
• In Jewish society childless couples were thought 2B cursed
• Everyone in town wondered what you’d done wrong, what God was punishing you for.
• In the ancient world kids were also your retirement plan.
• But time had gone by & they were now very old…the hope of children was gone…didn’t even think about it anymore.
Segue: They weren’t waiting for kids…they’d given up hope.
Serving in the Temple (8-10):
8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
• There were 18,000 priests on rotation for temple service.
• That’s about half of our town! A lot of priests.
• Because there were so many, only a few men served full time at the temple…the rest just rotated.
• So the priests lived and worked among the tribes of Israel
• Zechariah served twice a year.
• I know what some of you are thinking. I could just help twice a year because that’s the biblical standard!
• You help us get 18,000 people helping & we’ll call it a deal!
• These men would travel in groups to the temple to serve.
• Each priest would help offer the daily offering once in his life time.
• Roll dice…cast lots…to see who would do what.
• The idea was God would orchestrate the results.
• Imagine all the men waiting, wondering if this would be the time that they were chosen. Let me set the scene 4U
-First lot was cast to see who’d cleanse the altar & prepare fire…it was some guy we’ll call Reuben. Like the sandwich.
-Second lot was cast to see who would kill the morning sacrifice and sprinkle the altar, the golden candlestick, and the altar of incense…we’ll call him Sven. (a good Jewish name…it’s my story!)
-Third lot was cast to determine who would come and offer the incense….most privileged duty; once in a lifetime opportunity.
-Zechariah was chosen…he’d been waiting his whole life for this!
-It’s before sunup and hundreds of worshippers have gathered at the temple courts.
-The pressure is on Zechariah, he’d been trained for this day and crowds of people are waiting.
-Zechariah walked confidently but cautiously toward the temple, through the outer courts; and he struck a gong.
-That signaled the Levites to assemble and get ready to lead the gathered people in songs of worship.
-The other two priests (Reuben and Sven) joined Zechariah; one on each side of him. All three entered the holy place together.
-This was a really big deal. People were scared to go into the Holy Place…afraid they wouldn’t measure up, or be found unworthy
-One priest carefully set burning coals on the golden altar; the other priest precisely arranged the incense so it was ready to go.
-Then those two priests left the temple, and Zechariah was left standing ALL ALONE in the holy place.
-In front of him was the golden altar of incense; it was 18 inches square and 3 feet tall.
-Behind the gold altar was a thick curtain, which concealed the Holy of Holies, which was the Most Holy Place on earth.
-The presence of God was said to reside in there.
-Only the high priest could enter & only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Zechariah was inches away from God.
• This was a crowning moment for the priest Zechariah. This was on his bucket list. He’d been waiting all his life!
• But while he is making the incense offering in the grandeur of the holy place…
An angel of the Lord appeared (vs 11-17):
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
• Now remember all these people, many of them were pilgrims who traveled along way to get there…
• Are waiting outside for Zechariah to place the incense on the altar so the Temple can officially open.
• It’s kind of like standing in line all night for the black Friday sale and waiting for the manager to unlock the doors.
• And while they are waiting Zechariah sees an angel of the Lord and he was freaked out!
• Don’t be afraid.
• When people in the Bible encountered an angel they were always scared…Angels are…radiant, other worldly, and speak with authority.
• And this angel drops a bomb on good old Zechariah.
• You’re going to have a son.
• Name him John: “Jehovah is a gracious giver”
• Your son will be very special to you and to God.
• A Nazarite…set apart from birth…no wine & no haircuts.
• They were like the Special Forces of Jewish worshippers.
• And the angel says you’ll have great joy, gladness, rejoicing
• But here’s what interesting….after all the years of praying
Zechariah wasn’t ready for the miracle (vs 18-25):
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
• He had doubts! I’m old…and my wife is old.
19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
He was speechless!
• The angel said you don’t understand who you are dealing with…I am Gabriel.
• Official spokesperson for Kingdom of Heaven!
• God gave Zechariah a bit of a reminder about who he is.
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.
23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”
He didn’t believe his prayers would be answered.
• He waited a long time and nothing happened.
• The heartache was big. God seemed to be silent.
• He gave up. And some of you are in that same spot today.
• But there are several things we can learn from this story.
APPLICATION
• GOD HAS HEARD YOUR PRAYERS. (VS 13)
-That’s what the angel Gabriel said to Zechariah, and it’s true for us….God hears ours prayers.
-Some of you are praying for your lost kids to come home.
-Praying for your marriage to heal.
-Some of you are praying to have kids, or to find a spouse
-Some of you are praying for a job…things are desperate.
-Some of you are praying for healing for yourself/someone
-Some of you are desperate in your prayers, you’ve been waiting, and waiting and waiting!
-Please don’t leave here without knowing…God has heard.
James 5:16b “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
-I know what you’re thinking: Then why haven’t my prayers been answered?
• GOD WILL ANSWER AT THE PROPER TIME. (VS 20)
-You’ve been waiting, but did you ever consider that God is been waiting too? He’s been waiting for the proper time.
-Through all the years and tears of not having a child, all the prayers going up…God wasn’t saying “no”.
-He was saying…“not yet.” And when it was finally answered what an answer! Zechariah and Elizabeth’s child was the forerunner of the Messiah!
-He was the fulfillment of one of the last prophecies made 400 years earlier by the prophet Malachi!
-Do you think they were bummed out when they realized what God had been doing all along? No way!
-They wouldn’t have changed their story for anything.
-Sometimes God says yes, or maybe no, sometimes not yet
1 Timothy 2:6 - He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.
Romans 5:6 - “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”
1 Timothy 6:15 -For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
-But here is what’s most important about this story. Jesus.
• ALL OF OUR DESIRES AND NEEDS ARE ULTIMATELY MET THROUGH CHRIST JESUS. (VS 17)
-Zechariah and Elizabeth wanted a child. A baby. That was the desire of their hearts.
-But when the news of their baby came, what did the angel say?
-Your child will prepare the way for the coming of the Lord; he’ll be an arrow pointing to Jesus the Savior!
-Even though Zech & Eliz wanted a child, what they really needed, and what we really need is a Savior.
-Some of you have been given the things you prayed for, a child, a spouse, a healing, a job…but maybe you’ve never realized that your miracle is an arrow that can point people to Jesus.
-Some of you are still waiting for the miracle…maybe you’ve given up, maybe you fell hopeless…but where has that longing brought you? Your pain has brought you to the Savior.
-And even your tragedies can point other people to Jesus.
-We get so caught up in the things we want, we’ll beg and plead with God for answers, for change, for miracles…
-But the true meaning of Christmas, is that God sent the gift that everyone needs…Jesus.
-You may never get what you wanted out of this life…but our desires and needs are met ultimately through Jesus.
-He fulfills the our deepest needs on a deeper level.
-He takes our requests and says, I’ve got what you really need.
-Zechariah the priest got that. When his son was born, and his speech was restored…he said this.
68-70 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. 69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, 70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.
76-77 “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.
