Sermon: “First Angel in Luke”
Luke 1:8-14
A sermon for November 29, 2020
Pastor John Bright
Harmony & Swansonville UMC
Luke 1 “8 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 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.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”
Just before our reading today, the Gospel of Luke begins with a picture of barrenness – not Mary and Joseph… they will come later. We start with Zacharias and Elizabeth. In only a couple of verses we find out lots of background. They are both from the tribe of Levi. In the Old Testament, it was the Levites who would serve in the Temple worship. They were expected to have standards of behavior that would set them apart. In the old days of Methodism, pastors would actually do yard work in a shirt and tie. I heard about a Methodist Church in Southside Virginia that got upset when the pastor cut his grass in a short-sleeved shirt with no tie. HOW HORRIBLE! Things have certainly changed – thank God! Let me share how we are supposed to look at the pastor today. Clergy have been set apart for certain ministry tasks. We are set apart – not above. We walk side by side with the laity as the work of ministry in the local church so that we can win the lost and heal the broken hearted!
At the beginning of this Advent Journey through the Gospel of Luke, I want to make sure we see something right away – God looks at the heart of a person and knows what is going on inside each of us. God knew about Zacharias and Elizabeth – “6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”
You’ve heard this before - Jesus put it this way – Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”
The Prophet Samuel put it this way – 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
And in the Early Church, Peter wrote – 1 Peter 3 “3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
We are going to see in Zacharias and Elizabeth and Mary and Joseph a quality of inner righteousness – loving God and loving people. When the inner person is right with God, what flows out? Well, for these two folks in Luke chapter 1 – who are probably in their 60s – they observe the commandments of God. Why? Because what is inside flows outward. Jesus told the Pharisees that was not what goes in that defiles but rather, what comes out (Matt. 15:11) Just because they do what is right – doesn’t mean life is all good – they have no children.
Once is a lifetime offer for Zacharias – v.8-10
“8 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 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.”
All the priest from the Tribe of Levi were divided into groups that travel to Jerusalem twice a year for their time of serving in the temple. There were many jobs in the temple, but the most special was serving before the altar in the temple. Deep inside Solomon’s Temple that stood in Jerusalem in Jesus’ day, was the Holy of Holies that held the Ark of the Covenant. Just outside the entrance to the Holy of Holies, there was an altar for burning incense. One priest was chosen to burn the incense every evening. Each day there were about 50 priests serving – that would be over 300 in a week. Since there were so many, a priest could expect to have this honor once in their lifetime.
The incense represented the prayers of God’s people going up to God. I wonder how many times Zacharias and Elizabeth have prayed for a child? I wonder if those prayers ended years ago or decades ago? This was an hour of prayer for those gathered outside the temple. This was a time of prayer for people all over Israel. And now it was time for prayers to be answered!
The first angel in Luke appears – v.11-14
“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.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”
Let’s talk about angels for a few minutes. Every Christmas, there are certain movies that play over and over. Some are classics: “Miracle on 34th Street” “A Christmas Carol” (that’s my favorite!) “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Some are more recent additions to the list: “A Christmas Story” “Home Alone” and the debate still rages over can you include the original “Die Hard” movie as a Christmas Movie? The #1 movie on most lists is the 1946 classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” in which we meet the angel named Clarence who was once a man and now needs to help humans to earn his wings. Can we just agree not to get our information about angels from movies?
GotQuestions.org – “Angels are an entirely different order of being than humans. Human beings do not become angels after they die. Angels will never become, and never were, human beings. God created the angels, just as He created humanity. The Bible nowhere states that angels are created in the image and likeness of God, as humans are (Genesis 1:26). Angels are spiritual beings that can, to a certain degree, take on physical form. Humans are primarily physical beings, but with a spiritual aspect.”
In Luke, the angels we meet act as messengers for God to bring good news to men and women. The good news for Zacharias is good news for us – “for your prayer is heard.” It’s perfectly normal for us to wonder about this from time to time… especially when we have been praying for the same thing over and over – for weeks and weeks – for months and months – for years and years. After all this time, we can keep praying with the blessed assurance - for your prayer is heard.
I’m here to tell you – don’t give up praying – for the prodigal child. When I was lost in the wilderness of drugs and alcohol, my parents and grandparents did NOT give up praying for me. I often tell the guys in prison attending a Kairos weekend, “If you have a praying grandma, you might as well stop running because she ain’t gonna give up!” We have to keep praying – even when what we are seeking from God looks like it is impossible – ESPECIALLY WHEN WE THINK IT’S IMPOSSIBLE! God hears those prayers and maybe the miracle will take more than 60 years to come about… like for Zacharias and Elizabeth.
The angel tells him they will have a son. In the verses that follow, the angel explains that this will be a very special child. John will be used by God – filled with the Holy Spirit from birth – he will be like the prophets of old but this time the way is being prepared for the Savior to come. Can you imagine receiving this wonderful news? WOW! So what does Zacharias say? ““How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” v. 18
Before we give Zacharias a hard time for doubt and unbelief – we, too, would have a hard time believing that a miracle is coming. Why? Because the impossible will always look like it’s impossible until proved to be otherwise. When we are talking about the impossible – we want proof. We don’t think this is an impossible situation because we have read the story of John the Baptist over and over again. We will have the same trouble next week looking at the impossibility of a virgin getting pregnant.
In the face of impossible circumstances, our hope disappears. That’s what happened to Zacharias so the angel announces that he will be unable to speak until what was promised comes to pass.
No speaking v.19-20
19 And the angel answered and said to him, “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.”
Without hope that there is a solution for the impossible circumstance, Zacharias is unable or unwilling to believe the word given by the angel. I doubt we would be any different.
In Mark 9, a father brings his child to Jesus. The boy is controlled by a demonic force. Some deny there were such things and explain it’s all mental or physical illness. This is simple – if you don’t believe in demons you don’t have a Biblical view of angels (demons are fallen angels) and when Jesus heals the boy, He speaks of a spiritual cause – v. 25 ““Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Okay, now that we have that straight – the father tells them the disciples were unable to help the boy. I’m going to pick up the story at v.19:
Mark 9 “19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
That reply of the father, “help my unbelief” has been the cry of Believers through the centuries of the Church. Do we think we are the only folks to face impossible circumstances?
What about the Believers who are being martyred today? The organization, Open Doors, estimates that around the world, 8 Christians will be killed today for simply following Jesus. They join the Early Christian Church that was persecuted and killed.
What about the 2/3s world that has little or nothing compared to the middle class in our country? If you have 2 cars in the driveway of your own home it places you in the top 5% wealthiest in the world.
Why am I talking about this stuff? We who are safe and comfortable have a very different view when it come to faith and belief. You have heard me say before – more than once – the hopeful prayer of millions around the world is from Revelation 22:20 – “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
Can we believe there is a solution for our impossible circumstance? YES - Lord, help my unbelief.
Can we keep praying and keep praying for as long as it takes? YES - The Lord hears my prayer.
Can we look beyond the times of uncertainty and the view that the world is going to hell in a handbasket? YES - Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
There was hope for Zacharias and Elizabeth and there is hope for us. God’s Word contains the promises we need – now, grab them and never let go! Amen.
