A priest named Zacharias in the division of
Abijah, and he had a wife from the
daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
They were both righteous in the sight of
God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and
requirements of the Lord.
But they had no child because Elizabeth was
barren.
They were both advanced in years.
Now it happened that while he was performing
his priestly service before God in the appointed
order of his division, according to the custom
of the priestly office, he was chosen by
lot to enter the temple of the Lord
and burn incense.
The whole multitude of the people were in
prayer outside at the hour of the incense
offering.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to
him standing on the right of the altar
of incense.
Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel,
and fear gripped him.
But the angel said to him, Do not
be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been
heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you
a son, and you will give him the
name John.
You will have joy and gladness, and many
will rejoice at his birth.
For he will be great in the sight
of the Lord, and he will drink no
wine nor liquor, and be filled with the
Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb.
He will turn many of the sons of
Israel back to the Lord their God.
It is he who will go as a
forerunner before him in the spirit and power
of Elijah to turn the hearts of the
fathers back to the children and the disobedient
to the attitude of righteousness, so as to
make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Zacharias said to the angel, How will I
know this for certain?
For I am an old man, and my
wife is advanced in years.
The angel answered and said to him, I
am Gabriel who stands in the presence of
God, and I have been sent to speak
to you and to bring you this good
news.
And behold, you shall be silent and unable
to speak until the day when these things
take place, because you did not believe my
words, which will be fulfilled in their proper
time.
The people were waiting for Zacharias and were
wondering at his delay in the temple, but
when he came out he was unable to
speak to them, and they realized that he
had seen a vision in the temple.
He kept making signs to them and remained
mute.
When the days of his priestly service were
ended, he went back home.
After these days Elizabeth, his wife, became pregnant
and she kept herself in seclusion for five
months, saying, This is the way the Lord
has dealt with me in the days when
he looked with favor upon me to take
away my disgrace from among men.
And over to verse 57.
Now the time had come for Elizabeth to
give birth, and she gave birth to a
son.
Her neighbors and her relatives were heard that
the Lord had displayed his great mercy toward
her, and they were rejoicing with her.
And it happened that on the eighth day
when they came to circumcise the child, that
they were going to call him Zacharias after
his father.
But his mother answered and said, No indeed,
he shall be called John.
And they said to her, There is no
one among your relatives who is called by
that name.
And he made signs to his father as
to what he wanted him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote as
follows, His name is John.
They were all astonished, and at once his
mouth was opened, his tongue loosed, and he
began to speak in praise of God.
Fear came on all those living around them,
and all these matters were being talked about
on all the hill country of Judea.
All who heard them kept them in mind,
saying, What then will this child turn out
to be?
For the hand of the Lord was certainly
with him.
And just keep your Bibles open there.
Sean, come and join me for a moment.
I tried to share with you last Sunday
a little bit about Sean's small group on
Thursday, but there's more to it than I
realized, so I figured it's easier to get
the guy himself.
And it reminded me of Leighton Ford preached
for Billy Graham one day, and somebody was
sitting beside Leighton in the meeting the next
night when Billy spoke, and Leighton said, Were
you here last night?
And he said, No.
Why listen to the organ grinder when you
can see the real monkey?
So yeah, sorry I wasn't here last week.
I was working while everybody was doing their
presentation for the life group.
I'm going to just talk about what it's
about.
I'll just read a couple verses to help
me explain to you what the whole group
is going to be about.
John 7, 37.
Now on the last day, the great day
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out
saying, If anyone is thirsty, let him come
to me and drink.
He who believes in me, as the scripture
said, from his innermost being will flow rivers
of living water.
But this he spoke of the Spirit, who
knows who believed in him were to receive,
for the Spirit was not yet given, because
Jesus was not yet glorified.
And we're just going to be studying about
spiritual gifts.
And I'm really excited, like as I'm studying
about this, God's been kind of revealing stuff
to me, and I'm learning as I go
too.
And I think the main thing about this
group is we're going to be seeking God's
face, and we're going to just come to
Jesus, and we're going to thirst, and we're
going to hunger after him, and we're going
to seek his face together.
And just like I said, if anyone is
thirsty, come to me.
And then on top of that, he gives
us this promise that from his innermost being,
rivers of living water will flow from us.
And he's talking about the Spirit of God.
And how exciting is that, that the Spirit
of God flows from us, that through us,
God reveals himself to other people.
And I'll just read another verse, 1 Corinthians
12, 7, I think.
But to each one is given the manifestation
of the Spirit for the common good.
And manifest means to make clear or to
reveal.
And that's just really exciting, that God reveals
himself through us.
God makes himself clear through us.
And each one of us, God has given
a manifestation for the common good, that we're
his sheep, we hear his voice, and God
wants to prophesy through us.
God wants to speak to his people through
us.
There's people here that God has divinely enabled
to heal the sick, and to raise the
dead, and for signs and wonders and like
that.
And that's what it's about.
We're going to seek God's face, and we're
going to study about the gifts of the
Spirit.
And we're going to learn what it means
to be a witness.
We're going to learn what it means to
advance his kingdom.
And we're going to partner with God.
Not saying that I have arrived there, I'm
learning as I go.
I'm seeking his face.
I'm hungering after him.
And that's what we're just going to do.
On Thursday night, seven o'clock, be there.
Be square.
Thanks, Sean.
See, he said it much better than I
did last week.
And so, sorry buddy, I wasn't implying that
you're the real monkey.
So, I repent of that.
In Luke's gospel, as we started off last
week, we looked at the introduction and why
he had penned the words that the Holy
Spirit gave to him.
And the next section here deals with Zachariah
and Elizabeth.
And so, that's what we want to spend
a few moments on together this morning.
And I want to just walk through the
text and see the things that are of
tremendous encouragement and value to you and me
today.
When you think about this couple, the first
thing I'd like you to think about is
that they had the challenge of trials.
And their particular trial that's mentioned is childlessness.
But many times we just leave it there.
But when you think about the challenge of
trials, there are all kinds of them.
And there's a great deal to learn from
Zacharias and Elizabeth when you think about trials.
Anybody here who's never had any trials or
difficulties?
No, we all understand that, right?
And so, we see here the first thing
that I would say to you is, even
righteous people suffer.
And sometimes there's this idea that because we're
a Christian, everything should be clear sailing and
there should never be any problems.
But this teaches us so clearly that even
righteous people suffer.
As you look at the text and what
it is saying to us about Zacharias and
Elizabeth in verse 6, it says that they
were righteous in the sight of God, walking
blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of
the Lord.
That's a tremendous testimony about where they are
with God.
And yet, they still know that there are
trials in life.
And that's true, I believe, in all of
our lives at one time or another.
And so as you think about this, just
notice with me that the trial is not
a judgment.
It is not a punishment from God.
And sometimes we have the idea that if
things are not where we think they should
be, there's some kind of punishment or, oh,
I've done something wrong, or it's just me.
This is kind of my life, and that's
how it goes.
But just notice now, these are righteous people
who are walking in fulfilling the commandments of
God.
And so, it's not about that.
It's not a judgment.
It's not a punishment.
In fact, they are loved and chosen by
God.
And as you see here, there comes an
announcement to them.
An angel comes.
And I have a good, vivid Irish imagination,
and I can picture Zacharias at the altar
of incense doing his priestly duty.
And then there stands this angel, and it
says he was troubled.
Zacharias was troubled, and he was fearful because
of the appearance of the angel.
Now angels are messengers sent on special duty
from the Lord, and this is Gabriel who
stands in the presence of God.
And there are some people who say that
Jesus is a good man, Jesus is a
prophet, Jesus, some people teach, is the Archangel
Michael.
There's all kinds of erroneous teaching about who
Jesus is.
But would you notice with me that as
Gabriel comes and makes the announcement about the
coming of John the Baptist into the world,
he also says that this one, John, will
be the forerunner for him who is the
King of angels.
He's not an angel.
He's the King of kings and the Lord
of lords.
And as you just ponder, you know, the
effect of things as the announcement happens to
Zacharias and the troubling and fear that he's
experiencing, and then go a step further, it
just tells us that in verse 24
that when he had gone back home, Elizabeth
became pregnant.
But just picture his going home.
Hi Zacharias, I'm so glad you're home.
Is there something wrong?
What's going on?
Just think about the effect when Zacharias writes
for her.
And in Hebrew, it would be from the
wrong side for us.
So get used to it, you Hebrew scholars.
How do you think she must have felt
when he wrote, an angel came to announce
that we are to have a son?
You see, the gospel of Luke, as with
the other gospels, is about God speaking into
human hearts and human lives.
And this morning, as you come together to
worship, it is the Spirit of God who
takes the Word of God and speaks it
into our hearts and into our lives and
into our circumstances and into our trials.
And you know, when you think as righteous
people, others must have looked at them and
said, oh my, look at all the problems
they have.
But when God answers and he speaks into
their lives, how powerful is that?
How many of you have ever read Pilgrim's
Progress?
I see those three, four hands.
Five, six, nine.
It's a very good book.
It was written by a man walking with
God, but he was in Bedford jail when
John Bunyan wrote it.
And he was suffering, but out of that
suffering came such a tool that God has
blessed over the centuries, and it's become a
classic for us to read.
Second thing I want to notice this morning,
just in our text, as we think about
Zechariah and Elizabeth, is that they faced not
only the challenge of trials, but the challenge
of time.
Time.
A long time had gone by since they
began praying.
But you know, we read in Galatians 6
and verse 9 a promise from God.
This is what it says.
For we shall reap in due season, if
we faint not.
You see, we tend to think that prayers,
our prayers are forgotten or unanswered, but the
prayer is not rejected just because the answer
is long in coming.
You see that?
That's one of the powerful things that you
see when you look at this couple.
They had prayed, yes, and trusted, yes, and
walked in righteousness and in his truth, yes.
And that prayer was never rejected just because
it was long in coming.
And I guess I would say to you,
when you think about the child that is
spoken of, how sweet it is to know
that this child who answers that long time
prayer is also the instrument of God.
Wonderful.
And in this little section too, we see
the nature of true greatness.
The angel is speaking to Zacharias, and he's
telling him a little bit about what his
son is going to be like.
And he's saying that he will be great
in the sight of God.
Oh, just stop for a minute and think
about that.
What would you feel as one who's about
to become a parent, and you hear the
word coming from heaven that says, this child
is going to be great in the sight
of God?
I don't think that Caesar in Rome was
too worried about John when he was born.
I don't think he took any notice of
him when he went into the wilderness to
be trained by the Holy Spirit.
But I'll tell you what, he's a man
who's greater in the sight of God than
all the Caesars put together.
That's the measure of true greatness.
And I think about how God blesses this
couple, not only with the announcement, but some
ongoing information.
You see how the Lord is such an
encourager?
It would have been enough, I think, for
me if he had said, listen, you're going
to have this child.
I would have said, well, you know what
I would have said, but the Lord goes
on through the angel to say, and this
child is going to be great in the
sight of God.
And this passage also teaches me that it
is never too early, no one is ever
too young to receive the grace of God.
Because it tells us that John would be
filled with the Spirit of God, where?
In the womb.
How young is that?
You see, all the information that the Spirit
of God is giving here to Zachariah and
Elizabeth.
And it goes on to say what a
great minister before God he's going to be,
because he's going to turn hearts to God.
And sometimes I've pondered, Lord, what is a
preacher supposed to be?
Is he supposed to be an administrator?
Is he supposed to be a counselor?
Is he supposed to be a good accountant?
And is he supposed to be able to,
you know, do everything under the sun?
But the call of a good minister is
to turn hearts to God, period.
Oh, my friends, you see what definition the
Scriptures give to us?
God was not only touching a couple, but
he's preparing to change a nation through this
one life.
And oh, how I love that thought.
You see, you never know what God is
going to do with just one life.
We were blessed on Friday.
Roberta's not here this morning because she's in
Winnipeg, and we have a nice new granddaughter
called Morgan.
You never know what God is going to
do with one life.
And you never know what he's going to
do with yours as you're fully surrendered to
him.
The third thing I want to just look
at in the text here, not only the
challenge of trials and the challenge of time,
but also the challenge of truth.
Zacharias is looking at an angel.
How would you feel if somebody stood in
front of you right from nowhere to, there
they are, and said, I've come from the
presence of God, from the face of God,
with a message for you?
I think sometimes we're pretty hard on Zacharias.
But I'll tell you, when God interrupts, he
just, wow, there is the reality of eternity
standing there in the temple, in the place
of worship, and Zacharias is looking right at
him.
And I say it's the challenge of truth,
because where did Gabriel get his announcement?
God gave it to him, and he gave
it to Zacharias.
And Zacharias says, okay, well, you know, I'm
kind of old, and my wife is old.
I identify.
How do I know these things are true?
And isn't that the question when it comes
to the Scriptures?
How do I know these things are true?
It is really the challenge of truth, isn't
it?
And I'm sure all of us work with
or bump into folk who say, well, I'm
glad that that works for you, that you
have faith.
That's wonderful, but I don't think that that
works for me.
How do I know that these things are
true?
And you know, in that moment, I think
about the power of unbelief.
That's how we, when we face the challenge
of truth, when we fail to believe the
Word of God, look at what happens in
Zacharias' life.
Silence.
And you see, unbelief is like that.
It shuts us down.
It closes us up.
It moves us away from stepping and walking
by faith.
You think about the privilege and the portion
of the angels in the very presence of
God, looking upon His face, carrying without question
that message to a human heart.
And in our humanity, there comes a flow
of questions.
But the Scriptures say that the just shall
live by faith.
You think about Hebrews chapter 11, there's a
whole chapter of world changers.
How did they change the world?
By their strength and power?
By their ability?
No.
By faith.
By believing God.
By trusting Him.
I have a friend in the central Philippines.
His name is Jing Dubrico.
He's a district superintendent of district superintendents.
He has 60 alliance districts underneath his watchful
eye, could we say.
And years ago, when we were preaching together,
he got up and in a North American
conference, preached a message and said, I want
to start to speak to you today about
big.
Well, he is.
He's big.
And especially for a Filipino, he's big.
Do you know what his message was about?
Belief in God.
And he talked about how at the beginning,
there was just that seed planted.
And from it, by trusting and walking in
faith and believing the Word of God and
stepping out with Him, God grew His church
there in the Visayas area in the central
Philippines around the city of Cebu.
There is the challenge of truth.
My friends, this morning I would just say,
how are we doing with it?
The challenge of truth.
Do we allow the world to shut us
down because they like to mock the Word
of God?
Or do we walk by faith, believing in
Him?
Some time ago, I was asked to go
into a city to direct a crusade for
Billy Graham.
And when I met with the original committee
there, they said, we think we could probably
get as many as 1,500 people a
night together.
And I said, how many does your arena
hold?
And they said, about 9,000 around the
sides, and you can put another 1,000
to 1,500 on the ice floor.
So I said, so you reckon we just
put the 1,500 seats on the floor?
Yeah, I think we could probably fill them,
maybe.
Then one guy said to me, what do
you think?
What are you thinking about?
And I said, I was just wondering, where
are we going to put the overflow?
It was one of those God moments, not
because of John, but because of Jesus.
Because for a moment we lifted our eyes
off of what we knew we could do,
and we put them instead on a faithful
and loving God and what He could do.
Well, friends, I need to hurry along.
Let me go to the last thought from
the text.
In verses 57 through 66, there's also the
challenge of triumph.
This baby is born.
I mean, Zacharias has been quiet all this
while.
How long does that take?
Nine months.
Nine months, yeah.
He's been quiet all that time.
But he knows, because his wife is expecting
that child, that what God has said, God
will do.
And what a triumphant day it must have
been for the two of them when John
was born.
All the reproach of the years is gone.
All the difficulties and slurs and so on
that they have felt.
All the lies that the devil has thrown
at them over the years that would discourage
them and pull them down.
There they both stand in triumph as the
little one is about to be circumcised on
the eighth day according to the tradition of
his religion.
Do you know, others can't see it because
they're going on with tradition.
His papa's name is Zacharias.
His papa's name was Zacharias.
So the kid would normally be Zacharias.
And it's exceptional for mama to speak up
because papa can't.
And she says, his name is, and then
they look over at Zacharias, and he writes
exactly the same thing.
His name is John.
Faith believes despite the circumstances.
And human wisdom and all of that is
set aside in just trusting in the Lord.
And healing comes through obedience.
There's not just the miracle of a baby
that's born through John's coming into the world,
but there's a miracle of healing that takes
place in Zacharias' life.
Because he is healed that day, as in
obedience, he says what the angel told him
all those months before.
Respect for God comes on all the people
around that whole area as you read those
last few verses that we looked at.
And there's wonder at what God is doing.
Now my friends, we're going to meet the
Lord at his table in just a couple
of moments.
And as we just draw these thoughts to
a close this morning, what are you facing?
Are you facing the challenge of trials?
God does not love you any less than
Zacharias and Elizabeth.
Are you facing the challenge of time?
Have you prayed for a long time that
something would happen?
That prayer is not neglected because the answer
has been long in coming.
Are you facing the challenge of truth?
Can I really believe that God cares about
me?
You know, I think one of the challenges
of truth that I faced, and sometimes still
do, is when I think back over the
things that I did as a young man
on the wrong side of the law with
a gun in my hand.
How could God love me?
And perhaps there are some in our gathering
this morning, and that's a real question in
your challenge of truth.
I know God could love those other people
at the church, but me, with the things
I've done and who I am, He made
you.
He loves you.
He has purpose and plan for you.
And you know the challenge of triumph I
like because Zacharias and Elizabeth didn't say, here
he is, look at what we did.
And all the glory goes to God.
And when things are going good, it's so
easy to take the credit, isn't it?
But oh how wonderful to give to Him
all the glory.
God speaks and we must respond.
And He's speaking to our hearts today.
He's saying, when you look at my work
in Zacharias and Elizabeth, there's help for you.
There's hope for you.
There's healing for you.
And as we step by faith and believe
in Him, we'll always find Him ever ready
to touch us and to change us.
Let's just pray for a moment before we
come together at the Lord's table.
Dear Father, how we thank You for the
truth of Your Word.
We may sometimes feel alone in trials, but
if we are in Christ Jesus, You never
leave us nor forsake us.
We may sometimes feel that prayer goes unanswered,
but You never neglect the prayers of Your
people.
We may sometimes feel that time has gone
by in such a long way that it's
hopeless, but You are the God of hope
and grace.
We may sometimes, Lord, take the credit for
ourselves, but all the glory belongs to You.
Oh, precious Father, this morning as we worship
You and thank You, You are the King
of kings.
You are the Lord of lords.
Lord, we ask that You would just continue
to bring Your Word into our lives so
that we might be transformed by it in
the power of Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus' name we pray.