Open your Bibles to Luke chapter 1 as we head into Christmas,
before we get to Christmas, before Christ's birth, there are
some things that occurred in Luke chapter one that we want to
look at tonight. Christmas is is God's plan.
It's God's promise. You know when He promised
Christmas, Genesis chapter 3 that far back and actually the
Bible tells us even before that, before the foundations of the
earth were laid, Christmas was planned.
I love the precision that the Bible declares to us when Luke
chapter one that God has embedded into our lives.
Psalm 3723 says the Lord directs here this the steps of the
godly. You know we ask for the Lord God
our day, don't we? God our year, God our week.
Guess what, the Lord directs your steps.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Psalm 3723, Psalm 139, that beautiful Psalm, verse 2, it
says, you know when I sit down or stand up, you know my
thoughts even when I'm far away. In Luke 12, seven, we're told
that the very hairs on our head are all numbered.
Numbered. When Jesus was born in
Bethlehem, it was precisely at the time the Lord had planned
and promised. You know, nothing in our lives
happens by chance. It's like, oh, good luck.
I never say good luck, always say Lord willing, well God's
will be done. And Isaiah Chapter 7 verse 14,
Isaiah the prophet said therefore the Lord himself will
give you a sign. Do you want a sign?
People say I want a sign. If God's real give me a sign.
Well he did. Isaiah the prophet, the Lord
himself will give you a sign. Behold the virgin, the the only
virgin that has conceived and bore a son.
The virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his
name Emmanuel. God is with us.
The world in which Jesus Christ was born, remember, was dark,
violent, oppressive, wicked, bereft of hope.
Israel and Israel has just had that history.
The Romans were ruling, people are under oppression and in to a
little place in Bethlehem was born a baby.
Nothing much has changed in our world since Jesus came.
Herod the Great, He was called the Great was King of Judea at
the time. He's called Great because he was
a master planner and builder and architect from 37 BC right
through to AD 4. Herod was in this position as
king of Judea at the time, as a vassal tyrant.
What does that mean? He was like a puppet ruler for
the Roman Empire. They said jump and he jumped.
Israel was living under the oppressive iron fist and rule of
Rome under Caesar. But tonight, Luke will tell us
in our study that the light of God always shines the brightest.
You know, when in the darkest hour, that's what Christmas is.
You and I need to realise in the modern scientific world we live
in that God still moves supernaturally.
God still moves supernaturally. He's not bound by any laws, the
laws of physics. Physics, yeah, He is able to do
the impossible. He is and always will be God.
God moves supernaturally. In verse 5 of Luke 1 we read
there was in the days of Herod the king of Judah.
Luke chapter one, verse five. It wasn't the days of Herod the
king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the division
of Abuja. His wife was of the daughters of
Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth, and they were both
righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord, blameless.
So here's a couple who were godly, but they had no child
because Elizabeth was barren and they were both well advanced in
years. In other words, they were in the
ages past normal reproductive systems.
So we are introduced to an elderly couple, Zacharias and
Elizabeth. An Angel appears to Zacharias
who was an elderly priest and he was serving his time faithfully
in the temple in Jerusalem. Luke calls both Zacharias and
Elizabeth righteous before God. Be nice to have someone call you
righteous before God, wouldn't it Doctor?
Luke also tells us they were both well advanced in years.
They were elderly, so they were godly and old.
That's a good, good thing for me because I'm getting old.
I just need to be godly. Sadly, they have never been able
to have a child. But they had no child verse 7
because Elizabeth was barren. So we find Zechariah faithfully
ministering in the temple as he always has done since he turned
the age of 25. That's when the ministry started
as a Levitical priest, and Zechariah is serving inside the
temple. At this moment, in the holy
place, the people are in prayer, located outside the temple.
Only the priest could go in. Inside.
Zechariah was burning incense for the whole week of which he
was serving. He was rostered on to serve
twice a year as a Levitical priest.
So twice a year he would serve at the temple and Elizabeth, his
wife, also a descendant of Aaron, we find the priestly line
had been Zacharias, faithful, loving wife for many years.
Zacharias, his name means God has remembered Elizabeth.
Her name means God is my oath. When you put the two together,
their names give us. God has remembered his oath.
In other words, God has remembered his promise.
Tonight you and I will be reminded that God always
remembers His promises to all of us.
What has God promised you? In other words, God keeps His
promises. You need to know that, and you
need to believe that God keeps His promises.
God promised us the Saviour and Christ came.
We celebrate Christmas. God has promised what He's
promised to come a second time. Acts chapter one, verse 11 Men
of Galilee, the Angel said to the disciples, as Jesus was
ascending into heaven, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so
come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven.
Isn't that amazing? I think that's amazing.
God will fulfil his promises. But Zechariah and Elizabeth,
both godly people who lived and served obediently, faithfully,
had no child, now Baron, in their youthful years, married at
an early age. Usually the woman is around 13
to 14 to 15 years of age. It's the time they get married.
She's lived all those years. Now she's gone past the age of
fertility served with her husband.
No child now age has taken away all hope.
They're not looking at having a child.
Barrenness was seen in Israel darkly.
Remember what happened with Hannah?
The Bible tells us here this. You need to know this because we
don't know what Christmas holds for us.
The Bible tells us the righteous to suffer.
How could a car accident happen to a pastor and his wife?
Then we're not immune. Zacharias and Elizabeth were
devout. They loved God and served him
faithfully. But Elizabeth remained barren.
People at that time considered, as I said, her barrenness.
However, as a sign that God was judging her, how many people
were were are quick to leap up? You know why that's happened.
You know how come, why you're going through this.
There's always someone ready to you know why this is happening
to you. We know and learn that that was
completely false because God wasn't judging her as the Holy
Spirit has declared succinctly through Luke, God had called
Elizabeth righteous verse 6, verse 6 and they were both
righteous before God walking in all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Couldn't have got a better couple, Couldn't have got a
better God fearing God serving couple.
But Elizabeth's heart, as was Hannah's, was broken because of
her infertility. She wanted to be a mum, have a
family. She struggled with this all her
life. You see, the righteous do
suffer. Just because both Elizabeth and
Zechariah were right before God, he a priest, and they both
faithfully served God, did not mean that they were immune from
sorrows. Sadly, you deceive yourself.
And I think that's a very sad thing that is often poured out
from many pulpits, that once you become a Christian, everything's
just going to be great because you fall into depression.
When, oh, how come I'm going through a difficult time?
Why is this happening to me? You know what's going on, God,
because that's a false gospel. You deceive yourself if you
think if I go to church, if I pray, if I love Jesus, if I'm a
good person, then nothing bad will happen to me.
The Bible teaches us that that just is not so.
Ask a fellow called Job. God, praise Job.
There's no man on earth like Job, he said.
Well, there's another Jesus Christ, Innocent.
Did any bad things happen to Jesus?
Oh my goodness. But the Lord will be with you.
God will help you in the fire, as He did with Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. The flood He did with Noah and
the storm as He did with the disciples as they rode across
the Sea of Galilee. God has a master plan, Ephesians
chapter 1 tells us for your life, things that he has
prepared, good works He has prepared for you and even you
know in my life, in your life. There are even things that he
says Keith needs to go through this time of suffering.
I can look back on my life. That's why the book of
Philippians is so wonderful to me.
I went through the the worst time of my Christian walk, the
hardest time of my Christian walk really just decimated me.
But in that decimation, when I got to a place I thought I
couldn't get any lower. It was in that decimation that I
really learned about God's grace.
It was the school of grace that I learned.
I taught grace to tell you all about grace, to show you where
grace is in the Bible. But I only get by going through
that time of darkness that I went through.
Did I discover grace in reality? And then once I discovered
grace, I really had the peace of God that passes all
understanding. JC Royals says the grace of God
exempts no one from trouble. CS Lewis said God whispers to us
in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but God shouts in
our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a
deaf world. I think this is the only thing
that can turn our nation. Zechariah and Elizabeth the
barren childless continued to faithfully love and serve their
Lord. They did not abandoned their
faith. Oh, I've tried, Jesus.
I've tried going to church. They did not get mad at God.
Well, God, you know, if you're a good God, how come they didn't
do that? They didn't stop going to
church. Well, I'm done.
That's it. I'm going to church tonight.
If you're suffering, hear this. God knows you well.
Great. Hang on.
You got to understand this is where you need the word of God.
You need to understand what God is leading you.
He he leads us into these things.
He's with us. He wants us to grow and change.
God understands his plan and purpose for your life remains.
That's not changing. Keep your heart right.
Continue to serve him, follow him, and love Him just as
Zechariah and Elizabeth did. Don't grow weary in this.
For this couple, their barrenness was part of God's
special purpose and plan, as it is in all of our lives.
Man, did God have a special plan for Zechariah and Elizabeth.
We, we, we, we look at them and go, oh, if only we could be like
them. Have a child like they're going
to have you. See for this couple, their
barrenness was God's part plan as it is in our lives.
There are times when we don't get that job, we don't get that
situation or whatever we want and God goes, you know why
you're not getting it Because it will ruin you.
Job chapter one verse 12 the Lord said to Satan, behold, all
that he has is in your power only do not lay a hand on his
person. Nothing can come into your life
except what God allows. Now we may not like it, I don't.
I got to admit that we may not understand it, I don't.
This is what the Bible tells us when it declares Romans chapter
one verse 17. For in it the righteousness of
God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written.
You see, I don't understand. I don't like it.
But the just shall live by faith.
You get that? The just shall live by faith.
Nothing's changing my faith in God.
Habakkuk chapter 3 verse 17 says though the fig tree may not
blossom, so the the harvest isn't happening.
No, nor is there any fruit on the vines, though the labour of
all of my file. The fields, you know, yield no
food, though the flock may be cut off from the fold, there be
no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
See, This is why your joy can't be taken away for you, that
godly joy, because your joy is not in things or events.
Your joy in the Lord is in the Lord.
That's where your joy sits in Christ.
So we continue to trust God and God is still in control.
Zechariah and Elizabeth had no idea God would answer their
years of prayer in his time and in His way.
He would give them a baby boy, the name John.
They had no idea, however, this would happen, what God had in
store for them. Neither do you or I Tonight.
We don't have any idea what God has in store for us.
I love talking to young people. I like talking to anyone who
really gets serious about serving the Lord.
I go, you get serious about serving the Lord, you have no
idea what God has in store for you, and it's going to be
amazing. Don't be discouraged, don't give
up. God has a definite plan and a
purpose for your life, you as an individual as you live before
him. In time, you'll look back and
see that divine perspective where he's guided you.
He's allowed that you've come through, but that's only you
know. As a one famous football coach
said, everyone has a PhD in hindsight.
So I have learned that my disappointments, my
disappointments are God's appointments.
Back in the temple, we find Zacharias faithfully serving.
His job is to look after the incense, burn the incense and
praying. What Zechariah was doing this
day. Only once in a lifetime would a
priest have this honour. Not all priests get the
opportunity to go into the holy place and to stand before the
vial. So it's not the holy of Holies,
it's the next one, the holy place.
The vial separates and before the vow was an altar of incense,
which was always positioned and going.
What's the altar of incense? It's the prayers of the Saints,
it's the prayers of the people, always going up before God.
Once finished this task, his job was to exit the temple, come out
of the holy place, go out to the people and then give the the
Levitical priestly blessing, which we often say after a
service here Numbers chapter 6, verse 24.
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine
upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countless
upon you and give you peace. That was his role.
But this day. Verse 10, it says verse 10, Luke
1, and the whole multitude of the people was praying outside
at the hour of incense. Then an Angel of the Lord
appeared to him, That's Zechariah inside standing on the
right side of the altar of incense.
And when Zechariah saw him, he freaked out.
He was troubled and fear fell upon it.
It's like there's no one in there.
Next minute, the Angel said to him, Don't be afraid.
Zechariah, notice this, for your prayer is heard.
You need to write that down to yourself.
Your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a
son. You shall call his name John,
and you will have joy and gladness.
Many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the
sight of the Lord, shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.
You'll also be filled with the Holy Spirit when even from his
mother's womb. Notice that he will turn many of
the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
He will also go before him. This is Jesus in the spirit and
power of Elijah prophet to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.
His job was to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Wow, He was to prepare the way for the coming of the Son of
God. Now Zechariah, old man, old
priest going about his job was troubled and afraid after 400
years because God hasn't spoken to Israel by prophet by anyone
for 400 years. Now the silence is broken the
first time in 400 years and God speaks.
God through Gabriel gives this message.
He says don't be afraid for your prayer is heard.
How long had Zechariah and Elizabeth been praying for a
child? From the day they got together?
Even before. Oh God, can't wait till we get
married. We have a family and that's what
couples talk about. Well, imagine that moment.
Zechariah is in the temple alone.
The Angel Gabriel appears, speaks to him about Notice,
speaks to him about his wife and son.
So God knows your family, knows your husband's name, knows your
son's name, knows your family's situation.
He knows all about your family. All those years of praying now,
now it was God's time to answer. You're going to need to note
that it's God's time to answer the prayer.
John by the way, means God is gracious.
What a son, what a child John would be.
God always on you need to hear this.
God always hears our prayers. Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for
your prayer is heard. You say Keith, well, well, good
for you to read that and say that.
But God didn't answer my prayer. No, he did indeed.
Well, how do you explain that He didn't if he didn't answer how
you wanted it? That's the deal.
If you were living in sin and, and, and many people today are
living in sin and praying and thinking, well, that's just all,
all good. I'm reading, as I said, reading
through Jeremiah and my devotionals, God says no sin has
separated us. It says in Isaiah the very same
thing. Behold, the Lord's hand is not
shortened that it cannot save, nor his ear heavy that it cannot
hear. But your iniquities have
separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face
from you. It happened in Jeremiah so that
he will not hear. God says I won't hear their
prayers until they repent and turn back to me.
You see, God hears your prayers. But if I allow sin in my life,
it may prompt him to refuse to answer my prayers as a man, as a
husband. The Bible tells me in Peter that
if I allow sin in my life by not treating my wife in a godly
manner, then my prayers are handed.
If you know of some sin tonight in your heart, what do you do
with it so your prayers can be answered?
You simply 1 John 19 and 10, confess it to God right now,
right now where you're seated and know that it is forgiven and
you will once again immediately have the ear of God.
God always hears your prayers. God's delays and not his
denials. But Keith, I've been praying for
years. Galatians 69 says let us not
grow weary while doing good. Your husband's not saved, your
wife's not saved, your mum, your dad's not saved.
Oh well, I'm stopping. Do you stop?
No. It's when you're here.
You keep praying for in due season.
Galatians 69. For in due season we shall reap
if we do not lose heart. You're the only one.
You're the only Christian in your family.
Well, God's got you there for your family.
That's your mission field. No one else is praying for your
family, but God has you praying for.
God wants to use you. God finally answered Zechariah
and Elizabeth's prayer, but when did he answer it?
In his time. Jesus was coming.
We need, we need John now. John, it's time.
The birth of John would be such a time of joy for this godly
elderly couple. And I like this too.
You know, there's no age in God using you if you're getting on
in years tonight or you think, oh, well, I served the Lord.
I was a Sunday school teacher when I was young, or I did this
when I was young. Stop, stop, keep serving the
Lord. The very breath that you breathe
is for you to serve him and serve him until he calls you
home. The birth of John, Gabriel said
of John that this, their son, their child would be great in
the sight of the Lord. Notice that great on the side of
the Lord, you say, Oh man, the world will just go.
John, you're the man. He'll be great on the side of
the Lord. That's where you want your son
to be great, your daughter be great.
Big deal. If they're great on the side of
the world, what does that mean? Nothing but to be great on the
side of the Lord. Gabriel gives instructions to
John as to how they are to raise this son, John in detail.
Read the detail. Do you know that he has done the
same for you and I today in detail.
The Bible is full in detail for every mother, every father.
It's all laid out. It's in Deuteronomy, it's in
Proverbs, it's in through the Gospels, it's in in Paul's
letters. How to raise a family, how to be
a father, how to be a mother. It's all there.
You don't need any other stuff. It says verse 15 for he'll be
great on the side of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor
strong drink. That's mom and dad's job.
It will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, when even from his
mother's 1. John was to be a man with a
heart holy after God set apart for holiness.
That's what the word St means. Sanctified dads, mums, we are to
take note that the most important aspect of your
parenting is to raise a child of God.
That's it. Gabriel tells Zechariah that
John as an infant, note Bible says as an infant will be filled
with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb.
Oh, the kids are too young to understand.
Stop that. When did Samuel go and start
serving the Lord? When was he hearing from God?
He's a little kid. When did David become the the
the the chosen 1? David, just a teenager, took on
Goliath. Stop holding back your children
from serving the Lord. Stop putting parameters on them.
Now. If John is an infant, is filled
with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb, with those
words from the Angel Gabriel, can you think of the horror and
implications of abortion? Just dreadful women say, well,
they demand the right to control their own body, but does one
person have the right to kill and dismember somebody else's
body? Later, John in the womb, when
Mary would meet Elizabeth, both pregnant, would leap for joy and
praise the Lord. Imagine having that kid in your
womb. Where's that organ music coming
from? There's a lot of clapping going
on in here. So we've seen the supernatural
power of God spoken and revealed by Gabriel.
We've learnt that the righteous suffer.
We don't like that, but there's a purpose, there's a plan.
We learnt that God answers prayer, but now we come across
an unbelieving silence. Zechariah said to the Angel.
Verse 18, How shall I know this? For I'm an old man and my wife
is well advanced in years. There's no chance we could have
a kid. Whoop.
Zechariah's response to the news from the Angel Gabriel was one
of unbelief. We don't have a child really.
And notice Gabriel's response to Zechariah's words of unbelief.
We need to note this the Angel answered, 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, but behold, you
will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things
take place. Why?
Because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled
in their own time. Here's the deal.
God expects us to believe him. Do you when your kids come up to
you and then I well, I don't believe you're going to do that.
Dad, Dad, mom, I don't believe you.
You go What? You don't believe in us?
You don't trust us. God expects us to believe him.
I'm going to say that again. God expects us to believe Him.
Gabriel means strong, one of God.
Gabriel's message had come directly from God to Zechariah,
and now Zechariah has questioned the veracity of Gabriel's words.
You don't disrespect an Angel of God, and you must trust
implicitly God's word. This Zechariah's statement was
sadly 1 of unbelief. Do we fall into that trap
because of it? He was struck mute because you
don't believe my words, Gabriel said.
But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day
these things take place. And they will because you did
not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their own time.
What God declares will happen, God keeps his promises.
So Gabriel says this child, your son will be born.
My words will be fulfilled in their own time, but until John
is born, Zechariah, not a word. Tonight as we close, are we like
Zechariah? We pray and pray for something
for ages and God finally answers.
We don't believe God when this occurs now or that God has
anything to do with it. Zechariah should have believed
believed because of what the Bible declares.
How is that? Abraham and Sarah he should he,
he, he would have known this Abraham and Sarah, Hannah,
Zechariah should have known. God always keeps his promises.
That's why you and I read the Bible.
You know why? Because if God did it then,
he'll do it now. If God did did it for them,
he'll do it for you. That's why James says Elijah was
just a guy like you. He prayed and the heavens
stopped. If he doesn't but Elijah, he'll
do it for you. He can do it again.
Think about that. You see, unbelief robs us and
closes our mouth tonight. Do you believe that God answers
prayer? Do you believe in the promises
of God? How many promises are there in
you? In the Bible, every time you
read the word promise and God, promises of God says you need to
go. I said you know what God's
promised, He's coming back. You know what?
God's promise. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me, in my House of many
mansions I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, there
you may be also. It's coming.
But as we go to pray, believe this.
As we pray, as we pray here Wednesday, He will hear our
prayers. And what will He do with our
prayers? He will answer our prayers.