Birth Announcement
A detailed Account - Gospel of Luke • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 39:23
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Handout
Handout
Setting the stage
Setting the stage
This was a troubling time for Israel. There had been no words from the Lord for 400 years.
Spiritual leaders were deeply tied to traditions and protecting the law while awaiting the coming Elijah (Mal4:5-6)
5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
So, busy with the traditions that their hearts grew cold and the Herod the Great was at the end of his horrible reign. He was not a Jew, but was a descendant of Esau, an Edomite. Known for his paranoid cruelty and executing many for no reason except his paranoia.
But God, you have to love that phrase, lets see what God does when we look at our passage this morning.
For God always keeps some faithful people.
Our Passage
Our Passage
It’s a long section, so we will break it down by portion.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
What facts do you notice in this passage that stick out to you?
What did Luke find out about both Zacharias and Elizabeth (v.6)?
They were both righteous; they both walked blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements
We learn more important facts in (v.7)?
Barren, advanced in years
interesting facts: Zacharias means “Jehovah has remembered” - Elizabeth means “God is my oath”
They were from priestly line “daughters of Aaron (v.5) so there is temple service to be done. The priests were divided into 24 groups (see 1Chr24) because there were so many priests. Each division would serve 2-weeks a year. Lots would be used to decide what they would do.
Lots for who would:
Cleanse the altar and prepare the fire for the sacrifices.
Kill the sacrifice, and sprinkle the blood on the altar
Light the golden candlestick, set the incense to be burned
Finally who would offer the prayers and burn the incense
The last one was considered a once in a lifetime opportunity. we will get more into that in a few minutes.
8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
Who is the he (v.8) and how do you know?
What was his appointed task?
What were the people “outside” doing as the incense inside was being offered?
Here is another cool fact: The ones chosen by “lot” that day walked up to the temple on each side of the preiest chosen to offer the incense, so it was ready to go. Then those two priest left the temple, and the incense priest was left alone in the holy place.
Picture this, in front was the golden offer of incense 18 inches sq, 3ft high. on it lay burning coals and there would be some whisps of smoke rising up, ready for the incense. Behind the altar is a curtain separating the Holy place from the Holy of Holies. To the right as the table of showbread, toe the left the golden lampstand (the only light in the place).
Outside all the people would be (multitude) would be praying when they saw the two other priests come out and they would bow and kneel spreed out their hands in silent prayer knowing the incense was being offered inside for all the people by the priest.
Incense and prayer are connected in scripture
2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.
And
8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Now time to take a couple more verses
11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.
What do you see, notice in these two relatively short verses?
Interesting fact, this different than many over verses says “an” angel of the Lord vs. “the” angel of the Lord. others are a “christophany” and this is an actual angel.
What was Zacharias doing when the angel appeared?
He was doing his appointed task.
God seems to do some of talking when people are going about their ordinary life, ordinary tasks
Moses/David - tending sheep
Gideon - threshing wheat
Peter -mending nets
God sent Gabriel, an angel to speak to Zacharias (we learn the name down in (v.19); Look how Zacharias responds, he is troubled and fear gripped him. Why do you think that would be?
Are there things that can trouble you, or grip you in fear?
Now we move on to the next verse
13 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.
How does Gabriel address Zacharias troubled and fearful heart?
What petition? Can you make an assumption, draw a conclusion what it is from this verse?
Hum, do you think that he was praying for a child right then?
Do you think he was praying recently for a child, being advanced in years?
Maybe they gave up their prayer, petition years ago, but yet it says their petition had been heard and they were going to bear a son.
Even before they conceived he was being told what to name the son; “John.” that in and of itself was out of the ordinary.
Zacharias would be normal name after the father
If not that, after another name in the family, there were no “John’s” in the family. This will come up later in the scripture.
John by the way means: Jehovah is gracious”
We still have a more verses to be looking at this morning:
14 “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.
16 “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 “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 the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
You can find some great descriptions in these verses what are they?
Joy, gladness, rejoicing, great in the sight, filled with Holy Spirit, Turn many, will go as forerunner, in spirit and power, to turn hearts
Think about this, He was going to be great, great in the sight of the Lord! not just in the sight of mom and dad as a miracle because of their advanced age.
Drink no wine/Liquor, hum, like the Nazarene vow?
Filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in the mothers womb, wow, before birth, this is proof contrary to the ‘pro-choice’ movement that there is life before birth. You can see this Holy Spirit active in
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
The baby lept because had the spirit, now Elizabeth becomes filled with the Spirit
John would be the forerunner, the prophet to present the Son to the people (Jn1:15-34); to turn the hearts of many back to the Lord (Isa40:1-5) in the power of Elijah.
All of that in these verses we have looked at in this birth announcement this morning and this is not even the birth announcement of Jesus yet. But still a very important one.