Zechariah & Elizabeth
Advent 2023 - The Characters of Christmas • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 9 viewsGod works through ordinary people that others would usually ignore. The second thing we are going to see today is that being ordinary, being run of the mill does not disqualify us from doing the will of God. It may seem like We don't have what it takes to follow God, but if God calls us He will empower us.
Notes
Transcript
Series Intro
We all love a good story. A well-crafted story contains a beginning, middle, and end. The plot keeps the reader engaged as conflict moves to resolution. However, it’s the characters in the story that give life to the plot. It’s the characters that readers connect with and remember long after a story is told. Stop and think about some of your favorite characters in a favorite story
Remember the movie Cast Away? It’s about the Federal Express executive, named Chuck, played by Tom Hanks. Chuck was on a business trip when his cargo plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean. He survives the crash and floats on a raft to a deserted Island. Chuck was never found and for four years he will live in isolation, disconnected from humanity. Eventually packages from the plane, that were to be delivered to people, begin floating to the beach and Chuck opens them. In one package was a Wilson volleyball. The volleyball becomes a major character in the story. Chuck names him Wilson. After four years, they finally have an opportunity to make it off the island on a make-shift raft. Wilson is set on a perch on the raft, but after an intense storm Wilson falls off that perch and into the ocean and floats away. By the time Chuck realizes Wilson is in the water, he tries to swim to him, but is unable. The sad music begins to play, and Chuck lays sprawled out on the raft crying and apologizing to Wilson who floats away in the Ocean.
As you watch and engage with the story, you cannot help having feelings of sadness over a volleyball named Wilson who became a lonely man’s friend while stranded on an Island. We may not have volleyballs as friends, but a simple character like Wilson can bring life to a story and make it relatable to the audience watching.
Christmas is a time of year that becomes all consuming. for months before you can see people hanging up decorations, and shopping and getting ready for the one day when they rip open the presents. It honestly seems a little anti climactic. Yet Christmas is a time of year that tells a powerful story how God gave the greatest gift ever, the gift of He son Jesus so we can, as a sinful world, learn about the forgiveness that is offered to us.
I want to go through the characters of Christmas this year. There are different people involved in the Christmas story that we can learn from. We will learn that God used ordinary people, people that the rest of the world would likely have overlooked. We are going to look into the fact that God called ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Things that where not always easy to go through. Things that they wondered how on earth they where going to get done. But we will look at people as they listen to and obey what God calls them to do. We are going to look into how what they did, what they were called to do pointed to Jesus and His gospel.
Zechariah and Elizabeth
Zechariah and Elizabeth
In the book of Luke we read about the first characters in the life of Jesus. After all if we remember, Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus. Advent if we remember is just a way of anticipating something. What we are going to go through today, and the rest of advent, is that God works through ordinary people that others would usually ignore. The second thing we are going to see today is that being ordinary, being run of the mill does not disqualify us from doing the will of God. It may seem like We don't have what it takes to follow God, but if God calls us He will empower us.
The first Characters of Christmas is Zechariah and Elizabeth. One thing about there family is that they where related to May, the mother of Jesus. to get ahead of myself, Luke 1:36 tells us more about this.
36 And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless.
Likely an aunt or something like that.
It was in the days of King Herod
This was a period of time where the Israelite's where subject to the Romans. Joel Green says that many chafed under foreign domination. Herod exacerbated these feelings by his secular power base; his extravagant building programs, the funds for which were extracted from the Jewish people; his blatant control of the temple and high priesthood for his own political purposes; and his wide-ranging efforts at continued reform of Palestine along the lines of Hellenistic culture. It was not a good time for The Israelite s.
the setting of the birth of Jesus then according to historical research, is one of struggle at the hand of a Roman king noted for His tyranny. This is where we meet the Kinsman of Jesus Mother.
Zechariah the Priest
Zechariah the Priest
Zechariah was a priest from the line of Aaron under the division of Abijah. As we learned in our series on Revelation the order of Priests where split into 24. The priests where organized into their separate duties. Zechariah was part of the 8th division of this structure established by David.
19 These had their assigned duties for service when they entered the Lord’s temple, according to their regulations, which they received from their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.
His wife was as well was of the line of Aaron. A priest at the time could be married, but in order for their family to be able to serve as priests as well. The priestly line was genealogical but passed through the father.
Both the parents of John where blameless in the site of God and lived their lives for God. but one issue they had, even with their upright living and their faith they where without child.
6 Both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.
The Divine Message
The Divine Message
The reason why I go into history and the role of the family is because of the role it plays in their faith. They followed God, they had faith yet they struggled. They struggled in life and they struggled with infertility. They where also getting up there in age and where past the point of normally being able to bear children.
8 When his division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.
It was Zechariah turn to perform His priestly duties as He had done many times before. The people where all gathered outside the temple praying while He went in to burn the incense. Just going about His duties as He had done so many times before. Everything was going according to plan that day when his life was interrupted by God.
11 An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and overcome with fear.
As is typical when an angel of the Lord appears, Zechariah was terrified. The promise given was that He was going to have a son. Not any ordinary boy, but one that was like the prophet Elijah, one who would turn the people back to their God, who would bring families back together in worship of God.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth.
We learn many things about this child that is to be born. Many people would rejoice at His birth.
15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. 16 He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
This needs some explaining. Abstaining from alcohol was not a normal way of life for most people. Now I am not saying that they went and got drunk on the weekends, but drinking wine was fairly normal for them. Zech would have had to abstain during his duties as a priest as well. Abstinence was also required for those that took a naziritic vow. So from Birth, their child would have a special role to play. He was going to be separated from birth for a divine task.
Imagine being told this, that your child will be special, He will have an important role to play, a role that was prophesied about for hundreds of years.
We need to talk about this family because they have a vital role in the ministry of Jesus, they where the fulfillment of scripture. John was going to prepare the hearts of the people to meet the messiah, He was going to have a ministry of repentance. and Zecheriah’s reaction was one the likes of which any one of us probably would have had. He doubted.
18 “How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”
Just put yourself in His shoes for a second. There he was, to old to have kids anymore, just going through his life faithfully When it is interrupted by God and He is told he is going to have a son and his son is going to do great things. How often are we obedient to the instructions of God that we have.
Look at Connie for an example. She was ready to retire from teaching when God had other plans. Instead of retiring she followed God to Liberia, even though it was well out of her comfort zone.
How often are we willing to step out and follow the leading of God even though it might be hard for us.
Zech does not jump for joy at the news he will have a son, He doubts. So the angel strikes Him mute for the length of the pregnancy.
John is Born
John is Born
What a joy this would have been, all the people around them rejoiced when John was born. They asked what His name was going to be. It was common practice at the time to name the child after the father.
8 days after the birth, as was again common at the time, they brought the child to be circumcised and to give him his name. As the angel said, his name was to be john. This was odd, and they asked the silent Zech to confirm this. And he wrote on a piece of paper to confirm this.
after nine months of silence, John’s mouth was opened. What would you say if your mouth was shut for 9 months? what would your first words be? His first words where to bless God, and to prophesy. We cant do the prophesy like this anymore but we can bless God.
He prophesied of the promise of peace and the coming messiah, and also that his son John would be the forerunner, would go before and prepare the coming of the messiah.
So What?
So What?
You may wonder what this has to do with Christmas and advent? well it has everything to do with it. Advent is the anticipation of something, we anticipate the coming of the Lord Jesus. And as we look into some of the characters involved in the Christmas story we cant help but gain a new appreciation for what the birth life and death of Jesus means. The first characters we look at we can learn from.
They where just living normally and their lives where interrupted by the message of the angel of the Lord. And the message they came with is that their child was to have a huge impact on the world. The promise was not really even for them, yes the amazing blessing of a child, but the promise was their offspring. Our children are a blessing from God, but would that have made it harder to listen?
The first thing that has been going through my mind as we go through the story of Zech and Elizabeth that I have connected with is this:
Repent
Repent
The message that Their son John was going to present is the first thing we focus on this Christmas season. Jesus calls us to repentance, as John paved the way by preaching repent of your sins. Swallow your pride and get on your knees and ask God to forgive the sins you have committed.
Are you willing to follow where God is calling
Are you willing to follow where God is calling
This is not as easy as it sounds. When I was leaving Millar I had my life planned out but the Lord directed my steps differently and it through me for a loop. It was not easy. There have been a few times like that in my life. But as we celebrate together what Jesus birth means for our lives we need to remember something.
Jesus calls us to follow Him, to step out in faith. As we are going about our lives, through His word, through His leading, through Christian friends and family the Lord leads. His leading is not always easy to follow, but will we be willing to listen.
Just think about it this way. Our small church, with the help of many wonderful volunteers runs a 3 week long Bible Camp in the summer that reaches the lives of hundreds of kids for Jesus. Without fundraising but trusting in God to provide.
Where else may the Lord God be leading us. I have been reminded by a few of you lately that we serve the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. This is from Psalm 50, as a reminder to the Israelite's, a reminder that God somehow needs us to operate, that He will be lost without us. The God of heaven and earth is the ruler and master and owner of all we see. He says he will provide the means to do what He wants us to do.
Will we be willing to stop and obey God’s will for our lives. Will we be willing to repent and follow Him, Or will we like Zecheriah think of ourselves and the deficiancies we might have. Look beyond the issues you have and trust that God to work in your life.