When dawn comes
Life interrupted • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning Rivertree! It is a joy to be with you this morning. I hope and trust you had a great thanksgiving.
If you have your Bibles go ahead and open up to Luke chapter 1 and we will start in verse 5 in a moment.
Whether you are watching at home online, at the cove campus or here downtwon this morning I am so excited to be kicking off this new series called life interrupted with you this morning.
This will be our christmas series for the next few weeks
we are going to look at four different narritives in the gospel and we are going to see how peoples lives were all of a sudden interuppted and what seemed like an interuption to them wasjn’t an interuption to God. It was actaully part of his plan not only to change thier lives but also change the world.
and I am really excited about it. Because the reality is we all expierence interrupitons in life.
It’s something we have in common
and whether we are the ones being interrupted or causing the interrupitons we seem to recognize when it happens
when we were planing this series I wlaked into a meeting a little late after dropping my children off at school
I walked into the room and said sorry i’m late and one of the people in the meeting said “no you are a pleasent interrupiton”
I wasn’t sure what they meant. Was it actually a pleasent interrupition?
Was there disagreement in the meeting and my presence just brought a calming effect?
Or was it like a backhanded complement.....because I actually interrupted the meeting.
Interruptions are tough to deal with at times
Whether it’s when our kids iturrput us when we are talking to someone. or we interupt someone else.
sometimes interruptions can be alarming and scary.
I will illustrate it this way.
Some of you will be familiar with this story but it’s helpful
When I was 14 years old my family moved into a new house in south huntsvillle. A new house. New street , nieghboorhood living and no more apartment.
I was so excited to show it to my friends.
So one summer night my friend and I walked from his house to my house. It was about a 15 min walk.
as we walked up the street to my house I was confused because it looked like we already had vistors. I firgured my mom had invited some people over.
as we approach the door I even notice a window to the house had moved. It was my first day in this new house so I hadn’t got familar with the layout yet
as I opened the door something even more suprising happened.
The people sitting in the living room weren’t my parents. In fact I had never seen them in my entire life.
It felt like I was in a movie where I had travled in time to an alternate universe and I didn’t even know it.
In a moment my life was inturrputed
I was shaking as a walked to the front yard.
Everything seemed to be moving slowly
and then I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was the owner of the house.
He said “son are you okay?”
I said no. I think I have time traveled and ended up in an alternate universe.
Then he said “son are you on drugs?”
I said no again but I might be.....
I explained what happened. He took a deep breathe and told me the house I was looking for was 2 doors up.
I felt prettty foolish and embarressed. To say the least even though I thoguht my life was interrupted
his life was for sure interrupted that night
and maybe the interruptoions you expierence seem a little strange like that.
Maybe they are just more normal.
It’s a kid walking up to you in the middle of another coversation
It’s a friend who keeps interrupting you before you are done or a friend you keep interrupting before they are done with their thought.
It’s a alarm going off while you are having an awesome dream
It’s traffic
It’s school shutting down again
it’s the way you celebrated thanksgiving this year
It’s an email
It’s a notifcation on your phone
It’s a lost set of keys
and a million little other things.
and then their are deeper interuptions.
some are good
some are bad
and some are stil TBD
It’s the
black friday deal
The new house
anncoument of a new baby
phone call saying you have cancer
a death of a loved one
a death of a friendship
job permotion or the job loss
relocation
symptomns of being sick can even be an interruption
it’s when you pray and feel like no one hears you
It’s an election
It’s the news
It’s when god redirects your life
sometimes when night is the darkest the light is the strongest
What I hope today is we would see through the text today
No matter what lifes interuptions are the Christimas story teaches us there is always good news
Read
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
400 years. It had been 400 years since a word of prophecy or any sign of a prophet of God had come.
When luke is writing these words their had been a long darkness.
But what we know looking back to this text today is sunrise was coming. The long night was about to be over
and an interuption was coming which would not only change the lives of those living in the middle east of this day but everyones life from this point on.
In verse 5 Luke sets the stage for what the world was like during his writing.
He introduces us to a preist named Zechariah
As far as we know he was one of 8,99 priest living in Palestine at the time.
He was ordinary. And I love this. Their is jus tsomething about being in an ordinary place doing our ordinary task in which God loves to work
He was just living his life and doing his thing and behind the scenes God is working a plan which was made before the foundation of the earth.
what an amazing reality. Even when life seems ordaniry it is anytihng but ordaniry. Because we have a God who is actrive and at work
CS Lewis would frame this thought by writing this
“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own’, or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life – the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one’s ‘real life’ is a phantom of one’s own imagination.”
what we look as interruptions are actually just are real life. So when these interruptions come it wouild be great to pay attention
Zachariahs name meant “the Lord has remebered”
and I love that. Here is a man among a people who haven’t heard from God in 400 years. Yet there are still parents naming their children names like this.
Declaring though we haven’t heard form you God we beleving you are faithful and you remeber your people and your covenant.
It’s a time they could have felt forgotten but they are still highlighting God has not remebered.
Verse 6 introduces us to Zechariahs wife, Elizabeth and paints a pretty aweosme picture of the couple.
They where both rightouse in the eyes of God.
Walking blamelessly in all the commandements of the Lord
They were beautiful people in Gods eyes.
I think the NORMALCIY of a godly life should be pointed out.
It doesn’t mean they were sinless but what we do learn is they have be transformed by Gods word
everything seems amazing in thier lives.
Yet they lacked something. verse 7 tells us they were unable to have children
and if you have ever expierenced the pain of infertility you can only imagine the aching disappointment and ubearable stress they expierenced.
and while barreness is so hard in todays world it was almost unimagenable in ancient hebrew culture
if you were barren you were considered a disgrace
and maybe this happened as pusnishment
Hagar looked down on Sarah
Leah called barrenness misery
Hannah wept bitterly
It was a moral stigma and in jewish thought it wasn’t the fate of the rightous
The story would remind any Bible reader of much older stories: Abraham and Sarah having a child in their old age (Genesis 21), Rachel bearing Jacob two sons after years of childlessness (Genesis 30; 35), and particularly the births of Samson (Judges 13) and Samuel (1 Samuel 1). This story, Luke hints, is not a strange new thing, but takes its place within a long-standing sequence of God’s purposes.
but what they didn’t know, even as dark as life was things where changing
an interuption was coming
God was moving
Dawn was about to break
and it’s that something we have in common with this couple?
when life feels dark we have no idea when dawn is about to break in our lives?
Think about it this way Zechariah was serving God with other preiest. In the court of priest
Outside the court thier where still people worshiping and praying God would move
People where still so hopeful
They were still showing up even though not a word form God had been spoken in centuries
and then he is chosen. He is chosen to enter the temple and burn incnese
it’s this once in a lifetime oppurunity.
and when you enter the temple to burn incense what do you even pray?
maybe his mind was far from his personl tradgey adn even the longins of the nation
Imagine Zechariah in this moment
He is serving in the heart of the temple
The aroma of worship is all about him
and this is probably one of the greatest days of his life!
but here is what we do know. What happens next is unexpected, amazing
and one of his very own interuptions
English Standard Version Chapter 1
11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been 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, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
God has been silent for 400 years. and Gabriel shows up. As far as we know accoridning to scriputer Gabriel hadn’t shown up since Babylon over 500 years before this moment
and Gabriel spoke
prophecy had come back to the people of God
You have probably noticed that God often speaks to His people and calls them while they are busy doing their daily tasks. Both Moses and David were caring for sheep, and Gideon was threshing wheat. Peter and his partners were mending nets when Jesus called them. It is difficult to steer a car when the engine is not running.
When we get busy, God starts to direct us.
and what he says is a pretty big bombshell
He says “you and your wife will bear a son and his name will be john”
Talk about a crazy day.
You are just doing your job. God has been silent for 400 years
and then God speaks to you
and tells you the impossible is about to be possible
The news of a chil brings interruption in the most exciting, and frighting ways
“The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts,” said Dr. E.T. Sullivan. “The greatest forces in the world are babies.”
I love the way he frames this.
it’s so true.
I can remeber when we found out Elizabeth was pregrnant with Anna. So many emtions.
Then Anna is born
and the hosptial let’s us take her home. I was like man I can barley make dinner. How am I suppose to keep a human alive?
and we babies are such amazing inturruptions.
We don’t sleep
we readjust are lives
everything changes
whether we are parents or just have parents we know this is true
and for Zechariah it seems like this would have been the greatest news ever
and it seems for a moment all of time has stopped as Gabreil waits for Zechariahs answer
verse 18 shows us his response
English Standard Version Chapter 1
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.
disbelief
it’s almost shocking
If anyone new the stories of old it was this guy. He had studied them his whole life
He could have recalled the stories of the Genesis, how God had done this before but in this moment his faith is weak
and he doubts
I want you to see something here. I don’t want to overlook what’s happening in this moment
Here is a man who has devoted himself to God. We are already told His family Loves God and is rightous in Gods sight
and in his faithfulness. in doing the right thing. IN praying God would speak
all of a sudden God shows up. and I think our expectation might be like awesome. God is answering his prayer.
but instead of rejocing he doubts
God is answering a pray Zechariah and Elizabeth have prayed for so long. It’s finally happening. God is saying YES. your shame, and pain you’ve expierenced by not having a child is over
you are going to have a SON! An heir. and this son will great things for God
what a promise. What a moment
what an interruption
It feels like he is living out his name sake....God has remebered him!
and with the excitement of this annoucement Zechariah would be so excited.
let’s look at his response.
English Standard Version Chapter 1
And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years
Don’t miss it. A man who knew all the stoires and promises of God. Who had spent his life devoted to God. Who had prayed countless prayers to have a child
DOUBTS
If we are honest we feel like if anyone would have believed this it would have been him
Yet I find great comfort in his doubting
because if I am honest this can be my expierence at times. I can pray and ask God to do something, yet if I am honest I either don’t always beleive he will(or can move)
or when he does move I doubt it’s real
and maybe it’s something we have in common
What would it mean for the one thing you prayer for your enitre life to be answered and your response is doubt
for some of us we feel like God might just be done with us at that point.
Others might think we have hurt God
but the reality is this. While we might not be comfortable with our doubts God absouluty is. And he is more then willing and able to meet us in the midst of our doubting with AMAZING GRACE
Luke is quick to make sure we don’t think Zechariah is the hero of the story. Their is a greater hero and this story is just preparing our hearts for something more.
Look at how Gaberial responds to Zechariahs doubt
English Standard Version Chapter 1
19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.
Gaberiel responds declairing his authority to say these things
and then says Zechairah would be silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words
amazing. God speaks for the first time in 400 years and the one who he spoke to can’t speak because of unbelief and doubt
but there is more. What looks like punshiment is wrapped up in Gods love and grace
a lot of times I can just focus on this part of the story.
Zechariah doubts.....and is silent
that’s it. That’s how God works
but what i’ve missed before is what else Gabriel says
He says
I was SENT.....TO bring you this good news
this is grace. In the middle of doubt, God still sends his messenger ot bring good news
Eugene Peterson once said, “A person has to get fed up with the ways of the world before he, before she, acquires an appetite for the world of grace.”
and here we see God stiring Zechariahs appitite for Grace
This is a picture of grace. The “good news” (v.19) “will be fulfilled” (v.20).
notice the interesting contrast between verse 20 and the declaration of Luke 1:6, that this couple was righteous, blameless keepers of the law. That God would call this doubting old man, who won’t believe when an angel is right before his face “blameless and righteous” is just further proof that there is no faith so little that it can’t be saving,
that it’s not the strength of the faith that saves, but the strength of the Savior.
And it’s also proof that blamelessness and righteousness aren’t earned but given.
If Zechariah and Elizabeth were given what they deserved and what their circumstances indicated, they’d just keep going through the motions, getting older than old and die.
Instead, God blesses them according to his goodness,
according to his glory,
according to his strength, r
redeeming their circumstances, redeeming their time
The shame, the accusation, the insults, the derision — taken away by God’s grace.
but there is more.
This good news wasn’t just John would be born. This good news was the GOSPEL
The dawn was coming. Darkness was being pushed back and defeated for good
The good news Gabriel brought to Zechariah was better then you are going to have a son.
The good news was Gods saon was coming to save.
Because the reality is even as gracious as it was to give John to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Johns life would be anything but normal
He We eat bugs
live in the wilderness
and die in jail
Yet his mission was signfiicatn. He came to prepare the way for the Lord.
After nearly 9 months of silence we are told Zechariah could finally speak
English Standard Version Chapter 1
62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
What I love is this. A man who doubeted God when he spoke became the first prophet in 400 years in the nation of Isreal.
his life had been interrupted and soon every life would be inturpted because a saviour was coming.
Jared C Wilson said this when it came to Zechariahs son
John was in prison, awaiting his execution, and he sends word to ask of Jesus, “Are you really the one we’ve been waiting for?”
Do you remember that it’s in this exact same scene where Jesus calls John the greatest man who ever lived? This guy who just exposed his doubtful question in his moment of fearful weakness — the greatest?
There is no faith so little that it can’t be saving. Faith does not have to be strong to be saving, it just has to be real. The smallest faith, if it is real, receives the same strength of Christ in salvation as the strongest faith.
Your little strength is no hindrance for God. In fact, our weakness is God’s primary means of demonstrating his power, power that will be revealed gloriously even when our strength gives out totally and we die. For when we die, we will know only his power, which in the end will raise us up.
John the Baptist must have learned this somewhere along the way, maybe from his old dad Zechariah, because he declares in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
No matter your weakness, God is God. And no matter your faith — big and strong or tiny and feeble — if it is true faith, saved is saved.
my hope for you is this
Let Gabriels proclamtion of the gospel ring ever so true in your heart today.
That good new which was first proclaimed to Zach is still good news today.
As much as the Lord wants to speak into your pain, you hurt, your suffering he knows you need something more then just an answered prayer to and Impossible situaiton. you need a saviour. You need better news then a covid vacinne, or being able to hug people wihtout a mask. or the ecomony recovers or a child.....while those are "good things' they aren't the good news your soul needs the most. So I encourge you to take Gabes words to heart. GOOD NEWS has come to inturupt and intercept your life. Let that goods news reach into every single part of your heart
To the part that doubts GODD NEWS a saviour is born
TO the part that is hopeless good news
to the part that is waiting
GOOD NEWS. Jesus was born and his birth changes everything about our life. and I think when you recive this good news you proclaim it!