Preparation for the Messiah

Wouldn’t people find it odd if they all had the same exact stories and points of view to every situation? This would be discounted as collusion: secret cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to deceive others.

Perspective of the Pearl: To the poet, a pearl is a teardrop of the sea or a drop of dew, solidified. To a woman, it is a jewel they can wear on their finger, neck, or ear. To the chemist, it is a mixture of phosphate and carbonate of lime with a little gelatin. To the naturalist, it is simply a morbid secretion of the organ that among certain bivalves produces mother-of-pearl. To a believer, a pearl is a marvel in God’s creation.

Matthew - Tax Collector; Mark - Never Given (but his writing style is always the most short and to the point); Luke - Physician and Historian; John - Fisherman

Luke’s perspective as a meticulous and thorough physician and historian

Luke’s why: To increase our certainty

God works with your specific giftedness!

Herod the “Great”?

(5a) We talked about the 400 years of darkness without God. The setting of the time right before Jesus came were some of the darkest of those 400 years.

Tell how the Roman gov’t provided rulers over provinces.

Herod was only part Jewish and had no love for God’s people. He was jealous, ruthless, tyrannical, and proves all of this in:

Matthew 2:16 “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.”

So why would a loving God allow such a man to rise to power in Judea?

God works through the darkness!

Zechariah Chosen

(5b) A Priest of the division of Abijah and the daughter of a priest from the line of Aaron

A jewish priest was a minister of God who worked at the temple managing its upkeep, teaching the people the Scriptures, and directing the worship services.

(6) Righteous before God, blameless in the law…

(7) BUT they have no child. Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

What did this mean to them at that time?

Childbearing was viewed as the highest calling for a woman, and infertility brought social stigma and shame.

1. (8-9) To enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

Incense was burned at the temple twice daily. When the people saw the smoke they were to pray, and the smoke symbolized their prayers drifting up to God.

At this time there were about 20,000 priests, divided out into groups of about 1,000 each. This would have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Zechariah.

BUT it wasn’t an accident, luck, or coincidence. It was providential through an Almighty God!

2. (10-17) To have a son.

(13) Zechariah’s prayer could have been for a son of his own, or for the Messiah to come… either way, it was heard and answered!

(15) John the Baptist’s Character:

Nazarite - special dedication to God; others like this were:

Samson

Samuel

(17) John the Baptist’s Purpose:

Like the purpose of Elijah before him

Turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and disobedient to the wisdom of the just

To make ready for the Lord a people prepared

Malachi 4:5-6 ““Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.””

God works in the impossible!

Zechariah’s Doubt

(18-23) Zechariah doubted this miraculous event, but he paid the consequence for his doubt.

We can either trust God for who He says He is, and what He says He’ll do, or we can learn through refining process. Think about just a few of His promises:

Do we doubt God with our finances? Malachi 3:10 “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Do we doubt God in our relationships? Hebrews 13:4 “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

Do we doubt God’s peace? Philippians 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Do we doubt God’s wisdom? James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

God works in and through our doubt

The Lord’s Promise Fulfilled

(24-25) Elizabeth conceives a child.

(57-66) People affected by the fulfillment of God’s promise (not just Zechariah and Elizabeth)

(58) Her neighbors

(58) Her relatives

(59) Those at the temple

(65) The entire hill country of Judea

(59-64) What’s in a Name?

God grew Zechariah’s faith and obedience through this time.

(65) The people went from rejoicing to fear.

We cannot control what people will feel about the message we have to spread, we just have to spread it anyway.