2022-11-27 New Hope - Hungering to Know and Be Known

Have you ever lost hope? And I don’t mean hope about winning a game or something minor. Have you waited a long, long time for something and finally given up completely? You conclude it’s never going to happen. You had hoped it would, but it seems that it never will. Do you hunger for hope once again?

E.g. Chronic sickness, praying for a loved one to come to Christ

Invite Corrina to come up and talk about her stomach pain in the late 90’s.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. That time of the year that we begin to focus on the coming of the Saviour. Historically it is the time when the Christian church has remembered and focused on the period of time when the nation of Israel was waiting for the promised Messiah.

Patiently Waiting

Over a 1000-year time period, beginning with Moses, God had spoken through many different prophets. The prophets, especially Moses, laid out clearly what it meant to follow God, brought messages from God for specific times, called people back to the worship of God, and warned the people of what would happen if they didn’t. The people of God heard from God on a fairly regular basis. However, by the time of the NT period, the last prophet in Israel, Malachi, had spoken 350-400 years before. This was different. God had never been that silent for so long. It seemed as if the time of the prophets had come to an end. But what was next? Well, within the scriptures there were clear hints that some day God would send a Messiah, an anointed one, who would finally make everything right. One of those passages was the very last part of the last prophet in Israel.

Turn to Malachi 4:4, 5. (read) – First – Be faithful and obey my laws. Then Elijah will come to prepare the way of the Lord. (Blank)

But 400 hundred years? That’s a long time to wait. You begin to wonder; “Will it ever come?” They must at times have thought; “It’s hopeless by now.”

Now let’s enter into another story of waiting. Turn to Luke 1:5-7 (read) (Blank)

Waiting. Waiting for a child. Waiting for a child that never came. I imagine that when they were first married, they expected to have a child within the first 5 years of marriage. 5 years came and went, 10 years came and went. 15 years, 20 years, 30 years. Maybe 40 years. We don’t know how old they were, but we know that they were both well along in years, a Hebrew way of saying, they’re old. We might say they were past their prime. In any case the clock was ticking, and no child came. They probably felt that God’s answer to their prayer was a loud, and clear NO. It must have been a bitter pill to swallow. In the Hebrew and surrounding cultures, to be barren was considered a disgrace. Even much more than now. Children were considered a blessing and so, in their minds, God had withheld a blessing. To be childless was to be cursed by God.

Some of you know what I’m talking about. You’ve waited for a long time for God’s answer to your prayer. Nothing seems to happen. You’ve lost hope. You’ve waited for an answer and no answer comes. Nada. Zip. Nuscht.

Do you get bitter?

Have you stopped believing God?

Have you given up?

A life of Obedience

And it’s not that Zechariah and Elizabeth have abandoned God. They are described as upright and blameless. These are the same words that are used to describe Job in the book of Job. In spite of God not answering their prayers, they are living exactly like God has told the people of Israel to live the last time he spoke to them through Malachi. They’ve obeyed God, they’ve followed God all their lives.

Waiting for the messiah to come. 400 years.

Waiting for a child. 30 years.

It’s hopeless. When is God going to act?

Then comes the most incredible event of a priest’s life. It was literally a once in a lifetime chance. (Read v8,9) (Blank)

The Answer

You see, Zechariah hadn’t just been waiting for a child, he had been waiting for the opportunity to burn incense before God. Think a hockey player waiting for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup, but far more significant. You see, the odds were stacked against the average priest.

There were close to 20,000 priests in Israel.

There were 24 divisions, over 800 priests in each division.

Each division served in the temple 2 or 3 times a year.

If chosen, you only get to burn incense once in a lifetime.

Many were never able to burn incense. Their number never came up. They waited all their lives and never got the call.

But Zechariah’s number did! Finally, after years of waiting, Zechariah was chosen to burn incense. Not only did his number come up to burn incense. God finally broke the silence.

(Read 10-17) (Blank)

Wow! Can you imagine how surprised he was? “He was startled and gripped with fear.”

But what is most amazing isn’t the angel, it’s the message!!

A son!! Their prayer has been heard. It was not brushed off by God. He did answer!! Not when they wanted, but he answered. However, this will not be just any son. More than you can ask or imagine.

John – means “Yahweh has been gracious”

Will be a joy to Zechariah, and many will rejoice because of him.

will be great in God’s sight

Is to be a Nazirite – no wine. Set apart for God.

Will be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth.

Will bring back many people of Israel to God

Spirit and power of Elijah

Make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

He’ll prepare the way for the Messiah!! The Messiah is on the way. He’s coming and Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son will be the forerunner. The Elijah who was to come.

I never cease to be amazed at how God fits things together. Here we’ve got Zechariah, an old priest who on his once in a lifetime service of burning incense in the Temple, is then given the news of his own son and the Messiah to come. God breaks 400 years of silence in the Temple during an offering of incense to himself.

Doubt

So Zechariah leaps for joy and then falls down on his knees in worship!!

No.

(Read v18) (Blank)

He can’t believe it.

He needs a sign!! Can you believe it? He’s got an angel standing in front of him and he needs a sign! Oh, we are so slow of heart and so slow to believe.

He says, “it’s impossible God. I’m too old, my wife is too old.” How on earth could this be possible? He can’t get past the obvious.

Zechariah doubts God. He’s obeyed God all these years, but deep down inside there is a seed of doubt. God hasn’t answered prayer in the past, why would he now? Now it’s even more unlikely.

Are you with Zechariah? Have you been outwardly obeying God? Following all the rules in the sight of people, but deep down inside you don’t really believe that God will do what he’s promised? I mean after all; you’ve waited and waited, and an answer hasn’t ever come.

If God broke into your silence, would you believe him? Even if an angel announced the message?

Let’s look at the angel’s answer. (Read 19-20) (Blank)

You wanted a sign? You’ve got a sign. The sign of silence. More silence, now not on the part of God, now it’s Zechariah who’s silent. Not of his own choice but because he doubted God’s message. Gabriel is from God’s very presence. Who is Zechariah to doubt God? If God could give Abraham a son, if God could give Samson’s mother a son, if God could give Hannah a son, why couldn’t he give Zechariah a son?

Well, the sign, as pronounced by Gabriel, happens. (Read V21-22) But in spite of his unbelief, God still chooses to bless Zechariah and Elizabeth. He still chooses to bless the world through them. (Read V23-25) And their disgrace has lifted, hope is being fulfilled, and joy has come. (Blank)

Conclusion

Are you hopeless? Have you given up on God? This is a story of hopelessness turned to new hope. Are you still waiting for an answer? Or have you really given up like Zechariah. Are you really trusting and obeying God? Or do you have a root of bitterness and disbelief in your heart? Are you looking for new Hope?

Turn to the one who was to come. Turn to Jesus the Messiah, the one who John pointed to. The Redeemer of Israel. He is the source of new hope. He will answer. Not always in our time, but when the answer comes it will be more than we ever hoped it would be.