Zachariah Elisabeth and Baby John

To begin with, in Luke 1:1 FORASMUCH as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,

2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;

3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

`5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia : Pause a moment. Zechariah the Priest is a good man. He is a man of God. He served in the order of the Priesthood because he came from the line of Aaron. Aaron was Moses’ brother and served as high priest at that time. As Priest Zachariah was a part of the Abijah Division.Zechariah came from a long line of Priests. The Priesthood was divided into 24 division and Zechariah was in the 8th Division. You had to go with your family tree. You had to go with your blood line.

The next part of verse 5 says “and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.Elisabeth’s name means “Oath Of God” Elisabeth was a faithful woman of God. She was the perfect first lady. She supported Zechariah in holy matters. And I’m proud to say that my wife supports me in all facets of Ministry. Thank You Jesus.

Verse 6. says “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless”.

They were a power couple.

7. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

Both of them are old people and ” In ancient patriarchal society, being childlessness carried a social stigma and this often times meant an unstable future, because it was an end of the family line. Elizabeth’s life would have been particularly difficult, because of the barrenness. At that time it was usually believed to be the fault of the woman. But Zechariah made a good life with Elisabeth despite there problem. For the record, in modern society we now know it could be either the man or the woman’s fault, it could be both of their fault or no ones fault. Sometimes folks that particular combination man and woman does not produce a baby.

Zechariah displayed righteousness by standing by his wife. He didn’t leave her in favor of some other woman who could give him an heir. Thank God for Zechariah. Look at verse 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

What I noticed about this text, is that Zechariah is Doing His Church Business without excuses. He’s not calling in. He’s not saying I’m sick, He’s not saying I’m old and I can’t do all of that anymore, he is not going off to training seminars and leaving his priestly responsibilities undone. No No No He was Faithful!!!

His job was to burn the proper incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.WE got to take God’s Business seriously and not taking thee job for granted.

We should never just go through the motions.. We must keep this work for the Lord sincere and true.

Verse 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. There’s a whole congregation outside of the temple praying and waiting and expecting great things from God. And God’s people ought to come to church praying and expecting and fully participating in the worship service.

11. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

12. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him

13. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

Right there Zechariah should have calmed his nerves. The angel said fear not.. We do ministry all the time. And when something miraculous happens to us we freak out, we flip out we fizzle out. And Poor Zechariah the priest was afraid too. Sometimes life can make us scared. And fearful and reluctant by I’m trying to persuade us to have the faith and courage enough to face whatever obstacles. And here’s why because the text clearly says to Zechariah that God has heard your prayers. I’m so glad that God hears and answers prayer. Sometimes to may take a long time for God to answer our prayers but He does. Some of my prayers have taken years to come to pass. And some are still in the developmental stage.

And what I’ve learned is that God has three answers to our Prayers Yes No and wait awhile.

14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

Let’s look at the characteristics of what the Angel Gabriel is describing.

1. First of all Zachariah, You’re going to have Joy and gladness. And I submit to you that we don’t know the things that longing in a person’s heart that will give them joy and gladness.

2. Not only you will rejoice but Zachariah it’s bigger than you and Elisabeth many shall rejoice at your son’s birth.And what we should realize about that is, you never really know who you’re bringing into the world.

God may have greatness planned for your children that goes beyond what you could ever think or imagine.

3. He’s going to be great in the sight of the Lord NOT THE DEVIL I don’t want my children or any of our children to have to sell their souls to make it big. Because everything comes with a price.

4. The Lord fixed it so that Zachariah didn’t drink liquor and didn’t smoke didn’t gamble, and didn’t run women. John didn’t drink. John was clean. And John had a sober mind.

5. John was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb. So from the begin John was the real deal. I’m not telling you what to do, but I prayed over all 5 of my children everyday and night before they were born I preached whole sermons to them before they were born I played instruments to them everyday and night before they were born I sung to them every night and day before they were born, and Lastly I treated my wife so good unto she loved being pregnant with my children.

And so speaking of Children the bible says in verse 16. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.John is going to have influence power and persuasion. Verse 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

1. The bible says John will have a specific mission.

2. His message will be to turn their hearts And that doctrine is called Repentance. Repentance is a turning away from sin and a turning towards God. And as we read up on John his message was Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

3. John will walk in the anointing of Elijah the Power of Elijah the strength of Elijah Specifically to address that wavering spirit that the Children of Isreal were famous for. Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and said How Long Halt ye between two opinions.. you’re either going to serve God or the devil. And these proclamations are not from some second class angel. No No No This from the Arch Angel Gabriel. There are 4 Arch angels in heaven Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel

Listen to me Although I’d be scared like Zachariah I’m be too scared to give any hint of doubt or disobedience or despair. I know you’ve been praying for a prayer to be answered but the key is to not let your doubt take control over your situation Because poor Zachariah had years of doubt. When God finally answers your prayer don’t question the method because thoughts are higher than our thought his ways are fare superior to our ways.

Look at verse 18. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. Verse 18 is depressing because it gives the indication that you;re stuck you know you’re stuck and you don’t feel like God is able to get you unstuck. I don’t nothing else I know this

God is able.. I’ve seen God work through impossible odds in my life. And the Arch Angel Gabriel in verse 19 had to jilt and jolt Zachariah into spiritual reality… “Boy don’t you know who I am. I’m the one to stands in the presence of the Lord daily. I’m one of the Top Angels in all of Heaven.

20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. We can’t shuck and Jive God as if we are talking to one of our patners or co workers of associates or even one of our friends. God is Omniscient and He sent the Angel Gabriel with the Power of the throne of heaven. Zachariah should have just been quiet and said Yes Sir Mr Angel Gabriel. and then in his heart he should have said Lord help my unbelief because I’ve been hurting and longing for this for a long time.

And now Zachariah can’t talk and he’s in a strange predicament He has to continue his priestly duties, but he can’t talk. The old folks used too say if you can’t say something good then don’t say anything at all.

21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. I guess so,I’d be in my office, and I’d be figuring how am I going to get out of this mess. The very job that Zachariah has with the 8th division of the priestly order is in jeopardy.He can’t talk!!!

And the bible says in verse 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. This is a great lesson of how we should not be doubtful. Have faith in God. God can do anything but fail. Try my God and see won’t He work things out for your good. The word of God says in Romans that All things work together for the good unto to those who are the called according to the purpose of God. If you’re called to do a work unto God,,, my best advice is to trust God believe God and have faith in God..

23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, Wait Wait Wait Zachariah had to stay and finish his priestly duties speechless.. He wasn’t walking through the temple saying the The Lord is my Shepherd, He wasn’t waving the incense tray singing Guide me over Thy great Jehovah Pilgrim through this barren land.. NO NO NO He was silent!!! Lord have mercy … When the Lord silences your voice.... Ain’t nothing you can do but take your punishment....

the bible says in the last part of verse 23 then Zachariah departed to his own house. Now what the text does not say is what was going through his mind on that long trip home.... Boy oh boy what in the world am I going to tell Elisabeth… and will she believe me and even more importantly I am not a spring chicken and my baby making days been over. I’m an old man with antropause and my wife is an old woman way menopause. WE can’t make no baby…But that Angel told me that I was going to be strong again and it must be true because that Angel fixed it so that I can’t talk until thee baby is born. That had to be a mind boggling trip home. The bible says Zachariah gets home and in verse

24 the bible says And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,

there is no secret what God can do… I have a slogan “Never bet against the Holy Ghost” Our God can do everything

25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. The name Elisabeth means Oath Of God and now she’s feeling some vindicated. She knew that everybody was blaming her for not having a baby.Oh but now in her old age.... The Lord has blessed the fruit of her womb. Thank you Jesus. This is the moment that I on purpose leave out the intricate details of Mary’s encounter with Angel Gabriel. so skip to

36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

42 And she (Elisabeth)spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

We are going to deal with Mary’s song next week My Soul Do Magnify The Lord.Turn to verse 56. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

We’re going to deal with Mary next week but now Elisabeth and Zachariah Verse 57 says Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.

Everybody under the sun round about came to see the baby . Elisabeth in her old age has had a baby. I can hear them saying “boy oh boy I know Rev Zachariah is glad because now he got his little preacher. Lil Zach Jr. But the bible says in verse 59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.

Elisabeth said in essence I glad y’all came but you’ll don’t run nothing in this house. Because you don’t know like I know what the Lord has done for me. We are going to call his name John. They tried to say what was going to go on in their home.61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.

Listen to me I don’t try to tell Raymond Jr. and his wife what to do, and I don’t try to tell Chevon and her husband what to do. Angelisa, Abbie and Adam are single, but I still don’t tell them what to do. I’ve raised them already so they know what to do and when they don’t know, they’ll come to us and ask our opinion. And so What y’all do in your home that ain’t none of my business. I’ve got 6 months to tend to my business and 6 more months to leave your business alone. You can’t police nobody’s life especially grown folk.

Let look at the rest of the text in Luke 1:64  And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, Wait Wait wait Now Rev Zachariah can talk now he can make a living, now his message is born out of true experience ( I heard about this that and the third, that’s hear say oh but when it’s your experience it takes on a different meaning. That’s when you hear somebody saying,I’m not telling you about something I heard I’m telling you about what I know) So let’s hear what Rev Zachariah’s message is now.

Verse 68 says Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; For he hath visited and redeemed his people,69  And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David;70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, Which have been since the world began:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, And from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,And to remember his holy covenant;73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,74  That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Might serve him without fear,75  In holiness and righteousness before him, All the days of our life.76  And thou, child (Jesus), shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:For thou (You John)shalt go before the face of the Lord To prepare his ways; 77  To give knowledge of salvation unto his people By the remission of their sins,78  Through the tender mercy of our God; Whereby the dayspring ( Jesus) from on high hath visited us,79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,To guide our feet into the way of peace.80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.