It's Not Too Late to Receive the Promise

Sunday, Dec 31, 2023

Introductory information

This Christmas season we have been studying Luke 1 to learn about receiving the promises of God in the Incarnation of Jesus

Christmas is a celebration of “the Incarnation” - when God became human

There are many promises embedded in the Incarnation that we ought to unpack at Christmas

What does it mean to us that Christ is “God with Us”?

Consider this quote: “The Incarnation effected two things: The destruction of death; and the re-creation of mankind.” - Athanasius of Alexandria (Lived 296 A.D – 373 A.D. one of the great early defenders of the Christian faith and Bishop of Alexandria.) (1)

At the beginning of Luke 1 we saw Zechariah lose his voice because He doubted

Zechariah doubted his own capacity to receive God’s promises

Luke records up until now that Elizabeth had joy, Mary had joy, and even the community had joy - but not Zechariah

Was it too late for Zechariah to also have this same joy? Had he missed his chance?

We’re going to find out...

READ

Question to consider as we read:

What if you let God’s blessing pass you by?

Luke 1:57–80 CSB

57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son. 58 Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mercy, and they rejoiced with her. 59 When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But his mother responded, “No. He will be called John.” 61 Then they said to her, “None of your relatives has that name.” 62 So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard about him took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him. 67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and provided redemption for his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets in ancient times; 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of those who hate us. 72 He has dealt mercifully with our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant— 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham. He has given us the privilege, 74 since we have been rescued from the hand of our enemies, to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness in his presence all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. 78 Because of our God’s merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us 79 to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. 80 The child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

EXAMINE

What are the key points in this passage?

#1 | John is born according to the promise God made

Elizabeth gives birth to a son, just as Gabriel had said she would (Luke 1:13)

Luke 1:57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son.

Remember that Elizabeth and Zechariah had two things working against them:

They had never been able to have kids when they were younger, and now they were too old to have kids

#2 | Zechariah regains his voice when he obeys the Lord

Zechariah gives his son the name Gabriel said to give him

Luke 1:62–63 ...they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.

There had been a command attached to the original promise - name the child “John” (Luke 1:13)

Zechariah is actually breaking with cultural tradition (2) in order to obey what the Lord had said

Zechariah’s obedience is key to him finally receiving God’s promise

Obedience is often a condition for receiving what God has promised

Another way to think about this is that God’s promises often come with instructions

#3 | Zechariah receives the promise and the joy that came with it

Zechariah has a song very similar to Mary’s (3)

Luke 1:67–68 ...Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 “Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and provided redemption for his people...”

Mary’s song came before her baby was born, but Zechariah’s came after his was born

Even though Zechariah is late to receive the promise, he finally receives the same joy that Mary and Elizabeth had

Luke 1:64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.

God’s mercy provided another opportunity to receive the joys of His promise

Even though Zechariah missed his opportunity the first time, it wasn’t too late

#4 | The Implications for us at Christmas

It’s not too late to receive the promises of God that you may have doubted until now

The Incarnation of Christ is not a past event - it is a present institution

Hebrews 7:24–26 …[Jesus] remains forever, he holds his priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them. 26 For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

As long as Jesus stands to advocate for us, we still have a chance to receive the promises of God

As we start this new year, make Jesus your King

We will receive the joy of God’s blessings when we submit to His instruction

APPLY

Explore and apply the passage with these questions:

[These questions must be focused, yet very open-ended. Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want to encourage everyone to share and explore the topics of the passage. You don’t have to ask all these questions. Sometimes a group may only get through one or two questions. Select the questions you think are right for the conversation. Then, as it comes time to wrap up, refocus the conversation to “land the plane.”]

What stood out to you in Zechariah’s song?

Have you ever felt like you’ve missed the boat on God’s promises?

What did this lesson teach you about God’s mercy and faithfulness?

Where we want to “land the plane”

It isn’t too late to receive God’s blessings from promises we have doubted. But we must also obey any commands that are attached to those promises.

REFLECT

Prayer Points for Today

Ask the Lord to reveal what second chances He is placing before us today

Ask the Lord to remind us of the instructions He has given us along with His promises

Devotional Question for the Week

There is a real despair that comes from believing that it’s “too late.” What things are you currently believing you are “too late” on, and how is the Holy Spirit challenging those assumptions?

FOOTNOTES

Athanasius of Alexandria (296–373) was one of the great early defenders of the Christian faith. He was educated in the catechetical school of Alexandria. As secretary to Bishop Alexander, he attended the Council of Nicea (325). He succeeded Alexander three years later. Probably before 318, while still in his twenties, he wrote De Incarnatione (On the Incarnation) and Contra Gentes, explaining how the Logos (Christ) became human and redeemed humanity. Later, in Letters Concerning the Holy Spirit, he defended the personality and deity of the third person of the Trinity. Norman L. Geisler, “Athanasius,” Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 55.

...it was fairly common in their culture to name a child after the father or grandfather… The father normally named the child, and it was quite unusual to give a child a name from outside the family... Grant R. Osborne, Luke: Verse by Verse, ed. Jeffrey Reimer, Elliot Ritzema, and Danielle Thevenaz, Awa Sarah, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018), 52–53.

The Benedictus—along with the other two prayers in Luke, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55) and the Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32)—has been used in Christian liturgy from its earliest days and can be found in many contemporary prayer books (Hartford and Stevenson, Prayer Book, 99). It echoes the Old Testament prophecies (Isa 40:3; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12), but also contains echoes of the Psalms (Pss 106:10, 45; 105:8–9) and the rest of the Old Testament (Exod 3:12; Deut 7:14; Ruth 2:20; 1 Sam 15:13; 25:33). Carrie Sinclair Wolcott, “Benedictus,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).