The Call of Christmas: Zechariah

If you were to read your Bible straight through, when you got to the end of the Old Testament, you may only have to turn a page or two to get to the New Testament. Some Bibles have a Page that simply says “New Testament”, some Bibles go straight from the end of the Old Testament on one page and to the beginning of the New Testament on the very next page, but most have some way to mark that you are entering into a new section of scripture. It may seem that there is not much separation between the Old and New Testaments.

But from the time of the writings of Malachi, which is the last prophecies of the Old Testament until the arrival of Jesus as recorded in the gospels was over 400 years. God had communicated with His people off and on over many centuries, but after the prophecies of Malachi, there was silence from God for over 400 years. In those 400 years, there were some faithful people, and many unfaithful. Lets’s read together the last chapter of Malachi, and see what the last word of God was before this 400 year period of silence known as the inter-testamental period:

Malachi 4:1–6 ESV

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “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.”

What can we notice about this passage? A day is coming. A day when the arrogant and the evildoers will be stubble that is set ablaze. This prophecy is predicting a time when the evil will be punished. As well, it is noted that that there will be a remnant remaining. Those who fear His name. For them, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. What a beautiful picture! A sunrise like no other, a sunrise of a sun of righteousness that will have healing in its wings. Those who fear God will go out leaping like calves from a stall. They will tread over the wicked. All of this to happen on a day when The Lord of Hosts will act.

So having said this, Malachi continues as a true prophet, he does not merely give people a glimpse of the future, he also give clear instructions to follow God’s ways, for these people, those were the ways of the law of Moses. Why were they to keep these ways? Because this was a call to prepare.

He promises to send Elijah, who will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and children to their fathers. Having made the promise through this prophecy, God has given instructions for the preparation, and they were simple instructions, and yet very difficult for a people born into sin, they were to keep his commandments.

In the law of Moses were all kinds of dos and don’ts, but also in the law of Moses was instructions for the priests of God. These priests were responsible to do many things at God’s temple, and these priests were divided in to 24 divisions, and each division would serve for 2 one week periods each year. One of those divisions was Abijah. (Ah be Ah). And in the division of Abijah was a man named Zechariah.

For 400 years these priests carried out their duties, probably every one of them in that time desiring to see God’s prophecy fulfilled, and yet year after year passed, and they carried out their duty, and year after year, God was silent. He had given them, through Malachi, a Call to Prepare, but though many were devout in their living and devout in their hope, God remained silent. That is, until one day. On that Day, the division of Abijah was serving at the temple. Part of their tradition was that lots were cast to pick a man each day who would enter the temple and burn incense. This was a very important duty, and a rare opportunity. A priest may only get his lot drawn once or twice in his whole life. And on this particular day, the lot fell to Zechariah, a man who was righteous, who had a righteous wife, and walked blameless before the Lord. They had no child. Let’s see what happened next:

Luke 1:5–25 (ESV)

Luke 1:5–25 ESV

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.”

Through Malachi, God had given a call to Prepare. And faithful people like Zechariah and Elizabeth lived a life of preparation. Now Zechariah enters the temple, and being a righteous man, I’m sure it was a delight for him to have been chosen that day to burn the incense. Even though God had not spoken to His people for over 400 years, there was most certainly a reward for faithfulness, and Zechariah was faithful. He believed.

It wasn’t unheard of for a priest doing this duty to have a vision from God, such as Isaiah had. Or to hear a message from him, as many priests had. One priest received a word from God and came out and announced it, and the exact thing he said came to pass. So even outside of the Biblical proof, there are other histories written that testify to priests receiving a word from God.

While the priest went to perform this duty, at about 3 in the afternoon, people would gather outside. It was a special time of prayer. But in the temple, Zechariah was alone. He would have reverently entered, having gone through the proper rituals to prepare himself, and stood there at the altar of incense. He was alone, until he wasn’t alone. An angel that was only once mentioned in the Old Testament, Gabriel, stood there. He was the same messenger of God who spoke to Daniel, and now he was speaking to Zechariah.

Gabriel had a message for Zechariah, and it was a call to prepare. The call to prepare from Malachi, the call to prepare by keeping the law of Moses, Zechariah had heeded. And a call to prepare for a child was now given, and that child himself would give a call to prepare to many. He would prepare the way for Jesus, because he was the one through whom THE call to prepare would come. And the call to prepare for Jesus is a call to repentance. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus by preaching and baptizing for repentance.

Throughout this advent season, we will be looking at the Call of Christmas. Today, a call to prepare. Next, we will look at Mary, and a call to provide. Then Joseph, a call to protect. And then the Shepherds, a call to praise. All of these calls have importance, and they are all linked by something that is very important, and that is about God’s messengers, the Angels. Angels have a major part in the story of Jesus’ birth. Gabriel speaking to Zechariah, then to Mary, an angel spoke to Joseph, and to the shepherds as well.

And these angels were calling to people to act in faith. To submit to God. Zechariah was called to submit to God in faith, believing that God’s message would come true.

God’s Message before the silence was clear: Prepare: Let’s look at Malachi again:

Malachi 4:1–6 ESV

How do we prepare for Jesus? Fear the name of God, Remember the law of his servant Moses, and watch for Elijah. Zechariah was told that his son was a step in the completing of this prophecy.

Luke 1:16–17 (ESV)

Luke 1:16–17 ESV

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.”

Jesus said this prophecy was fulfilled:

Matthew 11:11–15 ESV

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 17:10–13 ESV

And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Do you see? God had left his people in silence for a very long time, but he had not left them with a promise. The prophecy of Malachi was clear, and the message the angel Gabriel gave to Zechariah was clear. One message was to prepare a people for a long silence, to prepare for their hearts for the time when one like Elijah would come and prepare for God to enter the world in a very personal way, and the message to us is to prepare for God to enter our hearts in a very personal way. The message of preparation was both an exhortation and a warning.

And exhortation to keep God’s command, to prepare for him, and a warning that the wicked will be judged.

Today, we have the same exhortation and the same warning. God has given us even more signs of His promise than he gave to His people up until the prophet Malachi spoke, and after that was the silence. We have the witness of Christ in Scripture, the witness of Christ in world history. And many of us have the witness of Christ in our hearts, as people that have believed in him and found salvation in Him.

And God gives us a message today to prepare. He spoke through Gabriel to Zechariah and told him that his son, John the Baptist, would be fulfillment of prophecy. His son would call people to prepare their hearts for Jesus by calling them to repentance of sins. Jesus ministered, called people to himself, took the punishment on the cross for the sins of all who believe in Him, and was raised from the dead.

Today, we aren’t like God’s people in Zechariah’s day, waiting in silence. God is speaking to us now through His word. He is telling us now to prepare, not for the first coming of Christ, but a second coming. But the message of preparation remains. Fear the name of God. Know that the wicked will be judged. Only this time, today, right now, the message to prepare includes a help and a hope and a guarantee.

The help is the Holy Spirit, who works along with God’s Word to convict the world of sin and convince us of the truth. He will make God’s Word real to those who will truly hear it.

John 16:7–11 ESV

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

John 14:26–27 ESV

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

The hope is forgiveness of sins that spares us the judgment we deserve, and a hope for an eternal life that will be given to those with faith in Jesus.

Luke 21:25–28 ESV

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Our guarantee is that what the Lord does, he will complete. The Holy Spirit is a down payment on what God has promised.

Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Philippians 3:20–21 ESV

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Today, right now, the message to prepare includes a help and a hope and a guarantee. You are called to prepare, and God has granted all that you need to prepare your heart for him. If you are a believer, my prayer for you this Christmas is that you would have the joy of your salvation restored, that you would grow in God’s grace, and in all knowledge of Him. And if you are not yet a believer, I have a prayer for you as well. It could be that you have sat here in this church or other churches all your life and never truly put full faith in the message you have heard many times.

For you, I pray that God would become to you, as Francis Thompson put it, the hound of heaven, a wonderful poem that starts like this:

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes I sped;

And shot, precipitated,

Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase,

And unperturbèd pace,

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,

They beat--and a Voice beat

More instant than the Feet--

"All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.”

It is a lengthy poem, and Thompson presents a powerful image of a life fleeing from God, avoiding Him as he could, and yet God continued to pursue him. He speaks of how he spent a life seeking every kind of fulfillment and yet could not be satisfied, but God kept pursuing, and finally the realization comes that the only fulfillment can be in God. The seeking of fulfillment must be a search for God. the poem ends like this:

Halts by me that footfall;

Is my gloom, after all,

Shade of His hand, outstreched caressingly?

"Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,

I am He Whom thou seekest!

Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.

So my prayer for any among us who have not yet yielded to God is not for your comfort, but rather for your discomfort, because only in our discomfort can we humble ourselves to cry out for a savior. You need to prepare, and you need to be prepared by the Holy Spirit. Only he can do the work that is needed. When all the arguments on why you should trust Christ have failed to bring you to him, the Holy Spirit has the power to pierce your tough exterior, to soften your hard heart, and to bring you trembling to the realization of your need for Jesus.

Gabriel told Zechariah that his son would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. In those days, this was rare, and very few selected people of God received the Holy Spirit. But everything has changed. You can be filled with the same Holy Spirit that filled John, and you can have his same boldness and confidence in God.

I will close with a prayer of Paul, and then the worship team will lead us in a closing song. This Christmas, you are called to prepare. Will you heed this call?

Philippians 1:3–11 ESV

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Related Media

Related Sermons

Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.

The Call of Christmas: Zechariah

​