An Unbelieving Priest

INTRODUCTION

Advent Series

Each week will introduce something we have as a result of Christ’s birth.

This week: HOPE

Define — this isn’t a “chance” type of hope.

I “hope” Kentucky basketball wins. Pretty good team — still a chance they lose.

I “hope” to get through this sermon without passing out — 50/50 shot.

When we talk about hope as Christians, it’s an assurance — a certainty — that we know the outcome.

Knowledge that what God has said in his Word is going to come to fruition.

TRUTH: As believers, we have hope because God is faithful to his promises.

ISSUE: As Christians, we’re to be people of hope. And yet so often, we’re people of unbelief.

UNDERSTAND: Unbelief is the killer of hope.

Unbelief looks at the promises of God, and rather than taking them as certainties, we treat them like the rest of the world treats hope.

We “hope” God fulfills his Word like we “hope” our favorite team wins.

We’re going to see an example of this paradox of hope and unbelief this morning in a birth announcement — one that sometimes gets overlooked.

Turn with me to Luke 1.

RETELL STORY

Characters: Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Righteous people – keeping the requirements of the law.

IMPLIES A HEART POSTURE AS WELL – their heart was right. These were people who loved and served the Lord.

Zechariah – priest. Elizabeth – from a priestly family. DOUBLE HONOR.

Based on common sense, we would expect to see this couple be blessed.

Blessing = children. Yet, even in their righteousness, they were childless.

To be childless was to be disgraced. It was thought that if you didn’t have children, there was something wrong – some sin in your life.

In fact, it was grounds for divorce if a woman could not provide an heir.

“Well along in years”

Tactful way of saying they were old.

“Seasoned Saints.”

If you get a birthday card that says, “Happy Birthday to someone well along in years,” you’re going to have a hard time blowing the candles out.

Zechariah called for priestly duty.

Estimated 20,000 priests active at this time.

Each division would serve offering daily sacrifices twice a year, one week at a time.

For major festivals, all priests would be present/serving.

Zechariah’s division is called to serve. They cast lots to see who would have the honor of burning incense.

This would have happened right outside the Holy of Holies. Huge honor for the priest selected.

Priests offered incense once in their lifetime.

THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES IN THE BIBLE. Of 20k active priests, Zechariah is the one who happens to be drawn to offer incense on this particular day.

Going about his priestly business, offering incense – symbolized the prayers of the people, rising like a fragrance to the Lord.

All of a sudden, Gabriel appears.

There’s a lot to process…

Biblical image of an angel – these aren’t blonde headed, feminine looking men with a halo and a white robe. They were terrifying and glorious all at the same time.

Messengers of God – just depended on what message. Good news, or bad news.

**HE’S OFFERING INCENSE. THE IMMEDIATE THOUGHT HAS TO GO TO, WHAT HAVE I DONE WRONG?

Gabriel immediately starts with “Do not be afraid.”

Zechariah was old – I imagine he was in real danger of cardiac arrest.

Goes from “Do not be afraid,” to an incredible announcement.

Zechariah and Elizabeth, this childless barren couple, well along in years, are going to be parents.

Ever known someone who’s too old to be the parents of a newborn, but they have a baby anyway?

I’m 31, Bailey is 3, and the thought of a newborn even now is enough to make me need a nap and a nerve pill, and Zechariah has me by 40 years or better!

They’re pregnancy announcement is going to be advertised at the nursing home.

Doesn’t stop there – he tells Zechariah how special this son of his would be. He would prepare the way for the Messiah, God’s promised deliverer.

Would name him John, meaning “The Lord is Gracious”.

He would be unlike anyone else before him – the Spirit of God would fill him even while he was in the womb.

Zechariah’s head must be spinning. He’s doing the math, and the numbers aren’t adding up. There’s no way he and Elizabeth could conceive.

In a moment that should be filled with incredible hope, he responds with disappointing unbelief.

“How can I know this?” = “Prove it.”

Gabriel’s response: “Look at my resume – I stand in the presence of God. I deliver his mail for him. This message is a direct assignment to me, from God himself, to tell you what’s about to happen.”

He gives Zechariah a sign – he would be mute (likely deaf as well based on the later text in chapter 1) until the baby was born.

What we see in Zechariah’s response is one of unbelief in the face of God’s promise. Based on his answer, we’re going to see some characteristics of unbelief, and we’ll see why Zechariah should have been filled with hope instead.

SECTION 1: UNBELIEF

1. Unbelief is a direct challenge to God’s promises.

Flies in the face of God’s Word.

The Lord makes a promise – I’m going to do ______. Unbelief says, I don’t think you can/will.

This is not necessarily a lack of faith.

We can believe the Bible – believe that God has been faithful in the past.

We believe the stories are true.

We err when we fail to believe that God can do the same for us.

We know the stories of God’s provision – but we don’t think he can provide for us.

We know the stories of God’s protection – but we don’t think he can protect us.

We know the stories of God’s love – but we don’t think he can love us.

Ultimately, unbelief says that my circumstances are too big for God to overcome.

Whatever obstacle I’m facing, God can’t bring victory over it. It’s too much for him to handle.

F.B. Meyer (evangelist around the turn of the 20th century): “Unbelief puts our circumstances between us and God, but faith puts God between us and our circumstances.”

2. Unbelief is the root of anxiety.

Unbelief directly causes worry – it refuses to take God at his word, that he is able to deliver/restore.

2 Direct Sin Issues

Anxiety itself.

Matthew 6:25–34 CSB

“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Philippians 4:6 CSB

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Anxiety manifests in lots of ways. What we’re specifically talking about is worry, especially regarding the future.

Notice the language – DO NOT WORRY. It’s a command, just like Do not lie, do not steal, etc.

Unbelief directly leads to the sin of worry/anxiety.

Self-Reliance

The tendency when we experience anxiety is to attempt to fix it ourselves.

When we don’t trust/believe God at his promise, we typically try to take over and implement our own plan/solution, rather than trusting and relying on God.

Ex.: Finances.

God promises to provide for our needs.

Unbelief says our needs are too great, God can’t do it.

We become anxious, worrying about how our needs will be met.

Result? We find our own solutions – a new job that pays more, reducing tithe/charitable giving, etc.

3. Unbelief silences a tongue intended to be praising God.

Notice where Zechariah finds himself – this should be one of the best days of his life – the mountaintop of all mountaintops.

He should be giving glory to God for the miracle he’s promised, and will be faithful to perform.

Instead, he’s made mute because of his unbelief.

Our unbelief leads us to a place where instead of shouting God’s praises, we’re left in unfortunate silence.

Ex.: Baptistry leaking.

SECTION 2: HOPE

1. Zechariah knew God’s track record.

He was a priest and a righteous man. He knew the stories of the Old Testament!

Abraham and Sarah

Isaac and Rebekah

Jacob and Rachel

Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel

He would have known that God was more than capable of providing a child to people well past the age of having children. This wasn’t news to him.

So when Gabriel appears and tells Zechariah, an old man, that God is going to give him a son, it should not have come as a surprise to him.

Remind yourself that God has always kept his promises.

He’s batting .1000 – his track record shows that he keeps his word.

When we remember how he’s been faithful in the past, it’s easier to trust him in the present.

It’s easier to trust him when you remember…

How he’s provided for you.

How he’s sustained you.

How he’s cared for you.

God hasn’t brought you this far to leave you now.

2. Zechariah begged God for a child.

V. 13 – Probably a prayer for the people of Israel as he was lighting incense, but more likely a consistent prayer on the part of Zechariah that God would give them a child.

Age Est.: 70, married at 20.

There’s a real possibility, even probability that Zechariah had been crying out to the Lord regarding this one thing for the better part of 50 years.

Often, we’re like Zechariah. We ask for things, but after a certain point, we don’t really believe it’s possible.

Start out well, but eventually it feels like God isn’t answering. We keep praying, but really the faith behind our prayer is gone.

All of a sudden, we find ourselves asking God for something we don’t really believe he can or will do.

Remember: Prayer is answered in God’s timing, not ours.

Zechariah would have liked to have children in his twenties, but God had other plans.

He left Zechariah and Elizabeth barren to display His glory, to signify the importance of John’s birth.

John’s birth was to prepare the way for the Messiah. It had to be in God’s timing.

Sometimes it seems like God’s not answering. In reality, he’s saying wait on his timing and watch the miraculous happen for his glory.

3. Zechariah knew God’s promise.

Malachi 4:5–6 CSB

Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Malachi is the last of the OT prophets. He ends his writing with a promise of one who will prepare the way for the Messiah.

Then, silence. God doesn’t speak for 400 years, until he breaks his silence appearing to Zechariah via Gabriel.

God’s silence does not mean his absence or his indifference.

His timing is perfect. When God seems silent or absent he’s doing something behind the scenes. He’s waiting on his perfect timing.

God wasn’t absent for 400 years, he was waiting for the right time, and the right people to accomplish his perfect plan.

It was like there was this holy hush for 400 years.

What do you do in a room of people when you have an important announcement to make? You get them quiet.

It’s like God’s quieted the room and now all eyes are on him as he begins to speak again.

Gabriel quotes Mal. 4:5-6 verbatim to Zechariah.

MEANING : It’s like Gabriel is saying God might have been silent for 400 years, but he’s faithful to his promises, and the time has come.

Takes it a step further – That thing you’ve been praying for for years, that’s how I’m going to accomplish it.

CONCLUSION

There are no coincidences in the Bible.

Hebrew Names:

Zechariah – Hb. Zacharyah

Zakar – to remember

Yah – Yahweh (God)

“God Remembers”

Elizabeth – Hb. Elisheva

El – God

Sheva – oath

“Oath of God”

When they get married, and their names are put together, “God remembers his oath.”

We have hope because God remembers his oath.

He’s not forgotten his promises, and he’s faithful to keep them.

What are you not believing God for? What are you not trusting him with?

Gospel – believe you’re too far gone. Done too much.

Been a church member for years – don’t believe God can save you at this point.

Never too far. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Christ died for you.

Family Member/Friend – given up on them.

Come to the altar and believe the Lord is still able to call them home.

Personal Issue – God can’t heal my…

Marriage

Finances

Health

Relationships

Addiction

Whatever it is, the altar is open. Ask the Lord in faith, believing he’s going to be faithful to act.