The Call

Introduction

Tell story of when I was a kid and I was upstairs in my room. Then my dad called from downstairs. I responded with “What?” He replied, “Get down here!” I got to the top of the stairs and he said “When I call you don’t say what, you come. You understand me?” Guess what? I came running every time he called me after that.

How do we answer God’s call? When He summons us to do something great for Him do we respond with “Why me?” and not go? Or do we run to Him saying, “Here am I, send me?” Let’s learn from a man who had to learn to respond properly to God’s call (Luke 1).

I. Zachariah’s Call (v. 1-25)

A. v. 1-4: Luke is writing to a specific Christian so he understands where the gospel started and how it impacts him. He would learn the beginning and understand the exact truth of Jesus and why he is a Christian. We learn how the exact truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ changes our lives and the lives of those around us.

B. v. 5-12: Zechariah was a priest and his wife was a descendant of Aaron (Moses’ brother). He was blessed to be picked to lead the congregation of Israel in the prayer hour. Zechariah offered the incense to the Lord. He was doing his ministry to the Lord and God called him into a different direction. Word came to a priest, not the high priest, but someone who was quiet and simply served the Lord. He had a privilege and duty in the temple and a message came to him when there was a great crowd.

In all the times Zechariah has been in the temple, having been cleansed at the lever, worshiping the Lord his God he has never had an experience like this before. The presence of God’s angel inspired fear. Soon that fear would change from the fear of God to the fear of parenting.

C. v. 13-17: Zechariah had been praying for years to have a child. His wife was barren, she couldn’t have children. He might have given up after so many years but God had something greater in mind for him. He would receive the joy of a child, in fact, a child who would be faithful and influential. Someone who would put God high, who would walk by the Spirit, who would deny temptations the world had to offer, and would point people back to the Lord.

How great would John be? He would come in the spirit (he would be filled with the Holy Spirit) and power (bring about transformation) of Elijah. This speaks to his greatness and the vastness of his impact, turning people’s hearts toward reconciliation, toward righteousness, toward the coming of the Lord.

Surely Zechariah’s prayer was not answered in the way or time he expected.

D. Do you feel like God hasn’t answered your prayers? Maybe you were hoping for something great and gave up on it some time ago. Just wait, He has something greater in mind for you. If you are a Christian then your prayer has not fallen on deaf ears, it just might not be answered the way you want or expect. Don’t give up hope that God isn’t listening or that He won’t use you. He uses the faithful follower of Jesus in His time and in His way.

Have you ever prayed that God use you in a greater way? Don’t be surprised when He answers that prayer. You’ve been living life, even doing important things for church or in your devotions and all of a sudden you felt like there was something more. Maybe you felt like something is missing or there’s something more you can/should be doing. Perhaps an idea popped into your head that you just can’t shake. But you keep right on doing the same thing over and over. Do you think God is calling you to do something out of character for Him? Does that thought scare you? Or, at least, does it instill doubt in your heart? It did for Zechariah.

E. v. 18-23: He knew becoming a father was impossible. His wife, Elizabeth, was barren and they were both past childbearing years. Perhaps he thought this was all an illusion, maybe he thought it was farfetched, or, maybe Zechariah let what he knew to be true limit what God could do. He knew how Abraham and Sarah had a child in their old age, yet, he didn’t believe it could be true for him.

Gabriel assured him that he has stood in the presence of God, he has seen the impossible. God has chosen the faithful to accomplish His will and that righteous, blameless man stood faithless. So, he was disciplined, being unable to speak until God fulfilled His promise. That was enough to strengthen Zechariah’s faith in what God could do. He kept serving in his priestly duties until it was time to head back home.

F. v. 24-25: Zechariah went home and acted in faith that God would do what He said He would. And Elizabeth fell pregnant. The darkness hanging over her head, the fact she could never bear children, had been removed. She had the favor of the Lord (John means “grace of God”) to have the forerunner of the Christ. Oh the difference John would make and it started with the obedience of faithful followers.

II. Your Call (Application/Conclusion)

A. Now I ask, what about you? Are you content to stay where you’re at in your relationship with Christ? Doing the same old religious habits (attending church to sit in a pew, listen to a sermon, take communion, and hum a few songs?) week after week? Or do you want to do more? Have a more significant outreach, be an example to other Christians, do something out of the ordinary that’ll make an impact bigger than you could possibly anticipate?

You might have your doubts, you might think that God worked through people like Abraham, Moses, and Zechariah but He couldn’t use you. Or, you just feel like there’s not much you can do for God. But God often chooses the quiet, faithful followers of Jesus to accomplish great things. Not because you are strong but because He is strong through you. God can do the impossible in and through you. Will you trust Him and follow His lead, stepping out in faith?

B. What is something in your life that you deemed impossible but God is calling you to do? We tend to fear the things we aren’t good at and come up with excuses to avoid the things that push us out of our comfort zones. Don’t let your preconceived notions stop God from using you.

Sometimes we need to be humbled and trust that God knows what He’s doing and that He will show His strength through our weakness. God could try to get your attention be letting you go through something hard. Once you wake up to God’s strength and power, are you finally willing to say, “Okay God, we’ll do it your way”?

We may feel doubt and question God’s ability or how He could possibly want us to do something like that? God simply beckons, “I don’t need to tell you how I’m going to it, let me show you.” Step out in faith and do a hard thing for God. You may not be good at it, it might be scary, it might not make sense for why YOU need to do it instead of somebody else more qualified. But He often calls the weak who are willing to trust Him (Gideon and his 300 versus 10,000, Moses against Pharaoh, etc.)

C. What has God been calling you to do? Take the plunge to be baptized for forgiveness of your sins/eternal life by the Spirit? Go share the gospel with a co-worker? Give more to God’s work? Starting a Bible study/prayer time with your spouse/family? Maybe it’s leading a prayer group or investing in a ministry you haven’t had the courage to start?

I encourage you to spend time in prayer about it. Then come talk to the elders or myself. We are happy to help usher in new ways to serve and grow. We want to be catalysts of God’s will in our church and community. Let’s all step out on faith and do something hard for God. Who knows how He will use us to usher in a transformation in our church and community? But it starts with our trust and obedience. Let’s take that step together.