Sermon Tone Analysis

Believers are to live a life of prayer and practice good stewardship with their possessions.

In Luke’s narrative, prayer occurs at every major point in Jesus’ life: at his baptism; at his selection of the Twelve; at Peter’s confession; at Jesus’ transfiguration; in his teaching the Lord’s Prayer; before Peter’s denial; etc.

INTRODUCTION

[CIT] In this passage, God sent his angel, Gabriel, to tell an elderly country priest, Zechariah, that he and his elderly wife, Elizabeth, would have a son - a son they were to name John, which means “The Lord is gracious.”

[ILLUS]

[CONTEXT] It had been 400 years since God last sent a prophet among his people to declare his word to them.

Malachi had been the last and his final words were haunting, “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,” ().

God’s people had been eagerly waiting on Elijah, the bold prophet of God who had stood up to the false prophets of Baal on Mt.

Carmel, for 400 years - but after such a long time perhaps hope deferred had become hope disappointed.

Zechariah and Elizabeth knew that feeling.

It had perhaps been a long time since they had dared to hope for a baby.

As they years passed by they celebrated with friends and relatives as they welcomed children into the world.

For a while, they held onto hope, but soon for them too hope deferred likely became hope disappointed.

Would Elijah ever come?

Would Zechariah and Elizabeth ever have a baby?

[TRANSITION] God loves to bring us the hope of his grace exactly when things look hopeless - when 400 years have passed and people begin to whisper, “Maybe Elijah’s not coming” - when you’re so old people whisper, “They’ll never have a baby.”

[PROP] Nothing is impossible with God.

When we are on the verge of giving up, he loves to thrill us with his grace.

[PROP]

[INTER] Have you ever been on the verge of giving up?

Are you there now?

Maybe you’re about to give up on your prodigal child.

Maybe you’re about to give up on your marriage.

Maybe you’re about to give up on healing for you or someone you love.

Maybe you’re about to give up on everything in general.

If so, then maybe this is for you this morning.

I believe this passage is God’s grace come to us as just the right time this morning.

[TS] Let’s notice the grace of God played out in four different SCENES in this passage...

MAJOR IDEAS

SCENE #1: When grace doesn’t make sense (at least from our perspective) [vv.

5-7].

[Illus] I heard a man talking about his brother the other day.

He said, “My brother is so incredible it sounds like I’m making a person up.”

[Exp] You couldn’t make up a more godly couple than Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Zechariah, whose name means “The Lord remembers,” was a priest serving in the division of Abijah, the eighth division of the priesthood.

(The priesthood was divided into 24 divisions with each division serving twice a year for one week except for major feasts during which all the priests served.)

He was married to Elizabeth whose name means “The Lord has sworn.”

She was from the daughters of Aaron, the first high priest.

(Priests were required to marry an Israelite virgin but the fact that Elizabeth was from the line of Aaron would’ve made this godly couple even more respectable in the eyes of their community.)

And together they “were righteous before God, walking blamelessly in the all the commandments and statutes of the Lord,” (v. 6).

(They weren’t perfect people, but they had found favor in the eyes of the Lord just as Noah did who was also described as righteous and blameless [].

When they confessed, they confessed from the heart.

When they served, they served from the heart.

When they prayed, they prayed from the heart.

When they obeyed, they obeyed from the heart.

Their righteousness was not just for appearances sake.

It was from the heart.)

Now, all of this is what makes so surprising...

Here’s the disappointment: “they had no child”

Here’s the cause: “because Elizabeth was barren”

And here’s the hopelessness: “and both were advanced in years.”

From the perspective of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s Jewish community, being barren was like being cursed.

Although they were favored or graced by God, people looked at them as disgraced because they were childless.

[Illus] Many people around them were no doubt like Job’s friends.

You’ll remember from Sunday School this morning that Job “was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil,” (, ), and yet Job suffered.

He lost his wealth, his children, his health, and then his friends show up.

At first Job’s friends just sat with him, then they began to ask Job, “What have you done to deserve this suffering, this disgrace?”

When Job said he hadn’t done anything, his friends replied, “Well, you must’ve done something!”

Job lost his wealth, his children, his health, and then his friends show up.

At

We can imagine Zechariah and Elizabeth having that same conversation with well-meaning family and friends.

“What have you done?”

“We’ve followed the Lord as closely as we can!”

“Well, you must’ve done something!”

We can even imagine Zechariah and Elizabeth having this same conversation within themselves.

“Have I done something to deserve this childlessness?”

“I’m not perfect, but I’ve been trying to follow God.”

“I must’ve done something.”

[App] Sometimes a specific sin we commit does lead to a specific instance of suffering, but we need to understand that, although all suffering is the result of sin, not all our suffering is the result of our sin.

We need to understand that sometimes we suffer, not because we’ve done something, but because God is up to something.

In all of our suffering, God is drawing us closer to himself or drawing closer to others through our suffering.

[Illus] That was the case with Job, who came to understand God better through his suffering.

[Illus]

That was the case in the book of Acts when the Jerusalem church suffered persecution and had to flee, but those who “scattered went about preaching the word,” ().

That was the case for Christian author, Joni Eareckson Tada, who was paralyzed in a diving accident as a teenager.

She has said that she wouldn’t be as close to God today if she had not had that accident.

If that’s true, she also wouldn’t have had the impact on others that she has had.

This has been the case in my own life.

If my childhood had not been ripped apart by the divorce of my parents, I wouldn’t have met Christ, wouldn’t have been called to preach, wouldn’t be here this morning.

[App] Being favored by God doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer.

God’s grace won’t make sense to us if we believe that.

God’s grace does, however, mean that our suffering won’t be pointless.

With God, there is a point to our pain.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were about to find that out.

[TS] Let’s look at SCENE #2...

SCENE #2: When God’s grace surprises (and blows us away) [vv.

8-17].

[Exp] This was the pinnacle of Zechariah’s career as a priest.

Because of the large number of priests and they fact that a priest’s division only served twice a year, most never got the opportunity to offer incense just before the curtain that led into the Most Holy Place or Holy of Holies.

Those who did receive the honor were only allowed to do so once in their lifetime.

Zechariah must’ve been thrilled to offer up the the incense that represented the prayers of God’s people rising up to God and Elizabeth must’ve been so thrilled for her husband, but, again, God was up to something.

Zechariah was chosen by lot to offer the incense, which by comparison we might think of drawing straws or rolling dice.

In other words, the fact that Zechariah was chosen just seemed like luck or good fortune.

In reality, however, it was God who orchestrated the whole thing.

As says...

As Zechariah stepped into the Holy Place he would have seen the magnificently embroidered curtain leading into the Holy of Holies with its cherubim woven in scarlet, blue, purple, and gold.

To his left would’ve been the table of shewbread.

In front of him would’ve been the horned golden altar of incense (cf.

; ).

And to his right would’ve been the golden candlestick.

Zechariah would’ve purified the altar and waited for the signal to offer the incense at the same time the multitude was praying outside.

As he waited alone, he was suddenly not alone and that’s enough to trouble anyone.