Fear Not Zechariah
Fear Not • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
If time permits, Recap Engage Series
If time permits, Recap Engage Series
Engage in God’s Word = Develop a plan
Engage in the Mission = Intentional Missions
Engage with the Holy Spirit = Let the HS lead you daily
Series Introduction
Series Introduction
The Angel of the Lord (Gab) appeared to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph (Dream), and the Shepherds
“Do not be afraid” or “Fear Not”
Fear has been a part of human existence since the fall of Adam and Eve. () Everybody is afraid of something.
Someone once said that there are 365 “fear nots” in the Bible, one for every day of the year. Although that’s a great thought, it’s not true.
However this idea of “Fear” is mentioned over 500 times in the Bible. The Bible teaches us that we are to “Fear God” which actually means a deep reverence for God and not to fear anyone or anything else.
A great example of this is when David is seized by the Philistines and he starts to become afraid, but instead of focusing on his fear of the Philly’s he focuses his attention towards God:
3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
We all battle fear of some kind! (what people think of you, not enough money, failure, etc …)
Today we are beginning a new series = Fear Not
Mary -
(Fear of what God ask us to do)
Joseph -
(Fear of what people think)
The Shepherds -
(Fear of Reputation)
The story of Zechariah illustrates the fear of God not remembering His promises.
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5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. 8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” 19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home.
It’s important to remember as we dig into the Christmas narrative that it had been 400 years since God has spoken.
Lets put it into perspective … The year 1618
The first colony in Jamestown, Virginia was only 11 years old
The pilgrims, the founders of Plymouth, MA wouldn’t arrive for another 2 years
The Declaration of Independence wouldn’t be signed for another 158 years
Not only did it seem as though God had been silent, but it was a very dark time …
The Jews had been living in their own land under foreign occupation for 600 years
Babylonians
Persians
Greeks
Romans (60 years)
1. Fear Not, God is at work in the darkness
1. Fear Not, God is at work in the darkness
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.
Herod the Great
He was not “great” in character. He was cruel and viscious
“It was safer to be Herods pig that it was to be his son”
After hearing about the birth of Jesus and his inability to find and kill him, he ordered all boys under the age of two to be killed
“In the days of Herod” = “In the darkest and most evil days that men could remember”
With the birth of Jesus, God was getting ready to turn on the lights.
It has been over 400 years since the people have heard from God
If this was a Christmas movie, the camera turns from the darkness of Herod to the home of a man named Zechariah = “In the days of Herod … there was a priest named Zechariah” (Elizabeth … daughters of Aaron)
6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.
Zechariah & Elizabeth - righteous & walking blamelessly (Not perfect but righteous)
7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
For Jews, the absence of children was seen as a reproach—evidence of God’s judgment on a person’s sin. How hard it must have been for Zechariah, a spiritual leader in Israel, and Elizabeth, to keep on obeying God, keep on remaining consistent in their faith, and still bear the sentence of a life unacceptable.
Lesson: When you are doing all that God has asked you to do, and He still doesn’t respond to your prayers, Keep pressing on!
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Although culturally they lived in dark times & and personally they had no children, there names would be helpful to them …
Zechariah - “The Lord Remembers”
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Elizabeth - “The Oath of God” “my God is an oath or my God keeps His promises”
When we are going through difficulties and hardships it hard not to say … Where is God? Why is He allowing me to go through this?
The reality is, however, that God often does his best work in the darkness!
He forces us to rely on Him
9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
He Produces Steadfastness in Us
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
He Prepares Us to Comfort Others
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
Charles Spurgeon, who was well acquainted with trials, said:
None of us can come to the highest maturity without enduring the summer heat of trials. As the sycamore fig never ripens if it be not bruised, as the corn does not leave the husk without threshing, and as wheat makes no fine flour till it be ground, so are we of little use till we are afflicted. Why should we be so eager to escape such benefits? We shall have to wait with patience, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”
2. Fear Not, God is at work in unusual ways
2. Fear Not, God is at work in unusual ways
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
“While he was serving … he was chosen by lot”
The historian Josephus estimated that there was around 20,000 priests
This was a once in a lifetime event!
Zechariah didn’t know it, but God had been planning this day from the very beginning.
Zechariah and his family were going to be a part of God’s plan to offer salvation to the world.
What seemed like unexplainable silence was really God’s work of preparing Zechariah and Elizabeth for this incredible day.
When God seems silent, Consider this …
(1) Noah worked on the arc for 100 years before it started to rain
(2) Abraham waited 25 years before his promised son Isaac was born
(3) Moses herded sheep in the wilderness for 40 years before God spoke to him in the burning bush
God’s Delay is not His Denial!
“All of God’s saints, if allowed to live long enough, are led into the wilderness.”
“All of God’s saints, if allowed to live long enough, are led into the wilderness.”
God works in unusual ways to man, but to God it is a planned way!
“The Lord works in Mysterious Ways” (Not found in the Bible)
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Zechariah learned that not only does (1) God works in the darkness but (2) God works in unusual ways.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
It seems unlikely that Zechariah was praying for a son at the Golden Altar of Incense. First it would be a selfish need to be praying at that moment and second he and Elizabeth were both well advanced in years. (They probably had given up on that prayer a long time ago)
“your prayer has been heard” AND “your wife … will bear you a son”
Zechariah’s prayer - perhaps the same prayer as Simeon in chapter two …
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.
The last words of God to be heard would be fulfilled in John the Baptizer
5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”
Zechariah’s son will fulfill this prophecy!
14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
3. Fear Not, God is at work even when His servants doubt
3. Fear Not, God is at work even when His servants doubt
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
Zechariah was saying: “Any chance of a sign?”
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
Zechariah’s sign:
20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
If we do not believe God’s promises, we shut our own mouths!
Zechariah & Elizabeth = The story of God’s Faithfulness!(1) God is at work in the Darkness(2) God Works in Unusual Ways(3) God Works Even When His Servants Doubt
“God’s silence is how it feels, it’s not how it is.”
“God’s silence is how it feels, it’s not how it is.”
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Later when the same angel (Gabriel) appears to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus …
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
