Preparation For Hope

Miracle of Duty

Zechariah was fulfilling his duty as a priest in the temple. However; this was not just any service. He was selected to burn incense to the Lord in the morning and the evening. Rarely did any priest get the high honor of this service. Some priests never get the opportunity their entire life. You had to be chosen. Only priests could perform this service and if you had already performed the service, then you could not do it again. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. God in His sovereignty chose Zachariah for this service, so he could give him a message that would revolutionize the world.

But before I move on to the other miracles I want to share with you the significance of the incense offering. The incense symbolized their dependence on God, it symbolized their submission to God, it symbolized His sovereignty over them, it symbolized their dependence on Him.  As it was being symbolized with the incense, it was actually being enacted with the prayers.

The priest would take the offerings of the people and butcher them and put them on the alter. In the morning the priest responsible for the incense offering would take the coals to the inner part of the temple, right outside the Holy of Holies. He would put them in a golden bowl and put incense on them and the aroma would fill the temple. The smoke would symbolize the prayer of the people going up to God. This is why the people stood out side praying.

The priest would usually go in and perform the service quickly. They did this because they were so close to the Holy of Holies. They didn’t want to do anything irreverent, so as to provoke God and get struck down. They wanted to get in and get out as fast as they could. Zachariah was in the temple a long time and the people began to wonder what happen to him

21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple.

God was about to break His silence!

Once in a lifetime opportunity

God has once in a lifetime opportunities for us as well. Just as God was telling John that His son would prepare the way for the Messiah, God calls into our lives telling us that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He calls us into salvation. We can chose to receive this salvation through faith or reject the message of God to us.

Zachariah did not have the faith to receive the message of the Lord, so the angel of the Lord caused him to be mute until John was born. The consequence of not receiving the message of salvation is much more severe than being mute. It is eternal separation from God in the lake of fire. If God is calling you into salvation this morning have faith in the sufficiency of Christ sacrifice for your sin.

Aside from salvation there could be other once in a lifetime opportunities for service that we have. Tell story about being called to Prospect and not doing it , but getting another chance.

What is your once in a lifetime opportunity? It is the thing that you want to do but are fearful of doing it. I want to encourage you to step out in faith and fulfill what God wants to do through you!

Miracle of the Messenger

The angel of the Lord came to Zachariah to give him a message. This was Gabriel. He is the angel that stands in the presence of the Lord. He is the highest ranking angel there is. The Lord sent the Angel that stood in His presence to deliver a message that could not be mistaken.

It had been 500 years since an angel had spoken to anyone. We see this recorded in the book of Zachariah which was written in 518BC.

3 And behold, the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him, 4 and said to him, “Run, speak to that young man, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited [a]without walls because of the multitude of men and cattle within it. 5 For I,’ declares the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire [b]around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

It had been 400 years since the Lord had spoken through a prophet. We see this in which was written in 445 BC.

5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 He will [a]restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a [b]curse.”

God is now fulfilling his promise through Zacharias some 400 years later.

I think the point I want to make here is that God uses angels very sparingly and only for messages that are of such great significance that only an angel can carry it. The message of the birth of the Messiah was of such great significance that God sent Gabriel to deliver it.

Angels in our lives.

Today we have no need of angels speaking to us today. The first reason is that everything that we need to know about God is in written form. We call it the Bible. There is nothing that should be added to it or anything that should be taken away from it. I believe that every message that has been delivered by an angel is recorded in scripture. If an angel were to speak to us today we would have to re-write the Bible because the message the angel gave would be of such great significance that it would need to be recorded in scripture.

The second reason we do not need angels to speak to us today is we have someone greater to speak to us. We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to speak to us. There is no angel that is greater than the Holy Spirit. For these two reasons, I don’t believe God uses angels to communicate to us on earth.

Though angels do not speak to us, I do believe they watch over us and protect us and serve us.

13 But to which of the angels has He ever said,

“Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies A footstool for Your feet”?

14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the [d]serpent you will trample down.

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Angels are present in our lives, they just don’t communicate to us.

I know I sidetracked a little on angels, but let me get back to the point. This message of the Messiah was so important that God arranged Zacharias to have a once in a lifetime experience and break the silence of God for over 400 years. The messenger was a miracle!

Miracle Of the Message!

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will [l]give him the name  You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [m]while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

You will bear a son

This is of great significance because Elizabeth and Zacharias were well beyond child bearing years. This would be a miracle of God. This was of great importance to Zacharias because having a barren wife was seen as a curse from God and he could be removed from being a priest. This would not only bless them but would secure his priesthood.

Many will rejoice at his birth

This was a miracle and many people saw the hand of God through his birth.

57 Now the time [a]had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had [b]displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

He will be great in the sight of the Lord

Jesus said this:

7 As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 [h]But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ [i]palaces! 9 [j]But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it [k]is written,

‘Behold, I send My messenger [l]ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.’

11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!

It was not the man that made John great, it was his message. You can be great too! Share the message of Christ!

He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mothers womb.

39 Now [ac]at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And [ad]how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she who [ae]believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [af]by the Lord.”

When John was in the presence of Jesus, he leaped in Elizabeth. The word of God said she was filled with the Holy Spirit.

We to should leap for joy as we are filled with Holy Spirit!

He has spirit and power of Elijah

2 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven [b]suffers violence, and violent men [c]take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until  And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who [d]was to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, [e]let him hear.

Elijah had the spirit and authority to turn a rebellious nation back to God. John did the same thing by proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah! You to have the spirit of Elijah. There are many rebellious people that we can turn back to the Lord!