The Bridge
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 7 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
John “The Baptist”
John “The Baptist”
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
Zacharias - Old, Priest righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly .
He hoped in the promises of God.
But in his whole life he had not heard from God.
And yet even still he served God with patience, perseverance, and practice.
Character
8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.
11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.
Doing his job and an angel appeared. fear gripped him.
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 give him the name John.
14 “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
Zacharias was an upright priest. but he still had desires. He had dreams and hopes.
He wanted a child.
He wanted a legacy
He wanted his wife to be redeemed in the sight of the community.
How long do you thing he had been praying for a child?
Probably since his wedding day.
Instant Gratification:
Credit cards. Christmas gifts.
GOD has heard you!
You will have joy and gladness. Many will rejoice.
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 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.”
This is it! The 400 + year silence of God is over!
This is the promise of the impending fulfilment of the last promise God made to his people.
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 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 curse.”
Can you imagine how overwhelming this must have been? Can you imagine Zacharias’ excitement? not only was he having a child, but it was going to be a child that would usher in a new era of God’s people.
He was a priest....He had to have made the comparison between himself and his wife to Abraham and Sarah. He made the connection, right?
NOPE!
18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”
And how did the angel respond?
19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 “And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
Serve God
Serve God
Walking blamelessly.
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
Be honest with God
Be honest with God
God heard Zacharias prayers about wanting a child.
Zacharias was honest with God about what he wanted.
One of biggest problems with relationships in general is that we are not honest with each other about what we really want.
We hint and hope for what we want from others, then when we don’t get it, we get our feelings hurt, and we hold grudges, we have disappointments.
JUST SAY WHAT YOU WANT! Do so with humility and love. But be honest.
The problem is that when you are honest about what you want, you make yourself vulnerable. You give people a roadmap about how to hurt you.
It takes great courage to make yourself vulnerable.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Trust God
Trust God
4 In You our fathers trusted;
They trusted and You delivered them.
5 To You they cried out and were delivered;
In You they trusted and were not disappointed.
God makes good on all he has promised.
His Presence
5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”
His protection
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”
His Power
and
His Provision
10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
His Leadership
4 “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
His purpose
11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
His rest
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
His cleansing
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
His Goodness
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
His faithfulness
22 “For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.
His guidence
9 He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way.
His Wise Plan
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.