Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
When God speaks, we should listen.
It’s easy to agree with that statement when we are at church on Sunday morning, or when the preacher says it.
But let’s face it, even good, spiritually mature people can, at times, lack the faith to believe what God says and act on that faith.
For example…(Warning: I’m moving from preaching to meddling for a little bit):
God says: “Go and make disciples of all nations,” but how many of us have talked to a non-believer about Jesus this year?
God says: “Teach those new believers to observe all I have commanded,” but church attendance numbers have declined in most churches over the last twenty years.
God says: “I am with you until the end of the age,” but so many are unwilling to try big things that take great faith because we are worried about failing.
Again, when God speaks, His people ought to listen.
This morning we are going to see what happened with Zechariah, the priest we met in 1:5-25.
Zechariah was a good man.
In fact, if he was in our church we would see him as one of the examples we all wanted to follow.
But, like all of us, he made a mistake and allowed disbelief to creep into his life, when his response to the Lord should have been to praise God and trust Him, in spite of something that seemed impossible.
We will see that Zechariah learned his lesson, and from that see that we can also turn things around when we are lacking faith.
Additionally, like Zechariah learned, we will see that God has a calling for each one of us, that we might serve Him fully.
Body
Verses 57-66
The child is born, as promised.
And as was laid out in the OT for the Jews, he would be circumcised in the Temple on his eight day of life.
It was not stated in Jewish law that the child wouldn’t be named until then, but some believe it had become a custom.
Either way, it’s at the naming that the controversy arises.
The issue: well meaning friends and family believed that the child should be named after his father, Zechariah.
Possibly in honor of him, especially since the “tragedy” of his muteness.
But Elizabeth says that his name is to be John, obviously having communicated with Zechariah the angel Gabriel’s visitation about their son.
When they can’t convince Elizabeth, they decide to try to appeal to Zechariah.
Good to know meddling in-laws are not a recent discovery!
There is a lesson here: Sometimes in life, well meaning people will give us bad advice from human logic…
That’s why we must always begin with: “But, what does God say?”
However, Zechariah lets them know that his name is John, end of story!
With that Zechariah shows that the intended lesson has been learned.
God gave him 9 months of silence to consider whether he was going to really trust God or not…lesson learned!
In fact, the first words out of Zechariah’s mouth are shared in this praise song below.
Verses 67-75
This song is more than just a song, it’s a prophecy as well.
We can see three distinct parts within it, this first that I just read is all about praising God.
Once again we find someone being filled with the Spirit, which leads to a Spirit-filled response of worship.
This is the expected result for God’s people…see Eph.
5:18-21
One of my favorite things about this story is this: After finishing his work within the Temple, Zechariah was supposed to utter a benediction.
But he was struck mute and could not.
So it’s fitting that he fulfills that which he couldn’t do earlier now, giving this incredible benediction & prophecy.
In these verses Zechariah offers praise to God for His faithfulness to Israel through the promises of old.
What He has done:
Visited and redeemed His people.
God is the God who throughout history has saved His people.
But realize that God’s people are not rescued without a cost.
To redeem something means it cost you something.
Nothing would ever cost more than what God would do to redeem His people to Himself!
Why He has done this:
So His people would serve Him without fear…without what fear?
So His people could live holy and righteous lives.
Verses 76-79
In this section we see the two other focuses within this song:
A prophecy about his son, John;
A prophecy about the Messiah, the one John was to go before.
Zechariah can now reveal to all that John will fulfill the Lord’s will in this way:
He will be a prophet;
Meaning he will boldly proclaim the words to the Lord to the people.
He will be the precursor to the Messiah;
John would do many important things, but his most important calling was to point others to Christ Jesus.
He will show people how to be saved from their sins;
Not by John or his baptism, but by the work of God through Jesus Christ, who would bring light into a dark world!
Forgiveness of sins is at the heart of salvation.
God saves sinners from eternal separation from Him in hell by atoning for and forgiving their sins.
Romans 5:6–9 (ESV)
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
So What?
What was the results of Zechariah’s turn around, from a doubter to a prophet?
From one who could do nothing for the Lord, to one who could now serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness?
Look at verses 65-66 again:
The people who questioned them now recognized that God was at work, and revered God;
Do people recognize God at work in your life?
If not, why not?
The news of what God had done spread to many around their homeland;
This will happen, when we are faithful…
People both remembered what happened, and began anticipating what God would do through this child.
The greatest calling on our lives is to point others to the Savior!
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