His Name Shall be Called John - Luke 1:5-25

The moments leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. A priest named Zacharias received a remarkable message Zacharias assignment is about to rise on redemptive history and you and Elizabeth and I know country braced you are sure is to bear the forerunner of the Messiah. Your physical ability is now the perfect platform for God's natural ability.

Another baby was born at about that same time. His name was John and he was born to a priest named Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth. John was the cousin to Jesus and as she grew up, he became more famously known as John the Baptist. John's life and ministry was also a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and an important part of the Christmas story today and in the days ahead. Stevens going to teach you more about this great prophet. Today's lesson is entitled. His name shall be called John when Malachi the prophet Dennis Quill, God put away the prophetic word. The Old Testament era is followed then with 400 years of silence. Not one word recorded God when God finally spoke again through his messenger.

Gabriel one family in particular and extended family would have their lives turned upside down by children. One married woman who couldn't get pregnant we get the news from Gabriel.

She was going.

Her unmarried cousin should be pregnant would get the news that she is about the Christmas story will actually involve this extended family. In fact, most people think of when Gabriel arrived, and 400 years of silence. He came with a message. Mary it. The angel came first to the husband of Mary's cousin Elizabeth story of Christmas is in many ways fascinating to me. It involves the lives of cousins Elizabeth and Mary and and first cousins there baby boys.

John and Jesus.

This extended family is about to begin the ride of their lives. And if they had to respect and some of the photos would look very differently than anything they could've ever had to go back to the beginning with you and take a look at how the gospel writer in chapter 1 of the gospel by Luke delivers to us the news in this first chapter of not just one miraculous conception, but in another unique way to Luke chapter 1 and verse five. After Luke introduces the gospel to his high-ranking official friend named Theophilus he begins the story verse five. In the days of Herod the king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Elijah and the wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous in the sight of God walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

Now listen at the very outset were given some historical context for this story. This is taking place were told during the days of Herod the king so immediately were given a contrast between the wicked man a godly couple. This is the man known as Herod the great, he was appointed King by the Roman Senate about 37 years before the birth of Jesus Christ by the time these two cousins will be born. Herod is already known. He established himself as a brutal, vicious man.

He's already ordered the murder of the Jewish high priest simply because that priest was more popular than he was declined to this particular title with vicious power that King of the Jews was his claim and his alone is why lesson two years later he will order the execution of every little boy in red that what has been identified by visiting Persian dignitaries to be this king of the Jews by the time you get to elusive production in his gospel. Herod is about 70 years old. He is insanely jealous. Patty brutal but he had compilation. One thing kept his ratings soaring. He had expanded and refurbished the Jewish temple. Josephus the first century Jewish historian tells us that this temple was refurbished much of it reconstructed by the hands of 10,000 specially trained Jewish laborers under the direction of 100 priests, and they built something astounding.

Josephus wrote that the temple was refurbished with important cedar and white marble. Much of the temple, including the massive double doors at the front were overlaid with plaintiffs solid plates of gold.

By the way was all designed by implication to fulfill what their last prophet had promised just before the darkness, and the silence of God, which it now lasted for 400. It was all designed to reflect effectively the prophecy of Malachi said one day the brilliance of the sun as you in would rise the sun of righteousness would arise with healing in its wings. Malachi chapter 4 verse two to the people are waiting for in their longing for their praying for the darkness to be managed by the rising up prophetic sunlight for 100 years of darkness and despair, confusion, and corruption. No wonder Zacharias will say his response to the angel's announcement later on.

In chapter 1. The sunrise is finally coming to shine upon those of us who sit dark sons about to not for everyone.

Herod the king the darkness will only envelop for him. The sun would never these immediately contrasted them with this godly couple introduced to us by Luke in verse five Becker told this priest named Zacharias, was faithfully serving in his division division of the binder. We know from history that there were about 10,000 priest living in and around Jerusalem and they were divided into 24 groups, each of the grapes was assigned to work for one week. This twice a year. His grouping was under the heading of this particular famous former priest by job which we know was the eighth class, or division of priests and ending I can remember the quiz what I want to tell you that it is a significant what that doesn't tell us is that Luke or what.

Luke tells us is that Zacharias was not one of the elite members of the priest's way down the list. I didn't live in Jerusalem, only the well-connected those higher up in the priestly hierarchy live in Jerusalem. He was now a member of the priestly aristocracy.

Zechariah lived out of the country he would have been referred to in this day as one of the country. Priests are really making a blip on the radar of what matter religiously told that he faithfully served. However, in fact were told in this verse that he was married to Elizabeth, a direct descendent of Aaron, Israel's first high priest.

In fact, she was named after the wife of Aaron Elizabeth. No priest in this culture, and was married to the daughter of the priest was considered to have a blessing for Zacharias was doubly so because he was married to a woman who is directly descended from Israel's highest priestly family by the way their son will act in many ways is a high priest should act before the people preparing their hearts to hear voice.

The word of God that you notice that Luke describes this coupled with glowing terms. Verse six they were both righteous in the sight of God walking blamelessly all the commands requirements of the Lord. Now they are perfect if I can see that in a moment but they were passionate about the Lord their God, and his ministry for seven says, but I told you everything is good but this they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren at this is shocking news. What you would've expected an x-ray three and they had 12 or more children.

They were exceedingly blessed and prospering, just as the Abraham a covenant promise to those faithful ones from among this covenant people. That's what you would expect. No, but he says they were childless.

The religious culture around them would've been unforgiving in their prognosis. Faithful believers could expect to participate fully in the Abraham a covenant blessings of prosperity and fertility. In fact, those that go into that Abraham a covenant for the mountain, wrestled them into the new covenant error for us. We call them prosperity, theologian, we ought to be healthy and wealthy. Everything we want. Misinterpretation of the covenant blessing for them there living in it. A barren woman in the Old Testament covenant would have assumed that she has somehow offended God, she has somehow been abandoned by his grace.

Maybe some fault of her own. In fact everyone around her. In her world would say into orbit. They would they think we concluded Rachel in the Old Testament finally had a son named Joseph. She said God is taken away my reproach among the people. Genesis chapter 20 Elizabeth later saying chapter 1 God is taken away my disgrace to the rabbis were teaching by the time of Jesus Christ's birth. There were categories of people they had made this that were unable to experience close communion with God and one of those seven categories was a Jewish man whose wife was unable to have any children. Because of that they established even further complications by allowing barrenness to be considered valid ground for divorce. So who does God choose to communicate. Who does God come to outsiders. The unimportant God is getting ready to turn everything upside down and get ready son is about to run but don't overlook the last phrase in verse seven there, Dr. Luke knows that we need to understand the extent of a miraculous conception of the cousin of Jesus look at this this little commentary for footnote.

They were both advanced in years. Your translation may read they were well stricken and I like the translation. That's how you feel when it well stricken, struck by the years, which is by the way, I think a better translation because it allows us understand that there were several different kinds of phrases the Jews used to categorize age. This was one of them and that's insightful for us to understand.

They believe that the commencement of old age began at 65, you weren't all that 6062 6364 and when you hit 65, you were just commencing all day shall make you feel it would make you feel younger. At the age of 70, a Jewish person was said to have reached hoary head age gray-headed age. In other words, at 70. A person was now among the gray-haired and the wives I'm hoping when I turned 70 to have some turn gray at the age of 80. They were considered they were called, well stricken in a so Zacharias and Elizabeth get this there in their 80s there in their 80s thing to say, the spotted hands would never ever expect to hold their child to buy the time were introduced to the need another praying for a baby any longer and they're not praying to can see by the providence of God.

They were there were a couple to stop praying that decades earlier. They lived in this culture. In this generation faithful to each other. Even though God for some unknown reason they must search their hearts was not loose. The name Zacharias means God remembers the name Elizabeth means promise of my God. I can imagine how over the years the enemy would've whispered to them, God remembers you. God is the keeper of his promises to you can help it stop asked the question for all of us. What is it take us to stop worshiping and serving and trusting how easily do we give our ear to the enemy who whispers God doesn't care about his promises are for everyone else but me, Joseph Parker, the famous pastor in London to pastor the same time. Spurgeon several generations ago I wrote into his journal. These words of God. Why is it that your hand a blessing is on everyone else but me when I was about the rising sunshine of God's redemptive light is that God uses an ordinary country priest someone who really never made much of a contribution to the priesthood in the eyes of his peers and their neighbors. He was just an old man is probably reaching the point where they expect he'll. Dr. Jerusalem and why bother to the remarkable thing to me, ladies and gentlemen is that in spite of all of this, Zacharias did quit, he didn't resign, and Elizabeth didn't come along as they listen Zacharias God has paid his fair share. We been living in serving God for more than 50 years, and we been living under this cloud of suspicion and and and and yet it hasn't been worth it. Why don't we hang. I wonder if you or I would go 50 years living in that kind of cloud the darkness they must've felt off. Instead, this priest from the country twice a year together is close back to saddlebags get somebody to look after the estate looking on his wife. She would pack some food maybe patches Road prepare for her own week of silence as he went off serve God seemingly wasn't all that interested in the state, and it even though now the age of 80, they'd stop praying for certain things like children or grandchildren, or great-grandchildren, but all that's about to change. By the way, so fast you cannot hardly believe in effect when you pick up the pace of verse eight. Now it happened a love that just so happened now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God, and he appointed Norberg's division over that it is. He's he's in Jerusalem now these companies week of service. Verse nine he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord is how they did it and burn incense while the halted of the people in prayer outside the hourly incense burning, here's what's happening hundreds and hundreds of priests never had the lots land on their name. Thousands of priests over the years had never had the honor of entering the holy place to offer incense to burn it before God as a symbol of prayer. The prayers of the nation ascending to the very presence of God.

This was the ultimate culmination in a priests office and ministry.

In fact it was so unique that you could only do it one time in your entire lifetime of ministry 80 years plus a lot of calls on his name. He will now represent the entire nation in prayer before God in the holy place, and here's how it happens, will pause and let me read between the lines and set the stage for you. He would be allowed to choose to friend to priestly friends to accompany him to the holy place between the three of them that some duties to perform. They would trim the wicks clean the table of showbread take the overloads out the new loves in and they would bring coals burning coals from the brazen altar in and put them into the cleaned altar of incense, cleaning the place, the burning coal. There and then those two friends would reverently back out of the holy place, leaving Zacharias alone in there by himself while he's in there.

The true priest back out. They strike at all and everyone that is come. Frustrate in prayer before God, including all of the priests are now on their knees before God. Zacharias would walk over to the Golden altar of incense were those glowing coals were in the data container filled with liquid Frank sends a costly fragrance of her perfume and in depth. He no doubt with his heart racing in his hands trembling. He would pour he poured that frankincense out on top of those coals and was immediately in golf in billowing clouds of sweet smelling perfume is the symbol of the sweetness of the prayers of the nation ascending to God by the way implied in the gift of frankincense to the little boy Jesus by the Magi. You remember, that would be a symbol of the coming sweet. Intercessory ministry of prayer that is taking place to this day on behalf of his people by Christ, our high priest heart of Zacharias must've been through at the pleasure of this unique ministry on behalf of his nation to a man who never seem to be noticed, to a couple who seem to have been overlooked by God. They consider the lot to be as Solomon wrote in that in the hand of God, and it fell on Monday May ear I'm representing the nation in prayer shawl and privilege is just about to start is the end of because, as the smoke clears, Zacharias realizes for the first time that he isn't alone. Now let's go back into the text of verse 11, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him standing to the right of the altar of incense.

Zacharias was probably saw the angel and fear gripped the medical webzine was petrified out of his he's in there, along with an angel in the angel by the way will identify himself later as Gabriel same angel in 500 years earlier and come to the great prophet Daniel at same angel that will come later to Marion.

Gabriel says to Zacharias what angels typically say that human beings when they encounter them. Don't be afraid. Stop being terrified. Our vision of angels is are fluffy and light we get to sit in her lap and sing the harmony is are imposing parallels of God and so he says a Zacharias stop being afraid cigarette is okay.

I'm not afraid about afraid of not okay now that that that cleared up their 400 years silence from God, no angel sightings no prophetic word and all of a sudden you're here. Watch this here carefully. The angel says to them, do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son named John, your petition has been heard. Certainly the petition Zacharias in behalf of the nation's is being heard, but that's not the construction of this phrase specifically, Zacharias your petition to have a son has been heard but wait a second. That wasn't Zacharias petition.

He's in his 80s. He's not in there praying for someone he had prayed that prayer 50 years ago, he prayed a million times that prayer 40 years ago.

No doubt he, Elizabeth, with tears often prayed that prayer 30 years ago until it stopped to what's happening here is able is delivering the stunning revelation to this old prophet on this old priest and every one of us listen Zacharias. Just because God never answered you does not mean he did here you he heard your prayer you knew you wanted children. He knows that you and Elizabeth are well stricken in a lessee perform some kind of radical internal surgery to turn the clock back on, but if you it isn't going to happen. Zacharias assignment is about to rise on redemptive history and you and Elizabeth and I know country priest and a woman that had never been believed to be in close communion with God.

You are chosen to bear the forerunner of the Messiah. Your physical inability is now the perfect platform for God's supernatural ability. Can you imagine these family pictures.

What a lovely grandson my grandson all great grandson my firstborn, what are you guys eating supplement program your and their son by the way would be named John chosen for them, which means grace of God. John would become a daily reminder to them that God's grace had indeed been sufficient to help them persevere through the darkness of the room night when the voice of God and in a while. It would also stand it to tell them that his grace would be sufficient. Help them enter the challenging days of parenthood at the age of 80 put their three names together and you have this statement.remember his promise to his grace was by the way, no one will be able to miss the fact that the Messiah and the Messiah's forerunner these cousins Jesus and John are both in their own unique way, miraculous's conception. It's pretty remarkable. Listen, God was making it clear that salvation is something he was doing. It's a good reminder for us this Christmas season. As we celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ you're listening to wisdom for the heart with Steve and David if you'd like information on how you can get a copy of this or any of our resources, please call us today at 86 648 Bible, today's the only day that will be in the office taking calls this week you'll be able to interact with us online, but if you need to talk with us this week.

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