Luke 1:5-25
Please open your Bible to Luke chapter one, verse five. Luke 1:5.
Before we pray together, I need to take a moment and establish the historical context of what we are about to read. The last of the Old Testament prophets was a man named Malachi. The last book of the Old Testament bears his name. His prophecy is significant for various reasons. However, he is most famous for the prophecy of a forerunner who would precede and announce to the world the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah.
Careful consideration of this prophecy concerning a forerunner of Messiah brings into focus the immense importance of this prophecy. The only person in history who qualifies as the promised Messiah must have a forerunner. Think about that. In history the only person preceded by a forerunner declaring him to be Israel’s Messiah and the Savior of the world is Jesus of Nazareth.
Following the days of Malachi’s prophecy their followed 400 years of silence. The Lord did not send another prophet. The Old Testament canon of Scripture was closed. Of course, while Israel and the world did not have another prophet to speak to the nation and to the world during those years, they held in their possession the Holy Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi.
Those scriptures, the very Word of the living God, continued to speak to all who sought the Lord. The spiritual minded through those scriptures could clearly understand the day of Messiah’s coming would arrive and all would know he would appear when the predicted forerunner came on the world scene. The Lord broke the silence of the 400 years following the days of Malachi when the angel Gabriel appeared to a man named Zacharias.
Look with me now at Luke chapter one, verse five as we read through verse ten:
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
These verses introduce us to a husband and a wife named Zacharias and Elisabeth. Zacharias served as a priest at the temple fulfilling his duties per the order of rotation established by the priest’s office. There were many priests in the tribe of Levi, and they shared the necessary duties to maintain the temple and administer the various sacrifices prescribed by the Law of Moses.
We are told that Zacharias and Elisabeth were both righteous before God. This means they loved the Lord and sought to obey the Lord, walking in his will per the law. They trusted the blood of the Old Testament sacrifices to cover their sins and thus they were righteous. Furthermore, they are described as blameless. They both had a strong testimony for the Lord. You and I need to walk blameless in this world also. We need to have a strong testimony for the Lord!
We are also told that they had no child. They both prayed for a child, but no child came. Now they were both advanced in age and the hope of a child was a fading memory. It is interesting to note the similarity between Zacharias and Elisabeth, and Abraham and Sarah. Both couples were past the normal age of child-bearing when the Lord intervened in a marvelous way.
In the case of Zacharias and Elisabeth they had no special promise a child was coming. The Lord indicated to Abraham he would have a child by Sarah long before it occurred. However, in the case of Zacharias and Elisabeth they simply prayed over the matter for years with no special indication the Lord would grant that request. In fact, with each passing year their hope of a child grew dimmer.
Now look with me at verse eleven as we read through verse twenty: (11-20)
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
With these words Luke documents the experience of a faithful, righteous man who was stunned by the appearance of the angel with such an announcement. Gabriel said to Zacharias, “thy prayer is heard.” And what was the prayer? He and his wife had prayed for a child, but perhaps also included in his prayer was the desire expressed by all the faithful in Israel that God would send the promised Messiah.
Thy prayer is heard! No more waiting. No more longing. No more crying out to God for the fullness of his blessing. My friends, let God answer your prayers in his own time and in his own way. Like Zacharias and Elisabeth, when it seems like there will be no answer the Lord will show you the fullness of his plan. Rest in him. Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you!
How many times have the faithful during this church age cried out to the Lord: thy kingdom come, thy will be done on this earth as it is in heaven? My friends, God has heard those prayers. He sees the tears. He has felt the heart cry of his people. He has those prayers bottled up. King David said, “put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” Indeed, they are! Hear me today: those prayers will be answered!
You will note again the angel told Zacharias to name his son, John. He went on to tell Zacharias his son would be great in the sight of the Lord, turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.
No doubt Zacharias understood the angel was quoting from the prophet Malachi. He had heard those words in synagogue. Yet, he did not immediately embrace this announcement with a strong faith. Rather, he asked for a sign that would assure him since he and his wife were both old.
And so, the angel gave him a sign! He told Zacharias he would be unable to speak until the day he and his wife would hold the newborn in their arms. In a very real way Zacharias was rebuked for not believing the word God sent to him by the angel Gabriel.
I would advise you not to be too hard on Zacharias. We often stumble around afraid to take God as this word ourselves! But here is some good news: God still used Zacharias and he can still use you and I. Praise his name!
Now let’s finish our text today. Look at verse twenty-one:
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
Now may I call your attention to the end of verse 20 where Gabriel says of the words of God, they “shall be fulfilled in their season.”
My friends, every prophetic word in Scripture shall be fulfilled in its season! Every word concerning his first coming was fulfilled and in like manner every word pertaining to his second coming will be fulfilled in its season. I will not tire issuing the warning to get ready. Are you ready?
Please open your Bible to Luke chapter one, verse five. Luke 1:5.
Before we pray together, I need to take a moment and establish the historical context of what we are about to read. The last of the Old Testament prophets was a man named Malachi. The last book of the Old Testament bears his name. His prophecy is significant for various reasons. However, he is most famous for the prophecy of a forerunner who would precede and announce to the world the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah.
Careful consideration of this prophecy concerning a forerunner of Messiah brings into focus the immense importance of this prophecy. The only person in history who qualifies as the promised Messiah must have a forerunner. Think about that. In history the only person preceded by a forerunner declaring him to be Israel’s Messiah and the Savior of the world is Jesus of Nazareth.
Following the days of Malachi’s prophecy their followed 400 years of silence. The Lord did not send another prophet. The Old Testament canon of Scripture was closed. Of course, while Israel and the world did not have another prophet to speak to the nation and to the world during those years, they held in their possession the Holy Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi.
Those scriptures, the very Word of the living God, continued to speak to all who sought the Lord. The spiritual minded through those scriptures could clearly understand the day of Messiah’s coming would arrive and all would know he would appear when the predicted forerunner came on the world scene. The Lord broke the silence of the 400 years following the days of Malachi when the angel Gabriel appeared to a man named Zacharias.
Look with me now at Luke chapter one, verse five as we read through verse ten:
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
These verses introduce us to a husband and a wife named Zacharias and Elisabeth. Zacharias served as a priest at the temple fulfilling his duties per the order of rotation established by the priest’s office. There were many priests in the tribe of Levi, and they shared the necessary duties to maintain the temple and administer the various sacrifices prescribed by the Law of Moses.
We are told that Zacharias and Elisabeth were both righteous before God. This means they loved the Lord and sought to obey the Lord, walking in his will per the law. They trusted the blood of the Old Testament sacrifices to cover their sins and thus they were righteous. Furthermore, they are described as blameless. They both had a strong testimony for the Lord. You and I need to walk blameless in this world also. We need to have a strong testimony for the Lord!
We are also told that they had no child. They both prayed for a child, but no child came. Now they were both advanced in age and the hope of a child was a fading memory. It is interesting to note the similarity between Zacharias and Elisabeth, and Abraham and Sarah. Both couples were past the normal age of child-bearing when the Lord intervened in a marvelous way.
In the case of Zacharias and Elisabeth they had no special promise a child was coming. The Lord indicated to Abraham he would have a child by Sarah long before it occurred. However, in the case of Zacharias and Elisabeth they simply prayed over the matter for years with no special indication the Lord would grant that request. In fact, with each passing year their hope of a child grew dimmer.
Now look with me at verse eleven as we read through verse twenty: (11-20)
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
With these words Luke documents the experience of a faithful, righteous man who was stunned by the appearance of the angel with such an announcement. Gabriel said to Zacharias, “thy prayer is heard.” And what was the prayer? He and his wife had prayed for a child, but perhaps also included in his prayer was the desire expressed by all the faithful in Israel that God would send the promised Messiah.
Thy prayer is heard! No more waiting. No more longing. No more crying out to God for the fullness of his blessing. My friends, let God answer your prayers in his own time and in his own way. Like Zacharias and Elisabeth, when it seems like there will be no answer the Lord will show you the fullness of his plan. Rest in him. Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you!
How many times have the faithful during this church age cried out to the Lord: thy kingdom come, thy will be done on this earth as it is in heaven? My friends, God has heard those prayers. He sees the tears. He has felt the heart cry of his people. He has those prayers bottled up. King David said, “put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” Indeed, they are! Hear me today: those prayers will be answered!
You will note again the angel told Zacharias to name his son, John. He went on to tell Zacharias his son would be great in the sight of the Lord, turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.
No doubt Zacharias understood the angel was quoting from the prophet Malachi. He had heard those words in synagogue. Yet, he did not immediately embrace this announcement with a strong faith. Rather, he asked for a sign that would assure him since he and his wife were both old.
And so, the angel gave him a sign! He told Zacharias he would be unable to speak until the day he and his wife would hold the newborn in their arms. In a very real way Zacharias was rebuked for not believing the word God sent to him by the angel Gabriel.
I would advise you not to be too hard on Zacharias. We often stumble around afraid to take God as this word ourselves! But here is some good news: God still used Zacharias and he can still use you and I. Praise his name!
Now let’s finish our text today. Look at verse twenty-one:
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
Now may I call your attention to the end of verse 20 where Gabriel says of the words of God, they “shall be fulfilled in their season.”
My friends, every prophetic word in Scripture shall be fulfilled in its season! Every word concerning his first coming was fulfilled and in like manner every word pertaining to his second coming will be fulfilled in its season. I will not tire issuing the warning to get ready. Are you ready?
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