Historical Backdrop: In the Days of Herod

There’s more to the Christmas story than you may realize. There’s a prequel... In this message, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us to the story of a godly, elderly couple named Zechariah and Elizabeth, parents of John the Baptist.

Notes:

Luke 1
 
Luke gives us the prequel, the story before the story.
 
Luke opens by saying, “In the days of Herod.”
That’s like saying, “In Germany, in the days of Hitler.”
 
Heaven’s light was about to break.
  
Read Luke 1:5–17
 
Luke’s narrative finds Israel in the midst of a long night of spiritual darkness.
 
Israel was now under the control of mighty and cruel Rome.
But there was something in the air that things were about to change.
 
A promise to Israel of better days to come – Malachi 4:2 NIV
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.
 
Malachi 3:1 NIV
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.
 
John the Baptist was the bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
 
God was now going to answer the prayer and heart cry of Israel.
 
God sent the mighty angel Gabriel.
 
The last appearance of an angel had been to the prophet Zechariah nearly five centuries earlier.
 
Whenever angels appeared, they would say, “Do not be afraid!”
 
Gabriel came to an elderly couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth.
 
The name Zacharias means, “God remembers.”
Elizabeth means, “My God is an oath.”
 
God remembers His promises and always keeps His word.
 
God was making up for lost time, and He gave them a baby like no other,
John the Baptist.
 
#1 Zacharias was a humble man.
 
James 4:6 ESV
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
 
The obsession with ourselves is at the root of our problems.
 
The humble Zacharias was a country priest.
 
There were many priests in Israel at this time.
To be a priest meant you represented the people to God.
 
The priest also represented God to the people.
The priest would interpret scripture, counsel, and provide wise judgment for the people.
 
I understand that I, too, am a representative of God to people.
 
You, too, are a priest.
And you, too, represent God to people.
 
You are the only bible some people will ever read.
 
#2 Zacharias was a faithful man.
 
God called:
Moses, when he was tending sheep.
David, while he was watching sheep,
Elijah, when he was plowing
Peter and John, when they were mending nets.
God calls busy people.
 
It’s hard to steer a parked car.
 
If you are faithful in small things, God will give you greater opportunities.
  
God has given to every believer spiritual gifts.
 
Romans 12:6 NLT
God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.
 
Romans 12:7 NLT
If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.
 
Romans 12:8 NLT
If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously.
 
Paul told Timothy to “not neglect the gift that is in you.”
  
Zacharias was faithful to do what God had set before him.
 
#3 Zacharias and Elizabeth were godly and blameless people.
 
Luke 1:6 NKJV
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
 
To be blameless does not mean they were sinless.
 
They lived lives of integrity, not perfection.
 
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
 
Not to have any children was thought to be a curse from God.
 
Little did they know that God would answer their prayers and give them a prophet.
 
Their son, John, would be the greatest prophet of the Old Testament.
 
Perhaps you are going through a time of difficulty right now.
 
God was preparing Zacharias and Elizabeth for this day, and now the reward for faithfulness has come.
 
Luke 1:13 NKJV
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
 
God hears our prayers as well.
 
God promises us that if we call out to Him, He will hear and answer.
Psalm 34:15
 
Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
 
Just because our prayers are not answered does not mean God does not hear them.
 
There is an amazing story in Daniel 10 where a mighty angel appeared before the prophet.
The angel told Daniel that the prophet’s prayer had been heard in heaven 21 days earlier.
 
God’s delays are not necessarily his denials.
 
The devil and his fallen angels are very active right now.
 
Revelation 12:12b NIV
The devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short.
 
The bible tells us that in the last days there would be “satanically energized times” and that things would go from bad to worse.
 
So, what should we do in light of this?
We need to use our two secret weapons, preaching and prayer.
 
We have no idea of what is going on in the invisible world of angels and demons.
Revelation 8:3–4
 
God hears and stores our prayers; not one is wasted.
 
Every prayer is answered with either yes, no, or wait.
 
God is aware of each and every request made for His glory and in His will.
 
God heard and recorded the prayer of this godly couple.
 
Zacharias prayed for 30 years for a son.
The reason he was surprised when Gabriel came was because he had prayed for so long.
 
In the same way, your prayers are in God’s to-do box.
Even if you have forgotten about them, God has not.
 
Don’t give up on your prayers.
 
This happened with the believers praying for the deliverance of Simon Peter.
When the answer to their prayer arrived, they did not believe it.
 
#4 Zacharias was human and flawed just like us!
 
Luke 1:18 NKJV
And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
 
Luke 1:19 NKJV
And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.
 
Luke 1:20 NKJV
“But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words.”
 
Zacharias could have rejoiced, but instead he questioned.
 
We can choose to worship God, or we can choose to question God.
 
It’s not a bad thing for a Christian to struggle or even ask God, “Why?”
 
Some people have experienced tragedy and disappointment and have questions for God. But there comes a point when we choose to trust.
 
Even John the Baptist had a momentary doubt.
He misunderstood the mission of the Messiah like so many others.
 
John, the greatest Old Testament prophet, sitting in a dungeon, sent word to Jesus, “Are You the One, or should we look for another?”
 
Jesus reassured John and sent him back to the scriptures.
 
Zacharias couldn’t speak, so he tried to explain what happened through hand gestures.
Luke 1:21
 
Lessons from the lives of Zacharias and Elizabeth:
To be humble and wait on the Lord and serve Him
To keep praying and not give up because our prayers are heard and remembered
To believe what God tells you and act in faith, not by feeling
 
The biblical characters were quite ordinary.
They were hopelessly human, remarkably unremarkable.
 
They were also available and obedient to the Master’s call.
 
A 1964 Aston Martin sold for $4.6 million.
 
The value is not in the car, but in the one who drove it.
 
The same is true of us. The value isn’t in the vessel; it’s in the One who fills it.
 
For centuries, the world waited. For decades, a faithful couple prayed.
And at just the right time, God said, “Now!”
 
Maybe you’ve been praying for something.
 
Your “now” can begin today.

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