Luke 1:5-25
A Man God Could Use

Christmas is past but let’s look at a prequel to Christmas this
evening.  Let’s consider the man, Zacharias.

Zacharias is part of the Christmas story but he and Elizabeth, his
wife, do not get very much of the recognition.  Likely the reason for
that is that they were no Jesus’ parents but John’s and most of their
story happens a year before Jesus was born.  Yet, Zacharias is a
godly man and it would, I think, do us some good to think on him
tonight.

I. Zacharias was a godly man.
    A. You do not find many like the description the Bible gives of
        this man and his wife.

Luke 1:6  And they were both righteous before
God, walking in all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blameless.

        1. righteous - right with God.
        2. walking in ALL the commandments. He was a priest and so he
            had a lot of commandments to walk in!
        3. blameless - Having no fault according to the law.
    B. Is it any wonder that God selected this couple to bear the
        forerunner of Jesus?
    C. God-like people attract God’s attention.
        1. Some examples:
            a. A righteous man

James 5:6 …The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much.

            b. Gen 6:6-7 says that Noah was a "just man and perfect
                in his generations" and he "found grace in the eyes
                of the Lord.
            c. Hezekiah was a godly king who had a sickness to death,
                but he turned his face to the wall and prayed. Before
                Isaiah got out of the palace, God added 15 years to
                Hezekiah’s life.
            d. Job 1:1 says that Job was a "perfect and upright" man,
                "one that feared God and eschewed evil."  God was so
                certain of Job that He held him before Satan as an
                example of faithfulness.
        2. God notices righteous people!  They are like a flare
            burning in the night sky.
            a. The first record of a flare date back to the 13th
                century (1200’s).
            b. Flares are not considered weapons but signals or
                beacons.  They fire upward into the sky and some are
                built to burn for 10 to 60 minutes.
            c. Zacharias and Elizabeth were godly beacons that burned
                for 10 to 60 years and God saw them!

II. Zacharias was a needy man.
    A. I see his need in two ways:
        1. \\#7\\ They were childless.
            a. Most every couple wants to have children.  For most,
                that is a longing, a need that needs to be fixed.
            b. For Jews, there was not just the emotional and
                marriage need.
                (1) There was also the religious need.
                (2) Jews wanted to be bring forth the Messiah.
            c. I suspect it was a longing in their heart similar to
                Christians who long for revival.
        2. \\#7\\ They were older.  "well stricken in years"
            a. I know being older is a way of life but it also
                produces its own set of needs.
            b. That reminds me of the story of two boys talking after
                the December Sunday school lesson on this couple. One
                boy asked the other how old he thought they were. The
                second boy replied, "Must have been real old.  Maybe
                35 or 40 years old!"
            c. We do not know the couple’s age but the boys might not
                have been too far off!
                (1) The average life expectancy in 1907 was 45.6
                     years.

http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews/life_history/age-specific-
mortality-lifespan-bad-science-2009.html

                (2) It is not that everyone died that early but so
                     many did die as infants and youths that the
                     overall average was very low.
        3. In truth, since Zacharias was still serving the Lord in
            the office of a priest, he could not have been 50 years
            old or older.

Numbers 8:25  And from the age of fifty years
they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof,
and shall serve no more:

    B. The point in my bringing up their age is to say that at the
        time in life when most people’s ministry would be winding
        down, this couple’s ministry was just getting started.
    C. God was about to meet their needs and commission them into a
        whole new field of service.

III. Zacharias was a man with a purpose.
    A. That is what this account is all about, Zacharias’ new
        purpose.
        1. His wife would conceive and bear a son.
        2. What was Zacharias’ new service?  He was to be a father.
    B. Zacharias had been a husband, a priest, and no doubt, many
        other things in his LONG life.
        1. But when it came time for him to be a father, God sent an
            angel to prepare him.
        2. Why? Because being a father is more important than being
            a husband or a priest.
    C. There is far more to being a father than conceiving.
        1. The most important job a man—if he is a father—is being
            a godly father.
        2. Why?
            a. Because the soul of the children are at stake.
            b. Because the souls of those your child comes into
                contact with are at stake.
            c. That makes the future at stake.

Ps 127:4  As arrows are in the hand of a
mighty man; so are children of the youth.

IV. Zacharias was a doubtful man.

Luke 1:18  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.

    A. Although a godly man, Zacharias had flaws.
        1. Any man that God might be looking for would!
        2. We know that Zacharias doubted because the angel said so.
    B. In truth, compared to the way some of the other saints
        responded when told something was going to happen, Zacharias’
        response seems somewhat tame.
        1. \\#Ge 17:17\\ Abram laughed.
        2. \\#Ge 18:12\\ Sarah too.
        3. \\#Judges 6:37\\ Gideon asked for a sign.
        4. Thomas refused to believe until he saw Jesus scars.
        5. \\#Luke 1:34\\ Even Mary asked "How?"
    C. But Gabriel (and thus God) seemed to take offense at
        Zacharias’ doubt.  Why?
        1. Maybe because doubting was Zacharias’ nature.
        2. Maybe because he WAS seeing an angel that should have been
            enough.
        3. Maybe because he was old enough to know better.
        4. Maybe it was just part of the plan of God all along.

V. But Zacharias’ doubt made him a silent man.
    A. For the next nine months, Zacharias would not speak.
        1. Sadly, he had something important that needed to be said
            but he could not.
        2. We find out at the end of the chapter that the family
            eventually gives him a writing tablet to write on, but
            you could not communicate quickly and easily that way.
        3. We might learn an important lesson concerning doubt here.
    B. Doubt always costs you something.
        1. It cost Zacharias his speech.
        2. It cost Peter a day of peace and joy.
        3. It cost Job whatever time duration the book of Job lasted.
        4. And that is how we leave Zacharias for 9 months.
    C. Zacharias demonstrates to us that no matter what phase you are
        at in your spiritual life, God looks for people can can
        improve!
    D. His story picks back up again in \\#Luke 1:57\\.

VI. \\#Luke 1:59-64\\ Zacharias became a believing man.

Luke 1:59  And it came to pass, that on the
eighth day they came to circumcise the child;
and they called him Zacharias, after the name
of his father.
60  And his mother answered and said, Not so;
but he shall be called John.
61  And they said unto her, There is none of
thy kindred that is called by this name.
62  And they made signs to his father, how he
would have him called.
63  And he asked for a writing table, and wrote,
saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64  And his mouth was opened immediately, and
his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.

    A. Everyone wanted to call the new baby by a family name.
        1. Zacharias had learned his lesson.
        2. No way will I doubt God again.  His name is John! \\#Luke 1:13\\
    B. John means "Jehovah is gracious."
        1. The implication by God naming this child was that God was
            about to start working in Israel again.
        2. It had been 400 years!

VIII. \\#Luke 1:67-79\\ Zacharias was a praising man.
    A. Zacharias extemporaneously spoke a psalm of praise.
    B. \\#Luke 1:68-72\\ He spoke of God’s goodness.
        1. \\#68\\ He had redeemed them. (past tense)
        2. \\#70\\ He had delivered them. (past tense)
        3. \\#72\\ He had given them mercy.
    C. \\#76\\ He spoke of what God had done.
        1. The Messiah was here—not his son but Mary’s.
        2. And the forerunner had come—not Mary’s Son but his.
    D. \\#77-79\\ He spoke of what the two would do.
        1. \\#77\\ John would give knowledge.
        2. \\#79\\ Jesus would give light.

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