God Breaks the Silence

All right, well this morning we are embarking on a new series of sermons.

We're going to be working our way through the Gospel of Luke.

So if you have your Bible with you, open it up to the first chapter of Luke.

This is the third book in the New Testament in your Bible, if you are looking for it there.

And Luke is the longest of the Gospel accounts which tell the story of Jesus.

Right out of the gate as we launch on into this new series, we just want to take a few minutes to look at some important background kinds of things.

First of all, who was Luke?

According to the Apostle Paul in his letter, Luke was a physician.

He was one of the men who traveled with Paul and worked with Paul in spreading the good news about Jesus.

What's unique about Luke's Gospel?

We have four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

And all of them tell the story of Jesus.

What's unique about Luke's Gospel?

Well, out of the four Gospels, usually it's John that we think of as the one that stands out the most, as being the most different.

He writes with a very different style.

He touches on a lot of things that the others don't.

The other three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, they have very much similar content in them.

And so they're often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because of that.

And scholars today, they analyze and study each of the Synoptic Gospels.

And they compare them with each other.

And they make guesses about which one of them wrote their Gospel first.

And, you know, whether one or more of these Gospels use the other as source material.

Because why the similarities between them?

Many are confident that there's some kind of a common source, whether it was an apostle or the earlier writings of an apostle that they all drew from, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Others see Mark as being the source, the first one to write his Gospel.

And then the others kind of use that as a starting place for writing theirs.

We're going to leave all of that analysis to the scholars.

But something useful that they've come up with through their analysis, while much of Luke has similar content to Matthew and Mark,

about 42% of Luke's content is only found in Luke.

So we have exclusive details about the birth of Jesus and his infancy.

We have accounts of four miracles that were not included in the other Gospels.

There are 15 parables that Jesus told that we only hear about from Luke.

There are exclusive details about the resurrection appearances of Jesus that are only in Luke.

And then another really unique thing about Luke's Gospel is that it's the only Gospel with a sequel.

Luke continues the story after Jesus' resurrection.

And he tells the story of how the church began to grow and the Gospel about Jesus began to spread in the book of Acts, the Acts of the Apostles.

So Luke has so much to say about Jesus, we would really be missing out on a lot if it weren't for him taking the time to sit down and write this account and its sequel.

Well, what else do we know about Luke?

Back to the scholars for a second, there's a whole discussion between them about whether Luke was a Jew or not a Jew, whether he was a Gentile.

And they've got their observations that they bring up.

Luke seems to have a very good understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures.

And he seems very eager to highlight how Jesus handled himself on the issue of Sabbath and the things Jesus taught about Sabbath.

But there's a passage in Acts where Luke refers to how the Jews named a place, something which in their language means, and then he goes on to talk about it.

And then there's another place in Paul's letter to the Colossian church where Paul lists the Jews who have been working with him by name.

And Luke's name is not there, even though he is listed as a co-worker of Paul's in other places.

So we don't know for sure, but Luke was likely a Gentile.

He was likely a non-Jew.

And maybe he converted to Judaism before Christ, or perhaps he was just a God-fearing Gentile who was well acquainted with the Jewish faith.

Church history and tradition have it that Luke was from the city of Antioch in Syria, that he was unmarried, childless, and lived a fairly long life.

We might wonder, when did Luke write this gospel that we're about to read?

Well, since Luke's gospel account is referred to in the book of Acts, the sequel, and the book of Acts goes right up to about 62 AD.

Paul is in Rome, imprisoned, the first time.

And it doesn't tell about Paul's death, which was later on in the 60s.

So we know that Acts had to have been written after the events that it describes, and then probably sometime before Paul died.

Which means that Luke had to have completed his gospel sometime before Acts was written, in that time frame.

So some suggest that it was in the early 60s that Luke wrote this gospel, and then Acts shortly after.

Others, maybe an even earlier date.

Either way, it wasn't too long after the events of Jesus' life.

We're talking within about 30 years of it.

And then, for the background stuff, finally, why did Luke write this gospel?

And for the answer to this, let's now look at Luke's introduction to his book, the first four verses.

Luke writes,

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,

just as they were handed down to us by those who, from the first,

were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning,

I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

So why did Luke write this account of Jesus?

He writes it for a man named Theophilus,

so that you, Theophilus, may know the certainty of the things that you have been taught.

So that's Luke's goal.

It seems Theophilus, whoever he was, we don't know anymore today,

but it seems that he was already a believer in Jesus,

but perhaps had some doubts.

Or perhaps there were some false teachers or opponents that were speaking really loudly in his corner,

shaking things up for him.

Whatever the case, Luke compiles and writes this account so that Theophilus can have certainty.

What really did happen with Jesus?

What did he say?

What did he really say and teach?

What has really been fulfilled among us?

And there's a desire here on Luke's part for an orderly account.

I, too, decided to write an orderly account for you.

As you can imagine, with all that's happened in the three years of Jesus' public ministry,

and then even all that's happened after that,

as the news spreads all over the Mediterranean world,

there could be a lot of,

well, I heard that he said this,

or I heard that he did this,

and, well, so-and-so said that it went this way.

It could be easy to get all jumbled up.

Wouldn't it be good to have an orderly,

accurate account of just what did happen with Jesus?

That's Luke's goal here.

And we also get a little more info about Luke here as well,

because we might be wondering, you know,

where did Luke get all this from that he writes?

We notice here that Luke himself was not a firsthand eyewitness of Jesus.

He says,

So Luke does not claim to be a firsthand eyewitness.

He separates himself from those who were.

What they saw and heard,

they passed along to us,

is what he says.

Not only that,

but many have already undertaken to do this thing that Luke is doing here,

to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us.

So this kind of adds credibility for Theophilus.

Like,

this isn't just a bunch of stories cooked up by a few little guys.

Like,

no,

these things that happened were public.

Many have already tried to gather up the testimonies from various people

and put together an account like I'm doing here now,

because there's just so much,

so much that happened.

So many people's lives were impacted.

So many people witnessed it.

And so know that this is not a new or strange thing.

But then we see that Luke has not been one to just accept all this about Jesus

without checking into it deeply.

He says,

I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning.

And so Luke himself,

he wasn't content to just hear all this stuff about Jesus secondhand.

And rightly so.

Because the news coming out of Galilee and Jerusalem about Jesus was astonishing.

Miracles being done.

Luke is saying,

I went back to the sources to verify these things myself.

And,

you know,

scholars,

as they read about this,

they assume that Luke just collected up the writings of others.

And maybe it's because scholars are more focused on writing and writings.

But when I look at some of the content here in Luke's gospel,

like the details surrounding Jesus' birth,

I mean,

this is something that the majority in Israel knew little about at first.

I would suggest that quite likely Luke went straight to the sources and actually met with and talked to Elizabeth and Zachariah.

met with and talked to Mary,

the mother of Jesus.

Met with various people who had been healed and heard from them the actual testimony of how Jesus did it.

Met with those two guys that were on the road to Emmaus and encountered Jesus alive and then wrote these things down.

along with the stuff that the apostles themselves had already written and recorded.

I mean,

how else could we have the very words and details of some of these private prayers and conversations and angelic visits and personal encounters?

I think Luke's telling us right here,

no,

I went back to the sources and carefully investigated everything from the beginning.

And now I want to lay it all out for you,

Theophilus,

so that you can know with certainty just what did happen with Jesus.

What did he say?

What did he do?

Let's keep going.

It all started,

according to Luke,

in the time of King Herod in Judea with a priest named Zachariah.

In the time of Herod,

King of Judea,

there was a priest named Zachariah who belonged to the priestly division.

His wife,

Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

Both of them were righteous in the sight of God,

observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly.

But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive

and they were both very old.

So it all started with a priest named Zachariah,

says Luke.

And Luke states Zachariah's priestly lineage.

Both he and his wife were of the priestly line,

descended from Aaron,

the brother of Moses.

And both of them,

he says,

were righteous in the sight of God,

observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly.

Now this doesn't mean that they were sinless,

living perfectly before God,

in perfect obedience.

But it means that the normal everyday lives of these two

were lived doing what was right in the sight of God.

These are people who sought to honor God in everything.

They were people of excellent reputation.

And everybody around them knew it.

Blame or accusation from others

just wouldn't have stuck to them

because everybody knew that they feared the Lord,

that they loved the Lord.

They really stood out among people

as those who actually obey God's commands,

persistently and consistently.

Much like the righteous faithful of the Old Testament,

men like King David.

But, says Luke,

Zachariah and his wife were childless

because Elizabeth had not been able to conceive

and they were both very old.

So the reason they had no children

was because Elizabeth had been barren.

And it wasn't a punishment from God.

Many in those days equated children

with the blessing and favor of God

and the lack of children

with being punished or cursed by God.

But Luke's already told us

they were both righteous people.

They had God's favor.

And as you can imagine,

they tried and tried and tried

to conceive over the years,

but nothing.

Now here they are,

elderly,

no children.

They were both very old.

For those of you who are younger

and may not know this,

there comes a time in a woman's life

when it is no longer physically

or biologically possible

to have a baby.

It's exceedingly rare

for a woman to conceive

and have a child after the age of 50

without some form of fertility treatment

or all kinds of stuff

that we do today

with modern medicine and technology.

But they didn't have any of that back then.

And judging by the language here,

Zachariah and Elizabeth

were not just old,

but very old.

And so they had come to that point in life

where it was now physically

and biologically impossible

for Elizabeth to have children.

Once when Zachariah's division was on duty

and he was serving as priest before God,

he was chosen by lot

according to the custom of the priesthood

to go into the temple of the Lord

and burn incense.

So Luke sets the scene for us.

Zachariah has been chosen

from among the priestly families

to come to Jerusalem

and to do his priestly duties

at the temple of the Lord.

There was a temple

to Yahweh, the Lord,

the God of Israel

in the city of Jerusalem.

And at the temple,

they had outer courts

and they had inner courts.

They had an altar

for sacrificing animals.

And then they had

like a room

that was called the Holy Place.

And only the priest

could enter into that room.

And they would burn incense

and other things.

They would burn

a fragrant, sweet-smelling incense

to God

in there.

So this is what Zachariah

was doing.

The worshipers, he says,

are assembled outside

and they're praying.

And Zachariah is alone

in the Holy Place

burning this incense.

Verse 11.

Then an angel of the Lord

appeared to him

standing at the right side

of the altar of incense.

When Zachariah saw him,

he was startled

and was gripped with fear.

But the angel said to him,

Do not be afraid,

Zachariah.

Your prayer

has been heard.

Your wife, Elizabeth,

will bear you

a son

and you are to call him

John.

He will be a joy

and delight to you

and many

will rejoice

because of his birth.

For he will be great

in the sight of the Lord.

He is never to take wine

or other fermented drink

and he will be filled

with the Holy Spirit

even before

he is born.

He will bring back

many of the people of Israel

to the Lord their God.

And he will go on

before the Lord

in the spirit

and power

of Elijah

to turn the hearts

of the parents

to their children

and the disobedient

to the wisdom

of the righteous

to make ready

a people

prepared

for the Lord.

Wow.

Amazing.

Can you imagine

what that would have been like

for Zachariah

on that day?

He's going in.

He's alone.

There's nobody else

in the room

and then all of a sudden

bam!

Right in front of him.

An angel.

And the angel

begins to speak to him.

Luke emphasizes

the fear

in Zachariah's heart

in that moment.

Quite literally

he was troubled.

He was unsettled.

Frightened.

Fear

fell upon him.

And what does the angel

say

to Zachariah?

Well quite a lot.

First of all

the angel tells him

that his prayers

have been heard

and that his wife

Elizabeth

will bear him a son

who he is to call

John.

With both

Zachariah

and Elizabeth

being righteous people

you can imagine

just how often

they might have

prayed

to God

for a child.

Again

and again

and again.

How many times

had they called out

to God

to give them a child

over the years?

And maybe by now

they'd stopped asking

given their ages.

But the angel

tells them

that the prayer

that they had been praying

over all those years

was heard

by God

and the time

has now come

for his answer.

you and Elizabeth

are going to have

a son.

And we notice

the language here

it's very clear

this is not going to come

through some kind of

surrogate mother

or adoption

or something else.

Elizabeth

will bear you

a son.

And this son

says the angel

will be a joy

and delight to you

and many

will rejoice

in his birth.

I mean

we can imagine

how this baby

would bring joy

to Zachariah and Elizabeth

because that's what

children do, right?

Most of the time.

But this is greater

than that.

It says

he will be a joy

and delight to you

and many

will rejoice

because of his birth

for

because

he will be great

in the sight

of the Lord.

So this child

will be special.

A man

who will be

great

among

men

not by our

usual way

of measuring it

but by

God's

way of measuring it

in the sight

of the Lord.

And the angel

gives some instruction.

He's never to take

wine

or fermented

drink.

God prescribes

one way

in which he is

to be set apart

in the way

that he lives.

He's to live

differently from others

by abstaining

from alcohol.

But more

significantly

than that

God says

that this child

who is to be

called John

will be filled

with the Holy Spirit

of God

even before

he is born.

Think about that.

God's saying

I'm going to put

my own spirit

upon this child

while he's still

in the womb.

These words

were written

almost 2,000

years ago

but don't they

emphasize

the humanity

and personhood

of a pre-born

child?

A person

still developing

and growing

in the earliest

stages of human

life, yes

yet God's

spirit

can fill him

there.

And what is

this child

destined to do?

Verse 16

He will bring

back many

of the people

of Israel

to the Lord

their God.

This son

of yours

Zachariah

is going

to be

instrumental

in turning

the hearts

of the people

of Israel

back to Yahweh

back to the

Lord

their God.

Verse 17

This child

is going

to serve

the Lord

in the spirit

and power

of Elijah.

Elijah was

a prophet

from many

centuries

earlier.

probably the

greatest

and most

well-known

of the

prophets

other than

Moses.

There's

going to

be a

similarity

to Elijah

and his

prophetic

ministry

and what

God did

through him

and your

son

Zachariah.

But as

we'll find

out it's

not mainly

that John's

going to do

great miracles

like Elijah

did.

It has

more to do

with the

spirit and

the tone

and the

message.

of John's

ministry

in the

same way

that Elijah

called the

people of

Israel back

to God

in the

days where

things were

going off

the rail

and there

was a

wicked king

in power

so too

John will

be a prophet

of the Lord

who calls

the nation

back to

God.

He's going

to turn the

hearts of

parents to

their children

says the

angel.

We glance

backwards

the very

last thing

spoken by

the Old

Testament

prophet

Malachi

400 years

before this.

There's been

no prophet

since,

no word

of the

Lord

since.

The very

last words

of Malachi

in Malachi

Malachi 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

God says

see I

will send

the prophet

Elijah to

you before

the great

and dreadful

day of the

Lord comes.

He will

turn the

hearts of

the parents

to their

children.

That's the

same thing

that the

angel says

John is

going to

do.

He's going

to turn

the hearts

of the

parents to

their

children

and the

disobedient

to the

wisdom of

the righteous.

When people

turn back to

God it

changes

everything.

It changes

your heart.

Self-centeredness

and selfishness

are replaced

with love

which spills

out into

all your

relationships

starting with

your family

starting with

your children

and then

from there

on.

Zachariah

your son is

going to

turn the

hearts of

the disobedient

to the

wisdom of

the righteous.

In other

words people

who are

flat out

living in

disobedience

to God

today Zachariah

your son

is going

to have

a role

in them

understanding

and seeing

the wisdom

of the

righteous

and turning

their hearts

to God.

Zachariah

your son

is going

to prepare

a people

for the

Lord.

Wow.

What might

Zachariah be

feeling in

this moment?

Can you

imagine what

thoughts might

be going

through his

mind?

It's an

incredible

moment.

An angel

of God

appears to

an elderly

man with

almost

unbelievable

good news

not just

of answer

to his

old prayer

but of

widespread

spiritual

reform

and renewal

for the

nation.

How does

Zachariah

respond?

Zachariah

asked the

angel

how can I

be sure

of this?

I'm an

old man

and my

wife is

well along

in years.

the angel

said to

him

I

am

Gabriel

I

stand

in the

presence

of

God

and I

have

been

sent

to

speak

to

you

and to

tell

you

this

good

news

and now

you will

be silent

and not

able to

speak

until the

day this

happens

because you

did not

believe

my words

which will

come true

at their

appointed

time.

How does

Zachariah

respond to

all this?

With

wonder

pride

excitement

joy

well no

the angel

tells us

because you

did not

believe

my words

you did

not believe

my words

says the

angel

that was

Zachariah's

response

he did

not believe

the angel's

words

he was

skeptical

he was

full of

doubt

in this

moment

when he

says how

can I

be sure

of this

I'm an

old man

and my

wife is

well along

in years

there's

this kind

of profound

and deep

seated

unbelief

in his

heart

like you're

telling me

that me

and my

wife are

going to

be parents

in our

old age

look at

us

that's

ridiculous

that's

impossible

that's

absurd

and the

angel

responds

by saying

make no

mistake

I am

Gabriel

what do

I do

as an

angel

I stand

in the

very presence

of God

almighty

and he

has sent

me to

you to

tell you

this good

news

and it

will happen

exactly as

I have

said

even though

you have

not believed

it

and there's

this sort

of disciplinary

consequence

that's put

on

Zachariah

because you

did not

believe my

words

you will

be silent

and unable

to speak

until the

day this

happens

meanwhile

the people

were waiting

for Zachariah

that is

those

worshipping

outside

and praying

outside the

temple

they were

wondering

why he

stayed so

long in

the temple

when he

came out

he could

not speak

to them

they realized

he had

seen a

vision in

the temple

for he

kept making

signs to

them

but remained

unable to

speak

so can you

imagine this

like he's

coming out

and what on

earth has

happened to

Zachariah

he looks

like he's

playing charades

he's acting

something out

they probably

speculated

and guessed

and eventually

at just

this moment

what did

you have a

vision from

God

yeah

when his

time of

service was

completed

Zachariah

returned home

after this

his wife

Elizabeth

became

pregnant

and for

five months

remained

in seclusion

the Lord

has done

this for

me

she said

in these

days

he has

shown his

favor

and taken

away my

disgrace

among the

people

not having

children in

those days

it was

considered a

disgrace

being a

woman who

can't bear

a child

was like

being a

man with

no legs

back then

unable to

work

unable to

provide

for the

family

and people

were cruel

they

probably

speculated

and gossiped

about the

reason that

she couldn't

have kids

but no

more

and Elizabeth

gives all the

credit for her

pregnancy to

God

she knows

that this is

his doing

a miraculous

conception

and this

according to

Luke is

where the

story of

Jesus began

this was

the first

sign in

a series

of many

an awesome

angelic

encounter

and a

miraculous

conception

for an

elderly

God-fearing

couple

which came

as a total

surprise to

them and

to all

the new

around them

God

finally

broke

that 400

year silence

with the

word of

his angel

there is

coming

another

prophet

a great

one

he's going

to prepare

the hearts

of the

people

people are

going to

turn back

to the

Lord

many of

them as

a result

and he

will be

your son

Zachariah

but what

should our

response to

all this

be today

I think

Zachariah

shows us

what our

response to

all this

should be

or rather

what our

response should

not be

that's

my son

do you

believe the

words that

Gabriel spoke

to Zachariah

over 2,000

years ago

or

are you

like

Zachariah

a doubt

filled

skeptic

who looks

at this

story

and says

that's

impossible

there's a

sort of

irony here

isn't

there

God

acts in

a

supernatural

spectacular

way

to announce

good news

a message

of great

hope

all the

longings

that

you've

had

they're

about

to

be

fulfilled

and the

man he

chooses to

announce it

to

responds in

actual

disbelief

he doesn't

believe the

words of

God

he was a

righteous

God-fearing

man

yes

but the

first thing

we see

out of

him

when God

speaks to

him

is a

flat-out

disbelief

of God's

words

I think

this is

one of

those

unique

evidences

that this

is really

a true

account

I mean

this would

be

embarrassing

for

Zachariah

humiliating

and everybody

else knows

about it

because

well he

couldn't

talk

for nine

months

why would

God take

away your

ability to

speak

Zachariah

well because

when I first

heard the

news

I didn't

believe it

that was

Zachariah's

response to

God's

good news

back then

what's

your

response

to

God's

good

news

and the

rest

of it

today

do you

believe

God

do you

believe

that

John

was

miraculously

conceived

by the

power of

God

and that

he came

full of

God's

Holy Spirit

to prepare

us

for the

coming

of the

Lord

himself

the

Lord

Jesus

our

Savior

the

Messiah

and if

you don't

believe this

why not

let

Zachariah be a

lesson to us

all

don't think

that for a

moment if

God were to

send an

angel to

you to

appear to

you and

speak to

you that

then you

would believe

an

angelic

encounter

wasn't

enough

for

Zachariah

to

believe

God

said he

was going

to do

something

that seemed

utterly

impossible

to

Zachariah

and it

was there

that his

faith

wavered

real

faith in

God is

not so

much about

having that

special

experience

than about

simply trusting

and believing

in your

heart that

God can

do

what he

says

and I

love how

this story

continues

believe it

or not

Zachariah

you're

going to

see me

do

what I

have

said

I

will

do

I'll

bring

about

this

joy

and

delight

for

you

and

this

rejoicing

for

many

and

for

the

next

nine

months

you

won't

be

able

to

share

in

this

joy

in

the

same

way

because

you

did

not

believe

you

won't

be

able

to

speak

but

once

it

takes

place

I'll

give

you

your

speech

again

and

you

will

glorify

my

name

you

will

have

you

will

declare

my

goodness

and

so

I

think

there's

a

little

message

in

here

for

us

don't

be

like

Zachariah

God

can

really

do

the

impossible

he

really

did

do

the

impossible

in

this

situation

in

this

story

the

whole

account

of

Luke

is

the

story

of

impossible

after

impossible

happening

because

God

does

it

because

of

his

goodness

to

us

so

I

want

to

encourage

you

surrender

your

heart

to

that

simple

faith

the

Lord

can

do

what

he

says

he

will

do

as

both

Zachariah

and

his

wife

discovered

God

is

not

a

God

who

takes

pleasure

in

withholding

good

he

is

not

a

God

who

ignores

our

prayers

he

hears

all

of

them

and

he's

full

of

grace

and

favor

just

waiting

to

be

unleashed

despite

our

failings

towards

him

this

is

sign

number

one

in

the

gospel

of

Luke

where

God

finally

breaks

the

silence

do

you

believe

his

words

let's

pray

father

in

heaven

we

believe

that's

why we're

here this

morning

because we

believe

what an

awesome

thing

you

did

we love

this story

pray that

you would

fill us

with

joy

too

just

like

they

had

just

remembering

again

that

you

came

just

as

you

said

you

started

things

up

when it

seemed

like

everything

had

died

down

and I

pray

that

we

would

just

be

filled

with

that

joy

and

that

it

would

overflow

and

in

our

eagerness

to

share

this

good

news

with

people

around

us

especially

as we

head

towards

Christmas

Lord

that time

when we

remember

your

birth

may

this

news

be on

our

lips

the

signs

that

you

gave

the

angel

you

sent

and

we

know

that

not

everybody

will

respond

with

faith

and

belief

but

we

do

and

we

pray

that

some

will

for

your

name

amen