Please turn with me in your Bibles to Luke Chapter 2, though we will largely be in Luke Chapter 1. I thought as we came toward Christmas that I would talk about the holiday. What about Christmas? It might interest you to know that the earliest Church – the Church formed by the Apostles that Jesus hand picked – this Church did not celebrate Christmas.
The birth of Jesus is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20. And yet …
In the record of Christ’s birth we do not know the time when Christ was born, for the Scripture does not say.
The early Church put more emphasis on the death and resurrection of Jesus than it did on His birth. Jesus’ birth in a manger in Bethlehem is certainly a very important part of our faith. When Christ was born, the Bible tells us that the first announcement of His birth was to the shepherds:
Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
How did we come by December 25th as the time to celebrate Christ’s birth? The earliest Pastors believed that Christ was crucified on the 15th of Nisan, 33 AD. Many Bible scholars consider this to be March 25th. Around 300 years after Christ’s crucifixion the Church came to believe that Jesus was concieved 9 months from March 25th, the day that He died on the Cross.
The early Church Pastor known as Saint Augustine (Augustine of Hippo, born November 13, 354 died August 28, 430) wrote in his Sermon 202 “On The Trinity”:
“For he [Jesus] is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which he was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which he was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before him nor since. But he was born, according to tradition, upon December the 25th.”
Though we don’t know for certain what day Jesus was born, it could have been in December.
Some have said that Jesus could not have been born in December, because neither shepherds nor sheep would be out in the winter. That’s not true. The Weather Channel reports that temperatures in Jerusalem in winter range from 47.12°F to 57.2°F. The WeatherBase notes that the average December temperature in Jerusalem is 49°F. Those who have visited the Holy Land in winter have seen sheep out in the snow.
So it is possible that Jesus was born in December – though we do not know for certain. Neither the Bible nor early Church writings specify a date for His birth. We do know this:
Before Jesus Could Be Born, God Had
To Create His Herald
When God promised to send the Messiah to save us, He promised that He would be “the SEED of the WOMAN” (Genesis 3:15). Women do not have SEED, but EGGS. So God was foretelling a birth that would be accomplished WITHOUT the intervention of man. Jesus Christ – God Incarnate – would be begotten of the Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
Luke 1:35 (NKJV) The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
As the Son of God, Jesus Christ is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16). This is no mere mortal. He is the SON OF GOD! He is the One that the Father addressed, saying
Hebrews 1:8 … unto the Son {the Father} saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
The Immortal will become Mortal. The Unchangable will change Himself into something “lower than the angels”. He is “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us”. (Matthew 1:23).
God must have a Herald.
The King must have a spokesman.
It was prophecied 430 years before the Christ came that God would send His messenger:
Malachi 3:1 (NKJV) “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts.
It was prophecied 700 years before Christ’s birth that God would raise up a herald. His job was to be the VOICE for the King. The Scripture prophesied:
Isaiah 40:3 (ESV) A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Where would this Messenger come from? Would he come from the Palace as Moses did? Would he come from Ur of the Chaldees as Abram did? Would he come from the sheepfold as David did? Yes and no. Moses, Abraham, and David all came from different places physically, but spiritually they all came from the same place.
They were all broken. They believed in God, and served Him to the best of their abilities, but they were broken. Abram was named “The Father of”, though he and his wife were childless – and beyond having children. Moses murdered a man, and fled to the desert of Midian for 40 years, a fugitive from Pharaoh. David was the smallest and least of Jessie’s children, often ignored and put down by his family.
All of the people God used were NOT famous, NOT powerful, NOT rich. They believed in God, though they were broken. The herald of Christ will come from a LITTLE old broken couple.
Luke 1:5 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.
The herald of the King of Kings will not come from the palace. “Herod, the king of Judaea” is a greedy thief, a gold digger who stole the Throne of David. An Idumean, Herod is the ancestor of Esau, not Jacob. As an Idumean he has no right to sit on the Throne of David. Only those descended from Jacob – who would later be named Israel or Prince of God – have that right. The Bible says:
James 4:6 (ESV) … God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
1 Peter 5:5 (ESV) … God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Proverbs 3:34 (ESV) … Toward the scorners {God} is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.
Herod stole what was not his, and received accolades and bows over that he stole. But Zacharias and Elisabeth his wife kept on believing in God even when things did not go their way. The Scripture says:
Luke 1:6-7 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 …
Zacharias was in danger of losing his lineage. He and his wife were childless, and not likely to have children because of their advanced age. Yet these people loved the Lord. Though things were not going their way, “they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless”. They did not depart from their faith. They were always “before God”. They obeyed God though they were shamed that they had no children. It was a common belief among the Jews that “God closed the womb”. When Rachel got upset with Jacob in that she was without children, the Scripture says:
Genesis 30:2 … Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?
The Jews believed that it was God Who gave “blessings of the breasts, and of the womb” (Genesis 49:25). It is “God Who fashions us in the womb” (Job 31:15). So as Elisabeth aged without children, the other wives began to believe and perhaps whisper how God was punishing her or Zacharias for some sin.
I am sure Zacharias was tempted to walk away from God and his calling. His duty was to light the incense (Luke 1:9-10) that burned while the people prayed – and yet God had not answered his prayers.
Yet the couple did not. They trusted God, and served Him faithfully even though their lives were broken and empty. Zacharias and Elisabeth remind us that God has a right time to do what He does. He wanted Jesus to be born around six months after the herald. God had a plan. As Zacharias was serving the Lord we read:
Luke 1:11-13 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.
The “altar of incense” represented the prayers of God’s children rising up to Him. As the Angel of the Lord appears to Zacharias, he stands “on the right side of the altar”. God has heard his prayers – that is – though Zacharias is in a hopeless situation, he has never stopped praying.
Oh that we would praise God in the dark, and praise God in the light. Praise Him in the valley, and praise Him on the mountaintop.
We are frail creatures subject to failure ands breaking, but we have a God Who loves us and will be faithful to us. As a priest Zacharias was familiar with the Law which promised:
Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV) Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, THE FAITHFUL GOD, WHICH KEEPETH COVENANT AND MERCY WITH THEM THAT LOVE HIM and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
God will not be unfaithful to His people. He watches what we do. He had watched Zacharias for years as both he and his wife aged. God watched their faithfulness in service, and came to offer a child to Zacharias at a time when only God could have made a difference. Why did God wait? Because God knows the best time. We are to rest in God’s timing, knowing that He knows best.
It is not faith to move forward when you have a road map.
It is not faith to do a thing when you have all the resources at hand.
It is not faith to serve Him only when the bank account overflows.
Faith is to trust God no matter what.
Faith is to believe that God is able.
Faith is to do your part, and trust God to do His part.
2 Corinthians 9:8 (KJV) And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Luke 1:12-13 (KJV) … when Zacharias saw {the angel}, 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.
God has heard your prayers Zacharias. The child you have long waited for is coming through Elisabeth. This should have caused Zacharias to jump for joy. God heard your prayers. Praise Him! Praise Him! Zacharias, you shall name this baby “John”.
“John” means “God is Gracious”!
Zacharias, name the baby “John” to remind yourself daily that I the LORD am “gracious”, filled with mercy. I love to fix the broken. I love to use the faithful.
Luke 1:14-16 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.
The baby John would bring a blessing to those around him, and would grow up to be blessed and bless others. John would be the greatest Herald ever known.
John would be “filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb”. This shows us that the filling of the Spirit is not something we earn or deserve, but it is a gracious gift from God.
Luke 1:17 {John} shall go before him {the Messiah} in the spirit and power of {Elijah}, 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.
John would be as great in ministry as was Elijah, one of the few people in the Scripture that never experienced death.
God Can Bless Little Strength,
But Cannot Bless Unbelief
Things were going quite well up to this point when Zacharias did something God cannot stand. He disbelieved God. He should have praised God for this wondrous answer to prayer, but instead said:
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.
Zacharias made his inabilities and his wife’s shortcomings greater than the power of God. The Scripture tells us:
Hebrews 11:6 But WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
We must trust in our God even when things seem impossible. “With God, all things are possible” (Genesis 18:14; Luke 1:37)
- When LITTLE David stood before Goliath he saw a big man but a bigger God. Taking a LITTLE stone, God defeated Goliath. Nothis is impossible wioth God.
- When LITTLE Daniel stood before a GREAT lion’s den he did not focus on the lions but on The Lion of Judah, God Almighty.
Conversely, God will not bless the faithless.
- When the first generation of Israel stood before the Promised Land they saw a big people – the children of Anak – but a little god. They could not enter until God weeded out the faithless. Then and only then the second generation entered the land.
But God is faithful.
God will keep His Word.
The Herald must come so that the Messiah can come.
If Zechariah will not honor God with his lips, then the Lord will take away the power of his lips.
The angel tells him:
Luke 1:20 (KJV) … 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.
The believer loses his voice when faithlessness reigns. The Church loses its audience when it will not speak life and light to a dying and dead world. Many Churches today do not have a Voice because they do not speak God’s Word but a twisted version of it. God will remove your Lampstand and your Light if you will not speak Christ.
God took Zacharias’ voice away so that he could not minister in the Temple until John was born. Yet God was gracious. Zacharias repented of his unbelief, and named his boy John just as God decreed. God could have taken Zacharias’ life but instead just took his voice.
2 Timothy 2:13 If we believe not, yet HE ABIDETH FAITHFUL: he cannot deny himself.
God is faithful! So how is your faith? Remember that God will not bless faithlessness. He that wavers is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord! (James 1:6-7). Do not be double minded. Be single minded for God. Or as Joshua told Israel:
Joshua 24:15 (KJV) … choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
I choose the Lord Jesus. I choose my Heavenly Father. I choose the blessed Spirit. I choose to believe God is able, regardless as to the state of my life.
What do YOU choose?
May God touch your hearts with His Word.
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