CHOSEN for the MOST VITAL of MINISTRIES-II —Luke 1:5-25
Attention:
The pastor was chosen for the most vital of ministries!
Any of us could be chosen for the same.
Need:
Zacharias & Elizabeth were 2 servants of God thru whom He chose to fulfill His plan of salvation for mankind.
God used Zacharias & Elizabeth to initiate His plan of salvation for mankind.
God chooses people for His most vital of ministries.
When are God’s people chosen for the most vital of ministries?
Those chosen for the most vital of ministries arise in the midst of...
Previously we found that we may be chosen for the most vital of ministries in the midst of...
1—POLITICAL UPHEAVAL(:5)
2—DEDICATED LIVING(:6)
3—PERSONAL DISAPPOINTMENT(:7,25)
4—SPIRITUAL DUTY to the Lord(:8-9)
Today we will discover that...
5—You may be chosen for the most vital of ministries in the midst of... SPIRITUAL HONOR(:9-10)
Explanation:(:9-10)
:9—“according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Helping others in worship:
Incense would be offered on the golden altar[inside the Holy Place] simultaneously with the whole burnt offering[consecration of the nation & expiation of sin— outside in the Court of Israel] twice per day at sunrise & dusk. There were many priests & it was an extreme privilege to offer the incense as it would occur only once in a priest’s lifetime.—Darrell Bock/RWP
No doubt Zacharias had received instruction for most of his many years in how to approach this task. Now it was his time. Would he have considered it an honor—Yes! Been nervous—of course! Stressed—obviously!
Ex. 30:7-8—““Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.”
Ex. 30:34-38—“And the LORD said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte & onycha & galbanum, & pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, & holy. And you shall beat some of it very fine, & put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the LORD. Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.””
:10—“And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.”
Helping others to seek/instill God’s fullness:
The incense offering also coincided with a set time for prayer at the temple. these would not be designated pray-ers per se, but would include the courts surrounding the Court of Israel(where the animal sacrifices were offered).
“in the time they burn the incense in the temple every day, "they separate all the people", from the temple, & from between the porch & the altar; there is not a man there, till he comes out that burns the incense.’”— Gill from:Maimon. Hilch. Tamidin, c. 3. sect. 3. 9. & Yore. haccipurim, c. 4. sect. 2. Vid. T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 44. 1.
Isa. 56:7— “Even them[even the sons of the foreigner] I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings & their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.””
“Praying”—proseucomai—To offer prayers, to pray. Strong—To pray to God, i.e. Supplicate, worship:-- Pray (X earnestly, for), Make prayer.
Argumentation:
Acts 8:4-8; 26-31, 35-39—[The Spirit took Philip from a ‘successful’ ministry to a single person]—“Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria & preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing & seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; & many who were paralyzed & lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.”.....“Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise & go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose & went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, & had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near & overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, & heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, & said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up & sit with him.”.....“Then Philip opened his mouth, & beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered & said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip & the eunuch went down into the water, & he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; & he went on his way rejoicing.”
Illustration:
Others recognize a person fitted for service as a deacon/SPIRITUAL HONOR
Nominating Committee chooses certain people for certain giftedness they have/SPIRITUAL HONOR
Application:
?Could YOU be Chosen in the midst of SPIRITUAL HONOR?
?Could God choose YOU for His most vital of ministries?
6—We are chosen for the most vital of ministries in the midst of...
FEAR(:11-12)
Explanation:(:11-12) Shock
:11—“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.”
“Angel”—aggelov—A messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God. A messenger; especially an "angel"; by implication, a pastor:-- angel, messenger.
“Appeared”—optanomai—1) To look at, behold; 2) To allow one’s self to be seen, to appear. Strong—To gaze (i.e. with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable).
:12—“And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, & fear fell upon him.”
The actual thought of God calling us to a task bigger than ourselves is frightening—What if we fail—if it doesn’t turn out like we think it will be? What will others say? We will appear foolish & selfish going against currently accepted traditional boundaries. Some friendships will be lost.
“Troubled/Startled”—tarassw—To agitate, trouble (a thing, by the movement of its parts to & fro). Strong—Of uncertain affinity; to stir or agitate (roll water):-- Trouble.
“Fear”—fobov—1) Fear, dread, terror—1a) That which strikes terror; 2) Reverence for one’s husband.
“Fell”—epipiptw—1) To fall upon, to rush or press upon; 2) metaph.—2a) To fall upon one i.e. to seize, take possession of him. Strong—To embrace (with affection) or seize (with more or less violence; literally or figuratively):--Fall into (on, upon) lie on, press upon.
Argumentation:
Gen. 15:1—“After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.””
Fear can arise with the miraculous—We do not fully grasp its significance regarding our part, yet we know it is magnificent & thus beyond us!
Ezek. 2:3-7 “And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they & their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent & stubborn children. I am sending you to them, & you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse--for they are a rebellious house--yet they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers & thorns are with you & you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.”
Dan. 10:4-12—“Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, I lifted my eyes & looked, & behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms & feet like burnished bronze in color, & the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, & no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, & I retained no strength. Yet I heard the sound of his words; & while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees & on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, & stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, & to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; & I have come because of your words.”
Fear doesn’t have to arrive with the appearance of angels, etc. but it may arrive with the appearance of our calling! God does speak to our hearts thru His Spirit who indwells the believer. It is no less a miracle that He even converses with us.
Mat. 10:24-28—““A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, & a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, & hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; & what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul & body in hell.”
Acts 18:9-11—“Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, & do not keep silent; “for I am with you, & no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” And he continued there a year & six months, teaching the word of God among them.”
Fear can also arise from the threat of physical harm to ourselves &/or others. Because we have no control over a situation.
Acts 27:21-26—“But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them & said, “Men, you should have listened to me, & not have sailed from Crete & incurred this disaster & loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong & whom I serve, “saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; & indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island.””
Illustration:
Seeing something wonderful yet unexpected/FEAR
Application:
?Could YOU be Chosen in the midst of FEAR?
?Could God choose YOU for His most vital of ministries?
7—We are chosen for the most vital of ministries in the midst of...
FELT NEED(:13-14)
Explanation:(:13-14)
:13—“But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; & your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, & you shall call his name John.”
“But” the angel counteracted Zacharias’ fear by verbally assuring him that he had no need to be afraid. In fact his fear was inappropriate as the angel’s appearance had come about in answer to Zacharias’ own personal Felt Need which he had expressed thru prayer.
Zacharias’ prayer, had evidently been that his wife, Elizabeth would bear a child/son seeing as she was barren(:7).
Thus the angel told Zacharias that his wife would indeed bear a son(despite her old age). The angel also told Zacharias that he was to specifically name his son. Thus the child would be a testimony to God’s work in him. John(from Hebrew— ‘Yohanan’), meaning—"Jehovah has graced." or "YHWH is a gracious giver."
“Prayer”—dehsiv—1) Need, indigence, want, privation, penury; 2) A seeking, asking, entreating, entreaty to God or to man. This word is prayer which is petitionary giving prominence to the expression of personal need & thus refers chiefly to prayer for particular benefits.
14 “And you will have joy & gladness, & many will rejoice at his birth.”
Zacharias was told by the angel that as a result of John’s birth, he would have both joy & gladness & that many would find a cause for rejoicing at his birth.
This birth with satisfy much more than Felt Need, but will meet the needs of others as well.
Yes, God can & occasionally will meet our deepest Felt Needs—Even if they are mostly flesh-driven. Unless we are told specifically of God, we cannot see the future but we anticipate it & agonize over it based upon general & even personal human experience. But we should never allow experience to determine the course of our lives but rather to color & evangelize the course.
“Joy”—cara—Strong—Cheerfulness, i.e. Calm delight:-- Gladness, X greatly, (X be exceeding) joy(-ful, -fully, -fulness, -ous).
“Gladness”—agalliasiv—Exultation, extreme joy, gladness. Strong—Exultation; specially, welcome:-- Gladness, (exceeding) joy.
“Rejoice”—cairw—1) To rejoice, be glad; 2) To rejoice exceedingly; 3) To be well, thrive; 4) In salutations, hail!; 5) At the beginning of letters: to give one greeting, salute. Strong—A primary verb; to Be "cheer"ful, i.e. Calmly happy or well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation (on meeting or parting), Be well:-- Farewell, be glad, God speed, greeting, hall, joy(-fully), rejoice.
God will never give us something which will be detrimental to His work in us—it may be detrimental to the wrong course/direction we have chosen—but His answer’s intended end is His glory.
He wants us to be joyful...to exult in life! To find our joy in Him.
Gal. 5:22-23—“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
1Jn. 1:1-4—“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, & our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- the life was manifested, & we have seen, & bear witness, & declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father & was manifested to us-- that which we have seen & heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; & truly our fellowship is with the Father & with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”
Argumentation:
2Tim. 4:17-18—“But the Lord stood with me & strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, & that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work & preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever & ever. Amen!”
1Cor. 10:12-14—“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
Illustration:
Hand rendered unusable by an accident at work...
Face is disfigured due to a burglar’s uncaring & malicious abuse...
Wartime injuries win a medal but no job that can sustain a family...
Cancer takes your spouse & best friend in the world...
Your child passes into death without Jesus, etc.
These are all legitimate Felt Needs but we can’t let them destroy us.
The emotion & struggles they bring can be redirected in Christ...
The ‘Felt’ portion can be transformed in the power of the Holy Spirit of the Living God so that we can see & rejoice in our Real Need.
Application:
?Could YOU be Chosen in the midst of FELT NEED?
?Could God choose YOU for His most vital of ministries?
8—We are chosen for the most vital of ministries in the midst of...
REAL NEED(:15-17)
Explanation:(:15-17)National Need
:15—“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, & shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”
*We can be completely blinded to the Real Need by our Felt Need!
“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord”
The “joy,” “gladness” & “rejoicing” would be due to the fact that John would be “great” in God’s eyes.
“Great”—megav— Strong—Big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application):-- (+ fear) Exceedingly, great(-est), high, large, loud, mighty, + (be) sore (afraid), strong, X to years.
“Sight”—enwpion—Strong—In the face of (literally or figuratively):-- before, in the presence (sight) of, to.
“Lord”—kuriov—1) He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord—1a) The possessor & disposer of a thing—1a1) The owner; one who has control of the person, the master, 1a2) In the state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor, 1b) is a title of honor expressive of respect & reverence, with which servants greet their master,1c) This title is given to: God, the Messiah.
“& shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.”
John would not drink wine or liquor. He would be clear-headed, focused & dedicated to God completely as any taking the Nazrite vow. This would be one facet of his greatness.
Num. 6:1-5—[Of the Nazirite vow]—“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, & say to them: ‘When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, ‘he shall separate himself from wine & similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin. All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.”
“Strong drink”—sikera—Strong drink, an intoxicating beverage, different from wine; it was an artificial product, made of a mixture of sweet ingredients, whether derived from grain & vegetables, or from the juice of fruits (dates), or a decoction of honey. Strong—An intoxicant, i.e. intensely fermented liquor:-- Strong drink.
“He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”
A unique & spectacular work of God would be observed in John...He would be “filled with the Holy Spirit” even while in the womb. This is generally impossible given that faith must precede indwelling for everyone. This is thus a unique & marvelous work of God!
Lk. 1:39-41, 44—“Now Mary arose in those days & went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, & entered the house of Zacharias & greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; & Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”....““For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”
*This is also testimony to the precious worth of a child while in the womb! How pitiful & sad that we live in a culture which has discounted the dignity God designed for mankind even at conception...That we have reached a point in our society that a woman, on a short-sighted & selfish emotional whim, & with the encouragement of her boyfriend or spouse, can discard a child as so much garbage.
:16—“And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.”
“Many” yet not all of Israel would turn to God as a result of John’s work.
We must be careful not to take it personally when our ministry does not meet with the approval of the entire community, or does not reach as many as we assumed it would reach.
“Turn”(See :17)—epistrefw—Strong—To revert (literally, figuratively or morally):-- Come (go) again, Convert, (re-)Turn (about, again). Thayer—1) transitively—1a) To turn to—1b) To cause to return, to bring back.
:17—“He will also go before Him in the spirit & power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ & the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.””
“He will also go before Him in the spirit & power of Elijah,
John would “go before” “the Lord their God”(Christ Jesus)
John will operate in 2 ways: 1)His ministry will preceed that of Jesus (the coming God)—This is another testimony to the deity of Christ. 2)John’s ministry will be exercised/employed “in” the same “spirit & power” as was Elijah.”
The very prophet Elijah was prophesied to herald the coming of the Day of YHWH(the Lord) & immediately prior to that day, would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children & vice versa (Mal. 4:5-6).
*Mal. 4:5-6—“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great & dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come & strike the earth with a curse.””
Mat. 11:14-15—““And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Mat. 17:10-13—“And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answered & said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first & will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, & they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.”
John was not physically Elijah, that is Elijah would not return bodily to earth, yet everything he was & would do would fulfill the prophecy regarding Elijah’s return.
‘To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ & the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.””
John/Elijah would likewise “turn” those who were “disobedient”(of Israel) from their disobedience to “the wisdom of the just.” Presently then, Israel did not live empowered by God’s “wisdom.” Their lives were a religious/pious sham.
* REAL NEED The whole purpose of this transformation/repentance would be to enable the “people” to be “prepared for the Lord.”
*Evidently, as a whole, Israel was not “ready” for God’s presence among them. Therefore God could not do what was required for their salvation without first turning individual hearts away from their current disobedience. In order for God to work, He must have a fertile field...He must work in people with a sense of His justice, which in turn, brings a particular aspect of wisdom enabling one open access to God’s will & desire.
Argumentation:
Lk. 3:3-6(Isa. 40:3-5)—“And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain & hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’””
Isa. 40:3-5—“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain & hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.””
The Real Need is for the people of God outwardly in the flesh(religiously), to be the people of God inwardly in spirit as well. John came to bear witness of the coming Light(Christ Jesus).
Jn. 1:6-9—“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He[John] was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.”
Mat. 3:11-12—““I[John] indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit & fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, & He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, & gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.””
What John does will have in-direct ramifications for eternity whereas what Christ does will have direct ramifications for eternity.
Illustration:
Felt Need is for a home/Real Need is that your home is to house visiting missionaries/REAL NEED
Penia Baptist Church/Battle for AWANA/Felt Need—Keep Fellowship Hall pristine for Fellowship & Wedding receptions only/Real Need—Provide God a means of reaching unchurched kids with Christ/REAL NEED
Evangelism Training/Felt Need—Build up our congregation, resources, etc/Real Need—Challenge the community with exposure to Christ/REAL NEED
Seminary Grants/Felt Need pay for my immediate schooling/Real Need is to provide for the education of a man &/or woman of God whom He has called to specific service!/REAL NEED
Application:
?Could YOU be Chosen in the midst of REAL NEED?
?Could God choose YOU for His most vital of ministries?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
We are chosen for the most vital of ministries in the midst of...
5—SPIRITUAL HONOR(:9-10)
6—FEAR(:11-12)
7—FELT NEED(:13-14)
8—REAL NEED(:15-17)
1—POLITICAL UPHEAVAL(:5)
2—DEDICATED LIVING(:6)
3—PERSONAL DISAPPOINTMENT(:7,25)
4—SPIRITUAL DUTY to the Lord(:8-9)
Presented 09/19/2010pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
