Go And Tell!

Go and Tell!

Luke 1:67-80

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

It is hard to believe that Christmas is almost here! Just the thought of getting hugs from loved ones, giving gifts and breaking one’s diet to eat mountains of food makes me quiver with excitement. As grand as these “traditions” might be they pale in comparison to the thought that over 2,000 years ago our Savior was born and provided the means of reconciliation with a holy God! While this truth makes one’s heart leap with overwhelming joy, one can’t help but feel a sad that for many in this world the birth of their Savior is the furthest thing from their minds! Despite the testimony of nature and God’s holy word for many people their “commercial Christmas” leaves no room for giving their heart over to Jesus! While they will ultimately be held accountable for rejecting Jesus on His birthday one can’t help but think that those who are His ambassadors will also be held accountable for sharing the Good News that all can be reconciled and adopted into God’s family! The following sermon is going to look at Zechariah’s song in hope that it will challenge us to share the best gift ever given to humanity with the world!

Story of Zechariah’s Silence

At the very beginning of Luke’s Gospel, the reader is told of the “extraordinary phenomena” surrounding the birth of John the Baptist. The story starts off by telling us of the piety of John’s parents. Not only was Zechariah a priest and his wife Elizabeth the daughter of a priest they both blamelessly kept the Lord’s commands and decrees (1:6). Despite their amazing standing we are told they were childless. Elizabeth’s womb was closed which was “a sign of divine punishment and shame” in the eyes of the Jewish people. Zachariah’s disgrace soon ended when God chose Him by lot to go into the temple and burn incense (1:10), which was at best a once in a lifetime experience. While in the temple the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah and told him the good news that he and Elizabeth were going to have a child that would “bring back the people of Israel to the Lord their God” (1:16). Zechariah did not believe the angel so Gabriel punished him by making him unable to speak or hear. When the baby was born Elizabeth broke with tradition and told her relatives that his name would not be the same as a parent or grandparent but would instead be called “John.” In disbelief they summoned Zechariah to write the boy’s name and the moment he wrote “John” on his tablet his ears were opened, and his tongue was freed up to speak again.

Following Jesus, Not Culture at Christmas

While Zechariah’s nine months of silence was most likely a divine rebuke for his unbelief it was also an opportunity to ponder, pray, and meditate on the Bible so that he might reassured and accept the miraculous birth of John. Despite his age and stature as a righteous priest (1:6) the “peer pressure and attitudes of the world” had had a profound effect on Zachariah’s unbelief before God. Even though Scripture clearly taught that God could open any womb, Zacharias chose to believe as the world does that such a miracle could not happen. He had nine long months of watching Elizabeth’s belly grow in silence to not only bask in his shame of initial disbelief but also to spiritually grow in his understanding of the awesome power of God! Because Zechariah was not an arrogant man he learned that sanctification was not a “momentary” event but a lifetime one! If a prestigious priest could learn more about God surely, we can as well!

Christmas is almost upon us and if we are not careful the peer pressure and customs of this world will keep us lukewarm and unreceptive to proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is our Savior. Christmas is not just about gifts, eating and visiting friends and relatives, nor is it about standing on the “perceived” power and prestige of our supposed spiritual maturity! Like Zacharias we need to spend time in silence and solitude this Christmas so that we might learn to “walk where God tells us to walk!” Holy living is not found in “taking control” and doing the things that pleases oneself but in following the One who is in control! While not all of us were called to be evangelists are not all Christians called to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) or at the very least be ready to give the reason why we have hope in our Lord (1 Peter 3:15)? If one is concerned about what to say to the unsaved then keep reading the rest of this sermon for the song the Holy Spirit gave to Zacharias not only tells us of the significance of Christ’s birth but also solidifies His command to GO and tell everyone the Good News!