QUALITIES OF GOD’S SERVANTS
LUKE 1:15-17
Luke 1:5-7 5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
Here are 2 people that loved the Lord. They were good and decent people that served Him faithfully. They had a great heartache in their life, though. They wanted a child but they were old now and the blessing they waited on all their life has passed them by. Maybe this morning you are greatly troubled, something is missing in your life. Your dreams have been shattered. Your hopes are left unfulfilled.
Luke 1:8-10 8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
What do faithful people of God do when they face heartache? They keep right on serving God.
Luke 1:11-14 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
Imagine going to church one Sunday hoping God would show up.... and HE DOES! When God breaks 400 years of silence to send an angel to tell one man that he and his wife are about to have a son, well, you must know that he is going to be a very special child!
The angel goes on to tell him that, not only he and Elizabeth would have great joy, but that many will rejoice at his birth!
* What is so special about this child?
The angel goes on to tell him about 4 qualities that John will have.
Luke 1:15-17 15 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. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 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.”
What did the angel say about John?
1. HE WILL BE GREAT!
Lk 1:15a 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord;
When John was born, there were many greats in the world. Here's a couple of guys the world thought of as great.
Caesar Augustus- 41 years as Emperor of Rome. He expanded the Roman empire and influence and made Rome the greatest empire in the world. He said of himself, “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it as a city of marble.”
King Herod the Great- king of Judea for 42 years. He built great architecture throughout Judea. The Temple- one of world’s greatest. From Masada to Caesarea Port, he built great things.
** Both of these men were very wealthy and powerful. They owned the best homes, wore the finest clothes, and ate the best foods. In stark contrast, we come to John the Baptist.
John the Baptist- He had no home, he lived in the Wilderness. He was the opposite of “GQ”. He wore clothes made from camel hair. He had no rich diet, his was a diet of locusts and honey.
** The world has remembered Augustus and Herod as great men in history for all their accomplishments. John was greater, though. He may not have had earthly power and fortune, but his greatness was much greater. He was great in the sight of the Lord.
* Jesus spoke of the greatness of John.
Mt 11:11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the
Baptist!
* Think about it... Jesus said John was greater than all– greater than Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, and every person that ever lived and served God. He was the father of nations, he was never a king, and he never performed a single miracle, yet Jesus said he was greater!
** God not looking for great people today. He is looking for people that the world perceives as great, but those who are great in His sight!
2. HE WILL BE COMMITTED!
Lk 1:15b he will drink no wine or liquor
John’s lifestyle was characterized by a life of moderation. He was raised in an ascetic lifestyle and had possibly taken Nazirite vows. The ascetic lifestyle was characterized by the earthly sacrifices that were made in order to focus on one’s spiritual purity and strength.
** One of the greatest pictures of sacrifice I know of is Lottie Moon. A rebel against Christianity until saved at 28, she devoted her life to Christian service after salvation. At 32, she sailed to China as a missionary and relentlessly shared Christ with the lost. One way she shared Christ was the simple act of baking cookies to share with people she met. They were drawn to these cookies, but always heard about Jesus while in her home. In some years, She often starved herself in order to feed the poor. For 39 years, she endured poverty, hunger, disease, etc in a foreign land serving the Lord Jesus Christ. At 72, God called her home. A doctor had sent the deathly ill Moon home to America for treatment, but she never arrived. She died on the journey and went home to be with the Lord. There have been many committed Christians that faithfully served God all their lives, just like Lottie Moon.
Today, God is looking for servants who are likewise committed. Those that will make sacrifices in order to serve Him in a deeper way.
God is calling out some to serve Him as ministers and missionaries.
God is calling others to sacrificially give to support His mission work.
God is calling us all to pray, to give, to testify, and to witness.
3. HE WILL BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT!
Lk 1:15c he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.
Honestly, I don’t understand John being “filled” with the Holy Spirit while in his mother’s womb. But, the Bible says it, so I believe it.
* What I do know:
(1) God has a plan for your life.
God had a plan for John’s life, just as He does for each of us and He knows the plan He has for us before we are ever born.
Jer 1:4-5 Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you; and before you were born, I consecrated you; I have appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.
I know that when I yielded my life to God’s plans for my life, I have never been more fulfilled with life. God has a plan for your life also and you will never be happy in life until and unless you get in God’s will and answer His call.
(2) The Holy Spirit empowers believers to do God’s work.
John had spent time in the desert preparing for his ministry and when God called, he answered. The Spirit of God was obviously upon him. Many were drawn to come and hear the messages of John.
Acts 1:8 you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Can God empower you to do His work?
You say you're Not educated? In Acts 4:13 People were amazed by the preaching and miracles of Peter and John.
You say you're Not brave enough? God transformed the coward Gideon into His Valiant Warrior.
You say you're a Poor speaker? Moses transformed to confront Pharaoh / deliver His people.
You say you're Too young/small/too weak? God transformed the small teen David into a giant killer.
You think you're limited by your Sinful past? Paul was a persecutor until he became an evangelist.
You think you're too Ordinary? Jm 5 says Elijah was ordinary- but on Mt Carmel God made him extraordinary.
What changed each of these people is the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit!
And the Spirit is still moving today. Still empowering. Still anointing.
And He is calling you today to receive Him and the power to transform your life today.
God takes great delight in taking the ordinary and doing the extraordinary!
But you must be filled with the Spirit!
4. HE WILL BOLDLY PREACH THE WORD!
Lk 1:16-17 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
What was the Message that John Preached?
(1) The Message of Repentance.
The first word of the gospel is repentance. John strongly preached it.
Mt 3:2 Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
John knew that one cannot be saved apart from repentance. The water baptisms he performed were of repentance. (Sins washed away). But, he preached that the Messiah is coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
(2) The Message of Salvation thru Jesus Christ.
Luke 3:4-6 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”
The greatest work that John did was to faithfully preach the Word of God and introduce the world to Jesus Christ.
* John came ahead of Jesus to preach repentance and create a hunger and desire for the lost to hunger for the coming of Christ.
This is the same call God has placed on your life and mine.
* To preach about sin and its consequences.
* To preach the necessity of repentance and a changed life.
* To create in the lost a desire to hear the message of the Gospel.
* To introduce the world to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Won’t you respond to God’s call upon your life today?
Won’t you live your life in such a way that “you will be great in the sight of the Lord?”
