luke 01-05-25 the silence is broken (1)_how god uses nobodies

7/31/2019 Luke 01-05-25 the Silence is Broken (1)_How God Uses Nobodies

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THE SILENCEIS BROKEN (1): HOW GOD USES NOBODIES

(Luke 1:5-25)

Introduction Luke 1:5: In the days of Herod, king of Judea. It is a small

phrase, but it is fraught with meaning. These were dark days in Israel. They

had been under Roman bondage for more than 60 years. Israel dreamed ofdeliverance, but there was no indication things would change any time soon.

God spoke uniquely to Israel as His chosen people, but now God had gone

silent for more than 400 years. Hope was in short supply.But all was about to

change. Appearances to the contrary, God, as always, was right on time

about to enter human history in a manner no one would have ever

imagined. The silence was about to be broken. Luke records in verse 78: the

sunrise shall visit us from on high. But the whole manner of the sunrise is

unprecedented and unanticipated. It involves people and methods that were

unimaginable to the religious elite. Gods ways are not our ways.

The result in first century Israel was that many individually found their

Messiah and Lord and Savior, but the nation as a whole missed Him. They

rejected and killedtheir deliverer their Messiah. That did nothing to thwart

Gods ultimate plan, but it did spell condemnation for those who missed Him.

Luke wrote this gospel so Theophilus, and we as well, not miss Gods

redemptive plan. It teaches us about Gods ways and Gods message. We start

with Zechariah, through whom God broke the silence. He exemplifies the

kind of person God uses in some remarkable and startling ways.

I. He was Forgettable

Thats an interesting start, isnt it? We see it right away in verse 5: In the

days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the

division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her

name was Elizabeth. This was Herods time, not Zechariahs. Herod made

the headlines. No one would have dreamed that Zechariah was more important

than Herod but he was! Herod the Great died shortly after Jesus was born,

but his legacy cast a giant shadow over 100 plus years of Jewish history fromthe time he gained power in 37 BC until Rome destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70.

Herod is mentioned only twice in Scripture (here and in Matt 2) other

Herods (Antipas, Agrippa, Philip and Archelaus) are his sons but Herod

dominated this era. His father gained a political appointment from Julius

Caesar to rule Palestine. Herod was politically astute and curried favor with

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Caesar Augustus who named him king of Judea in 37 BC. He consolidated

military power by ruthlessly killing the families of previous rulers, drove all

enemies out of Palestine and became, under Rome, an absolute monarch.

However, Herod was an Idumean -- a descendant of Esau. His Jewish

constituency, sons of Jacob, hated being ruled by a son of Esau.

Herod, therefore, was desperate to ingratiate himself to the Jews. He married

Mariamne, a nice Jewish girl from a prestigious Jewish family. A prodigious

builder, he curried favor with public projects all over Palestine building

whole cities, like Caesarea Maritime, Herodium and others. He built

hippodromes and sporting arenas, and public buildings, many of which remain

to this day. But, aside from two palaces for himself, the pinnacle of his

building was the temple in Jerusalem finished long after his death. It was

known as Herods temple, renowned for its beauty. It had been 46 years in

building during Christs ministry with 14 yet to go.

But Herod had a dark side. He started well, but became increasingly ruthless,

and merciless. Paranoia gave way to insanity. He murdered his own beloved

wife in response to false rumors that she had been unfaithful, her brother, her

mother, and 3 of his own sons. No wonder upon hearing of someone born

King of the Jews (Mt 2:2), he ordered the slaughter of the children of

Bethlehem. He ordered the killing of several prominent Jews at the time of his

death to insure mourning in Jerusalem. Herod was the headline maker.

But when God spoke after 400 years, it was not to Herod nor was it to the

corrupt Roman appointed high priest, Annas. God by-passed the obvious and

chose a little-known and suspect priest suspect because he and his wife had

no children, usually taken as a sign of divine displeasure. They didnt evenlive in Jerusalem. But it was to this humble, country priest that God broke His

silence. Completely forgettable. A nobody. Except thats who God chose.

He chose a nobody because God uses nobodies!

Zechariahs name means God remembers and Elizabeth means His oath.

They were common names. But it was no accident that God chose a couple

whose combined names mean God remembers His oath. Twice a yearZechariah, made his way from the Judean hills, to Jerusalem for a week of

priestly duty. But he was just one of 20,000 other priests. He was leader of

nothing -- a nobody. Forgotten by the world but remembered by God.

God remembers faithful people, and chose to use forgotten Zechariah to get

things moving again.Arent you glad God uses nobodies?!

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Now, lets pay a visit to the village of Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea

of Galilee in late AD 25. Several fishing vessels come ashore and the men

begin to unload their catch. They reek of fish and sweat and sea water. The

language is a little salty as well. They are bringing to market the catch of the

day, drying their nets on nearby rocks, thinking no further than doing thesame thing next day. They expect nothing more out of lifeever. I say, See

those 4? Over the next 40 years, those guys are going to turn the Roman

empire on its ear. Their activities are going to reach the attention of the

emperor himself and the faith they help establish is going to far outlive the

Roman empire. Simon, Andrew, James and John are going to change the

world. Youd have replied, Youre crazy! Are you kidding me? Those

guys? Its not possible. They are nobodies! Exactly nobodies and

thereforeperfect for the Masters use.

God used nobodies all the way through Scripture? Abraham was a Gentile

nobody living a comfortable upper middle class life in Ur until God chose

him and made promises to him like He made to no one else in history.

Abrahams part? Father a child at age 100, when he was too old so God got

the glory. God chose a nobody to kick it all off and made him into somebody

a father of nations.

When God sent Samuel to anoint a new king for Israel from Jesses family,

Samuel got enamored with the looks the oldest brother, but God reminded him

in I Samuel 16: 7Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his

stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man

looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. God chose

David, the youngest and least likely to succeed in his own family just to lookat the boys. God takes nobodies and slays giants with them.

There were a lot of nobodies in Gods arsenal. Jacob was a 77-year-old

mommas boy, a cheat and liar, when God chose him, changed his name to

Israel and named a nation after him. Gideon was shaking with fear, and God

made him one of the great military commanders in history. Mary was a

forgettable teen-ager when she bore the Messiah. Matthew was a hated taxcollector; Jonah was bitter runaway; Simon was a political radical; Balaam

was an unbeliever, and his donkey was well he was a donkey. Nobodies all

and God used them every one. Arent you glad God uses nobodies?

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Years ago there was a cook in Newmarket, England who loved to study the

Bible. But she taught a young colleague who later wrote, "I learned my

theology, from which I have never swerved, from an old woman who was a

cook in the house where I was an usher. She could talk about the things of

God. I learned more from her instruction from anybody I ever met with

since." Charles H. Spurgeon, historys greatest preach since Paul, learned histheology from Mrs. King a nobody in Gods powerful arsenal. God really

cant use somebodies but Im thankful he uses nobodies, arent you?

Moses tried to save Israel on his own ended up 40 years herding sheep

before God called him. He spent 40 years thinking he was somebody, 40 years

learning that he was nobody and then 40 years seeing what God can do with a

nobody. Arent you glad God uses nobodies?

Im glad God uses nobodies. Who would have ever thought that God would

take a divorced, 60-year-old, retired nobody of a businessman and sent him to

Eaton, CO to help shepherd this little group of people because they were

praying for a Bible teacher? Who would have thought? Its only because God

uses nobodies. And He wants to use you, too maybe big; maybe small.

Doesnt matter. If youre nobody, youre perfect. God broke 400 years of

silence through a nobody priest and He will use you too to break the

silence for someone.

II. He was Faithful

Verses 6-7: And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in

all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child,

because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. God callsZechariah and Elizabeth righteous and blameless. He had a reason for that.

Everyone thought their barrenness a sign of Gods displeasure. The opposite

was true. God wanted to be glorified in their faithfulness.

Blameless! Sinlessly perfect? Of course not. So how can a holy God call

them blameless? The answer is they were blameless in heart offering by

faith offerings for their sin. They knew they fell short of the moral law of God,so they faithfully obeyed Gods sacrificial law that looked ahead to the lamb

of God who was coming.And on the basis of their faith, they were forgiven,

declared righteous and blameless just as we can be only their faith

anticipateda Christ they didnt know; ours looks backat Christ!

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Zechariah and Elizabeth had hearts of faith which made them useful to God.

Zechariah knew Genesis 15:6 where God said of Abraham, And he believed

the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. How was Abraham

declared righteous? By faith. How was Zechariah declared righteous? By

faith. How are we declared righteous? By faith. Rom 5:1, Therefore, since

we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our LordJesus Christ. It has never been any different. We are justified by faith alone.

Butonce justified, that faith displays itself by how we live.

How are we saved? Eph 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through

faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of

works, so that no one may boast. We are saved the moment we accept Gods

gift of grace by faith and ask Christ into our lives. Nothing more; nothing less.

We trade our sin for His gift by faith. Thats it. Butall too often we stop at

verse 9. Paul did not stop there. The Holy Spirit did not stop there. They

go on to verse 10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for

good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

When God saves us, He recreates us in Christ Jesusfor good works. This is

how God takes faithful nobodies and makes us into somebodies. If there are

no works, there is no salvation. Not because the works save us, but because

they show the faith is real. Out of that heart of faithful response, God carves a

glorious tribute to Himself a tribute consisting of how we live!

One of Gods forgotten nobodies was born in a poor English village in 1761. A

skin affliction prevented outdoor work, so he apprenticed as a cobbler. He did

poorly so opened a school which also did not go well. He got into an unhappy

marriage, went bald from an exotic disease and saw his baby daughter die of

the same disease. Called to pastor a small church, he had trouble gettingordained because of his boring sermons. But he got a vision for overseas

evangelism. His idea was mocked at a denominational meeting. He was called

a miserable enthusiast, and the man who had baptized him told him, Young

man, sit down! When God pleases to convert the heathen, hell do it

without consulting you or me. So, he wrote a book:An Enquiry into the

Obligations of Christians to use means for the Conversion of the Heathens in

which the Religious State of the Different Nations of the World, the Success ofFormer Undertakings, and the Practicability of Further Undertakings, are

Considered. Not a best-selling title, but it led to the formation of the worlds

first missionary society. William Carey was sent to India, inaugurating the

modern era of missions. A forgotten but faithful nobody who God turned into

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the Father of Modern Missions. Beloved, its not talent that counts its

faithfulness.

III.He was Fearful

V 8: Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division wason duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to

enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of

the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to

him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. When

Zechariah was chosen by lot to burn incense, it was no accident. With 20,000

priests in his day, this was a privilege that many never got, and no one got it

more than once. To enter the Holy Place for morning or evening sacrifice

and burn incense was the pinnacle of a priestly career.

Joyfully, Zechariah entered the Holy Place for his one and only time. He

prayed and then prepared to leave. But suddenly, the impossible happened.

Through the smoke of the burning incense, Zechariah became aware of another

presence standing at the side of the altar. The word translated troubled

speaks of acute emotional distress. Fear overtook him. He was scared out of

his wits. No doubt Zechariah knew he was in a divine presence. His fearful

reaction was common to everyone in the Bible who meets a divine presence,

whether an angel or some manifestation of God.

The truth is, we all have fear usually either the fear of man or the fear of

God. We need the fear of the Lord to help us not minimize the fear of men.

Beloved, we need not fear the service that God has planned for us. He hasprepared good works for us that take full advantage of our individual talents,

personality, giftedness and personal inclinations. Serving God will, in the end,

delight us. Thats just the way it works. Zechariah is about to find that out

and so will we.

IV. He was Favored

Verse 13, But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your

prayer has been heard, (then here comes the bombshell) and your wife

Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14And you

will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. Zechariahs

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response must have been,My wife is going to have a what?! Are you kidding

me? My wife is 60 years old. Zechariah was astounded, and for good reason.

Question: what prayer has been heard? Perhaps the angel is responding to this

couples age-old prayer for a son and saying, Your prayer has been heard and

youre going to have a baby. But I think more is in view here. Verse 7 saysthey were advanced in years suggesting that they were beyond the age of

childbearing. It is likely that Zechariah and Elizabeth had long ago

accommodated themselves to a No answer. Furthermore, it is unlikely that

Zechariah would have been using his one and only time to offer incense to

pray for apersonalneed. Far more likely that he was echoing the prayer of

the whole nation for a deliverer, forMessiah. So, Zechariah is getting two-

for one! God answers his immediate prayer for national blessing in the most

spectacular fashion by indicating that not only is the Lord coming (verse 17),

but hell be announced by Zechariahs son! How spectacular is that? Two

for the price of one. Isnt it interesting that once in awhile not often, but once

in awhile God answers our prayers in a spectacular way. Thats when we

know that our timing has lined up with His and it is wonderful.

Zechariah is getting his boy who will bring joy and gladness to many. And

God chooses his name. He will be called John God has been gracious or

God has shown favor. God uses favored people. And guess what? Every

single believer is a favored person. Every single one. Listen to Romans 12:6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.

What that verse is teaching is that every believer has been gifted to serve. We

all are favored by literally graced by God. The issue is, will wegift Him

backby usingHis gifts to serve? Thats what true believers do. Thats who

God uses.Nobody to this world; highlyfavoredto God.

One man had absolutely run out of gift ideas for his mother-in-law, so for her

birthday he got her a large plot in an expensive cemetery. Next birthday he

didnt buy her anything and she really let him have it. When he could get a

word in edgewise he said, What are you complaining about? You still

havent used the present I got you last year. Im afraid many of us are in

that boat with our wonderful Lord. We complain and wonder and grouse thatHe is not delivering what we want. Meantime, the gift with which He has

blessed us for service goes unwanted, unused and unappreciated. Yet that

is the very means by which He is turning nobodies into productive, happily

engaged and highly blessed somebodies. We may be nobodies, and we may

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be fearful, but we are also highly favored. Lets return the favor by being

faithful -- using His gifting for His glory. Lets pray.

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luke 01-05-25 the silence is broken (1)_how god uses nobodies

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