Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20040328.htm

SAMPLING GOD'S "FEAR NOTS"
Part XIII: Discerning Instead Of Fearing God's Interruptions In Life
(Luke 1:5-19)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Every now and then in our lives, our gentle, smooth or even sometimes monotonous routines of life that we find so comfortable can be suddenly interrupted with unsettling matters:

(1) This past week, in keeping with God's previous arrangements to allow events in my life or in our Church life to coincide with this sermon series, I faced an unsettling interruption -- a summons to appear as a jurist in a local courthouse on May 14, 2004!

Now, I am more than willing to serve as a jurist, but the date for my appearance, May 14th, is 15 days before my daughter's wedding! If called to serve in a trial, I have to serve until that trial is finished, even if it continues for several weeks! Well, I do not want to get called up for a case that would last for several weeks in view of all I need to do in preparation for the May 29th wedding, let alone what serving will do to cut off my sermon preparation here at the Church!

[I am sure we can work the matter out with the authorities, for I have since learned this is possible through the experience another party has had in recently being called up for jury duty!]

(2) However, the lives of believers in our Church have been interrupted with events that affect their lives much more dramatically:

(a) One family in our body knows that its breadwinner's job may relocate due to his overseer's cost-saving concerns in our fragile economy; thus, the family may have to move to another home.

(b) Another breadwinner has learned his career is advancing so rapidly in technology that he has been phased out of his own former job market just in a year's time for a lack of adequate training. He now is seeking God's will for the direction of his career.

(c) Some of us have recently learned our jobs were being terminated due to the economy, a circumstance that threatens to crimp even basic plans in our family lives!

(d) Then, some of us have learned we or others in our family have a debilitating or even a life-threatening disease that is going to change nearly everything in our family and personal lives!



In facing such humanly "unsettling interruptions" in life, how would God have us PRODUCTIVELY respond, and why?

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "I am facing an UNUSUAL interruption in my ORDERLY life that is unsettling! HOW can I DEAL with it, and WHY?!"
  1. When Zacharias entered the Holy Place to perform the incense offering, he functioned within a STRICT ORDER of MINISTRY:
    1. Zacharias belonged to one of the 24 divisions of the Levitical priests, the division of Abijah, and was due to serve God in the temple along with this division, Luke 1:5, 8; A . Edersheim, The Temple, p. 82-84.
    2. Then, according to custom, the lot taken by this division chose him to present the offering for the altar of incense in the Holy Place that was next to the curtain before the Holiest of Holies, Luke 1:9; Ex. 30:1-7.
  2. Well, AS Zachariah's was PERFORMING this OFFERING, God's ANGEL INTERRUPTED his MINISTRY, Luke 1:10-11, 13b-17:
    1. The Gabriel appeared at the right of the altar as Zacharias performed the incense offering to announce that he and his wife, Elizabeth would have a son who they were to call John; this son would minister like the prophet, Elijah to prepare Israel for God, Luke 1:10-11, 13b-17!
    2. Gabriel's reference to Elijah's preparing of the hearts of Israel recalls Malachi 4:5-6, the last prophecy given to the nation 400 years before , Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, "Introduction to the Book of Malachi;" cf. also G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According to Luke, p. 16.
    3. Thus, suddenly, GOD interrupted a worship service ritual after 400 YEARS of silence to announce to ISRAEL via an ordinary priest, Zacharias, a key prophecy on the arrival of Messiah's forerunner!
  3. With the angel's SUDDEN appearance in this SPOT at this TIME, the priest, Zacharias understandably FEARED for his LIFE:
    1. It was the custom for a priest to be chosen by lot once in his earthly lifetime to burn incense on the altar of incense, Ibid., ftn. to Luke 1:9.
    2. Since the altar of incense stood up against the curtain parting him from the Holiest of Holies where the high priest could enter only once a year (Heb. 9:25 with Ex. 30:6), and since he was so near God's presence in such a solemn ministry he could do only once in his life, Zacharias would have been in a state of deep awe at the time!
    3. Accordingly, when Gabriel appeared to him in this special event with all of its significance, Zacharias naturally felt afraid! (Luke 1:11-12)
  4. Gabriel instructed Zacharias to "Fear not:" he with his wife, Elizabeth would produce Messiah's forerunner, Luke 1:13-17!
  5. However, Zacharias persisted in his doubts about Gabriel's words, so he was disciplined with an inability to speak until John's birth:
    1. Zacharias voiced doubt about Gabriel's words, stating he and his wife were elderly, so he needed a sign that Gabriel's words were true, 1:18.
    2. Gabriel reproved Zacharias for unbelief; he foretold Zacharias would not be able to speak until John was born [so Zacharias would have to focus on Gabriel's message for 9 months and believe it], Lk. 1:19-20!
  6. In view of SCRIPTURE PRECEDENTS, Zacharias had no excuse:
    1. First, as a priest who knew Scripture, Zacharias was accountable to know it was God Who had arranged by lot for this once-in-a-lifetime incense ministry, and that in Zacharias' old age, Z.P.E.B., v. 3, p. 988; Prov. 16:33 NIV. He of all men should have believed Gabriel!
    2. Second, every Hebrew knew God met with the high priest at the Holiest of Holies (Ex. 30:6), so as only a curtain kept Zacharias from that spot, his once-in-a-lifetime ministry closest to where HE would expect God to address him should have led him to trust Gabriel!
    3. Third, Gabriel's announcement that Zacharias and his wife would produce a child in old age had a well-known BIBLICAL precedent in the case of Abraham and Sarah, Luke 1:18 with Gen esis 18:9-11. Zacharias was accountable to recall this clear Biblical precedent.
    4. Fourth, that Genesis 18 CONTEXT records God's REPROVING Sarah for doubting she and Abraham could have a son because they were OLD, Genesis 18:12-15! This Biblical precedent carrying GOD'S critique for unbelief at the SAME doubt that Zacharias held should have led him to fear his continuing to hold to his doubt!
Application: In facing "humanly unsettling interruptions" in life, we must FIRST (1) trust in Christ to become a child of God and thus come under God's guidance via the Holy Spirit, John 3:16; 7:38-39 with 16:13. (2) Then, we view such interruptions in light of SCRIPTURE PRECEDENTS to discern IF they come from GOD! (3) If this shows they are NOT from God, we may PRAY for God's help to counter them; (4) yet, if the Bible signals verbally or God by way of acceptable cultural precedents (as in Zecharias' once-in-his-life selection to do the incense offering) shows He is allowing the interruption, we are accountable before God to ADJUST to it in God's empowering and leading!

Lesson: Though Zacharias' ROUTINE was INTERRUPTED by the appearance and message of God's angelic messenger, the SCRIPTURE PRECEDENTS for this appearing and message were SUFFICIENT to leave Zacharias ACCOUNTABLE to TRUST and ADJUST to it all!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 Years ago, as we were conducting a water baptism in the Nepaug River out behind our Church, just as I had finished baptizing the last candidate and the congregation had typically sung, "Amazing Grace," a brand new believer moved by what he had just witnessed spoke up loudly, saying, "Pastor Shell, will you baptize me, too?!"

Now, I make it a practice to speak with candidates for water baptism in private prior to baptizing them, for I need to discern if they really know the Lord as we believe only believers qualify for "believer's baptism." Thus, I was quite hesitant about questioning this man in front of the congregation lest I would have to judge him to be unsaved before others; I knew that scenario could drastically hurt his discipling and create unedifying unrest in our Church!

On the other hand, I could not Biblically refuse his request! I recall how Jesus and godly Christian leaders in Church History had met the needs of people (like blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52) who called out to them for spiritual or ministry help in front of a crowd!

In view of these precedents to this "unsettling interruption," I replied, "I would love to baptize you, but, before God, I need to ask you a question to see if I can go ahead with it, and I need to ask it in front of others if I am going to baptize you right now! Is that O.K.?"

He answered emphatically, "Yes!"

Accordingly, in front of everybody, I asked him, "If you were to die before I baptize you, and your soul were to go up to heaven, and Jesus were to ask you, Why should I let you in here?' what you say?"

The man replied, "I'd say, Jesus, You have to let me into heaven because I believed in You to save me from my sin!'"

I gladly told him he qualified for baptism! The man responded by immediately climbing down the ladder that leaned up against the steep bank and into the water where I baptized him -- expensive leather work boots, jeans, T-shirt and all! The whole event turned out to be a tremendous blessing for us all!



"Unsettling interruptions" -- if we respond to them based on the Biblical precedents or Biblical guidance as applied to the circumstances surrounding these interruptions, we know what to do about them! God will bless us in the process, so we need not fear life's "unsettling interruptions"!