Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20041205.htm

CHRISTMAS INTERLUDE: GOD'S GIFTS TO THE NEEDY
Part I: God's Hope For The Hopeless
(Luke 1:5-25, 41-45, 57-80)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

From the human perspective, events we face or events faced by associates we know can tempt them to lose hope that the future holds any happiness or fulfillment for them:

(1) We all heard of a recent tragedy where Dick Ebersole, a prominent figure in sports television programing experienced a tragic plane crash last week. He and his older son, Charles survived, but his younger son, a 14-year-old teen named, Teddy, tragically died.

Dick Ebersole and his famous television actress wife, Susan Saint James live in Litchfield, their neighbors were identifying with the family's loss. One town resident told the Channel 8 Television news reporter that were she to have lost her son as had the Ebersoles, she would be devastated.

What MEANING has the LOSS of the life of a beloved 14-year-old youth as Teddy Ebersole especially during this holiday season? Can a family that has faced such a loss ever HOPE again?

(2) Kathy Brunetti left a prayer request on the pulpit last Sunday that reflects the difficulty people in drug rehabs and prisons face during the holidays. Many will be away from families as they seek to handle their problems, and this can make them feel all the more depressed.

What HOPE for a happy future can one have if he must spend the holidays in a DRUG REHAB CENTER or a PRIZON?

(3) In the last six months, several believers have privately shared with me the difficult or sad trials they have come to face that leave them tempted to feel "all hope is lost" regarding future blessings in some realm of life's experiences. They may feel "boxed in" to a difficult set of circumstances or that they have "missed the brass ring" of success or happiness in an important realm.



If we or an associate feels "hopeless" as he looks out at his FUTURE this Christmas, ESPECIALLY if he lacks blessing in his life because he might feel GOD may have let him down, IS there any BASIS for hope in his case? Why and HOW?



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



Need: "This Christmas season, in view of trials faced, I or a friend has lost all hope that EVEN GOD will supply a GOOD FUTURE! Is there an answer for this need that REALLY HELPS us NOW?!"
  1. Before that first Christmas, Zacharias and Elizabeth faced the TEMPTATION to feel HOPELESS about their FUTURE LIVES:
    1. In the days of Herod the Great, a Hebrew priest named Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth lived godly lives before the Lord, Luke 1:5-6.
    2. Yet, the couple lacked a key blessing in sharp contrast to the Mosaic Covenant's promise, a lack that led to their being tempted to be disillusioned with God and to feel hopeless in life, Luke 1:7; Deut. 28:
      1. In their era, Zacharias and Elizabeth were required to heed the Mosaic Covenant of Deuteronomy 28 to enjoy God's blessing.
      2. Yet, what that Covenant promised for their obedience to God had not come to pass in a key realm for them, and that throughout their long lives, and that tempted them to feel hopeless about the future:
        1. The Mosaic Covenant promised that obeying God's Word would lead to the blessing of producing children, Deuteronomy 28:1-4; only those who disobeyed would be childless, Deut. 28:15, 18.
        2. Having children was considered a basic divine blessing: God's central plan for Israel was to produce the Messiah in fulfillment of the Genesis 12:1-3 Abrahamic Covenant, and that covenant provided for the seed of Abraham to multiply in the form of the nation Israel; thus, childlessness for Hebrews was viewed as a living death (Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life, p. 98) that brought them personal, spiritual dishonor, cf. Luke 1:24-25.
        3. Yet, the couple's blameless lives had NOT been rewarded by that basic divine blessing; they were both elderly and childless with Elizabeth being past the age of childbearing, Luke 1:7!
        4. Under the circumstances, their decades of childlessness would have tempted the couple not only to think God had failed them, but that if He had, they lacked any hope for their future lives!
  2. Yet, God INTERRUPTED their lives in old age, giving Zacharias and Elizabeth so much PROMISE for what remained of their EARTHLY LIVES that ZACHARIAS did not at first BELIEVE it!
    1. God signaled great blessing for Zacharias in his latter years by giving him a once-in-a-lifetime temple ministry late in his earthly life:
      1. A priest's being chosen by lot to appear before God at the altar of incense was a privilege allowed only once in a priest's earthly lifetime, cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to Luke 1:9.
      2. Well, choices made by lot in that era were God's decisions (Prov. 16:33), so, being chosen by lot for this special ministry late in life signaled God had something special for Zacharias late in life, 1:9.
    2. While Zacharias served in that temple role, God's angel appeared to announce the arrival of a son for him and his wife, and revealed the boy would be the great Messiah's Forerunner, Lk. 1:10-17; Mal. 4:5-6.
    3. This all so stunned Zacharias who doubtless had come to assume he would never father a child that he initially failed to believe this news from God's angel; he was thus temporarily disciplined by being left unable to speak until his son had been born, Luke 1:18-22.
  3. Nevertheless, God GRACIOUSLY dealt with the couple, leaving Elizabeth profoundly praising God and Zacharias testifying of God's FAITHFULNESS in KEEPING His PROMISES to THEM:
    1. God graciously caused Zacharias and Elizabeth to produce the Messiah's Forerunner in spite of Zacharias' initial doubt, Lk. 1:23-25.
    2. Then, God arranged for the edifying meeting of Elizabeth with the Messiah's mother and her own unborn son's joyful response, 1:39-44.
    3. Zacharias responded at John's birth by opening his mouth in the Holy Spirit's power to praise God for His faithfulness to him and all Israel since God had fulfilled His promises to them, Luke 1:57-66, 67-79:
Application: Hopelessness in the believer's life is HIS OWN response to viewing his life from his HUMAN perspective; this view CONTRASTS GREATLY with GOD'S view, for GOD sees him in the CONTEXT of His USE of that believer to fit into HIS SURPASSING, ETERNAL plan! Thus, may we (1) trust in Christ as Savior to be justified by God, John 3:16 and so be part of His great plan in human history, Rom. 8:28-30. (2) Then, may we heed His Word and NOT TRUST our OWN view of life. (3) This way, we can enjoy God's blessing as He EVENTUALLY makes His purposes concerning us CLEAR for His great glory!

Lesson: Though from the INITIAL HUMAN viewpoint, their existence that first Christmas for the godly, elderly Zacharias and Elizabeth might have SEEMED to be a hopeless one as they were TEMPTED to think God had let them down, in REALITY, the PLAN of God and His GOODNESS toward them was so GREAT that Zacharias and Elizabeth had to "play catch up" with God's plan once it was applied to their experience!

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

 In 1505, a 21-year-old German university student was returning with a friend to the university he had attended for several years, and this student was upset in his mind and heart.

He had just had a "distressing disagreement" with his father who was paying for his education. His father wanted him to become a lawyer and to marry in line with the occupation. The student loved his father, but he was not happy about his father's wishes on these matters.

As he walked with his friend in his troubled state of mind, and undoubtely expressed his unhappiness unto him, a sudden, violent rain storm overtook them both, and the friend was suddenly and violently struck dead by a lightening bolt from the storm clouds!

At once shocked, frightened and grateful to God for sparing his own life, the university student felt the experience dictated he owed God the rest of his life; so, contrary to his father's plans, he entered the Augustinian Eremite monastery on July 17, 1505 "in sure and certain hope of delivering his soul from all present conflict and of gaining eternal salvation." (James Atkinson, The Great Light , p. 12-13).

From man's perspective, these events seemed to be an exercise in futility: to the dismay of his father, a bright, young, promising university student who disagreed with his father over what he should become and who he was to wed was reacting to a friend's tragic death by becoming a reclusive, celibate, non-famous, Augustinian monk.

Yet, from God's eternal perspective, these things were essential to salvage the true salvation Gospel for you and me. You see, this 21-year-old university student was Martin Luther, and it was due to these trials that GOD turned him from the study of law to the study of His Word, a turn by which Luther came to point the Christian Church back to the true gospel of justification by faith alone. Because God let this trouble arise for the 21-year-old Martin Luther in 1505, we have in part been granted the heritage of the true Gospel of salvation!

This Christmas, if our world SEEMS to be headed down a steep slope into HOPELESSNESS, may we recall the lives of Martin Luther or Zacharias and Elizabeth of old: God's plan is so much GREATER and BLESSED than WE could ever IMAGINE; may we opt to follow HIM no matter how futile doing so SEEMS to be TO US at the time! ONE day we will see how God has made our lives a tremendous BLESSING through it all!