God Keeps His Promises
Week 1, Semester 2
If you own anything of value, odds are you have experience with insurance of some sort. Car insurance, home insurance, pet insurance, you name it. If you can afford it, you probably can insure it. They exist for a reason after all. There’s a peace of mind that comes with having an insurance policy in place. When things go wrong, there’s something to fall back to.
We insure all the things that are important to us. Things that are valuable, costly or even irreplaceable. But what about when it comes to our faith? Those of us here who identify as Christians, perhaps having even professed our commitment publicly through baptism – what happens when it turns out that our faith was misplaced and that hope has been nothing but wishful thinking? What if everything we believe about God turns out to be untrue? There’s no insurance policy for faith last I checked. Can we still have peace of mind then?
This is exactly what the gospel of Luke is about. Luke writes to give us certainty concerning the things of God. In particular to our passage, his answer to any doubts about God is to remind us that God keeps His promises.
God keeps His promises
But first, notice what it is that we’re reading. Look at verse 1.
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
A narrative is a story. Or it is an account of something told in story form. That’s what the gospel is, which unless you think about it, doesn’t seem all that significant. Think about what the Bible is. Or rather, what does it mostly contain? Stories. Why? Because God reveals Himself in people’s lives. Christianity is not like science or math, which concerns impersonal facts. God is not like that. God is not an impersonal abstract principle or law of the universe. God is incredibly personal and He is intimately involved in people’s lives. In other words, you’ll never find God in a lab or a library. You’ll find Him in people’s lives. Even yours.
Now that’s easier said than done right. Which is easier for you to believe – that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, or that God cares about you? The water surely. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be certain about God. Look at verse 3 and 4.
3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Luke knows that it can be hard to have faith. God knows we struggle to trust Him. So He’s given us this. That’s what the gospel of Luke is about – to give us certainty concerning the gospel. That we can be sure of what we believe.
Look at verse 5.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea,
Remember this was a time when the nation of Israel had been conquered by Rome. Even Though Herod was king, he was under the authority of Rome. The people were being subjugated by a foreign power.
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. 6 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.
Stop here and look at who Luke is showing us. A man of God, righteous and blameless yet he and his wife had no child and were old. If it sounds familiar, it’s because it has echoes of Abraham and Sarah. Both were old and barren. God comes and says you’ll have a son. Both Abraham and Zach ask how can this be?
We all know that Abraham’s faith was well-placed. God kept His promise not just to Abraham, but to his children and all the generations henceforth. For thousands of years God alone has preserved the remnant of Israel. The same God who kept His promise to Abraham is now at work in Zachariah and Elizabeth. He kept His promise to Abraham, He will keep His promise to any who call on Him. We can be certain of it.
God keeps His promises. But what promises? We continue in verse 8.
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
Did you know scholars estimate there would be about 18,000 priests on the roster? And once a year, one person is picked to go in to offer incense. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Everyone hopes they’ll get picked but nobody expects they will. That’s just how it is. And God picked Zechariah. Someone who is old and barren. Not the most accomplished or successful. God picked him and Elizabeth to bring John the Baptist into the world.
Isn’t that odd? But that’s what God does. He often chooses not those who are successful or smart or capable. More often than not He works through unexpected ordinary people. Mundane people like you and me.
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. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
I don’t think Zechariah is praying for a son. He himself doesn’t think it’s possible because he’s old as we can see by his reaction to the angel. I think he was praying for something else. In fact the whole nation was. All the people were outside praying. For what? For God to rescue them. Remember this was in the days of Herod. They were being occupied by Rome. And the last time a prophet appeared was 400 years ago Malachi. Since then there’s been silence. Can we still trust a God who has been missing for so long?
14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
A reference to the boy being a prophet. God is raising up another prophet through a woman who was barren. This boy will be set apart for God from childhood and will prepare the way for Israel to get a king. Sound familiar? It’s an echo of Hannah, who prayed and gave birth to Samuel the prophet who anointed the king.
16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
And just in case you’re still not convinced, that last verse 17, turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, is exactly the last thing God said to Israel. 400 years ago. You can read that in Malachi 4. What’s the point? God is coming!
He keeps his promises. He has not abandoned or forgotten about his people. He is working out his plans on his timing by his own hands. And he doesn’t even need us. Because look at how Zach responds. It’s not like God says I want to do this, but you’ll need to have enough faith. If you do this then I’ll do that. No. Zechariah doesn’t even have it in him to believe.
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
Notice the emphasis on the word? Why is the punishment that Zach be made unable to speak? It’s not unable to see. Or hear. It’s unable to speak. As far as disabilities go, it’s not that bad right. Phew got off easy. No! This is incredibly punishing because Zechariah has heard and knows that God is coming. But he can’t tell anyone about it.
God keeps His promises. A savior is coming. The people of Israel had to wait 400 years. Zechariah had to endure 9 months of silence. But you and I don’t. Because we know what happened next. God Himself came down to earth to save His people in the person of Jesus Christ. Everything has been prepared for this moment, ever since God first promised a son to Abraham in his old age. Just as Samuel was born to a barren Hannah and set apart in preparation for the king of Israel, John the Baptist will be born to barren Elizabeth and set apart in preparation for Jesus Christ. In Him we have put our hope and because of Him we know for certain that God keeps His promises.