Zacharias and Elizabeth

I hope you believe that Jesus is coming again. If not, we'll convince you this morning. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you so much for your great and glorious word. And thank you that we have that ironclad assurance that Jesus Christ is coming again one day. And I pray that every heart in this room would be prepared for that arrival, that they might know what it means to have a relationship with the living God of the universe. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. If you have your Bible, turn with me to the Gospel of Luke.

The Gospel of Luke. And we are going to continue our study in this series. It's our second sermon in the Gospel of Luke.

Luke chapter 1, verses 5 to 7. We're going to talk about Zacharias and Elizabeth. And this becomes a very important time in our study because Luke moves from the prologue to begin to unfold before us the coming of the Messiah. He said over in verse number 1, inasmuch as many have undertaken to complete or to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, Luke is about to unfold before us those things that God accomplishes through His Son, Jesus Christ, in the lives of sinners. If you want to know how God is going to accomplish a great work in your life, the Gospel of Luke is a great, great book to study.

And as we begin our time, let me help you understand what is taking place over in Luke chapter 1, verse number 78.

In verse number 79, Zacharias, the man we're going to study about this morning, gives this song of praise when he says these words. Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. What Zacharias does, because he's a priest, is quote from the Old Testament. Zacharias knows what the Old Testament says in the book of Malachi, the fourth chapter, the second verse, when it says this, But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.

When Zacharias gives his song of praise after the birth of his son, John the Baptist, he realizes that the sunrise is about to shine. He realizes that the sun of righteousness is coming, because his son is the forerunner to that sun, S-U-N. Now every rabbi before the time of Christ taught that the sun of righteousness in Malachi 4.2 was the star, and that star was the light, and that light was the Messiah. If you go back to Isaiah chapter 60, it records these words in verse number one, Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples, but the Lord will rise upon you, and his glory will appear upon you. Now the Jews believed that there was going to be a light that would shine amidst their darkness, and that light would be the coming of the sun of righteousness. The Bible says over in Psalm 84, verse number 11, For the Lord God is a sun, S-U-N, and shield.

The Lord gives grace, and the Lord gives glory. Over in Jeremiah 23, verse number 5, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I shall raise up for David a righteous branch, and he will reign as king, and act wisely, and do justice and righteousness in the land. In the days of Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely, and this is his name by which he will be called, that is, the Lord our righteousness. So when Zacharias gives his song of praise, after the birth of John the Baptist, he speaks of the sunrise.

He speaks of the dawn of a new day that will guide their feet to safety. The Messiah will come. Now that is important. Why? Because you see ever since from the time of Abraham, way back in Genesis chapter 12, when he was called from Ur of the Chaldees to cross over the great river, the Euphrates, and was given the promise of a land, and the promise of a seed. And all down through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, into bondage. They are being set free from that bondage. Then to wander in the wilderness, then to claim the land of promise, to gain victory over their enemies, then go into captivity, and then to experience that oppression.

They were always looking for the coming of that light, that promised seed, that Messiah that would save them. And by the time you come to Luke chapter 1, since the end of the book of Malachi, there have been 400 years and no prophet has spoken for the Lord. There has been no revelation from God. It has been almost 500 years since there was a miracle from God. And Israel was sinking down into darkness, a deeper darkness. They were sinking down into depression. And there was a promise that the sunrise would come, that light would shine.

Remember Jesus claimed to be the light of the world. He is called the bright morning star in Revelation 22, 16. In Revelation chapter 2, it says that the overcomer is the one who obtains that morning star. In Matthew chapter 2, it was a star that the wise men would follow for a year, maybe even two years, before they came to Jerusalem. Jesus the Messiah was that star. But Zacharias also knew, not only Malachi 4 verse number 2, he knew Malachi chapter 3 verse number 1. So if you're still in Malachi with me, listen to what it says.

Behold, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. And the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. Now Zacharias knew what the prophet Malachi had prophesied. There was no temple standing when Malachi prophesied. So he knew that there would be a messenger, that there would be a forerunner, that God was going to send an individual that would come before the Lord of hosts, before the Messiah, before that anointed one would arrive.

There would be a messenger. Over in Isaiah chapter 40, verse number 1, or excuse me, verse number 3, it says, A voice is calling, clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness. Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low, and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 40, verse number 3.

Malachi 3, verse number 1, were both quoted by Jesus Christ the Messiah in Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11, verse number 7, the Lord says this, What did you go out into the wilderness to look at?

A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in king's palaces. But why did you go out to see a prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet, this is the one about whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. There are Isaiah 40 as well as Malachi chapter 3 to prove that John the Baptist was that forerunner prophesied in Malachi chapter 3, verse number 1.

Now that's important, because Zacharias was told that his son would come in the spirit and power of Elijah over in Luke chapter 1, verse number 17. And it is he who will go as a forerunner before him in the spirit and power of Elijah. I say this to you because you need to understand that the Old Testament prophesied both comings of the Messiah. Malachi 3.1 says that the Messiah will suddenly come to his temple. Let me tell you something, for the Lord to suddenly come to the temple, there has to be a temple.

And when Christ was born, there was a temple. And did he suddenly come to the temple? Yes, he came at his dedication. And we'll study that in Luke chapter 2. He came when he gave his infamous declaration that he had to be about his father's business in Luke chapter 2. And we also know that in John chapter 2, he came to the temple to cleanse it suddenly. So we know that he suddenly comes to his temple. We know that Malachi 3.1 is not the second coming because at the second coming, there's not going to be, listen, a temple.

It would have already been erected by Antichrist and already desolated and desecrated and destroyed because all of Jerusalem will be plundered by the armies of God. So we know that Malachi 3.1 refers to the first coming of the Messiah.

But you say, well, wait a minute. I thought Elijah was supposed to come before the Lord came. Well, Malachi does say that too. Malachi 4 verse number 5, behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. So we know that Elijah is going to come before Messiah arrives. That's why at a Jewish Passover, when it's all said and done, they send the little boy out to go outside and look to see if Elijah is there. Why? Because if Elijah is there, Messiah is right on his heels.

And that's why in Revelation 11, you have two witnesses, one like Moses, one like Elijah. I believe, personally, they probably are Moses and Elijah. Why? Because of Matthew chapter 17, the Mount of Transfiguration, when Moses and Elijah were both there with the Lord when he unveiled his glory to demonstrate the fact that both Moses, who is the giver of the law, and Elijah, who is the garter of the law, would both come before Messiah, the two witnesses in Revelation chapter 11. So you are right to say that Elijah will precede the coming of the Messiah the second time.

That's Malachi 4 verse 5. But Malachi 3 verse 1 talks about a certain messenger, a certain forerunner that will come before the Lord, the Messiah, appears suddenly at his temple. So you see, the Old Testament does prophesy both comings of the Messiah. And we need to understand that. Why? Because Luke, you see, is going to become very exact in delivering to us what the plan of salvation is. And what Luke does is make sure that we understand that in order for us to believe that Jesus is Messiah, the one, the forerunner who comes before Him was prophesied and predicted in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

And whoever John points to, that is the Messiah, based on Malachi 3 verse 1 and Isaiah 40 verse 3. You with me so far? Don't want to lose you. I want to keep you intact because this all sets the tone for what's going to happen. Why? Because you see, Luke bridges the gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament. He wants you to understand that what happens in the New, listen, Christianity is not a different religion than Judaism. Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism. Christianity is the completion of Judaism.

And remember, we told you last week that Luke is a theologian as well as an historian. So he's going to bring it all together for you so you begin to understand that what took place in the Old Testament is not different than what takes place in the New Testament. People say, well, you know, in the Old Testament they were saved by the law. In the New Testament, they're saved by grace. Folks, let me tell you something.

If you hear someone say that, turn them off, leave immediately, because that is a lie. Everybody who ever lived and who was ever saved was always saved the same exact way, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah. And I'm going to explain that to you this morning. You must understand that. The people in the Old Testament weren't saved differently than the people in the New Testament are. We're all saved by grace through faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And we'll explain that to you this morning.

But see, what John is going to do is bridge the gap, because he wants you to get the point that the two are connected. They're not different. And not only that, but that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy in Malachi 3 and in Isaiah chapter 40, and that the birth of John the Baptist will be the first time our Lord speaks in over 400 years.

And that happens in verse number 11, when it says, "...that angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias, standing to the right of the altar of incense." The birth of John the Baptist was a miraculous birth. And what Luke does is connect the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus together to show you how one is the forerunner and the other is the Messiah. That's why we tell you he gives us the greatest account, historically speaking, from the beginning of the saga of salvation to the end of time.

And so Luke becomes very valuable to us as we study his gospel. So let me give you the point this morning.

We're going to begin, first of all, with the situation. The situation is very important. Let me read to you verses 5 to 7.

That's all we're going to cover today. It says, "...in the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias of the division of Abijah. He had a wife from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth, and they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years." Now, you need to understand the situation in the days of Herod.

Remember, Luke's a historian, so you need to understand the context. You need to understand the setting. You need to understand that Herod the Great, by the way, that's what he called himself. He was Herod I, but he called himself Herod the Great. He kind of had a little ego problem. And he was the one who built Caesarea Maritima. For those of you going to Israel with us, we'll embark on that place the very first day.

He also built Masada, that great fortress out in the Judean wilderness down by the Dead Sea. It's a tremendous place. He built those things. He was a master architect, but he was a cruel man, very cruel man. He was an Idumean. In other words, he was an Edomite. And he married a Jewish woman, because he ruled over the Jews. Now, because he was an Edomite, it helps us understand the situation, helps us understand the context. Why? Because the Edomites are descendants of Esau. And the Edomites were into fleshy desires.

They were into themselves. They were into carnality. They were into immorality. And so Luke sets for us the setting to let you know that not only was it a dark time, because the Lord had not spoken some 400 years, nothing had taken place. They kept waiting for something to happen, and nothing was going on. People were falling deeper and deeper away from the Lord God of the universe. And there was this ruler in Judea who was immoral, who was godless, who murdered his own wife, who murdered his own sons.

And knowing that he was going to die, the day of his death, knowing that one day he would die, he brought in all the religious leaders. And the day he was executed, or the day he died, he gave orders that every one of them would be executed. I mean this guy was a cruel man. He was the one who ordered the death of all the male babies two years and under in Matthew chapter 2, upon hearing that there was a king of the Jews that had been born. Remember that? And so this situation was a bleak situation for the Jewish nation.

They were ruled by an immoral man, a godless man, who was only concerned about himself. They had not heard anything from God at all for over 400 years. It was completely silent. It was the darkest days in Israel's history. And that sets the tone for God to speak and for God to answer. And that's why we told you there is no situation that God does not have the solution. And this situation was a bad one. And so Luke doesn't want to focus too much on the man of iniquity, so he moves us to the man of integrity.

He doesn't want us to focus in on a vicious prince, but to focus in on a virtuous priest. So we move from the situation to their identification. That is Zacharias and Elizabeth. It says, in the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias. A certain priest named Zacharias. Now it's important for you to understand the meaning of his name. His name means God remembers. Elizabeth, her name means my God is faithful. Very important in understanding the birth of John the Baptist.

God remembers. My name is faithful or my God is faithful. And so we begin to understand that there was this certain priest. Now that's important because during the time of Zacharias and Elizabeth, there were some 18,000 priests in Israel. And there was a certain priest, this one individual named Zacharias. And the priest had a noble position. They had a tremendous function. They were interpreters of the law. They would counsel people in terms of their understanding of the law. They would be the ones who would offer up the sacrifice of animals.

And so you could actually call them butchers because when they went into the temple on the day of atonement and did all the sacrificing, they were filled with blood because of the sacrifices. And they were the ones who were concerned about the law of God and making sure that it was followed, that it was interpreted properly. Priests had a very honorable and noble position in Israel. And the Bible says that this certain priest named Zacharias was of the division of Abijah.

Now you will note that there were 24 divisions of the priesthood. 24 divisions. If you go all the way back to 1 Chronicles 24 verses 8 to 10, you understand that the 24 divisions of priesthood came from Eleazar and Isamar. And Abijah was the eighth son of Eleazar. And Zacharias fell into that category. Now why were there 24 divisions? Because there were so many priests, they couldn't all be in the temple at the same time. So they were able to go into the temple two weeks a year. Two weeks a year.

Now that's important to understand for next week's sermon. Because it's only two weeks a year the priest is going to be in there. And it just so happens that Zacharias is in the temple doing the priestly thing when the angel comes to him and speaks. It's not coincidence. It's divine sovereignty. Right? God has a plan. And this man Zacharias whose name means God remembers will be remembered by God. This woman Elizabeth whose name means my God is faithful will experience the faithfulness of God in her life.

The Bible says that she's from the daughters of Aaron. So she is in the line of the priesthood. He marries a daughter of a priest. This is important for you to understand. He himself is not only a priest but he marries a daughter of a priest who by the way has the exact name according to Exodus chapter 6 of Aaron's wife Elizabeth. To show you that these two people were devout in their commitment to God. They were raised in the priesthood. Zacharias married a woman who would have a good understanding of the priesthood and what it meant.

It speaks of their devotion. It speaks of their commitment. It speaks of their desire to honor and glorify their God. You need to understand that. So we move from the situation to their identification to number three.

Listen. Their justification. Their justification. Listen to what the Bible says. It says that Zacharias and Elizabeth were both righteous in the sight of God. Now that's amazing. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God. Most people in those days, most priests were righteous in the sight of men. But these two were righteous in the sight of God. These people, listen, had had their sins covered. These people had had a salvation experience. Wow! Jesus wasn't even born yet. He hadn't even died for their sins yet.

How could they have a salvation experience? Because Zacharias was a priest. Elizabeth was raised in the priesthood. She married a priest. Zacharias knew the law of God. He knew what the prophet said in Isaiah chapter 61, verse number 10, when it says, I will rejoice greatly in the Lord. My soul will exult in my God, for He has clothed me with garments of salvation. He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

They also understood that the only way that a holy God could adorn them with righteous apparel was because there would be someone, according to Isaiah chapter 53, who would be pierced through for their transgressions. Isaiah 53, verse number 4. Zacharias would know these verses. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried, yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening of our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.

Now you see, Zacharias would know that, because he was a priest. He would know the Old Testament. He would know about the garments of salvation. And you see, this man was justified in the sight of God. In other words, God declared him to be righteous in the sight of God. Why? Because God had covered his sins, and God had clothed him in righteousness. Well, how could that happen? The same way it happened for Abraham, way back in Genesis chapter 15, verse number 6, when it says, Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

In other words, it was imputed to him as righteousness. As Abraham had imputed righteousness, so Zacharias and Elizabeth have now imputed righteousness. That is, God charges righteousness to their account. God sees them as standing righteous before Him. Why? Because they believed in what the Bible said about the one who would come and die for their sins, who would be scourged and whipped for their iniquities. It would bear in His body their sins. They believed that. You see, we must get it out of our mind that people in the Old Testament were saved differently than we are today.

They believed in what would happen, and we believe in what did happen. We look back to Calvary and rejoice. They looked ahead and rejoiced. How do we know that? Remember John 8, 56? What did the Lord say? Abraham rejoiced to see my day. Now, when did Abraham rejoice to see the day of God? Way back in Genesis chapter 22. You know the story. We studied it in great detail. When God said to Abraham, take now your son, your only son. Take him where? To Moriah, Mount Moriah. What does Moriah mean? Foreseen by God.

And when Abraham was about to sacrifice his only son because he was going to be obedient to God, the angel of the Lord, which is the pre-incarnate Christ, stopped him. And God stopped him because Abraham had told his son, when his son had asked, where is the lamb? Abraham said, God will provide himself as a lamb. And therefore, God stopped him when he was about to slay his son. And Abraham built an altar, and he called that place Yahweh Yireh. We call it the Lord has provided. But the correct translation is the Lord will be seen.

That's what Yahweh Yireh means. Where will the Lord be seen? The Lord will be seen on Mount Moriah, which means foreseen by God. So Abraham foresaw that the Lord would be seen on Mount Moriah. So what you have is Abraham believing in God's, listen, ultimate provision. That's why Yahweh Yireh, we translated the Lord our provider. Why? Because he provides for us salvation. He provides for us what Abraham saw on the place that was foreseen by God. That's why Abraham could rejoice to see his day. So Abraham believed his God.

He believed the sacrifice of God. He didn't quite understand all that we know, but he believed everything God told him. See? So did Zacharias and Elizabeth. That's why they were righteous in the sight of God. Listen, the only way you can be righteous in the sight of God is to be clothed with the garments of righteousness, to be wrapped in a robe of righteousness. That's it. And the only way that happens is to believe that that one individual Jew, according to the servant of Isaiah 53, would sacrifice and die for your sins.

And they believed that, and that's their justification. They were righteous in the sight of God. But not only do you need to see their justification, you need to see their sanctification, their sanctification. The Bible says back in Luke chapter 1, these words, they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

Listen, the Bible does not separate justification and sanctification. The two go hand in hand. Here it is. Listen, if you have imputed righteousness, you have imparted righteousness. If you have been declared righteous before God, you will demonstrate that righteousness in your life. And that's exactly what Zacharias and Elizabeth did. You see, they loved the law of God. They were obedient to the law of God. They treasured the law of God. They were committed to the law of God. It was their life. And they were devout people.

And that's why the Bible says that they walked blamelessly. It doesn't say they walked perfectly. It says they walked obediently. Obediently. It doesn't mean they were sinless, because they weren't. Zacharias would know that. When he would offer sacrifice for the sins of people, he knew that he would offer sacrifice for himself as a priest, because he was a sinner. And yet he knew. He knew. He knew that God had a marvelous plan of salvation. And he believed all that the Old Testament said about the coming of Messiah.

He was committed to that. He and his wife both, they walked blamelessly. They walked and kept the commands of God. See, Luke is showing us that the gospel is not in conflict with true faith in Israel. It's the same. These people were looking for a sacrifice. Christianity is not a new religion, because Jesus Christ the Messiah came to fulfill the law. Listen, people in the Old Testament believed that there was a substitution for their sins. People in the Old Testament believed that they had to confess their sins.

They had to repent of their sins. They believed like we believe, that there was One who would take our place for our sins. And Luke is showing the continuity between the Old Testament and the New Testament through the coming of John the Baptist, the birth that's going to take place. And these two people, Zacharias and Elizabeth, that amidst their horrible situation that was taking place in Israel during those days, these two people, Zacharias and Elizabeth, were righteous before God in His sight and walked blamelessly and kept the commands of God.

But you need to understand their affliction, their affliction. They were favored in the sight of God. Listen, but they were not favored in the sight of man. The Bible is very clear. And Luke wants you to understand this. And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years. Now, Luke wants you to understand what's happening here. When the Jews would use the phrase, well-advanced in years, we're not talking 50, we're not talking 60, we're not talking 70, we're talking probably somewhere over the age of 80 years.

They were well-advanced in age, way past the norm. They were up there. Okay? No offense to those of you who are over 80, please. But they were up in age, you see. And yet they experienced this severe affliction because Elizabeth was barren. She had no child. Now, you have to understand that in the Jewish culture, they looked at that as a huge negative. You see, they understood Psalm 127, that children are a gift of the Lord, right? They understood that. But they also knew Deuteronomy 28, that probably if you had not been bestowed with many gifts from the Lord, you probably were living in sin, or had some kind of sin.

God had looked disfavorably upon you. That's what the Jews believe, even to this very day. They believe that. That's why Jewish families are usually pretty big, because they believe in having lots of children. In fact, of the 613 commands that they have, commandment number one is you must be married.

Commandment number two is that you must have more than two children. Why? Because Genesis 2 says, you must be fruitful and multiply, not be fruitful and add. You must be fruitful and multiply. So the Jews believe that you must have more than two children to be favored in the sight of God. In fact, the rabbis thought there were certain people, two specifically, that were excommunicated from God. A Jew who had no wife and a Jew whose wife had no child. That's what the rabbis thought. So here was Elizabeth who had no children, and here was Zacharias who was married to her, to a woman who had no children.

So why they might be favored in the sight of God, they were not favored in the sight of man. And this was their stigma. This was their affliction. All their lives that they were together, some 60, 65 years maybe, they had to live with what sin reigns in their family as to why they had no children. And you know what Luke does? Luke is so good, because Luke wants to emphasize it has nothing to do with their iniquity, but it has everything to do with God's sovereignty. That's why he says that they were righteous in the sight of God, that they walked blamelessly, and then he says, but you have to understand, this is not divine punishment, this is divine planning.

God had a plan. And God's plan was very hard for Zacharias and Elizabeth for many years, until this day when the angel appears. And their whole world changes. Because you see, God didn't just want to give them a child. He wanted to give them the forerunner of the Messiah. God wanted to give to Zacharias and Elizabeth, listen, the greatest man who ever lived, according to the words of Jesus, the Messiah. Matthew chapter 11, no man born of a woman greater than John the Baptist. And they lived their whole life, listen, this is so remarkable.

They lived with this stigma, they lived with this affliction for all their married life, and yet they walked blamelessly, they kept the commands of God, they never turned away from their God, the Bible never says they got angry at God, they got mad at Him because they couldn't have children, not at all. They were totally committed to God because Zacharias, his name means God remembers. God's going to remember me. Elizabeth, my God is faithful, my God will be faithful to me. And the key is she remained faithful to Him, didn't she?

So did Zacharias. You know, amidst our affliction, sometimes we just kind of blow God off, don't we? We're going to blame Him for the death, we're going to blame Him for the sickness, we're going to blame Him for our problems as if it's God's fault. Let me tell you something, the sovereign plan of God was being orchestrated.

God was going to do a great work, but He needed two people who were committed to making sure that plan would work. He needed two people that were committed to Him, two people that would live for Him, two people that would remain loyal amidst years of affliction. Maybe that's you today. Maybe as a husband and a wife, you are going through a severe affliction. Maybe you had this stigma attached to you, not that you're childless, but that there's some other stigma attached to you. And God could just be allowing you to go through that to see and test how faithful you are to Him, which leads us to our application, which I shared with you in our prayer time.

There is no situation that God does not have the solution. Amidst Israel's darkest day, God had a great solution. It was the birth of the forerunner that would pave the way, that would clear the way for the coming of Messiah. The Son would be born, the Savior would die, and God's plan would be orchestrated just right as He ordained it. Remember Galatians 4.4? In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son. In other words, God was orchestrating the events politically, religiously, individually in the life of Zacharias, Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph to bring about His Son.

No solution that God does not have, or no situation that God's not have the solution to. On top of that, no affliction, no affliction that doesn't have God's undivided attention. Do you think God didn't know about their affliction? Think God didn't know about the ridicule they would face? Think God didn't know about their hardship, their loneliness, their pain? Oh, He knew. He knew. He was absolutely completely aware of all that was taking place. And at just the right time, the angel will come, and the angel will speak to Zacharias and tell him, you're going to have a son.

He's absolutely floored, so floored he doesn't even believe. Next week, we'll talk about how that silence was broken when the angel appears on the scene, and how the salvation saga begins to unfold before our very eyes. Listen, we are such a privileged people. We're looking at this thing from what was prophesied and how Luke then begins to put it out on paper for us. This is how it all happened. It was in the time of Herod, king of Judea. The situation was horrible. They were ruled by a ruthless, cruel, ungodly, carnal, fleshy king.

God hadn't spoken in 400 years. It was dark. It was bleak. It was bad. And yet, there were two people, Zacharias and Elizabeth, one whose name means God remembers, the other whose name means my God is faithful, two people. Amidst all the myriad of priests, 18,000 of them, there were two, one with a wife, who were committed to God, who were righteous in the standing, who walked blamelessly, those two people. And amidst all their pain, amidst all their affliction, God in His sovereignty would bring about the exact remedy for their situation.

And thus, the greatest story ever told unfolds before our eyes. Let's pray. Father, we thank You for Your great and glorious Word and what You do in the hearts of those whose hearts are truly committed to Thee. We ask and pray that, Lord, You would do a great and mighty work in all of our hearts, that what You do in our hearts and lives today will be to transform us into Your image, that we might live for Your glory and honor. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.