Luke 1:5-13
What type of people does God use? How does God work in the lives of those
people? We see that God uses all kinds
of different people in all kinds of different ways throughout all of Scripture.
However, we can certainly see from the pattern of Scripture the types of people
that God desires to use. As God was
fulfilling His plan of redemption He enlisted the participation of many people
to bring His plan to fruition. One such
person was John the Baptist. The Old
Testament prophesied that prior to the coming a Messiah, a prophet would be
sent to prepare His way. John the Baptist
was that prophet. Over the next three
days we will be looking at the text that narrates the story of how his coming
was announced to his parents. We will seek to gain some insight into who his
parents were, who John would be and how his parents responded to this
announcement. As we look at each of
these three stages of the announcement we will look for the characteristics
that stand out about the people God chose to use in this key part of His plan
of redemption. Today we will look at
four characteristics that marked the preparation of John’ parents.
BLAMELESS: Zacharias and Elizabeth were chosen as
instruments to fulfill this portion of God’s plan. We can observe several things about their
lives that are interesting for us to note as we consider the types of people
God desires to use. First of all we see
that they are describes as being blameless.
God loves to use people who are obedient to His Word. Zacharias and Elizabeth were both described
as being righteous before the Lord. Just
as a surgeon seeks to use a clean instrument; God desires to use people with
pure hearts. Our marriages will be great
sources of joy and our families will be fruitful for the Lord as we strive to
follow the example of this couple who walked in submission to will and Word of
God. We will see that they were not
perfect, no one is, but when God describes a person as righteous, we have a
pretty good idea as to why they were chosen for this honor. We must ask ourselves if our reputation is
that of being blameless. What are the
areas in our lives that would prevent us from being described as
righteous? These are the areas that we
must tackle in the power of the Holy Spirit in order for us to be as useful as
possible in the hands of God.
BARREN: Second, we see that they were barren. It is amazing to go through the Bible and see
how many times the Lord used barren couples to do something special. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Samson’s mother and
Hanna, Samuel’s mother all join Elizabeth as women who were barren for a long
period of time and then gave birth to significant children in the plan of
God. In general we see that God builds
character through all kinds of suffering.
Perhaps it is because in times of trial we have a greater tendency to
seek God out and recognize our dependence upon Him. Without a doubt, the greatest prerequisite to
being used by God is to realize how much we need God. Comfort and ease tend to produce pride and
self-sufficiency. These characteristics
will undermine God’s work in our hearts every time. Suffering helps us to be humble and makes us
fall on our knees before the Lord in utter dependence. These are the kinds of people that God uses. When we face trials we must not complain,
doubt or fear that God has somehow abandoned us. Instead, we should be thankful for the
opportunity to grow and ask: how is God preparing to use us?
BUSY: Third, we see that they were busy. The word busy carries a negative connotation
in many instances. None of us like to do
“busy work.” In our activity driven
society we are often too busy. However,
many people who claim that they want to be used of God just sit around waiting
for God to somehow “zap” them. When the
Lord sent an angel to reveal His plan to Zacharias, he was busy fulfilling his
duty in the temple. It is impossible to
direct an object that is not in motion. Certainly we can take being busy to an extreme
that keeps us from other more important priorities. Too, often we are driven by what we do to the
point of neglecting who we are. A balance
between “doing” and “being” is always an important goal to seek. However, laziness or waiting around for some
sort of super-natural direction from God is not how we should live our lives. When God appoints people to a special task it
is because they are being faithful to do the things that they have already been
instructed to do in God’s Word.
BESEECHING: Fourth, we see that they were praying. The angel tells Zacharias that the Lord had
heard their prayers. God moves in
response to our prayers. He desires for
us to bring our requests before Him. I
am sure that this couple talked with one another about their desire to have
children. It is very likely that they
talked to their friends and maybe even made and appointment with Dr. Luke. There is nothing wrong with any of those
things; but none of them are as important or as effective as talking to
God. Too many times we try to work our
problems out on our own. We worry and fret
over the things that we want or the circumstance that we wish would change. God does not want us to live this way. We must learn to cast our cares on the Lord
and trust that His answers are always right even when they are not what we
requested. Jesus repeatedly taught His
disciples to pray and even be insistent with God in our praying. Lack of prayer is the equivalent of spiritual
pride and demonstrates that we think that we don’t need God. Prayer is a declaration of dependence on God. Prayer is an awesome privilege that we have
as believers but it is also a mighty weapon in the hand of God. God loves to use people who pray.
APPLICATION: We need to identify and repent of any areas in
our lives that prevent us from being described as blameless. Strive to see how God might be using the
trials of our lives this and every day to build our character. Word hard to accomplish what God has set
before us this day. Pray for God’s help
in accomplishing His will and recognize our dependence upon Him.
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