Category: Devotions

You cannot imagine what God can do for you.

Luke 1: 14-17

7 faith statements:

1. What I ask for is always less than what He can give.

“Many will rejoice because of his birth”

2. When God answers my prayer the blessing will go beyond me.

“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord”

3. Whatever God gives to me belongs to Him.

“He is never to take wine or other fermented drink” (the Nazirite vow which consecrated Him to God)

4. God is always bigger than what I think I know and understand often leaving me wondering.

“He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born”

5. When God gives it is more about presence than protection or provision.

“He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God”

6. God never forgets the people of the past and the anointing of the present can be even greater than that of yesterday.

“And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah”

7. The purpose of God is to prepare for Him coming. It is all about presence.

“To make ready a people prepared for the Lord”

Luke 1: 14-17 “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶ He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

They wanted a child but God would do more than anyone could imagine.

DO NOT BE AFRAID

Luke 1:13 “But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.”

We can stop being afraid. Gabriel tells Zechariah to stop. He wouldn’t command that if it wasn’t possible to do. It is possible. Fear can be stopped.

Fear needs to be stopped because it paralyses us from moving. Zechariah would have to begin to move because God was already moving.

Gabriel then shows Zechariah how to stop being afraid:

1. Know that God has heard the prayer you have prayed.

Which prayer? He has heard them all.

• The prayers of old. The ones said in your youth.
• The forgotten prayers. Those that now don’t seem that important anymore.

 

2. Know that God can.

What can God do?

• He can override the natural. He can embarrass common sense. He can make a mockery of the wisest most intelligent brains in the world.
• He can wait way too long so that the impossible (Elizabeth was barren) is now even impossible (she is now too old) and everyone who could claim they had a part to play in this prayer being answered has long gone, leaving only God Himself. The one left gets the glory.

 

3. Know that you have work to do

Fear is stopped when we know we are still part of His story.

• It is the work of grace. The work is to set apart what God gives you. Zechariah was to give his son the identity ‘Yahweh is gracious’. We need to set our lives apart for grace. 500 years before Zechariah there was a prophet of the same name. He was struggling to motivate the people to build the temple and so again an angel comes to his help with a message: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.  ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ Zechariah 4: 6-7. God works through grace and it is the work He wants us involved in. It is the only way.
• It is to let go of pride and control. Zechariah was not to call his son after himself, something that would lead to an argument later with other people, but John. His son would not be fashioned after him. He had to release him to follow a different path. Zechariah had to let go.

 

These are the 3 things that helped Zechariah be free of fear.

He has heard you.

He can.

He has work for you.

Gripped with fear

Luke 1: 12 “When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.”

Whenever Gabriel appears there is the same response. Whether with Daniel in 8:17 or Mary later in Luke 1:30 or here with Zechariah, each one were greatly afraid.

Daniel described Gabriel’s appearance in 10: 6 “His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.” Reading that we can understand how Zechariah was paralysed with fear.

Today everywhere in the world ordinary people will get the fright of their life.

The doctor will call them with news. Their boss will say “Come into my office, we need to talk.” The list is endless. The outcome is either that the startled listener will run away, bury their head in the sand and not want to think about it anymore or they will react and fight with all their might with a rage that reveals this life is unfair and there is no justice in the world. Those 2 responses are common and understandable. We would never criticise someone who reacts like that. But there is another way. It is to be gripped with fear.

If today you are simply in shock, you are frozen, unable to think properly or move normally, if you are in auto-pilot, gripped with fear, then perhaps you are perfectly positioned to hear God.

God needs to give Zechariah a message. God has a plan, it is audacious, the greatest thing that has and will ever happen, it is for mankind and it starts with a prayer that Zechariah and his wife held on to. How does God choose to communicate that to Zechariah in order that the message is not aborted by Zechariah ruining it before it has begun? He does it by sending Gabriel knowing that if He does, then Zechariah has a number of response options. Zechariah has the opportunity to run through the curtain and out of the Temple at top-speed or try and hit Gabriel with the seven-branched golden lampstand which is at hand or and as we know what he decides to do, to stop doing what he is doing, be overwhelmed with what is before him and above all to listen carefully to what might be said.

To be gripped with fear is to try and ascertain what is before you, is it friend or foe?

To be gripped with fear is to stop doing life at the speed you were doing it at.

To be gripped with fear is to pay attention to what really does matter right now.

To be gripped with fear is temporary.

To be gripped with fear in the presence of Heaven is okay because the first thing that will happen is that the presence will work with you to lift off this fear so that you can hear revelation.

To be gripped with fear in the presence of Heaven is the safest place to be.

To be gripped with fear in the presence indicates you have been chosen and appointed.

Do you get it? We worship, we pray, we long for the presence and the majority of times the presence comes with a kiss. But there are days when Gabriel comes and when he comes the kiss turns to fear. And that is okay. Presence is all that is needed. He is here. He is with you.

 

Heaven arrives.

Luke 1: 11  “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.”

Zechariah has been chosen to go into the Holy of Holies of the Temple. He is alone, He is being careful to do all that the priest should do. He has poured the incense on to the fire. Symbolism is all around him. He has prayed and so have the people outside for the protection of Israel and for the coming Messiah. What he doesn’t realise is that all the artefacts around him have their central meaning in Christ, the whole of the Temple was a picture of Jesus.

Zechariah was before the altar of incense. The place symbolic of the prayers of people rising to God.

Today, all around the world Churches of every description who meet in huge buildings, small homes and under trees will gather together at the altar of incense and offer up their cries to God, they will worship Him and long for Him to come to help them. I will be there will you?

It is not beyond the impossibility that there will be strangers in that place with you. Where did he come from? I am not sure, he just appeared! Zechariah was clear that an angel had appeared, he even knew where he was standing, the detail will never be forgotten and (we will read later) his name is Gabriel.

Angels are not fat little babies with wings, they are full-grown adults.

They are stronger than us and they have greater knowledge.

They appear in bodies but also whole armies can be missed as in the case with Elisha’s servant.

They are worshippers as Revelation shows us.

They direct individuals, like Joseph in Matthew 1-2 and Philip in Acts 8.

They helped Christ after his temptations and they help us in impossibilities like when the apostles were in prison in Acts 5 and 12.

They strengthened Jesus, the apostles and Paul and they strengthen us too.

In fact Gabriel means ‘strong man of God’ or ‘God is my fortress.’

Gabriel appears by name 4 times; twice to Daniel interpreting his visions, once to Mary to tell her of Jesus and of course to this ordinary man to tell him of a son to come.

Today friends, wherever you are, God knows. He knows whether you are in exile far from where you should be trying to understand the times you are in and more importantly the dreams and visions you are having. He knows whether you are an ordinary girl who is just going about her normal duties. And he knows whether today you have been chosen to go into a place where most don’t go, the holy of holies, where death is possible and where prayers are on your lips and the fragrance of worship is rising. The fact that He knows where you are means He also knows what you need. If you need Gabriel then that is who will be sent. If you need the Spirit of God that is what will come. But He can come and He will come. Today. You don’t need to worry about tomorrow. You are here today, in this moment, at the altar, the fire is lit for today, the incense has been poured for today. That is enough. Today is all you need and here He is, He is here with you. Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.

 

Will you go to the altar of incense?

Luke 1: 10

“And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshippers were praying outside.”

He had passed through the veil into the holy of holies in the Temple. This was a no entry place except for this day, this moment. It is difficult for us to appreciate the hallowed atmosphere. It was possible to die here if you had the wrong motive (Leviticus 16:13). But it was here that God had said He would be met when the incense was poured out (Exodus 25:22).

Zechariah is chosen to go into the most privileged place, the presence of God. He is alone in the place of sacrifice. He longs for the Messiah to come but he doesn’t realise how close Jesus is. He pours the incense on the altar. The place is filled with a beautiful fragrance.

Moses had heard from God, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord. Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from their people.” Exodus 30:34-38

The incense was not for the enjoyment of the people it was for God. But the beautiful smell was the signal that God was there meeting with them and it was then that they would pray. Maybe they thought the incense attracted God to them, a sign for Him to come?

Outside everyone is praying, the fragrance of the incense has reached them. Inside, alone, is a man chosen by God having the experience of sacrifice.

Maybe today you are having the experience of sacrifice?

You may feel alone, chosen, but facing a lonely path.

What you do, how you respond, your approach is crucial to this moment which is not only about you but about those gathered outside.

What I know is this: the moment is always bigger than you. A greater significance, a greater working of God. It is never only about now.

Of course we have a High Priest who has gone this way. He is our Shepherd who lays his life down for His sheep. He is Jesus. He is not in a Temple made by man but He has ascended to heaven’s Temple and is appearing on our behalf. (Hebrews 9:24) What is Jesus doing right now? He is taking the prayers of His people, yours and mine (Revelations 5:8). He was the sacrifice. He paid the price. He took the cup of suffering. He was obedient to God’s plan.

Today, Jesus knows the path of loneliness, of loss, of grief and of pain and he is praying for you and receiving your prayers.

For now, it is you, it is Zechariah, pouring incense, a sign of prayer, His presence, longing desire, worship, alone. He is being Christ-like even if he doesn’t realise it. It is what we are called to be. The world is watching and many are praying. What happens with you at the altar is crucial. It is never only about you, it is always for a bigger purpose.

 

 

God uses the ordinary.

Luke 1: 8-9

“Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, ⁹ he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.”

Yesterday I was alarmed that already at the beginning of November Costa are selling their Christmas coffee. I opened my eyes a little more as I walked around the town and realised that Christmas is definitely coming soon. Though I think it ridiculous that the UK are already bombarded with the urgent message of getting ready for Christmas, I also know my friends in the Philippines have been singing Christmas songs in their shopping malls since September!

But I do acknowledge we need to be ready.

Let’s look at God’s preparation for Christmas.

In the time of an evil king who had not accomplished anything to note, whose Temple rebuilding programme had already taken 16 years and would have another 30 years to complete; in the time of having gone through 400 forgotten, silent years of no revelation from heaven, let us announce something good is about to happen, “I think the conditions are just perfect for me to come.”

God will move into His world at a time that He decides not us. God will answer a cry when He decides not the person who calls. But the way you conduct yourself will be instrumental in you receiving His good will and purpose for your life and in you being instrumental for the will of God in other people’s lives.

To the faithful you show yourself faithful. 2 Samuel 22:26

Luke has commenced his gospel with a married couple, old in years, but who knew how to do the right thing. Little did they know they would be the parents of the one who was to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Zechariah was chosen that day to burn incense. In the temple he would sprinkle frankincense on the fiery coals and a fragrant cloud would rise. He would prostrate himself on the floor and pray for the peace of Israel and give thanks for previous blessings. He had studied how to do this though this was most probably his first time.

It was a special day for him. He was just a priest, not a High Priest, just an ordinary one and yet the dice rolled in his favour apparently because out of at least 20,000 other priests he had been chosen. Luck? Miracle? Or indeed chosen?

For decades, Zechariah served God in a way which was ordinary, yet he did the right thing. He and his wife had a social stigma, they were childless. But their silent God did not prevent their commitment to Him. Their God was far more than what He could give them.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were indeed ideally placed for God’s preparation of Christmas.

Lack

Luke 1: 6-7

“Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. ⁷ But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.”

Zechariah and Elizabeth were faithful, obedient and people who followed God’s ways. BUT …

• They were righteous but the desires of their heart were not being met.

Deuteronomy 7: 14 “You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young.”

People took this further and said if an individual was barren it actually showed the disfavour of God.

This couple were both very old and they had accepted things as they were, Elizabeth was unable to conceive and they didn’t know why.

Can you be trusted to carry a heartache?

The true assessment of character only happens when there is lack.

It doesn’t matter how dark it gets …

Luke 1: 5 “In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ”

In the time of “evil” there was a man named “Jehovah has remembered” who belonged to the priestly division called ‘worshipper of Jehovah’. His wife was called ‘the absolutely reliable one’ or ‘God is my promise’. Like her husband she too traced her priestly ancestry but all the way back to the founder of the Israelite priesthood.

In the time of a murderer of 2 of his sons, nearly all his wives and his father in law there lived a couple who believed that God remembers His promises.

In the time of one of the wicked, self-absorbed, ambitious, and jealous (even to the point of massacring innocent children) rulers there lived a couple who had built their whole life on worship. The foundation of their family tree was one of praise and sacrifice. Their family stories were that of hosting the presence of God within the Holy of Holies, where hurts and offences against each other were sins against God and the liturgy constantly worked towards reconciliation and forgiveness.

It matters not how dark the world can get nor who rules the land we live in. In the midst of fear from the threats of man and the lies and manipulation of selfish people there can live lights shining bright, waiting and available to the story of God. Faithful names holding on to a much more faithful God. People of God who hold worship as the foundation of their life.

Lessons from Luke

Luke 1: 1-2

“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, ² just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ³ With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”

 

The Gospel is more important than the Gospel-writer. His name never appears in the book but because of who it is written to and the strong connections in Acts it is accepted as being Luke. May our name continue to stay hidden that His Name be seen more.

Luke was a credible person. He had experienced life as a doctor. He became a team member on Paul’s 2^nd missionary journey and who continued to stay alongside him even when he was under house arrest. May we prove ourselves in the world, gaining credibility for our achievements but also the loyalty we give.

Luke wrote to someone specific, Theophilus. The name means a lover of God. But Luke calls him ‘most excellent Theophilus’ which is the title Paul gives to the Governor Felix in Acts. This indicates that Luke’s friend is a person of prominence, at least a Roman soldier but maybe higher. May God grant us more friends in higher places who can become greater influencers for the gospel.

Luke personally investigated the life of Jesus from the beginning, not just relying on other people’s experiences or what they had written, he dug further. May we all continue to dig further and pursue harder.

Luke provides a full account from the birth of Christ to his ascension. His main focus is salvation and who Jesus is as Messiah. May we not dodge anything but study and share the full gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

This has been talked about for 2,000 years!

Mark 16:

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

⁹ When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. ¹¹ When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. ¹² Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. ¹³ These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. ¹⁴ Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. ¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” ¹⁹ After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. ²⁰ Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Footnotes:

1. Mark 16:8 Some manuscripts have the following ending between verses 8 and 9, and one manuscript has it after verse 8 (omitting verses 9-20): Then they quickly reported all these instructions to those around Peter. After this, Jesus himself also sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.

I’ve been sat thinking this morning about the ending of Mark. What I remember from my Bible college days is this. If I am wrong, it is my memory loss!

The original gospel is lost.

There are 2 copies of the gospel which are the oldest that end after verse 8 and several hundred copies that are a little later that contain v 9-20.

Abrupt ending v nice ending and in line with the other gospels added by a well-meaning author.

That’s it.

What do I think?

If Mark ended at v8 then he finishes on an interesting cliff-hanger. They are afraid to witness that the tomb is empty and that Jesus is alive. Do they find their courage? More to the important, will we?

If Mark ended at v 20 then we have a God who does perform signs and wonders through the Church!

I am sure Google is full of articles of the debate of the ending of Mark. It will reveal that scholars have studied this since the 1^st century. It will show how the early Christian writers quoted verses 9-20 and how some ignored them completely.

But what is my over-riding thought this morning?

The Bible that is in my hand today and the one that is in easy reach of you or maybe it is on your tablet or even your phone has been read, quoted, discussed and debated for 2,000 years. It has inspired, changed, transformed millions. It is sought after all over the world. People are killed or imprisoned for just having one copy. These are powerful words inside the Bible that is in your hand.

May we all read it more!!