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It’s not about all the hoo-ha! It’s about God’s love for you!
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THE STUNNING UNBELIEF OF A HIGH PRIEST NAMED ZACHARIAH IS A HUGE PART OF THE CHRISTMAS REPORT!
As you get in the Christmas Spirit and ready to celebrate God’s Love, meditate on this report from the first chapter of the Gospel of Dr. Luke. Luke was not one of the original disciples but a follower of Paul. Luke was a Physician who claimed that he interviewed all of the eyewitnesses to the acts and teachings of our King. He was a meticulous perfectionist. He sought out every detail of Jesus’s life.
It is recorded that later in her life, Mary lived for a while in Ephesus in what was called Asia and is now in Turkey. Paul ministered in Ephesus. John the disciple taught the Gospel of “Good News Of Great Joy Which Shall Be To All People” in Ephesus and was exiled to an island off of the coast of Ephesus because of it.
While following Paul, Luke met Mary, who traveled with the disciple John to Ephesus. Quick reminder: do you recall when Jesus asked John to become Mary’s son and take care of her as He hung on the cross. Mary was one of the most important eyewitnesses that Luke learned from.
Only Mary could have known all of the details of Luke Chapter One. Only Mary could have divulged the intricate details of the events surrounding the birth and early life of Jesus. These details are not included in any other of the Gospels.
Check out this astounding, stunning event that happened to the High Priest Zachariah: What would you do if it happened to you?
HOW TO OFFEND THE MESSENGER OF GOD
IN ONE EASY LESSON.
Luke’s report of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus begins with a fantastic example of unbelief followed by the opposite, a breathtaking example of belief! Belief and unbelief are choices God has given us, along with the free will to exercise them. Both produce enormous consequences.
Belief brings receipt of all of the blessings Jesus lavished us with, including His faith, All things necessary for life and godliness, His power, His peace, grace, healing, abundance, peace, joy, gladness, mercy, forgiveness for all of our sins, past, present, and future, and eternal life with Him. Unbelief brings the opposite and eternal separation from God.
(2Peter1:1-4, John 14:12-14, John14:27, Isaiah 53:4-5, Psalm 103:1-3, 1Peter2:24, John 15:11, Revelation 1:5, John 1:29, Hebrews 8:12, Hebrews 10:10-18, John 3:16-18, Romans 10-9-10)
Zachariah was a high priest in the order of Abija, the descendant of Arron—the brother of Moses. Only male blood offspring of Arron could be appointed High Priests in the order of Abija.
There were two orders of priesthood. The sons of Arron and the sons of Levi called the Levitical priests. The Levitical priests were inferior in rank and were only assigned minor duties.
It is believed that at least twenty thousand priests were in service in Jerusalem then. It was a rare and high privilege to be selected to be included in the group of high priests chosen to cast lots for the right to burn incense. Burning the incense was an even greater honor.
Zachariah’s number was drawn, and he was appointed to burn the incense at the Golden Altar of God in the Holy place, right outside the room known as “The Holy of Holies,” where the Ark of the Covenant, which held the Ten Commandments was kept.
Incense burning was a vital tradition to the Jewish people. It happened as the High Priest prayed for the nation of Israel and the needs of the people.
Before the burning, the people would submit their prayer requests to the priests, who would offer them up as they burned the incense. The Jews believed that the smoke from the incense would deliver their prayers to God and that their sins would be atoned for at the same time.
At some point in the process, God would deliver a prophetic message to the priest, burning the incense to deliver to the people.
While the priest burned the incense, the people waited outside to learn what message the priest received from God while he prayed and burned the incense.
While Zachariah was going about His work, the angel Gabriel, God’s personal messenger, appeared at the right side of the Golden altar.
Here is how Daniel described the appearance of Gabriel:
“I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen whose loins were girded with pure gold of Uphaz.
(Uphaz was a place where the finest gold was mined.)
His body also had a golden luster like beryl (a shiny metallic substance); his face had the appearance of lightning, and his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and his feet like glowing burnished bronze, and the sound of his words was like the noise of a massive crowd of people or the roaring of the sea.
Suppose you saw the same thing that Daniel and Zachariah saw. Would you believe every word that the angel spoke to you?
Zachariah was considered a righteous man in the eyes of God. Although he was not without sin, he obeyed the Ten Commandments and the six hundred and three attached man-made ordinances to the best of his ability, and his sins were atoned for by ritual sacrifice. Yet, he questioned the promises of THE messenger from God. Shocking!
Here is what happened:
“Now, while on duty, serving as priest before God in the order of his division, As was the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot (like rolling dice) to enter the sanctuary of the temple of the Lord and burn incense, And all the vast crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of incense burning.
And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
When Zachariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear took possession of him. (Ya think? I bet he soiled his garments!)But the angel said to Him, Do not be afraid,
Zachariah, because your petition has been heard and your wife (Elizabeth, “well stricken in years,” think seventies or eighties and barren) will bear you a son, and you must call his name John. And you shall have joy and exultant delight, and many will rejoice over his birth,”
THERE WERE THREE OTHER TIMES WHEN GOD HAD CAUSED BARREN WOMEN TO BECOME PREGNANT BEFORE ELIZABETH: SARAH, RACHEL AND SAMSONS MOTHER.Surely, being a high priest, Zachariah knew of these.
At this point, Gabriel described who John the Baptist would be and what he would do and gave Zachariah instructions on how to raise him. Read this fantastic prophecy in the fourteenth through seventeenth verses of the first chapter of Luke. Anyone who heard a prophetic message of the greatness of their coming child like this would be astonished and profoundly emotional and grateful.
One of Gabriel’s incredible promises about John The Baptist was that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit from conception. This was profoundly shocking as no person since Adam and Eve had been filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Gabriel also promised that John would operate in the power of the greatest Prophet who ever lived to that point, Elijah.
You would think that Zachariah would be overcome with joy; it is clear that He and Elizabeth prayed continually for a son until it appeared that she was incapable of having children and was passed menopause.
Apparently, they had stopped believing and agreed that they would never have a child. Now came the angel Gabriel described earlier, who could not possibly know their situation unless he was who he claimed to be, and gave Zachariah the most Joyful report of his life.
Here is a statement of flabbergasting unbelief in the form of the stupidest question ever asked before or since:
“Zachariah said to the angel, By what shall I know and be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years”.
SHOCKING UNBELIEF!
This stunning question and statement enraged the Messenger of God.
Gabriel knew Zachariah’s unbelieving, negative speech could blow up the entire program. Zachariah’s unbelief had already caused Elizabeth to be barren. I suppose (my opinion only) that when they were young and of childbearing age, and they prayed for children, and Elizabeth did not become pregnant, they stopped believing in the power of God and began to confess that Elizabeth could not have children. Thus, it came to pass.
Jesus taught us to believe, WHEN WE PRAY, that we have received our requests regardless of what we see. Religion teaches us to believe it when we receive it.
(Mark 11:24)
Jesus taught us that from the overflow of our hearts, positive or negative thoughts, our mouths speak, and we will have what we say, as long as we do not doubt that what we say shall come to pass. (Luke 6:45 and Mark 11:22-24)
That is why the doubt and unbelief in Zachariah’s heart was so dangerous. It could have changed the course of history.
Here comes the fury of Gabriel:
“And the Angel replied to him, I AM GABRIEL. I stand in the presence of God!!!!!, and I have been sent to talk to you and to bring you this good news. Now behold, you will continue to be silent and unable to speak till the day when these things occur because you have not believed what I told you; my words are of a kind which will be fulfilled in the appointed and proper time”.
Check this out: “Now the people kept waiting for Zachariah, and they wondered at his delaying so long in the sanctuary.
Remember that the crowd was waiting to hear the prophetic word God was supposed to deliver to them through Zachariah.
But when he did come out, he could not speak to them; they clearly perceived that Zachariah had seen a vision in the sanctuary, and Zachariah kept making signs to them, but still, he remained silent”.
How embarrassing and funny was that? Have you ever wished God would have sent an angel to shut your mouth before it got you into trouble?
You just read a biblical account of staggering unbelief. Unbelief has existed ever since the first time the evil one called the Word of God into question. The people of Jesus’s time on earth saw all His miracles and still refused to believe. Jesus is still doing mighty works. Do you believe ALL of His Words?
In our following teaching, we will examine the complete opposite—Mary’s stunning belief in Gabriel’s shocking report.
END OF TEACHING
