I. Introduction
Have you ever prayed for something, something really important to happen, and then waited for God to answer you? Of course you have. For example, I know that some of you are praying for the souls of friends or family members and have been doing so for years, sometimes even decades. You are diligent in your prayers and you know that God knows your heart. You truly want to see Him work and you believe He will.

But sometimes, as the years go by, nothing seems to happen. We often get discouraged and we tend to forget that God always answers the prayers of obedient Christians who come to Him solely in the merits of Christ, solely “in Jesus’ name.”
*John 14:13-14
13 “And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

Do we believe that or don’t we? When Jesus says we are to pray “in His name,” what exactly does He mean? Is He saying that we should always be sure to say, “…in Jesus’ name” right before we say, “Amen?” Well, that’s fine, but it means far more than that.
• First, praying in Jesus’ name means that you are interested in the glory of God. Are you praying with the glory of God uppermost in your mind and heart?
• Second, praying in Jesus’ name means that you pray for what He wants to accomp-lish, not what you want to acomplish. Are you more interested in His purposes than in your own? Are you praying for God’s will to be done or are you praying for your will to be done?
• Third, praying in Jesus’ name means that we are going before God in the merits of His Son, not ours. Never forget that if Christ’s merit was not applied to you, you would have no merit at all. Are you praying in and through Christ?

If the answer to those questions is “Yes,” then God will hear and answer. His answer will always bring glory to Himself. If He delays, or says, “No,” we must not forget that there is a higher purpose in what He does than you or I may ever fully comprehend. So we ask in Jesus’ name, for God’s perfect will, for His perfect timing, and for His ultimate glory. Remember, Jesus didn’t say, “If you ask Me anything, I will do it.” He said…
*John 14:13-14
13 “…whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

And then we wait to see what God will do. But we’re an impatient lot, aren’t we?
II. Text
Luke’s gospel begins not weeks, months, years, or even decades after God made His last promise to the Jews, but centuries. What Jeff read from Malachi to open the service was the last thing the Jews had heard from God. That was four hundred years earlier!
Malachi 3:1
1 “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.

So those among the Jews who truly believed God’s Word knew that before Messiah would come there would be a messenger to prepare the way. They were still waiting to see when God would send the messenger and just who he might be.

Four hundred years! You and I haven’t waited that long for anything. Can you imagine how impatient they must have been? And then God spoke. Dr. Luke begins the story.
*Luke 1:5-17 (stand)
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, 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 in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
7 And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
8 Now it came about, while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord to burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.
11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
12 And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear gripped him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you will give him the name John.
14 “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.
16 “And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.

17 “And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people for the Lord.”

With v. 5, and now throughout the rest of the gospel, Luke changes his writing style from the classical Greek of the first four verses to a “conversational” tone that seems to be more in keeping with the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the OT.

Luke zeros in on when his story took place by speaking of the time of Herod’s reign. This Herod is the one known to history as “Herod the Great.” He was not a Jew but an Edomite, a traditional enemy of the Jews. Rome had made him king of Judea in 37 B.C. By the way, the word “Judea” means “the land of the Jews in its entirety.” Herod would rule over this land until his death in 4 B.C.

As Luke begins, Herod’s reign is coming to end. The year is probably 5 B.C.
*Luke 1:5-7
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, 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 in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
7 And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

Right here at the beginning Luke makes it clear that Christianity has its roots in Judaism. The ones who will become the parents of Messiah’s “forerunner,” John the Baptist, are a Jewish priest and his wife. She is a descendant of Aaron, who was Israel’s first priest. Zacharias means “God remembers,” and Elizabeth means “God is reliable or faithful.”
They would soon come to understand that their names were quite appropriate.

In v. 6 we are told that they were righteous. Theirs was not a self-righteous hypocrisy, wherein they looked good only in the eyes of men. These two were righteous in God’s sight. How had they become righteous? Zacharias and Elizabeth had become righteous the same way Abraham did, the same we did, and the same way everyone who will ever be saved by faith becomes righteous. They believed God. Remember…
Romans 4:3
3 For what does the Scripture say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

Zacharias and Elizabeth believed God would send the Messiah and that He would be preceded by a messenger who would prepare the way (Malachi 3:1). They trusted God explicitly in this because they knew and understood the Davidic Covenant, which was given to King David in 2 Samuel 7 and then reaffirmed in Psalm 89.
*2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16 (The Prophet Nathan to David)
12 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you (David’s son Solomon), who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

16 “And your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”

Thus the Messiah would come from the line of David and sit on David’s throne. Then in Psalm 89 God said His covenant with David would not, (could not) be broken.
*Psalm 89:34-37
34 “My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
35 “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David.
36 “His descendants shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me.
37 “It shall be established forever like the moon, and the witness in the sky is faithful.”

Zacharias and Elizabeth believed that. Not only did they believe God’s Word, but Luke 1:6 says they were “walking blamelessly” before Him. Now that doesn’t mean they were without sin any more than you and I are without sin. It does mean that they consciously lived their lives in obedience to God’s revealed truth. May that be said of us as well.

While God knew they were righteous, some in their village may not have thought so. Since they were without children it was thought by many in their culture that God was punishing them for some gross sin. And, in human terms at least, they had no hope of ever having a child because, as Luke 1:7 tells us, “they were both advanced in years.”

Are you struggling with your faith? Does it sometimes feel like there is no hope that God will ever answer your prayer, or provide you with a way out of a seemingly impossible dilemma, or give you relief from some physical or psychological pain? Have you ever said, “It’s just not humanly possible!” Well, you’re right. But your Bible is filled with truths like these:
• “Is anything too difficult for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14)
• “Nothing is too difficult for You.” (Jeremiah 32:17)
• “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)
• “The things impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

Those are divine truths you can cling to. Why wouldn’t you? Zacharias and Elizabeth went about their daily lives fully confident that God would accomplish His purposes for His Messiah and for them. And He would do so in His own good time.
*Luke 1:8-10
8 Now it came about, while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord to burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.

These verses tell us that God’s own good time came when Zacharias was called to burn incense in the temple. The OT designated twenty-four divisions of priests, one of which was the division of Abijah, from whom Zacharias was descended. Since an individual priest could offer the incense only once in his lifetime, this was a special moment and a high honor. Since the incense symbolized the people’s prayers going up to God, the priest who carried it into the temple was especially blessed.

Those few minutes, when Zacharias stood in the holy place alone before God, would have been a unique privilege. But then, while he was performing his priestly duty, some-thing truly awesome happened.
*Luke 1:11-14
11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
12 And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear gripped him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you will give him the name John.
14 “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”

This would be a heart-stopping moment for Zacharias. Priests who ministered in the holy place were always fearful of doing something that might dishonor God when they were in His presence. In v. 12, the word “troubled” (or “startled” in the NIV) doesn’t fully convey Zacaharias’ emotion. The Greek word is “tarassō.” It refers to tremendous agitation. Think of water furiously boiling on a stove. To put it simply, he was terrified.

Do you think you would react any differently? I doubt it. Zacharias knew full well that he was standing in the presence of holiness. As such he was completely aware of his sin and the judgment he knew he deserved. But in v. 13 the angel tells him not to be afraid.

There is no judgment here. On the contrary, the angel has come to announce a special blessing. He tells Zacharias that his petition (prayer) has been heard. Isn’t it wonderful that God is answering him when Elizabeth, who has never had a child, is too old to have children? I find it amazing that God would answer their prayer only after, at least in human terms, all hope was gone for Elizabeth to ever have any children at all. But now, once she has conceived, no one will be able to say, “Well, they got lucky.”
Let me point out that some theologians argue that the petition the angel is referring to is the regular petition for the coming of Israel’s Messiah that Zacharias was praying right then. It was, by the way, a prayer all the priests prayed all the time. So these theolo-gians argue that Zacharias’ prayer for a child is not the issue here. But in v. 13, when the angel had said that Elizabeth would bear a son, he immediately said, “…your petition has been heard.” He tied the prayer for a child and God’s answer right together.

So which is it? Such disputes among theologians are not uncommon, but in this case it seems almost to be a moot point because God is answering both prayers, is He not?
• First, the Messiah was about to come. So the prayer for Israel’s redemption was going to be answered.
• Second, Zacharias and Elizabeth were going to have a child – and not just any child. The sex of the baby is already determined and the child already has a name!

It was customary to name a child after his or her character, the family’s feelings about God, or something about the circumstances of the child’s birth. The name John relates to all of those things. It’s a combination of a Hebrew form of the word “God,” and the word “hānan,” which means, “to show grace or favor.” (In Hebrew John is “Johanan.”)

Naming the boy before he was born is an illustration of God’s sovereignty. It also emphasizes just what this child would mean to Zacharias and Elizabeth. “God has poured out His favor on us!” What a lesson for us not to be discouraged! God hears the prayers of His children and He will answer.

Hadn’t God planned this from the beginning of time? Of course He had! It’s just that Zacharias and Elizabeth didn’t know it. Can you even imagine all the good things God has planned for His faithful children that we don’t yet know about? J. C. Ryle, the nineteenth century Anglican bishop, said,
“It may be, God has long granted, before we shall know of His grant.”

Listen, your prayers in Jesus’ name, for God’s will to be done, and for His glory, are heard! In v. 14 the angel says that these two faithful and righteous parents will have “joy and gladness” at the birth of their son and many (others) will rejoice as well.

The “others” are those to whom their son, John the Baptist, would ultimately minister. Many would be turned from darkness to light as John would join the ranks of all the OT prophets and point to the Holy One of Israel, God’s anointed, the Messiah, the Christ.
Mark 1:7-8
7 And (John) was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals.
8 “I baptize you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’ll discuss those details in Luke 3.
*Luke 1:15-17
15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.
16 “And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 “And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people for the Lord.”

The boy “will be great in the sight of the Lord.” What believing parent wouldn’t be overjoyed by such a pronouncement? Just how great would John be? About thirty years later, Jesus Himself would tell us.
Matthew 11:11
11 “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

This is fully understood when we realize that Jesus is speaking of what is sometimes called the “pre-Messianic Age.” He was saying that John would actually see what all the other OT prophets were only able to prophesy. But there is larger truth here for us and it is this. Based on Jesus’ definition of greatness, every Christian is even greater than John.

The reason for this is that God has revealed so much more to us than He did to John. We not only have actually participated in Christ’s atonement, but we have been given the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Neither of those things were true of the OT prophets; and although Luke 1:15 tells us John would be filled with the Spirit, he didn’t live long enough to see Christ’s atoning work on the cross.

Then in v. 15 the angel speaks of two things that will be marks of John’s greatness. The first one is external. It is a visible and physical mark of his greatness. He will abstain from alcohol. The second mark is internal. It is an invisible and spiritual mark of his greatness. This second mark has already been stated. John will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment of conception.

The external mark (abstinence) has led most to believe that John was a Nazirite. A Nazirite was one who made a vow to dedicate a portion of his or her life to God’s service. This dedication was known as a Nazirite vow. Long uncut hair and total abstinence from alcohol were just two of the external marks that a person was living under the constraints of such a vow. (Samson and Samuel were Nazirites.) In John’s case God made the vow for him before he was born, and so it seems as though it was a life-long commitment.

Many people have wondered why God chose abstinence as the external and visible sign of John’s greatness. One possibility is found in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus.
Ephesians 5:18
18 …do not get drunk with wine…but be filled with the Spirit.

Paul is contrasting the control alcohol can have over a person with the control of God’s Holy Spirit. It may well be that John’s abstinence from alcohol and his being filled with the Spirit are representative of those two extremes.

In v. 16 Luke clarifies what he has already implied in v. 14, where he said, “…and many will rejoice at his birth.” John’s message of repentance will pave the way for many Jews to turn back to God and prepare them for their Messiah. This is what Isaiah prophesied seven hundred year earlier.
Isaiah 40:3
3 A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.”

Then in Luke 1:17 we see John as the last of the OT prophets, the last one called by God to point ahead in time to the Messiah. John the Baptist will be the forerunner, a herald, as it were. First he will announce Jesus to the nation of Israel. Then he will introduce Him. What a privilege to be chosen by God for that task!

When Luke says that John will do so “in the spirit and power of Elijah,” he is not saying that John literally is Elijah. In fact, later when John is asked if he is Elijah, his answer is emphatic. “I am not!” (John 1:21) What Luke is saying is that John is Elijah figuratively.

John will turn the hearts of God’s people from ignorance to knowledge and from sin to repentance. Just like Elijah’s, John’s preaching will be powerful. He will courageously stand against Herod Antipas just as Elijah stood against King Ahab and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal all the way back in 1 Kings 18. In the end John’s preaching and courageous stand will cost him his life, but again, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
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III. Conclusion
Well, what can you and I take from all of this?
• First, you can take comfort in knowing God is not constrained by human weak-nesses or limitations.
• Second, God will always accomplish His perfect will in the lives of His children.
• Third, in the example of John, this child yet to be born, we will see that any one of us, through faith in Christ, and a sincere willingness to submit ourselves to God’s leading, can be great in the kingdom of heaven.

God’s revelation to Zacharias was truly amazing. If you and I would sincerely pray in Jesus’ name, for God’s perfect will, for His perfect timing, and for His ultimate glory, what might God reveal to us? How might we be amazed?

~ Pray ~