Birth Announcements: Part 1
Luke 1:5-25
By Dave Redick
Hwy 20 Church of Christ, Sweet Home, OR
"Born to Zacharias and Elizabeth of Jerusalem, a Son..."
Introduction
I have with me this morning some yellowed newspaper clippings that I’d like to share with you. In doing so, I confess ahead of time that they have a bit more meaning to me and a certain lady sitting in the congregation this morning than they do to you. Nonetheless, if you will indulge me for a few moments, I'd like to read them to you.
#1
Redding Record Searchlight, June 30, 1970, Vital Statistics: "Born to Mr. and Mrs. David Redick of Anderson at Mercy Hospital in Redding, a son."
#2
Redding Record Searchlight, September 15, 1973, Births: "Born to Mr. and Mrs. David Redick of Stockton at Shasta General Hospital, September 13, a son."
#3
Scottsbluff Record, November 15, 1976, New residents: "Born to Mr. and Mrs. David Redick of Scottsbluff at Scottsbluff General, a girl."
#4
Redding Record Searchlight, November 14, 1978, New residents are born in Shasta County: An 8-pound, 2-ounce girl born November 12 to Mr. and Mrs. David A. Redick, 4627 Vallecito St., Central Valley."
These of course, are the birth announcements of my children. I have kept them locked up in my files along with copies of our marriage license and wedding vows for quite a few years now.
Would you like to see pictures of my grandchildren? Just kidding...
I shared these with you this morning in order to call your attention to several "birth announcements" from Scripture. Each one is found in the book of Luke in your New Testament. Each one has something to do with the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, which is appropriate to our current season.
The first is the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist to his parents by the Angel Gabriel. The second is the announcement of the birth of Jesus to Mary, once again, done by Gabriel. The third is the after-the-fact birth announcement of Jesus given to the shepherds of Bethlehem. All three announcements play key roles in the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. I want to look at the first one - the announcement of John’s birth - in this message.
Let's move quickly to the first birth announcement. You’ll find it in Luke 1:2-25 & 57. Please turn there with me.
While you’re finding the passage, let me share another little "birth story".
A schoolboy was sitting at his desk composing a report for his class. At a loss for an appropriate introduction, he laid down his pen and sought out his mother who was in the kitchen preparing supper. Without warning, he asked, "Mother, how was I born?"
Mother, of course, was aware that this question about human reproduction was inevitable, but she was not about to deal with it while she was cooking dinner. So she put him off with these words, "The stork brought you, dear." The boy nodded and moved to the living room where his grandmother was knitting. Again without warning, he asked, "Grandma, how was my mother born?" Being a throwback to the Victorian era, this dear lady was not about to touch that one. "My dear child," she explained, "the stork brought your mother." "Grandma," the boy persisted, "how were you born?" "The stork brought me, too," she responded. He thanked her and returned to his desk. Picking up his pen, he began his report with these words, "There hasn't been a normal birth in our family for three generations."
If you’ve arrived at our launch point in Luke, I guess we could say that there is not a normal birth among those mentioned in the first two chapters of Luke's gospel either. Again, this morning, we’re going to focus on the birth of John.
Luke begins, after an introduction for the sake of the recipient of his book, with
1. A Parental Description.
(Read v. 5)
Elizabeth and Zacharias were to be John’s parents. Note that Luke indicates:
A. The time in which they lived.
"In the days of Herod, king of Judea. . ."
There were several "Herods" that fit into the history of the New Testament. This one was king of Judea from 40 BC to 4 AD. He is the Herod who enlarged and beautified the temple in Jerusalem and is also the one who ordered the slaughter of the infants of Bethlehem just after Jesus’ birth.
As was usually the case among the Jews, there was significance in:
B. Their names and families mentioned.
Zacharias, it says, was a priest, which meant that he was a descendant of the family of Aaron. Elizabeth, his wife, is also said to have been "from the daughters of Aaron."
It was an honor to belong to the priestly tribe among the Jews and it was considered a double honor to have a wife who was also from that tribe.
Here it establishes that John came from a godly family. Both his parents were of the priestly lineage. His father was "of the division of Abijah." Since there were so many priests, it was impossible for them all to serve in the temple at once, so a thousand years before this, David had divided them up into "courses" or "divisions." Zacharias’ division was that of Abijah.
It is sometimes said that a person is more effective with the gospel if he did not grow up in a godly family because he has "tasted the world" and can, therefore, be a better spokesman in the age of grace. Though I am one who didn’t grow up in the church, I am not a subscriber to that view. It seems that the Bible over and over, as it describes the great men and women who shaped its history, makes a special point of mentioning the godly homes its characters came from. Today we’d say they "grew up in the church." Think of the description of godly parents like Amram and Jocabed, the parents of Moses. Think of the Manoah household, the family of Samson. Look at Zacharias and Elizabeth here, John’s godly parents. Then there is Mary and Joseph, the earthly family of Jesus.
The reason I bring this up is not to discourage those of you who, like me, didn’t "grow up in the church." Rather, it is to encourage those of you who did to claim and be proud of your heritage! Don’t listen to the line that you are disadvantaged or out of touch or that your upbringing is somehow boring. The truth is, you are starting off ahead. Get busy for God and use your godly upbringing as a step up to great things. You can stand on the shoulders of your parents and reach much higher if you choose. Don’t roll over and play dead thinking your are disadvantaged. (And may I say that this applies especially to "PKs!) What you do with what you have been given in your life from now on is what counts.
When I say that John was born into a godly home, the Bible backs me up. In verse 6 we read of John’s parents, specifically,
C. Their righteousness.
(Read v. 6)
John’s mom and dad did not possess a superficial righteousness. This verse says they were "righteous in the sight of God."
The greatest thing parents can do to raise godly children is to be godly themselves. We must not settle for a veneer that we wear on the outside on Sundays that covers up inconsistency underneath. (Believe me, your children will see and take note of your inconsistencies a lot sooner than they do your teaching what is right!) We need a righteousness that shines even when God looks at us.
No, I’m not talking about sinless perfection. That is out of reach of all of us. I’m talking about keeping our lives righteous by a combination of right behavior (the best we can do!) and confession of sin when we’ve done wrong. Such righteousness involves, among other things, keeping things right with the members of our families. When we do wrong, we humble ourselves and admit it. We make restitution if it is appropriate. We seek forgiveness and let them know that it is our intention to do right in the future. Then we set out to do what we have promised.
Of course, being righteous is no guarantee that you will be free from problems and heartaches in life. Zacharias and Elizabeth had one big heartache that seemed to dominate their lives. Luke describes it as:
D. Their barrenness.
(Read v. 7)
In our self centered society that would be a case for rejoicing among some. No kids. No hassles. All for ourselves. But in that day it was considered to be a curse.
"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward," we read in Psalm 127:3.
I believe there is a direct correlation between the inherent godliness in a society and the way in which parenthood is viewed. What I mean is that the more selfish and godless people become, the less they care about any generation but their own. You can see it in Scripture in the practices of the godless nations around Israel in the times of the judges, the kings, and Old Testament prophets. Those people sacrificed their children to idols believing they were making life better for themselves. The farther they drifted away from God, the less regard they had for the lives of their children.
That symptom is with us today, isn’t it? Our nation is becoming godless and one of the results is the shattered relationship between parent and children because of selfishness.
"No time for the kids. We have to find ourselves!" That is the cry of the age for many.
Do you doubt what I say? Then look ahead in this chapter to verse 17. This one who was to be born to these godly parents was to have a specific mission.
(Read v. 17)
"To turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children..."
Restored family relationships are part and parcel of a turn back to God (described here as "the attitude of the righteous."). The product of godlessness is selfishness and the result of selfishness is ruined families.
I realize that sounds negative and it is. But the opposite is true as well, and that is good news. The product of a turn back to God is a move toward selflessness and that restores family life.
Hold your finger in this passage and look back to that Old Testament passage that predicted the mission of John.
(Read Malachi 4:5-6)
You see, the product of a revival of godliness is a restoration of family relationships. Notice also that it goes both ways - from parents to children and from children to parents.
If your family life is a wreck, or even if it is not quite a wreck but just has some serious flat tires, you need to turn to God with your whole heart! It is as simple as that. It is your greatest hope for change.
Well, in the lives of this barren couple, long since resigned to their condition of childlessness, God was about to unleash a prophet (their future son) that would set in motion a revival and this subsequent restoration of families. They were about to receive:
2. A Divine Announcement.
(Read v. 8-9)
The duty of the priests during the hour of prayer was to sprinkle incense on the hot coals of the altar of incense, sending up a cloud of fragrant smoke before the Holy of Holies in the temple. This symbolized their prayers ascending to God and corresponded to the people who were praying outside.
(Read v. 10-11)
It had been four hundred years since the people of God had a recorded revelation. Now suddenly, unannounced, here stands this angel (Luke tells us later it was Gabriel). We aren’t told what the angel looked like, though in other places in Scripture they are described as men in shining or white garments. Frequently such an appearance shook people up, as did here with Zacharias.
(Read v. 12)
What follows is:
B. The angel’s message.
(Read v. 13)
How long do you suppose this couple had been praying for a child? Now, after all human hope is gone, the prayer is going to be answered. Why is it that God sometimes delays things like that? We will try to answer that question in a few moments.
Zacharias and Elizabeth were to call the boy who was to be born "John," which means, "the Lord is gracious." Certainly He was being gracious with this couple.
(Read v. 14-15)
The reference here to no wine or liquor was the vow of a Nazarite, and Old Testament vow taken by those who were especially devoted to God. Such men were to have nothing derived from the grape and no haircuts during the time of the vow. This set them apart in both behavior and appearance.
(Read v. 16-17)
I’ve already mentioned the correlation between returning to the Lord and improved family relationships. Also included in this verse are three goals for any preacher or church of any time. In brief, they are these:
 | To turn people back to God (v. 16) |
| To turn people back to their relationships (v. 17) |
| To get people ready to meet the Lord (v. 17) |
All these things John would do and all these things should be our goals as well.
Zacharias wasn’t completely sure about all of this. Like most of us at times, he prayed, then, when God promised to answer, he thought it too good to be true - and, according to the laws of nature, he was right. But with God, all things are possible.
(Read v. 18)
The angel didn’t have any trouble with that.
(Read v. 19)
I really like the way Luke puts that. Zacharias says, "I am an old man. . ." and Gabriel says, "I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. . ."
It is as though Zacharias says "It is humanly impossible" and Gabriel says, "You aren’t speaking to a human!"
We need to keep in mind when we pray that we aren’t speaking to another human either!
Zacharias didn’t believe this could be true. He needed a sign. So the angel gave him one.
(Read v. 20)
Maybe it’s best to trust God and not do too much demanding of signs!
Before we leave this verse, notice that last phrase: ".... which shall be fulfilled in their proper time."
A few minutes ago I asked and left unanswered the question, "Why is it that God sometimes waits to answer our prayers?" In the case of Zacharias, God waited until they were too old to have children then gave them a child.
While there may be many reasons in the mind of God for such delays (I don’t pretend to understand what He hasn’t revealed), there is an answer inferred in this verse. The angel said that these things would be fulfilled "in their proper time." I suppose that could mean "in the regular nine months of pregnancy." But I think there is something else here.
When a batter steps up to the plate and misses three fast balls in a row, as he is heading back to the dugout, he might be overheard saying something like, "My timing is off today."
When you car sputters, snorts, and backfires, the mechanic is likely to say, "your timing is off."
In each of us, before we were born, there was a little valve in our hearts that closed at the precise moment of our birth to shut off the flow of blood from our mothers so that our own circulatory system could take over. Had the timing been off, we would have died.
Timing is important in a lot of areas, isn’t it? Of course, God designed the laws that govern the physics of baseball, car engines, and the proper functioning of the human body and a part of that design is always precise timing. He is a God of perfect timing.
God answers our prayers "according to His will." A portion of His will surely include proper timing. In His infinite wisdom He knows precisely when to answer a prayer so that the timing, along with every other aspect of the answer, is just right. The problem that you and I have is that our timing is off. We want it now. We're reluctant to accept any less. Yet if God always answered things according to our desires, we'd be in a world of hurt. Like the baseball player, we would miss the ball. Like the car, we would sputter and backfire. Like the child, indeed, we might die. God knows a lot about perfect timing. The best thing we can do, though it is hard for us, is to wait on Him.
David wrote, one thousand years before Christ, of His experience with waiting for God to put him on the throne of Israel while King Saul chased him all over the kingdom trying to kill him:
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait on the Lord!" Psalm 27:13
Zacharias and Elizabeth waited. They waited even beyond human hope. God blessed them for it, just as David said, "in the land of the living," in other words, before they died.
Let's wrap up the passage.
(Read v. 21-25 & 57)
God does answer prayers in His time!
Conclusion
Since we’ve been talking about birth announcements, let me share this story with you, then I’ll close:
An eleven-year-old Council Bluffs, Iowa, resident discovered that he had a real problem. According to state and local records, he didn’t exist!
That’s right. His plight was uncovered when his parents applied for passports in preparation for a trip out of the country. They discovered that their son didn’t have a birth certificate. From a legal standpoint, they were told, they did not have a son born on the date they claimed he had been born. Neither the county clerk nor the vital statistics section of the state department of health had any record of his birth.
A missing birth certificate could present some real problems. Yet imagine the person who arrives at the great judgement with no record of the new birth.
When Jesus walked the earth He told us that God, on the day of judgement, will say to some, "depart from me, for I never knew you." That’s like saying to someone, "As far as heaven is concerned, you never existed!" Can you imagine the despair of that day?
The Bible says, "you must be born again." Have you been born again? Do you know what it means?
It means first that you must die to the life you are presently living. Most people live for themselves. They live to get what they want out of life. In order to be born again you must die to that kind of life. If you don't die, you can't be born again.
Then you must be buried. That's what you do to a dead person isn't it? You bury him or her. When we speak of being born again, the burial is your baptism. Jesus said in John 3:5, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." The water is the water of baptism.
Then that dead and buried person needs to be resurrected. He or she needs to be given new life. God does that on the basis of the faith we exhibit when we do what He asks.
Romans 6:4-5 says, "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection..."
That is the most important birth announcement a person can ever receive.
Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.
Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.
All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.