Luke 1:5-25
How do you know that what you believe about God is true?
Charles Blondin, a Frenchman – as you can tell from my superb pronunciation, was a famous tightrope walker back in the 1800’s. He would accomplish unbelievable things on a tightrope and became famous for his feats across Niagara Falls.
He was the first man to cross over the falls on a tightrope, 305 meters long and 49 meters above the falls. After his first successful crossing in 1859, Blondin performed the stunt many times throughout the next year. Each time the crowds grew larger, and he employed different and much more dangerous variations. Once he crossed the falls while blindfolded. He crossed over walking on stilts. Once he carried a small stove on his back, stopped at the middle of the rope and prepared himself an omelet which he then ate as his amazed audience watched. Another time he balanced a chair on the rope and stood on it.
In September of 1860, the Prince of Wales was one of the many witnesses who observed Blondin carrying his assistant, Romain Mouton, on his back. After this amazing accomplishment, Blondin approached the Royal party, and asked the Prince, “do you believe that I could take a man across the tightrope in this wheelbarrow?”
“Yes, I do”, said the Prince.
“Then, Hop in”, replied Blondin.
The Prince politely declined Blondin’s challenge, because although he might have believed that Blondin could take a man across the tightrope, he wasn’t willing to trust Blondin with his life.
There are levels of belief. When my belief costs me nothing except getting up early on Sunday morning and going to church, I can easily say I believe Jesus is the Son of God, he has rescued me and will take me safely through life into his eternal home.
But when the cost for belief rises, it becomes more difficult to believe. When the people I work with have a negative view of those who are followers of Jesus, it is more difficult to believe. When I am tempted to pay bribes or cheat and deceive to get what I want, the cost of belief rises. When I face temptation, then the level of my belief is challenged. Do I believe enough to resist what I want so passionately? When my business is on the verge of failure and an immoral or illegal opportunity comes along, do I believe strongly enough to resist that opportunity? When I am tempted sexually, is my belief strong enough to resist that temptation?
When there is a cost to belief, sleeping in Sunday morning, reading the paper, having a relaxing breakfast, and enjoying a morning game of golf becomes a very attractive alternative to going to church.
What happens to my belief when things do not go my way? What happens when I lose my job or when I do not do well in school? What happens when someone I love dies at a young age? What happens when I become seriously ill?
When I come face-to-face with death, do I still believe and live well while dying, or do I sink into despair, full of bitterness at the unfairness of death? That is the big test of my faith.
A friend of mine had a brain tumor removed and discovered that it is malignant, a very aggressive form of cancer. This news has tested his faith and he has discovered that his faith is more powerful than the cancer that is attacking him.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the period of four weeks before Christmas. In this period we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Incarnation, God becoming human, God with us, and we eagerly anticipate his return. The degree to which I believe this to be true determines how strong I will stand in the face of temptation and adversity.
Like the father of the epileptic Jesus healed, we believe but we need help with our unbelief. How can we be sure that what we believe is true?
This question is the question Zechariah asked in Luke 1.
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. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.
We learn two things about Zechariah and Elizabeth from this passage: one is that they were righteous. They were both descended from Aaron and Zechariah served as a priest in the temple and they lived a good life. They obeyed the law. They were well respected by the community.
Secondly, they had no children. These are two pieces of information that when they were put together made no sense to the people in their community. Children were seen as a sign of God’s blessing and yet this righteous couple did not have children. Something was wrong. Were they not as righteous as they seemed? Was there some hidden sin? People in the community discussed Zechariah and Elizabeth and scratched their heads. It did not make any sense that such wonderful people would be denied children by God.
Elizabeth watched as other women became pregnant and cared for their babies. She watched other women whose children grew up and got married and then had their own children. Meanwhile, her home was quiet, silent. She faced a painful and lonely future.
Zechariah watched other men with their sons and daughters and saw the pain in Elizabeth’s face but he was a righteous man and remained faithful to his wife.
There was a shame associated with not having children and Luke adds that they were both well along in years. The shame and loneliness of not having children was a life sentence. At their age, they could not expect their situation to change. They would both die without having a child to carry on their name.
When Zechariah was on duty at the Temple in Jerusalem, he was chosen by lot to go into the Holy Place and offer incense. This was a great privilege and a priest was only able to do this once in his lifetime. Many priests never had this opportunity. Zechariah was chosen by lot but we who know the story know that it was not by chance that Zechariah was picked. Zechariah was chosen by God to go into the Holy Place that day.
This was already a special day in the life of Zechariah. He had the high privilege of offering incense in the Temple, a once in a lifetime opportunity, but now this day was to become extraordinarily more special.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
If you are all alone in your apartment or house and you turn and there is someone standing there, being startled and gripped with fear is a natural response. The appearance of angels in the Bible almost always provokes this response.
And then the angel spoke:
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 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 from birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back 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 fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
There are layers of surprise and astonishment in this pronouncement. First, the appearance of the angel and the audible voice of the angel is surprising in itself. It almost does not matter what the angel said, just to have an angel appear and speak to me would stand as the highlight of my life. Even if all the angel had to say was, “Hi Jack. I just happened to be passing by and thought I would say hello,” that would be amazing.
But then the angel said that his prayer had been heard. It is likely, as the priest for that day, that Zechariah was praying for the deliverance of Israel and the coming of the Messiah. This prayer had been heard. We pray and hope our prayers are heard. We have faith that they are heard but to have this confirmation would be amazing.
And now the surprise exploded. The angel said that Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a son. In their old age, they would have a son. I am certain that Zechariah and Elizabeth had read the Scriptures about the birth of Isaac to Sarah in her old age and prayed that God would do this with them. I am sure they read the story of Hannah and her desperation to have a child and then the promise from Eli that she would have a son within the next year. They knew these stories but had given up that they would ever have this miracle in their lives. But now! Now, the miracle had come to them. They would join the ranks of Abraham and Sarah and have a child in their old age.
As if this was not enough, there was an even more astonishing pronouncement. Israel had been without a prophet for four hundred years and now there would once again be a prophet in Israel, and he would be their son. In the spirit and power of Elijah he would make ready a people prepared for the Lord. They would be parents of a son and their son would be not just a priest who would make them proud, but a prophet who would speak God’s word to the nation of Israel.
This is a lot to take in and Zechariah asked the question any of us would have asked. How could we expect Zechariah to have had any other response?
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
We voted last Sunday at our Semi Annual General Meeting to raise our budget so we can rent our own villa for our Sunday worship service as well as other meetings and activities during the week. Our giving will have to increase by 70%. We are doing this because we believe God has led us to take this step. How can we be sure of this?
Because we believe Jesus is the Son of God and is coming again we use our time, possessions and money to serve God’s purposes. We choose to eat less well. We choose not to buy all the clothes we would like. We choose to get up on Sunday morning rather than sleep in and relax. We choose to live less affluently. We subtract from the pleasures of this world for the addition of riches in heaven and we make these sacrifices because we believe that Jesus is God in the flesh and we are his adopted daughters and sons.
Because we believe Jesus is the Son of God and coming again to judge the world, we forgive those who offend us when revenge would be much more satisfying. We deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily, and follow Jesus. If we are going to sacrifice in this life for the sake of a life that will follow death, how can we be sure that our sacrifice is worth it? How can we be sure of what we believe?
Zechariah’s question is our question. How did the angel respond to Zechariah’s question?
What surprised me when I looked at this passage is that the angel did not offer proof of what he had announced, he simply responded by telling Zechariah who he was. This was no mere angel. This was Gabriel, who appeared to Daniel in the Old Testament and who, in the New Testament appeared to Zechariah and then Mary. We don’t have Biblical evidence about Gabriel other than these visitations, but it is apparent from Gabriel’s response that if Zechariah knew who he was he would have not have asked his question.
19 The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. These are his qualifications.
Zechariah asked how he could be sure and Gabriel told him who he was and where he lived.
This is reminiscent of Moses when he met God in the burning bush. God told him to go back to Egypt and bring Israel out from bondage and Moses asked God: (Exodus 3:13–14)
“Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
When Job agonized about why he was enduring so much suffering, God did not answer his questions but simply told Job who he was. Frederick Buechner writes about Job:
Job’s friends offer an assortment of theological explanations, but God doesn’t offer one. God doesn’t explain. He explodes. He asks Job who he thinks he is anyway. He says that to try to explain the kind of things Job wants explained would be like trying to explain Einstein to a little-neck clam.
He also, incidentally, gets off some of the greatest poetry in the Old Testament. “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Canst thou bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades? Hast thou given the horse strength and clothed his neck with thunder?”
Maybe the reason God doesn’t explain to Job why terrible things happen is that he knows what Job needs isn’t an explanation. Suppose that God did explain. Suppose that God were to say to Job that the reason the cattle were stolen, the crops ruined, and the children killed was thus and so, spelling everything out right down to and including the case of boils. Job would have his explanation.
And then what?
Understanding in terms of the divine economy why his children had to die, Job would still have to face their empty chairs at breakfast every morning. Carrying in his pocket straight from the horse’s mouth a complete theological justification of his boils, he would still have to scratch and burn.
God doesn’t reveal his grand design. He reveals himself. He doesn’t show why things are as they are. He shows his face. And Job says, “I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see thee.” Even covered with sores and ashes, he looks oddly like a man who has asked for a crust and been given the whole loaf.
When I began working on this sermon, I thought I would be talking about all the reasons why we believe what we believe and how we can be sure of what we believe. I was going to talk about the historicity of our faith, how what we believe is grounded in history and how archeological evidence supports what we read in the Bible. I was going to talk about why our Scriptures are reliable and can be trusted. I was going to talk about the work of the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth. I had plans to talk about these and other reasons we can be sure of our faith and then Gabriel’s response to Zechariah made me stop.
I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. Enough said.
How can I be sure of what I believe? The starting point is to know who God is.
In Exodus 34:4–7 when Moses chiseled out two new stone tablets and went up Mount Sinai to receive the Law for a second time,
the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
God revealed himself as a God of love and a God of justice, two parts of his character, and he revealed himself so Moses could believe and lead the people of Israel.
The Apostle John began his letter by testifying about who he knew Jesus to be. (1 John 1:1–4)
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
The Apostle Paul had an unforgettable encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and wrote to the church in Colossae: (Colossians 1:15–20)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
How can you be sure of what you believe? You need to know the one who created the world, who loves you, who came to earth to die for you, who pursues you so that you can enter into eternal fellowship with him.
Anselm of Canterbury was an 11th century Benedictine monk who said, “I believe so that I may understand.” It is possible to study all the evidence for Christian faith and still choose not to believe because it just does not make sense. What Anselm expressed is that the Holy Spirit leads us into an understanding of truth and when we believe, we begin to understand. Our belief begins with a revelation of God to us and the stronger and more intimate our relationship with God, the stronger our belief.
I have spent a lot of time reading and thinking about why we believe what we do. I think this is valuable time spent. It is important for us to use the minds God has given us to understand why we believe what we do. But the starting point of faith is an encounter with the all-powerful, all-loving creator God who preexisted his creation.
You may have heard the famous excerpt of a sermon by Bishop Lockridge, a Baptist pastor from Texas who died in 2000. I want to play this now to help us have a bigger picture of who it is we follow.
Bishop S.M. Lockridge – This is my King!
Printed below is a version adapted by David Bryant
Christ is enduringly strong.
He’s entirely sincere.
He’s eternally steadfast.
He’s immortally graceful.
He’s imperially powerful.
He’s impartially merciful.
No barrier can hinder him from pouring out his blessing.
He’s God’s Son.
He’s a sinner’s Saviour.
He’s the centerpiece of civilization.
He’s the greatest phenomenon ever to cross the horizon of this world.
I’m trying to tell you, church –
Put your hope in Christ!
He does not have to call for help,
and you can’t confuse him.
He doesn’t need you and he doesn’t need me.
He stands alone in the solitude of himself.
He’s august and he’s unique.
He’s unparalleled and he’s unprecedented.
He’s supreme and he’s pre-eminent.
He is the loftiest idea in literature.
He’s the highest personality in philosophy.
He’s the supreme problem of higher criticism.
He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology.
He’s the cardinal necessity of spiritual religion.
He’s the miracle of the ages.
He’s the superlative of everything good that you can call Him.
I’m trying to tell you, church –
Put your hope in Christ!
He can satisfy all our needs,
and he can do it simultaneously.
He supplies strength for the weak.
He’s available for the tempted and the tried.
He sympathizes and He sees.
He guards and He guides.
He heals the sick..
He cleanses lepers.
He forgives sinners.
He discharges debtors.
He delivers the captives.
He defends the feeble.
He blesses the young.
He regards the aged.
He rewards the diligent.
He beautifies the meek..
I’m trying to tell you, church –
Put your hope in Christ!
He’s the key to knowledge.
He’s the wellspring of wisdom.
He’s the doorway of deliverance.
He’s the pathway to peace.
He’s the roadway to righteousness,
He’s the highway to holiness.
He’s the gateway to glory.
Put your hope in Christ!
He’s the master of the mighty.
He’s the Captain of the conquerors.
He’s the head of the heros.
He’s the leader of the legislators.
He’s the overseer of the overcomers.
He’s the governor of the governors.
He’s the prince of princes.
He’s the King of kings.
He’s the Lord of lords.
Put your hope in Christ!
His office is manifold.
His promise is sure.
His light is matchless.
His goodness is limitless.
His mercy is everlasting.
His love never changes.
His word is enough.
His grace is sufficient.
His reign is righteous.
His yoke is easy and his burden is light.
Put your hope in Christ!
I wish I could describe Him to you!
He is indescribable
because he’s incomprehensible.
He’s irresistible and he’s invincible.
You can’t get him off your hands.
You can’t get Him out of your mind.
You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him.
The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him,
but they found out they couldn’t stop Him.
Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him.
Herod couldn’t kill Him.
Death couldn’t handle Him,
and thank God the grave couldn’t hold Him.
There was nobody before him,
There will be nobody after him.
He had no predecessor,
and he’ll have no successor.
You can’t impeach him,
and he’s not going to resign.
Listen to me, Church –
Put your hope in Christ!
If you want to be more sure of what you believe, deepen your relationship with the one who has loved you, pursued you, forgiven you, rescued you, who was born in Bethlehem, who died on Calvary and rose from the dead, who is patiently waiting until all have the opportunity to come to repentance, and then he will return and call an end to time.
This is my King! Do you know him?
