Sermon preached on December 9, 2007 by Laurence W. Veinott. © Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. Other sermons can be found at http://www.cantonnewlife.org/.
I hate using dirty dishes. Jim Campbell and I were having breakfast at a restaurant recently and the waitress set a dirty fork down by me. I think it had been through the dishwasher—but it was still dirty. Of course I didn't use it. I wasn't going to use a dirty fork.
I also remember a time I was visiting Marg's mother's house and I was hungry and got myself some food—it was a sandwich or something. I got a small plate out of the cupboard and put my food on it and I was just finishing it when Marg's mom came by and said,
"Oh, Larry. You're using the cat's dish."
Yuk! I felt like throwing up. This happened years ago and Marg thinks I should get over it, but every time I think of it, it sends shivers down my spine. I don't know what the cat's dish was doing in the cupboard with the other dishes but someone had put it there and I had used it and eaten off it. Ugh!
In a way we're like dishes to be used by God. One of the things that we see is that He doesn't like to use dishes polluted by sin. In 2 Timothy 2:20-21 the apostle Paul wrote,
"In a
large house there are articles
not only of gold and silver,
but also of wood and clay;
some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
If a man cleanses himself from the latter,
he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy,
useful to the Master and
prepared to do any good work."
That's
what we see in our text. Verse 6 says of Zechariah and
Elisabeth,
"Both of
them were upright in the sight of God,
observing all the Lord's
commandments and regulations blamelessly."
Zechariah
and Elisabeth were righteous before God. They were the ones
that God chose to use.
The
point here is that when God is going to do great and
wondrous things on earth—He uses people who are holy—people
who are scrupulous about keeping His commands.
When
Jesus came to earth God was going to honor His great name.
As Jesus said in
John 12:27-28 when He
contemplated His great mission,
"Now my
heart is troubled,
and what shall I say?
'Father, save me from this hour'?
No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name!
Then a voice came from heaven, I have glorified it,
and will glorify it again."
The
appearance of the angel to Zechariah was the beginning of
that process. The story of Jesus is the greatest story ever
told. His coming to earth to save us from our sins was the
focal point of history. There is nothing like it. That
Jesus, the author of Life, the creator of all things—that
He should come and lay down His life in the place of
sinners and rise again for their justification—is a story
so wondrous, so remarkable, that it ought to fill us with
praise to God. It's our life.
But what we should notice, right at the very beginning, is
that in order to honor His name on the earth, God used
people who were holy, people who were conscientious about
keeping His commandments. Zechariah and Elisabeth were used
by God and it was clear that God chose them because they
were righteous and holy. Luke emphasizes that.
It's important that we understand that
this is
the consistent pattern we see in Scripture.
Who are the heroes of the faith in the book of
Daniel? They are
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. God chose to use
them. Why? It's because they were like Zechariah and
Elizabeth. The first thing we read about them is in Daniel
1:8. We read,
"But
Daniel resolved not to defile himself
with the royal food and wine,
and he asked the chief official for permission
not to defile himself this way."
Daniel
was scrupulous about obeying the dietary laws that God had
laid down for His people. He, along with Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego, refused to defile themselves with the
forbidden food. These were the very men that God chose to
use to bring honor to His name in Babylon.
You see, God had a plan to honor his name in Babylon. He
was going to show King Nebuchadnezzar and the other rulers
that He was the great God of the whole earth.
We see this first Daniel 2:47 where, after Daniel
interpreted his dream, King Nebuchadnezzar declared to
Daniel.
"Surely
your God is the God of gods
and the Lord of kings…"
Again,
in Daniel 3:28-29, after Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had
not been harmed in the fiery furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar
said,
"Praise
be to the God of Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego,
who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!
They trusted in him
and defied the king's command
and were willing to give up their lives
rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God.
Therefore I decree that the people
of any nation or language
who say anything against the God of Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces
and their houses be turned into piles of rubble,
for no other god can save in this way."
Then in
Daniel 4:34f, after Daniel's prophecy about Nebuchadnezzar
losing his throne for seven years, and after King
Nebuchadnezzar had been restored to his throne, we read
that King Nebuchadnezzar said,
"I
praised the Most High;
I honored and glorified him who lives forever.
His dominion is an eternal dominion;
his kingdom endures
from generation to generation.
All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand or say to him:
'What have you done?'"
We then
read,
"At the
same time that my sanity was restored,
my honor and splendor were returned to me
for the glory of my kingdom.
My advisers and nobles sought me out,
and I was restored to my throne
and became even greater than before.
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,
praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven,
because everything he does is right and all his ways are
just.
And those who walk in pride he is able to humble."
It was
the same thing later with King Darius. After the Lord
delivered Daniel from the lion's den, he wrote to all
peoples, saying, (Daniel 6:25-27)
"May you
prosper greatly!
I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom
people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."
God
revealed Himself to King Nebuchadnezzar and King Darius as
the great King of the universe. God chose Daniel, Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego. He chose them because they were
conscientious about keeping God's commandments. He knew
they would live in such a way before the kings of Babylon
and Persia that the kings would be compelled to honor and
praise God. God chose them because they were scrupulous
about keeping themselves from sin. They were faithful to
God, not just in the little things, not just in the big
things—but in all things, no matter what the cost. This is
what lead to the recognition that their God was the only
true God.
You see, it would have been no good if Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego had been careful about the dietary laws, yet
gave in when their lives were threatened about the golden
idol. That would not have taught King Nebuchadnezzar about
how great the God of Israel was. God needed people who were
going to be faithful in all things. When Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego were told to worship the golden image that
King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, they refused. They honored
God rather than sin against God. How God blessed their
obedience. How God honored them for it. Remember when they
were cast into the fiery furnace King Nebuchadnezzar saw
four men inside it, instead of three, and that fourth one
looked like
'a son
of the gods'.
That was
probably a preincarnate appearance of Jesus. They were
privileged to be visited by the king of glory Himself. The
whole situation led to King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledging
the true God and praising His name.
With Daniel it was the same. He was very strict about doing
everything right, being faithful to God in whatever he did.
When he so distinguished himself that the king planned to
set him over the whole kingdom, his enemies tried to find
grounds for charges against Daniel. But they couldn't find
anything. So they went to the king with a trap for Daniel,
suggesting that he make a law that for thirty days no one
was allowed to pray to anyone except the king. But when the
law passed Daniel still prayed to God and as a result was
cast into the lion's den. But God sent an angel to close
the mouths of the lions. That led to King Darius knowing
that Daniel's God was the God of the universe.
We see
the same thing in the book of Esther.
Who was the hero of the faith there? It was
Mordecai.
Although the book is named after Esther, Mordecai was the
hero of the faith in that book. He was the catalyst in the
whole situation. He was instrumental in getting Esther to
do her duty. God chose to use him. Why? One of the things
that we see about Mordecai was that he was scrupulous in
obeying God's commands.
We see this in
three things. The
first thing we learn about Mordecai was his kindness and
care. Esther was his cousin. Her mother and father had died
and Mordecai, careful to obey God's commands, had taken her
into his own household and treated her as his own daughter.
He wasn't at all like those harsh stepfather's that your
read about in the novels of Charles Dickens. He did his
duty to his extended family and treated Esther as his own
daughter.
Secondly, we see that Mordecai respected the office of the
King and was instrumental in saving the king's life. King
Xerxes was not what you would call a good king. He was
interested in his own pleasure, and had a big harem. He had
forcefully taken Esther into his harem. He cared nothing
about many of the people that he ruled over. When Haman
offered him a bribe the king gave Haman permission to
slaughter the Jews when they hadn't even done anything
wrong. We also know that he was ungrateful, sometimes
failing to reward those who should have been honored. He
was not what you would call a good king.
Yet Mordecai honored him as the Old Testament law required.
He followed in the footsteps of David, who wouldn't touch
King Saul even after Saul and abandoned the way of the
Lord. One he was conscience stricken for even cutting off a
corner of King Saul's robe. Thus when Mordecai found out
about a plot against the king, he duly warned him and thus
saved the king's life. He obeyed God's commands and honored
the king.
Thirdly, we see that Mordecai refused to give to man the
honor that is due to God alone. According to Esther 3:2
Mordecai refused to kneel down and pay Haman honor. Haman
was not a king, merely an official. He was an Agagite, an
descendant of the Amalekites, who were supposed to be
destroyed by King Saul, but Saul refused to do so and lost
his crown. Mordecai would not bow down to this monster. He
was a Jew and according to the law they were to,
(Deuteronomy 25:17)
"Remember
what the Amalekites
did to you along the way
when you came out of Egypt."
Mordecai
was a Jew and he obeyed God's law. He would not honor this
Amalekite.
What's important for us to note is that every step of the
way God used Mordecai's obedience to the law to save His
people and to honor His name before King Xerxes.
When God determined to do great things, to honor His name,
to save His people—He chose to use people who were
scrupulous about keeping His law.
We see
this especially in the coming of our Lord to this earth.
We see
it at the beginning of the story—the message to Zechariah.
Of Zechariah and Elizabeth we read,
"Both of
them were upright in the sight of God,
observing all the Lord's
commandments and regulations blamelessly."
What a
privilege to be the father of the one who saw Jesus and
declared for all to hear, (John 1:29)
"Look,
the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world!"
What a
privilege to be the father of the forerunner, who was the
first to point people to the One that all should praise!
John the Baptist began the song that the angels in glory
sing. (Revelation 5:12)
"Worthy
is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
Zechariah
and Elizabeth were instrumental in that.
Who was the man that God picked to take care of Mary, to be
her husband—Joseph. In
Matthew 1 we read that when Joseph, when he found out that
Mary was pregnant, (Matthew 1:19)
"Because
Joseph her husband
was a righteous man
and did not want to expose her to public disgrace,
he had in mind to divorce her quietly."
Joseph
was righteous. Not only that, he was kind and considerate
toward someone who he thought had betrayed him. He did not
want her publicly disgraced. He was living in obedience to
God's commands.
Who did God choose to prophesy at the temple when the baby
Jesus was presented there? Who did
God pick to take Jesus in his arms at the temple and praise
God and prophesy saying, (Luke 2:29-32)
"Sovereign
Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared
in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."
Who did
God pick to bless Mary and Joseph and the baby and then say
to Mary? (Luke 2:34-35)
"This
child is destined to cause
the falling and rising of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
so that the thoughts
of many hearts will be revealed.
And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
What
words! What prophecies! What an honor—to hold Jesus in his
arms, to speak such words at the very temple of God. To
whom was this great privilege given? In Luke 2:25 we read,
"Now
there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon,
who was righteous and devout.
He was waiting for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him."
It was
Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was conscientious
about obeying God's commandments. He was righteous and
devout.
Or think about the one that was given the privilege of
confirming what Simeon said. At the very moment Simeon was
uttering his prophecy about Jesus,
Anna, a
widow who was 84, came up to them and, (Luke 2:38)
"she
gave thanks to God
and spoke about the child to all
who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem."
Who was
she? Who did God pick for that great privilege? We read
that she was a prophetess, of the tribe of Asher. We read,
(Luke 2:36-38)
"She
never left the temple
but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying."
The
truth is unassailable. The ones that God often chooses to
do great and magnificent things for His great name, the
ones that He uses to bring great honor to His great Name
are those who are scrupulous about keeping His commands.
Now
there are two great lessons for those here who want to see
God's name honored in the north country.
Do you
want to see God bless our congregation? Do you want God to
use us to make His name known?
What this means for you is that
you need
to be holy.
All of
us should be focusing on being holy. If you want God to use
you for His glory in a great way you need to be scrupulous
about obeying His commandments. You need to be like Daniel,
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Mordecai, Zechariah and
Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary, Simeon, Anna. Those are the
kinds of people that God uses to do great things for His
name.
2 Timothy 2:20-21,
"In a
large house there are articles
not only of gold and silver,
but also of wood and clay;
some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
If a man cleanses himself from the latter,
he will be an instrument
for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master
and prepared to do any good work."
Christians,
be holy. Be scrupulous about it. Be very conscientious
about obeying God's Word. Don't be concerned about merely
cleaning up the outside, like so many do. But let God's
Word and Spirit penetrate your very heart—so that you will
be an instrument fit for noble purposes, useful to the
Master.
Secondly,
this
means you need to know and love God's Word.
We read
about Zechariah and Elizabeth,
"Both of
them were upright in the sight of God,
observing all the Lord's
commandments and regulations blamelessly."
They observed the Lord's commandments and regulations. They
didn't follow rules made up by men.
Remember
how Jesus criticized the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
In Mark 7:7-8 He said about them,
"They
worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.
You have let go of the commands of God
and are holding on to the traditions of men."
That's
what you have in today's society. People want the church to
follow what is politically correct. They want the church to
follow, not the commandments of God, but the norms of
society. Abortion, homosexuality, living together without
being married, the breaking of marriage vows—those things
are not sin according to the world. The world wants the
church to leave off following God's commandments and start
following its commandments.
This is something that we must resist with everything in
us. That was the way of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego, Mordecai, Zechariah and Elizabeth. That needs to
be our way. We need to be upright in the sight of God,
observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations
blamelessly. Then you will be set apart for honorable and
magnificent purposes.
Lastly, for those of you who are not Christians, what you
should learn from this is that
even
though Zechariah and Elizabeth were good, it wasn't their
goodness that saved them.
Even
though Zechariah and Elizabeth kept the law as best they
could, they were sinners. This is made quite clear a little
while later as we see that Zechariah didn't believe what
the angel Gabriel told him.
Zechariah and Elizabeth weren't perfect. Neither were Mary
and Joseph. None of them were good enough to get into
heaven. That's why the coming of Jesus was such a big deal
to them. It was their salvation. They needed a Savior. As
Mary said in her song, (Luke 1:46-47)
"My soul
glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,"
Mary was
a sinner who needed a Savior. The same was true for
Zechariah and Elizabeth. As Zechariah said in his song of
praise to God after the birth of John, (Luke 1:76-79)
"And
you, my child,
will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord
to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us
from heaven to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace."
You see
that—it's about the forgiveness of sins, about the mercy of
God, about the salvation of those living in darkness and
the shadow of death. Zechariah extols work of the Lord
because it means salvation for sinners like himself.
You need Jesus. He's your only hope. Go to Him today.