MPC 29th April 2007.April 29 - Luke 1 - "Good News for the Humble Hearted"
Phil Campbell MPC 29th April 2007.
I wonder if you noticed as we read the passage this morning that The Gospel of Luke is going to be a bring back book. It's not a beginner book. At least that's not its first intention. It's a bring back book. Even for Theophilus, who it's addressed to in the first few verses, you'll see Luke says he's writing it to make certain for him, verse 4, the things he's already been taught.
There may be nothing new here for you. But you may well need to hear it in a new way. It may be you've heard it all before. But you need to hear it again in a way that actually counts. And changes something.
Because that's certainly the case with the people of Israel. Who fundamentally Luke's orderly account is about.
We're used to taming the early chapters of Luke into a prepackaged Christmas story. But fundamentally, as you'll see in verse 16, we're stepping into a bigger story at the tail end. And as the birth of John the Baptist is announced, in the lead up to the story of the birth of Jesus, we're told in verse 16 that John's mission is going to be all about bringing back. Bringing back the people of Israel. The angel says to John's dad Zechariah, this boy of yours is going to be incredibly special. Because many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.
Luke is setting out to tell us a story of a bringing back. As John the Baptist... and Jesus as well... set out to bring back the people of Israel... to the Lord their God.
Which is not to say we're not going to be connecting with the story of us. And it may be that as you're listening this morning, you're a long time half-hearted Christian who knows in your heart that you need some bringing back as well.
I've been reading a book called How People Change by Paul Tripp. And it's handy, because there are lots of examples of real people that I can share with you and not be afraid you'll actually know who I'm talking about. But the fact is, you and I both know that situations like these are being replayed over and over again in our own church family.
Like the middle aged guy called Joe. Paul Tripp says Joe is a theological expert. He collects Christian books, and loves using phrases like biblical world view and theologically consistent. And yet Paul Tripp says, despite his dedicated study of Christianity, Joe's got a reputation for being proud, critical, and intolerant of anyone who lacks his fine-grained understanding of the faith.
Joe, in his heart, needs bringing back.
Or Jim. He says, if you want to know what's on the church calendar, just ask Jim. He's always there. Bible in hand. He's done his stint as a Sunday School teacher, he volunteers every time there's a job to be done, first to sign up for the working bees; but all the church activities, says Paul Tripp, have little impact on his heart. And how he lives his life.
Jim, in his heart, needs bringing back as well.
Or Cindy and John. They rarely argue. In fact, they rarely talk. To an outside observer their marriage is calm. But on the inside, it's falling apart. John feels that Cindy doesn't honour his role as the husband. Cindy feels disrespected, because John never asks her opinion on critical decisions. She just finds out about them after the fact. Like the way last week john bought a car for their teenage son. And the first Cindy knows of it is when John parks it in the driveway. No consultation.
Cindy and John both say that they're Christians; Cindy and John are both regular at church. They even have family prayer times. But the façade is getting harder to hold together. And at any time, it could crack.
Whether they realize it or not, Cindy and John and Jim and Joe's lives are in a mess. And they need bringing back to God every bit as much as Israel did. Because they're just going through the motions. And maybe so are you.
The story of Israel is a story that starts with enthusiasm. And ends up with a people going through the motions of being the people of God. But far away in their hearts. And the point is, it can't go on that way for ever.
The story of Israel starts with Israel as the one nation that God chooses from all the world to be the focus of his blessing. Israel is like the focal point of a spotlight; the centre of God's attention... And yet God isn't the centre of theirs.
God takes them from slavery and gives them a land. Given a blessing. Given prosperity beyond their wildest dreams. With just one condition, that's spelled out by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy. God says to them, if you go chasing after other gods, if you bow down to idols made of wood and stone, if you worship the gods of the nations around you... then instead of living in your promised land you'll be scattered. You'll be smashed. And exiled into every nation.
Except even then, even if they're smashed and exiled, God knows he won't be able to take his eyes off them. Israel's like a precious kid. You know, you're watching at the kids' soccer game on a Saturday morning, you're not really watching the game or the other kids. You're watching your kid.
And God says to them right at the start, no matter what happens, if you turn away and you find yourselves scattered in exile, and you want to find my blessing again, all you have to do is turn back to me. I'll be waiting. All you'll have to do is repent with humble hearts. And I'll bring you back and bless you. See, God has always been a God of fresh starts. You can come back and start again.
Here are the famous words. From Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 1-3:
When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.
And more than that, verse 6... when they do that... he'll change them. So they can serve him from the heart.
The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
That's the promise to Israel. Turn back with all your heart. And God will change your heart. So that loving him comes naturally again. As it was meant to in the very beginning.
And as you read the old testament, that's exactly how the story plays out. Israel blessed. Israel worshipping every other God or carved stick or stone they can lay their hands on. Israel finally exiled into Babylon. And scattered all over the map. In the year 587 BC.
Where they're gradually culturally assimilated into the nations around them. Lulled into no longer being different. After 70 years there's a decree that says the Israelites can go home again. And rebuild. They can turn back to their God.
But you know, lots of them don't even bother. I noticed a book review in the paper the other day.
A book written this year, Last Days in Babylon, by Marina Benjamin. Who's Jewish. Telling the story of her own family; who stayed on in Babylon right up until the 1950s; of course Babylon is now called Iraq. But they could trace their family line right back to then. 587 BC. When like so many Jews the Benjamin family just wasn't interested in going back to the promised land. And the promise of that new start with God.
But of course back in Deuteronomy chapter 30 it was more than just a question of where they lived. It was all about coming back to God in their hearts. Remember the promise. If you turn back to me with all your heart... then I'll circumcise your hearts by my spirit. So you can serve me as you should.
And even the Israelites that did go back, well, the sad story is, they didn't come back to God with all their hearts at all.
And in Ezra and Nehemiah and the post exilic prophets you get the sad story of a half hearted Israel. Who half heartedly rebuild. And who haven't turned back to the Lord their God at all.
The Prophet Malachi, at the tail end of the Old Testament, he says Israel's making all the same mistakes they made before. Just going through the motions of honouring God. While injustice and infidelity are going unchecked. On a national level, they're like that John or that Jim; pretending to honour God. With their temples and their sacrifices. But Malachi says their lives and their integrity and even their marriages are just a sham. And God's not going to keep playing games with this Israel much longer.
Very quickly, take a look with me at the final page of the final chapter of the Old testament story. The frustrated prophet Malachi. Who says to Israel, The day is coming when God's going to visit his people. And you think it's going to be a party. Well, it's not.
Malachi 3 verse 1. Here's how it's going to unfold. In two stages.
See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the Lord Almighty.
There'll be a messenger. Who'll prepare the way. And then the Lord himself will come to his temple.
But who can endure the day of his coming?
Chapter 4. Malachi says, the day is coming. It will burn like a furnace. See, the fact is, God's patience with Israel has just about expired. Except for verse 2. Where God says, there's another option. As there's always been. He says,
But for you who revere my name, if there's anyone in Israel who wants to honour God like they should... the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
And on that note, the Old Testament closes with Israel facing two very distinct options. That there'll be this coming day of decision. When all their injustice will be reduced to ash and it's over once and for all. Or if they revere him, if they repent... the blessing that they've always been promised. And they'll jump around for joy like a calf in a fresh paddock of spring pasture. Which will it be?
There's going to be one final messenger. To prepare the way for the Lord. And then the Lord himself.
Verse 5, God through the prophet Malachi says this:
See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.
One final call from a prophet like Elijah. To turn their hearts. And then the Lord himself.
Which brings us, four hundred years later, to the grand announcement by an angel of the birth of John the Baptist.
You've got Zechariah; serving as a priest before God, verse 8; in fact, we meet him on the day that's the highlight of his career. Because of all the 18,000 men in Israel's priestly tribe, today's the day when Zechariah has been chosen by lot as the one who gets to go into the temple to burn incense. In the Presbyterian Church you might get elected to be state moderator for a year; for Israel's priesthood, you got to be the guy up the front one day in a lifetime.
It's the day he's been training for all his life. And he's trembling with excitement. The assembled worshippers are crowding round outside. This is Zechariah's moment. He's the centre of attention as he steps through into the holy place. Where only a priest can go.
When as he steps inside, he's face to face with an angel. Who tells him that he and his ageing wife Elizabeth are going to have a son. Who'll be called John. All of which is surprising enough. Until he adds the words in verse 16 and 17. Which will strike a chord if you remember the promise in Malachi 4. When the Lord comes... I'll send a messenger before him. A new Elijah. To prepare the way.
Well, listen to the angel. Verse 16 and 17. This boy you'll have is going to be terrific. He says,
Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 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.
The one Malachi was talking about. The final call to Israel. The messenger... is your son. The one who'll come to turn the hearts of Israel. You'll be his dad.
To which Zechariah says, come on, how do I know you're not pulling my leg? "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."
And because of his incredibly unbelieving response to this good news from the angel, is promptly struck deaf and dumb. Until baby John is born.
Which I suspect is a lesson for those of us who say if God wants me to change he should do something spectacular to get my attention. I mean, if you're a Jim or a Joe or a Cindy and John, what's it going to take to turn you around? Even if an angel taps you on the shoulder... is it going to make a difference?
Now if you noticed the sequence in Malachi, you'll be ready for the next step. First the messenger. Then the Lord. To visit his people Israel.
So in one sense it's no surprise to see in verse 26, God sending Angel Gabriel to Nazareth in Galilee, for the announcement of another birth. Of the Lord himself. About to step into his creation in the form of man. To bring either blessing or destruction to the nation of Israel. Which will it be?
Mary is pledged in marriage to Joseph. The dowry price is paid, the wedding date's locked in for some time the next year. And the angel Gabriel says to her in verse 28, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
And then the words you can see in verse 31 and 32:
You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.
Now again Israel has been punished and pummeled from pillar to post. They've been exiled, they've been invaded, in the last few hundred years they've been over-run by Romans who have sliced and diced the kingdom and put in their own guys in charge. And now virginal Mary is told that her son... will be the king that takes back David's throne... for ever.
"How will this be," Mary asks the angel, "since I am a virgin?" To which the angel replies in an unsatisfyingly unscientific way for people who want to know about the genetics, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."
To which Mary in a much wiser moment than Zechariah says in verse 38, "I am the Lord's servant - May it be to me as you have said." And the angel leaves her.
Interesting in a sense that Mary has become a figure of so much veneration. Especially among the Roman Catholics, who have built up and invented all kinds of teachings around her. And named most of their daughters in her honour. But you know the thing that's most commendable about Mary? Her cousin Elizabeth nails it in verse 45.
Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!
She knows that if God promised it, God will do it. It's an uncomplicated trust in the promises of God.
Which you'll see is the theme for her song that runs from verse 46 to 55. And you'll know that the thing God promised is that if Israel as a nation will humble themselves and repent and turn back to God with all their heart and soul... then great days are coming. Of blessing. Of the Spirit being poured out and changing hearts. And God's equally promised... if they don't. Then time's up.
Check what she's saying. Verse 50. His mercy extends to those who fear him. Not those who are glib and self confident.
Verse 51. He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
Which is why it's problematic if you think you can go on with the pretense of the Joe type from Paul Tripp's example who is so proud of the fact that he's an upstanding Christian expert who can look down on everyone else. I mean, that was Israel's problem. And it's not the way it works.
Verse 53, Mary says, "He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty." Are you hungry?
He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.
Now Mary's nailed it. And that's the issue that's going to be playing out through Luke's gospel. Here, for Israel, is the time Malachi was talking about. Here's the call to turn back to God with humble hearts. And so it's no surprise that the humble will find blessing. And the arrogant self sufficient Israel won't. That's the story we'll be reading as we go to the chapters ahead.
And Zechariah, in the next section, when he finally finds his voice again, says the same.
He says at last God has come to redeem his people. at last, Salvation for the house of his servant David. At last, verse 74, he's going to do what he's promised and rescue us from the hand of our enemies... and enable us to serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Now they're fascinating words. From a Priest who only got to serve before God for one day of his life. And he did it in fear and trembling. The day has finally dawned when God's going to do what he said. And change hearts. And enable his people to serve him in holiness and righteousness. By sending his spirit. And so just as the prophets said, change God's people from the inside. Which is what Israel needed more than anything. And what going through the motions kind of façade wearing half-Christians need as well. Because it's completely missing the point, isn't it, to go through the motions of church, to go through the motions of bible study, to go through the motions of being the person everyone looks up to as the theology expert... if it doesn't start at the heart. That's where the bringing back has got to begin.
Zechariah is talking to his baby son John. And he says, you, my child, will be called a great prophet. Because you'll go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him.
And how's it going to happen? By giving Israel the Knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Because God is a tender and merciful God, verse 78, who's always the God of new starts. Who's always ready to shine on his people and guide our feet in the path of peace. How's it going to happen? As we'll see, John's got a very simple message for Israel. And the message is, humble yourselves and repent. That's where it starts.
Of course the arrogant heart's got no need for the forgiveness of sins. The proud heart's got no time for the mercy of God. And yet as we keep reading and we see those negative qualities played out in Israel... we need to look carefully. To see they're not played out in us. And aren't in fact the source of the problem. If you're living with the situation of a Joe. Or a Jim. Or a Cindy and John.
We're going to see over these next few weeks what it's going to look like when Israel is called to come back to God. To look at the mission of John and of Jesus to bring back these people that go by the name of the people of God. By challenging them to turn back in humility in their hearts. And it may well be just the right message for some of us.