on December 15, 2012
Luke 1:5-7 – 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. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.
Luke, our God-inspired trustworthy reporter, takes great pains to let us know the time period of the events and people he writes about. He identifies the ruler of the time, gives the name, office and ancestral connection of his main characters – Zechariah and Elizabeth. Additionally, Luke describes the faith and character of this upstanding man and woman. Furthermore, he includes information about their ages and he states the reason why they never had children. Is this TMI (too much information) or is there a good reason for all this detail? Why didn’t he just skip to chapter 3 and introduce us to John the Baptist and his ministry?
It appears that one of Luke’s reasons for writing was to strengthen the faith of all believers and to answer the attacks of unbelievers (who never use facts or details because they’re not interested in truth). Luke wrote to displace disconnected and ill-founded reports about Jesus, so the names, times, places, people and details are included to validate the truth of his report. Those who are interested in the truth will therefore be able to check the records and discover the accuracy of Luke’s report. Those whose agendas do not concern themselves with truth in reporting are thereby displaced when a trustworthy reporter brings forward verifiable details, facts and information. Such is the record of Scripture. It has endured these many centuries largely because it is inspired of the Spirit of Truth and all of its records are verifiable.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were real people who lived at the time of Herod the Great. Zechariah served as a priest belonging to the division of Abijah, and his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. These facts play an important role in the unfolding of God’s story and plan to bring salvation to fallen man. With these three characters Luke sets the stage for a drama whose script could never have been dreamed up by mortal men. And yet, the amazing events to come in this Gospel script are all true and have been validated by firsthand witnesses as well as historical record. Let’s revisit the entire drama together. Stay tuned!
(2 Timothy 3:16,17) – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Thursday:
- Meet together with at least 1 or 2 other believers (perhaps your family) to enter the Throne Room of Grace.
- Join our 6:00pm Thursday night prayer team.
Friday:
- Thank God for those trustworthy reporters/recorders who were faithful vessels through which God breathed the holy Scriptures!
- Pray for the Good News families of the week: Matt & Becky Hakes (Stevie, Lydia), Ben & Jen Martin (Emma, Grace, Benjie, Callie, ?), Barr & Sharon Miesch.
Saturday:
- Praise God that His Word is trustworthy, accurate, dependable and true!
Sunday:
- Thank God that the Scriptures are also USEFUL: for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
Monday:
- Pray that you may become thoroughly equipped as you make the Scriptures USEFUL in your life.
- Attend “In Touch” Prayer meeting at GNCC at 10:30am or join in prayer at that time.
Tuesday:
- Praise God for making known to you in Scriptures this salvation through faith in Christ Jesus!
Wednesday:
- Give thanks that you don’t have to apologize for shoddy reporting or accounting in the Scriptures!
Prayer Challenge: Pray that every believer will become thoroughly equipped for every good work through eager application of Biblical instruction and training in righteousness! Pray that God will inspire you in the high calling of careful investigation and truthful reporting.