“The Just Shall Live By Faith”

New King James Version                          Written by: David Hicks

 

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

“Articles of Faith”

 

An Orderly Account Of The Greatest Story Ever Told

(A Study in Luke)

Chapter 1:1-25:

Now that we know the particulars of the who, what, and why of the book of Luke (from our introduction), lets take a look at the opening of our text.

Text #1:

Luke 1:1-4 “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”

Many Have Taken In Hand: Luke's opening includes the recognition that there have been others who have set out to pen the events and activities surrounding the Christ of God. Luke goes on to acknowledge that all these accounts revolve around things which were both believed and fulfilled among the eye witnesses that have recorded and preached the facts.

In the same fashion as the Apostles delivered the facts concerning Jesus the Christ from the beginning of the church, Luke also having a perfect understanding of these first events, has set out to deliver an orderly account.

Luke having access to the eye witnesses, the other written accounts, his own understanding developed by the gift of the Holy Spirit (see: II Peter 1:21 ), has penned an orderly account of the events concerning Jesus Christ (primarily chronological, verses topical).

Excellent Theophilus: The Greek meaning of the name Theophilus is “a lover of God”. This is the same Theophilus that the book of Acts is addressed (we will study this after the conclusion of this book). The term, “excellent”, used before his name is often applied to public officials such as governors or magistrates note:

Acts 23:26 “Claudius Lysias, To the most excellent governor Felix : Greetings.”

Acts 26:25 “But he said, "I am not mad, most noble Festus , but speak the words of truth and reason.”

Apparently, Theophilus was instructed orally and this letter is designed to give him the same truth committed to writing. There is no evidence that Luke is attempting to correct anything that Theophilus had been instructed orally, but only give a lasting account that can be shared and kept in permanent form.

Text#2:

Luke 1:5-10 “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea , a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth . 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.”

In this second portion of this lesson, Luke is going to introduce the parents of John the Baptist and the events revolving around the promise of John's coming as the herald of the Christ; before he introduces the events of the birth of Jesus.

Herod: This particular Herod is Herod the Great. The Herod's were Idumean by birth. Since they had strong ties to the Roman government and had proselytized into the Jewish faith (by force, having been conquered by John Hyrcanus – approx. 134-104 B.C.), they were appointed by Rome in a variety of titles over certain Jewish affairs. Herod the Great was the grandson of Herod the Antipater. Herod the Great was approximately 25 when he became governor of Galilee and after gaining additional Roman favor, over time he was appointed king of the Jews in approximately 40 B.C. (the same Herod that slaughtered the children at the birth of Jesus).

Zacharias: Zacharias is the father of John the Baptist. Every descendant of Aaron was a priest. After the priesthood was established by God through Aaron, after a period of time they became so numerous that it was necessary to divide them into courses (this was done by king David). This allowed for all to participate in a regularly scheduled role for service (see: I Chronicles 24 ). Zacharias was of the division of Abijah, which is recorded as the eighth order of the divisions of the priests ( I Chronicles 24:10 ).

Luke records that Zacharias is married to Elizabeth, who is also a descendant of Aaron. Both Zacharias and Elizabeth are said to be righteous before God (righteousness – that which is right before God). This indicates that in all the ordinances and commandments of the Old Law, they practiced them all. It does not indicate that they were sinless; only that they were living in such a way as to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law to the best of their ability and were motivated by their faith in God.

Additionally, in both cases they were advanced in years and Elizabeth was barren, so as yet, they had no children. If you haven't noticed yet, this is strikingly similar to the situation with Abraham and Sarah ( Genesis 18:1-15 ).

The remainder of this portion of the opening text is the reason we find Zacharias at the temple. His course came on duty once in every 24 weeks. One of the greatest honors that could fall on an ordinary priest was that of burning incense. The incense was offered before the morning sacrifice on the altar which stood before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The rising incense symbolized the prayers of the people rising up from the court to God.

Text #3:

Luke 1:11-20 “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." 18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." 19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."

An Angel: It is here inside the temple that an angle of the Lord appeared to Zacharias by the altar of incense (the altar of incense was made of cedar and overlaid with gold – I Kings 6:20 ; I Chronicles 28:18 – one cubit in length and breadth, and two cubits high; a cubit being about 18 inches). We will learn in verse 19 , that this angle is Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God.

As is common in the scriptures, Zacharias' reaction to this appearance was that of fear. However, as one of the roles of angels is to be ministering servants ( Hebrews 1:14 ), the angel comforted him by announcing a blessing from God.

The Birth of John: In the announced birth of John, Zacharias was to be comforted in many ways. First , his and his wife's prayers were to be answered concerning a child. Second , many would also rejoice in his birth (this is explained in verse 17 , as he would be the herald of the Messiah). Third , the child would live as an example in speech and life before the children of Israel . Fourth , and probably most important, his message would be repentance to the children of Israel , that he may turn them back to God ( Vs. 16 ).

Zacharias' disbelief: Just as it was for Sarah, when she overheard the angels of the Lord tell Abraham that God would give him a son through Sarah and she laughed to herself ( Genesis 18:12 ), Zacharias did not consider that all things are possible for God ( Genesis 18:14 ). He could only see that both he and Elizabeth were past child bearing years. However, God would not reject Zacharias for his question, but He would punish him for his disbelief ( Vs.20 ).

Text #4:

Luke 1:21-25 “And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. 23 And so it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."

Outside of the temple the people waited in prayer for his emergence so that they could be dismissed. The amount of time that he was in the temple (obviously longer than normal), his inability to speak when he emerged, and the obvious distress in his countenance displayed to them that something out of the ordinary had transpired within the temple. He attempted to communicate to them with his hands but remained speechless. There is not any indication of the length of his punishment by God, only that he remained for the full length of his orders service ( Vs.23 ).

In verse 39 , we see that Zacharias had a house somewhere in the hill country of Judah . It is not stated why Elizabeth withdrew herself for five months, other than what is stated in verse 25 .

So, in our first look into the text of Luke's Gospel, we have the account of the announcement of the coming of John the Baptist to his parents. One of the most important verses of this text, states that John would come “in the spirit and power of Elijah” ( Vs.17 ).

Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I send My messenger , And he will prepare the way before Me . And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the Lord of hosts.”

Malachi 4:5-6 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord . 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

These are the two prophesies concerning John the Baptist that were made to the prophet Malachi. John was to go before the children of Israel in the same way as Elijah (spirit and power). Not only would he go out before Israel in the likeness of Elijah (clothing and appearance), but in preaching repentance. It was in this way that he was like Elijah. Even the Lord would draw on this in His teaching, note:

Matthew 11:14 “And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.”

Matthew 17:10-13 “And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 11 Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.”

These signs concerning John were vital in establishing the coming of the Messiah. The Children of Israel waited according to the promise of the herald of the Christ. John was that herald ! Just as you and I drive down a freeway looking for a specific exit, we watch for the signs that tell us that our exit is approaching. This was the role of John, to make way for the coming of the Christ and His kingdom. Thus it was necessary to establish his coming before establishing the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Next: “ The Announcement to Mary ”