‘Tis the {Due} Season – Part 3

Expectation and Offense

• ⁵ 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. Luke‬ ‭1:5-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
  • Just because things took longer than you thought doesn’t mean it’s your fault.
  • Righteous = right standing
  • Blameless = whole, all in
  • Time tries trust.
    • Knowledge puts a person in proper position to receive, but as time goes on, people tend to DISREGARD the WORD when the time carries more weight than God’s promise.
• 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. ¹¹ 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.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:7-17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
  • Gabriel says that John will fulfill the prophecy of Malachi.
• ¹ “For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. ² But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. ³ You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” Says the Lord of hosts. ⁴ “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. ⁵ 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.” Malachi‬ ‭4:1-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
  • Context:
    • Malachi was the last prophet before the inter-testamental period. The Jews read this and see a conquering king.
    • They had been waiting; they had done their part.  But they missed that there was higher purpose in the pause between the Old and New Testaments.
      • They were perplexed by purpose.
      • It didn’t look the way they thought it would; it didn’t look the way they thought it should.
    • Here are some things they missed that caused them to be offended by their expectation:
      • First, from verse 4, we consider the backward look to God’s revealed Word.
      • Second, from verse 5, we consider the forward look to God’s final victory and the Elijah who prepares the way. (God is MERCIFUL and wants to be merciful to all. He gives many, many warnings and opportunities to repent.)
      • Third, from verse 6, we consider the effect of God’s Word on the relationships between fathers and children. (The effects of His mercy…His aim is to spare people by CHANGING THEIR HEARTS! )
  • What does it mean for a parent to turn their heart toward their child? The opposite is to have the heart turned away. Three examples:
    • Distance: giving all your attention to other things (even important things)
    • Distain: a tone of disapproval (You don’t feel what they feel, you don’t understand them, and you disapprove.)
    • Disappointment: you are forgotten by them, they have let you down in the way they live, or they have taken you for granted and never said thanks for all you did.
  • What about the other way around? What about children with hearts that need to be turned toward their fathers and mothers? What kinds of hearts would this apply to today?
    • Respect-less
    • Rebellious
    • Resentful
• The point is that, in all of these situations, we typically expect God  to come through FOR US and FIX THEM.  And we get offended when it doesn’t happen that way.
  • They believed that Messiah was going to come through for them and conquer their oppressors! But He actually came to change their hearts and save them.

John’s Witness

• ⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. ⁸ He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. ⁹ That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. ‭‭John‬ ‭1:6-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
  • John knew his purpose. He was convinced of his destiny and he knew the word:
    • ¹⁹ Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²² Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” ²³ He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” ²⁴ Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. ²⁵ And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. ²⁷ It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” ²⁸ These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. ‭‭John‬ ‭1:19-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
      • God had been faithful to John and had fulfilled promises to John.
    • ²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ³¹ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” ³² And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. ³³ I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”  John‬ ‭1:29-34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
  • But even John was offended by expectation… God didn’t do things the way he expected…
    • ¹ Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. ² And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples ³ and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” ⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ⁵ The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Matthew‬ ‭11:1-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
      • Sun of righteousness with healing in His wings (see Malachi). This is personal to John.
      • “Offended” definition: literally to trip, to stumble
  • ¹³ And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. ¹⁶ These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; ¹⁷ and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. ¹⁸ Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” Mark‬ ‭4:13-20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
    • Stumble = offended
    • There is a sowing season, a growing season, and then a harvest. Most of what happens before you can see something is under the surface; but even when it sprouts, there is a season of growing before the harvest.
      • You need the season of growing before the harvest so that you don’t get offended and lose the word.
    • ‭‭²⁴ Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. Mark 4:24 NKJV (A seed reproduces more.)
    • ⁹ And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
    • ‭‭¹² that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NKJV‬
• Everything in life demands a response. How you respond determines the outcome.