Sacred Duty, Sovereign Design - Nov. 19th, 2023
CJ Walker
Luke: Living in Light of Promise • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:20:51
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· 5 viewsPastor Walker encourages Christians to serve God faithfully, being patient for Him to work in their lives.
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Informal Elements / Rhetorical Data
Initiation:
Responding to God's Call in Unlikely Places
Responding to God's Call in Unlikely Places
Life Material:
George Müller's Humble Beginnings:
George Müller's Humble Beginnings:
From rebellious youth to Christian evangelist
MÜLLER, George (1805–1898), philanthropist, pastor and preacher, is famed for the orphanages he established in Bristol, England, which he maintained without any direct appeal for funds. Müller’s example of ‘living by faith’ proved inspirational for many other evangelical causes.
Müller was born in Kroppenstaedt, Prussia, on 27 September 1805. His father intended that Müller should become a clergyman, primarily to ensure that his son secured a comfortable living. Müller entered Halle University in 1825, so becoming entitled to preach in the Lutheran Church, notwithstanding the fact that his spasmodic attempts to reform himself had effected little change in the dissolute behaviour that had characterized his youth. A permanent transformation in Müller’s lifestyle followed his conversion at a private prayer meeting in Halle late in 1825. Although deciding almost immediately that he should be a missionary, he completed his study but ceased to accept financial support from his father, who was infuriated by his plans. This experience of living without organized financial support was Müller’s first. In February 1829 he left Berlin for London to train with the London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews, having with difficulty secured exemption for Prussian military service on health grounds through the intervention of sympathetic army officers.
Once in England, tension developed between Müller’s desire to be free to preach the gospel as he felt led and the organizational requirements of the missionary society. His views were being influenced by those later recognized as founders of the Brethren movement, most significantly Anthony Norris Groves, a dentist who decided to sell his considerable possessions, abandon any links with a missionary society and go into the mission field simply trusting the Lord to meet his needs. Müller’s missionary society was not amenable to his request that he be allowed a freer hand as to where and to whom he preached, and his connection with the society ended in early 1830. Within months, however, Müller had accepted an invitation to become minister of Ebenezer Chapel in Teignmouth, Devon.
By this time Müller was confident that God would provide for his material needs whether or not he was in receipt of a salary. In October 1830 he married Mary Groves, the sister of A. N. Groves, and shortly after their marriage they decided to ‘live by faith’. Müller no longer accepted his salary on the basis that it was made up of pew rents which were socially discriminatory, that it might include monies that had not been given freely, and that being paid by the congregation might influence his teaching (he was shifting doctrinally at that time from infant to believer’s baptism). Müller was also emulating other trends currently emerging within the embryonic Brethren group in Dublin. At Ebenezer Chapel he inaugurated a weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper, as well as open meetings that provided opportunity for lay members to offer exhortation or teaching, in recognition of the priesthood of all believers.
In May 1832 Müller accepted a call to be co-minister with Henry Craik of Gideon Chapel in Bristol, and within weeks a second congregation had begun meeting in the empty Bethesda Chapel in the heart of the city. Craik, like his friend Müller, had been powerfully influenced by Groves’ attitude to possessions, and both Craik and Müller ‘lived by faith’ from the outset of their joint work. They were initially supported by way of voluntary donations placed in a box with their names above it at the back of the church, but even this arrangement was dropped in 1842 as they felt it could give the impression that they were the only ‘ministers’. Thereafter, any gifts had to be brought to their homes or conveyed in some other way.
Müller’s epithet, the ‘Father of Orphans’, grew out of his plan, formulated in 1835, to open an orphanage in Bristol. The institution was founded before the publication of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist in 1837, which drew public attention to the plight of orphans, and at a time when private orphanages were still rare and regarded as somewhat revolutionary experiments. No more than a dozen had so far been founded in England, and all of these were in London or the Home Counties. While a student at Halle, Müller had lodged briefly in an orphan house built by the German Pietist, Auguste Franke, but his desire ‘to do something … for the supply of the temporal wants of poor children’ was matched by a perceived spiritual imperative. In his mind, the culture of the age was coloured by the scepticism of rational thought and scientific enquiry, which seemed to undermine the validity of orthodox Christianity’s supernatural claims and led to a decline in popular belief. Müller’s aim in founding an orphanage was to strengthen the faith of believers through ‘a visible proof’ that God was still the same as in the past. Providing for the care of orphans through organized philanthropic activity would not meet this purpose. Only miraculous provision in direct response to prayer would arouse confidence in a living and personal God. From 1836 the orphanage work expanded steadily until by 1870 five purpose-built orphanage buildings had been opened on Ashley Down, Bristol, housing 2,000 orphans. Notwithstanding periods of severe personal hardship for Müller, the entire work was undertaken without a commitment to finance it from any source, individual or corporate, and without ever soliciting funds or stating its needs. In 1865 Müller was visited by James Hudson Taylor, an ardent admirer of Müller’s principles, whose China Inland Mission (later Overseas Missionary Fellowship) would be run on similar ‘faith’ lines.
In addition to the orphanages, Müller had founded in 1834 ‘The Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad’ to stimulate scriptural teaching in Sunday schools and other educational establishments and to distribute Bibles and support missionary work. Between 1875 and 1892 Müller himself undertook a series of extensive preaching tours within the British Isles and in Europe, North America, India, Australia and New Zealand. He remained active in Bristol until his death at home on 10 March 1898 in his ninety-third year.
Müller became a revered figure within the Brethren movement, which grew dramatically from the mid-nineteenth century. Bethesda Chapel, Bristol, was at the epicentre of the schism which divided the young movement in 1848. Müller and Craik were reluctant to allow their church to be drawn into the controversy which had arisen in the Brethren congregation at Plymouth between B. J. Newton and J. N. Darby, both learned and strong-minded leaders of the movement. This hesitation was interpreted by Darby (possibly the most influential Brethren figure at the time), who was of an impulsive nature, as tantamount to endorsing certain purportedly heretical doctrine, prompting him to declare excommunicated any Brethren congregations which refused to sever links with Bethesda Chapel. Darby’s actions were highly provocative, and when he made a personal move to reopen the matter the following year Müller did not warm to his approach. The division of Brethren into so-called ‘open’ and ‘exclusive’ streams was sealed.
It is, however, primarily on account of his notable ministry among orphans that Müller is renowned. Although he was not the first to adopt the principle of ‘living by faith’ in modern times, the practical quality of his faith has frequently been commended as a model for Christian life and service.
[R. N. Shuff, “Müller, George,” ed. Timothy Larsen et al., Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 456–458.]
An unexpected journey to orphan care
George Müller’s Secret: Death to Self
Themes: Commitment; Discipleship
Hard-pressed on one occasion to tell his secret, George Müller said: “There was a day when I died; utterly died,” and, as he spoke, he bent lower until he almost touched the floor. Continuing, he added: “Died to George Müller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends and, since then, I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.”
[SOURCE: W. E. Sangster, The Pure in Heart (Epworth, 1954), 141. John Stott, The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott, ed. Mark Meynell (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).]
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
George Muller
If we could look behind the unexpected events in our lives, we would be amazed to see God wonderfully providing for our needs. The insignificant turns in the road, the seemingly unimportant events, the often unexplained happenings—all are part of God’s loving care.
His gracious providence is also evident in the tangible provisions of life. In Bristol, England, George Muller operated an orphanage for two thousand children. One evening he became aware that there would be no breakfast for them the next morning. Muller called his workers together and explained the situation. Two or three prayed. “Now that is sufficient,” he said. “Let us rise and praise God for prayer answered!”
The next morning they could not push open the great front door. So they went out the back door and around the building to see what was keeping it shut. Stacked up against the front door were boxes filled with food. One of the workers later remarked, “We know Who sent the baskets, but we do not know who brought them!”
[Our Daily Bread, November 30, 1993; Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002).]
Zacharias - A Steadfast Servant:
Zacharias - A Steadfast Servant:
Dutiful priest chosen for a sacred task
From routine service to a history-changing role
Question for Reflection:
How do we discern God's calling amidst life's ordinariness?
Are we prepared for God to use us in ways we never imagined?
Connection to Listeners:
Müller exemplified God’s ability to use ordinary lives for extraordinary purposes.
Like Zacharias, we may find our greatest calling in places we least expect.
Encourage Attentiveness:
Be open to God's leading, even when it disrupts your plans.
Seek to recognize the divine appointments set before you in everyday life.
Robert Chapman of Barnstaple, a great friend of the late George Muller of Bristol, was once asked, “Would you not advise young Christians to do something for the Lord?” “No,” was the reply, “I should advise them to do everything for the Lord.”
[Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 73.]
“Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.” ~ George Müller
[Craig Brian Larson and Brian Lowery, 1001 Quotations That Connect: Timeless Wisdom for Preaching, Teaching, and Writing (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2009), 27.]
Transition to Next Movement:
Consider this: answering God’s call, brings God’s empowerment, and will change your life.
Responding to this call can change not only your life, but many other lives as well, as it did with Müller.
Tentative Resolution:
Recognize that divine calls often come with challenges but also with the promise of God’s provision.
Like Müller, our faithfulness in small things can prepare us for greater works in God’s kingdom.
Great Events from Small Beginnings:
Great Events from Small Beginnings:
3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory?
And how do ye see it now?
Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord;
And be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest;
And be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work:
For I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts:
5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt,
So my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
6 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while,
And I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come:
And I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.
8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.
9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts:
And in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Small Beginnings
Proofreading W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words gave F. F. Bruce a profound appreciation of the New Testament text. This single encounter motivated him to a deeper study into the origins of the New Testament, a field in which he became a scholar nonpareil. As an atheist, studying under an atheist, C. S. Lewis bought and read George MacDonald’s book Phantastes. He hadn’t the slightest notion at the time that this single reading would begin his conversion to Christ.
In 1918, Cameron Townsend sold Spanish Bibles in Guatemala. One man, who did not read Spanish, asked him, “If your God is so great, why can’t he speak my language?” From that single question evolved the Wycliffe Bible Translators, a mission organization that to this day continues Townsend’s work of translating the Bible into every language possible.
While living in immorality, drunkenness, and deception, George Müller and a friend attended an evening service in a layman’s home. The group sang, prayed, and read Scripture and a sermon. Insignificant as all this was, it marked the beginning of Müller’s new life in Christ and of his orphanage work in Bristol, England to thousands of homeless children.
We should never underestimate small beginnings—we never know when they will grow large. Jesus was born in a stable, unheralded and unrecognized. The morning after, life resumed in Bethlehem as if nothing different had happened. And only one thing had: a baby had been born and in the least auspicious place. But oh the beginning-without-end that occurred in that single birth!
[Virgil Hurley, Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations, electronic ed. (Dallas: Word Publishers, 2000), 13–14.]
Life Material:
Ann of Ava: Trailblazer of Faith and Service
Ann of Ava: Trailblazer of Faith and Service
Judson, Ann Hazeltine (1789–1826). American pioneer missionary in Myanmar. Judson was truly a lady of firsts: the first American woman missionary, the first missionary wife who felt her own call to missions, the first woman missionary who wrote on missionary life and the conditions of mission work (and who became the leading female missionary author of the early nineteenth century), the first missionary woman who addressed the specific concerns of women, and the first wife of Adoniram Judson.
The Judsons sailed to India thirteen days after their marriage in 1812, and eventually established mission work in Burma. Ann learned the language quickly and began a women’s Sunday class to study the Scriptures that her husband was translating. The difficult living conditions contributed to constant illness, and she was forced to leave Burma on several occasions for medical reasons. Her first child, a son, died at seven months of age. Her courage was sorely tested when war broke out between England and Burma, and Adoniram was imprisoned. Pregnant and alone, she got food and clothing through to him and kept him alive. When Adoniram was sent on a death march, Ann followed, carrying her newborn, and eventually became so ill that guards allowed Adoniram to care for her and the baby. The British liberated the Judsons in 1826, but both Ann and the baby girl died soon afterwards.
JUDITH LINGENFELTER
[Bibliography. B. Miller, Ann Judson: Heroine of Burma; H. M. W. Morrow, Splendor of God. A. Scott Moreau, Harold Netland, and Charles van Engen, Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria, UK: Baker Books; A. Scott Moreau, 2000), 529.]
After thirteen years of residence in Burma, Mr. and Mrs. Judson found themselves as homeless on their return to Rangoon in 1826 as upon that July day when they first landed in the forbidding country. The mission house had survived the ravage of war, but the mission itself had broken ranks and dispersed. The missionaries had narrowly escaped death and had fled to Calcutta to wait for the close of the war. The Burmese Christians, eighteen in number, had scattered in alarm, though none but two had failed in loyalty to the holy faith they professed. Four of them hastened to Rangoon to welcome the Judsons, whose fate had been so long a sealed mystery to the world outside of Ava. In the loyalty of a common devotion to Christ they promised to follow the American teachers whithersoever they should go to build anew the shattered mission of Burma.
When Mr. and Mrs. Judson journeyed down the river from Ava to Rangoon they carried with them a trophy of priceless value. It was a little hard roll of paper which had been rescued, seemingly by miracle, from the death prison. To preserve the cherished possession from destruction, Mrs. Judson had artfully concealed it within the old pillow used by her husband in prison. On that evil day when he was robbed of clothes and belongings and marched away to Aungbinle, a jailer seized the pillow, untied its covering, and flung away in contempt the meaningless roll he found inside. Some hours afterwards the faithful Moung Ing discovered the cotton-covered package and, prizing it as the only relic of the vanished prisoners, took it home and secreted it. Many months later the hidden treasure was brought to light, and inside the tattered covering was found the unfinished manuscript of the Burmese Bible, upon which Mr. Judson had spent ten years of arduous labor. Surely it was God’s hand that had saved those precious pages from destruction.
Eight years later the entire Bible was translated into Burmese.
“It has been said that Mr. Judson’s Bible is to the Burmese people what Luther’s is to the Germans, and the King James version to English-speaking races.”
To the varied adventures of his missionary career, even in large measure to the tragic events at Ava, Mr. Judson owed his unique opportunity for mastering the intricacies of Burmese speech.
“Ann and Adoniram Judson had been the pioneers of a new civilization in the heathen land of Burma, but, like most pioneers, the consummation of their labor was left for future generations to achieve and enjoy.”
As they walked through the squalid streets of Rangoon in March, 1826, the veil was not lifted from the future years to disclose the transformed structure which other workmen would build upon their foundations. Since they were the first American teachers to arrive in Burma, they could scarcely discern, out of their small beginnings of Christian education, the great institution, known as Rangoon Baptist College, which some day would stand upon a broad, paved street in the midst of the city, summoning to its classrooms more than one thousand students from all parts of the empire. With only the simple hand press brought from Serampore to issue their modest publications, how could they foresee the well-equipped printing establishment, known as the American Baptist Mission Press, which in the coming years would stand upon a thriving business street, employing two hundred men and women to print Bibles, school-books, and other literature in the dialects of the principal tribes of Burma? When their little church could muster but three native members out of the desolation of war, how could such a diminutive band foreshadow the one hundred and fifty-eight organized churches with a membership of nearly ten thousand, which in the twentieth century can be found within the boundaries of Rangoon?
These beautiful realities of the future to be achieved not only in Rangoon but in the chief cities and towns of Burma, were withheld from the eager gaze of the first missionaries. Their task was to “walk by faith, not by sight,” and “blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.”
[Source, Ann of Ava, Baptist Books]
Luke 1:8-9
Luke 1:8-9
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Luke 1:8-9 Expositional Notes:
Verse 8 Context: The setting is the temple in Jerusalem where Zacharias, a member of the priestly division of Abijah, is carrying out his service before God. The narrative situates Zacharias within the larger priestly system established since the time of Aaron, as detailed in 1 Chronicles 24.
10 The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,
His service is part of a scheduled rotation—a system ensuring that all priestly families had the opportunity to serve in the temple.
Divine Service: The phrase "executed the priest’s office before God" underscores the sacredness of the task. Serving in the temple was considered a direct service to God, not just a religious routine. Zacharias’s actions were not just ceremonial; they were acts of worship and intercession on behalf of the people of Israel.
Verse 9 Custom: The "custom of the priest’s office" refers to the established practices and rituals that were to be followed. These were based on divine instructions given through the Law of Moses and involved various offerings and services, including the burning of incense.
Here are several specific customs and rituals involved:
Burning of Incense: The priests were to burn incense on a golden altar in front of the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Exodus 30:7-8). This was a symbol of the prayers of the people ascending to God.
7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.
Tending the Lampstand: The priests were responsible for keeping the lampstand (menorah) in the sanctuary burning continuously with pure olive oil, symbolizing the light of God’s presence among His people (Exodus 27:20-21).
20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. 21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
Bread of the Presence: They were to place freshly baked bread on the table of the Bread of the Presence every Sabbath as a perpetual covenant (Leviticus 24:5-9).
5 And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. 6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. 7 And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord. 8 Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. 9 And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual statute.
Sacrifices and Offerings: Priests conducted various sacrifices, including burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings, as detailed in Leviticus 1-7. Each type of offering had a specific significance and procedure.
Ritual Purity: The priests had to maintain ritual purity to serve in the temple. This involved specific cleansing and atonement rituals for themselves and the sacred objects in the temple (Leviticus 16).
Blessing the People: The priests were given a specific blessing to pronounce over the people, as a means of invoking God’s favor and peace upon them (Numbers 6:22-27).
22 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
Celebration of Feasts: The priests played a central role in the observance of Israel’s religious feasts, like Passover, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Tabernacles, and others, ensuring the correct offering and rituals were performed (Leviticus 23).
Judicial Functions: They also had judicial roles, especially in cases that involved discerning ceremonial cleanliness, suspected adultery (the Sotah ritual), or accidental murder (Num 5:11-31, Deut 17:8-13).
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man’s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner; And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord: And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water: And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse: And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse: But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband: Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water: And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter. Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the offering before the Lord, and offer it upon the altar: And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water. And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled; Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.
8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose; 9 And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment: 10 And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee: 11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. 12 And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
Teaching the Law: Priests were responsible for teaching the Law of God to the people (Leviticus 10:11, Deuteronomy 33:10).
11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
10 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments,
And Israel thy law:
They shall put incense before thee,
And whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
Intercession: Beyond the physical duties, priests were intercessors between God and the people of Israel (Deuteronomy 10:8).
8 At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.
Lot Casting: Casting lots was a common practice in Ancient Israel to make decisions, rooted in the belief that God would direct the outcome (Proverbs 16:33).
33 The lot is cast into the lap;
But the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.
The lot determined which priest would enter the Holy Place to burn incense on the golden altar. This was a highly honored task, as the incense symbolized the prayers of the people ascending to God.
Incense Significance: The burning of incense occurred twice daily: morning and evening. It was a time of solemn prayer for the entire community, and the one who was chosen to do this acted as an intermediary between God and the people. The burning of incense was part of the tamid, the continual burnt offering, which was central to the temple service.
Personal Implication: For Zacharias, being chosen for this service would have been a high point in his priestly career, likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity given the number of priests available. This moment elevates his role from the routine to the remarkable, setting the stage for the angelic encounter that follows.
To consider a reasonable and maximum estimate of the number of priests and the probability of being selected to burn incense, we should account for historical records and the fact that the number of priests could vary widely.
Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, indicates that there were a great number of priests during this period, so it is plausible to suggest there could have been several hundred or even more than a thousand priests in each division.
If we take a more expansive estimate, considering that each of the 24 divisions could contain, for example, 500 to 1000 priests, the total number of priests could potentially range from 12,000 to 24,000. The service in the temple continued throughout the year, and given that each division served for one week twice a year, a priest would have at most a couple of chances per year to be selected for any particular duty.
Assuming a priest serves for 30 years, and the chance to burn incense might come once during each of the division's service weeks, the odds of being chosen even once in a lifetime could be very slim — perhaps once in several hundred chances, or maybe even close to one in a thousand, depending on the precise numbers and the length of service of each priest.
This makes the event of Zacharias being chosen to burn incense even more remarkable, highlighting it as a moment of divine providence in the narrative. It is a detail that would not be lost on the original readers, who would understand the great honor and the low probability of such an event occurring, emphasizing the special nature of this occasion in the unfolding story of the birth of John the Baptist.
Tentative Resolution (T.R.):
In the echoes of Ann Judson's footsteps, we find a reflection of our own journey. Like her, we may not see the full impact of our trials and services in the moment, but each step taken in faith is a thread in a grander tapestry. As Ann persevered through her trials to support her husband and mission, we too are called to steadfastness, trusting that our labors in the Lord are not in vain.
Transitional Sentence (T.S.):
As we turn the page from Ann's story of quiet heroism to the daily faithfulness of Zacharias in the temple, let us consider how our own seemingly small acts of service are part of a divine design, shaping the eternal story that God Himself is authoring.
Steadfast Faith, One Step at a Time:
Steadfast Faith, One Step at a Time:
Life Material:
Mary Slessor's Radical Shift:
Mary Slessor's Radical Shift:
From mill worker to missionary in Nigeria
Challenging societal norms and spreading the Gospel
Slessor, Mary (Mitchell) (1848–1915). Scottish missionary to Nigeria. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and raised in a one-room home in Dundee, she received only basic education and worked in a textile mill. Converted in her teens, she sought to reach the city’s deprived youth. Her interest in . . . outreach in Calabar led her there after brief training in 1876, at a time when the region was a slave-trade center uncontrolled by any colonial power. Initially at the coast, she learned languages, customs, and religions, and how to cope without Western “necessities.” After twelve years she went to join the Efiks, and in due course became an accepted insider among them. With her chief aim to win Africans for Christ she combined a deep concern for their moral and social welfare. She stoutly opposed slavery, witchcraft, trial by ordeal, human sacrifice, and twin-killing (rarely had she fewer than a dozen babies in her huts). The fifty churches and schools she set up were run by local Christians. When British rule extended over the territory she was made the first woman magistrate in the empire (in 1892). She encouraged commerce between the coast and inland areas, and in 1895 helped found the Hope Waddell Institute, which trained Africans in trades and medical work. From 1903 she worked at Itu among the Ibo people. Hailed affectionately as “the White Queen,” she was a pioneer to the end, believing that “Every day’s duties were done as every day brought them, but the rest was left with God.”
J. D. DOUGLAS
[Bibliography. J. Buchan, The Expendable Mary Slessor; C. Christian and G. Plummer, God and One Redhead: Mary Slessor of Calabar; W. P. Livingstone, Mary Slessor of Calabar: Pioneer Missionary. A. Scott Moreau, Harold Netland, and Charles van Engen, Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria, UK: Baker Books; A. Scott Moreau, 2000), 881.]
Dr. John Perkins - Advocate for Justice and Community Development
Dr. John Perkins - Advocate for Justice and Community Development
PERKINS, John (1930–), community organizer and racial peacemaker, was born in a sharecropper’s shack in New Hebron, Mississippi. His father had abandoned the family, and his mother died shortly after the birth of John, her youngest child. The baby was taken in and raised by his grandmother, aunts and uncles. After his oldest brother, Clyde, was shot and killed in a racial incident, the elder relatives sent seventeen-year-old John to California to save him from a similar fate in a rigidly white supremacist Mississippi.
From the 1920s to the 1970s the spread of mechanized agriculture and the desire for opportunity in the less racially discriminatory cities of the North and West caused the Great Migration of African Americans out of the South. A part of that mass movement, young John Perkins enjoyed upward mobility in the Los Angeles area as shop steward in a newly unionizing steel foundry. He was drafted into the army, sent to Okinawa, and discharged in 1951. Shortly thereafter he married Vera Mae Buckley. Living near Pasadena, and enjoying further upward mobility working in an expanding supermarket chain, he experienced conversion in 1957 after accompanying his six-year-old son Spencer to Sunday school.
Plunging into intensive Bible study with a Presbyterian missionary from Child Evangelism Fellowship, Perkins found that he too was attracted to missionary work. While subsequently evangelizing at a mountain institution for youth offenders, he was struck by the fact that many of the young men were black southerners like himself. Tracing the origins of the problems that had landed them in detention camp to the Jim Crow South, Perkins decided to move his expanding family back to the poverty and oppression of Mississippi, where he began work as an evangelist in 1960. He had been discipled by a white minister, and many of the early contacts he had developed were with white evangelical churches. It was they who supported him in his mission to African Americans in the Deep South.
While living among the impoverished people of the black section of Mendenhall, a county town in south central Mississippi, Perkins began to develop a distinctive style of mission that he called ‘holistic’. He believed that the whole of the downtrodden life that blacks experienced in the South produced an ignorance and lack of self-confidence, coupled with a destructive anger and despair, that they carried with them as they migrated. Hence he directed his missionary work not merely to inner spiritual needs but to outer material ones as well. It was common for rural black preachers in the region to itinerate among a number of churches and not to reside in any of the communities in which those churches were situated. Perkins, however, moved into the community where he was ministering. Immediately their wants became his, and he found himself ministering to people according to their ‘felt need’. In this respect his work resembles that of the social settlement house movement and that of the Catholic Worker, of which the Hospitality Houses minister to the urban poor.
In his pioneering work in Mendenhall Perkins addressed a range of needs: youth development and schooling and adult education, nutrition and health care, housing and employment. In looking for means of developing the community, he utilized whatever would do the job. He made use of federal programmes for housing, nutrition and health care. For his own support, for building work and expanding projects, he raised money from the white evangelicals in California who had initially supported him, and they led him to others, in whose churches and colleges he spoke around the country. During the 1960s, the years of the Civil Rights movement, Perkins educated conservative white evangelicals as to the worthiness and importance of the African American cause.
But Perkins did not want black communities to remain dependent on outside largesse. His ultimate goal was a healthy, self-supporting Christian community. It was to this end that he became involved in a cooperative movement, of which the principal regional organizer was a black Louisiana Catholic priest, A. J. McKnight. The two men procured Ford Foundation grants and created the Southern Cooperative Development Fund, which was for a time the largest black owned bank in the South. They were able to fund cooperatives in agriculture, housing and retailing that brought economic development, employment and ownership to Mendenhall and other poor rural areas.
In planting a church that became the hub of a number of closely related projects, Perkins set up a model of holistic faith-based development that he and others then introduced to other communities. African Americans developing their community in Mendenhall began to assert themselves in the broader context of town life. Under Perkins’ leadership they became part of the Civil Rights movement, which was reaching its peak by the mid-1960s. They boycotted white-owned shops that refused blacks employment and issued demands for extension of city services to the black community. Perkins was challenging the whole structure of white domination, and he was ultimately successful. But like many other black leaders he paid a heavy price. He was ambushed by police following one of the Civil Rights marches, taken to a jail in another county, and beaten almost to death.
During his recovery, which took over a year, Perkins relinquished the Mendenhall projects to younger disciples, moved to Jackson, the state capital, and began a second set of projects much like those in Mendenhall, but adapted to Jackson’s felt needs. At this time, as a result of his confrontation with white hatred, he began to redirect his work towards the goal of racial reconciliation. He brought in many white volunteers to work on housing renovation and in other projects, and he began to employ whites on his staff. Eventually this policy caused inter-racial friction due to the recurrence within the projects of culturally ingrained patterns of white domination. Perkins’ eldest son, Spencer, led a movement in the 1980s and 1990s designed to overcome these old patterns and promote racial reconciliation.
The Jackson projects became the model for the teaching and spreading of ‘Christian community development’ throughout the country and abroad. Perkins’ concept comprises what he calls ‘the three R’s’: relocate to the community of need; reconcile across all lines of division; redistribute resources from affluent, educated and skilled people who move into the community to the indigenous people.
In 1982 Perkins relinquished the Jackson projects to another group of disciples and moved to an inner city neighbourhood in Pasadena, California, where he began the development process again. Vera Mae Perkins was instrumental in the Child Evangelism Good News Clubs, consisting of home-based spiritual and moral formation for the young, which formed the foundation of the other projects. In Pasadena the Good News Club became the seed of an elaborate after-school youth development programme now run jointly by the Perkins’ third son Derek and Rudy Carrasco. The northwest Pasadena neighbourhood has also become the home of a college preparatory school, of which the principal is Karyn Perkins, Derek’s wife.
In 1983 in Pasadena, Perkins and a number of associates from projects around the country established the John M. Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation and Development to support an expanding series of community development projects. In 1989 the foundation created the Christian Community Development Association, a confederation of what is now over five hundred faith-based community development organizations in locations throughout the United States and in other countries, including Haiti. Most of these organizations utilize the concepts first developed by John Perkins in Mendenhall.
[Bibliography: S. E. Berk, A Time to Heal: John Perkins, Community Development and Racial Reconciliation (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1997); J. M. Perkins, Let Justice Roll Down (Venture: Regal Press, 1976); J. M. Perkins, Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community Development (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993). S. E. BERK. S. E. Berk, “Perkins, John,” ed. Timothy Larsen et al., Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 517–519.]
Luke 1:10
Luke 1:10
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
Verse 10 Context: While Zacharias is inside the Holy Place performing the sacred act of burning incense, the verse shifts the scene to the outside, focusing on the multitude of people gathered.
Prayerful Assembly: The “whole multitude of the people” refers to the Jewish worshippers who were outside in the temple courts. According to Jewish custom, this was the hour of prayer, and the people would be praying outside while the incense offering was being made inside.
Incense and Intercession: The burning of incense by the priest inside the Temple was a ritual that symbolized the prayers of the people ascending to God. The people’s prayers outside coincided with the priestly act inside, indicating a community in worship and collective seeking of God’s presence and favor.
Timing and Significance: The specific mention of “the time of incense” points to a designated time of day for this act, which was part of the daily morning and evening services. The incense offering was not only a time of individual prayer but also one of national intercession for Israel.
The incense offering mentioned in Luke 1:10 would most likely have occurred during one of the two daily times of prayer in the Jewish Temple, which were associated with the morning and evening sacrifices. According to Jewish tradition, these times were:
The Morning Offering (Shacharit): This service took place at the third hour of the day, which, according to Jewish timekeeping, is approximately 9 a.m. This was after the morning sacrifice, which was the first lamb of the daily tamid offerings.
The Evening Offering (Mincha): The second time of prayer coincided with the evening sacrifice, around the ninth hour, which is approximately 3 p.m. This was when the second lamb of the tamid offerings was sacrificed.
Given that the term "multitude of the people" suggests a larger gathering, it could be inferred that the events of Luke 1:10 likely took place during the morning service, which was a common time for people to be at the Temple for prayer. However, either the morning or the evening service would be a contextually appropriate time for Zacharias's service and the people's prayer. The morning service might be more probable because it would allow for the subsequent events (the appearance of the angel and the unfolding conversation) to take place during daylight hours.
Divine Encounter Setting: The presence of the people praying at the exact time of the incense offering sets the stage for what is to follow—Zacharias’s encounter with the angel Gabriel. This detail underscores the significance of communal prayer in the unfolding of divine revelations and events.
Typological Foreshadowing: This scene of prayer and expectation among God’s people can be seen as a foreshadowing of the New Testament church’s communal prayer life, as evidenced in the early chapters of Acts where collective prayer precedes significant spiritual events.
Tentative Resolution (T.R.):
In the lives of Mary Slessor and John Perkins, we witness how steadfast faith can transform the fabric of society. They grasped the mantle of leadership, opposing injustice and uplifting communities, teaching us that our commitment can indeed move mountains and our prayers can echo through generations.
Transitional Sentence (T.S.):
Now, as we reflect on the collective prayers of the multitude outside the temple, let us consider how our own intercessions, joined with those of the faithful throughout history, rise like incense to the throne of grace, uniting us in a sacred symphony of supplication and service.
What Is Your Dream?
What Is Your Dream?
Life Material:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - “I Have a Dream”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - “I Have a Dream”
King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929–1968). Christian advocate of nonviolent social change and America’s most visible civil rights leader from 1955 until his assassination in April 1968. The son of a prominent black Baptist pastor in Atlanta, King studied at Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University, where he received the Ph.D. At Boston he pursued studies in philosophy (personalism and Hegelianism) and theology (varieties of existentialism, liberalism, and more traditional orthodoxy) that would one day contribute to his civil rights activity. In 1955, while pastor of the Drexler Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, he led a successful bus boycott that ended racial segregation in the city’s public transportation system. In 1957 he helped organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), whose leaders, like King, were mostly black Baptist pastors.
King’s personal prestige was at its height in the early to mid-1960s. His keynote sermon, “I Have a Dream,” at the great march on Washington in August 1963 was one of the most memorable such performances in American history. He also directed the well-publicized Selma to Montgomery march in the spring of 1965. The first of these events mobilized support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the second for the federal Voter Registration Act of 1965. King was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964.
Toward the end of his life King struck off on several new courses that put his influence in jeopardy. He traveled north (to Chicago in 1966, for example) to campaign for civil rights, and this cost him the support of those who saw the issue in strictly southern terms. He also criticized the Vietnam war, which earned him distrust from the administration of President Lyndon Johnson. And he was caught in an ideological crossfire caused by rioting in American cities during the mid- to late 1960s. Critics claimed that King should answer for the violence because of his forceful promotion of civil rights. Some blacks felt that King betrayed their cause by continuing to repudiate the use of violence to attain racial justice.
During the 1950s and 1960s King’s prominence gave many Americans their first glimpse of the richness of black preaching. His speeches and writings drew heavily on the vocabulary of black Christian history. Yet his thought reflected a number of influences. It drew upon an evangelical realism concerning the nature of evil and a scriptural defense of nonviolence (“love your enemies”). In classic black fashion, however, he made little distinction between spiritual and social problems involved in the civil rights struggle. Other elements also entered his thinking—the pacifism of Gandhi, the civil disobedience of Thoreau, the existentialist theology of Paul Tillich, the personalistic idealism he had studied at Boston University, and the American public faith in democratic equality. The conviction that bound these various influences together was his belief that a history of suffering made the oppressed especially capable of proclaiming and working toward the ultimate triumph of God’s righteousness.
[M. A. NOLL. See also BLACK THEOLOGY; CIVIL RIGHTS. Bibliography. C. E. Lincoln, ed., Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Profile; R. Lischer, Preacher King; J. M. Washington, Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology: Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001), 656–657.]
Sacred Duty in the Symphony of Prayer:
Sacred Duty in the Symphony of Prayer:
In the quiet sanctity of the temple, Zacharias stands before the altar, a solitary figure against the backdrop of his sacred duty. The gentle glow of the Golden Candlestick illuminates his solemn act of burning incense — an offering that symbolizes the hopes, the pleas, and the very breath of a nation waiting for deliverance. At this ordained moment, as the sweet aroma ascends, so do the prayers of the faithful outside, a symphony of silent petitions woven into the fabric of the incense smoke.
This is the crux where divine sovereignty touches the temporal, where the unseen becomes seen, and the whispers of the many find voice in the service of the one. It is a poignant reminder that in God's economy, no act of service is an island unto itself but is intrinsically linked to the greater whole of God's people.
Here, in this divinely orchestrated interplay, the narrative of redemption continues to unfurl. Zacharias, a righteous man blameless in the commandments, becomes more than a priest; he becomes a conduit for a revelation that will herald the coming of the Messiah. And the people, an embodiment of Israel's enduring faith, become more than worshippers; they become participants in the divine drama unfolding within the very walls that have heard the cries of prophets and kings.
In this hallowed act, the veil between the temporal and eternal grows thin, and the imminent arrival of grace, in the form of a child who will prepare the way, draws near. Here, at the altar of incense, Zacharias's service is not just a rite but a prelude to promise, an echo of the prayer that has been in the hearts of the people for generations: the coming of their salvation.
God’s Approval, or Man’s Applause?:
God’s Approval, or Man’s Applause?:
In the tapestry of God's unfolding plan, every thread has a purpose, every color a meaning, and every pattern a destiny. From the faithful service of Zacharias in the temple to the bold movements of courageous and faith-filled servants of God like George Müller, Ann Judson, Mary Slessor, John Perkins, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we see a common thread—each, in answering God’s call, played a pivotal role in pointing our depravity as fallen, sinful creatures, to the plan and program of God for the redemption of fallen humanity through faith in the Son of God, and the finished work of the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary, to new and eternal life beyond His empty tomb.
We stand here today, called not to merely observe their stories but to step into our own divine appointments. Just as Zacharias's routine, but divinely-orchestrated, once-in-a-life-time service to God, led to a moment of the greatest encounter in his whole life, all while the prayers of God’s people were painting the backdrop onto God's grand narrative, just as that routine, daily, service, so too our daily acts of faithfulness become the setting for God's miraculous interventions.
Will you resolve with me, to live with your spiritual eyes wide open to the wonder of God’s sovereign design, your hands gladly ready to serve in whatever His sacred duty determines for you, in the priesthood of the believer, with your heart aligned to the rhythm of His Sovereign purposes? Because, in the same way, under the Old Testament stewardship, that the incense rose off of that altar as a fragrant offering, God wants our lives, through the indwelling Holy Spirit bringing us His saints into symphony, to be a living sacrifice, pleasing and acceptable to God, a sweet-smelling savor of prayers before His Throne in Heaven.
During this invitation, renew your commitment to embrace your God-given role, whether in the quiet corners of daily life or on the grand stages of seeing others come to Jesus Christ to be saved by your bold witness for Christ. And then, with that commitment, move forward with the assurance that our labor in the Lord is not in vain, that our prayers are heard, and that our service is an integral part of the kingdom work that God is orchestrating in this world.
So, I charge you today: Live not for the temporal, but for the eternal. Serve not for the applause of man, but for the approval of God. Pray believing with bold conviction that, as we unite our voices with the saints across the ages, we are part of a divine dialogue that is being used by God to shape eternity.
Be strong in the Lord, to live out the every-day, daily sacred duty and sovereign design He has for every one of His children. Knowing that, in Christ, our story joins with the great cloud of witnesses, becoming a part of His unstoppable, redemptive work in the world.
Application:
Application:
Reflect on how God has uniquely equipped and placed each of us to contribute to His kingdom.
Consider the daily opportunities to serve as Zacharias did, with a heart of worship and a spirit of obedience.
Commit to being agents of change and reconciliation, following the examples, within reason, of Müller, Judson, Slessor, Perkins, and King, realizing that like them, as well as Zacharias, none of us is “sinlessly perfect” EXCEPT for Jesus Christ, nevertheless, we can see God weave our own stories into the fabric of His grand design, fulfilled in the Redemption provided through faith in the death and resurrection of the Son of God, who loves us, and gave Himself for us.
Inductive Sermon Brief
Formal Elements/Descriptive Data
Text: Luke 1:8-10
And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
Exegetical Outline of the Text:
I. Priestly service in the temple (1:8–10)
A. Zechariah serving by burning the incense (1:8–9)
1. The custom of the priestly office (1:8)
2. The assignment of temple service (burning incense) by lot (1:9)
B. The people at prayer (1:10)
Central Proposition of the Text:
"In the faithful execution of divinely appointed duties, as exemplified by Zacharias' priestly service in the temple, we witness the interplay of divine sovereignty and human obedience, underscored by the collective prayers of God's people."
Sermonic Proposition:
"Guided by Divine Providence: Embracing the Path God Ordains Leads to Moments of Divine Appointment and Communal Intercession, as Exemplified in Zacharias’ Priestly Service."
Statement of Purpose:
The Consecrative Objective: This objective would encourage listeners to commit themselves more fully to God’s service, recognizing that, like Zacharias, they may be called to serve in specific, divinely appointed roles within God's plan. The sermon could motivate a dedication of time, talent, and resources to God's work.
Major Objective (MO): Consecrative – To inspire and challenge the congregation towards a deeper commitment and full dedication to God’s service, recognizing their unique roles in His divine plan.
Specific Objective (SO): “I want my hearer to actively discern and embrace their God-given roles in the church and community, committing their time, talents, and resources to serve in these roles, as exemplified by Zacharias' devoted service in the temple, acknowledging that each act of service, big or small, is a crucial part of God's sovereign plan.”
Title (Topic/Name):
"Sacred Duty, Sovereign Design": This title underscores the sacredness of the duties we undertake as part of God’s sovereign plan, as illustrated by Zacharias' service in the temple.
Sub-Title: "Embracing Divine Appointments": This title ties in closely with your sermonic proposition, emphasizing the theme of embracing the roles and duties God ordains for us.
Structural Pattern:
Biography: This approach would be highly effective given that the text focuses on a specific individual, Zacharias, and his experience in the temple. By exploring his life and duties as a priest, the sermon could accumulate factual material about his role, the significance of his service, and the context of the praying community. This biographical study would gradually build up to the conclusion, drawing out logical principles and applications about divine appointment, obedience, and the role of communal prayer.
Informal Elements/Rhetorical Data:
Initiation - Life-Interest - Beginning Movement/Episode/Issue:
* L.M. (Life-Material): Begin with contemporary stories of individuals who discover their life’s calling in unexpected ways. Perhaps a medical professional who felt called to serve in underprivileged areas, or a teacher who finds their passion in an underfunded school.
* L.I. (Life Issue): Pose the question of how we recognize divine appointments in our lives. Can we always anticipate them, or are they sometimes revealed in the midst of ordinary faithfulness?
Continuation -- Progress - Middle Movements/ Episodes/Options:
* L.M.: Share stories of how mundane routines turned into moments of profound significance when viewed through the lens of faith. This could be illustrated by someone who starts a small community project that grows into a significant movement.
* EXP. (Exposition): Here, integrate the study of Zacharias' duties and the casting of lots (Luke 1:9), providing historical context for how seemingly random acts were seen as divine decisions.
* T.R. (Tentative Resolution): Suggest that while we may not use lots, there are moments and seasons in our lives that, upon reflection, show a clear pattern of divine orchestration.
* T.S. (Transitional Sentence/Vehicle): Lead into the next section with the idea that our daily faithfulness prepares us for the moments when God calls us into specific roles.
Next Movement/Episode/Option:
* L.M.: Continue with real-life examples, perhaps from church history or missionary biographies, where individuals' simple acts of obedience led to significant impacts.
* EXP.: Revisit the scene of the multitude praying outside the temple (Luke 1:10) to illustrate the support and power of communal intercession.
* T.R.: Affirm that prayer undergirds the service we do, often in ways we cannot see or understand at the time.
* T.S.: Transition by recognizing that service and prayer are not isolated acts but part of a larger tapestry of God's work.
Consummation - Climax - Ending Movement/Episode/Option:
* L.M.: Bring forward the most compelling narrative that parallels Zacharias's story, such as a modern-day account of someone whose routine service led to a pivotal moment for their community or church.
* EXP.: Culminate with Zacharias's moment of service and the divine appointment (Luke 1:8-9), and the simultaneous prayers of the people (Luke 1:10), illustrating the intertwining of human service and divine action.
* F.R. (Final Resolution): Conclude with the proclamation that, like Zacharias, each of us may be called to serve in roles that are part of a greater divine plan, which we embrace through faith and obedience.
* Application: Encourage the congregation to consider their own lives, to recognize and embrace their roles, however mundane they may seem, as part of God's sovereign design, and to commit themselves anew to His service, trusting in the support of the praying community.