Welcome to the For the Gospel Podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Kosti Hinn. And whether you're listening to this on your favorite podcast platform or you're watching on our YouTube channel, I'm really thankful that you've joined me for this episode. And today we continue the Christmas series with an episode that's going to focus on lesser-known characters in the Christmas story. I'm not talking about Mary, I'm not talking about Joseph, not talking about the shepherds, not talking about the wise men. I've preached on all those, taught you about many of those. There's episodes and videos and sermons you can go look back in the archives for. But today I want to look at the overlooked characters of Christmas, the people whose stories unfold quietly in the shadows of the nativity scene, if you will, and yet whose lives reveal something profound about the character of God. There are going to be four characters here. Anna, maybe you've never heard of her. Anna, it's a life of faithfulness and it meets fulfillment. Zechariah, a life of doubt turned into praise, talk about him. And then Elizabeth, who actually is John the Baptist's mother. She's a life of sorrow, turned into great joy. And then Herod, the one sinister character that I have to bring into the picture here. It's a life of rebellion exposed by the true king, which Herod was not. And in each one of these Christmas characters, God is revealing something about his own character, his patience, his faithfulness, his compassion, his authority, all of it is put on display. And when we put their stories together, they really show us a God who sees the overlooked, who restores the doubting, who comforts the hurting, and then who confronts the rebellious and calls every heart to respond to the arrival of his son. Okay, so first up here, Anna. Who is Anna? I've tagged this. If you're watching the video and you see the notes pop up on the screen there, Anna, when faithfulness meets fulfillment. You find Anna's story tucked away in Luke chapter two, and it's verses 36 to 38. Maybe you overlook it. Most people just skim right past her, but she's one of the most beautiful examples of persevering faith in the entire Christmas narrative. Anna is an elderly widow. She's likely in her 80s or 90s historically. She spent decades in the temple fasting, praying, worshiping, and serving. I'll read you just a quick snippet here. And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phenuel of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of 84. So she has been serving, not just in her late 80s or her mid-80s, but she's been serving for a long time. This woman is on in years. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fasting and prayers. And at that very moment, she came up and began giving thanks to God and continued to speak of him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. So that is what follows in Luke chapter 2, Jesus being presented at the temple. He has been introduced in chapter one and chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke. And then there at the end of chapter 2, you see this character named Anna. She's lived most of her life in obscurity. She's not front and center like Mary, or even Elizabeth, and she's not prominent like the wise men, doesn't get visited by angels like Joseph did or like the shepherds. And yet God sees her. And at the exact moment Mary and Joseph bring the infant Jesus into the temple, Anna arrives and her eyes fall on the Savior that she has spent a lifetime waiting for. And Luke says she began giving thanks to God and continued to speak of him, capital H, to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. Decades of devotion explodes into joyful praise and thanksgiving unto God. Why? Because now she has seen the salvation that she's been waiting for. What does Anna reveal about the character of God? Why is she put in Luke's narrative? Well, God sees the faithful forgotten. God honors long obedience. God is near to the weary, the widowed, and the waiting, all three of those being a part of Anna's story. And God delights to fulfill the hopes of those who hope in him. This is a wonderful picture of redemption. It's God's joy to let Anna see what she has so long waited for. She represents everyone who goes unnoticed at Christmas, those who are in the waiting, you see God's character, faithful to her, he'll be faithful to you. Everyone who's prayed for many years and seen little change. Can you imagine Anna as a prophetess constantly talking about the works of God and thinking about the redemption and hope of Jerusalem, which is referring to the Messiah, and never seeing it until now? Luke says she's 84. I mean, it doesn't say she died right after. She certainly gets to live however number of years she gets now seeing it, but up to this point, nothing. All faith. And I'm sure there are people who awaken every day with a sense of waiting on the Lord or even spiritual weariness. Think about her lonely season, seven years she gets to live with her husband, and then he's dead, and she's a widow for the rest of them. God teaches us through Anna's story that the faithfulness of his people is never wasted. He sees, he hears, and for Anna and for all of us, really, when redemption comes ultimately at Christ's return or when he calls us home, God does reward. Don't miss Anna in the Christmas story. Character number two, Zechariah. I would say he is when God turns silence into praise. Now, why I mention silence is because maybe just maybe you've heard of Zechariah. He's the husband of Elizabeth, the father of John the Baptist, and he's a righteous priest. He's faithful, he's blameless, great guy, the kind of man you expect to respond with immediate faith when God speaks to him. But when the angel Gabriel tells him Elizabeth is going to bear a son, meaning John the Baptist is coming, he doubts and he questions God's promise. He asks God for proof. And God responds, not with wrath, but certainly with discipline. I mean, Zechariah was supposed to believe in what the Lord says. And then an angel, Gabriel, nonetheless, comes to talk to him and he just goes, I'm not sure if I can believe you. And so God says, All right, you're getting disciplined, buddy. This isn't gonna happen. You know better. So he mutes him, he silences him, he he binds up his tongue. Zechariah can't talk for nine months. Why? It's not to shame him, but it was to shape him. All of a sudden, Zechariah, under the discipline of God, has to spend the entire pregnancy not talking. And his silence becomes a sacred classroom. God teaches him something in this, and indirectly, of course, now teaches us as we read the story and understand what's happening. And his silence becomes a place of reflection. Can you imagine what he would think about? What he would reflect on? It also becomes a place of repentance, not just reflection, but repentance, being sorry, saying, I shouldn't doubt God. I know better. I've seen his works, I've seen him move in power. And why would I ever doubt, especially when he sends such a miraculous sign as an angel coming to visit him personally? And then the silence becomes a place of spiritual recalibration. Zechariah, no doubt, gets recalibrated. And when his tongue is finally loosed at John's birth, what comes out is not bitterness, not embarrassment. He's not finally now I'm gonna talk. All you people. No, it's praise. He bursts out in Luke chapter 1, verses 68 to 79. I'm gonna turn there really quick and just tell you about this. He explodes with praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel. That's the first line. Come on. For he has visited us and accomplished redemption for his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, his servant. And he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. He goes on and on and on. And what a remarkable thing. Maybe if you or I were struck with muteness or the inability to talk for uh nine months, you come out of that and you got a lot to say. For Zechariah, it's praise. His story reveals this precious truth. God is patient with doubters. Zechariah should know better. You should know better. I should as well. But God teaches him and he disciplines not to crush but to restore. God will turn unbelief into worship. That's really the whole point. We all learn these tough lessons. I'm sure you know in your life, I could see times in mine where I doubted God. And I just thought, oh, there's no way, Lord, I don't think you can do this. Or, or even if I would have said, I don't think, of course, I would say that. God can do everything, okay, all right, but we act that way. With our fears, our doubts, our worries, our mind rushes. That all shows how little we trust in God. Well, Christmas reminds us that God meets us right where we're at, where our faith falters, and where doubt is poking holes in our trust in the Lord. And what does he do? He teaches us, corrects us, at times rebukes us, brings us under discipline, and reminds us, I am the God of yesterday, today, and forever. I've been there before, I'm here now, and I'll still be there in the future. Jesus is the same faithful Savior, faithful Lord and Redeemer. Yesterday, today, and forever. His character is not changed. The Father's character has not changed. The Spirit's work in your life and mine has not changed. We received him at salvation, and he's going to help finish the work that God has begun. And so it takes us all back to praise. Zechariah, a really fun story and a great Christmas character to keep in the forefront of your mind. Number three, Elizabeth. I would say his wife is another important character you should know. I would tagline this when God sees the barren and the brokenhearted. Elizabeth was both of those. Her story's woven through Luke chapter one, and she is a righteous woman. She's faithful, she's godly, and she's barren. For decades she's been barren, carrying sorrow. She never asked for. Barren women in the ancient world were often shamed, they were misunderstood, or they were considered cursed. But God calls her blameless in the scriptures. Her barrenness is not punishment, it's preparation. And when God opens her womb, she doesn't boast and say, oh, look what I did, or look at the treatment I had, or oh, now God sees me. No, she blesses. She says, the Lord has done this for me. What a praise. What humility. She says, He has looked with favor upon me. Elizabeth becomes the first person in the New Testament to then go on in her own joy, of course, all that's happened to her with John the Baptist in her womb, to go and bless and encourage and affirm Mary, filled with the Holy Spirit. She calls Christ, the baby in Mary's womb, my Lord before he's ever even born. Elizabeth never once, never once falters in her faith. Even though she's going through immense pain and waiting and doubt, and she's going through barrenness and it's a stigma attached to her situation. She keeps on trusting the Lord. And when he does it, she's rejoicing not only for herself, but she's rejoicing for Mary as well. And she has spiritual eyes to see who Christ is. Her life reveals the compassionate character of God. Just a few thoughts here that God sees the hidden pain. You've got pain behind your eyes, you've got pain in your heart, you got things that you've been going through. Maybe for you, you're you are barren or you're struggling with infertility. Maybe for you, Christmas is a time that reminds you of what you wish for, what you're waiting for, what you've lost, people no longer hear. You think about Elizabeth and the barrenness and the brokenness, the pain of her situation, and she trusted the Lord. She's also an example of how God hears long-held prayers. She had been praying for a very long time. And I have a prayer list, maybe you do too. I like to use legal pads. I just kind of fill them up with prayers and writing them out just helps me, also helps me look back and track those amazing things God has done. I was just looking this last week at a prayer list and I had one on there and I forgot about it. And then a situation unfolded, beautiful. And I went back and happened to notice the prayer on my legal pad and thought, oh wow, Lord, you answered that one. And you think, it's been a while. Some of you, you've been praying for things for one year, two years, 10 years, five years, 15 years, the salvation of a loved one, maybe for God to move on your behalf. Maybe you've been praying for a baby like Elizabeth. Whatever your situation, Elizabeth's story encourages us during the Christmas season and beyond, that God hears those long-held prayers. Don't give up, keep on praying and trust Him in His timing and His will. She's also an example of how God comforts the brokenhearted. Psalm 34, 18 says this beautiful promise: the Lord is near the brokenhearted. He was near to her. He's near to you. Also, that God works quietly, patiently, and faithfully. There was a pretty, uh, I would call it underwhelming reveal of this story. It just takes a long time. She's barren, and then all of a sudden, her whole story changes. And it's this beautiful thing. God was all along unfolding his plan of redemption. He was going to send the forerunner. John the Baptist was going to do what he's going to do. He's part of God's sovereign plan to prepare the way for the Messiah. God is quietly, patiently, faithfully working. I had a mentor tell me not long ago, actually, I was kind of sharing some things that were on my heart. And he said to me, Costi, God is working in a million ways we cannot see and don't ever know about. He's always working. He's just working through myriads of situations. His providence is always unfolding in millions, billions of ways through the lives of his people. And so we see just what's in front of us. And that can be very painful, very difficult, very frustrating. You're waiting, you want it, you desire your prayers. And we have that very myopic perspective because that's what's right in front of us. But we got to remember God is working in many ways, quietly, patiently, and faithfully. You say, Costi, then what does that do? Or, you know, why is that significant? Because, friend, when the doors aren't opening yet, when things aren't going your way, when you are waiting on the Lord and you feel like you've waited long enough, and then you start to be tempted to doubt, and the enemy tosses out the lure of, well, maybe God doesn't love you, maybe he doesn't care, maybe you're not doing enough, maybe you're not this. You can trust that for faithful people like Elizabeth, faithful followers like you, God is working quietly, patiently, faithfully in his timing. And she reminds us in her story that every believer who spends Christmas with quiet sorrow, unanswered prayers, hope deferred, and wounds carried silently is not forgotten by God. Finally, character number four, he's the one sinister guy in the story, but hey, teaches us, teaches some good lessons for us, and we can appreciate the goodness of God. Herod. And I would tagline him when the true king exposes the false king, meaning Jesus exposes Herod. Herod gets exposed. And maybe he's the darkest figure in all of the Christmas narrative. He's a ruler, a builder, a political force. He is going to murder a ton of babies under the age of two, trying to kill the Christ child. And when the wise men arrive asking, uh, hey, where's the one born king of the Jews? Like they come in real, real innocent, just naive, thinking, hey, where is he? Herod just freaks out because Herod loves being king. He loves power, he loves control. And the arrival of a true king threatens his throne. He asks his wise men, his scholars, what's going on with this? What's the deal? And of course, they tell him, oh, there's a prophecy, you know, about this, this, that, and the other. And so instead of worshiping Christ, he wages war against Christ. And Herod exposes this uncomfortable truth that Christmas forces a response. The arrival of Jesus becomes a dividing line. What will you do with his coming? You will bow or resist. You will worship or war. You'll surrender or you'll cling to your own rule. This is what Herod has to decide. And of course, he chooses his own prideful, narcissistic obsession with his self-rule. Herod's story reveals the character of God, though, still in two ways. God will never be stopped, even by someone like Herod, who thought he could thwart God's plan. That first, God exposes every false king. Christ's arrival unmasks every idol, every rival throne, every heart that refuses to yield. He exposes them all. And two, God advances his purposes despite human rebellion. Herod cannot stop the king. No earthly ruler has ever been able to stop the king. No one can overthrow God's plan. No one has the it factor as much as they think they could or might be able to do what they want to do as an autonomous sovereign. Every sovereign is under the only sovereign, Christ the King. Darkness cannot extinguish the light. And Herod stands as a warning. Christ came as Lord. He came as king. He came, though humble, a baby in a manger, still is a sovereign ruler that as a tiny infant still held the world in the palm of his hand. And every heart must respond to his kingship. We make no apologies as Christians. I'll make no apologies as a preacher. Every single person is called to bow the knee to the kingship of Christ. If you do that now on this side of heaven, you are going to be with him in heaven forever. If you choose to do that on the other side of heaven, well, you're going to be in hell. You say, How dare you say that? Or how could you say that? What do you mean, I'm going to bow the knee? No, I won't. I'll never bow the knee. Yes, you will. The Bible says every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, which means either here and now, surrendering your will to his, you'll say, Christ is Lord. I put my faith in him. I want to follow him, and I believe that he's the Son of God who died and rose again for the forgiveness of my sins. Or on the other side of death, when you stand on the precipice of eternal destiny or destination, which is going to be heaven or hell, you will bow the knee to Christ, even on your way into hell and judgment, should you reject him in this life now. That's why the gospel becomes so important during the Christmas season. The arrival of Jesus is not just some story. It's not a season of joy and peace and hope for us to have presence and enjoy. All those things are good and fine and well, but ultimately it is being faced with the reality that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Would you repent of your sin? Would you turn from your ways? Would you acknowledge him as Lord and Savior? Would you say, You are the Lord, you are the Savior, and I believe in you for the salvation of my soul, and I confess and submit to your Lordship. You know, you don't make him Lord. He just is Lord. The question is, have you submitted and have I submitted to his Lordship? When we take Anna, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Herod and put them all side by side, they are a sweeping picture of God's character in the Christmas story. People of faith or people of rebellion, like Herod. Through Anna, God honors the faithful who feel unseen. Zechariah, God restores the doubting, and he turns silence into praise. Elizabeth, God comforting the brokenhearted and remembering long-held prayers. And then Herod, God confronting the proud and exposing every rival to Christ's throne. And through all four, we see God is sovereign. He is painting a glorious picture of redemption. And his unfolding plan through Christ is so clear during the Christmas season. He is the Savior, sent to redeem us, the word becoming flesh and invading the world that he created to transform his creation. And so I want you to remember that truth. It's all about the gospel, it's all about God's glory and Jesus Christ coming to save us as sinners, turning us into saints and calling us to eternal fellowship with him forever. As Christmas Day closes in, I want to just tell you how much I appreciate you. And I wish you a Merry Christmas from my family to yours. And want you to remember, I'm going to release a Christmas bonus episode or a special bonus episode on Christmas Eve. So whether you're driving to church, a family event, you're a getaway kind of Christmas type, you're saying, we're out of here this year. That's awesome. Get some time away. Or you're one of those people who has to work on Christmas Eve, you will not be without a little encouragement along the way. And so as you get closer and closer to Christmas Day, I pray that your heart will be full of hope, full of joy, no matter where you are, no matter what you're facing, and that Christ will be the center of your Christmas. I look forward to encouraging you on Christmas Eve. Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching. Thanks for sharing. And a special thank you to you who are supporting this ministry here for the gospel. I'm sitting in one of our new studio spaces because of your generous support, material being translated into Spanish. The ministry now, by the grace of God, reaching an average of over six million unique individuals per month through downloads, views, articles. And our teaching content has now begun to draw testimonies from people. And we're hearing testimonies of life change. And that's really what all the numbers are about. It doesn't matter how many millions of views or how many hundreds of thousands of followers or this, that, and the other. What matters is God is changing lives through the ministry of his word. And sound doctrine will do that. And so we give glory to God. And I want to always express my gratitude to you for the part you play in that. And as you pray about how the Lord would use you or put it on your heart to help us advance the gospel and sound doctrine, I want to encourage you and invite you to partner with us. I would count it a privilege to partner with you and our ministry to be able to steward your financial support is such a treasure. We count that as a privilege and a very serious thing for us to do with your support and your partnership. And so beyond your local church support, if you want to give to for the gospel this year and beyond, go to forthegospel.org, click give, and all the information will be right there. Merry Christmas. I love you. I'm grateful for you. I'll see you or talk to you on Christmas Eve. I'll be back then with another episode. Keep on living for the gospel.