Preparing the way for Jesus

Good morning!

It is good to be with you all today and worship with you.

I hope all of you had a great week and weekend.

Mine was significantly less chaotic than last weekend's. lol

Last week we talked about Responding to The Holy Spirit.

We looked at Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s testimony about who Mary’s baby was and how her baby responded to the sound of Mary’s voice.

Over the last few weeks, we have seen how our obedience to God allows us to see a clearer picture of who He is, and it allows others to see it too.

Not only do we experience God-exclusive activity, but our obedience can bring about God-exclusive activity in the lives of our friends and family.

This was the case when Mary obeyed God and went to see Elizabeth.

As we begin this morning, God wants to remind us that our goal is to Know Him and Make Him Known.

When we talk about “knowing” God, we are not talking about knowing about God, but knowing God by experience, through obedience.

As you probably remember, Luke was a traveling companion of Paul and heard all the stories from Paul and other believers.

Luke wrote this book after researching and interviewing people so that He could fully understand the person of Jesus.

What I haven’t pointed out, but you may possibly have put together, is that Luke was a disciple of Paul.

In fact, Luke is doing this because he is being discipled by Paul.

Paul was discipling Luke for the same reason he was planting churches, preaching, and writing.

Paul wanted others to know what he discovered through God’s exclusive activity.

Jesus was the son of God, the Messiah.

What we have already been learning these first few weeks is the power that comes from hearing God, doing what He says, and telling others about what God is doing in your life.

Experiencing and sharing those experiences is the very thing that Jesus told us to do.

Matthew 28:19

What is Jesus sending His disciples out to do?

He sent them to MAKE disciples.

Who is discipling you or who are you discipling?

Jesus called these eleven men to be his followers (disciples) and spent around three years with them, teaching them and revealing to them who God was.

At the end of that time, Jesus tells them to go and do the exact same thing that He did for them.

This idea of being called by God to share who He frames what we are going to learn today.

Sharing your experience with God is not an optional activity for a disciple.

It is in the DNA of a disciple.

We will dig deeper into this idea as we move through this book, but for today God wants us to recognize the power and simplicity of hearing, obeying, seeing, and sharing.

When we hear, obey, see, and share God, we are preparing the way for Jesus to move in our friends and family's lives.

These are the building blocks of a disciple.

How has God been working in your life?

How has God used your testimony recently to encourage or teach someone else about who He is?

Do you think there is a specific person God want’s you to share that story with and if so, who is that person?

We are about to read Luke 1:57-66 if you want to go ahead and open up to it.

As you turn there, I want to remind you of the power of Mary’s testimony as she faithfully listened to God.

Her faith was solid because of her previous experience and the testimony of a fellow believer.

Hearing, obeying, seeing, sharing.

God was at work in her life, Zechariah's and Elizabeth’s.

As we explore God’s word together today, I want you to see that God is at work in your life as well.

Let’s dig in together and discover something new about God and how He works in His people’s lives.

Luke 1:57-66

To backtrack for just a moment, Zechariah was a priest and was chosen by lot to go into the Holy of Holies to change out the incense.

While he was there, an angel appeared to him and told him that his wife would have a baby.

Zechariah didn’t believe him because Elizabeth was so old.

The angel told him that his son was to be named John and that he would prepare the way for the Messiah.

The angel also told him that he would be deaf and mute until all these things took place because of his unbelief.

So, here we pick back up with their story.

Mary has just left, and Elizabeth goes into childbirth.

Their community celebrated God’s work with them.

Again we see Luke drawing on that same theme that we have been discussing; God will always do what He says He will do.

Look back at Luke 1:14 at the promise that Gabriel gave to Zechariah.

God said that there would be joy and rejoicing, and just like He said, there was.

I mentioned this when we studied Zechariah and Elizabeth earlier in the chapter, but I want to remind you that during their time, a woman’s value was found in her ability to have children.

Imagine for a moment what that must have felt like for Elizabeth to have that social stigma removed from her.

Not only did God bless her with a child, but He did it in an incredible way.

This is what we mean by “God-exclusive” activity.

Only God could get credit for making this happen.

God did it in a way that He would be glorified through their lives.

This story was the talk of their town.

So the word gets out that Elizabeth has had a son, and it is obvious to all that God did this work.

As a result of God’s blessing, their friends and family come and celebrate God!

Then on the eighth day, which was the custom set forth by God with Abraham as a reminder of the covenant that God made with His people, they gathered to mark the covenant made by God to Abraham.

Again, Luke is pointing us to promises God made in the past and is fulfilling.

Genesis 17:1-8

Think of this ceremony as we would a baby dedication.

It was to serve as a reminder of those in attendance of God’s promise that He made to Abraham.

This child is a fulfillment of God’s promise.

So, everyone is here; it is an extraordinary moment because of all that God did in the past and what He is doing now through this new baby.

Their family arrives at the ceremony, and in verse 59, it says, “…they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father.”

Let’s talk about this for a moment.

By “they,” Luke is referring to the friends and family that were there with them.

How often do you hear of people letting their relatives name their baby?

I cannot think of one instance in my life where this has happened.

Guess what? It was just as rare back then as well.

In all of scripture, there are only two instances where something like this happens.

Once in Exodus where Pharaoh’s daughter names Moses, whom she found in a basket.

The second is when Ruth has a child, the friends of Naomi name him Obed, which means son of Ruth.

This was not the cultural norm.

Their friends and family unknowingly tried to hijack God’s plan.

I have no doubt that they were well-meaning, but God had other plans.

Luke 1:58-59

Typically, the mother would name the child or sometimes the father.

While it was common to give a child a family name, which is what the family was doing, it was not common to give them the father’s name.

They didn’t have last names which is why we see people called, James, son of Zebedee.

If they had named him Zechariah, he would be Zechariah, son of Zechariah.

I know why they wanted to name him that.

It is because Zechariah means “God remembers.”

That makes total sense, but it isn’t what God said.

So, Elizabeth speaks up and says, “no, his name will be John.”

In the face of her family, she stood her ground and was faithful to do what God said.

Again, I’m sure well-meaning, they argued with her.

Luke 1:60-62

Not only did they argue, but they also tried to overrule her by asking Zechariah.

But Zechariah backed her up and said, “no, he will be called John.”

Luke 1:63-66

Do you remember what Gabriel told Zechariah would happen when “all these things were completed”? Aka, when Zechariah’s obedience was completed.

He would no longer be deaf and mute.

Zechariah and Elizabeth’s obedience revealed more of what God was doing, and it caused all to be in awe and wonder about God.

As soon as Zechariah followed through in obedience to what Gabriel told him, his mouth and ears were opened, and he began to praise God and share with them what God had said and done.

All this time, Zechariah had been waiting to tell everyone what he had experienced.

As he shared all that God had done and why everything happened the way it did, their friends and family were amazed.

Don’t forget it has been over 400 years since God revealed himself.

Now, all of a sudden, God shows up in a big way.

To say it got all of their attention is an understatement.

Because of Z and E’s obedience and God’s exclusive activity, people began to wonder about who this child might be.

While they still might not have had the faith to believe, but Z and E most definitely did.

We are going to look at Z’s response next week, but I want to draw out some applications for us today.

To recap, God spoke to Z and told him what was about to happen.

Elizabeth does, in fact, have a son, and their friends and family celebrate what God has done.

But they try to take control and tell Elizabeth how to respond to God’s work.

Elizabeth stands firm and follows God’s instructions, Zechariah backs her up, and God reveals himself as he opens Z’s ears and mouth again.

Everyone is in awe of what God has just done as they hear the story.

Here is how that same kind of God-exclusive activity can play out in our lives.

God is going to give you a directive.

As you follow Him, well-meaning bystanders are going to give you their opinion on what is happening and how you should respond.

If you fold to that pressure, you are going to miss out on what God is doing, and so will they.

However, if you stand your ground and have faith that God will do what He says He will do, you and those same people are going to get to see God.

You are going to experience God's exclusive activity in your life, and the people in your life are going to be in awe of how amazing and faithful God is.

Look back with me at what God said John was going to do when Gabriel was revealing all this to Zechariah.

Luke 1:16-17

God’s directive for John’s life was to prepare the way for Jesus.

Literally, from the moment Mary walks in the door of Elizabeth’s house, God is fulfilling that promise through this unborn baby.

Then, in the first week of his life, we see God working through him to reveal God’s character and plan to turn the hearts of these people toward God.

John is eight days old, and he is turning people back toward God.

We have the same directive as followers of Christ.

As we live in an abiding relationship with God, as we hear, obey, see, and share, God is going to show up in our lives.

But we won’t have the spirit and power of Elijah as John did; we will have the spirit and power of God Himself in us.

When Jesus tells us to go and make disciples, he tells us that we will not be doing that in our own power.

Matthew 28:20

Our lives and God’s activity in it will prepare people’s hearts to receive God.

Our world is full of people who think they know God.

What they really know is the dead religion that has been peddled for profit.

When people get a taste of who God really is and how much He loves them and cares for them, it is going to cause a radical shift in their understanding.

When we share what God is saying, especially when it is outside of our control, and then God does it, people see God and His glory.

What are some promises that God has made and fulfilled in your life?

How did your community get to celebrate that work of God?

John, as an infant, was already preparing the way for Jesus by just being born.

Imagine what God can do with you.

As I have said a lot over the last few weeks, it doesn’t matter how old you are.

It doesn’t matter if you think you are good enough, talented enough, or ready enough.

God can and wants to use all of us right where we are.

His desire is for us to know Him, and he does that by meeting us where we are right now.

We don’t have to get ready; we just have to be willing to trust Him.

When He speaks, we listen, obey, see, and share.

Did God open the door to talk about Him as you shared His activity?

If He did, how did it go?

If He didn’t, why do you think that is?

Our lives and the world will change through our simple yet powerful acts of obedience.