Prepare the Way
Notes
Transcript
Break the Silence
Break the Silence
intertestamental period of 400 years since the Prophecy of Malachi
1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
prepared -to become ready for action and use in progress; made suitable for a specific purpose
3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
there is a sense, in the context of this word, that it means also to clear the way of any obstruction. Therefore what is it that would be obstructing the way of the Lord, or needs to be cleared.
1. prideful, unbelieving hearts - the people prepared have to be those who know their need for a savior. WE have made Christmas/Advent a time of want, it is actually best viewed as a time of need. We most need a Savior, if we are honest. People with that desperate need are those prepared to receive a Savior. WE most need Him to come and dwell with us by His grace and mercy. We most need to hear and understand His word and instruction and revelation for life and godliness. Therefore, John preaches repentance for the forgiveness of sins as he prepares the way.
2. bad teaching - the religious elite had so misunderstood and muddied the waters of God’s revelation and promise and character of mercy and grace. They made the way crooked and full of debris with their extra-biblical traditions and additions to the law. They had perverted the promise of a new covenant, one founded in the mercy and grace of Yahweh who bears with and forgives all manner of sinner and makes them a people for His own possession. Therefore, John reacts strongly when the Pharisees show up in the wilderness. Matthew 3:7-8
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
John is announcing the arrival of the Lord who will inaugurate a new Kingdom through a new covenant made in His blood. One which the Lord bestows mercy and grace to those who need it. everyone needs it but who knows they need it? Who values or desires the Lord above all else? Can this season be a test for your heart and soul that you may discover what it is you value and are thankful for? Most experience happiness at Christmas if they can fulfill their desire for things and even places. What kind of joy might we experience at Christmas if Christ be all our hope and desire - if we are at perfect peace because our trust is in Him? What if Christmas was purely a season of hope and reflection on His gift in Christ - a dedicated focus on worship and communion with our Lord who sacrificially gave that we might have Him, who is our life? Could we use this as a season to slow down from all the different directions we go and all the different things we do so that we may sit as His feet to hear the story once again of how He came to save?! What if Christmas became a Kingdom event and not a worldly event?
Zechariah and Elizabeth
had a fear of the Lord, their conduct was blameless, not meaning they were perfect or not in need of the Savior, but followed the law righteously
this also indicates that the reason for barreness is not because of sin but for God’s glory
remember John 9:1-3
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
also they were “older”
the deck is stacked against them right? with God all things are possible, His power is made perfect in our weakness
chosen by lot - God exists in complete authority over the affairs and directions of all things at all times for His glory - a lot was a way to trust the Lord in picking any of the qualified persons without human bias
His division - 1 Chronicles 24:10 “10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,” 1 Chronicles 24:19 “19 These had as their appointed duty in their service to come into the house of the Lord according to the procedure established for them by Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.”
the prayer is heard - they want a son, God is bringing a messenger. in other words, His purposes for our children supersedes our desires for our children. His purposes for John begin even in the womb v.15
Response
Response
Zechariah wants a sign - an angel of the Lord is standing before him describing what the sign is - your barren older wife will be pregnant
therefore he is disciplined
Elizabeth rejoiced that the Lord would set His blessing on her
her reproach among men
what about among God
the birth of John will bring them gladness and joy for their current lives, a burden and stigma is lifted, they get to enjoy a child, etc.
They will need another baby to come and take away their reproach before God
John is the gift celebrated for a time, Jesus is the gift celebrated for all time, both now and forever
16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
May you have good cheer this season in all good things, but may you find that your heart is most endeavored to see and savour the beauty, glory and majesty of our God.