The Savior King

December 22nd 2024

Series:Christmas Past, Present, and Future

Sermon Title: The Savior King

Topic: Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in New Testament texts and applied to Now Testament living

Key Passages: Luke 1:39-45, 57-79, Isaiah 40:1-3, Malachi 3:1

Sermon Blurb: In this message, we will see how the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist were intertwined to bring joy and hope to the world!

Kids Story Time!

Sermon

Family Moment

MERRY CHRISTMAS, FAMILY CHURCH!!!

Welcome to Family Church… whether you are here in person or watching online…

We are so glad you are with us today.

Believe it or not, this is the FIRST year we have had a service this close to Christmas!

Normally we have done this service online with you all.

But this year, we decided to try something new: We will have this service in person and online next Sunday.

So make sure next weekend you remember we are meeting online!!!!

BUT…..

Each year, we look forward to our Christmas service!

This is a special time when the ENTIRE family joins together to worship Jesus and learn about God’s amazing love for us!

PAUSE

If this is your first visit with us… WELCOME!

We are so glad you are joining us today and hope this service will be an encouragement to you.

PAUSE

We are in the middle of our Christmas series…called “Christmas: Past, Present, and Future.”

We have been looking at the birth story of Jesus… the REAL Christmas Story… as told by two people in the Bible named Matthew and Luke.

We are highlighting what this meant to people living during that time…

AND, how it impacts future generations like us!

PAUSE

Grab your Bible… open to the Book of

Luke 1

New Person Bible Connection:

If you do not have a Bible, that is ok!

After service, we will give you an AMAZING leather-bound study Bible!

Just go to ADD YOUR CAMPUS PLACE and get one for FREE!!

PAUSE

Before we read… remember that Luke is writing this letter.

And Luke wrote this letter for a Roman audience.

Matthew, who we have been reading over the last two weeks, wrote for a Jewish audience.

As we all know… who you are writing for will influence what you say and how you say it.

This is likely why Matthew quotes the Jewish Scriptures all the time.

Because his audience would have known the Jewish scriptures.

They would have been familiar with all the prophecies about Jesus.

That would have helped the reader connect with Matthew’s point of view.

PAUSE

Luke, however, does not quote the Old Testament in the same manner…because his readers have no context for it.

Romans did not follow the Jewish God or know much about Him.

So, quoting Jewish prophecy would have a minimal impact on the reader.

PAUSE

Now… we already heard what happened the night Jesus was born in Luke chapter 2.

That is what we read to the kids earlier!

So… what I want us to do… is go back a few months in Jesus’ life.

Just before Jesus was born, in Luke chapter 2…

Another important person was born, in Luke chapter 1.

A super influential character whom God used to announce the coming of a Jesus.

PAUSE

His name was John.

You may have heard him called John the Baptist…

John was Jesus’ cousin on his mom’s side.

John also plays a unique role in the Christmas story.

PAUSE

So, let’s jump in… let’s start reading at verse 39…

Luke 1:39…

Luke 1:39-45 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,

40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!

43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Pause here.

Mary was pregnant with Jesus… she was in her first trimester.

She is visiting her relative, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was pregnant with John, Jesus’ future cousin.

She was a little further along, heading into her 3rd trimester.

And when Mary greets Elizabeth… the Holy Spirit comes upon her, and she loudly, and boldly, says,

“Mary… you are carrying THE LORD.”

Look back at verse 43 in your Bibles…

The Holy Spirit filled her.

The Holy Spirit gave her divine insight and knowledge…

She knew something that she had NO WAY of knowing on her own!

She may have heard through the grapevine that Mary was pregnant.

BUT….

She did not know Mary had been visited by an angel who said she would carry Jesus!

She did not know how Mary became pregnant.

She did not know any of that… !

But God filled her with that knowledge the moment Mary greeted her!

PAUSE

And notice her response…

Notice her IMMEDIATE reaction!

She was both happy AND hopeful!

Write this down…

Christmas Past: Jesus gave hope and joy to the first people He encountered on earth.

*Repeat

Even while Jesus was in His mother’s womb…

God was ALREADY giving hope and joy to those He encountered!!!

First, to Mary and Joseph…

And here to Elizabeth…

And even unborn John!!!

Unborn John LEPT in his womb being near Jesus!

LADIES If you have been pregnant before, then you understand this passage uniquely.

My wife has blessed me with X wonderful children.

I remember the moments when she felt the baby move in her.

When the baby would kick or turn or have hiccups.

I recall the times when she showed me her stomach moving or I put my hand on her belly and could feel my child moving!

BUT….but I don’t EVER recall my wife saying, “WHOA! The baby just LEAPED inside of me!”

LOL

Whatever happened here…

…it was remarkable…

…it was breathtaking…

…it was undeniable.

While many today think unborn babies are not, in fact, alive, well, and aware…

Clearly, we see here in the Bible that that perspective is false!

Jesus had a purpose before he was born.

John had a purpose before he was born.

God has a purpose for all unborn babies.

And notice this as well Church…

Even as an unborn child, John was important to God.

Even as an unborn child, John was responsive to God.

And we need to always remember that… that unborn children are significant and special to God.

Before Jesus was even born, He was providing hope and joy to people!

And Jesus still offers hope and joy to people who encounter Him today!

PAUSE

After this, Mary writes and sings a beautiful worship song. You can read that on your own later.

And then, in verse 57……. John is born.

57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to her son.

58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

Mom and Dad are excited.

Everyone who had been praying for them to have children were excited!

God gets ALL the glory!

Joy is in the atmosphere!

PAUSE

Now let me give you a little background from earlier in chapter 1.

John’s Dad was Zechariah.

He was a priest… which is ‘sort of like’ a pastor today.

We learn that John’s parents were SUPER OLD when they got pregnant... because their entire lives they had been unable to have children.

So, when the Angel of God told John’s dad that they were going to get pregnant in their old age…

Zachariah DOUBTED God.

As a seasoned and faithful priest of God, doubted God’s word.

Because of that lack of faith, God caused him to go mute… so he could no longer speak until his son was born….

CHURCH… think about that…

… for several months, Pastor Zechariah could NOT speak.

Imagine…… a pastor who can’t speak… don’t get any ideas!!

LOL!

PAUSE

Zachariah couldn’t talk for nine months….. UNTIL…. Verse 59…

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,

60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.

63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”

64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.

65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.

66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Pause there… did you see it?

As soon as Zachariah announced his John’s name…

THEN… God loosened his tongue.

And he began to praise God… along with everyone there!

They were filled with awe and worship… and told others about what God did!

This miracle, this moment… it sparked EVERYONE to be curious…

What was God doing?!?

Verse 66 tells us they wondered what meaning it all had.

You see…….

There was a sense of curiosity and awe.

God was renewing anticipation.

There is a fresh flicker of hope and possibility in a broken world!

What might happen next!!!!

God was getting His people’s attention.

God was doing something marvelous, something extraordinary.

And it was causing people to wonder what He was up to.

PAUSE

Let’s keep reading, verse 67…

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Let’s stop here… write this down:

Christmas Present: to those living in this moment, the mention of Jesus renewed their hope and joy.

*Repeat

Look back at the passage… there is zero sadness in this.

This is a celebration!!!

Everyone is thrilled!

Everyone is renewed with joy and hope!

PAUSE

Look at some of the statements that Pastor Zachariah declared in front of all present…

He proclaimed that Savior who they have been promised for hundreds of years… was almost here!

And that his son, John, will be a part of that story!

Zachariah is proclaiming that their Savior is coming SOON!

And this would have given SO MUCH hope… so much and renewed anticipation for those around.

PAUSE

Look back at what he says in Verse 68

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

Leave that verse up…..

Who is the Lord?

The One True God of Israel…

Who has the Lord come to?

His people.

What has the Lord come to His people to do?

To redeem them…

To give them freedom!

To save them from the curse of sin!

To redeem us from sin and death!

Verse 69 said… 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

What has God raised?

A horn of salvation.

What does that mean?

Well, a horn was a symbol of victory and war!

A horn symbolizes the power.

The power of God to save!

In this passage, it is the power of God that will come THROUGH JESUS to save people!

PAUSE

So… if you are new to church and you are wondering…..

What is the power of God, through Jesus, going to save people from?

Let’s keep reading Verse 70… 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—

Pause there.

Salvation from enemies…

Who are the enemies?

Who are those who hate us, as it says????

Well… some of them would have thought Jesus was talking about the Romans…

That God was going save them from the evil Romans!

And we can’t blame them for thinking this way.

Because the Romans treated the Jewish people terribly at this time in REAL human history.

PAUSE

BUT… the REAL enemy of God is not a person, nation, or political party….

It has NEVER been a person, nation, or political party.

The REAL enemy of God is Satan.

The REAL enemy of mankind is Satan.

Satan’s evil influence in people’s lives…

Satan’s deception in people to sin and rebel…

Satan’s oppression over people to keep them burdened…

Satan’s dominion in the world to undermine God’s plan…

Satan is the REAL threat…

The real enemy.

The real oppressor.

And this becomes clearer as we move further into the passage.

PAUSE

In verse 76, Zechariah interweaves John’s role within Jesus’ future ministry, to save people from sin and Satan’s grip.

Put verse 76 back up……

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

Pause there.

Intimately interwoven in this celebration is John’s unique role with Jesus.

John will tell people about Jesus just before Jesus enters the scene.

He will “prepare the way” for Jesus.

PAUSE

This statement corresponds with a prophetic word given by 2 different Prophets in the Old Testament.

Remember, in this series, we want to connect Old Testament prophecies to the Christmas story.

Right here is one of those connections.

Look with me in Isaiah where we will see the link.

Isaiah 40:1-3 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed,

that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Church, help me out

Who is “the voice of one calling in the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord”?

John the Baptist!

Hundreds of years before, John was even a twinkle in Zachariah’s eye…

God promised he would be born JUST BEFORE Jesus.

And his life’s purpose was to tell people about Jesus!

PAUSE

The other prophecy we see here comes from the book of Malachi.

In Malachi 3:1, God tells us about a prophet who will have a unique purpose… to prepare the way for Jesus.

Malachi 3:1, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.

Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

Church, help me out again…

Who is the messenger that will prepare the way before Jesus?

JOHN the Baptist!

God spoke a promise through a prophet named Malachi… HUNDREDS of years BEFORE it happened.

PAUSE

Now stay with me……

WHAT did God promise?

Let’s go back to Luke 1:76….

Luke 1:76, And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

John will go before Jesus to tell people THAT Jesus is here and WHY Jesus is here!

And it gets more specific as to what John will do in his life!

Verse 77…

77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Church…..

Remember what I said earlier…

The REAL enemy of God is Satan and sin.

Look at the passage…

John will give people knowledge of salvation through WHAT?

Look back at verse 77

John will give people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of their sins!

And that forgiveness, that salvation, will be offered to WHO CHURCH….

To EVERYONE!!!!

PAUSE

Friends…

John was born on purpose and for a purpose.

His purpose was to tell others about Jesus.

To give others the hope, and joy, of their promised salvation.

Not salvation from the tyranny of the Roman Empire.

But salvation from Satan!

… from sin’s curse.

… from eternal death and darkness.

… from despair and hopelessness.

Salvation FROM sin, hell, and death.

Write this down:

Christmas Future: To everyone, Jesus is the pathway to salvation from sin. Jesus is the Savior King!

*Repeat

To EVERYONE…

Everyone…

To ME.

To your closest friends and family members.

To your crazy neighbors or classmates.

To EVERYONE!

Jesus offers salvation to YOU!

PAUSE

Let me share your life application with you….

It says this….

Life Application: Jesus is offering you the free gift of salvation. Have you accepted that? Do you want to be freed from your sin? As a result of today’s message, I Will __________________

Church…

I know there are some of you here today who think you are too far gone for God to reach you.

That you have done too many bad things for God to forgive you.

That you are beyond reach.

That is NOT true!

I know there are people listening to this message that you know God, but you also know you have been doing your life without His influence…

That, unlike John...

You are not doing what God created you to do.

And I want to encourage you today to turn your life back to God.

SALVATION CALL

SILENT NIGHT – CANDLE SERVICE/SINGING

Make sure you have candles…

Make sure you have lighters and people to light row.

Make sure you explain Jesus is the light of the world and they are to be the light in the world today as they leave…etc…

OFFERING

See you online next Sunday!!!!!