Luke 1:5-17 “The Forerunner to the Christ”

Good Morning, Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Well… how about that great performance from our kiddos this morning?

We are so thankful for all of our little ones… and thank you to all of you who serve or have served in our Children’s ministry.

I do love that we are blessed with a multi-generational church where older men and women can pour into our kids… and older women who admonish the young women…

NOT that any of our women are old… I’m just quoting Paul ladies…

I love the iron sharpening iron of all our ministries… and through the relationships you have with one another.

I feel very blessed to be a part of the Lord’s work in building the church… and watching to see how He leads.

Ethan, thank you for your words this morning and for sharing with us how God is moving in your life in Bible College… and ministry abroad.

A healthy church tends to follow the pattern set in Acts 1:8… where upon being empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to Jesus…

They do just that… they witness… geographically locally and then further out…

Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

And, it dawned on me that Ethan is our first sent out missionary to the end of the earth.

As a church please be praying for him as he seeks the Lord’s face for His will and direction.

This upcoming Wednesday is Christmas… are all of you kids excited to open your presents?

Raise your hands if you’ve been peeking? I’m just kidding… don’t raise your hands…

And, don’t peek… it’s more fun to be surprised!

This is not only the season for presents and family… and Christmas lights…

Chiefly… this is the time we remember and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Everyone repeat after me… “Jesus is the reason for the season!”

Alright kids… can you shout that out… “Jesus is the reason for the season”… Ready 3, 2,1…

Kids… your parent would really love it if you woke them up Christmas morning shouting the same thing.

I think… I think this would bring them a lot of joy.

Really early… they like that…

I do want to give you a heads up… that this is also the season where I am blessed to have a little break to be intentional with family…

And, so we will have three weeks of special sermons… and come back to Romans on January 12th…

The next two Sundays our Elders John Butcher and Ty Legan will share special messages…

And, today… I will be sharing a special message leading up to the birth of our Savior…

Please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke. Luke 1:5-17 today…

The message today focuses primarily on John’s parents… and the very difficult circumstances leading up to John’s birth… as well as the prophecy of John’s ministry.

Kind of a forerunner message leading up our Christmas Eve message… where my son, Ethan, will share another special message focusing on the Birth of our Savior.

If you are free, please join us at 7pm on Christmas Eve.

But. Let’s Pray… and then a shorter message today… looking at “The Forerunner to the Christ”… our sermon title today.

In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read the beginning of our passage today…

Luke 1:5-17 “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias [your Bible may read Zechariah… same guy], of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Praise God for His word. Please be seated.

We find ourselves in the Gospel of Luke today… which is one of my favorite Gospels.

Luke was a family Dr.... potentially of the household of Theophilus (whom he addresses this Gospel and Acts to)…

And as a Dr., Luke was detail oriented (which I appreciate)… often taking note of the medical observations in miracles… and providing details that appear in NO other Gospel… such as what we see in all of Luke Chapter 1.

Luke wrote primarily to Gentiles… Non-Jews… sometimes called “Greeks” in the Bible…

People who did not know Jewish history and prophecy… so he wrote to them in such a style that they could relate to… which was stories.

Luke is a storyteller, and he… by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit… recorded the marvelous back story leading up to the Birth of Jesus Christ…

The telling of the early life of Jesus and John the Baptist…

Not that he was denominationally “Baptist”, but Baptizing people was a key part of his ministry.

“John the Baptizer” is probably a more appropriate representation…

And he will be the focus of our message today… the forerunner to Jesus Christ.

I’ve used that term “forerunner” twice now… and if you’re not familiar with the term… a ‘forerunner’ was a person who ran forward in advance typically of a coming king…

The Gk. word is prodromos and it means “a running forward”… one who advances to prepare the way that others are to follow.

A forerunner to a king would go ahead of a king into a village or a town they were approaching… and would announce to all… “The king is coming… prepare your roads and town and yourselves for his approach.”

And indeed when John the Baptizer was of an adult age… he went before Jesus Christ…

And as Matt 3:2-3 records, John said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” [And, Matthew confirmed John’s coming was written of 700 years prior… prophesied by Isaiah…] 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ”

What’s interesting about the word “forerunner” is that it only appears 1x in Scripture… and not of John, but of Jesus…

Hebrews 6:19–20 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, [this is the verse that inspired the anchor in our church logo] both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Just as John was the forerunner to Jesus’ coming… Jesus is our forerunner in that He has entered the holy place… the Heavenly sanctuary before His people… all who place their faith in Him… and he serves as our head and our guide.

Jesus is our High Priest forever… and the Christian hope is sure or certain… it’s steadfast or secure/ firmly grounded/ guaranteed…

This hope is compared to a safe harbor where our soul’s can drop anchor.

If you believe that Jesus is your Savior from sin… you have a hope that is unshakable.

Where Jesus is… there you will be also.

Jesus said, in John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

What a beautiful promise!

And, so… very intentionally… we remember Jesus Christ and His incarnation… during this Christmas season.

Jesus is Immanuel… meaning “God is with us!”

Well… let’s now go back and look at our account today… the forerunner to Christ…

Luke 1, starting in V5… “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah.

Herod the Great… is the “king” mentioned here…

He submitted to the Roman empire and Caesar, but ruled over Judea, Israel from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C. … during the time with John the Baptist and Jesus were born. placing Jesus’ birth somewhere around 6-4 B.C..

And during this same time… there was a Jewish priest named Zacharias… who was the father of John the Baptist.

Zacharias was of the division of Abijah… a lesser division of a total of 24 priestly divisions (according to 1 Chr 24)… and he was one of about 18 to 20,000 priests…

Lot’s of priests in Israel in the first century!

continuing on in V5… “His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

It was not a requirement for Zacharias to marry a woman also born into the priestly line of Aaron, but he did. Elizabeth was born into the line of Aaron…

Aaron, being a descendant of Levi and the brother of Moses.

The Levites and the men of the line of Aaron became priests for Israel.

Notice in V6, they were both described as “righteous before God”… they lived lives obey God’s law… not perfect, but blameless… upright in the sight of God.

They were dedicated to God and not to sinful lifestyles. When they did sin… they would follow the sacrificial law and atone or make amends for their sins.

Today, this is the equivalent of growing up in a… as we say “a good Christian home.”

Kids… if your parents love Jesus and are raising you understand the Bible and to live by the Bible… and to love God and love one another… you are being raised in a good home.

One of the best Christmas gifts we get each year… if we live in such a home is just that… there is a blessing to be raised in a home with parents who love God.

This is the kind of home John the Baptist was raised in…

And, a lesson for us parents is the lesson of influence… it’s not surprising that beyond God choosing John for his special role to announce the coming Messiah… the coming King…

God also choose Zacharias and Elizabeth… a Godly home where their righteous and blameless influence would be upon John.

I encourage you parents to be intentional with your children in the ways of the Lord.

Now… while this was home that served the Lord… that did not exempt them from trials in life… life was not perfect for Zacharias and Elizabeth…

Look at V7 “But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.”

This family who served the Lord had a very difficult condition that fell on Elizabeth… she was barren… unable to birth children.

Today, we view barrenness as a medical condition… but Jews viewed this as a spiritual condition.

God said in Genesis 1 “be fruitful and multiply”, and therefore Rabbis took the inability to have children as a curse.

It was a reproach against their family… as they had no heir.

Other Jews would have looked at Zacharias and Elizabeth and wondered, “What’s wrong with them? I wonder what kind of sin is in their life?”

Even Jesus’ disciples one time… when they saw a blind man asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2)

So, there was a social stigma attached to people with illness or conditions like barrenness.

But… we clearly see that in the case of John’s parent… these were Godly people, and yet they still walked through hardship…

We can apply this to our lives today to understand that hardship does not take away from our godliness and it is certainly not a curse… sometimes life is just hard.

Sometimes we can be just as superstitious as these Jews… but we normally think about our own lives as cursed.

Sometimes we evaluate difficulties and think God must not love me… God doesn’t hear my prayers… God has forgotten about me… I must be cursed by God.

This is far from the truth… we just read in Romans 5:3-4 “… we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

God has a good plan to use difficulties in our lives to grow us in Godly character and to conform us into the image of His Son.

Though the process is not always pleasant… the end result is divine.

On top of Elizabeth not being able to have children… we also read in V7, they were “well advanced in years.” The Bible is so kind…

Kids… this was a nice way of say, “they were old”… like really old. Maybe even older than your Mom & Dad.

Some think 50-60 years old, but probably not.

Probably around my age because I’m 47 years old… and according to Numbers 8:24-25 a priest had to be between the age of 25-50 to perform duties in the tabernacle.

So, Zacharias… being selected for a priestly duty would mean he is not yet retired… likely no older than 49 years.

I don’t consider late 40’s as “well advanced in years” today, but in first century Israel… average age life expectancy was only about 30 years old from what I read…

They didn’t have the medical advancements, nutrition, sanitation, and living conditions we do today.

And, once passes age 40… the likelihood of having children significantly decreases.

Now… despite their trial… despite their many prayers for a child not being answered… they never forsook the Lord…

Day-by-day… they remained faithful to serving and loving God.

Which is a good model for us today…

And, in God’s timing… God moved in this impossible situation…

I love what happens next… look again at vv 8-10…

“So it was, that while he [Zacharias] was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.”

With some 20,000 priests… there was a lottery system to see who would have the honor and the privilege to perform the temple duties…

They would take turns serving in the temple… each of the 24 groups would serve for one wee in a 24-week cycle…

… and it so happened that Zacharias was chosen… his big day… his once in a lifetime experience had come…

I imagine… he and Elizabeth prepared the night before…

rehearsing his role…

laying out his clothes…

setting his alarm clock…

all things were in order…

Yet, they could not prepare for what God would do next…

There are times we have all things in order… and we feel like we are in control…

And, then God shows up in a way that amazes us…

And in the story of Zacharias… he was not only about to stand upon a pinnacle moment in his career…

But, God would also send an angel… a messenger with a very important message for Zacharias.

vv 11-12 “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.”

Can you imagine? It was somewhat dark in the Temple… they did not have modern LED lighting with 15,000 lumens… just candles…

And, they would flicker and cast shadows… and Zacharias was all alone in the Temple…

And, then an angel is standing at the right side of the altar…

Imagine if he holding a flashlight near his belly… shining it at his face?

And then just shouted out… “Hi Zacharias… been waiting for you!”

The fear we read about in V12… NLT reads, he was “shaken and overwhelmed with fear...”

Fear upon seeing a heavenly being is a common response we read about in the Bible…

And, equally consistent is the response “Fear not.”

To Israel the Lord said, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” (Isa 41:10)

V13 “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.”

This is a lot to take in!

Seeing an actual angel… who is revealed in V19 as “Gabriel”… the same Gabriel the Archangel who appeared to Daniel in Daniel 8.

Now bringing news that your prayer is heard…

Their prayer from when? Perhaps even in their old age they have never ceased praying for a child, but I find that doubtful.

More likely… they came to a place of accepting Elizabeth’s barrenness and said… or at least thought, “It’s good to pray, but let’s be done with that now. Thus situation is beyond hope.”

How many years ago did they last pray for a child?

Seems like that ship sailed long ago… and I imagine their prayers had ceased.

But, Gabriel addresses Zacharias and says, “your prayer is heard...”

How often do we think that when our prayers are not answered… that God has forgotten our prayers?

Sometimes… it’s just not the right time for our prayer to be answered.

Don’t give up on prayer. There's an old saying that goes “Gods delays are not His denials.”

God’s timing is perfect… and His lessons are perfect… and His love for you is perfect.

Trust in the Lord.

What’s very interesting about this account… is if you look at the meanings behind the names of our characters…

The name Zacharias means “Jah has remembered” or “The Lord remembers.”

Elizabeth is the Gk. form of the Hebrew name “Elisheba” meaning “God of the Oath” or “my God has sworn.”

Both names are fitting, because God had not forgotten… He is faithful.

They would have a son and name him “John” meaning, “Jehovah has been gracious.”

Gabriel continues… now revealing six aspects of John’s character in vv 14-17…

V14 “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

No doubt a season of joy and gladness was upon them.

Their prayers for a child have been answered… their stigma would be lifted.

And, Luke often linked “joy” with “salvation” in his Gospel…

And the nation of Israel would have joy and gladness through John’s ministry…

When John was born, Zacharias prophesied in Luke 1:76-79 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, [the forerunner] 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring [Messiah] from on high has visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Joy was upon them… and salvation, joy and peace is available to anyone today who receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

V15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”

If you aspire to be great… aspire to be great for an audience of one… “great in the sight of the Lord...”

And, similar to a Nazarite vow… John was dedicated to be set apart from the world and fully dedicated to God…

As we should be as well. Eph 5:18 declares, “do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation [wastefulness]; but be filled with the Spirit...”

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a privilege that we all have as believers.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon certain people for special positions or for certain works… and the Holy Spirit could depart people.

And sometimes He did… like Saul.

David wrote in Ps 51:11 “And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

That’s not our experience with the Holy Spirit.

We live in a very special time. I don’t think we appreciate the person… and the work… and the gifts of the Holy Spirit enough.

He’s not a spooky spirit… nor a weird spirit… or an out-of-control spirit…

He’s the Holy Spirit. He is loving and He is God.

The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

And, indeed John was filled with the Holy Spirit early…

In V41… when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came and visited Elizabeth… we read, “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Luke 1, V16 “And he [John] will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.”

Notice… “the Lord their God”… Jesus is Lord, Jesus is God.

One of several verses affirming the deity of Christ.

John… empowered by the Holy Spirit… would faithfully serve as the Lord’s herald… as His forerunner… and his ministry would be very fruitful…

Mark 1:4–5 “John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.”

Many hearts were prepared to receive Messiah through the preaching of John.

Again… the forerunner goes before the King to prepare people for His arrival.

V17 “He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

John fulfilled Mal 3:1 in his ministry…

Malachi 3:1 reads “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me.

Jesus confirmed this about John in Matt 11:10 “For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’”

And, had the Nation of Israel received the message of John… then John would have fulfilled the prophecy of…

Mal 4:5-6 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

Jesus said in Matt 11:13-14 “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.”

The entirety of the Old Testament… from Genesis to Malachi testified of the coming Messiah…

And, with the coming of John… many OT prophecies were fulfilled… the first advent of Messiah had become reality.

Jesus Christ whom we remember this Christmas season was born.

Rom 3:21-22 declares, “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.”

But, remember the words of Jesus to the Jews regarding John, “… if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.”

Sadly… at that time… the Nation of Israel as a whole were not willing to receive the message of John…

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

They were not willing to receive Jesus as their Messiah.

But, how about you? Many of you have accepted Jesus as your Lord… as your Savior.

During Christmas… it is one of our favorite times of year with family and the giving of gifts.

Receive this gift from God… the gift of Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Eph 2:8 declares, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God...”

Worship Team Please Come.

As we close out this service today… know that God is a gift giver…

Know that He loves you… and gave His Son Jesus… to make a way for our fellowship with God to be restored.

Believe in Jesus Christ.

As we sing this last song… our prayer team will be available to pray with you for any of your prayer needs…

Let’s Pray!

Zacharias and Elizabeth… the birth of John… what a story leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ!

Please join us tonight for Caroling… and Christmas Eve at 7pm to continue the celebration… looking a the birth of our Lord.

Merry Christmas Church Family!

May God bless you richly this Christmas and the coming New Year!