Prepare the Way of the Lord

Introduction

We’ve talked recently a lot about KNOWING GOD AND HOW WE KNOW GOD!

Today’s passage talks a lot about the attributes of God- these are crucial for us to KNOW GOD!

To know God we have to know HIS Attributes.

In fact, when I was doing youth ministry, this was the first series that my boss had us do with our students A SERIES ON THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD! (Expand- tell the aseity story- listen- this matters for all of us! WE NEED TO KNOW GOD’S ATTRIBUTES!) A SERIES ON THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD!

EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW THESE! AND in LUKE 1:57-80, there are many attributes that are made clear. There’s three in particular that we are going to focus on:

God’s IMMUTABILITY!

God’s TRUTHFULNESS!

God’s GOODNESS!

Main Point: John’s life pointed people to God. Our lives should also.

Body

Luke 1:57-58

Like Luke has done so far in every part of Luke 1, he gives us the setting of this passage. Luke 1:57-58 tell us the setting.

Luke 1:57–58 CSB

57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son. 58 Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.

This is taking place after Mary leaves in verse 56.

Further, these events are going to take place as Elizabeth gives birth to her son.

Look at what happens! her neighbors and her nearby relatives hear about this- look at what they really have heard about- they have heard about GOD’S GREAT MERCY!

Elizabeth’s pregnancy has been used by GOD to show THE ISRAELITES THEIR NEED FOR GOD!

Luke 1:57-80 is a passage that we may look at and say is about John. But really, this passage is ALL about God showing HIMSELF TO THE ISRAELITES!

And this makes sense- JOHN’S LIFE IS ENTIRELY BUILT AROUND PREPARING THE WAY FOR JESUS WHO COMES AFTER HIM!

John himself describes Jesus like this- John 1:27

John 1:27 CSB

27 He is the one coming after me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.”

Elizabeth gives birth and the Israelites hear about GOD’S MERCY AND THEN THEY RESPOND WITH HER!

Their response is to REJOICE!

They rejoice together, giving glory to God together!

I’m not going to weigh in on the spiritual state of everyone in Luke 1:57-80, but we can say this- from the verse where we meet Elizabeth in Luke 1, until Luke 1:58, Elizabeth is fully focused on giving GOD GLORY!

And her relatives and neighbors respond by glorifying God! I think this is connected.

See, your life has INFLUENCE! (Use it to point people to GOD!) (THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO POINT PEOPLE- INCLUDING FAMILY- TO JESUS! USE YOUR WORDS, YOUR ACTIONS AND YOUR PRIORITIES TO POINT PEOPLE TO GOD!- ex.- pray with someone, encourage someone, show God’s LOVE TO SOMEONE AROUND YOU!)

Luke 1:59-66

For Luke 1:59-66 to make sense, we have to understand something. Under the Abrahamic covenant, you had to circumcise a child on the 8th day. Luke 1:59 picks up on the 8th day of John’s life.

Luke 1:59–66 CSB

59 When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But his mother responded, “No. He will be called John.” 61 Then they said to her, “None of your relatives has that name.” 62 So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard about him took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him.

There’s a lot that goes on in there!

Like I said- under the Old Covenant- the ABRAHAMIC covenant, circumcision took place on the 8th day. Circumcision was THE SIGN OF THE COVENANT!

God promised that Abraham would become a great nation and ABRAHAM REFLECTED THIS COVENANT BY HAVING EVERY MALE CIRCUMCISED!

Throughout Israelite history this was the one act of obedience that typically was followed.

Everyone is gathered at Zechariah’s house to engage in this practice.

And as the baby was circumcised they were also named! Remember, Zechariah cannot speak, so the crowd is ready to name him one thing- Zechariah like his father- when his mom steps in.

There’s some confusion though because JOHN is not a family name!

Zechariah gets a writing tablet and writes that HIS NAME IS JOHN!

Look at what Luke says- “they were all amazed.” This word- θαύμαζω (Thaumazo) is used to describe the crowds response to this and also to describe people’s response to JESUS’S MIRACLES!

They are AMAZED; they MARVEL; THEY WONDER! THE CROWD DOESN’T UNDERSTAND!

But do you see what happens next? In verse 62-63, Zechariah obeys and in verse 64 ZECHARIAH BEGINS TO SPEAK!

And look at what he does first! Zechariah begins to PRAISE GOD!

Can I tell you a central theme of Luke 1? PRAISING GOD!

GOD IS PRAISED OVER AND OVER AGAIN THROUGHOUT THIS CHAPTER!

Sometimes in leadership development methods, it’s recommended that people work through a “personal mission statement.”

If we were to summarize Zechariah and Elizabeth with a mission statement we would say- “THEY ARE ALL ABOUT PRAISING GOD!”

That’s what they do! They lead people to WORSHIP GOD!

And Cornerstone Family, that is what WE ARE TO DO ALSO! WE ARE TO LIVE LIVES THAT LEAD PEOPLE TO WORSHIPPING GOD!

When we talk about our mission at Cornerstone- to CONNECT PEOPLE WITH JESUS- it is a call to help people WORSHIP GOD!

Look at the response! In addition to wonder and awe, FEAR COMES ON THE SURROUNDING AREA!

They begin to talk about what just transpired! And as they do, they don’t really understand, but the one thing that they do know? Luke 1:66

Luke 1:66 CSB

66 All who heard about him took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him.

They know that this child will be great!

Their attention is drawn in to whatever is going to happen with this child!

And now, Zechariah is going to PROPHESY ABOUT HIS SON!

Throughout his prophesy, there’s three parts that we are going to see. Today we are going to see Zechariah praise God for three specific attributes.

Each one of these sections is going to have a sentence we use to summarize it and then an ATTRIBUTE THAT IS SHOWN!

First, Zechariah praises God because GOD’S PLAN FOR SALVATION HAS NEVER CHANGED! This shows God’s IMMUTABILITY!

Second, Zechariah praises God because GOD’S PROMISES ARE ALWAYS KEPT! This shows God’s TRUTHFULNESS!

Thirdly, Zechariah praises God because GOD’S COMPASSION FOR THE WORLD WILL BE SHOWN THROUGH JOHN’S MINISTRY AND THE MINISTRY OF THE MESSIAH! This shows God’s GOODNESS!

Luke 1:67-71- God’s PLAN FOR SALVATION HAS NEVER CHANGED- IMMUTABILITY!

Luke 1:67–71 CSB

67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and provided redemption for his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets in ancient times; 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of those who hate us.

Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and begins to prophecy!

By the way- every time we see a prophecy in scripture- understand- that is the HOLY SPIRIT WORKING!

And Zechariah starts to prophecy to all of these people who are gathered in his house.

First, Zechariah says to BLESS THE LORD! This is very similar to how Mary started last week- MAGNIFY THE LORD WITH ME!

And why does he start with that? BECAUSE GOD HAS GIVEN REDEMPTION FOR THE WORLD JUST AS GOD PROMISED

Look at this- God has raised up a horn of salvation from David’s line.

Do you know how we keep emphasizing knowing GOD AND KNOWING GOD’S WORD? ZECHARIAH is quoting from Psalm 18:2 in Luke 1:69

Psalm 18:2 CSB

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

God has PROVIDED A WAY FOR US TO BE SAVED AND THE STRENGTH OF OUR SALVATION!

And as Zechariah reminds us, God did it out of the house of David- JUST AS WAS PROMISED!

Davidic line prophecies: Genesis 49, Isaiah 7:14,9,2 Samuel 7, Haggai 2:23 etc.

God has LONG PROMISED a savior THROUGH the line of David! This promise has never changed!

This promise is what has been spoken by the HOLY PROPHETS IN ANCIENT TIMES!

Look at that list I just gave- we see this promise all the way back to before the SLAVERY OF ISRAEL and throughout the era of the Israelite kingdom!

And finally- notice what verse 71 says. Luke 1:71 is a reminder of what God is sending.

God is sending SALVATION!

God is specifically sending salvation from our enemies and the hand of those who hate us- but this isn’t just a physical salvation.

Instead, we have an enemy who hates us!

That enemy is satan and JESUS SAVES US FROM THAT

As Zechariah prophecies, the first thing that he says is about how GOD HAS PROVIDED A NEVER-CHANGING PLAN FOR SALVATION!

To put this another way, Zechariah is ACKNOWLEDGING AND PROCLAIMING GOD’S IMMUTABILITY!

Immutability simply means that GOD NEVER CHANGES!

See, we change. We may be closer to God or further from God, but GOD NEVER CHANGES!

OUR GOD IS IMMUTABLE, so quite literally, GOD WILL NEVER CHANGE AND CAN NEVER CHANGE! IT IS TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE!

Zechariah wants us to understand that we see that in God’s plan for salvation.

And let me give you a practical encouragement here- salvation isn’t just about going to heaven- salvation is about OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD! AND INSIDE OF SALVATION WE LEARN MORE ABOUT GOD!

LIKE HOW GOD NEVER CHANGES! Unlike everything else in the world, OUR GOD WILL NEVER CHANGE!

INSERT EXAMPLE- Gyroscope- it’s a navigational tool- the outer part spins, but the inner part is designed to never move. To compare this- we move, we change, we rotate, we do all sorts of things- but GOD? GOD NEVER CHANGES! GOD NEVER SPINS OUT OF CONTROL! GOD WAS, GOD IS AND GOD ALWAYS WILL BE!

HEAR THAT TRUTH THIS MORNING! GOD IS IMMUTABLE!

Luke 1:72-75- GOD’S PROMISES ARE ALWAYS KEPT! This shows God’s TRUTHFULNESS!

Luke 1:72–75 CSB

72 He has dealt mercifully with our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant— 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham. He has given us the privilege, 74 since we have been rescued from the hand of our enemies, to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness in his presence all our days.

Zechariah reminds the people listening about how God’s promises go ALL THE WAY BACK TO THEIR ANCESTORS- EVEN AS FAR BACK AS ABRAHAM WHO IS CONSIDERED THE FATHER OF ISRAEL!

Genesis 12:1–2 CSB

1 The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

That’s what Zechariah is referencing! God has ALWAYS BEEN FAITHFUL AND HE BRINGS THAT INTO PEOPLE’S MINDS!

To put this another way, God is TRUTHFUL AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN TRUTHFUL!

God has shown HIS TRUTHFULNESS through His constantly keeping promises to the Israelite people!

God has delivered them from their enemies, God has protected them, and God has provided for them day after day, time after time!

And Zechariah points out that they were to RESPOND IN OBEDIENCE BY SERVING GOD!

They were able to serve God without fear of man- literally- APHOBOS, or ANTI-FEAR! WE ARE CALLED TO BE COMPLETELY FREE FROM FEAR- and they could serve God in HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS!

But over time, they stopped serving God like that. They became more focused on their earthly power.

See, their commitment to God changed over time. But do you know what NEVER CHANGES?

GOD’S TRUTHFULNESS NEVER CHANGES!

GOD IS ALWAYS TRUTHFUL TO HIS WORD! DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY, GOD WILL ALWAYS BE TRUTHFUL TO HIS WORD!

Practically- this is so important for salvation! See, God has told us how to be saved and we can COUNT ON THAT BECAUSE GOD IS ALWAYS TRUTHFUL AND GOD NEVER CHANGES!

Luke 1:76-79- GOD’S COMPASSION FOR THE WORLD WILL BE SHOWN THROUGH JOHN’S MINISTRY AND THE MINISTRY OF THE MESSIAH ! This shows God’s GOODNESS!

Luke 1:76–79 CSB

76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. 78 Because of our God’s merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us 79 to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

In the third part of Zechariah’s prophecy he speaks about how GOD’S COMPASSION IS EVIDENT IN JOHN’S MINISTRY AND IN THE MINISTRY OF THE ONE WHO WILL COME!

Zechariah first prophesies about John in verse 76! He says that John will be called, “A PROPHET OF THE MOST HIGH!”

This stands directly in apposition to what is said about Jesus in LUKE 1:32

Luke 1:32 CSB

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

John will be a prophet and John will go BEFORE THE LORD- that is JESUS- to prepare his ways!

Zechariah tells us in verse 77 what that means! John is going to be given a message that AWAKENS PEOPLE TO THEIR SINFULENSS!

John’s message makes people face a reality- that they are sinners who need a savior!

And that savior is JESUS! JESUS IS THE SAVIOR THAT THEY NEED!

John is going to point people towards Jesus!

(John is the lights on the floor of the airplane that is the sinking ship of Israel! JESUS IS THE SAVIOR THEY NEED AND JOHN’S MISSION IS TO POINT PEOPLE TO HIM!)

Then, in verse 78, Zechariah points us back to God’s attributes!

Specifically we see God’s GOODNESS HERE as shown through GOD’S COMPASSION ON THE WORLD!

God gives mercy and compassion THROUGH JESUS!

Additionally, Zechariah says that God’s compassion will shine bright in darkness!

And we see this! Jesus is called the LIGHT OF THE WORLD FOR A REASON!

Jesus brings light into a dark world that is paralyzed by sin!

Zechariah is going to say one other thing about Jesus- in verse 79, he says that Jesus comes to GUIDE OUR FEET INTO THE WAY OF PEACE!

There are two types of peace being referenced here.

Peace with Man- LIVE LIKE JESUS- Greatest command in John 13:34-35

John 13:34–35 CSB

34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Peace with God (Gospel!)

This third section shows us how GOD IS GOOD AND GIVES US COMPASSION THROUGH JESUS! WHO COMES AFTER JOHN!

Luke 1:80

The last verse in this section says: Luke 1:80

Luke 1:80 CSB

80 The child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

This is what happens with John!

John grows up and becomes STRONG IN THE HOLY SPIRIT!

And then, he goes into the wilderness and begins his public ministry!

John’s public ministry is marked by ONE THING- it is marked by PREPARING THE WAY FOR JESUS!

HE MAKES THE NAME OF JESUS GREAT AND HE POINTS PEOPLE TOWARDS SALVATION!

Application

Be An Example of Praising God (PRAISE GOD!)

Practical- In everything that we do, let’s praise God! Make sure that our lives reflect OUR FAITH!

Praise isn’t just singing! Praise is something that we can do as we speak, as we work, as we live, or in ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE DO!

This week; PRAISE GOD!

Christmas SHOWS US THE CHARACTER OF GOD- Immutability, Truthfulness, GOODNESS! COME TO KNOW GOD TODAY!

Repent and believe! This is who our God!

OUR GOD IS NEVER CHANGING, OUR GOD IS TRUTHFUL, AND OUR GOD IS GOOD!

Listen, this is so practical!

Life changes- example

Life has lies- examples

Life has bad situations- example

But GOD never changes! BUT GOD never LIES! BUT GOD NEVER IS BAD! GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD!

AND FRIENDS, THAT’S WHY I WANT TO PLEAD WITH YOU TODAY TO PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS! COME TO KNOW GOD TODAY! (PLEAD! LIKE REALLY PLEAD!)

Christmas is the Greatest Gift of All Time (SO WE NEED TO TELL THE WORLD ABOUT IT!)

One of my favorite parts about Luke 1:57-80 is how missional it is!

See, there’s a clear mission laid out. God is sending SALVATION and JOHN is to prepare the way for the savior.

Now that Jesus has come and has RETURNED TO HEAVEN, we need to do something- WE NEED TO TELL THE WORLD ABOUT IT!

Just as John needed to prepare the way, we need to TELL THE WORLD ABOUT JESUS!

If John’s mission was to PREPARE THE WAY, then our MISSION is to CONNECT PEOPLE WITH JESUS!

And Christmas is a great time to do that!

Three ways:

Who’s your One- BE PRAYING! GUYS, GOD WANTS US TO GO TO HIM IN PRAYER! LET’S BE A PRAYING CHURCH!

Invite someone to Christmas Eve

On Tuesday Night I can promise two things:

We will sing Silent Night with candlelight

THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS WILL NOT JUST BE ALLUDED TO, IT WILL BE THE FOCAL POINT OF THE NIGHT!

And three- there will be a call to respond to respond!

Be HERE! BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU!

This isn’t just a cliche, I’m serious! Bring someone with you! And don’t just do that- PRAY FOR THAT PERSON! PRAY THAT THEY WOULD COME TO KNOW JESUS ON CHRISTMAS EVE! Cornerstone Family, that’s about the best Christmas Gift I could EVER think of!

Tell someone WHY CHRISTMAS IS SO IMPORTANT TO YOU! (GO!)

Ask good questions- ask someone what they do at Christmas! ASK QUESTIONS!

Remind people of the GOOD NEWS!