Birth of John, Foretold

Introduction

We are embarking on a 10-part sermon series titled “The Coming of Jesus, the Son of Man.”

Some historcal context:

In the first part of Luke, we see this gospel written with a more perfect understanding in verse 3, and that the letter is addressed to Theophilus. Theophilus was a gentile patron; we know the title “most excellent Theophilus” as a person of status. Luke wanted to affirm the gospel, and he wanted to place greater certainty and confidence in the gospel message, the message of the cross, and in the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of Man!  

I believe Luke wanted to strengthen Theophilus's faith and provide clarity on what Theophilus had been taught. Another point to consider is Luke's polished Greek and explanation of Jewish customs suggest to us, as the readers of God's word, that this gospel was meant for a broader audience not familiar with Jewish customs, in other words, the Gentiles. Think about that: Luke wrote this gospel for the Gentile people, which means there is no question that this gospel was meant for you and me.

Today's message is titled, “The Birth of John, Foretold.” Today's message is about leaning on faith in our own personal lives. We see such a story with the birth of John the Baptist. Their issue of being in the latter years of their lives, and Elizabeth's inability to bear a child.

Personal story of how God moved in my life. Story of my daughter walking closer to the Lord.

Exposition

Luke 1:5 “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.”

We see this passage revealing a time frame: “In the days of Herod.” Now, why is this important? Because Herod the Great was a brutal and bloody tyrant. A first century Jewish historian, named Josephus outlined his infamous acts of murdering members of his own family, and that he attempted to destroy the full Sanhedrin council, and in Matthew 2:16 - We see Herod responsible for the murder of all the children 2 years and under, in Bethlehem, from coast to coast, the bible says “in all the coasts thereof.” Herod was violent man.

We see a certain priest, named Zacharias of the course abia or Abijah. We know the course of Abijah were a division of priests. Now at this time there were approximately 20,000 male priests, and only one temple. According to 1 Chronicles 24, the priests rotated through 24 divisions or groups. Each group or division served in the temple for one week, twice a year. Luke’s reference of Zacharias belonging to Abia means he belonged to the 8th division known as the course of Abijah.

Another interesting fact is in Hebrew, Zacharias means “Remembered of Jehovah.” Now, I want to emphasize that the very name of Zacharias reveals a promise of God to Zacharias.

We also see Elisabeth, who in Hebrew means “One whose oath is to God.” She was one of the daughters of a priest in the levitical line from Aaron, and because of what was required of any woman marrying a priest, we know she was a pure woman, a virgin at marriage. We can find these stipulations in Leviticus 21:14 “A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or a harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.”

Luke 1:6 “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

Both walking righteously before God, walking in all commandments, blameless. In other words, they were joined together and committed to God. They had a type of righteous discipline as husband and wife, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless. Church, this means they controlled their thoughts. They controlled their mind. They controlled their tongues. They controlled their behavior. All of their actions diligently sought to please the Lord. They were blameless before God.

My question to the church is: How much do we desire to be blameless in every aspect of our lives? How much do we desire to be righteous before God? Do we have the type of righteous discipline that shows those around us, God is the priority in our lives?!

Luke 1:7 “And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.”

Elisabeth was barren. Based on the passage, “they were both now well stricken in years,” we can estimate their approximate ages between their 40s and 50s. At this moment, I think of Hannah, the mother of the prophet of the Lord, Samuel. I think of her enemy Peninnah, who mocked her continuously. I think of Hannah, year after year, crying out to God in both spoken prayers and guttural cries. I think about Hannah’s prayer to God, begging him fervently, vowing to dedicate her son to God’s service, and I remember that God answered her prayer!

In this moment, I am reminded of how the god of this world has orchestrated a generational campaign against God’s unborn children. Vessels of evil like Herod the Great, who massacred children coast to coast exist today. I cannot help but cry out for all of the children, aborted, for whom God had plans! I am talking about future prayer warriors. I am talking about future healers, or preachers, or teachers, or evangelists, or God’s generals for the kingdom of God on earth.

Church, when the devil comes at you in what feels the hardest, I can promise you that Word of God shows us there is something greater coming around the corner! And what the world meant for evil, God will mean it for good!

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Luke 1:8–12 “And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.”

The bible says “it came to pass, while he executed the priests office before God....there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord....And a fear fell upon him.” Time and time again, I see the Word of God reveal that in the presence of God, in the presence of true divinity, fear comes over us. The bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Psalm 91:15 “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.”

Luke 1:13 “But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.”

The angel said Fear not, Zacharias, for the prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, whom thou shalt call John! We see God answering an unspoken petition by Zacharias while he was fulfilling his duties. We know from Numbers 8:24 that by the age of 25, Levitical priests begin their service at the tabernacle. I want to emphasize that we know that Zacharias “was well stricken in years.” So from 25 years to his current age, at least 20 plus years. We see the faithfulness of Zacharias working two weeks a year for 20 plus years. Zacharias remained faithful. And we see the evidence of an unspoken prayer and Zacharias desire for a child.

The bible says the “Fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much.” We see an angel of the Lord deliver an answer to Zacharias, ultimately fulfilling the prophecy found in Isaiah 40:3 “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

We see the same theme echoed in Luke 3:4–6 “As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Illustration:

I believe faithfulness and persistence go hand in hand. Imagine a boulder and you have to split this boulder by swinging a pickaxe, and strike after strike nothing happens. You keep striking the boulder. 10 strikes; 30 strikes; 50 strikes; 70 srikes; 80 strikes; 90 strikes, 95, 96, 97, 98, and 99 strikes. You are about to give up, but something tells you to strike one more time. So you pick up the pickaxe, and your arms are heavy but you strike the boulder for the 100th time, and the boulder splits!

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Faithfulness and persistence must come together, not in your own works, but trusting God in His!

See, strike after strike the inside of the boulder started getting a hairline fracture, and strike after strike the crack gets bigger on the inside. See that is how God works in our lives, strike after strike, prayer after prayer, God is doing something in the unseen realm. God is moving the pieces into alignment. He lowers the mountain, and raises the valley, he makes the crooked places straight, the rough places smooth. He opens doors no man can shut, and shuts doors no man can open.

Luke 1:14 “And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.”

There shall be gladness and joy at his birth. I want to point out something, so many times, the miracle God is doing in your life is not meant solely for you alone. So often the miracle God is doing in your life, is meant to bless someone else too. To be a light of Christ in their life.

Luke 1:15 “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”

It is so hard for me not to think about the importance God places on the womb after reading that John the Baptist will receive the Holy Ghost from the womb. The Bible also says the fruit of the womb is a reward from God.

That means to me that the Christians who proclaim abortion is ok, or abortion is just removing a clump of cells are wrong. There is another argument that is pro-choice will use stating there is a biblical reference that “life does not begin until the first breath.” I have a couple of scriptures for you: Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the womb I knew thee...” Isaiah 43:1 “...Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”

Luke says that John will receive the Holy Ghost, even in his mother's womb. I have to tell you, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! I believe Abortion is absolutely an abomination before God. Anyone who proclaims to be a Christian and is pro-choice is heretical. I believe it is evil and further spreads evil. You cannot claim to be a Christian and be pro-choice; that is blasphemous. Outside of medical complications, there can be no compromise.

Luke 1:16–17 “And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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.”

In this passage, we see God's promise to Zacharias through the angel of the Lord. That John would make people ready for the Lord!

I am telling you now, church, do not get ready for the coming of the Lord. I am telling you to “Be Ready!” As John made a people ready, “Be Ready for the return of the conquering King!”

We are in the last days!

Luke 1:18–20 “And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.”

We see that Zacharias' unbelief became an adversity to him, and that the angel of the Lord punished him by silencing him. My question, church: How many times are we receiving a blessing from God and, in reality, doubting it? Or, God is answering a prayer in our lives, but we doubt some part of the request or answer? Then we lose something tied to that blessing?!

Think about it, God answers our prayer, but because we could not believe fully, we miss something that comes with the blessing. I believe Zacharias is a great example. God still blessed him. God still answered his unspoken prayer. Even those who observed Zacharias coming out of the temple believed he had a vision, but he could not talk about the experience. Think about the joy and gladness that Zacharias' unbelief cost all those who saw Zacharias and who witnessed his silence.

What is worse, church, having your voice silenced while God blesses you, or you keeping your testimony silent even though He has blessed you? Our unbelief can hinder our blessings! Our unbelief can affect those around us too. But our silence can hide the power of God in the lives around us, and block the light of Christ to others.

Luke 1:21–23 “And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.”

There was a visible difference about Zacharias, but he could not speak!

Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Jeremiah 10:24 “O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; Not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.”

Luke 1:24 “And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,”

This passage reveals the promise of God bearing fruit. Elisabeth conceived and hid herself for the first five months.

Luke 1:25 “Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Closing and Altar:

Zacharias entered the Holy Place and was struck silent; he could not speak of the blessing God was doing in his life. But we do not serve a mute God, or a deaf God, or a silent God. We cannot be a people of doubt. God does not want us silent. Our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We serve a living God, and It is a fearful thing to fall in the hands of a Living God!!

Is there an area in your life that you can give to God? Is there unbelief in your life, even though God is doing a mighty work in your life? Are you like the father who says, “Lord I believe, but help me with my unbelief!”

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Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”