The Forerunner

Emmanuel – The Greatest Gift Part 3

The Forerunner is Bornr

Luke 1:5-25, 51-66, 3:1-3

Good morning, and welcome back to our Sermon Series Emmanuel -The Greatest Gift.

Would you pray with me?

In this sermon series, we are looking at the events and the people who were vital to mankind receiving the greatest gift that there will ever be. And that gift is Emmanuel God with us.

It’s my hope and prayer that through this sermon series celebrating the birth of Christ Jesus, we will see the purpose and fulfillment of God in our lives. That is why it is important we look at the lives of those who are so closely related to the birth of Christ and how when they accepted the plan God had for each of their life. And when they did, it not only changed their lives but also so many other lives. When you look at it, each person who contributed to Jesus’ birth had eternal consequences not just for their faith and obedience but beyound their faith for people they would never meet. When we say yes to God in our life, it also has eternal consequences for the people in our lives, people we meet, and people we will never meet.

In the first week, we looked at Mary, our Lord, and Savior the soon-to-be mother. We looked at three steps that we all must go through to be become dedicated to God’s plan.

First, we have to overcome the fear of letting go of our plans.

Second, we must also overcome doubt.

Then third, we must accept God’s plan.

Then last week, we took a look at the story of Joseph. We learned from Joseph, the earthy father of Jesus, that there is no other way to heaven but Jesus. We also learned that just being a good person does not get you to heaven, and third when we become believers, our eyes are opened up to God's plan and purpose.

That leads us to part three of our Christmas series.

If you have your Bible with you today, I invite you to open it with me to Luke Chapter 1, the book of Luke Chapter 1. It is the third book in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, then Luke. Luke 1

One Sunday morning a preacher said; “we will talk about the remarkable birth of a baby boy over 2000 years ago. His birth was predicted by the Old Testament prophets. An angel of the Lord appeared to his father and told him what to name the child. Once the child was born, the Lord's hand was upon him. The child grew and became strong in the spirit. What was the name of that special baby? It was John”.

If you have your Bible with you today, I invite you to open it with me to Luke Chapter 1, the book of Luke Chapter 1. It is the third book in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, then Luke. Luke 1

Our study today has just as much impact on the birth of Christ and His ministry as Mary and Joseph; in fact, for the most part, the Christmas story overlooks this person- but he is so essential.

People knew John locally as the Baptist. Some would say that he was a religious eccentric- maybe the religious nut. Others less kind would dismiss him as simply a flake or a little crazy. He definitely doesn’t seem to be the kind of guy that won friends easily and influenced people or even has the type of personality to usher in the news of the Messiah's coming. He certainly doesn't to fit in with shepherds and wise men and the other people who we traditionally associate with the birth of Christ. Yet, this was God's unlikely servant chosen to proclaim Christ.

Elizabeth, John's mother, was a woman who was in her golden years of life. She had never given birth to a child. You would think of her more in the category of grandmother than mother. She and her aging priest of a husband were the unlikely candidates for bearing the child called John.

John was 6 months older than Jesus, they probably grew up together, played together, yet as they reached adulthood, they were different in so many ways. When John began his ministry, he lived in the desert solitude of Judea, a rugged desert wilderness.

Well if you are there in Luke chapter 1, read with me beginning @ verse 5. This is God’s Word, and it starts like this:

"There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 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. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 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. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 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.” And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Follow me to the 57th verse, "Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”

61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God

65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him."

There is a lot to this story, but I want to narrow it down to our take-home truth.

THE TAKE-HOME TRUTH IS THIS:

GOD IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE:

We are often taught about our own faithfulness, or how we are to be faithful and true to God. But today, I want you to know that God is the Faithful One-- even when we are not. He is faithful, unchanging, and He never wavers. Our salvation does not rest upon our faithfulness but rather GOD'S FAITHFULNESS.

Jesus often talked about the importance of knowing the truth. The Bible teaches that Jesus was talking to people who believed in Him when He said in John 8:32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

The book of John also shows us of when Jesus is praying for His disciples, and He prays these words.

“Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your word, which is truth.” (John 17:17)

(John 17:17)

The book of Revelation describes Jesus as being a rider on a white horse with the name of faithful and true. (Rev 19:11)

No matter where you look in the Bible we see the words and example of God bringing forth His promises. And because of that we can rest assured that God as faithful and true no matter what is going on in our spiritual and daily lives, and that is what we are going to see from the story of John.

So, today I want to share with you four principles from the birth of John of how God is faithful and true to us today.

The first principle that shows us that God is faithful and true is this:

God answers our prayers.

John the Baptist was not only a fulfillment of prophecy but also of faithful prayer; look at verses 12-13 with me. Notice with me that God answered a lifelong prayer.

“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; .”

Can you imagine just how many times that Zechariah prayed for a son? A son carried on the family’s name; a son would take care of the parents in their old age. A son would have sons for the family name to continue. He must have prayed for years and waited and served God faithfully as a priest and praying.

How many of us have felt that way ourselves? We feel as though we are serving God faithfully, but as we pray for things to change or something to be accomplished, the answer just doesn’t seem to come. When this happens, we must remember what Jesus said John 14:13 “Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

Remember what the Angel Gabriel told Mary, the future mother of Jesus, of Elizabeth’s pregnancy?

He said in verse 36 that Elizabeth was in her old age and was barren- Barren means that she is incapable of producing children. She just wasn’t past the age of not having children. She could not have children period.

Listen, Mary knew that Elizabeth could not have children, but the Angel told her that “nothing will be impossible with God” (V37). All the neighbors knew she could not have children; we see that verse 58 “Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her His great mercy, (Becoming pregnant and having a child) and they rejoiced with her.”

Verse 13 of chapter 1 shows that God answers prayers as the Angel Gabriel tells Zechariah that his prayers were heard and answered.

This should give us great hope because we must know that God hears our prayers and listen; they may not be answered in the time that we ask for them to be, but they are answered in the time God has allotted for them to be. In the fullness of His time, scripture says, In His time, God answers the prayers of His people.

I say this a lot and it wont be the last time I say it; prayer is our communication with God, not only should we do it, we should cry out to God, but we should be faithful in praying.

According to Pew Research reports that fewer than half of American adults (45%) agree with the statement that “prayer is an important part of my daily life;” 45%.

The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 that we are to “Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything,for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

This doesn’t mean to pray without ceasing, without stopping, or continuously without a break, but rather persistently, constantly, and regularly.

When we pray, we often search for the answer right away, and if God doesn’t answer, we move on. Many times, the answer doesn’t come until later. Many times, we might think that God does not answer a prayer, or that if he did not answer right away that He did not hear us or He is declining us, sometimes we think it might be a test from God, it is not a test from God. The answering of our prayers is for the fulfillment of God, not us.

Verse 20 shows us that it's God’s timing, not ours- prayer is for the satisfaction of God the Son. We must spend time in prayer with God. It was in the fulfillment of time that Elizabeth became pregnant, that God answered their prayers- yet look at how the Bible describes them in verse 6 “they were both righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to the all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.”

Notice with me it took all those years for God to answer their prayer. They did not become bitter, angry, fall away from God- it seems that they followed Him even more. The Bible says that they were righteous, living without blame.

How does this apply to the Christmas story? One of the greatest gifts that came through the birth of Jesus is that now God hears and answers our individual, personal prayers and He reacts to them in His time.

The second principle that shows us that God is faithful and true is this:

GOD HAS THE WILLINGNESS TO USE US.

Through Zechariah and Elizabeth, we see that God is willing to use us in all situations for His honor and glory. Notice with me verses 62- 64 with me- “So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.”

In this part of scripture we see that all people were amazed. And immediately Zachariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue loosened, and he spoke, blessing God. Verse 65 and 66 tells us “Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him."”

This older couple thought they might never have children. According to Zechariah, they gave up on the idea, verse 18 “How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”

Yet God’s plan was to use them all these years. They were used in a mighty way to proclaim the Lord Jesus even before Christ was born, through the birth of their son John the Baptist. And the scripture says, “all who heard him praising the Lord “laid it upon their hearts.”

We see this through Mary, she was young and engaged, ready to begin her own family, and we will see that through Joseph, Mary’s soon-to-be husband. But God used them in a mighty way.

I see it all the time when I hear about what is going on in the lives of God’s people. I see how God is moving in the life of this church because of Him and His plan for us.

I say this all the time; “I can’t believe He called me and is using me to proclaim His incredible message.”

You may be sitting there thinking: well, how can God use me? I am going to tell you that I thought the same thing. I am not saying you have to become a pastor; what I am saying is this; God wants to use you, and the one person who is preventing it, is you. God has a willingness to use His people to do the work He has planned for us.

God uses His people as part of the fulfillment of His plans, no matter how insignificant or small people might think it is. He wants to use you in His plan; all you have to do is surrender and say yes.

Remember this the power of God’s hand is always at work.

It was at work with Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, even John the Baptist to fulfill His plan for them and the rest of the world, to proclaim the Word of God to the world as a whole.

Do you believe they knew that they would become part of the most critical story of mankind, THE CHRISTMAS STORY?

We see the reputation of John the Baptist began to spread at the time of his birth. Like John, we were also born with a purpose. We have our own special mission in life.

This Christmas lets us remember that not only God answers our prayer, He also has a willingness to use us for His purpose and glory.

Then the third principle that shows us that God is faithful and true is that;

GOD CALLS US OUT OF OUR WILDERNESS.

When John had matured some 30 years later, he lived in the wilderness. Yet His whole life was in preparation for one thing, his coming ministry.

Malachi 3 predicts the coming of John; it says, “I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts.”

The story is in Chapter 3. I am turning over to Chapter 3 of Luke, beginning with verse 2 it tells us that: “during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”

The wilderness is a significant part of Israels history. The Bible shares their history of wondering in the wilderness for forty more years. When they were held as captives by the Babylonians it was a wilderness. The wilderness became a metaphor for difficult trials in life, lost and alone.

Something I want to point out to you right now, God calls us out of our wilderness when things are quiet, and you can hear Him.

Mary was alone when the Angel Gabriel told her that she would be the Mother of Jesus. Jospeh asleep, Zechariah was alone in the Temple of the Lord burning incense. While outside, a whole multitude of people was praying, that is when the ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED, AND He was told that he would have a son in his old age and he would be named John. Elizabeth retreated to the wilderness until it was time to give birth.

John the Baptist was in the wilderness alone when the Word of God came upon him to begin the ministry in his life.

Jesus was born in the stillness of the night.

God is not the author of chaos; therefore, folks, He doesn’t come to you in crowded chaos. He comes to you in the calm and quietness of being alone with Him. The most significant revelations of God come to me when I am alone searching for Him.

Often people live in dark places, trying desperately to break free from their wilderness.

When was the last time you heard God speaking to you? If your life is too busy? Is it too chaotic? If your life doesn’t find time to spend with God you are going in the wrong direction. If you don’t take time to listen, you will never hear Him. You have heard that old saying that God gave us one mouth and two ears- so that we can listen twice as much as we -------- talk…Ask God to place His message on your heart, then wait.

We must spend our time alone with God. People think my life is too busy, but I often get up early when my wife is not up, and I spend alone time working with God when I am working on our sermons. When it seems I have too much going on, I go for a walk by myself to be alone with God. Often times you can find me here alone, seeking God’s answers in the quietness of His sanctuary.

John was in the wilderness; He was prepared for the calling- but he had to hear the calling of God to come out of the wilderness.

God speaks to you when you are in the wilderness, bringing you out of the wilderness. I don’t know where your life is today, but I know that your purpose is not to be in your wilderness, wherever that is- you are called to be something better. That is something to be thankful for. What a great God we have.

Take time today, this Christmas season, to listen for God as He calls you out of the wilderness.

THAT BRINGS US TO OUR FOURTH PRINCIPLE OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS AND TRUTH;

GOD WANTS US TO TAKE ACTION.

John the Baptist took action. When you say “yes” to God, it leads you into action.

When John the Baptist said “yes” to God, his “yes” led him out of the wilderness and into action.

Chapter 3 verse 3 tells that John “went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

John left the wilderness and began to preach and proclaim God’s Word. He wasn’t the best-dressed preacher- He wore a garment of camel hair and a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey.

However, his taste fot food nor his lifestyle shown in his clothing stopped him from hearing God, taking action through proclaiming the Word of God, Jesus Christ. Listen to this; it is what he was created for.

We are also designed to take action to fulfill God’s plan. In Mark Chapter 16, Jesus said, “Go” into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.”

And in Matthew chapter 28:19, we find this same mission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

We are told to GO, not stay….

The prophecy of John the Baptist is over 700 years old when Isaiah said, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord.” Make His paths straight.”

In the days of John the Baptist, a wealthy person would send out a crew of people ahead of them while traveling in the wilderness to clear the road of debris, potholes, and obstructions that made the travel difficult.

Here John has been sent ahead and called the people to clear their sins from their hearts and prepare for the Messiah's coming.

There is a prophecy about you! God put a plan into place before you were born. It was the plan for your life, to be here, right now for a time such as this. For you to come out of your wilderness and GO, it doesn’t matter where your wilderness is, depression, some anxiety, personal problems, professional problems, a broken heart or a broken body,

Hebrews 11:6 tells us: “Now without faith, it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.”

The Bible is filled with stories of saints whose faith was put into action — an action which God met with His own supernatural power to produce remarkable, miraculous, and astounding results. God rewards faith! Put your faith into action today, and let your actions be fueled by your faith?

Folks listen, this Christmas remember that God is still faithful and true today, by hearing and answering our prayers, by having a willingness to use us, by calling us out of the wilderness, and by wanting us to take action to do what we are created for.

We are all forerunners preparing the way by telling people of Emmanuel the greatest gift given to us and telling of His mighty return.

INVITATION