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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.
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