Untitled Sermon

Introduction

If we can remember where we left off last Sunday

John the Baptist was born; and Elizabeth and Zechariah sought to keep the word of the Lord

Knowing God claimed John’s name first; so they in the midst of others being “neighbors” trying to change their minds about God’s revelaed Word to them

They kept it; and as the kept God’s Word so the God opened the mouth of Zechraiah that He could bless him

We looked at this blessing of Zechraiah as something that would of struck fear in those neighbors around him

So today we will look at the first half of this blessing called “Zechariah’s Prophecy” - Which is actually the second song in the NT

Mary’s Magnficat and now Zechariah’s Prophecy

Please stand for the reading of God’s Word

Luke 1:67-75 “And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”

Pray

We will be taking 2 Sundays to look at the whole of Zechariah’s prophecy

Part one being ‘first, praise for God’s salvation in keeping with his promises

Second being, praise for John’s role in going before the Lord to make known His salvation

This is Praise For God’s salvation in keeping with his promises:

Luke 1:66 “and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.”

So we leave off with those who heard; what was about to be spoken and this is what they did with the prophecy they heard “laid them up in their hearts, saying...”

Laid - to move and set into a certain place to deposit (into their hearts)

Meaning the blessing we are about to read is what they heard and this what they laid up and told the others in the area.

We looked at the blessing being a powerful moment last week; a moment that would have the whole area of Judea talking

We looked it possibly being gossip, well we can see thats not the case

We looked at being Zechariah having his tongue loosed, which might of been part of the word going around

But now we see this moment of prophecy is most likely what was shared.

How do we know?

What does it say the neighbors went away saying? Yes they heard and laid them up in their hearts but they also said...

“What then will this child be? (they mention the child; John after hearing Zechariah prophecy about John and Christ to come) For the hand of the Lord was with him.”

So what we do know from Zechariah prophecy; the neighbors can see the hand of the Lord is with him (John)

Luke 1:67 “And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,”

So now we jump right into the moment that the neighbors witnessed

“And his father....”

This mentioning John, even though He is new born; so it’s important to noice it mentions “And John’s Father...”

“…Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying...”

We have noticed in our orderly, inherent and infallible account of Luke in the first chapter of 3 of God’s children being filled with the Holy Spirit

Now this filling of the Holy Spirit we know was temporary; as we know Christ has not yet given his life, and being buried in the tomb only to rise to bring us the Holy Spirit

But what we can see is this “filling” is pointing to what is to come from the Christian who believes in Jesus.

3 Instances in Luke 1 where we see this “filling of the Holy Spirit”

Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

Luke 1:41 “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,”

Luke 1:67 “And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,”

Mary, Elizabeth & Zechariah

All of whom who have been “filled’ with the Holy Spirit

The gift of God that is to come through the Son who is Christ our Lord

But here Zechariah “was filled”

In the greek “was filled” - means to be or become generously supplied with; or fill completely

And what was he filled with?

In the greek it the phrase is - “with the Spirit” - in greek meaning blast, wind, breath

It wasn’t any kind of spirit but the “holy” - devoted and set apart for the saints of God

It’s important to see that we don’t compartmentalize the Trinity.

Just because Jesus hasn’t yet been born and died and rose again; does not mean the Holy Spirit is not alive.

No, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Have always been; there has been no time past, present or future without the trinity in it’s wholeness)

We see the filling of the Holy Spirit in the OT:

Joel speaks of this - Joel 2:28 ““And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”

“…was filled with the Holy Spirit…and prophesied saying...”

“prophesied” - speak inspired utterances; to deliver a message of future events to come.

Notice his tongue really was loosed and now we see the outcome of this being able now to speak.. so he “said”

2 Sam 23:2 ““The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.”

Luke 1:68 ““Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people”

“Blessed” - We read of this “blessing God” last week

As Zechariah tounge was loosed to Bless God

This is how he begins His blessing, Zechariah’s prophecy; him being filled with the Holy Spirit now speaks; full.

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people”

Zechariah mentions God, and blessing “the Lord God of Isreal.”

We see this kind of language repeated in places like

Psalm 41:13 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.”

Psalm 72:18 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.”

Psalm 106:48 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord!”

1 King 1:48 “And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.’ ””

Zechariah ascribes praise to the Lord, the God of Isreal; because he has personally come to help his people.

Remember Zechariah as he was approached by the Angel of the Lord so he heard of two things

News that he will have a son named John

And that this son John “Luke 1:16-17 “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will 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 for the Lord a people prepared.””

And we see at the beginning of Zechariah’s prophecy as great as it is to be with a son in John; so Christ is the focus here first.

So what has the Lord God of Isreal done?

“…for he has visited and redeemed his people.”

You mean the Lord the God of Isreal is who we are talking of right?

“for he has visited” - in greek means to visit someone in order to determine his condition; take care of

Why would we need to be visited by the Lord God of Isreal?

Why would we need someone to determine out condition and take care of us?