December 2, 2018
Evening Service

This morning we started at the beginning as we looked at the announcement that God was on the move being made first to a humble priest and his wife.  They were chosen to be the parents of the “forerunner” of Christ preparing the people for the Messiah coming.  I would like to finish up that story first even though we have to skip some events that we will come back to next week.  We will pick up the story later in Luke 1 at the time Elizabeth’s delivery.

Luke 1:57-66  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.

·        The circumcision of a child was an important event in the life of a Jewish boy.  It celebrated his heritage by lining him up with the original covenant God made with their descendant Abraham.  The naming of the child was also an important part of the day.  Family heritage is extremely important to the Jewish nation and the name chosen always had special meaning usually tying back to their ancestry.  It was a surprise when Elizabeth and Zacharias agreed that he would be called John as instructed by the angel Gabriel.  Upon his approval to the name Zacharias received his voice back and fear fell upon all those who were there and they all wondered what the child’s future held.

·        Zacharias then gives a jubilant prophecy of not only what the future holds, but he also refers to what was already prophesied hundreds of years ago.

 

  Luke 1:67-80  Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:  (68)  "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,  (69)  And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,  (70)  As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,  (71)  That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us,  (72)  To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant,  (73)  The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:  (74)  To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,  (75)  In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.  (76)  "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,  (77)  To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,  (78)  Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;  (79)  To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace."  (80)  So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

·        All this time that Zacharias had no voice, he undoubtedly had been thinking and praying of what all this truly meant.  As a priest, he would have studied in depth all the prophecy of the OT and had a good understanding of what was now happening.  I am sure the Holy Spirit revealed to him much of this. We will review some of the prophecies he refers to here.

 

Verse 68 refers to I Kings 1:48

1Ki 1:48  Also the king said thus, 'Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!' "

·        King David prophesied on his death bed that one day his lineage would sit on the throne.

 

Verse 69 refers to Psalms 132:17

Psalm 132:17  There I will make the horn of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.

·        David again states that his descendant will also be “My Anointed” or the Messiah.

 

Verse 73 refers to Gen. 12:3

Gen 12:3  I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

·        This was a promise made by God to Abraham of the plans He had for him.  It points to the fact that the Messiah will bring a salvation that is available to all mankind.

 

Verse 76 refers to Is. 40:3

Isa 40:3  The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.”

·        This one would be the most exciting for Zacharias as this refers to the calling given to his new born son.

 

Verse 79 refers to Is. 9:2

Isa 9:2  The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

·        The prophesy refers to the fact that the Messiah will be the “light of the world.”  Jesus confirmed this as recorded in the gospel of John.

·        Joh 8:12  Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

 

 

 

Here are some other prophesies that are fulfilled at Jesus’ birth that should be familiar to.

Isa 9:6-7  For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  (7)  Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

 

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

 

Mic 5:2  "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."

 

Mal 3:1  "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts.

 

Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

 

I said we were going to begin to study this Christmas story at the beginning, but really we didn’t.  It was prophesied that it would come hundreds of years before it occurred, but in reality this began before the foundation of the world.  This has been God’s plan from the beginning and He gave his prophets a glimpse of it, but put it into full motion with the announcement to Zacharias.  God not only planned this Christmas story but starred in it as well.  The Hebrew writer calls Jesus the “author and finisher of our faith.”  He did not design us to work our way up to Him, but He came down to us and pitched His tent among us.