Preparation for Christs Coming - Luke 1:57-80

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Good morning and Blessed Happy New Year to everybody the last year came and went so fast and every year

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Seems like the older you get the faster the years go by but You know in God's economy

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You know, it could be this or a thousand years It's just he doesn't live by the rule of and that's has struck me in the past of the idea of time

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He is timeless. He is eternal. We have a we have a watch we can take it down He just kind of looks at the whole of it, you know, and so we can't fathom that that's part of the mystery of God but anyway

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Happy New Year for announcements. I wanted to share that men's breakfast is

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Bible study men's breakfast is next Saturday at 9 o 'clock. So that's a go man.

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So spread the word Okay, gentlemen in the front So that's next

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Saturday at at 9 and we're also going to resume Sunday morning Bible study next week, uh -huh and evening prayer time so That's that's a go as well.

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Um, I wanted to share and you know this time of year It's a it's you know, it is a good time and it's a natural time to reflect on What happened the last year and what's gonna happen?

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You know, we don't know what's gonna happen next year But putting it all in the hands of the Lord Deb and I were going through a devotional yesterday.

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It's out of trips book And it's a new morning mercies by Paul trip and it is a good devote daily devotional but I'd like to read this it was

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December 31 and How it's important to remember the little moments we

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Life goes through and we we have these punctuations. We think that it we're gonna learn and grow the most at this

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Boom aha moment. Yeah, it's really not necessarily that we do grow through those events

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But it's really the the everyday and so the little moments of life are profoundly important precisely because they are little moments that we

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Live in and that form us. This is where I think big drama Christianity gets us into trouble

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It can cause us to devalue the significance of the little moments of life and the small change grace that meets us there

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And because we devalue the little moments in which we live we tend not to notice the sin that gets exposed there

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We fail to seek the grace that is offered to us You see the character of life is not set in two or three dramatic moments

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But in 10 ,000 little moments the character that is formed in those little moments shapes us shapes how we respond to the big moments of life and What makes all of this care character change possible?

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relentless transforming little moment grace So we wake up each day committed to live in the small moments of our daily lives with open eyes and humble expectant hearts

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It just we just that struck us this to be a good reminder of how we should live every day and in the and waiting on the

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Lord and seeking him and all that we do so Why don't we open up in prayer together

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Lord God? We thank you that you have brought us here this morning father. We remember many folks that are that are still away that are traveling that God we ask that you would watch over each one of us this morning as we experienced a horrendous

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Storm last night and the wind and the lack of power father, but Lord you are in control.

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You had it in your care You knew the outcome of every every wisp of wind father

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So we thank you that we can put our trust in you in the physical things But especially in those things that are spiritual father

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God You are the shepherd over each one of us and may this year Lord may we always be reminded that we need to put our faith and trust in you

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Not in the the things of man and the things that we can touch and feel father But that our hearts would be guided by the

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Holy Spirit father Gore God lead us this morning as we open your word as we lift our voices to in song

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We pray for pastor that you would guide him Lord as you share what you have placed on his heart

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So God, thank you for this morning. We committed to your care. Lord May you be glorified in all that we do we pray these things in Jesus name.

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Amen And Victor and I are gonna do a little duet today with all of you.

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So We're the praise band You've been waiting for a band

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I know Some of these songs are

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Barb and I have been picking the songs the last for most the time the last couple of months and They are old to us, but they're new to some of you

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So we wanted to make sure the words are great praising our Lord. We wanted you to enjoy them with us

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So if you would stand with us We have heard the joyful sound

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Jesus Jesus spread the tidings all around Jesus Jesus Bear the news to every land

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Climb the steeps across the way onward our

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Lord's command Jesus Jesus Say To God Be the glory great things he hath done

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So love be the world that he gave us his son

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Who yielded his life and atonement for sin?

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And open the light gate that all may go in Praise the

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Lord Praise the Lord Let the earth hear his voice

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Praise the Lord Praise the Lord Praise the Lord Let the people rejoice

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O come to the Father through Jesus the

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Son and give him the glory great things he hath done

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The scripture readings could be from Isaiah chapter 40 verses 1 through 5

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That's Isaiah chapter 40 verses 1 through 5

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Comfort ye Comfort ye my people saith the Lord Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received of the

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Lord's hand double for all her sins The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness prepare ye the way of the

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Lord make straight in the desert a highway for our Lord Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain and the glory of the

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Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth of the

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Lord hath spoken May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of these words Amen What he's saying is

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I played the ukulele one time for our family night and he says if Victor can get up there and make a fool of himself

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I can try that again So that's kind of what got him started so Well please stand

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The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin

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The light of the world is Jesus Like sunshine at noonday his glory shone in The light of the world is

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Jesus Come to the light is shining for thee

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Sweetly the light has dawned upon me

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Once I was blind but now I can see

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The light of the world is Jesus One day when heaven was filled with his praises

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One day when sin was as black as could be

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Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin

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Dwelt among men my example is he

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Living he loved me Dying he saved me

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Buried he carried my sins far away

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Rising he justified freely forever

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One day he's coming O glorious day

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One day the trumpet will sound for his coming

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One day the skies with his glory will shine

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Wonderful day my beloved one's bringing

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Glorious Savior is

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Jesus is mine Living he loved me

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Dying he saved me Buried he carried my sins far away

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Rising he justified freely forever

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One day he's coming O glorious day

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Thank you and you may be seated as pastor comes I did not have to make the climb up here

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I was already up here I want to wish all of you a happy new year and we're just so happy that we get to celebrate this special day with you and also after Christmas as well we got to celebrate

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Christmas together it's just really comforting to know that the church family that we worship with is our real family right the brothers and sisters around you are the ones you're going to be spending all eternity with and there's just so much depth and so much love that we still have not experienced at the fullest mainly because we're still living in a sinful world right

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I also wrote a thank you letter for your generous gift last week we did not see this coming and we were just so grateful for this church and how the gift you gave us so dear

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Faith Bible Church we are grateful for your generous Christmas gift thank you for your continuous support and love for us

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Lauren and I often talk about how much God has blessed us by bringing us to Sacramento to be part of this loving family we have been cared for by you even before I officially agreed to minister here and thank you again for loving us so well especially last year it's weird to say last year where there were so many new developments in our lives and we were just so well supported and cared for by all of you thank you so much now

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I would like to read from Luke chapter 1 verses 57 through 80 now

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Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered and she brought forth a son when her neighbors and relatives heard how the

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Lord has shown great mercy to her they rejoiced with her 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

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Zacharias his mother answered and said no he shall be called John but they said to her there is no one among your relatives who is called by this name so they made signs to his father what he would have him called and he asked for a writing tablet and wrote saying his name is

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John so they all marveled immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loose and he spoke praising

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God then fear came on all who dwelt around them and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea and all those who heard them kept them in their hearts saying what kind of child will this be and the hand of the

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Lord was with him now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied saying blessed is the

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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

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David and he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been since the world began and we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant the oath which he swore to our father

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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 the days of our life and you child will be called the prophet of the highest for you will go before the face of the

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Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins through the tender mercy of our

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God with which the dayspring from on high have visited us to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace so the child grew and became strong in spirit and was in the desert till the day of his manifestation to Israel this is the word of the

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Lord let us pray father we are thankful that the coming of Christ is as well orchestrated as any plan that could have been thank you that the coming of Christ is not a random event and it's not an event that we look back to to reinterpret but rather it's an event that has been planned for long ago and you have sent your servant even

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John the Baptist to prepare the way for Christ so that your people may know that this is the true redeemer from above who came to save thank you that you do not make any of your revelation confusing or impossible to understand thank you that your savior is clear as light in Jesus name amen today's text deals with John the

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Baptist's birth and how Luke structured the first two chapters of the gospel according to Luke is that it goes back and forth from the hill country of Judea with Zacharias and Elizabeth to Mary and then back to Zacharias and Elizabeth and then next week we'll go back to Mary and Jesus and Joseph and the reason is there are similarities between those two storylines but what

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Luke shows is that Jesus storyline is superior it intensifies when it deals with Jesus and today's text comes before the birth of Jesus well not only chronologically is

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John the Baptist older but also theologically it is important because John the

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Baptist is the one who prepares the way for the savior and this idea of having someone preparing for an important dignitary or an important figure is actually pretty common in our days too when we hear about a presidential motorcade it is not the limousine that the president's in that comes first it's all the other giant black

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SUV's that come, of course all of them bullet proof important dignitaries in them but the most important one comes later and this is same with a concert

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I'm thinking of even like a classical concert that's what I'm used to the piece that is advertised is not the first song the main piece that is advertised comes later even perhaps after the intermission and that's because in order to give that appropriate spotlight and preparation for the people who receive the good news

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God has clearly sent someone to prepare the way lest you think that this was a random occurrence out of nowhere in history really shows what kind of power and sovereignty

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God has over His redemptive history even the preparation is well thought out so the main point of this text is how did

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God prepare His people to receive Christ how did God prepare His people to receive

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Christ first the fulfillment of God's worth through faithful obedience of His servants preceded the coming of Christ the fulfillment of God's worth through the faithful obedience of His servants preceded the coming of Christ verses 57 to 66 show the faithful obedience of both

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Elizabeth and Zacharias in naming their newborn son John the Baptist remember that John the

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Baptist was silenced after doubting the angelic announcement that they in their old age would bring forth a newborn baby and verse 57 starts from the birth of that child now

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Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered and she brought forth a son this idea of fulfillment is a huge theme in Luke this idea that the things that which

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God has planned beforehand is intensely accomplished intensely accomplished during that time is an important message that Luke is trying to send this was not just any other ordinary birth this was not just a normal occurrence now

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God faithfully fulfills what He has promised here in giving a life into a dead womb and considering the miraculous context of this birth people around they gathered to celebrate verse 58 says when her neighbors and relatives heard how the

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Lord had shown great mercy to her they rejoiced with her God removing the reproach of the barrenness of Elizabeth was a joyous celebration decades of disappointment dissipated that day and the theme of joy threads through the birth narratives of both

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John the Baptist and Jesus as God shows the magnificent mercy by doing what is humanly impossible and this joyful celebration is actually interrupted by a minor conflict in their decision to name this child and verses 59 -63 portray this when the child makes a public appearance to be circumcised on the eighth day according to the law the crowd assumes that he will be named after his father

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Zacharias this was of course a cultural custom often times a boy would take on the family name either of the father's name or the grandfather's name however there's a plot twist

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Elizabeth concisely answers no he shall be called John Elizabeth here is obeying the command of God from verse 13 of chapter 1 a special child from the

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Lord will have a special name from the Lord and this name is

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John now the crowd of course reminds her what is customary there's no one among your relatives who is called by this name

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John who is this Elizabeth there is not another child coming to you right you don't get to name another child after Zacharias after this remember this was a miracle child

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Elizabeth this is your only chance at leaving the family legacy on passing on the name and this custom is sort of followed even to this day we try to name our kids after some relative in our family right the last name surely gets passed down but we try to maybe even put a middle name as the first name of the father or vice versa now this is a picture of Christian faith right faithful obedience despite the opposing cultural customs and the custom may not even be sinful right like this case but obedience to God here trumps any customs of men any traditions of men and obedience to God must withstand any social pressures and Elizabeth shows a beautiful picture of this she's not trying to argue she's not trying to make make any please right she's just following what

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God says concisely that's that now faced with the movable

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Elizabeth the crowd shifts their attention to the father of the child the new dad so they made signs to his father what he would have him called maybe

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Elizabeth is disobeying Zacharias wishes maybe she's doing this on her own accord remember after all her husband has not been able to speak for the past nine months verse 62 so they made signs to his father what he would have him called now some may find this odd that they would be making signs to a mute man right wouldn't a mute person still be able to hear it's not like Zacharias was born mute and right he just turned mute just nine months prior in Greek the word for mute is actually the same word for deaf it is most likely that Zacharias upon doubting the message of the angel became both deaf and mute hence they had to sign it to him is that your wish you want to name your son

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John not Zacharias now how does

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Zacharias respond just as concisely as Elizabeth's response his name is

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John note that it's not we're leaning toward John right or even his name will be

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John crisp and concise John is his name it's been long settled no argument and at Zacharias firmness they marvel this is a transformation from nine months prior doubting

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Zacharias firmly obeys God's command because he trusts him and this is important because God did not choose just any family who was open let me just choose one of the bearing families in Judah to show this great miracle

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God had this specific family in mind and God used this faithful family's firm obedience to prepare his salvific plan and Zacharias and Elizabeth both knew that this special child is not primarily their child but belong to God first and foremost they even surrender what society normally considers to be a parental right to name their child and they surrender it to God and this is a picture of a faithful family that places

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God's plan before theirs God is at the center not men's traditions

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God is at the center not men's desires God is prioritized not them and in fact this is how every

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Christian household must raise their kids from conception to college of course they don't have to go to college but I like the alliteration conception to college if parents or new to be parents or people who want to be parents the kids that you're raising or you will be raising are not primarily yours but God's and the important questions are do the words that come out of your mouths honor

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God in front of your children do the words and excitement of your heart portray

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Jesus as the most wonderful person in the universe do the household decisions reflect

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Godward priority or are they bending to social pressure oftentimes even

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Christian families they choose to move to a place it might have a great neighborhood might have a great school system might be safe and it might have the scenic views and the housing prices down it's a bargain but what they often don't consider as a priority is is there a faithful community of God is there a faithful community of God that my child can grow up in and be discipled by men and women who attend their godly men and women and that's the faithfulness of Christian family over and over again and that's what we see in Zacharias and Elizabeth would

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Zacharias have preferred to name his only boy the only boy he'll ever have after him sure but his desire was to honor

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God's command because he knew this child was not his this child was from God therefore belong to God and that's with any child in a

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Christian home every child that's born to the church belongs to God first and foremost and we have to guard this child every child's soul what he watches what she hears how they're educated we have to guard them and disciple them because we're stewarded with these children now at their faithful obedience

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God confirms their decision to name their kid John verse 64 immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he spoke praising

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God when God confirms he leaves no doubt in anyone's mind nothing confirms a decision like an old priest who could not speak for the past nine months immediately praising

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God upon his obedience that's a sure clear sign that's not one of those ah that's pretty coincidental and verses 65 to 66 show us the crowd's fearful response and the news that spreads all around after witnessing such miraculous events the crowd deeply ponders what kind of child will this be what kind of child will this be that leads to the second point

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John the Baptist will prepare God's people to receive the promised

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Messiah who will completely restore them John the

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Baptist will prepare God's people to receive the promised Messiah who will completely restore them verses 67 through 80 leads into Zacharias' praise song and of course verse 80 ends with how

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God made sure that John grew up to be a godly man until the revelation of the right time for his ministry now the question that the crowd asks is answered by none other than the

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Holy Spirit himself through the priest Zacharias Zacharias prophetic praise pairs with Mary's song of praise that we heard last week while Mary's song of praise emphasized the

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Lord's personal mercy to Mary Zacharias' praise covers the

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Lord's national mercy to Israel it grows what's about to unfold affects not only the personal life but the national life of Israel and similar to Mary's praise

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Zacharias' praise song is rendered in past tense I'm pretty sure for all of the

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English translations and this is because Luke chose a specific tense form to portray actions as if they are already completed he's portraying a completed action even though a lot of actually all of the deliverance that Zacharias talks about has not happened when

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Zacharias was singing it and this is because he's trying to show that this is guaranteed this is a completed action now the first part of verse 68 clearly shows us what type of prophecy this is blessed is the

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Lord God of Israel often times we're used to seeing God blessing humans individuals and we translate that as God showing favor to these individuals however when the object of the blessing is

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God the meaning changes to that of praise praise be to God praise be to the

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Lord God of Israel so when we see blessed is the

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Lord God of Israel think of it as Zacharias' praise to God for what he has done this song is a song of praise and specifically to the

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Lord God of Israel it's a national song of praise because the

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Lord did not forsake Israel and the rest of verses 68 to 73 show us the reasons for praise for he has visited and redeemed his people is the first the term for God visiting in the

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Old Testament is used in two ways one is that of judgment God visits his people or certain people groups to judge them for their sin however it can be the opposite God can visit to bless his people and here

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God's visitation is a gracious act it is to redeem his people verse 69 unpacks how this deliverance will occur and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant

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David here the praise is not for the birth of John the Baptist right of course praise

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God that a barren couple could finally have a child after decades of many prayers no what

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Zacharias is focused on is God's plan of redemption and this child is the coming

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Messiah Jesus Christ and the reason why we know it's not

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John the Baptist is because the horn of salvation comes from the house of David John the

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Baptist is a Levite not a Judahite there's no connection to David and the metaphor of raising up a horn of salvation is a picture of a powerful horned animal like a bull or a ram raising its horn up in the air against any foes any challenges it is a powerful picture so this metaphor shows us that God is raising up a horn of salvation to powerfully save his people no one can challenge his authority and verse 70 shows us that the plan of this

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Davidic figure is not some shoddy last minute project done the night before but rather has been proclaimed by the prophets since long ago as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been since the world began notice how

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God spoke by the singular mouth of his plural prophets here

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Luke did not make a grammatical error but he is making an important theological point when

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God spoke about his salvific plan to save the world through all of his prophets his message was unified because it came from one mouth it would be concerning if it came from many mouths how do we know which one to listen to but the prophecies all come from God and they do not contradict each other this shows that Jesus Christ is not some random man out of nowhere but a long awaited figure since the beginning and verse 71 covers what

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Christ will accomplish in salvation that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us

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Zacharias is waiting a national deliverance of Israel and this is the

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Exodus 2 .0 the greater Exodus it's not just one enemy like in Exodus right

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Egypt but comprehensively the hand of all who hate us and this is important to know that when

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God saves his people through Jesus ultimately it is a complete deliverance it is not just the spiritual deliverance from sin that we are used to proclaiming but ultimately when

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God saves through Jesus it involves a physical deliverance as well when

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Christ rules on earth no enemy will ever harm his people and that's a great hope that sometimes we need to be reminded of when

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Christ finally rules on earth your back pain will be silent when

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Christ finally rules on earth you will not experience death you won't have to worry about persecution that's the hope of the complete deliverance that Zacharias is singing about it's both physical and spiritual deliverance here and verses 72 through 73 elaborate the past promises that are fulfilled to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant the oath which he swore to our father

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Abraham when God sent Jesus it was a faithfully loving act to fulfill the promise made to Abraham the promise that God made to Abraham was that all the nations of earth would be blessed through his offspring and Christ Abraham's offspring provides a way for anyone from any nation and any ethnic background to have peace with God once and for all through his death on the cross by taking our sin and facing the punishment for our sin so that God does not count your sin against you anymore that is the ultimate blessing to the whole world it is no longer for the

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Jews only the Jews to know God you do not have to become

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Jewish to know God but rather in Christ anyone from anywhere can know

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God and have a relationship with God and that is the biggest blessing that anyone can receive the coming of Christ was the fulfillment of God's oath to Abraham and now what is the purpose of such a deliverance verses 74 through 75 tell us 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 the days of our life

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God saves his people from their enemies in order that they may serve him they may worship him they may be devoted to him without any fear of repercussions and this was a welcoming news for the ancient

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Israelites although they could worship the Lord in relative peace under Pax Romana there was no guarantee that this would continue after all just a couple hundred years ago a

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Greek king Antiochus the fourth decided to ban all the Jewish worship in Israel and decided to sacrifice a swine in the temple an unclean animal there was no guarantee this would not repeat and of course to Israel Rome wasn't always too friendly after this either they destroyed the temple in 70

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AD now the complete freedom to worship and serve him is something that all of God's people long for not just Israel especially in California we get the front row seat of Antichrist regulations and laws before any other state in the nation maybe except New York California heads into it first California decides the next godless project before any other state and we don't know which part of our faith will be attacked next biblical counseling to point transgender individuals to find healing in Christ who knows that could be next marriage between committed man and woman that's been attacked or Christian education that challenges

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Darwinian evolution and communism that's happening now

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Zacharias however gives us the hope that one day such a concern will be only a faint memory not only that they will be worshiping

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God in all righteousness and holiness all of their lives so there is a both external change there's an external change in oppression but there's an internal change how can sinful people worship

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God in all righteousness and holiness all of their lives and we'll see how that will unfold and from God's role of deliverance through Christ verses 76 to 79 show us the roles of John the

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Baptist and Jesus Christ verses 76 to 77 are the answer to the crowd's question what kind of child will this be and this is stunning because the focus of this song is not

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John the Baptist although the question was about John the Baptist the focus of this song is

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God's mercy in delivering His people through the coming Messiah but Zacharias still answers the question that the crowd has and you child will be called the prophet of the highest for you will go before the face of the

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Lord to prepare His ways John the Baptist's role is to prepare the coming of the

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Lord when Christ arrives what's important here is that John the

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Baptist goes before the coming of the Lord the coming of the

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Lord is the coming of God to His people and what

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Zacharias insinuates is that when Messiah comes because the Messiah is coming after John the

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Baptist that's when God comes there is a tension here this

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Messiah maybe He is more than just a normal human when the

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Messiah comes God's presence comes that's pretty astounding and verse 77 unpacks what this will be to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins

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John's job is to proclaim to Israel the coming salvation through the forgiveness of their sins and here we see that the deliverance is not just the physical deliverance described above Zacharias's song is not

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Rome will be gone praise God here we see

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Israel's deep core need is not just freedom from foreign kings but freedom from their own sins and it is precisely their sin that is hindering them from having peace with God John's job is to instruct

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Israel to receive the Messiah who comes to purchase the pardon for their sins

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John the Baptist is the signpost to the final destination he is not the ultimate destination hence the song does not end after 77 stopping at John the

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Baptist is like stopping at the signpost to the beach before you even see the coast and the next two verses explain what

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Christ will do, the Messiah while John the Baptist proclaim the coming salvation

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Jesus accomplishes it through the tender mercy of our

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God with which the day spring from on high has visited us to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace first the manner in which

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Christ is coming is introduced it is through the tender mercy of our

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God the word for mercy signifies the deepest bowels the deepest core guts, it is the innermost core of any human being and God's mercy at its core is the compassion that moves to save his people by sending

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Christ the day spring here means dawn or the rising sun the metaphor continues of course to the next verse to show that Christ gives light to those who are in darkness they are trapped in darkness they are helpless in darkness he is the only rescue light in this dark world, he is the only hope for those who are doomed to die

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God doesn't send multiple rescue lights he only sent one day spring also

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Christ guides us to peace notice the word here when the day spring visits us it's a repeat of the term visitation from earlier verse verse 68 when

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God visits to deliver that's also when the Messiah visits to deliver do you see the intertwining of the

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Messiah's deliverance and God's deliverance you can't really separate that God delivers when

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Christ delivers Christ visits when

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God visits so to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet in the way of peace this idea is that Christ guides his people to peace we often have this very shallow view of peace when there are no wars people assume we have peace when there are no bullets flying by we have peace when we are not in a family conflict we have peace however the idea of peace in the

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Hebrew culture is a complete wholeness there is nothing broken about it it's the type of peace that was lost when

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Adam and Eve rebelled against God so the fact that when the

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Messiah visits and guides our feet to peace it's speaking of a full restoration anything that is wrong with the world and also wrong with your heart your sinfulness that will be all dealt with when the

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Messiah comes that's his job to guide you to peace now how does

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Christ guide us to peace first we have to acknowledge the fact that there is no peace between God and humanity between each other in the whole world

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God is perfect and holy yet humans we rebel against him constantly we follow our desires, our sinfulness we attempt to dethrone

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God by making ourselves into gods and that's the moral darkness that we're all stuck in, it's filthy and in order to rescue us those who are living in darkness and to bring us to peace with God the true light enters the darkness the holy son of God from heaven became man the purest entered the death of filth and he took on our sin and faced the punishment that we deserve for rebelling against God, for living for ourselves and he took that upon himself on the cross and when

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Jesus was crucified God poured out the wrath that we deserved on his only son so that we may have peace through Christ that's the picture of the tender mercy of God from the death of his core he wanted his people living in darkness to be freed and from his deep core that's what moved him to send his one and only son to die for our sin it's not a picture so that he may boast about it later it's not a begrudging picture, oh

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I guess I have to do this I promised it no it's from the death of his core he wanted you saved from the oppression of sin from the death of his core he longed to see you purified purified and cleansed by the death of his son that's how much he wanted to show his tender mercy and that heart is found in Christ today that means you can go to him to have peace with God even this morning trust in Christ and what he's done to get rid of your sin once and for all let us pray father we are thankful that you have given us your son

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Jesus out of your tender mercy so that we may be freed not from just the external oppression and persecution but that we may be freed from our own sinfulness that hinders us that prevents us from having a relationship with you thank you that you've taken care of that in Jesus that Jesus willingly died for our sins so that we may live that we may be in the light and we pray that we would cherish

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Jesus all of our lives in his name we pray