Blessing The Faithful God - [Luke 1:57-66]

Why Christianity Is Not Self-Salvation

Well, if you ask most people what is Christianity, they'll probably tell you it's a religion that stresses. Being good to live a moral life Reminds me of Aesop's fable remember Hercules and the Wagoneer.

How many people know Hercules and the Wagoneer? Not many how many people know John 316 better. I'll take that but if you were to read Hercules and the Wagoneer the Wagoneer was Man in a wagon and he was stuck in the mud and he just kept trying harder and harder to get out with the horses and couldn't get out of This mire and so he thought he would pray to Hercules and he cried out to Hercules help me in my hour of distress and Hercules responds according to Aesop and he says man don't sprawl there get up and put your shoulder to the wheel and.

And of course with Aesop's fables there's a moral to the story and what's the moral of the story of the Wagoneer and Hercules and the answer is Self help is the best help. The moral is heaven helps those who help themselves the moral is God's helped them that help themselves.

Don't you think that pretty much sums up today? It sums up Evangelicalism sometimes today and so this morning we are going to look at a passage that will remind us that salvation Doesn't come from ourselves.

If you drive a car, it's called an automobile because it's self-driving and certainly if I say Autosotirism self-salvation we realize at Bethlehem Bible Church. That is not true. Obviously Jesus wants us to live a moral life as Christians, but that's not the sum.

That's not the essence. That's not what Christianity is. Matter of fact, if you could get to heaven by being good Why would the Father send the Son at all? Christ would have died Galatians 2 for no purpose.

The Theme of Luke: The Son of Man Came to Seek and Save the Lost

And as you know if you've been here for some time, and if you're a visitor just visiting with us on this weekend Welcome, we are going verse by verse through the gospel of Jesus according to Luke so if you have a Bible turn your Bible to Luke Matthew Mark Luke and John are the four Gospels in the New Testament and It's our custom here to just simply preach through the passages and one after another after another in a continuous fashion.

So that we don't miss any richness found in God's Word now. We're in chapter 1, but before we get to chapter 1 I'd like you to turn your Bible to chapter 19, please as I set the stage for our passage today.

In seminary or Bible school or even in my preaching class sometimes I would ask the students or I would be asked by my professor. What's the key verse in this book? What's the key verse in Galatians to unlock it?

Is there a key verse in Mark for instance so that we understand? The entire book with a key verse and you can do that through every book of the Bible if you want. If it was Mark It would be chapter 10 verse 45 that Jesus didn't come to be served but to serve and to give his life a Ransom for many and so one of the things that you could do on your own is you could say I'd like to know a key Verse that helps me summarize every book of the Bible because if you know that key verse It helps you understand that book in the Bible.

So if we're gonna go to Luke chapter 1 and we're working through Luke week by week I'm guessing five years or so will be in Luke. I'm not exactly sure but it is the longest book in the New Testament after all and it's so rich.

It's all about the Lord Jesus. If I ask you the question, what's the key verse in Luke? What's the theme verse? What summarizes who Jesus is and what he does so that you can understand every other passage in light of the theme?

Because the theme drives everything and that is found in Luke 19 10 I think you probably already know that. Do you want to know what the summary is the theme are the key to this book to help you understand all of the book?

Including the early chapters. It's found in Luke 19 10 for the Son of Man. Came to seek and to save the lost. He came to rescue transgressors. He came to rescue sinners. He came to rescue those trespassers.

The sovereign initiative of Jesus that reminds me of Luke 5. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. If you understand this verse you can understand all of the gospel of Luke really all of the gospel in Matthew Mark Luke and John.

Jesus mission is briefly stated to seek and save the lost. Why did Jesus come to seek and save the lost? Some have called this the golden text of Luke. Why did they say that because this is the theme?

And of course if we could save ourselves or if we could be good to get in heaven. Why send Jesus on the rescue mission. I Love Ezekiel 36. Does this sound familiar? God speaking my flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill.

My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth and there was no one to search or seek for them. Thus says the Lord God behold. I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out. No other shepherd could do it so God himself seeks and searches out his sheep.

DL Moody said of this passage in Luke 19 to me. Luke 19 10 is one of the sweetest verses in all the Bible in this one short sentence. We are told what Christ came into the world for he came for a purpose.

He came for a work not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved and. Another writer say this is so wonderful. You don't even have two syllables in any word here. It's just single syllables in the English.

He came to seek and save the lost matter of fact Christian. He came to seek you. He came to search and find you. He rescued you. I think we sing about that don't we. He sought me and bought me with his redeeming blood and.

Of course this passage has a context. Remember Jesus goes to Jericho in John 19. And he's passing through and there's a lovely man whose name is pure and righteous. Well, his name was Zacchaeus, but that means pure are righteous, but he wasn't pure.

He wasn't righteous he was a tax collector and a Sinner. If you just look up just a few verses above Luke 19 10 you can see chapter 19 verse 1. He's in Jericho. Jesus is he sees Zacchaeus. He's a chief tax collector, and he was rich.

And of course it's hard for rich people to get into heaven. Jesus Just said that in the chapter before with the rich young ruler. It's impossible for people to get saved if they're rich, but with God everything's possible.

Here's the possibility right here Zacchaeus the rich sinner the tax collector and. And Jesus says to Zacchaeus remember you can remember the kids song even Zacchaeus hurry and come down because I must stay at your house today and by the way when Jesus comes to seek and save sinners most of the Religious leaders are so happy because that's why religious leaders are leaders because they want everybody to be right with God.

But not these religious leaders. What did they say they grumbled? He's gone in to be the guest of a man who's a sinner. Now we say sinner generally we're all sinners, and we fall short of the glory of God.

But this is a particular word that means disgraceful despicable despised. I mean he's a traitor. He's Zacchaeus, and now he's taking money giving it to the Rome Roman government. He's they're grumbling.

Of course the Greek word for grumble sounds like grumble. What's the Greek word for grumble? I know Charlie Crane knows this Gungus must. Good job. It's below the surface just complaining. Jesus is saving sinners.

He's eating with sinners. He's not going to condone what they do. He's a physician of sinners as Luke is a physician to temporal needs. Jesus is a physician for spiritual need of course. He's going to sit with him not to say it's fine, but to rescue.

Man of sorrows what a name for the Son of God who came Ruin sinners to proclaim. What's the next line? Hallelujah, what a Savior and Jesus says in verse 9 today salvation has come to this house since he's also a son of Abraham.

And here's the theme of it all for the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. That is Christianity not do good not be good, but it's the rescue mission of the astounding kind Lord Jesus sent by the loving Father.

Spurgeon said Christ does not leave it to ourselves to seek him. Or else it would be left indeed. For so vile as human nature that although heaven be offered and though hell thunder in our ears. Yet there never was and never will be any man who?

Unconstrained by sovereign grace will run in the way of salvation and so escape from hell and flee to heaven. The only hope is Jesus who comes to rescue and so Luke says I have good news, and it's called the gospel.

I have good news that Jesus comes to seek and save the lost and of course if you're a Christian You could think thank you Lord for seeking me and saving me, and I was running my own path, and you intercepted.

And if you're not a Christian here, this is the mission that Jesus comes to seek and save sinners like you. If you have loved ones who aren't saved you think there's a God who seeks and a God who saves.

If you'd like to know the theme of Luke so you can understand everything else in Luke. It's this Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Now the response to that should be certainly praise. Aren't you glad Christian.

You don't have to go to hell. Aren't you glad you get heaven. Aren't you glad you get the Spirit of God fellowship the Bible etc. Yes. What's the response to this rescue mission a? Desire to evangelize.

Certainly we want to tell others about the good news. What's the response to such a Savior to honor him by the way? We live godly lives out of Thanksgiving, but is there any other thing we? Should respond with when it comes to this great salvation.

And the answer is yes, it makes me Want to learn all about the salvation. It makes me want to understand it more matter of fact it makes me want to go back to the beginning to learn all about this. I Know this doesn't make perfect sense in terms of an illustration one-to-one, but when Kim and I met Somebody introduced us etc.

In a certain place and time and as the children are older now sometimes They like to hear the story. How'd you and mom meet give us all the details? What was that lady's name who was in the cult who said she knew Jesus her name used to be Sharon and now it's Aria.

How do you get introduced by this lady in this cult etc. Etc. They want to know the details because they're thinking the Lord's put these Two together tell me the story. Don't just start with I do. In the marriage how'd you meet probably talk to couples like that all the time.

Tell me your story. And so when you know Jesus seeks and saves the lost it makes you want to say I want to know the story from the Beginning. Don't just tell me about his life and death and resurrection.

Yes, tell me about those things, but not only those things so Luke says in his preface in chapter 1. You know what we're gonna start from the beginning. We're gonna start from the very beginning so you can just say Jesus he did it all and look at only God a sovereign God could put all these things together with Zechariah and Elizabeth and the baby and John and Mary and the Virgin and Overshadowing with the Holy Spirit and conceive God man pure blameless tell me all the details.

When you know you're saved and when you're sought after by God's redeeming love. You don't want to just dive into the end or the middle you want to know about the beginning. So let's go back to Luke chapter 1.

I tell my preaching students. You want to get to your passage in about three minutes, and so we're 12 minutes in but I was preaching the Bible. Did I not preach Luke 19? Yes, I did and so all this to set up we come to passages in the Bible knowing the theme.

He seeks and saves the lost so we can understand the details and Luke makes it very clear in chapter 1 verses 1 through 4. That he's going to make an eyewitness account. He's a doctor he wants things set up very orderly and he's going to set it up so that you might be certain that this is in fact the Christ and that you could have hope of Forgiveness when you trust in him alone.

I love all the details about the marvelous grace of God the Father of God the Son and God the Spirit is like the hymn graced as a charming sound harmonious to the ear. Heaven with the echo shall resound and all the earth shall Hear.

The Birth of John the Baptist and the Remarkable Unmarked Passage

Today we're going to look at Luke chapter 1 verses 57 through 66 we finished the Magnificat last week. Mary's praising the Lord my soul magnifies the Lord. And now we come to the birth of John the Baptist.

Dear congregation a question if you have any of verses 57 through 66 Underlined are highlighted in your electronic tablet phone or Underlined with a pencil yellow marker or anything else would you raise your hand if you have any part of this underlined?

One and she and oh two three four okay good feel like I'm in an auction or something. That's wonderful, but you four probably underline everything in the Bible and when Haley was little every verse was underlined.

I'm like yes, that's good. So of course it's all God breathed right we know that from 2nd Timothy chapter 3 and Sometimes you just think Oh Mary's praise that's underlined my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

But but how do you preach a passage that hardly anyone underlines? Just doesn't seem to like really jump off where you think oh I just can't wait to camp on this passage and figure this out. I call this the remarkable unmarked passage.

The remarkable unmarked passage that after you hear it preached not because of me. I'm a no one. I'm frail and sinful as you know, but because of the text you're gonna say that's a remarkable passage.

And I should probably have it marked. By the way, I give you permission by the authority vested in me to take a pencil and mark in your Bible. It's okay. Don't ever use a yellow marker though. It's blasphemy.

Now you do whatever you want, I have no authority over you marking your Bibles, I'm just glad you read your Bibles. It's a remarkable passage. That's typically unmarked. So we're gonna work through this passage today.

Here's my outline and I'm gonna ask you a series of questions. About this passage and about the God of this passage to help you understand the Lord better through this section. Super simple. I have eight questions.

We'll see how far I get. Maybe we can get through the whole thing. We'll see we're in no rush. Eight questions designed for you to say that's a remarkable passage. And it's not going to be just data about the passage.

We're gonna think about this in context and where it is in the theme of Luke and why Luke wrote it so that we can understand Who God is because this passage isn't here just for history just for us to dissect.

It's here for you. It's written for you. It's written for me so that we might understand God better and respond. Eight questions about a remarkable unmarked passage that hopefully will drive you to think Oh, thank you Lord.

God Is Faithful to Keep His Promise

You came to seek and save a sinner like me. Question number one is God faithful. Question number one in this remarkable unmarked passage is God faithful. Verse 57 of Luke chapter 1. Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth and she bore a son.

Now, of course if you're reading too fast, you're like, okay. Yes. Yeah time for a son. She bore a son but of course you're remembering aren't you earlier in chapter 1 and You're remembering aren't you 400 years before chapter 1 where Malachi had said inspired by the Spirit.

The forerunner is going to come and if there's a forerunner There's an after runner if there's a forerunner. There's a runner if there's somebody who's leading there's someone who comes next and so when John the Baptist comes Everybody get ready because the Messiah is going to come.

It tank came time for her to give birth. Okay, nine months or so. She bore a son. If this son is going to come the Messiah is going to come and by the way You should be thinking God is faithful because go back to chapter 1 verse 13.

You can see it right there in your own text. But the angel said to him do not be afraid Zechariah for your prayer has been heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall call his name John God says through Gabriel.

There's going to be a son to be born. His name is John and guess what old baron Elizabeth? bears a son. God's faithful. God keeps his word. I The sky. His truth forever stands secure. He saves the oppressed.

He feeds the poor and none shall find his promises vain, I mean even Zachariah's name God has remembered God is faithful and By the way, if you begin to think to yourself I wonder if God's faithful to the little people in the world to the minute people not just kings and queens and royalty and others.

I mean could there be anyone more Insignificant than Elizabeth mover no shaker. No God is faithful. God is unchanging and that means Christian God is faithful to you when you read God kept a promise to his Elizabeth and to John you should be thinking.

Yes. He's a promise keeping God. He keeps his promises. He's faithful. Did you know Christian God's never been unfaithful to you? God has never failed you one time. He's never been faith unfaithful to you not once.

I don't care what the doctor's results say. I don't care about deaths in the family. I don't care about any of that. With tears in her eyes and though he slay me yet. I'll trust in him. God is faithful.

That's one of the first things you should see out of this passage the faithfulness of God. John is writing the physician is writing so that you might have certainty. God's keeping his promise in the Old Testament and Isaiah 7 and Isaiah 9 and Malachi 4 God keeps his promise.

Ralph Davis tells about this great story about God's faithfulness to his own people. Lower Manhattan fall of 1874 in a little flat somebody knocks on a door and the blind woman answers. The person said hold out your hand and the person put a folded up piece of paper into her hand.

It turned out to be $10 and she had prayed for $10 to pay the rent. By the way, that tells you a little bit about rent now going up in 1874. She prayed that the Lord would supply her need and here a man shows up at the door.

She didn't know who he was. She didn't even know it was $10 because we couldn't feel it and she said you know what? I'm gonna write a song about God's faithfulness today because of that happened and here's what she wrote.

I think you know the song Fanny Crosby all the way my Savior leads me. What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt his tender mercy who through life has been my guide for I know what e 'er befall me. Jesus Does all things?

Well, I think Christian you can say that can you not? We ought to be saying that Joshua 21 not one of the good promises, which the Lord had made of the house of Israel has failed not one promise. For as many of the promises of God.

2nd Corinthians one in him Christ Jesus there. Yes. And amen. God is faithful. His promises are faithful. They're reliable. Hebrews 10 let us hold fast the confession of her hope without wavering for he who promised is Faithful.

Doesn't lie. He's faithful. Look back in your life. God. You've been faithful. Think about your life today. God. You've been faithful. I wonder what he'll be in the future. Maybe he'll fall asleep. Maybe he'll he'll take a trip.

Maybe he won't care about you. Oh, no, no, and no God is faithful. Matthew Henry said though men are false. God is faithful. Of course, we love to sing that song great as thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies, I see all.

Most all I've needed you've provided almost. Okay is your faithfulness? Changing is your faithfulness. Once in a while, you're faithful. I begin to read this and I'm just not reading the Bible here in this section in this, you know carved off place.

Let me give you the data for this. We see it in light of Scripture. What is Luke trying to drive you to do when you're reading about the promises of God kept for other people? You should say God is faithful even to me.

And by the way, he will be so faithful that he will get you dear Christian struggling Christian weak Christian all the way to heaven. He will get you to glory first John 2 and now little children abide in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame that is coming.

I mean all the sins we commit. You think there'd be shame when he comes but we rebut abide in him we trust in him we're believers in him and Therefore that Lord the advocate the propitiatory Advocate talked about earlier in first John 2 will make sure we get home all the way.

No shame. It is coming question 2. How do we look at this remarkable unmarked passage and just think about it and mull it over a little bit? Well question one, it's God faithful question two. What's the response to God's faithfulness?

Rejoicing in God's Mercy

How do we respond to God's faithfulness? And of course the last two weeks? I've tried to make it very clear that there's this there's this movement back and forth when it comes to God Showing himself either in nature or through the word doing deeds when Jesus was on the earth and then the response Revelation response we see a beautiful sky and we say wow.

Look at that sky. We see a sunset. That's incredible. You go to the Grand Canyon. Wow, there's revelation in general in nature and people we respond with. That's awesome. Same thing when it comes to revelation that's specific found in the Bible and Here you'll see that revelation demands a response.

I Wonder what their response was to God's faithfulness probably should be our response to God's faithfulness. Let's see verse 58. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her and what's the response to faithfulness?

What's the response to God keeping his promise? What's the response to a merciful God? They rejoiced with her. Do you see it? Now remember earlier in chapter 1 verse 46 Mary said my soul magnifies the Lord.

That's a great translation. My soul magnifies the Lord he's great and I put a magnifying glass up not to change who he is not to make him more Great, but just so I can see an intricate detail. Sadly the ESV and NES don't translate this like they should The legacy standard does and I give them credit for that.

Here's how it should be translated. With the exact same word found in the Magnificat her neighbors and her relatives heard That the Lord had magnified his great mercy toward her and they were rejoicing.

Oh Magnify the Lord Mary says and here we have God Magnifying who he is for Elizabeth and what's the response? Praise rejoicing. It's right there in verse 58. They rejoiced. Look back at verse 13 Of the same chapter, but the angel said to him do not be afraid Zechariah for your prayer has been heard and your wife Elizabeth Will bear a son you will call his name John and you will have what?

What's the response to the work of God joy? What's the response to God's sovereign hand? Gladness. And Many will rejoice at his birth. The neighbors come the relatives come. I'm sure the neighbors have been hearing what is going on with this barren woman who's now going to have a child.

We have to come and see this. God has magnified his mercy toward her. Everywhere you go in Luke chapter 1. Mercy his mercy is though for those who fear him. Chapter 1 verse 50 this verse 54 in remembrance of his mercy.

Verse 72 to show mercy promised to the father's verse 78 the tender mercy of our God. God is so merciful and remember sometimes we think mercy is I don't get what I deserve. Alright, I guess generally speaking that could be true.

But mercy is when God sees we're in a condition that we can't rescue ourselves. We're in a condition. We can't have a baby at 90. We meaning you ladies. I'm gonna refrain from going off on a rad rabbit trail.

The best classes though seminary classes and even high school classes and others were when the teacher got off on a rabbit trail. Those seem to be the most entertaining, but I'm not here to entertain so let's get back at this.

God looks at us and says if I don't intervene. There's nothing gonna happen except doom. So I will intervene that's that's called mercy, but God being rich in mercy. Ephesians chapter 2. With a great love with which he loved us.

They respond God's mercy is not some general thing floating around here. It's it's concrete. The baby's born the relatives know the friends know the neighborhood knows the town knows and they all rejoice.

I Love first. Samuel 12 fear the Lord serve him in truth with all your heart for consider the great things. He's done for you. Kindness and mercy leads to rejoicing. God's faithfulness leads to rejoicing.

God has been faithful to you. God has been faithful to me. How should we respond and the answer is with rejoicing same for us? Literally here in the original it's rejoicing with to rejoice with and. And a lot of commentators say Joy needs fellowship.

Because of something that incredible has happened to you. Don't you want other people involved to share the joy and to chip in with the joy and to say yes, that's true. God is faithful and the response to God's faithfulness should be joy.

Obedience and the Faithful Discipline of the Lord

Question three in this remarkable unmarked passage God is faithful. We respond with joy number three is obedience important. Is obedience important. There's always the risk of. So highlighting sovereign grace and mercy and love that people might think well I just get to do whatever I want to do if I'm saved only by the works of Jesus and you are.

Then what does it matter how I work? Of course, we know that's improper thinking. God says you're never saved by your own works, but out of gratitude for being saved by Christ works. We want to obey. We want to honor the Lord with our lives and to live a holy life and a blameless life in his eyes.

Isn't the obedience important for the Christian? The answer is of course and you see these Old Testament believers respond here with obedience. It's good for us to be reminded that obedience is important.

Christ obedience saves us. Our obedience is the fruit of his work out of gratitude. Verse 59 is Obedience important, of course, it is verse 59 and on the eighth day They came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father.

Now, of course, there are Jewish people here and they know on what day must you circumcise a baby? Well, we realize that now when we go to hospitals, they might circumcise on the first day but for the Jews circumcision was Commanded for the eighth day right.

Genesis 17 every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations. A Servant who was born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants.

Eighth day circumcision. Paul remember even boasted in Philippians 3 I was circumcised on the seventh day. No, I was circumcised on the eighth day and they would have called his name Zechariah after his father.

But God didn't say to do that. What did God say to call him answer? Junior. No Zacky little Zack. No, you can see where this is all driving toward they obey. With the eighth day circumcision like every Jew must be circumcised.

Every Jewish boy circumcised on the eighth day. And it says they would have called him Zechariah after his father. If you study blue Ruth chapter 4 sometimes the whole Neighbors get together to try to help name a child.

No, the child's already been named by God sent by Gabriel if you just flip forward to chapter 2 verse 21 with the parallel passage With Jesus getting circumcised. What day do you think Jesus got circumcised?

221 at the end of eight days when he was circumcised. He was called Jesus. Sometimes you name a baby when they're born. Sometimes you name a baby when they're circumcised. Both John the Baptist and Jesus named on the day.

They were circumcised. There's even more obedience we see here. But his mother answered verse 60. No, he shall be called John. They said to her none of your relatives is called by this name. I Know that's not right.

And as we try to tell our children, of course, we can tell ourselves delayed obedience is disobedience. Well, how does she know if her husband was struck with the Chasing hand of God and he can't talk.

Well, he certainly could write and we'll see that later. She knows from her husband. It was only the husband whom Gabriel showed up to in the pre in the temple. She says with very strong Greek, no, I'm not going to do it not at all.

I'm not going to do that because the angel in chapter 1 verse 13 says you're his name's gonna be John. By the way, John means God is gracious. Yahweh is gracious. That's the name you give. Doesn't matter if no relatives have been named that.

You know in my family. My grandfather was Henry Hank and his Son was named Lee my father and Lee gets the middle name of the father. So it's Lee Henry. My name is Michael. I get my dad's first name Michael Lee.

Luke is born and Luke gets what for a middle name Luke Michael and all of a sudden there's these kind of traditions that happen back then and what do you mean? You're not gonna name the child after you.

We're not going to.

Do this we're gonna obey God. Look at there's more obedience for 62. They made signs to his father inquiring what he wanted him to be called. I mean if Elizabeth can't figure it out, maybe John can I mean so excuse me a Zechariah can.

But here not only was Elizabeth obedient. So was Zechariah. Not a second lost. Now here's kind of something interesting. I'm not gonna get bogged down in the weeds reread verse 62 With me as I read it or just you know in your mind and they made signs to his father inquiring what he wanted to.

What he wanted him to be called. Wait, I thought he couldn't talk. Now it sounds like he can't hear either. Why are you making signs to him? Well people try to figure out what's going on here. Spurgeon said he was deaf and dumb.

I'll only disagree with Spurgeon once a year. So here's my once a year. You can't find this word that has a double meaning anywhere in the New Testament plus when Zechariah received the chasing hand of God it said in verse 20 and 22 you will remain silent and not be able to speak.

And when he came out he was unable to speak. And in verse 64 if you look ahead a little bit and immediately his mouth was open and his tongue loosed and he spoke. This anything about his ears. So I have no idea.

Why I don't know. I mean, I just was trying to think in my mind he was only mute. What is this whole making signs to his father and the only thing I can come up with and don't hold me to this. If you ever met somebody in another country, and you don't speak their language, and I'm in Germany.

I'm in German Province in Germany and all of a sudden I just start talking louder when I'm sorry. I'm asking for directions. To go over there to the tower like somehow they can hear me. In a different language if I just speak louder, I mean, maybe it's something like that.

I have no idea but the chastening hand of God was you're mute you can't speak and He does the right thing he can speak. You can study that on your own. He verse 63 asked for a writing tablet you just see obedience permanent.

Permeating everything here his name is John. Not will be. No no his name is John. And they all wondered. Back in those days if you had a little tablet and you put a bunch of wax on the top. You could take any kind of little stylus a stick or anything else.

You could kind of write in the wax and after you write in the wax. Then you could kind of make the wax flat again. And then you could take the stylus or the stick or whatever you had. To kind of engrave and then write and so that's probably what he was doing.

I kept thinking to myself when I was a kid we had those. Etch a sketch yeah. Those other things where you would write on top of the plastic and then you go like that and it would erase it all. Yeah. You with me.

I? Have a tablet now by the way. Just to let you know. I Hope it doesn't crash. His name's God is gracious and Lots of times in the Bible you'll see people named for what they're gonna do. Think Harry.

Right. And you have Jacob and Esau the heel snatcher. What they'll do in the future. God's gracious by the way. John the Baptist. God is gracious by sending John the Baptist. To warn people that the wrath is coming.

Seek the Savior. Judgment is going to happen. You'll die one day and stand before God repent. The kingdom of God is at hand. Isn't it gracious when? People present the demands of God. I mean I think even in my own life that people that preach to me the law of God.

God's holiness reflected in the law to make me realize I could no way measure up to that. So I'm going to need to seek a Savior who did measure up to the law and who did die for sinners like me. His name's going to be John is gracious.

God is gracious because he is going to be gracious. He's going to tell people free but flee from the wrath of God. And of course for us as we see the obedience found here. I hope you just don't say I'm glad they're obedient.

I hope you say to yourself. Yes, obedience is good. Obedience is right. I Know Christian obedience is important to you. Our statement of faith. Chapter 16 says these good works done in obedience to God's commands are fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith and By them believers manifest.