Luke 1:16

Luke 1:16

In Luke Chapter One, we are continuing the part of the Bible in which Zacharias has been told that he and his wife are going to be given a son, and that their son is going to do great things for God. He will be John the Baptist. He will be the forerunner to the Christ. The angel is speaking and he is telling Zacharias what John will accomplish. The angel says in Luke 1:16-17, "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and the power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

The greatness of John the Baptist must be connected in a very important way to the results of his work. The angel said that John the Baptist would be great in the sight of the Lord. There are certain activities in this world that are closer to God’s heart than other activities. What is God doing in the world? What is the most important work of all? Jesus described Himself and said, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." There is a heaven and there is hell, and God wants everyone to be saved. The work of God in the world more than anything else is the saving of lost souls. All Christian work somehow should have as a part of its ultimate goal, the presenting of the gospel to a lost world. You might say, "I am a teacher. I feel that my calling is to teach Christians and to help build them up in the faith." Isn’t God trying to that? Isn’t he trying to make Christians stronger and better? Yes, he is, but there are several reasons for doing so, not the least of which is the fact that God works in the lives of believers, and He gives them pastors and teachers to help build them up so that they can be better witnesses to a lost and dying world. Every Christian work and every gift of the Spirit somehow is tied to the spread of the Gospel of Christ to a lost and dying world.

That was a major part of the greatness of John the Baptist. He had a unique gift to stand before a sinful generation and to declare to them the necessity of repenting of their sins and turning to God, and they did it. The angel said of John the Baptist that "many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God." John the Baptist had the spirit and the power of Elijah. In a way you could say that John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets. Elijah had power to perform miracles. Of course, we know that Jesus performed many miracles. It’s interesting to note that the only miracles performed by John the Baptist were the miracles of changed hearts and lives as people turned from their sins and to the Lord. That’s still the kind of miracle that we most need today. Have you experienced the miracle of repentance and faith towards God?

Concerning people repenting of their sins, the Bible says that John the Baptist would turn "the hearts of the fathers to the children." One of the great sins of the world has always been too many fathers who have forsaken their responsibilities as dads. Women can also fail to protect and to care for their children, but usually the mother seems to have a much more natural instinct to care for her children, while far too many men have forsaken their parental responsibilities. If they turn to God, they will also turn to their children to fulfill the duties that became theirs when they became fathers.

John the Baptist also turned the "disobedient to the wisdom of the just." To sin is to disobey. One element of salvation is the surrender of the will to God. A strong human will in resistance to God is a soul on its way to hell. "The fool has said in his heart, No, God." It’s surprising how many people in the world are willfully disobedient to God. The wise person is the one who has turned away from his stubborn way and turned to God. Remember that Jesus said, "Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish."

John the Baptist was the forerunner to Christ. One of the purposes of the ministry of John the Baptist was to prepare people to meet Christ. John was not the one to be lifted up and praised, Jesus Christ was. Sometimes pastors or teachers become successful and well known. As the years go by sometimes people start praising and honoring these servants instead of the King. John the Baptist did not let that happen. He prepared people for the Lord. John pointed to the Lord.

Zacharias was surprised and astonished by the message given to him from the angel, Gabriel. In spite of the miracle of having an angel appear to him, he could not believe that he and Elizabeth could have a son and have such great things accomplished by their son. The Bible says in Luke 1:18-20, "And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings. And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season."

Zacharias had prayed that God would give them a son, but even though an angel appeared to him and told him that his prayer had been answered, Zacharias just could not believe it. After all the years had passed and after he had reached old age, he kept letting his requests be known unto God, but he stopped believing that God could or that God would answer. It’s not enough to pray. We must also believe that what we pray about, God can and will accomplish. Some people give up if enough time goes by and they do not see the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams.

God wants there to be faith in the hearts of His children, especially in those who have served God long enough to know better. Jesus did not like it when the disciples were weak in faith. He would say to them, "O, ye of little faith. How long shall I bear with you?" God does not like it when His servants waver in faith. We should know better. We should know His promises and believe them. "Without faith it is impossible to please God." "The just shall live by faith." God does not lie. What He has promised, He will perform. It can be a wonderful thing to serve the Almighty God. We are in the same good situation that Zacharias was in, and the angel appeared to him and said, "Fear not, Zacharias, thy prayer has been heard."

Be careful or you might end up making the same mistake that Zacharias made. Even though he prayed, and even though an angel appeared to him, Zacharias thought about his difficult circumstances instead of God’s power or God’s promises. There is a battle taking place in your life. It’s the battle of faith. Some people have lost the battle, and their faith has been shipwrecked on the rocks of difficult circumstances or the sandbars of unexpected happenings. Cling to your faith. Value it highly and do the things necessary to strengthen it. "With faith all things are possible." "This is the victory that overcomes the world: even our faith."

If we are weak in faith, then God does things in our lives to strengthen our faith. "A bruised reed He does not break." Such was the case with Zacharias. Zacharias eventually learned very well the lesson of the importance of believing the promises of God instead of looking at his circumstances. If you keep serving God, failures are simply learning experiences. You will go from faith to faith until you arrive on the golden steps of the city of God.

Continuing with this amazing event that happened in the lives of Zacharias and Elizabeth, the Bible says in Luke 1:21-25, "And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them and remained speechless. And it came to pass, that as soon as the days of his service were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, saying, Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men."

One way in which Elizabeth showed her wisdom and her righteousness was the fact that when something good happened to her, she gave thanks to God. God is good. All good things come from the good God who showers His blessings upon us all. Psalm 100 says, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all you lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know you that the Lord he is God: it is he that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations."

Elizabeth was thankful because she was given a child, and she knew that the child was a gift from God. All children are gifts from God. Some people understand the value of just one life. Some people understand that life is a precious gift from God, and if God has brought a little one into your life, you have been blessed greatly by Him. Hopefully you are thankful for the gifts God has given you, just as Elizabeth was.

The book of Luke has an even more important birth to tell us about in addition to that of John the Baptist’s birth. Luke 1:26-27 says, "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary." The same angel who spoke to Zacharias was now sent to speak to Mary. The birth of John the Baptist was a miracle because of the old age of Zacharias and Elizabeth. The birth of Jesus was even more of a miracle because Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived in her womb. No man was involved. Of course, this was a very great miracle. Twice we are told in Luke 1:27 that Mary was a virgin.

We are also told that even though Mary was a virgin, she was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, and that Joseph was of the house of David. In just one verse of the Bible, we are already told two very important details about the life of Christ. Who was Jesus of Nazareth? That’s a very important question. Jesus asked His disciples, "Whom do men say that I am?" The answer that you give to this question will determine your eternal destiny. From Luke 1:27 you already have enough information to know the right answer.

Isaiah 7:14 was written hundreds of years before Christ was born and it said about the Messiah who would be sent to the earth, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Immanuel means "God with us." Mary was the virgin. Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah. One important detail about the Messiah was that he would come in the lineage of the great King David, the greatest king ever known by the people of Israel. Even though Joseph was not the natural father of Jesus, Joseph was the head of the household and therefore Jesus inherited from Him from a human standpoint his lineage to King David. Who is Jesus of Nazareth? He is the Son of God, born of a virgin. He is the promised Messiah, born in the lineage of King David.

In Luke 1:28 the Bible says concerning Mary, "And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." The angel said that Mary was highly favored and blessed. Why was Mary chosen to be the mother of Jesus? Certainly, there were many human reasons for which she was chosen. Her obvious gentle nature and quiet spirit made her an excellent choice to be the mother of any child as well as the Son of God. Perhaps the most important qualifications to be a parent are gentleness and kindness and patience. Jesus himself said, "Permit the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Whatever was her human character or special qualifications, the greatest reason that Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus was the unmerited favor of God. The first thing that the angel said to Mary was, "Thou art highly favored." No human could ever have been good enough to deserve to be the mother of the Christ. The best explanation for what happened to Mary is the fact that the unmerited mercy and grace and favor of God came down out of heaven into the life of one young virgin in the little town of Nazareth. What do people need today? They need to come to know the grace of God and the unmerited favor of God. Once someone experiences the unmerited favor of God, their life will never be the same.

Luke 1:29-30 says, "And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God." The angel said to Zacharias, "Fear not, for thy prayer has been heard." Fear is one of the greatest enemies of mankind. President Roosevelt said that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. One of the best anecdotes to fear is faith. If God be for us, who can be against us? If we are going to live forever in the glories of heaven, what is there to fear? We certainly do not need to fear death, if we have eternal life. We do not need to fear evil, because we know that good will win the final victory over evil. If you have been blessed of God and if you have come to know the favor of God, you have direct access to the love and the peace and the assurance that can drive every fear away. If you know God through faith in Jesus Christ, the same message that was given to Mary is also given to you, and the angel said to her, "Fear not, Mary, thou hast found favor with God."

___________________________________________________