"As He Spoke by the Prophets" Luke 1:57-80 I don't think we know how to party. Tonight we'll be looking at 1 Samuel 4-7, and I'll suggest that we don't know how to fast! But this morning, it is my task to tell you that we don't know how to feast! How do you rejoice with those who rejoice? How do you mourn with those who mourn? We tend to do it in a distant sort of sympathy of feeling. And in our stiff and formal manner we congratulate each other, or send our regrets. But the only way to do it right, is to spend time together! (I suppose that could be heard as a strong suggestion that you come tomorrow night as we party and give thanks to God for our first year in this building!) In Luke 1:58-59 we hear how to do it right. 1. Zechariah's Son (1:57-66) Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Now it says in verse 56 that Mary had stayed with Elizabeth for three months, from the sixth to the ninth month, which probably means that Mary was there for the birth of John. All of Elizabeth's neighbors and relatives gathered, as the custom was, to rejoice at the birth of a child. But this time the rejoicing was even greater, because the Lord had shown great mercy to her in giving her a child in her old age. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. This was a major event in the life of a Jewish family. The circumcision of a son was the sign that God had been faithful to his promise in continuing the holy seed, and now God was claiming this little boy as his seed and heir. The promises to Abraham were passed on from generation to generation through the sign of circumcision. The eighth day was significant. The creation week was seven days. God had called Adam to rest on the seventh day, as a picture of God's own rest that he took on the seventh day of creation. But Adam had failed to enter God's rest. Adam had sinned against God, and now the only way for man to enter God's rest is if there is a new creation a new creation that looks forward to another day, an eighth day! And so the sign of the new covenant that God established with Abraham was sealed with the shedding of blood on the eighth day. the shedding of the blood of the seed of Abraham! Every son of the covenant was circumcised on the eighth day: the flesh of his foreskin was cut off as a sign that man can now only enter God's rest through the shedding of blood, the shedding of the blood of the seed of Abraham. And so they came to circumcise the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. And this was reason for a party a celebration of God's covenant faithfulness! It had become a Jewish custom to name the child at his circumcision, and so they would have named him Zechariah after his father, but (Zechariah himself still being mute from the curse of the angel Gabriel), Elizabeth answered for him, "No! He shall be called John." Since John was not a common name in the family, they inquired of Zechariah, who asked for a writing tablet and wrote down: "His name is John." Johanon or Ioannes in Greek means "Yahweh has been gracious" And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. We'll look at the content of that blessing in a moment. But it says that fear came on all their neighbors. In other words, the neighbors realized that God was doing something here. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, 'What will this child be?' For the hand of the Lord was with him. Luke is saying to Theophilus, this is the story that is still told in the hill country of Judea. They still remember the strange and marvelous birth of John, sixty years ago. And this is the authentic account the trustworthy account of all that happened. You, Theophilus, should also marvel and heed the song of Zechariah. 2. Zechariah's Song (1:67-79) There are two parts to the Song of Zechariah. Indeed, there are only two sentences in this song! 1) the first sentence blesses the Lord God of Israel for doing what he has promised 2) the second sentence speaks of what God will do through John. The fulfillment of the promises (1:67-75) As we saw last time in Mary's song, Zechariah's song also puts everything in the past tense. He blesses God because God has visited and redeemed his people (even though Jesus hasn't even been born yet!) and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old (1:68-70) Jeremiah 23 is probably one of the Messianic prophecies that we think about the least. Jeremiah spoke of the restoration from exile, how God would gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the LORD. Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The LORD is our righteousness. (Jer 23:3-6) Zechariah blesses the Lord, because he has done what he promised. Jeremiah had said that when God restored the exiles, he would establish David's son as king. Jeremiah had said this nearly 600 years ago. Israel had been restored to the land more than 500 years ago. And no Son of David had ever sat on the throne in Jerusalem since. And for 400 years there had not even been a prophet to tell the people what God was doing. Now Zechariah has had Mary staying in his house for the last three months. Quite possibly, when he sings this song, she is sitting on the opposite side of the room with the women. This virgin, who is about to marry Joseph, the son of David, will give birth to the righteous Branch. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. What will this Son of David do? 1) he will deliver us from our enemies (verse 71) 2) he will lead us in serving God without fear in holiness and righteousness (verse 74-75) and all of this because in him God will fulfill the covenant that he made with Abraham. What was the covenant with Abraham? What did God promise to Abraham? Children, do you remember the three things that God promised to Abraham? Land Seed Blessing to the nations God had promised Abraham that we might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. This is what Israel was called to do at Mt Sinai. This is what Israel failed to be both in the wilderness, and in the land. And so God had established his covenant with David, so that the faithful king (the son of David) would lead the people into the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham. But David and his sons also failed, and Israel went into Exile. That is why Zechariah sees the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham coming only through the house of David. It is only when the Lord God of Israel visits his people, raising up a horn of salvation in the house of his servant David, that the promises to Abraham can finally be fulfilled. with the end result that the people of God will serve him without fear. This is what Jesus does. Jesus is the Son of David who destroys our enemies so that we can serve God without fear. What are you afraid of? What do you fear? Paul tells us that nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Jesus delivers us from fear! Through John (1:76-79) Then Zechariah turns to this little baby and says, And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins. John is the one who will prepare the way of the Lord (Isaiah 40; Malachi 3). This is the Elijah who would come and call the people to repentance before the coming of the great and terrible Day of the LORD. John will come preaching, "repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!" Israel had sinned against God. As we saw last Sunday night, the house of Eli the priestly house of Aaron sinned against God. And as we'll see as we go through Samuel and Kings, the house of David had sinned against God. How will God save his people? How will God bring about the forgiveness of sins? As Eli had said, if someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him? (1 Sam 2:24) Let me repeat that, because Eli's point is important: if someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him? If all you have done in your life is sin against others, then, perhaps, you could go to God and say, "But I've never wronged you!" But we've all sinned against God! Indeed, as David recognized in Psalm 51, when he sinned by committing adultery and murder, he had sinned against God. "Against you, you only have I sinned!" Because all sin is rebellion against God! Every time you sin you are saying that your ways are better than God's ways. that you are more important than God. If someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him? In the end the animal sacrifices of the OT were insufficient. How can the blood of an animal truly pay for our sins? We deserve death! The wages of sin is death. John must go before Jesus to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, Why? How can John proclaim that the forgiveness of sins is here? Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. John's message is the message of the forgiveness of sins, and this message is spoken of in terms of light dawning in the darkness. Have you ever experienced darkness? I don't just mean the darkness of night. I mean the blackness the utter darkness of being separated from the mercy of God? Your prayers go up and are met with total silence. There is a chasm before your feet, a gulf of emptiness ready to swallow you up. You know that there is light somewhere but you also know, with a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, that you cannot find that light. That is the darkness the shadow of death that Zechariah speaks of. A darkness that we cannot escape! It is a darkness that only God can illumine. When you walk in the valley of the shadow of death, when you sit in the utter darkness of sin, there is nothing you can do to escape it. Israel had been sitting there for nearly 600 years. And now Zechariah says that his son, John, would be the voice that would call people to repentance, preparing the way for the one who would illumine the world. As the gospel of John says, John came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. (Jn 1:7-8) Today you need not sit in that darkness. For the Light of the world has dawned in our Lord Jesus Christ. The sunrise has come, and the glory of the LORD has been revealed. If you are sitting in darkness, and in the shadow of death, then hear the Word of the Lord, and open your eyes and see! Because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us! In the tender mercy of our God, the Light of the World has come. And he is the one who guides our feet into the way of peace. Our catechism question this week says, God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith unto salvation. (SC 89) Do you believe that the reading, but especially the preaching of the word, is an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners? Nowadays we tend to believe in gimmicks or programs. What did God use to convert the Jews in the preparation for the coming of Jesus? The preaching of John the Baptist. Zechariah says that John will be called "the prophet of the Most High" What did God use to convert both Jews and Gentiles in the first century? The preaching of the apostles. What did God use to convert the nations, in the early church, the middle ages, the reformation, and the missions movement of the 19th century? Yes, the foolishness of the preaching of the Word of God. The preaching of the Word of God is what God uses to convince and convert sinners. The preaching of the Word is what God uses to build us up in holiness and comfort. We should always come to worship with the expectation that God is going to speak to us in the reading, and especially in the preaching of his Word! John is unique in his call to be the one who goes before the Lord, preparing the way of the Lord. But his message giving knowledge of salvation in the forgiveness of sins is the message that every preacher must proclaim! Conclusion (1:80) Luke 1 concludes: And the child grew and become strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. Even as Moses had waited forty years in the wilderness, and even as Elijah had awaited the call of the LORD from the wilderness, so also John must await his call in the wilderness. What is Luke saying to Theophilus here? Theophilus, Jesus is the Son of David. He is the one who brings to fulfillment all that God promised to Abraham. He is the Promised Seed who has received the Promised Inheritance. And in him, the blessing of Abraham has come to the Gentiles. You, O Theophilus, you, O lover of God, are called to believe this message! The light of the world has dawned in Jesus Christ. Do not live any longer in darkness. Do not walk the way of folly, but come serve the Lord without fear! Walk before him in holiness and righteousness, because your sins are forgiven! And he will guide your feet into the way of peace. Amen.