WEBVTT 00:00:05.330 --> 00:00:10.250 Luke chapter 1. A lot of you have probably been 00:00:10.250 --> 00:00:14.070 reading some of these passages. It is close to 00:00:14.070 --> 00:00:18.390 Christmas time, and we certainly remember that 00:00:18.390 --> 00:00:22.570 Jesus came to this earth and was born, and we 00:00:22.570 --> 00:00:25.870 thank God for that. We see that in the book of 00:00:25.870 --> 00:00:31.809 Luke, the book of Matthew. these stories of Jesus' 00:00:32.030 --> 00:00:35.090 birth and the events that surround them leading 00:00:35.090 --> 00:00:37.030 up to them, and we're going to talk about one 00:00:37.030 --> 00:00:40.609 of those this morning in Luke chapter 1. We're 00:00:40.609 --> 00:00:45.369 going to start in verse 5. Before we do, let's 00:00:45.369 --> 00:00:50.109 pray, and then we'll get started. God, we come 00:00:50.109 --> 00:00:52.530 to you today, and I thank you that we are able 00:00:52.530 --> 00:00:54.710 to have the freedom and the privilege to come 00:00:54.710 --> 00:00:58.350 into your house. I thank you for your love. I 00:00:58.350 --> 00:01:00.329 thank you for your grace and your mercy. I thank 00:01:00.329 --> 00:01:04.150 you for this fellowship of people, dear Lord. 00:01:05.069 --> 00:01:07.430 I pray that you just would bless each one that's 00:01:07.430 --> 00:01:11.390 here today, that you'd free us of our worries 00:01:11.390 --> 00:01:16.129 and our distractions and our pains and the thoughts 00:01:16.129 --> 00:01:18.709 and desires of the world that compete for our 00:01:18.709 --> 00:01:22.290 attention. I pray that in these few moments, 00:01:22.510 --> 00:01:25.409 that as we read through your word, that your 00:01:25.409 --> 00:01:28.439 word, dear Lord, Would be what we need to hear. 00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:31.939 God there's no good word I can say. If it does 00:01:31.939 --> 00:01:34.819 not come from you. Dear Lord I pray more than 00:01:34.819 --> 00:01:36.879 my words. That they hear your words. Because 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:38.939 that's what we're here for dear Lord. So I pray 00:01:38.939 --> 00:01:42.420 God. That as we read these scriptures. That you 00:01:42.420 --> 00:01:44.459 just would speak to us. I pray that you just 00:01:44.459 --> 00:01:46.659 would give us a good day. And a good service. 00:01:47.260 --> 00:01:53.079 In Jesus name I ask it. Amen. Luke chapter 1. 00:01:54.239 --> 00:02:00.599 Verse 5. In the days of King Herod of Judea, 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:04.659 there was a priest of Abijah's division named 00:02:04.659 --> 00:02:08.860 Zechariah. His wife was from the daughters of 00:02:08.860 --> 00:02:13.560 Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both were 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:17.039 righteous in God's sight, living without blame 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:20.860 according to all the commands and requirements 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:28.610 of the Lord. could not conceive. And both of 00:02:28.610 --> 00:02:34.169 them were well along in years. When his division 00:02:34.169 --> 00:02:37.250 was on duty and he was serving as priest before 00:02:37.250 --> 00:02:41.150 God, it happened that he was chosen by lot according 00:02:41.150 --> 00:02:44.550 to the custom of the priesthood to enter the 00:02:44.550 --> 00:02:49.110 sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. So let's 00:02:49.110 --> 00:02:51.530 stop there for a moment and let's do a little 00:02:51.530 --> 00:02:55.099 history lesson on what gets us to this point. 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:57.879 Now, in the Old Testament, God had established 00:02:57.879 --> 00:03:02.039 a lot of commands for his people to follow. And 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:04.419 part of the commands that they were to follow 00:03:04.419 --> 00:03:07.819 were the priesthood that he had set up. And God 00:03:07.819 --> 00:03:10.659 had given them very specific instructions originally 00:03:10.659 --> 00:03:13.479 on how to build this tabernacle, this tent, and 00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:16.599 the courtyard that surrounded it, and very specific 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:19.919 instructions on how big things needed to be and 00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:22.500 how they needed to be laid out and the materials 00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:26.759 that were to be used. Very, very specific instructions. 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:30.610 And God had established a priesthood. And there 00:03:30.610 --> 00:03:32.949 would be one high priest who would once a year 00:03:32.949 --> 00:03:36.650 go into the most holy place in the tabernacle. 00:03:36.729 --> 00:03:39.569 And throughout the rest of the year, there would 00:03:39.569 --> 00:03:42.330 be other priests who would do other duties around. 00:03:42.430 --> 00:03:45.889 And one of those duties that the priest were 00:03:45.889 --> 00:03:49.590 to do would take place in the place just outside 00:03:49.590 --> 00:03:52.770 of the most holy place. So when you walked into 00:03:52.770 --> 00:03:55.310 the courtyard of the tabernacle, there would 00:03:55.310 --> 00:03:58.090 be an enclosed section in the middle. And when 00:03:58.090 --> 00:04:01.210 you walk into that first section, you would walk 00:04:01.210 --> 00:04:07.030 into the holy place. And there was a candlestick, 00:04:07.030 --> 00:04:10.729 or excuse me, an altar where incense would be 00:04:10.729 --> 00:04:14.409 burned. And it was there that twice a day the 00:04:14.409 --> 00:04:18.810 priest would go in and burn incense on the incense 00:04:18.810 --> 00:04:22.899 altar. Once in the morning and once in the evening. 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:26.759 And this had carried on for many, many years 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:29.899 at this point. And we see that it still... carries 00:04:29.899 --> 00:04:32.959 on here. Now, throughout the Old Testament, God 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:35.040 had given those instructions, and ultimately 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:38.660 God's people moved to something a little better 00:04:38.660 --> 00:04:42.399 than the temporary structure and the tabernacle 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:45.899 that they had, and eventually they built a magnificent 00:04:45.899 --> 00:04:48.779 temple, and it was laid out very similar to the 00:04:48.779 --> 00:04:53.060 plans of the tabernacle, but it was a much grander 00:04:53.060 --> 00:04:55.839 building, and nonetheless, the priest would continue 00:04:55.839 --> 00:04:58.740 to offer this incense daily, and the high priest 00:04:58.740 --> 00:05:01.829 would continue to go before the Lord once a year. 00:05:01.930 --> 00:05:05.290 And this continued on for some time, but by the 00:05:05.290 --> 00:05:07.949 time we get to the Old Testament, things had 00:05:07.949 --> 00:05:13.529 really began to deteriorate some. God's people 00:05:13.529 --> 00:05:17.170 didn't really do too good of a job. Most of the 00:05:17.170 --> 00:05:19.920 time throughout the Old Testament, they... find 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:22.339 themselves living in disobedience, and they're 00:05:22.339 --> 00:05:25.139 not really following the Lord's commands. They're 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:28.139 not keeping up all of these things that he tells 00:05:28.139 --> 00:05:30.399 them to do at the temple and the tabernacle. 00:05:30.459 --> 00:05:33.300 And there are seasons where they do good, and 00:05:33.300 --> 00:05:36.500 it doesn't take long until they just kind of 00:05:36.500 --> 00:05:39.060 forget about God and go their own way. And we 00:05:39.060 --> 00:05:41.600 can relate to that if we're honest. There are 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:44.259 probably seasons where we really are living in 00:05:44.259 --> 00:05:47.379 obedience to God and really following his commands. 00:05:48.250 --> 00:05:50.709 And then there are other times that we don't. 00:05:51.110 --> 00:05:54.389 We don't stay in his word. We don't pray to him. 00:05:54.810 --> 00:05:57.129 And that's the way God's people were in the Old 00:05:57.129 --> 00:06:00.250 Testament. And by the time we get to the end 00:06:00.250 --> 00:06:03.629 of the Old Testament, while the system was kind 00:06:03.629 --> 00:06:06.069 of still in place, it wasn't really in the way 00:06:06.069 --> 00:06:08.910 that God intended. Originally, the high priest 00:06:08.910 --> 00:06:11.410 was supposed to come from the line of Aaron, 00:06:11.470 --> 00:06:14.560 and that carried on for some time. By the time 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:16.980 we get to the end of the Old Testament, they 00:06:16.980 --> 00:06:19.800 were appointed by the kings, not in the way that 00:06:19.800 --> 00:06:23.100 God had intended. The whole system was beginning 00:06:23.100 --> 00:06:26.920 to collapse. It still had some of the structure 00:06:26.920 --> 00:06:31.019 there, but not as God intended. But it didn't 00:06:31.019 --> 00:06:33.959 really matter too much because God knew this 00:06:33.959 --> 00:06:36.860 was going to be the case. And all throughout 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:39.860 the Old Testament, even when the old system was 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:43.620 in place, God was pointing his people forward 00:06:43.620 --> 00:06:49.060 to something better than the old system, to someone 00:06:49.060 --> 00:06:53.480 better than the old system. And so as we close 00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:55.980 the Old Testament, things are not really that 00:06:55.980 --> 00:06:58.920 good for God's people. Sure, there's a faithful 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:01.079 remnant there, some who are still seeking him, 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:05.699 but things are in bad shape. So then we flip 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:08.540 the page in our Bible and we make our way to 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:13.100 the New Testament. And there's a shift. There's 00:07:13.100 --> 00:07:16.180 a big shift instantly as we start to read the 00:07:16.180 --> 00:07:18.819 New Testament, as we see in stories like this. 00:07:18.899 --> 00:07:23.000 The shift goes from the old commands and laws 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:25.980 and rules and the priesthood of the Old Testament. 00:07:26.019 --> 00:07:30.139 The shift takes us to Jesus Christ. That's what 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:33.160 everything in your Bible, in the Old Testament, 00:07:33.300 --> 00:07:36.399 is pointing you to. It's pointing you to Jesus 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:40.720 Christ. Now, some of God's people recognize that. 00:07:40.899 --> 00:07:44.199 There were some who had been really listening 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:46.319 to the Word of God, and they had really been 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:49.220 looking for the Messiah who was to come, and 00:07:49.220 --> 00:07:52.370 they really were ready. And we see a few of those, 00:07:52.410 --> 00:07:55.009 that as we read through Jesus' ministry, there 00:07:55.009 --> 00:07:57.410 are some that hear and that acknowledge that 00:07:57.410 --> 00:08:00.449 he is the Messiah to come, but there are many 00:08:00.449 --> 00:08:04.350 who do not. There are many who fail to realize 00:08:04.350 --> 00:08:09.009 that Jesus is the fulfillment of these prophecies. 00:08:09.810 --> 00:08:13.209 But God had given them plenty of opportunity 00:08:13.209 --> 00:08:17.100 to know that Jesus was the Messiah to come. And 00:08:17.100 --> 00:08:19.740 one of those opportunities, a great opportunity, 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:23.680 was going to be through someone that we refer 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:28.519 to often as John the Baptist. And that's where 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:32.600 this story gets us to today. God has prepared 00:08:32.600 --> 00:08:36.480 his people for hundreds of years now, for hundreds 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:39.139 of years that the Messiah is coming, and now 00:08:39.139 --> 00:08:44.230 the time had come. And so here we see Zechariah, 00:08:44.230 --> 00:08:46.809 who's carrying on what many of the priests before 00:08:46.809 --> 00:08:49.909 him had carried on. He was doing something that 00:08:49.909 --> 00:08:53.190 he had probably done many times before. That 00:08:53.190 --> 00:08:56.389 is burning incense on the incense altar in the 00:08:56.389 --> 00:08:59.929 holy place in the temple. And he was chosen by 00:08:59.929 --> 00:09:02.549 a lot, which... which simply means they just 00:09:02.549 --> 00:09:05.409 kind of picked somebody at random. It didn't 00:09:05.409 --> 00:09:07.230 really matter who did it. There wasn't a right 00:09:07.230 --> 00:09:09.429 or a wrong way to choose it. They cast Lot, and 00:09:09.429 --> 00:09:12.129 the Lot fell to him, and it was his turn to go 00:09:12.129 --> 00:09:16.669 in and to burn the incense before the Lord. The 00:09:16.669 --> 00:09:20.929 incense was a sweet aroma to the Lord. We see 00:09:20.929 --> 00:09:22.850 in the New Testament, in the book of Revelation, 00:09:23.129 --> 00:09:26.570 that our prayers are like incense and golden 00:09:26.570 --> 00:09:30.019 bowls that go before the Lord. We see as we're 00:09:30.019 --> 00:09:32.399 going to continue reading here that as he went 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:35.139 in to burn the incense, that the assembly of 00:09:35.139 --> 00:09:39.480 people outside were in prayer as he did so. And 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:43.039 so Zechariah goes into the holy place to offer 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.580 this incense offering. Let's continue on and 00:09:46.580 --> 00:09:51.820 see what happens. In verse 10, at the hour of 00:09:51.820 --> 00:09:55.399 incense, the whole assembly of the people was 00:09:55.399 --> 00:09:58.639 praying outside. An angel of the Lord appeared 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:03.200 to him standing to the right of the altar of 00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:06.840 incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled 00:10:06.840 --> 00:10:10.779 and overcome with fear. The angel said to him, 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:15.320 Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:19.299 has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:23.860 you a son, and you will name him John. There 00:10:23.860 --> 00:10:27.190 will be joy and delight for you. and many will 00:10:27.190 --> 00:10:30.730 rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in 00:10:30.730 --> 00:10:34.269 the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine 00:10:34.269 --> 00:10:37.710 or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit 00:10:37.710 --> 00:10:40.990 while still in his mother's womb. He will turn 00:10:40.990 --> 00:10:43.509 many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their 00:10:43.509 --> 00:10:47.250 God, and he will go before him in the spirit 00:10:47.250 --> 00:10:51.470 and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers 00:10:51.470 --> 00:10:54.840 to their children and the disobedient to the 00:10:54.840 --> 00:10:58.200 understanding of the righteous, to make ready 00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:03.320 for the Lord a prepared people. Now, Zechariah 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:05.059 went in to do something that he had probably 00:11:05.059 --> 00:11:08.440 done many times before, but this instant was 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:11.379 different. As he went into the altar to light 00:11:11.379 --> 00:11:13.899 the incense before the Lord, the people were 00:11:13.899 --> 00:11:16.860 praying outside and an angel of the Lord appears 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:20.139 to Zechariah and says, I've got good news for 00:11:20.139 --> 00:11:23.169 you. You've been praying for a son. At this point, 00:11:23.190 --> 00:11:25.309 they had tried for years. They were all up in 00:11:25.309 --> 00:11:29.009 age, and it would seem unlikely, if not impossible, 00:11:29.250 --> 00:11:32.509 that Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth would have 00:11:32.509 --> 00:11:35.669 a son, and yet an angel appears to him and said, 00:11:35.710 --> 00:11:39.149 Your prayers have been heard. Now, that's a good 00:11:39.149 --> 00:11:41.450 reminder in that, too. Now, some of you were 00:11:41.450 --> 00:11:44.629 here a couple of weeks ago on Wednesday night 00:11:44.629 --> 00:11:48.490 when we looked in Luke chapter 18. When Jesus 00:11:48.490 --> 00:11:52.110 tells a parable about praying constantly and 00:11:52.110 --> 00:11:55.090 not being discouraged. Well, we see this same 00:11:55.090 --> 00:11:58.169 idea. Maybe we can hit on that here. That maybe 00:11:58.169 --> 00:12:00.029 there are things that we have prayed for our 00:12:00.029 --> 00:12:02.809 whole life and it seems impossible. It seems 00:12:02.809 --> 00:12:06.350 very unlikely, but you never know how the Lord 00:12:06.350 --> 00:12:09.409 is going to work. You never know how the Lord 00:12:09.409 --> 00:12:12.529 is going to answer those prayers. And what does 00:12:12.529 --> 00:12:15.269 the angel say to Zechariah? He says, your prayers 00:12:15.269 --> 00:12:19.279 have been heard. That's a good reminder for us 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:21.740 today. We need to know today that our prayers 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:24.980 have been heard. It may not always seem like 00:12:24.980 --> 00:12:28.419 it. It may not always feel like it. Because they're 00:12:28.419 --> 00:12:30.659 not answered. They're not answered as quickly 00:12:30.659 --> 00:12:33.419 as we want. They're not answered in the way that 00:12:33.419 --> 00:12:36.139 we want. But we need to be reminded and know 00:12:36.139 --> 00:12:39.659 that our prayers have been heard. That God has 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:43.940 not forgotten about you. So as the parable that 00:12:43.940 --> 00:12:48.310 Jesus would teach us that we need to pray. Without 00:12:48.310 --> 00:12:51.710 being discouraged. Maybe some of you are discouraged 00:12:51.710 --> 00:12:55.230 today. Because it feels like God doesn't hear. 00:12:55.330 --> 00:12:58.210 But your prayers have been heard. God doesn't 00:12:58.210 --> 00:13:00.370 always answer our prayers in the way that we 00:13:00.370 --> 00:13:03.350 desire. Because God knows what's best for us. 00:13:03.710 --> 00:13:07.789 Far better than we do. Sometimes we pray thinking 00:13:07.789 --> 00:13:10.110 full well that what we're praying for is what's 00:13:10.110 --> 00:13:12.649 best for us. Or what's best for our loved one. 00:13:13.529 --> 00:13:17.399 And it seems to us to be the right thing. God 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:19.480 may look at that and say that is not what's going 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:22.519 to be best for you. That is not what's going 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:26.279 to be best for your loved one. And more importantly, 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:29.360 that is not what's going to be best for the kingdom 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:34.279 of God. So sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers 00:13:34.279 --> 00:13:38.779 in the way that we wish, in the way that we want, 00:13:38.899 --> 00:13:42.360 in the way that we desire so deeply. And sometimes 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:46.480 bad things happen. Sometimes things that we've 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:48.480 prayed so hard wouldn't happen. Sometimes they 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:51.200 occur and we don't see any good in them, but 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:56.620 we must not forget that God is good. And he answers 00:13:56.620 --> 00:14:00.259 our prayers in the way that is good and right, 00:14:00.379 --> 00:14:05.220 even if we don't understand. So maybe this simple 00:14:05.220 --> 00:14:08.419 word that the angel uttered to Zechariah today 00:14:08.419 --> 00:14:12.340 is the word of encouragement that we need, that 00:14:12.340 --> 00:14:16.309 our prayers... have been heard. And Zechariah's 00:14:16.309 --> 00:14:19.950 prayers were heard. And the angel said, you're 00:14:19.950 --> 00:14:22.509 soon going to give birth to a son and you are 00:14:22.509 --> 00:14:27.750 to name him John. And your son John is going 00:14:27.750 --> 00:14:32.009 to go before the Savior of the world to prepare 00:14:32.009 --> 00:14:35.990 the way for him. Now John hears this news and 00:14:36.269 --> 00:14:38.750 Or excuse me, Zechariah hears this news and you 00:14:38.750 --> 00:14:41.029 can continue reading on this week if you'd like 00:14:41.029 --> 00:14:43.690 to and see the rest of the story. But he questions 00:14:43.690 --> 00:14:46.970 the angel who brings this news to him. And the 00:14:46.970 --> 00:14:49.070 angel says, look, because you questioned me and 00:14:49.070 --> 00:14:52.009 did not believe what the Lord had told you, you're 00:14:52.009 --> 00:14:54.750 going to not be able to speak until the child 00:14:54.750 --> 00:14:58.730 is born. And so it was. John was unable to speak. 00:14:59.190 --> 00:15:02.330 He came from outside of the... holy place and 00:15:02.330 --> 00:15:04.250 all the people there could tell that something 00:15:04.250 --> 00:15:07.049 had taken place because he was no longer able 00:15:07.049 --> 00:15:10.409 to speak and until the child was born until John 00:15:10.409 --> 00:15:15.950 was born Zechariah was not able to speak but 00:15:15.950 --> 00:15:19.190 Zechariah realized that there was something not 00:15:19.190 --> 00:15:24.070 just significant about his child but the child 00:15:24.070 --> 00:15:28.149 who would soon be born after his child Jesus 00:15:28.149 --> 00:15:31.720 Christ He acknowledges that because when he begins 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:35.080 to finally speak a little bit later on, he begins 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:38.120 to praise God. And not just for his son, but 00:15:38.120 --> 00:15:42.059 he uses language that shows us that he acknowledges 00:15:42.059 --> 00:15:45.919 what's about to take place. That the Savior of 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:49.419 the world is coming into this world. That God 00:15:49.419 --> 00:15:52.879 is going to fulfill all of his promises. Everything 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:55.720 that he had said in the Old Testament, it was 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:59.269 about to come true. There was an old priesthood 00:15:59.269 --> 00:16:02.029 in the Old Testament, but now there's a new high 00:16:02.029 --> 00:16:04.830 priest who is coming, a savior of the world, 00:16:04.929 --> 00:16:09.950 the son of God. And so the Old Testament is fading 00:16:09.950 --> 00:16:12.110 away and the things of the Old Testament are 00:16:12.110 --> 00:16:15.070 fading away and everything that the Old Testament 00:16:15.070 --> 00:16:19.309 had talked about was coming to fruition in Jesus 00:16:19.309 --> 00:16:23.950 Christ. It's interesting, as I was reading this, 00:16:24.029 --> 00:16:26.789 it caught my eye when I read that he went into 00:16:26.789 --> 00:16:30.990 the holy place there to offer this incense offering. 00:16:31.909 --> 00:16:34.710 And I thought to myself, wait a minute, is there 00:16:34.710 --> 00:16:36.870 anywhere else in scripture that we see a priest 00:16:36.870 --> 00:16:39.350 going into the holy place? Is that ever mentioned 00:16:39.350 --> 00:16:42.289 anywhere else in scripture? And I couldn't think 00:16:42.289 --> 00:16:44.370 of any and I looked and I could not find any. 00:16:45.190 --> 00:16:48.460 Did we see this reference of Zechariah? going 00:16:48.460 --> 00:16:52.519 into the holy place. And after that, we don't 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:56.139 see any reference of any priest going in and 00:16:56.139 --> 00:17:00.919 doing anything else. And perhaps God is pointing 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:03.960 his people forward to saying, this is the way 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:07.259 that it used to be, but there's coming a better 00:17:07.259 --> 00:17:09.900 priest to it and there's coming a new high priest. 00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:13.900 And from this point forward, there is no emphasis 00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:19.430 on the things of old. The emphasis, is on Jesus 00:17:19.430 --> 00:17:22.990 Christ. And eventually the old way would pass 00:17:22.990 --> 00:17:28.009 away. In 70 AD, the priesthood would pass away. 00:17:28.450 --> 00:17:32.710 The temple would pass away. And Jesus remains 00:17:32.710 --> 00:17:38.009 as the only high priest of us today. The Son 00:17:38.009 --> 00:17:40.549 of God who came to this earth, who gave his life 00:17:40.549 --> 00:17:44.130 for the forgiveness of our sins, is the only 00:17:44.130 --> 00:17:47.500 hope that we have. He's the only help that we 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:54.720 have. Are you trusting in him this morning? Zechariah 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:57.319 and his wife Elizabeth gave birth to a son named 00:17:57.319 --> 00:18:01.599 John who came to prepare the way of the Lord 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:04.259 Jesus. To tell everyone that he encountered, 00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:09.789 the Messiah is here. Repent. Repent. The message 00:18:09.789 --> 00:18:12.569 that we see Jesus so often preach in the New 00:18:12.569 --> 00:18:15.490 Testament, repent for the kingdom of God has 00:18:15.490 --> 00:18:18.869 come near. We see that he starts his ministry 00:18:18.869 --> 00:18:22.829 out very early on with those words. And John 00:18:22.829 --> 00:18:25.890 the Baptist had gone before him to say, the Messiah 00:18:25.890 --> 00:18:28.910 has come. The one that God had talked about. 00:18:29.029 --> 00:18:31.769 The one who's going to save us from our sins. 00:18:31.910 --> 00:18:35.150 The one who's going to deliver us. Our salvation, 00:18:35.430 --> 00:18:42.000 Jesus Christ, has come. And John's message was 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:46.700 very simple. You need to repent. You need to 00:18:46.700 --> 00:18:49.259 turn from your sins. You need to turn from your 00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:54.660 old ways. And you need to turn to Jesus Christ. 00:18:56.839 --> 00:19:02.299 The Son of God has come, just as John said that 00:19:02.299 --> 00:19:05.759 he would. The salvation of the world has come 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:13.000 in Jesus Christ. Have you trusted in Jesus today? 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:17.420 Maybe the way has been prepared for you. Maybe 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:20.319 there's somebody who's been speaking to you about 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:22.880 the word of God, about Jesus Christ. Maybe you've 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:25.940 been in the word of God. Maybe today you're seeking 00:19:25.940 --> 00:19:28.099 salvation. You're seeking deliverance. You're 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:30.539 seeking hope. You're seeking something in your 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:32.880 life and you just haven't found it. And maybe 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:39.140 what you're seeking is Jesus Christ. And maybe 00:19:39.140 --> 00:19:42.480 those words that Jesus uttered we need to hear 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.900 today, repent for the kingdom of God has come 00:19:45.900 --> 00:19:51.059 near. God used John the Baptist to prepare the 00:19:51.059 --> 00:19:54.819 way for many so that they would know who Jesus 00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:59.519 was. Perhaps in some way we are to be a John 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:02.740 the Baptist for somebody in our life. Maybe there 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:06.230 are people that we are going to encounter. Maybe 00:20:06.230 --> 00:20:08.210 there are things that we can say and share with 00:20:08.210 --> 00:20:10.390 them and teach them about the gospel of Jesus 00:20:10.390 --> 00:20:14.470 Christ that we can begin to prepare the way so 00:20:14.470 --> 00:20:16.450 that their hearts would begin to listen to the 00:20:16.450 --> 00:20:19.089 Holy Spirit as God would speak to them so that 00:20:19.089 --> 00:20:21.569 we can tell them about the Messiah who is not 00:20:21.569 --> 00:20:24.890 coming but who has come in Jesus Christ. It's 00:20:24.890 --> 00:20:28.250 already occurred. Everything was just as it was. 00:20:28.349 --> 00:20:31.230 The Messiah is here. He has come. He has been 00:20:31.230 --> 00:20:35.380 crucified and buried and resurrected. And John 00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:38.900 prepared the way. Maybe for some of us today, 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:42.960 we are the John in someone else's life. That 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:45.839 we are to prepare the way. That we are to be 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:48.519 those who are to tell the world during this Christmas 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:51.579 season and every season of the year that the 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:56.880 Messiah has come. Have you trusted in Jesus Christ 00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:00.940 today? Have you rejoiced in Jesus Christ today? 00:21:02.059 --> 00:21:05.180 Have you heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and 00:21:05.180 --> 00:21:08.180 doubted it? Has God spoken to you some way and 00:21:08.180 --> 00:21:11.720 you've questioned it like Zechariah? Maybe you've 00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:14.359 heard the truth of God's word, but maybe you 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:17.619 didn't believe it. But maybe you've seen enough 00:21:17.619 --> 00:21:19.700 evidence, enough proof. Maybe you've seen enough 00:21:19.700 --> 00:21:22.019 scripture. Maybe the Holy Spirit has spoken to 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:24.140 you. Maybe you've seen the love of Jesus Christ. 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:28.359 And maybe today you're ready to break that silence 00:21:28.359 --> 00:21:33.640 and to praise God. and what he has done. If so, 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:36.599 I pray that as we close that you would do so. 00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:39.799 Let's pray. God, we thank you for your good word. 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:42.700 I pray, dear Lord, that you would help us to 00:21:42.700 --> 00:21:45.200 be a people that would seek you. God, that we 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:47.759 would be like Zechariah and Elizabeth, that we 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:50.480 would continue to remain faithful to you in our 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:52.559 life, that we would continue to make our requests. 00:21:53.130 --> 00:21:55.470 known to you, dear Lord, even when it seems like 00:21:55.470 --> 00:21:57.670 you may not hear, you may not care, dear Lord, 00:21:57.730 --> 00:22:00.410 just because you don't answer in the way that 00:22:00.410 --> 00:22:02.569 we pray doesn't mean that you don't hear, dear 00:22:02.569 --> 00:22:05.910 Lord. So I pray, God, that today we would know 00:22:05.910 --> 00:22:09.349 the simple truth that you do hear our prayers. 00:22:11.529 --> 00:22:13.589 God, I pray that we would be a people who would 00:22:13.589 --> 00:22:17.710 seek Jesus today, that there were many people 00:22:17.710 --> 00:22:19.950 of Jesus's day, dear Lord, that were looking 00:22:19.950 --> 00:22:24.670 for the Messiah. And he came. God, and some saw 00:22:24.670 --> 00:22:27.769 him, some knew him, and some missed him. And 00:22:27.769 --> 00:22:30.869 so it is for us today, dear Lord. Jesus Christ 00:22:30.869 --> 00:22:34.049 has come. God, and there are some in this room 00:22:34.049 --> 00:22:37.430 who have followed him, and maybe there are some 00:22:37.430 --> 00:22:40.950 today that have missed him. But I pray today 00:22:40.950 --> 00:22:42.710 that if there are some that have missed him, 00:22:43.210 --> 00:22:45.569 that maybe today they would know that the kingdom 00:22:45.569 --> 00:22:49.210 of God has come near, that the Savior of the 00:22:49.210 --> 00:22:52.700 world has come near. that our entrance into the 00:22:52.700 --> 00:22:54.920 kingdom today, dear Lord, is only through Jesus 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:58.660 Christ. And if we would just repent today, that 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:00.579 you call us today to ask you to forgiveness, 00:23:00.819 --> 00:23:04.440 ask you to forgive us, dear Lord, for our sins. 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:08.559 God, I pray that if there's one here today that 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:10.599 does not know Jesus Christ, that they would ask 00:23:10.599 --> 00:23:12.240 for that forgiveness, that they would repent 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:15.480 of their sinfulness, of living for themselves 00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:19.059 and living for sin. that they would turn from 00:23:19.059 --> 00:23:24.000 that, dear Lord, and turn to Jesus Christ. God, 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:26.980 I pray that we would hear the message that John 00:23:26.980 --> 00:23:30.740 had preached, that maybe you've been preparing 00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:33.740 in us a heart that's ready to accept Jesus Christ. 00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:36.440 God, maybe you want us to be one who goes to 00:23:36.440 --> 00:23:38.519 those that we encounter to share your love and 00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:40.940 to share your grace and to share Jesus Christ, 00:23:41.059 --> 00:23:44.799 dear Lord, to point others to the Savior of the 00:23:44.799 --> 00:23:47.579 world. God, I pray that as we prepare for this 00:23:47.579 --> 00:23:50.359 Christmas season that we remember what is most 00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:53.539 important in this world. And it is not gifts 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:55.980 and lights and all the junk that we have both 00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:58.900 at Christmas and all the other days of the year, 00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:02.019 dear Lord. But as Christians, it is about Jesus 00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:05.099 Christ. And that is your desire and your goal, 00:24:05.180 --> 00:24:08.599 dear Lord, to build your kingdom that all would 00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:11.720 hear of Jesus and put their faith and trust in 00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:13.799 Him. So God, if there are some that have not 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:16.900 done that today, I pray that as we sing, that 00:24:16.900 --> 00:24:19.960 they would do so. And I ask these things in Jesus' 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:21.279 name. Amen.