03-06-2022 – ”God’s Grace Revealed”
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March 6, 2022 - (AM Insert)
”God’s Grace Revealed”
Luke 1:5-15
Isaiah 40:3,
“A voice is calling, ‘Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.’”
This prophecy is recorded in all four Gospel Accounts
(pp. Matthew 3:3;
3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,
MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’”
Mark 1:3;
3 THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,
MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.’”
Luke 3:4;
4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,
MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.
John 1:23).
23 He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Israel rejected knowing God through faith; they turned to sacrifices, ceremonies, and laws, instead.
Hebrews 11:1-3,
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
2 For by it the men of old gained approval.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
God called Israel as His nation; but Israel hardened itself toward God; God departed Israel for 400 years.
John’s birth marks God speaking to His people again, for John would be the forerunner of the Messiah.
Read Luke 1:5a…
5a In the days of Herod, king of Judea
Herod, king of Judea, was merciless, insanely jealous, even murdering his family members.
Read Luke 1:5b-7…
5b there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
Zacharias was a priest, his wife Elizabeth was also from a priestly family.
Note: The priesthood was made up of 24 divisions for Temple service (cf.
1Chronicles 24:1-19);
1 Now the divisions of the descendants of Aaron were these: the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.
3 David, with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices for their ministry.
4 Since more chief men were found from the descendants of Eleazar than the descendants of Ithamar, they divided them thus: there were sixteen heads of fathers’ households of the descendants of Eleazar and eight of the descendants of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ households.
5 Thus they were divided by lot, the one as the other; for they were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God, both from the descendants of Eleazar and the descendants of Ithamar.
6 Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them in the presence of the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites; one father’s household taken for Eleazar and one taken for Ithamar.
7 Now the first lot came out for Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah,
8 the third for Harim, the fourth for Seorim,
9 the fifth for Malchijah, the sixth for Mijamin,
10 the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for Abijah,
11 the ninth for Jeshua, the tenth for Shecaniah,
12 the eleventh for Eliashib, the twelfth for Jakim,
13 the thirteenth for Huppah, the fourteenth for Jeshebeab,
14 the fifteenth for Bilgah, the sixteenth for Immer,
15 the seventeenth for Hezir, the eighteenth for Happizzez,
16 the nineteenth for Pethahiah, the twentieth for Jehezkel,
17 the twenty-first for Jachin, the twenty-second for Gamul,
18 the twenty-third for Delaiah, the twenty-fourth for Maaziah.
19 These were their offices for their ministry when they came in to the house of the LORD according to the ordinance given to them through Aaron their father, just as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.
but after the Babylonian captivity, only 4 divisions returned to Judah
(cf. Ezra 2:36-38).
36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;
37 the sons of Immer, 1,052;
38 the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;
Those 4 divisions were then divided into 24 divisions; within which, Zacharias was assigned to the division of Abijah for his priestly service.
Zacharias and Elizabeth kept the commandments and were pleasing to God, yet they were barren.
Read Luke 1:8-10…
8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.
Zacharias has the duty to burn incense at the altar, just outside of the Most Holy Place.
Note: The Most Holy Place, was where God met with the High Priest of Israel on the Day of Atonement, in order to seek forgiveness for the sins of the Nation of Israel.
Read Luke 1:11-14…
11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.
14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
An angel appeared to Zacharias, who was frightened; the angel tells him Elizabeth will give birth to a son, to be named John [lit. God is gracious].
Note: The last time an angel appeared to a priest was to Zechariah, in a vision some 500 years before.
This news from God’s angel was awesome, John would be a living example of God’s Grace returning to Israel.
Read Luke 1:15…
15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.
God departed from Israel over 400 years before this event.
JOHN WILL BE GREAT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD! Notice, he is not to drink wine or liquor [strong drink].
Leviticus 10:9,
“Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations.”
John will be filled with the Holy Spirit before he is born.
This meant God was returning to Israel, not in a pillar of smoke, or a pillar of fire, or as a presence in the Most Holy Place; but in the flesh of Jesus the Messiah. And the one to announce the beginning of the Messiah's Ministry would be John, this son of Zacharias & Elizabeth, who would declare
(John 1:29),
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord for the forgiveness of sins will be saved.
If you aren’t sure, ask God right now to forgive your sins and become your Savior. He turns no one away!
Pastor Mike