05-15-2022 – The Messiah Confirmed: Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior

Bible Text: Luke 3:21-38 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

Above is the
Video Sermon and
Audio Only recording

Links from Our Website:

Links from Our Website:

Bulletin (pdf)

Sermon Notes (pdf)

May Calendar

YouTube Video Sermons

Upcoming Events

FBCW Website Calendar

May 15, 2022
“The Messiah Confirmed: Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior”

Read Luke 3:21-22…
21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He
was praying, heaven was opened,

22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice
came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

The people were coming out to the Jordan River to be baptized by John,
and on one of those days, Jesus, being the righteous Son of God, and an
obedient son of Israel, came to be baptized.

Jesus looked like any other Jew, and the fact that He was God’s Son, the
Messiah was not distinguishable when He walked into the water to be
baptized by John. But what happened at that event clearly confirms Jesus
as the Messiah.

Matthew 3:13-15,
13 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized
by him.

14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and
do You come to me?”

15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is
fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him.

John the Baptist said,

John 1:31,
31 I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came
baptizing in water.”

John the Baptist said, “I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be
manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”

Jesus came specifically to be baptized by John, “to fulfill all
righteousness,” a reference to God’s plan and purpose for Jesus’
relationship with humanity, which must include man’s sinfulness.

Jesus submitted to a baptism for sinners, although He had no sin in
Himself

(1John 3:5),

“He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin,”

(2Corinthians 5:21),

21 He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son] who knew no sin to be sin on
our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Jesus was setting an example for all those who would follow Him, and
therefore, John consented and baptized Him.

Notice again in

Read Luke 3:21-22…
21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He
was praying, heaven was opened,

22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice
came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Jesus is praying, talking to His Father, and what happened next is
amazing, “heaven was opened.” Whenever that happened in Scripture,
God either spoke, or manifested Himself in some other way.

Ezekiel 1:1,
1 Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month,
while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened
and I saw visions of God.

While Stephen was being martyred

Acts 7:56,
56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God.”

And John the apostle said,

Revelation 19:11,
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

Notice again in

In Luke 3:22a,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and
a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

the Holy Spirit descended from heaven, in a form like a dove. This is not
saying that a visible dove like bird was actually seen at Jesus’ baptism,
but that there was a visible movement in the air, i.e., “The manner of the
Spirit’s decent was like the way a dove floats gracefully through the air”
[Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1-9:50 Commentary, pg. 338].

Jesus wasn’t receiving the Holy Spirit; He already had the Holy Spirit, in
fact He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and filled with the
Holy Spirit while He was in the womb.

Psalm 2:7,
7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.

The OT taught that God would give the Spirit to the Messiah.

Isaiah 11:2,
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

Isaiah 42:1,
1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.

The dove was associated with sacrifice by the Jews of the day; bulls were
used by the rich, lambs were used by the middle class, but doves were the
sacrifice of poor, and this sign confirmed that Jesus was indeed God’s Son
[Immanuel]; He would serve as the sacrifice to save us from the penalty
of sin [Jesus].

Jesus identified Himself with the lowly sinners He had come to save, even
setting the example of baptism even though He had no need to repent of
sin. God the Son, while He was in the flesh, although His human nature
was sinless and perfect, He voluntarily submitted Himself to the will of
the Father and to the power of the Holy Spirit while He was on earth.

Notice again in

See Luke 3:22b…
22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a
voice came out of heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-
pleased.’” This actually the main point of this passage, that God the
Father is giving audible approval of His beloved Son, of who the Father
says He is well-pleased [continually pleased].

In Matthew 17:5,
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a
voice out of the cloud said,
“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

at the Transfiguration, God the Father speaks from heaven concerning His
Son, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to
Him!”

And so, Jesus begins His public ministry with the expressed confirmation
coming from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, in fulfillment of
God’s Sovereign Word.

Philippians 2:5-7,
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a
thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the
likeness of men.

Read Luke 3:23…
23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age,
being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,

I’m not going to read through the whole genealogy, but instead point out
its importance, and some of the key information contained in it.

There seems to be a renewed interest today in genealogy, as many people
seek to learn more about their ancestry. For many, it is just a curiosity,
but for some, they are seeking to find some important person in their
family tree.

For Israel, genealogy was very important, beginning with the original
division of the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes

(cf. Numbers 26:53-55).
53 “Among these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the
number of names.

54 To the larger group you shall increase their inheritance, and to the smaller
group you shall diminish their inheritance; each shall be given their inheritance
according to those who were numbered of them.

55 But the land shall be divided by lot. They shall receive their inheritance
according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.

it was indeed critical for the people to know their ancestral line, e.g.,
when Joseph and Mary returned to Bethlehem for the census, it was
because Joseph’s ancestors came from the area of Bethlehem

(cf. Luke 2:4).

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city
of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of
David,

Lineage was very important for determining who would serve as priests

(cf. Ezra 2:61-62);
61 Of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of
Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was
called by their name.

62 These searched among their ancestral registration, but they could not be
located; therefore they were considered unclean and excluded from the
priesthood.

to carry out the religious rituals and sacrifices at the temple.

The Old Testament has many genealogies written into the Biblical record.
The Jews kept accurate and copious genealogical records, but most were
destroyed in A.D. 70, by the Romans, when Jerusalem was ransacked and
the Temple was burned.

But the most important role of ancestral records in Israel has to do with
the line through which the Messiah-King would come. The genealogies of
Jesus are recorded in both Matthew and Luke:

Matthew, writing mostly to Jews, begins

(Matthew 1:1),

“The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of
Abraham,”

and so Matthew traces Jesus’ ancestry through Joseph’s lineage,
beginning with Abraham

(Matthew 1:2,

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father
of Judah and his brothers.

the father of Israel) and moving through Solomon, the son of David

(Matthew 1:6,

6 Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by
Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.

the king of Israel), to the final entry

(Matthew 1:16),

16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born,
who is called the Messiah.

Joseph’s father Jacob, “the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by
whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.”

Luke, writing to both Jew and Gentile says

(Luke 3:23),

23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age,
being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli (Mary’s father, who was
Joseph’s father-in-law, whereas, Eli was actually the blood grandfather of Jesus);

and so Luke traces Jesus’ ancestry through Mary’s lineage back through
Nathan, the son of David

(Luke 3:31,

31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the
son of David,

the king of Israel), to Abraham

(Luke 3:34, the father of Israel),
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the
son of Nahor,

ending with Adam

(Luke 3:38).
38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

So why the two genealogies? Matthew’s genealogy gives Jesus the legal
right to the throne of Israel, through his legal father’s (Joseph’s)
ancestry; whereas Luke’s genealogy gives Jesus the blood right to the
throne of Israel, through His biological mother, Mary. These genealogies
establish credible proof that Jesus was indeed a descendant of David.

Adam

(cf. Luke 3:38)
38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

as a son of God at creation, was made in the undefiled image of God, but
then Adam disobeyed God and this brought the curse of sin upon himself,
his sons, and all those born after him, except for one, Jesus Christ.

Genesis 1:27,

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male
and female He created them.”

Genesis 1:31,

“God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was
evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

Genesis 4:1-2,

“Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to
Cain, and she said, ‘I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.’ Again, she
gave birth to his brother Abel.”

Genesis 5:3,

“When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a
son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.”

Jesus was a son of Adam

(cf. Luke 3:38),

38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

but without any sin

(Hebrews 4:14-15),
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus as a son of David

(cf. Luke 3:31),

31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the
son of David,

will reign as KING of Kings and LORD of Lords, forever

(Luke 1:30-33),
30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with
God.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall
name Him Jesus.

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God
will give Him the throne of His father David;

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no
end.”

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor
with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and
you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of
the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father
David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom
will have no end,”

(Revelation 11:15),
15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven,
saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ;
and He will reign forever and ever.”

Jesus was a son of Abraham

(cf. Luke 3:34),

34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the
son of Nahor,

to whom the promised blessings were given to those who are in Christ

(Genesis 3:14-15,
14 The LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

Cursed are you more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you will go,

And dust you will eat

All the days of your life;

15 And I will put enmity [blood feud or war]

Between you and the woman (Eve, mother of humans except for Adam),

And between your seed [offspring- children of the devil]

and her seed [offspring- children of God];

He [a certain offspring, Jesus Christ]

shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Galatians 3:16,
16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say,
“And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that
is, Christ

Galatians 3:26-29,
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is
neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs
according to promise.

Read Romans 5:12,
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death
through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned–

Romans 5:15-17,
15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the
one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of
the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one
hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but
on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in
justification.

17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much
more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:21…
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through
righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Death and the condemnation brought on by sin’s penalty, came through
Adam to all humanity; but eternal life and the justification of God’s
righteousness which redeems us, was provided for everyone who repents
of sin, confessing Christ as Lord, believing in Him as Savior, and following
Him by obeying God’s Word.

Christians are a blessed people who have been set free from sin’s penalty
and condemnation; for it is by God’s grace we have been saved through
Christ, that we might have an intimate relationship with God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirt, while serving God here on earth.

We are eternally blessed through Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior;
Who

(1Corinthians 15:3-4)

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He
was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

and He is coming back to take all those who believe to Him, to be with
Him in forever, in heaven!

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

05-08-2022 – John, the First Witness for Christ

Bible Text: Luke 3:15-20 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

Above is the
Video Sermon and
Audio Only recording

Links from Our Website:

Bulletin (pdf)

Sermon Notes (pdf)

May Calendar

YouTube Video Sermons

Upcoming Events

FBCW Website Calendar

May 8, 2022
“John, the First Witness for Christ”
Luke 3:15-20

Read Luke 3:15-17…

15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,

16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The people were expecting the Messiah to come, and they wondered if John was Him, but John made it clear he was not the Messiah

(John 1:19-20),

19 This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

20 And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

John was not the Christ, however, the people believed him to be a prophet

(Luke 20:1-6),

1 On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him,

2 and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”

3 Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me:

4 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

5 They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

(Luke 3:16)

John came to baptize in water, calling the people to repente; but the One who was coming from God, the Messiah, would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Water symbolizes a desire for a clean conscience, i.e., to acknowledge your sins, to publicly state you have sinned against God and are seeking God’s forgiveness.

The Holy Spirit symbolizes spiritual birth into God’s family, as a genuine believer who is marked and protected by God’s Spirit.

Fire symbolizes judgment, for those who reject Christ do not have the Holy Spirit in them, and so they are condemned to the Lake of Fire.

The OT was clear that God was going to send His Spirit

Ezekiel 36:27,

27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

(Ezekiel 37:14),

14 I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.’”

See again Luke 3:17…

17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

[bibleref.com] The metaphor used here involves the process of separating usable grain from inedible husks and stems. The first step is threshing, to knock grain loose from stalks. Next is winnowing. A farmer would use a pitchfork or similar tool to throw threshed grain into the air. This would allow wind to blow the light chaff to the side, while the good grain would fall back into the pile. [The good grain would be kept, while the] Inedible or useless material would be collected and burned

(Matthew 25:30–31).

30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.

Both the Old and the New Testaments use fire as an illustration of divine judgement

(cf. Isaiah 29:6;

6 From the LORD of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise,

With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

Isaiah 30:33;

33 For Topheth has long been ready,

Indeed, it has been prepared for the king.

He has made it deep and large,

A pyre of fire with plenty of wood;

The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of brimstone, sets it afire.

Ezekiel 38:22;

22 With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone.

Matthew 7:19;

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

John 15:6;

6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

Hebrews 10:27;

27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

2Peter 3:7;

7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Revelation 19:20;

20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

Revelation 20:10).

10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The wheat

(Luke 3:17)

17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

is symbolic of true believers, while the chaff, to be burned up, with unquenchable fire, are those who reject Christ.

Read Luke 3:18-20…

18 So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people.

19 But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done,

20 Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.

John preached for many months in the wilderness of Judea, near the Jordan River, calling the people to repent of theirs sins, for the Messiah, who alone could save them, was coming.

John’s message was not confined to those who came to the Jordan River, Herod evidently heard that John was calling people to repent of sin, or suffer the penalty of hell; this clearly offended Herod, who had John arrested and put into prison.

John’s message and ministry overlapped with that of Jesus, for time, as both the disciples of Christ and the disciples of John were baptizing people. But we need to go to John’s Gospel to get more information concerning that time period.

Read John 3:22-30…

22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.

23 John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized–

24 for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25 Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification.

26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.”

27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.

28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’

29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist’s ministry gives way to the ministry of Jesus. After Jesus’ baptism and time of testing in the wilderness, He spends time alone with His disciples, before He begins His public preaching ministry.

Matthew tells us

Matthew 4:1,

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

(Matthew 4:12),

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;

(Matthew 4:17),

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Look again at John 3:22…

22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.

Jesus left Jerusalem and wet to Judea, “where He spent some time [a considerable amount of time] with His disciples, baptizing.”

John 4:2

2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were),

clarifies that, “Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were.” Jesus did not baptize anyone!

During this time, John the Baptist went north to Samaria, baptizing at a place called Aenon [lit. springs];

(John 3:23),

“because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized.”

Jesus’ ministry was increasing, yet many were still going to John to be baptized. Notice

(John 3:24),

24 for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

this was before John was put into prison. Why did John the apostle record that information?

Well, perhaps because the Synoptic Gospel accounts

(Matthew 4:12;

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;

Mark 1:14;

14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,

Luke 3:19-20)

19 But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done,

20 Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.

begin their narrative of Jesus’ public ministry after John the Baptist had been arrested and placed in prison; whereas, John the apostle, in his gospel account, makes it quite clear that Jesus began His ministry before John was arrested.

When John wrote his gospel, the Synoptics had been circulating for many years, so in order not to cause confusion or seem to be in contradiction with what the other gospel accounts recorded, John simply clarifies that Jesus actually began His ministry while John the Baptist was still alive and baptizing in Samaria.

John the Baptist never wavered in his subservient role to Christ.

In John 3:28,

28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’

we are reminded how John told his followers, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him,’ and in

John 3:29,

29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.

John the Baptist images himself as the friend [i.e., the best man] of the bridegroom [who is Christ].

Note: Before a Jewish wedding, the best man has many responsibilities concerning the details of the wedding, one of those was to bring the bride to the bridegroom, so the ceremony could begin; but once the bride and groom are brought together, the best man’s work is done and all the attention moves to the bridegroom.

There was never competition between John and Jesus, in fact, proclaiming Christ’s coming, and directing the crowds to Him, was John’s greatest joy; in

John 3:30

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist says, “He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less.”

John’s purpose was to declare Israel’s sin against God, and their need to repent and seek forgiveness through Jesus, God’s Messiah [Savior].

Back to Luke 3:19-20…

19 But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done,

20 Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.

John the Baptist’s teaching, evidently reached Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, who took personal offense at John’s condemnation of sin. We are told that Herod was reprimanded by John, the verb here means a continuous, again and again, rebuke.

Herod Antipas, like his father (Herod the Great, who died in 4 B.C.) was a sinful man who showed no regard for God’s judgement or authority.

It would appear that John’s rebuke targeting the illicit and sinful affair between Herod Antipas and his brother Philip’s wife, Herodias.

John the Baptist’s continual rebuke of Herod’s sin, along with the increasing popularity of John’s ministry, brought him into direct conflict with Herod, leading to John’s incarceration.

Luke ends the story of John the Baptist here, so we’ll go to Mark’s account to get the rest of the story.

Read Mark 6:17-29…

17 Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon,

18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured.

19 And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.

20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

24 But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.

25 Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

29 Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

Herod liked to listen to John and considered him to be a holy man, but John condemned Herod’s relationship to Herodias (who was actually Herod’s niece, and was married to Herod’s brother, Philip). Most likely, Herod convinced Herodias to leave her rather weak and nondescript husband, in order to be his wife, and enjoy much more power and prestige.

OT Law prohibited any sexual relationship with a blood relative [that is incest], but Herodias and Herod were also committing adultery, because Herodias’s divorce from Philip was unlawful, and therefore, her marriage to Herod, was both sinful and unlawful.

John called it what it was, and Herodias wanted him put to death, to shut him up. But because Herod kept John in prison, Herodias couldn’t get to him.

Then came the big celebration for Herod’s birthday, with all the influential people of the region attending. Herodias’s daughter (Salome), came in to entertain the guests by dancing; she was evidently very beautiful and seductive, and she greatly pleased the guests, so that Herod, wanting to look good, offered her whatever she wanted, up to half of his kingdom.

Salome went to her mother Herodias, to inquire what she should ask for from Herod, and Herodias said, “The head of John the Baptist,” so Salome made her request, and Herod reluctantly complied, because he had sworn an oath in front of all his guests, and had to keep it.

And so, John was beheaded, and John’s disciples, when they heard of his death, came and took away his body to lay it in a grave.

John’s ministry was very short, but John serves as an example of greatness

(Luke 1:15-17),

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.

16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

17 It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

No wonder Jesus said

(Matthew 11:11a),

11a Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

John’s life reflects characteristics of Biblical greatness: He was a powerful man, yet he served humbly

(cf. Matthew 3:4-6,

4 Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan;

6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

Matthew 3:11,

11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Matthew 3:13-15).

13 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him.

14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him.

He displayed courage and was uncompromising in both his message and his life

(cf. Matthew 3:1-2,

1 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,

2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 3:7-10).

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;

9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

10 The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

John 1:29,

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

when John saw Jesus coming toward him at the Jordan River, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! The greatest work of John was to direct lost sinners to the Savior, Jesus Christ: the only Way to God, the only Truth of God, and the only Life with God. Proclaiming God’s truth cost John his life on earth, but he gained eternal life in heaven.

The greatest thing any Christian can do is to proclaim the sovereign truth that God’s Son came to die for our sins, and to provide eternal life for everyone who will repent, believe in, and follow Him.

1John 5:11-13,

11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Do you know that you have eternal life?

2Corinthians 5:17,

17 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2Corinthians 13:5,

5 Test [yourself] to see if you are in the faith; examine [yourself]! Or do you not recognize this about [yourself], that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?

Romans 10:9-10,

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:13,

13 Whoever will call on the name of the Lord [for the forgiveness of sin] will be saved,

(Acts 4:12),

12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

(Acts 4:12),

12 There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved,” [only Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Who is both Lord and Savior].

Still not sure about your salvation?

Admit you are a sinner: we all are.

Ask God to forgive you: He turns no one away.

Believe in Jesus for salvation: He alone can save you.

Confess Christ as Lord: He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Judge over all things.

Demonstrate your new life in Christ in this way:

Pray to God and read the Bible daily.

Obey what God’s Word says.

Participate in a Bible Believing and Practicing Church.

Tell others about Jesus Christ: Crucified, Resurrected, and Coming Again.

If you have questions about any of this, please ask me, and either I, or someone else in this church, will meet with you, pray with you, and make sure you fully understand the most important question that you will ever have to answer in this life: What are you going to do with Jesus Christ, i.e., who do you say He is?

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

04-24-2022 – John Warns Israel

Bible Text: Luke 3:7-14 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

Above is the
Video Sermon and
Audio Only recording

Links from Our Website:

Bulletin (pdf)

Sermon Notes (pdf)

April Calendar (pdf)

YouTube Video Sermons

Upcoming Events

FBCW Website Calendar

April 24, 2022
“John Warns Israel” (AM insert)
Luke 3:7-14

It’s been three weeks since we were in Luke’s Gospel account, so I’m going to read the first six verses of chapter 3, as a refresher of where we left off.

Read Luke 3:1-6…

2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

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.

5 ‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,

AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW;

THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT,

AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;

6 AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”

The setting for Luke’s account, is after 400 years of silence between God and Israel. God had set apart the Hebrews as His chosen people, to worship Him; but the Priests and religious leaders had turned that relationship into one of rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices, and law keeping.

But the truth is

(Romans 3:20),

20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

(Romans 3:23),

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

(Romans 6:23),

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The only hope for the Jewish people (really, for all people) was that the coming Messiah [Savior, God’s Son] would make everything right. He would forgive their sins and restore their relationship with God; because, although

Hebrews 9:22,

22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

(Hebrews 9:28),

28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

(Hebrews 10:4-5),

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED,

BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME;

(Hebrews 10:10),

10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

(Hebrews 10:14),

14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

(Hebrews 10:17-18),

“‘And their sins and their lawless deeds [God says] I will remember no more,’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin,”

because

(1John 5:7),

“the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Read Luke 3:7-9…

7 So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

9 Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John didn’t waste anytime softening the message he had come to give, “You brood of vipers,” “bear fruits in keeping with repentance,” “every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Wow! 400 years of silence is broken! John warns that those who do not do what is right in the eyes of God will be thrown into the fires of hell.

Those who came out to see John were well aware of what the prophets had written, that the day of the Lord would be a time of judgement upon those who reject God’s Salvation

(Isaiah 2:12;

12 For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning

Against everyone who is proud and lofty

And against everyone who is lifted up,

That he may be abased.

Isaiah 13:6;

6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near!

It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Zechariah 14:1;

1 Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you.

Malachi 4:5); “the day of vengeance”

5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.

in fact, three times it is called, “the day of vengeance”

(Isaiah 34:8;

8 For the LORD has a day of vengeance,

A year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

Isaiah 61:2;

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

Isaiah 63:4),

4 “For the day of vengeance was in My heart,

And My year of redemption has come.

for it will be a time “when all the inhabitants of the land [earth] will tremble.”

We learn from Matthew that the religious leaders were most likely leading the crowds who were coming to see John

(Matthew 3:7),

7 But when he [John] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

John calls the religious leaders a “brood of vipers,” because they belong to their father, the devil. Speaking to the religious leaders

John 8:44,

44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Revelation 20:2,

2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

(cf. Genesis 3:1-5,

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”

4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!

5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:13-15;

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

Cursed are you more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you will go,

And dust you will eat

All the days of your life;

15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

2Corinthians 11:3;

3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

Revelation 12:9).

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

The religious leaders who come out to John were hypocrites, (Gk. hypokrisis, hoop-ok’-ree-sees, meaning “play actors”), for although they make a big show of coming out to John, supposedly for a ‘baptism of repentance,’ they had no intention of repenting or changing their deluded belief that they were somehow right with God because they were descendants of Abraham, and they were very religious: keeping the Sabbath, celebrating the yearly feasts, praying out loud for all to hear their eloquent use of words, giving to the poor in public, then cheating God of what is His

(2Timothy 3:5),

5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these

I want to share with you a quote from John MacArthur’s Commentary on Luke (Volume 1, pg. 217), where he captures this conflictual relationship between John the baptizer and the religious leaders at the Jordan River, very nicely: “Did they think they could escape the inferno of God’s wrath by slithering into the Jordan River like snakes fleeing a brush fire?” Clearly these guys were a brood of snakes!

God hates hypocrites, those who live out lies as if they are truth, those who flaunt a works-oriented religion. Speaking of Israel God says

(Isaiah 29:13),

13 Then the Lord said,

“Because this people draw near with their words

And honor Me with their lip service,

But they remove their hearts far from Me,

And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote [habitual repetition].”

In Luke 3:8,

John exposes the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, and anyone who may be following in their spiritual footsteps; for their false penitence is clear to John, who challenges them to do the works of God that display true repentance

(cf. John 6:28-29).

28 Therefore they said to Him [Jesus], “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Genuine repentance is accompanied by belief in God’s Son for the forgiveness of sin, and all those who have received salvation will demonstrate a changed life that seeks to do what pleases God

Ephesians 2:10,

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The Jews main hope for salvation was that they were descendants of Abraham.

John 8:31-33,

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

John 8:36,

36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:39a,

39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.

John 8:43-44a,

43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.

The Jews believed they were saved as a nation, through the promises God made to Abraham; but salvation is received one person at a time; not by a family or by a nation

(Romans 10:13),

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

Romans 10:17,

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

In Luke 3:8b,

John tells the Jews that God could make children for Abraham our of rocks if He wanted to, but the truth is, every Christian becomes a child of God and a descendant of Abraham, by faith, by believing in God’s Son, Jesus Christ

(Galatians 3:26,

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28-29),

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

Those who trust in their own goodness, or ethnic heritage, or religious practices to save them, are on the broad road that leads to hell. Jesus commands us to get off the broad road of unbelief

(Matthew 7:13-14),

“Enter through the narrow gate [Christ]; for the gate is wide and the way is broad [religious belief and practice] that leads to destruction [hell], and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

The reason there are only a “few” is that prideful and arrogant people reject Christ, they aren’t seeking forgiveness, so they aren’t looking for a Savior.

In Luke 3:9,

9 Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John’s warning to repent and demonstrate genuine belief leading to salvation, is premised with a graphic image meant to get the attention of the people. Jesus uses this same metaphor in

Matthew 7:19,

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

More people will be damned to hell by religion, then by anything else

John is saying that every tree [person] that does not bear good fruit [i.e., demonstrate a changed life], will be thrown into the lake of fire

(Matthew 25:41),

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

(Revelation 20:15),

15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Read Luke 3:10-14…

10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?”

11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”

14 Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Some of those in the crowd are taken back by John’s warning and strong image of destruction; so they ask him what they need to do to avoid such a fiery end, i.e., how do they show they have true repentance.

Luke 3:11

11 And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

John provides simple general instruction: if you have more than what you need, you should share it with those who have none, whether it is food or clothing or any other basic necessities, give freely to those in need.

Luke 3:12-13

12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”

some tax collectors, coming to be baptized, ask John what they should do to demonstrate true repentance. John told them to treat the people fairly, justly, and not to extort money for taxes the people are not required to pay, i.e., don’t do what is unlawful, do what is right.

Luke 3:14

soldiers who are there begin to ask John what they should do, how should they treat others. Note: We don’t know if these are Roman soldiers under the authority of Pilate the Governor, or personal soldiers of Herod Antipas, the Ruler of Judea, or perhaps temple guards or soldiers who serve the Chief Priests.

John tells them not to use their authority to intimidate or extort money from the people, perhaps by making false accusations against someone, expecting to be paid off, so that they will not arrest them. John tells them to be satisfied with their own wages and to treat people justly.

John’s instruction seems simple, in fact, it is representative of the Golden Rule, “treat others the way you want them to treat you.”

Jesus taught

(Matthew 7:12),

12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

(James 2:8),

8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.

This teaching comes from the Greatest Commandment

Matthew 22:36-40,

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

37 And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’

38 This is the great and foremost commandment.

39 The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’

40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Romans 13:10,

10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

John warns that apart from repentance that leads to salvation, no one will escape the coming judgement of God; true repentance always demonstrates a life that is no longer characterized by sin and self-interest, but instead, by love for God and for others, a life of good works that are pleasing to God.

1Thessalonians 5:15-18,

15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.

16 Rejoice always;

17 pray without ceasing;

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

04-03-2022 – “Prepare the way of the Lord”

Bible Text: Luke 3:1-6 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

Above is the
Video Sermon and
Audio Only recording

Links from Our Website:

Bulletin (pdf)

Sermon Notes (pdf)

April Calendar (pdf)

YouTube Video Sermons

Upcoming Events

FBCW Website Calendar

April 3, 2022
“Prepare the way of the Lord”
Luke 3:1-6

Luke 3:1-6

1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 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.

‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,

AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW;

THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT,

AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;

AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”

Read Luke 3:1-2a…

2a in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,

Luke begins this chapter by naming seven men, and giving a timeframe, to set the historical background for the beginning of John’s ministry.

The fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar would have been A.D. 26, because Tiberius became co-regent with Augustus (the previous Caesar), in A.D. 11.

John would have been about 30 years of age in A.D. 26, because he was just 6 months older than Jesus, and Luke tells us

(Luke 3:23),

23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,

Jesus was about thirty years of age when He began His ministry.

The next man mentioned is Pontius Pilate, appointed governor of Judea by Tiberius Caesar, in A.D. 26. Pilate served until A.D. 36, when he was removed, because of his inability to maintain control of the Jews.

Luke now moves to Herod and his brother Philip; two of the sons of Herod the Great (who died in 4. B.C., when Jesus was about two years of age).

The Herod mentioned in

Luke 3:1,

is Herod Antipas, who ruled the region around Galilee until A.D. 39. His brother Philip ruled the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis (northeast of Galilee); it was Philip’s wife (Herodias) with whom his brother Antipas had an adulterous affair and was confronted by John, leading to John’s death.

The third local ruler was Lysanias (not much is known about him), he ruled the area of Abilene (northwest of Damascus).

The five men we have just talked about were Gentiles, now Luke records two Jewish high priests: Annas and Caiaphas. Annas was Israel’s high priest from A.D. 6 to A.D. 15, when he was removed from office by Valerius, the man who became governor of Judea after Pilate was removed.

Annas’s son-in-law, Caiaphas was Israel’s high priest from A.D. 18 to A.D. 36. Just like previous presidents of the United States retain the title of “Mr. President,” even after they leave office, so it was with Israel’s high priests. In fact, according to Mosaic law (cf. Numbers 35:25), high priests served for life.

Annas was well connected to prominent and powerful Jews, and also Gentiles (who could benefit him). Annas was the family patriarch of the men who had ruled the high priesthood in Israel for 20 years, and as such, he held much power over the people (after Annas’s removal as high priest, five of his sons and one of his grandsons served as high priest, and now his son-in-law was high priest).

One thing that Annas and Caiaphas had in common was their hatred of Jesus, Who had (two times) disrupted their very lucrative business in the temple

(cf. John 2:13-16;

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;

16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”

Matthews 21:12-13).

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.

13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”

Another thing they had in common was their greed. They were both receiving a share of the money paid by the people who came to get an approved animal for sacrifice; they also got a share of the fees the money changers were charging to exchange foreign currency, as the temple tax had to be paid in Jewish currency.

Annas’s greed was so well known that the outer courts, where the sacrificial animals were sold and the money changers were ripping people off, became known as the Bazaar of Annas, i.e., Annas’s own private enterprise.

Read Luke 3:2b-3…

2b the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

The desolate and barren wilderness area of Judea stretched from the western hill country of Judah to the Dead Sea in the east, and then went north to the Jordan River valley. That is where John, under the power of God’s Spirit, stepped out and began calling Israel to repentant.

As I mentioned last week, we don’t know anything about John’s childhood or young adulthood. Luke tells us, at John’s circumcision, after Zacharias prophesied about the ministry his son would have

(Luke 1:80),

80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

We know his parents were “advanced in years”

(Luke 1:7),

7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

and it is likely they died while he was young. But when it was time for him to step out onto the world stage and fulfill his mission Luke says, “the word [rhema] of God came to John.”

God called-out John to ministry, just as He had the prophets to the Old Testament (cf.

Jeremiah 1:1-2;

1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,

2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

Ezekiel 1:3;

3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the LORD came upon him.)

Hosea 1:1;

1 The word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

Joel 1:1;

1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

Jonah 1:1;

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,

Micah 1:1;

1 The word of the LORD which came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Zephaniah;

Haggai 1:1).

1 In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,

“The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai.”

John went from being an unknown, to being a Prophet of God, proclaiming the word of God, breaking God’s silence with Israel, calling the people to repent of sin.

Israel had turned the special relationship they had been given with God [as His called-out people], into a legalistic, ritualistic religion based on human works.

During Jesus’ first sermon (Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7), He made it clear that religious rituals and law-keeping will not save anyone, because God’s standard for relationship with Him is perfect holiness.

Eternal relationship with God

(cf. Matthew 5:1-12)

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

is granted to those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, those who are peacemakers, those who are persecuted because of Christ; they will inherit the kingdom of heaven, for they are sons and daughters of God.

The prideful and showy public displays of praying, fasting, tithing, and giving to the poor, as the religious leaders of Israel exhibited, were nothing but outward acts, reflective

(cf. Matthew 7:13-14;

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:21-23)

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

of those who are on the broad road that leads to death and destruction in hell, rather than the narrow path (that only a few find) that leads to life and exaltation in heaven.

Jesus made it clear that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, those who realize they are damned apart from the saving grace that has come through God’s Son.

The Jewish people knew forgiveness was promised through the prophets.

Jeremiah 31:34,

34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Psalm 32:1-2,

1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered!

2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

Psalm 32:5,

5 I acknowledged my sin to You,

And my iniquity I did not hide;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;

And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

Psalm 130: 3-4,

3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

4 But there is forgiveness with You,

Isaiah 1:18,

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the LORD,

“Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.

Micah 7:19,

19 He will again have compassion on us;

He will tread our iniquities under foot.

Yes, You will cast all their sins

Into the depths of the sea.

Zacharias had prophesied

(Luke 1:76-77)

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

By the forgiveness of their sins,

that John would declare forgiveness from God, to all who acknowledge their sin and repent, to receive forgiveness.

Ezekiel 18:30-32,

30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,” declares the Lord GOD. “Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.

31 Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?

32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord GOD. “Therefore, repent and live.”

Romans 12:9,

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor [hate, turn away from] what is evil; cling to [follow, do] what is good.

Repentance is to turn away from sin and turn toward God.

Biblical repentance is to turn away from sin and turn toward God for salvation; This kind of repentance is not just about regret, guilt, or shame; but it strongly implies making a decision to turn around, do an about face, and head in a new direction; to hate life apart from God, and to love life with God, through Christ.

1Corinthians 1:18-21,

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written,

“I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE,

AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

2Corinthians 7:9-11,

9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.

10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

True repentance that brings salvation is a willful response to the Holy Spirit’s conviction in your heart

(John 16:8-9),

8 And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me [Jesus Christ].

John the baptizer was

(cf. Luke 3:3)

3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

The baptism of John was not Christian baptism symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; because Christian baptism was not instituted until the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit of God came upon and indwelled the 120 believers in Jerusalem; after which, Peter began to preach.

Acts 2:21,

21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

Acts 2:36-38,

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.”

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

At the time of John’s appearance in Luke 3, there was no baptism for Jews in Judaism. However, the Jews did baptize Gentile converts to Judaism, Gentiles who wanted to turn from their pagan worship and idolatry to serve the God of the Jews, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.

The Jews who came out to John

(cf. Matthew 3:6),

6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

Jews were acknowledging that they were sinners just like the Gentiles they despised. But it would seem most of those being baptized were not truly repentant, for we know the nation of Israel later rejected their Messiah [Jesus Christ], and put him to death on a cross.

Matthew 3:7-11,

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;

9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

10 The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Water symbolizes a desire for a clean conscience, i.e., to acknowledge your sins, to publicly state you have sinned against God and are seeking God’s forgiveness.

The Holy Spirit symbolizes spiritual birth into God’s family, as a genuine believer who is marked and protected by God’s Spirit.

Fire symbolizes judgment, for those who reject Christ do not have the Holy Spirit in them, they are condemned to the Lake of Fire.

Read Luke 3:4-6…

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.

5 ‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,

AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW;

THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT,

AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;

6 AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”

Seven hundred years before John was born, this prophecy was made about him

(pp. Isaiah 40:3-5).

3 A voice is calling,

“Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;

Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

4 “Let every valley be lifted up,

And every mountain and hill be made low;

And let the rough ground become a plain,

And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,

And all flesh will see it together;

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

We have already studied how John fulfilled this prophecy, calling out people to acknowledge their sin before God and to repent, for John was, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight’”

But look again at

Luke 3:5,

5 ‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,

AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW;

THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT,

AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;

This seems rather obscure at first reading, but further study brings to light the meaning. When a prominent person was traveling on a long journey, perhaps in country unknown to him; he would send messengers out ahead to make sure that the roads were safe and free of danger and debris, i.e., to fill in holes, and remove obstacles, so that their master could pass through without incident.

That is exactly what John did for his Master! He prepared the people for the coming Messiah! Calling them to genuinely repent, confessing their sins, and turning their hearts back to God, so that they might “see the salvation of God,” Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord of all, but the Savior only of those who believe in Him.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and that He alone provides forgiveness for sin and eternal life?

John 3:16,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

No wonder Jesus said

(John 14:6),

6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father

[i.e., no one is forgiven, no one receives eternal life,

no one gets into heaven] but through Me.”

There is only one way to be saved

(2Corinthians 5:20-21),

“Therefore, [as an] ambassador for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through [me]; [I] beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. [God the Father] made [God the Son] who knew no sin to be sin on [your] behalf, so that [you] might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

1Timothy 2:3-4,

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Remember what Peter proclaimed in

Acts 2:21,

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [for the forgiveness of sin] will be saved.”

Have you done that?

Romans 10:9-10,

“if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Romans 10:13,

“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

03-27-2022 – The New Covenant

Bible Text: Luke 1:72-80 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

Above is the
Video Sermon and
Audio Only recording

Links from Our Website:

Bulletin (pdf)

Sermon Notes (pdf)

March Calendar (pdf)

April Calendar (pdf)

YouTube Video Sermons

Upcoming Events

FBCW Website Calendar

March 27, 2022
“The New Covenant”
Luke 1:72-80

Last week we read

(Luke 1:67-71),

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of David His servant–

70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old–

71 Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,

And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;

where Zacharias is praising God for returning to Israel in order to offer salvation to all who will repent and believe in the Messiah, just as God had foretold through the prophets.

We also studied about the covenant God had made with David to be fulfilled on the earth during the Millennial Kingdom, a time of peace, prosperity and long life for all.

The Jewish people were looking for the long awaited Messiah to arrive. In their mind, He would conquer their Roman oppressors, initiate His earthly kingdom by sitting on His throne in Jerusalem, and He would restore Israel to the glory it had before it turned away from God, at which time, God departed Israel and remained silent for 400 years, until now.

Read Luke 1:72-75…

72 To show mercy toward our fathers,

And to remember His holy covenant,

73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

Might serve Him without fear,

75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

Today we begin with the covenant God made with Abraham, a covenant that would eternally bless both Jew and Gentile, through faith in God’s Son, made effectual by His sacrificial death and sovereign resurrection.

The covenant we are talking about is found in

Genesis 12:1-3,

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Hebrews 11:8-9,

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;

This covenant was not just about peace, prosperity, and long life on earth of the remnant of Israel; but instead, this promise was made to Abraham’s spiritual descendants (Jews and Gentiles] who, like Abraham, were looking far beyond any earthly fulfillment, and were

(Hebrews 11:10)

10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Abraham, along with all genuine believers from all time, will live together with God in the new heavens, new earth, and new Jerusalem, where there will be no more crying, or mourning, or pain, or death, for all of eternity.

The Abrahamic covenant, through circumcision, set Israel apart from all the other nations in the world (Genesis 17), as we studied about last week. But was the blessing of that covenant based on the act of circumcision? No, it wasn’t, it was based on faith.

Romans 4:9-13,

9 Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;

11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,

12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.

13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Romans 4:16-17…

16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

17 (as it is written, “A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

Jesus declared

Galatians 3:6-9

6 Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.

8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.”

9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

Galatians 3:26-29

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

In a sense, the blessing of salvation came through the Jews, as Jesus declared

(John 4:22),

22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

And Paul writes

(Romans 1:16),

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Salvation comes through the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, but the reason for the genealogies given in Matthew 1; Luke 3, is to set forth the human lineage through whom the Messiah [Jesus Christ] would come. He would be God in human flesh [Immanuel], He would be God’s Salvation [Hebrew, Yeshua; Greek,-Jesus], He would be God the Son, Lord of all but Savior only to those who believe in Him.

True salvation has always been by faith, not by blood line, not by nation, not by religious ritual, and not by law-keeping

(Romans 1:17),

17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.

The promise given to Abraham, that would be fulfilled through Jesus Christ, was meant to be an eternal covenant.

Three times in Genesis 17

Genesis 17:7

7 I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.

Genesis 17:13

13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Genesis 17:19

19 But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

God says this is to be an everlasting covenant for Abraham’s descendants [meaning all people, Jew or Gentile, who have obedient faith in God, and have been approved by God; like those recorded in the Hall of Faith, that we studied about

(Hebrews 11:1-38),

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.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.

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.

7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;

10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.

12 Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE.

13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.

15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.

16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;

18 it was he to whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.”

19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.

21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,

26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.

29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

31 By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,

33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,

34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;

36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.

37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated

38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

e.g., Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Samson, David.

The writer of Hebrews goes on to say

(Hebrews 11:39-40),

39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,

40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Look at those last two verses again: all believers who lived before the coming of Christ, like those listed in Hebrews 11, looked forward to the promise, i.e., the coming Savior; where as, all believers who lived after the coming of Christ, like us, look back at the promise fulfilled in the death and resurrection of God’s own Son.

Old and New Testament believers receive forgiveness for sins and eternal life, made effectual in Christ

(Ephesians 2:8-10),

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

(pp. 2Corinthians 5:17)

for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Read Luke 1:76-80…

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

By the forgiveness of their sins,

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,

With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

79 TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,

To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

The fulfillment of the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants is realized through salvation in Christ; for neither of those covenants can provide forgiveness for sin. And so, we now turn our attention to the New Covenant.

Please open your Bible to

Hebrews 8:7-13;

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.

8 For finding fault with them, He says,

“BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD,

WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT

WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;

9 NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS

ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND

TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT;

FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT,

AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD.

10 “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL

AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:

I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,

AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.

AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,

AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

11 “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN,

AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’

FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME,

FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.

12 “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES,

AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.”

13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

Hebrews 9:15,

15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Hebrews 9:27-28;

27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

Hebrews 10:1-18…

1 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?

3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED,

BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME;

6 IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE.

7 “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME

(IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME)

TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’”

8 After saying above, “SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them” (which are offered according to the Law),

9 then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second.

10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;

12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD,

13 waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.

14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

16 “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM

AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:

I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART,

AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,”

He then says,

17 “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS

I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Every person since Adam and Eve (except for John the baptizer and Jesus), has been born in sin. The reason is we are displeasing to God is not because of our behavior, attitude, or speech; those are only symptoms of a much deeper and eternally deadly problem, sin

(cf. Romans 3:10-12;

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

Romans 3:23-24;

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Romans 6:23;

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8,

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:1).

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Luke 6:45,

45 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

The problem that condemns us is our unregenerate hearts, as

Jeremiah 17:9-10 declares,

9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else

And is desperately sick;

Who can understand it?

10 “I, the LORD, search the heart,

I test the mind,

Even to give to each man according to his ways,

According to the results of his deeds.

The New Covenant conquers sin, through the shed blood of God’s Son.

Everyone will be judged for their sinful words and actions, because those things give evidence of a heart full of sin, bringing eternal condemnation (except for those who are in Christ).

And since neither the Abrahamic or the Davidic Covenants can provide a person with victory over sin, God provided the New Covenant that conquers sin, through the shed blood of God’s own Son.

All through the Old Testament the Israelites declared obedience to God, and yet they continued to disobey God because of sin.

Joshua 24:15-18,

15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

16 The people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;

17 for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.

18 The LORD drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.”

The Law given to Moses cannot be perfectly kept by any human, because the law of sin is working in us

(see Romans 7:14-25).

14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.

16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.

17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.

19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.

22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,

23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

See Luke 1:76-77…

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

By the forgiveness of their sins,

Zacharias was a genuine believer, a priest who understood what the prophets had written, that all the covenants and promises given to Israel would be fulfilled by the Messiah, who was to come.

Zacharias had the Holy Spirit in him as he spoke this prophecy about his own son, John, through whom God would bring an end to 400 years of silence with Israel (actually between Himself and all of humanity).

John the baptizer would come on the scene to point people to Christ; to call them to confess their sins and seek forgiveness. The Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants could not change a person’s heart attitude toward sin, so God provided a New Covenant through the shed blood of Christ. Everyone who repents and believes in Him will be saved; that is what the New Covenant promises.

God chose to show mercy to hopeless and helpless sinners like you and me, in order to provide forgiveness, righteousness, and justification from God.

Notice again in Luke 1:78-79…

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,

With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

79 TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,

To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

God’s tender mercy is expressed to us through His sending of the Sunrise from heaven, “To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

2Corinthians 4:4-6,

4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.

6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

The only way to have peace with God is to have the Peace of God,

as Jesus promised

(John 14:27),

27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

(Galatians 5:22-23),

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

(Philippians 4:7),

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Zacharias’s prophecy of praise toward God, ends in

Luke 1:79. After which, Luke tells us,

79 And the child [John] continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

We are told nothing in the Scriptures about John, from the time of his circumcision to the beginning of his short public ministry, that began near the Jordan River.

See Luke 3:2-4,

2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

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.

What we do know is that John came to prepare the hearts of the people for the New Covenant, not a covenant of ancestral heritage and privilege, nor a covenant of religious rituals, laws, and acts of piety; but a covenant of mercy and grace from a faithful God who loves us so much, that He came down from heaven, put on the flesh of a man, and let His enemies kill Him, so that He could satisfy the righteous judgement of God on all sin, by paying the full penalty for all our sins.

Acts 2:21-24,

21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know–

23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

The New Covenant in Christ, promises that Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and all genuine believers from all time, will live together with God in the new heavens, new earth, and new Jerusalem, where there will be no more crying, or mourning, or pain, or death, for all of eternity.

How you respond to God’s New Covenant, made effectual through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, will determine where you spend eternity.

1John 5:11-13,

11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Everyone who repents of their sin and believes in God’s Son is saved to eternal life in heaven, because all their sins (past, present, future) are forgiven; and therefore we are justified, being consider holy and righteous by God. Have you done that? Don’t leave where you are right now, without knowing that you have eternal life.

Pastor Mike Hale

03-20-2022 – “The Covenant Through David”

Bible Text: Luke 1:57-71 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

Above is the
Video Sermon and
Audio Only recording

Links from Our Website:

Bulletin (pdf)

Sermon Notes (pdf)

March Calendar (pdf)
YouTube Video Sermons
Upcoming Events
FBCW Website Calendar

March 20, 2022
“The Covenant Through David”
Luke 1:57-71

Read Luke 1:57-58…

57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

Last week we read

(Luke 1:13-17),

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.

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.

16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

And so, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and her family and her neighbors were rejoicing with her. Gabriel’s announcement to Zacharias broke 400 years of silence between God and Israel; for John would be filled with God’s Spirit, to be set apart as the forerunner of the Messiah (who would bring redemption to all people who believe in Him).

Read Luke 1:59-63…

59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father.

60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.”

61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”

John is 8 days old, and required to be circumcised according to the Abrahamic covenant

(cf. Genesis 17:9-14),

9 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.

12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14 But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

through which God set Israel apart from all the other nations in the world.

Circumcision also provided the benefit of decreasing the possibility of bacteria being transferred from man to woman; it is a fact that Jewish women have lower rates of cervical cancer and other diseases, then do women in other cultures, and this is attributed to the fact that all Jewish husbands are circumcised.

The practice of naming a son on the day of his circumcision is not an Old Testament requirement, but had become common place, perhaps because Abram [exalted father] received his new name Abraham [father of a multitude] on the same day he was circumcised

(cf. Genesis 17:5, 23).

5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram,

But your name shall be Abraham;

For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.

To honor Zacharias, some of his friends and family wanted to name the baby after him, but Elizabeth objected, saying the baby would be called John [God is Gracious]. However, some of the friends and neighbors were adamant that the baby be given his father’s name; so they made (face and hand) signs to get Zacharias’s attention, who then asked for a tablet (small wooden wax covered tablet: sort of an etch a sketch) upon which he wrote down that his son would indeed be called John.

Read Luke 1:64-66…

64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.

65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea.

66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

Zacharias hadn’t been able to hear or speak for nine months. Note: The word translated “mute”

(Luke 1:22),

22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute.

is used repeatedly in the NT and is often translated “deaf,” so it is likely that Zacharias couldn’t hear or speak.

At the moment Zacharias wrote down that his son would be called John, Zacharias began to speak again, giving praise to God. The people there were awestruck and somewhat fearful of what all this might mean.

The word about John spread throughout the hill country of Judea, as they considered all the things that had happened over the past nine months: the angel Gabriel appearing in the Holy Place to Zacharias; Zacharias becoming deaf and mute because he didn’t believe Gabriel’s announcement that Elizabeth, although barren, would become pregnant with a son who would be the forerunner of the Messiah, and then Zacharias, able to speak and hear again after naming his son John, just as Gabriel had said

(Luke 1:20),

20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

Read Luke 1:67-69…

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of David His servant–

This is awesome! Zacharias, filled with the Holy Spirit of God, prophesied [prophesy = to declare or speak forth, to proclaim and explain] the very Words of God. But, think about this: both his wife Elizabeth

(Luke 1:41),

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

and his son John

(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.

were already filled with the Spirit of God. God’s presence had again come to Israel indwelling these three servants, the first “trinity” family..

The words of Zacharias’s prophecy declare the wonderful truth that God is again blessing Israel, and has come

(Luke 1:68)

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

to redeem His people through the long awaited Messiah. Israel believed the Messiah would free them from their bondage under Rome, just like God had freed their ancestors from slavery in Egypt.

Israel expected the Messiah to set up His kingdom on earth and to fulfill all the blessings promised through David and Abraham; but the Jews totally overlooked the fact that those promises would not be fulfilled until the New Covenant was established, i.e., the forgiveness for all sin, for all people, for all time, made effectual by the shed blood of God’s own Son, to all who would believe in Him.

John the Baptizer would preach repentance, calling the people to confess their sin, for the Messiah would come and pay the full and final price for the sins of the whole world. Jesus Christ

(Luke 1:69)

69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of David His servant–

would be God’s horn of salvation from the line of David.

A horn of salvation is an OT picture of a powerful conquerer, like a wild horned beast lowering its head to drive out God’s enemies and protect God’ people.

2Samuel 22:3,

69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of David His servant–

Psalm 18:2,

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 92:10,

10 But You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;

I have been anointed with fresh oil.

Micah 4:13,

13 “Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,

For your horn I will make iron

And your hoofs I will make bronze,

That you may pulverize many peoples,

The Messiah would come through the line of David

(Jeremiah 33:14-15),

14 ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.

The Messiah would fulfill the Davidic Covenant by restoring Israel to its former glory, before it turned away from God, resulting in God leaving Israel without any message or messenger from Him for 400 years.

God was now speaking to Israel again,God’s favor had returned to Israel, and would be realized through the Messiah, the Horn of Salvation, God’s Son who would live among the Israelites, and then go to the cross to pay for their sins with His own blood, in order to redeem all those who would believe in Him.

Read Luke 1:70-71…

70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old–

71 Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,

And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;

God had spoken through the prophets concerning the covenant He made with David

(2Samuel 7:8-13),

8 “Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.

9 I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth.

10 I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly,

11 even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you.

12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

Isaiah goes on to declare that the Lord will restore the faithful remnant to the land promised them through David

(Isaiah 65:8-9),

8 Thus says the LORD,

“As the new wine is found in the cluster,

And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’

So I will act on behalf of My servants

In order not to destroy all of them.

9 “I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,

And an heir of My mountains from Judah;

Even My chosen ones shall inherit it,

And My servants will dwell there

(Isaiah 65:18-25)

18 “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;

For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing

And her people for gladness.

19 “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;

And there will no longer be heard in her

The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.

20 “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,

Or an old man who does not live out his days;

For the youth will die at the age of one hundred

And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred

Will be thought accursed.

21 “They will build houses and inhabit them;

They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

22 “They will not build and another inhabit,

They will not plant and another eat;

For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,

And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.

23 “They will not labor in vain,

Or bear children for calamity;

For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD,

And their descendants with them.

24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.

Zacharias is full of praise as he goes on to proclaim that the Millennial Kingdom will be a time

(cf. Luke 1:71)

71 Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,

And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;

when God will deliver believing Israel from her enemies and from all who hate them; a time when the remnant of Israel and the Gentiles living among them will experience peace, prosperity, and long life.

The Millennial Kingdom will not occur until the Church has been raptured, and the Antichrist then rises up to rule the world during a seven-year period; after which, the Lord will return to the earth to bring judgement upon all the unbelieving; only then will the remnant of believing Jews (alive at that time), along with believing Gentiles, be ushered into the Millennial Kingdom where the Lord will rule on the throne of David for 1000 years.

John the Baptizer, as the forerunner of the Messiah will, at the Jordan River, declare Jesus to be God’s Son and Savior

(John 1:29),

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

(John 1:33-34),

33 I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’

34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

See Luke 1:70-71 again.

70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old–

71 Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,

And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US

Zacharias could not have known that Israel would openly reject and brutally execute its own Messiah, its Savior-King, who would be born about 6 months after the time of Zaharias’s Prophecy being given here.

Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, as was Elizabeth, and their son John. Zacharias was praising God and prophesying about the coming Messiah who would deliver Israel from all her enemies.

Zacharias, like most of the religious Jews at that time, believed the promises of the Covenant God made with David would be realized at the time of the Messiah’s arrival; and you know, they would have been, if Israel had received Him, but they didn’t, they rejected Him and then they crucified Him.

In A.D. 70, Jerusalem was burned, the Temple destroyed, over one million Jews were [put to death be the sword, and those who survived were enslaved and/or dispersed all over the world; and the Jewish people were not allowed to return to Jerusalem until A.D. 1948.

The promises of the Davidic Covenant will not be fulfilled in Israel until the Lord returns to the earth, this time as a conquering warrior (cf. Revelation 11, 19), not as a vulnerable child, like His first arrival. At His next advent, the remnant of Israel who believe in and receive Christ as Lord and Savior, will enter into the Millennial Kingdom where they will enjoy the fulfillment of God’s promises made to David on their behalf, for the 1000 years on the earth; after which, they, along with all believers from all time, will live together with God and enjoy the new heavens, new earth, and new Jerusalem, where there will be no crying, or mourning, or pain, or death, for all of eternity.

Our God is an awesome God, a faithful God, a loving God to whom belongs all praise and honor and glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

03-13-2022 – “God’s Divine Announcement to Zacharias”

Bible Text: Luke 1:15-25 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

Above is the
Video Sermon and
Audio Only recording

Links from Our Website:

Bulletin (pdf)

Sermon Notes (pdf)

March Calendar (pdf)
YouTube Video Sermons
Upcoming Events
FBCW Website Calendar

March 13, 2022
“God’s Divine Announcement to Zacharias”
Luke 1:15-25

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.

Zacharias is told that his son John will be great in the sight of the Lord.

John is an important herald

(Matthew 11:11a),

“Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!”

Think about that for a moment. Remember when we studied (Hebrews 11) some of the great heroes of the faith? Jesus is saying that John is the greatest man who has ever lived up to his time, i.e., John would be considered greater than Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Wow!

John’s greatness is evaluated by God, “in the sight of the Lord.” Think about that. John would be the forerunner crying out to Israel that the Messiah had indeed come, and God was again actively interacting with the Nation of Israel.

John was born to a very common family living in the hill country of Judea. He had no formal education, as far as we know, and it is said that

(Luke 1:80)

80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

John’s clothing was made out of camel’s hair, held in place with a leather belt; and what did he eat? Locusts and wild honey. John wasn’t trying to start a new trend in fashion or food

(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 was all about directing attention to and revering Jesus Christ, the Messiah, God’s Son

(Matthew 3:11),

11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but He [Christ] who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

(John 1:30),

30 This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’

Gabriel announces that John will drink no wine [lit., straight from the wine press] or liquor [lit., wine that was fermented, alcoholic]. This is significant, in that it means John will be set apart, like one taking a Nazarite vow

(Numbers 6:1-4),

1 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate himself to the LORD,

3 he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes.

4 All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.

much like Samson

Both Samson

(cf. Judges 16:17)

17 So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.”

and Samuel

(cf. 1Samuel 1:11),

11 She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”

were Nazarites their whole lives.

Gabriel’s announcement is that John would be great in the sight of the Lord, i.e, in the sight of God

(cf. Luke 1:6).

6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

When a person confesses Christ as Lord, repenting of sin, that person is indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God

The truth is, Jesus Christ, as God in human flesh, is declaring approval of John, and no one can be approved by God unless their sins have been forgiven. So, in a sense, God imputed righteousness to John, as Gabriel declares, “[John] will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.”

When a person confesses Christ as Lord, repenting of sin and trusting Jesus alone for salvation, that person is filled with the Holy Spirit of God, being marked as God’s own possession

(Ephesians 1:13-14),

13 In Him [Christ], you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him [Christ] with the Holy Spirit of promise,

14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

That happened to me on August 1, 1978, when I was 3 weeks shy of being 29 years old, God’s Spirit took up residence in me. That means for almost 29 years of my life I did not serve the Lord. Each of you who belong to Christ, experienced the indwelling Spirit of God at the moment you repented, believed, and began to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

John was filled with the Spirit of God from the time that he was conceived in his mother’s womb. John’s whole life would be lived under the guidance, leading, and power of the Hoy Spirit. Wow!

Read Luke 1:16-17…

16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

Gabriel goes on to say that John’s ministry and preaching will be so powerful that it will cause unrepentant sinners to turn back to God.

Later in this chapter, at John’s circumcision,. Zacharias prophecies concerning his son John,

(Luke 1:76-77) saying,

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

By the forgiveness of their sins,

John is destined to proclaim the gospel of God’s grace, the good news of forgiveness of sins through the One and Only Savior, Jesus [lit., God’s Salvation] who is the Christ [lit., the Holy One of God], Immanuel [lit., God with us].

John would preach repentance

(Mark 1:4-5),

4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

John’s purpose was to expose the sinful hearts of the people, calling them repent and believe in the Lord for salvation. That is exactly what we are suppose to be doing today.

2Corinthians 5:17-21,

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

John would come as the forerunner of the Messiah, “in the spirit and power of Elijah.” The Jews believed that God would send a messenger before the Day of the Lord’s judgement and the Messiah’s coming to set up His kingdom

(Malachi 3:1),

1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.

(Malachi 4:5-6),

5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.

6 He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

John was not Elijah.

John was not Elijah of the OT resurrected, nor was he the final Elijah who would come about 3.5 years before the return of Christ to the earth.

See Matthew 16:28-17:13…

16:28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

17:1 Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.

2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.

3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.

7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”

8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.

9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”

10 And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things;

12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”

13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

John appeared about 3.5 years before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, fulfilling part of the prophecies given by Isaiah and Malachi concerning the forerunner of the Messiah.

In Matthew 17, Jesus seems to be saying that not only has an Elijah-like Prophet already come (in the form of John) preparing the way for the Lord; but in some prophetic way another Elijah will come again in the future, appearing in the middle of the 7 years of Tribulation and proclaiming the Word of God for the 3.5 years before the Coming of Christ for judgement (cf. Revelation 11, 19).

Read Luke 1:18-25…

18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”

19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple.

22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute.

23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying,

25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”

Zacharias now responds to the angel, expressing his doubt concerning what he has been told. Immediately the angel rebukes Zacharias and declares, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God!”

Gabriel came from God to bring Zacharias the “good news” that a special son was going to be given to him. Gabriel isn’t just any angel, he is God’s primary messenger angel; one of only two angels who are actually named in the Scriptures (the other being Michael, the Archangel).

Because of Zacharias’s disbelief, Gabriel causes him to be mute, and tells him he will not be able to speak until these things have been fulfilled

(see Luke 1:57-64).

57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father.

60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.”

61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.”

62 And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.

63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished.

64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.

After Zacharias was made mute, he went outside where the people had been waiting for him to give a benediction, which would have been something like

(Numbers 6:24-26),

24 The LORD bless you, and keep you;

25 The LORD make His face shine on you,

And be gracious to you;

26 The LORD lift up His countenance on you,

And give you peace.’

But Zacharias couldn’t speak, instead he was trying to use hand motions to tell the people about Gabriel being near the altar of incense.

Luke tells us that after Zacharias had finished his priestly duties, he returned home. We are not informed as to how he may have told Elizabeth the news that she was going to be pregnant and they would have a son who would be named John [God is gracious].

The angel’s good news became a reality, for we are told that soon Elizabeth became pregnant, and she remained in seclusion for five months. Why was that? Probably because she was barren and too old for a pregnancy, and most likely people would not have believed her; at least not until it was very obvious that she was indeed pregnant.

Notice again Luke 1:25,

25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”

As I mentioned last week, for a Jewish couple not to be able to have children was considered a curse, as if the sins of either the husband or the wife, or both, had brought God’s judgement upon them; but now through God’s intervention, any disgrace that might have been experienced was completely removed and only the joy of the good news and their gratefulness toward God remained.

Zacharias and Elizabeth were just common people of humble means who were faithfully serving the Lord; they were unable to have children, and at that moment God intervened by sending Gabriel with the Good News.

The Good News isn’t that an aged couple who had been barren, have become pregnant with a son who is to be named John [lit. God is gracious].

The Good News is that John is the one chosen by God to announce the long awaited arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior; and everyone who believes in and receives Him will be saved.

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

03-06-2022 – ”God’s Grace Revealed”

Bible Text: Luke 1:5-15 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

Above is the
Video Sermon and
Audio Only recording

Links from Our Website:

Bulletin (pdf)

Sermon Notes (pdf)

March Calendar (pdf)
YouTube Video Sermons
Upcoming Events
FBCW Website Calendar

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

02-27-2022 – “Introduction to Luke”

Bible Text: Luke 1:1-4 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

Above is the
Video Sermon and
Audio Only recording

Links from Our Website:

Bulletin (pdf)

(Sermon Notes (pdf)

February Calendar (pdf)
March Calendar (pdf)
YouTube Video Sermons
Upcoming Events
FBCW Website Calendar

February 27, 2022
“Introduction to Luke”
Luke 1:1-4

Luke was not one of the Twelve Disciples, he was not an apostle, nor was he a prophet; and yet, God gave him the responsibility and propensity to write the most comprehensive Biblical account of the life of Jesus Christ, and to also write the most complete narrative of the birth, growth, and dispersion of the Church of God (from the early 30’s to early 60’s A.D.), mostly following the life and travel of Peter and Paul.

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were written sometime between A.D. 60-62; they make up more than 25% of the New Testament. Luke is the undisputed author of both works, yet doesn’t refer to himself by name, in either one.

Luke’s name is only recorded three times in the New Testament

(Colossians 4:14),

14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.

(2Timothy 4:11),

11 Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.

“Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service,”

(Philemon 23-24),

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,

24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.

Read Luke 1:1-4…

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us,

2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,

3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;

4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

Luke a Gentile, avoids terms unfamiliar to non-Jews.

Luke writes to Theophilus [Latin], Theophilos [Greek], Theo means God, philus/philos means friend; so this Friend of God is a Gentile, a non-Jew.

You will notice, as we read through Luke’s Gospel Account, he avoids using Aramaic and Hebrew terms that are common to Jews, but he does explain Jewish customs, and some of the geography of Israel. This book would definitely find its way into the hands, hearts, and minds of Gentiles, those not familiar with Judaism.

In Colossians 4:10-11,

10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him);

11 and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.

lists some believers “who are from the circumcision,” i.e., Jewish Christians;

Paul lists some fellow believers “who are from the circumcision,” i.e., Jewish Christians.

Then in Colossians 4:12-17,

12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

13 For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.

15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.

16 When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.

17 Say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

he lists believers who are not part of the circumcision, i.e., they are Gentile believers,

and in Colossians 4:14,

14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.

as mentioned earlier, we find Luke listed with the non-Jews.

In Luke 1:1-2,

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us,

2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,

Luke says this is “an account of the things accomplished among us just as they were handed down to us, by those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the gospel from the very beginning.”

On the day of His resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples

(John 20:19-21),

19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Before Jesus left His Disciples to go back to the Father

(Luke 24:44-53),

44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,

47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

48 You are witnesses of these things.

49 And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

52 And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

53 and were continually in the temple praising God.

After Jesus had been lifted up into heaven, the Disciples

(Acts 1:12-26), (summary version):

“returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers”

Acts 1:12-26

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

13 When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

15 At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said,

16 “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

17 For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.”

18 (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out.

19 And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,

‘LET HIS HOMESTEAD BE MADE DESOLATE,

AND LET NO ONE DWELL IN IT’;

and,

‘LET ANOTHER MAN TAKE HIS OFFICE.’

21 Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us–

22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us–one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.

24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen

25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

(cf. Matthew 13:55).

55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said, ‘Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus

(cf. Psalm 41:9;

9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted,

Who ate my bread,

Has lifted up his heel against me.

(cf. John 13:18).

18 I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’

For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.’ (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his homestead be made desolate, And let no one dwell in it’; and, ‘Let another man take his office.’ Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.’ So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. And they prayed and said, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.”

Luke was not an eyewitness, but he had talked with, investigated, evaluated, and recorded the testimony of many who were eyewitnesses, e.g., Peter, Paul, Matthew, John, Mark, and no doubt, many other not so well known witnesses, whose testimonies have been lost.

1John 1:1-3,

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life–

2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us–

3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Luke 1:3

3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;

Luke 1:3 says Luke, “having investigated everything carefully from the beginning,” wrote it out, “in consecutive order.” With the Holy Spirit moving Luke along, using Luke’s natural attributes and training (as a doctor) to examine the evidence and accurately record his findings, God’s Spirit was making sure every word written by Luke was exactly what God wanted to be revealed to us.

2Peter 1:20-21,

“But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

1Corinthians 2:12-13,

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,

13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

2Timothy 3:16,

“All Scripture is inspired by God [God-breathed] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

Not only is Luke’s narrative accurate, but it is mostly written chronologically (from start to finish) concerning Jesus’ birth, circumcision, boyhood, baptism, public ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, appearances to His followers, and His ascent back into heaven.

There are some narratives in Luke’s Gospel, where he expounds on an event or teaching, but for the most part, this is an orderly account of the life of Christ written down and given to a man named Theophilus.

Luke would have assumed that his narrative would be read and shared, so that all who heard it

(Luke 1:4),

4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

“may know the exact truth” about God’s sovereign plan to send His own Son to serve as full payment for our sins.

Luke understood that redemption from sin’s curse was for everyone who repents and believes in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Acts 10:34-48,

“Opening his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)— you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.’ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues [languages that were not there own] and exalting God. Then Peter answered, ‘Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?’ And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”

God shows no favoritism concerning salvation

(Galatians 3:26),

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,”

Galatians 3:28,

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

So, what do we know about Theophilus? As already mentioned, he was a Gentile like Luke. Because Luke addresses him as, “most excellent” Theophilus; he would seem to be a man of importance, e.g., this same title of respect (most excellent) is recorded by Luke

(cf. Acts 23:26;
26 “Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix, greetings.

(cf. Acts 24:3;
3 we acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness.

(cf. Acts 26:25)
25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth.

when speaking of Governors Felix and Festus.

Evidently, Luke cared deeply for this man, who was perhaps a new convert or maybe an unbeliever who showed interest in the things of God; either way, Luke wanted to make sure that Theophilus [Friend of God], and anyone else reading this narrative, would have an accurate and orderly account of the life and ministry of Christ, so that they might believe, be saved, and become a true “friend” of God.

John 15:15,

“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

But isn’t it just like our loving God to employ His Spirit to empower Luke, a traveling companion of Paul, to care so deeply for an unknown man named Theophilus, that Luke writes a lengthly historically chronological narrative and theological work, to this one man.

And yet, by God’s providence, Luke’s Gospel Account has now reached around the world with the divine message of salvation through Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

John 20:30-31,

30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;

31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

May we, each one of us, care enough, like Luke, to share this message with anyone and everyone who will listen: Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior and Lord, was sacrificially put to death as payment for our sins, He was then buried, but on the third day He came out of the grave alive, in order to sovereignly demonstrate that He alone has authority to forgive sins and grant eternal life, and that He is coming back to get all those who believe in Him, to be with Him forever, in heaven.

And all God’s people said, Amen!
Pastor Mike
>’(((><