(1) Introducing Luke's gospel (Luke 1:1-4, 17th June 2007)
(2) Luke and the Old Testament (Luke 1:5-12, 24th June 2007)
(3) No-one greater than John (Luke 1:13-17, 1st July 2007)
(4) Faith on a low setting (Luke 1:18-23, 22nd July 2007)
(5) An outburst of grace (Luke 1:24-30, 5th August 2007)
(6) Who will Mary's baby be? (Luke 1:31-34, 12th August 2007)
(7) A virgin conceives (Luke 1:35, 19th August 2007)
(8) The faith of two women (Luke 1:36-44, 2nd September 2007)
(9) The Magnificat (I) (Luke 1:45-55, 9th September 2007)
(10) The Magnificat (II) (Luke 1:45-55, 30th September 2007)
(11) Learning from discipline (Luke 1:56-66, 7th October 2007)
(12) Longing for holiness (Luke 1:64-75, 14th October 2007)
(13) Preparing the way (Luke 1:76-79, 11th November 2007)
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Luke's gospel was written for people who already knew something of the story of Jesus. It opens with a single long (in Greek) sentence running from verse 1 to 4. The opening is similar to other books of that time and shows that Luke wanted people to know that his work was a properly researched, serious book. He tells us that his purpose is to document how God has, amongst Christians, fulfilled his plans for the world. The early Christian church, with Jews and Gentiles together worshipping the Lord, was so unusual and Luke is going to explain how this has happened. His writing isn't just one man and his book. Rather it flows from all those people who have been passing on the message of Jesus since the beginning, when eyewitnesses first saw it all happen. And his book was published into a community which could still check his facts amongst themselves. So we can know his book is reliable: checked out by those who had the best opportunity to confirm its contents. Luke also says that he took great care over his work. Gathering together various accounts, including maybe Mark's gospel and possibly even Matthew's, along with statements from others, Luke went through all the evidence and then put his own account together from it. We are not sure how close Luke himself was to the action but it is entirely possible that he knew the apostle Paul directly and so knew some of the events first hand, as the book of Acts appears to indicate. Hence, from that and other information it is thought that Luke is the man mentioned by Paul in Colossians 4:1, even though he does not give his name at the start of the gospel. But the main point is that Luke worked hard to produce a solid book and in that we see how the Holy Spirit works to write some parts of the Bible. Rather than putting words directly into the writer's head, out of the blue, the Holy Spirit inspires a writer like Luke to undertake careful study to produce just what God wants written down. And then finally we see in verse 4 that Luke expected his book to have a practical effect. He wanted Christians to be sure of what they'd been taught; Christians like Theophilus (who may have been a real man or may just be Luke's way of referring to his readers since Theophilus means "lover of God").
(1) Why not read through the few first chapters of Luke and note down all the
different people who are mentioned, to see the variety of eyewitnesses that
Luke may have spoken to? Does it add to your sense of Luke's reliability?
(2) How would you go about explaining briefly what God has done in the world
and amongst his people? Where would you begin? What would you include?
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Luke's gospel gathers together eyewitness accounts to show how God's plan of salvation has been fulfilled through Jesus Christ and his people. But to understand Luke fully, we need to know the earlier stages in God's plan, as recorded in the Old Testament (OT). Then we will pick up on and appreciate the OT connections which are found in Luke's gospel. Now Luke starts his story by mentioning that Herod the Great is king in Judea. However, then Luke introduces us to Zechariah and Elizabeth – two ordinary, true and faithful Israelites; a couple who could have stepped off the pages of the OT. Both have good Israelite names and Israelite heritage: Zechariah is a priest and Elizabeth comes from Aaron's family. Not only that but both have lived upright lives, like some of the well-known OT believers. People like Noah who was “righteous in this generation” and Abraham who kept God's “requirements, commands, decrees and laws.” That's not to say this couple are free of sin. But according to God's expressed expectations of them, they are obedient. Yet although they are so faithful they are also childless, which should not have been the case. God promised Israel, through Moses in Deut 28, that he would bless his people's faithfulness with the “fruit of the womb”. Which makes us realise that since God isn't punishing this couple for some personal sin, then something is clearly wrong in wider Israel for the blessing of children to be held back. There are times when faithful believers suffer because they are caught up in a wider judgement from God. Something which for this couple, as we'll see in later verses, has driven them to prayer. In verse 8 Luke then starts to tell us about a particular incident. Zechariah has been chosen to go into the Holy Place in the temple – this was a rare privilege for a priest. He goes to offer incense but inside he meets an angel who has stepped into the room from God's domain (symbolised by the Most Holy Place which is next door). And this appearance, which leaves Zechariah shocked, brings hope into the story because it reminds us of OT believers who were wonderfully granted a child when they didn't expect it. Pointing out to us that even when circumstances seem grim, God can suddenly bring hope.
(1) What parts of the Old Testament do you read? What parts don't you read? What small thing can you do to improve your knowledge of it?
(2) Zechariah and Elizabeth were kept going through the sad days of their
childless life together by their hope in the Lord and his promises. In your
present circumstances what Bible promises do you need to cling to?
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The Lord Jesus tells us that "among those born of women there is no-one greater than John (the Baptist) yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John" (Lk 7:28) and in this sermon we thought about what made John the greatest of the Old Testament believers. His forthcoming conception was announced to his father Zechariah by an angel, who tells him that his prayer has been heard. What prayer is this? Originally this may have been Zechariah's prayer for a son However, when no son came Zechariah realised his childlessness was a reflection of the sorry state of Israel, so Zechariah's personal prayer merged into a prayer for salvation to come to Israel as a whole. Well now, says the angel, God is going to answer both those prayers. You yourself will have a son whose task will be to prepare for God's salvation. John is described by the angel as "great in the sight of the Lord" and this will be signified by him not drinking alcohol. In Old Testament days drinking alcohol was a sign of being at rest and therefore those who didn't drink alcohol were people who weren't free to rest yet because they had some task to complete for the Lord. Examples include the priests on duty in the temple (Lev 10), the Israelites marching through the desert (Deut 29) and those who took the Nazirite vow (Num 6). John will be, in particular, like the two famous Old Testament Nazirites, Samson and Samuel. We find in John many likenesses to those men, such as: his initially barren mother; his heavenly birth announcement; his being filled with the Holy Spirit; his preparing the way for the king; and his speaking the word of the Lord. John is also described as being another Elijah – another Old Testament believer who is greatly empowered by the Spirit to do the work of the Lord and prepare for a new king. However, John is also greater than Samson, Samuel and Elijah. In what way? Greater than Samson because he will have the Holy Spirit throughout all his days. Greater than Samuel because he will prepare people to choose and follow God's true king. Greater than Elijah because his preaching will truly turn some back to the Lord. So John will display the greatest of all Spirit-filled power: preaching which brings people to God and to God's king.
It seems that Paul took a temporary Nazirite vow in Corinth (Acts 18:18). This was probably connected with his determination to see gospel preaching bring people to faith (1 Cor 2:1-5). Interestingly, in describing his preaching he uses the phrase "Spirit and power" which is also used of John and Elijah. In the light of this, should Christians ever take temporary Nazirite vows today?
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Zechariah was a loyal priest who lived a blameless life in the service of God. However, we saw in this sermon how he had lost faith in God and didn't believe that God would do something wonderful in his day. The angel's words to him in vs 17 are an echo of Malachi chapters 3/4, where Malachi describes things as being in a mess in Israel but that the Lord is coming to sort it all out. Well those words are now going to be fulfilled, starting with the birth of a prophet – John the Baptist – who will call people back to the Lord from their sin. Amongst other things, Malachi says that this prophet will turn "the hearts of the fathers to their children" meaning that family disunity will be healed as different generations prepare for the Lord's arrival. But that will have to begin in John's own family since his father needs to return to the Lord! As seen in verse 18, instead of rejoicing from the rooftops as he heard of the fulfilment of Malachi's prophecy, Zechariah asked for a sign because he couldn't believe it. There was, of course, no reason for Zechariah not to believe the angel because there was an Old Testament precedent for the idea of an elderly couple having a miracle baby: Abraham and Sarah. But although Zechariah knows that story well, he's stopped believing that God might still do such things in his own day. When believers find themselves in an unchanging situation – where they want God to act but he doesn't – they can lose heart and their faith can become dim. Tiredness sets in, maybe along with cynicism, such that our expectations of God become very small. But we aren't to forget the great stories of Bible history, where God brought about astonishing and unexpected things (like David & Goliath). There are no limitations on what God can do and we must not lose sight of that. Zechariah did and so the angel had to tell him off. Firstly, the angel pointed out that he was Gabriel – the great heavenly messenger of Daniel's day, who told Daniel about what God was going to do. So his words will come true! Secondly, the angel told Zechariah he would now be unable to speak or hear (vs 62) to teach him a lesson for his unbelief. With the result that the people in the temple would have to wait before they could hear the good news from his lips.
(1) When was the last time you read something from the history of the church or from the church elsewhere today, to remind yourself what God is capable of doing?
(2) What prayers have you given up on? Could you go back to them? What stopped you from praying? Was it tiredness? Unbelief?
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Our society assumes that the people who have the most impact upon the world, are those who already have something to offer: beautiful people; rich people; clever people; funny people. But such gifts are not necessary to be used by God, for he “chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no-one may boast before him.” (1 Cor 1:26). We see this principle at work in the lives of Elizabeth and Mary. Zechariah's wife, Elizabeth, falls pregnant just a Gabriel predicted. She then keeps herself to herself, and quietly carries the child for five months. Her home becomes a place of silence, since her husband cannot hear nor speak. God is sometimes at work in the quiet places of life, not just when things seem loud and dramatic and exciting. But then, in the sixth month, Gabriel reappears. This time he is not in the temple, but in the despised town of Nazareth. And Gabriel meets with the most unlikely of women to play a role in God's plans: Mary. Her fellow Jews would not expect a young, pre-childbearing virgin like Mary to be of importance. They would think that she needs to wait until she's grown up and become a wife and a mother (she is engaged to be married in a few months' time). But this is the woman chosen by God for an honourable role. Unlike his way of approaching Zechariah, Gabriel greets Mary warmly and speaks of her as the recipient of grace from God. Indeed from his words it seems as though this wonderful angel is awestruck to have met this young lady, who has been chosen for such favour by the Lord. Mary finds this hard to believe but then why should she understand the messenger? Zechariah had no excuses for his reaction (vs 18) because he had every reason to believe – including the fact that the angel came to him from the Most Holy Place. But lowly Mary has met the angel in Nazareth and so her reaction is understandable. Yet: she does not show unbelief, just uncertainty. So the angel reassures her that God is coming to her for great good, not harm, and Mary need not fear. Mary is in the centre of an outburst of grace and even the angel Gabriel seems thrilled by this. God chooses unexpected and unlikely people for his plans, because his work is all of grace.
(1) Think about the various people who play important roles in the Bible. How many of them are considered significant people, before God calls them?
(2) Mary and Elizabeth show that ordinary believers can serve God in extraordinary ways, through his grace. How might that principle apply to Christians living in today's world? How might it apply to you?
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Some babies far exceed what their parents expect of them when they are born and that is Mary's experience in these verses as she listens to Gabriel describing her future son. Initially what Mary hears is nothing remarkable. She's soon to be married and would expect to have children, although it is nice to have it confirmed. And even the name Jesus – which is equivalent to Joshua – is fairly common, although it does hold out the possibility of this boy being a leader like the Old Testament Joshua. But then further words come tumbling from Gabriel's mouth. Jesus is to be great, which puts him in a position of very high honour. He is to be the Son of the Most High. When God is described as the Most High, it is often in connection with his being supreme over all other authorities and powers on the earth. That can be especially seen in the book of Daniel where Nebuchadnezzar is told in 4:32, “the Most High rules the kingdoms of men and gives them to whom he will”. So in his words, Gabriel (who also turns up in Daniel) is saying that as the Son of the Most High, Jesus is going to inherit all of that world-dominating authority. However, even more is said since Jesus will also sit on the throne of David. It was prophesied of Judah, David's tribe, in Genesis 49:10 that a world-changing ruler would come from them. This promise was then locked into David's family when God told David that he would give him an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam 7). And Isaiah spoke of how a future king from David's line would rule forever (Is 9). Gabriel tells Mary that this will be her Jesus, who comes from David's family. But her Jesus will also reign over the house of Jacob – meaning all of Israel. Which reminds us of Joseph, the first international ruler from Jacob's family, when (Gn 37) he dreamt of all Jacob's house bowing down to him. That dream was fulfilled in Egypt but now Jesus is going to be an even greater version of Joseph (note too that the first Joshua came from Joseph's tribe). Well, these prophecies overwhelm Mary's mind and she can't imagine her fiancé being Jesus' father, so she says, “But I do not know a man” meaning there is no-one else in her life who could sire this child But, as we'll see, God's plans are for a better father than any human man.
(1) Remind yourself of all the prophecies and promises which will come true through the Lord Jesus Christ and see how great a king Christians have.
(2) Mary's calling from God to bring his anointed king into this world was a unique one amongst women. Some people want to give Mary special honour because of that. Are they correct? What would you say to them?
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This verse reminds us that Christians believe that the eternal Son of God became a man by being conceived in the womb of a woman. Now Luke is a thoughtful man so, like us, he would not easily accept the idea of a virgin bearing a child. But he came to believe it as he reflected upon the person of Jesus Christ: what he did and therefore who he was. Similarly, there are things which Christians believe in – like heaven and hell – for which we do not have personal evidence. But we believe because Jesus has taught us about them and, on the basis of good evidence, we have found him to be who he claims to be. Now, in verse 34, Mary is in a state of shock after hearing that her future child will be a worldruler of huge stature. She cannot imagine her fiancé Joseph fathering such a child and yet she “knows not” any other man. To which the angel replies, in vs 35, that no man will be involved – only God! Firstly, the angel describes the coming of the Holy Spirit, meaning this will be an act of new creation. Through his Spirit God shaped the world of Genesis 1 and now his Spirit will come to shape this new human being within Mary. This is so the child will be free of the sin which has been handed down since Adam: God is starting, with Jesus, a new and holy human race. However, this new humanity will then grow not by Jesus having physical children but through faith, as people become Christians by putting their trust in Jesus as their Saviour. Then secondly, the angel speaks of the overshadowing of the power of the Most High meaning that God is coming down to his people as he had done in Old Testament times, for example when he came upon the tabernacle in Exodus 40. However, there will be one massive difference. In the past, sinful people had to be kept apart from God's holy presence otherwise it would burn them up. But now, God's presence will be in a man who will touch sinners! How can this be? Because Jesus is the beginning of a new human race, where sinners are recreated into holy people - acceptable to God. So through Jesus, God is spreading holiness out into the fallen world. He can do this because Jesus is the “Son of God” - the words with which the angel completes his Trinitarian announcement of the conception of Jesus Christ.
Read and think about these words from the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith: The Son of God, being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with him who made the world, who upholdeth and governeth all things he hath made, did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon him man's nature without sin; being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary; so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion; which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man.
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Mary and Elizabeth stand for us as two examples of real Christian faith. Mary hears from the angel a reminder of what God said to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18v14: “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Her reaction is to recognise that this is what God is like and humble herself before him. When a person has real, Biblical faith they will treat God in this way unlike the normal human behaviour of either trying to control God or ignore him. True faith brings humility to the human heart, which in turns brings real freedom. Somebody with Christian faith can leave God, as master, to make the decisions about right and wrong. All they need to do is to obey him and so discover life as it really should be lived – this is real, human freedom. Coming back to Mary, after she has given her submission she then sets off on a journey of 70 or more miles to Elizabeth's house. On arrival she is full of joy and zeal, showing that submission to the Lord certainly does not produce downtrodden or resentful people. And in this visit we see another characteristic of true faith: a passion for all that God is doing. That's why Mary goes to Elizabeth and is so excited to be there. Selfishness always brings misery in the end. But somebody with Biblical faith will have an outward-looking spirit, thrilled with all that God is doing, and thus knowing joy. Now Mary's arrival and greeting breaks the silence of Zechariah's home (remember he cannot speak or hear) and causes a reaction not only in Elizabeth, but also in her unborn baby: John. Elizabeth is delighted to see Mary and although having higher status – she's older, married and a priest's wife – yet she feels favoured that this young woman should come to see her. Why? Because Mary is the mother of the Messiah whom David spoke about long ago in Psalm 110: “my Lord” as Elizabeth describes him. Elizabeth sees this clearly because she's been filled with the Holy Spirit. Here is the third thing to know about real faith from this passage: it is a work of God in the soul to bring understanding of, and reaction to, Jesus Christ: God's king and saviour for the world. Finally, don't forget silent Zechariah. Due to his lack of faith earlier he is unable to take part in all of this. We can miss blessing when we hold back from trusting God.
(1) What are the characteristics of your own faith? How would you explain them to others? How do they compare with Mary and Elizabeth?
(2) Does the fact that John leaped in Elizabeth's womb mean he was already a believer before birth? Ponder the question and consider what it might mean in connection with children who die in the womb or at a young age.
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This section of Luke is a hymn from Mary's lips, known as the Magnificat due to the first word in the Latin version of it. True believers in the Lord have always been singing people. Why? Because of the work of God in our souls. In our society, music is often used to create emotions and thoughts within people. But believers make music because of what God has already done within us. God is clearly at work in this passage in Luke, as shown by the constant references to the Holy Spirit (see verses 15, 25 and 41) and Mary's singing is flowing out of all this activity by God. This link between the Spirit's work and singing is also seen in the New Testament in Ephesians 5:18. There, Paul warns against drunkenness and loss of control. That is how people of the world get themselves worked up. Often such behaviour results in loud and ugly singing because the drunken person has lost their inhibitions and self-control through the alcohol. But Christians, says Paul, aren't to be like at. We sing in controlled ways and the only inhibitions we have lost are sinful ones. What are those sinful inhibitions? The fact that once we wouldn't give attention to God in public or private. But with the Spirit's work those attitudes have gone and we are now happy and delighted to sing to the Lord. It is this work which we see in Mary. She was already a believer in the Lord but with this new work of the Spirit within her, the words come flowing out in her song. This says to us that where somebody doesn't want to sing of the Lord they must examine themselves for the reason. Maybe it's because they aren't a believer at all, not having known the work of the Spirit. Or maybe they are a believer who has grieved the Spirit, as described in Ephesians 4. Or maybe they are a believer who is singing the wrong hymns and haven't learned (e.g. from the Psalms) that we need to sing different types of songs, which cover the various experiences we face. Furthermore, this passage also helps us to understand why nobody in the New Testament ever uses singing for evangelism. It is because singing is for those who already know the saving work of God in their soul. Evangelism is simply a matter of telling the good news to the lost, who will then start to sing to the Lord once they have been saved.
(1) Spend some time examining your own attitude towards Christian singing. What hymns/songs do you appreciate? What does that say about your own walk with God at the moment?
(2) If you were able to write a hymn, what would it be about? Are there areas of Christian truth which don't have any hymns but you feel need some?
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Mary heard wonderful things about Jesus from the angel and the Magnificat shows us the impact they made upon her. Her hymn looks back to many Old Testament promises and ideas, including those uttered by Hannah in 1 Samuel 2. Hannah was childless and heartlessly mocked by her rival for it. But she cried out to the Lord and was given Samuel, causing Hannah to sing of her God as the one who helps the humble and needy. Well, Mary feels the same way since both she and Elizabeth were childless women who couldn't have conceived the children they are carrying without the Lord's intervention. Hannah, Elizabeth and Mary, therefore, point us towards God's grace; the Lord gives help to those who cannot help themselves. Furthermore, Hannah looked forward to God bringing forth a great leader in Israel and Mary also knows that Hannah's wishes are now coming to their ultimate fulfilment. In the opening of her song, Mary humbly points up towards God and says “Look what he has done!” This is the way that true believers speak of God's work in their lives: they marvel at what he has done, not at any actions of their own. Mary then speaks of God's mercy to those who fear him. We are to honour God, never taking him for granted or placing our own demands upon him. To do so is to fall into pride and bring down God's judgement: something Mary speaks about in verses 51 to 53. She says that God fights against the proud but fights for the humble, standing on their side. But remember that somebody who appears to be humble whilst continuing to ignore or hate God, is actually proud: determined to stand on their own. Mary reminds us that the truly humble fear God. This is why the great priority of missionary work is to tell people about the Lord and bring them to humble themselves before him, because then the Lord will be on their side. Other activities – providing food, medicine, education – cannot change that priority, even if they need to be done out of compassion. Finally, Mary closes by speaking of God's great promises. However, she doesn't yet realise that her kingly son will gain those promises by living out the words of her hymn. Jesus himself will have to be humbled on a cross, before God will then raise him up to the place of honour.
(1) If you were to speak of your experience of the Lord's goodness, what Bible passage(s) would come to mind? And what particular impression of the Lord's ways would you want to leave people with?
(2) In our time and circumstances, what particular temptations to pride do you think we have to face up to?
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Zechariah – the father of John the Baptist – has earlier been sent into silence by the Lord because of his failure to believe the angel's message. But in these verses he gives us a fine example of how a believer should react to the Lord's discipline. For six months Zechariah's home has been a very quiet place. However, that changes with the arrival of Mary who brings energy into the house. As a result, and because of the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth shouts out and her baby leaps in the womb. Zechariah, however, has to remain the silent, old man in the midst of all the activity and excitement. Surely he must have struggled with his “if onlys” at this moment. If only he had acted differently in the temple then he could have been a real part of all the celebrating in his home! We all have moments like this: times when we are made aware by God's word of something we could do for him, but lacking faith we doubt it's possible and turn away, only to live with regrets later. Of course, Zechariah probably already had regrets. But Mary's arrival may well have intensified them, particularly if she wrote out for him her own (very different) experience with Gabriel. After all, Zechariah was a priest and so of all people he should have reacted with faith to Gabriel because he knew God's word well! But where Mary had faith, Zechariah lacked it. However, Zechariah's story isn't over yet and after three further months Elizabeth's baby safely arrives. Maybe Zechariah expected to get his voice back at that moment but it doesn't happen: God has a test to see if Zechariah does now believe fully in him. The test is the naming of the baby. All the neighbours feel he should be called after his father but his mother refuses and insists on John, because she knows that that is what Gabriel said. So the neighbours turn to silent Zechariah and ask him. At this moment Zechariah could react in many different ways, to get his own back on God. But he doesn't; instead he simply writes, “His name is John.” And finally his tongue is loosed and with the return of his voice, he praises God. No cries for sympathy or expressions of resentment against God's discipline! Zechariah simply praises the Lord! This is the way that a true believer should react to discipline: increasing in faith and moving closer to God.
(1) What difficult or different circumstances has the Lord brought into your life in the last 12 months? What lessons have you learnt from them?
(2) Zechariah and Elizabeth knew their unborn baby was a boy and that he would be called John. Should Christian parents today make use of modern technology to know, and so name, their child before the baby is born?
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Traditionally Luke 1:68-79 has been known as the “Benedictus”, after the first word of the Latin edition of this part of Luke. The recent events described in Luke 1 have made local people nervous and uneasy, so God sends them a prophet to speak to them: it is Zechariah. Key to his prophecy is the theme of holiness. Zechariah previously heard, from the angel, how his son would be filled with God's Spirit and he'll have known from the Old Testament what that means: the Spirit brings God's power into the world, strengthening believers to serve the Lord. However, the angel did not just say “Spirit” but “Holy Spirit” and that's important because God's aim, starting with John, is to bring holiness into the world. God said in the Old Testament that he wanted a holy people (Lev 19:2) i.e. people who are God's sort of people in every way. God is the perfect standard of what life should be – he defines what is right and good – and he wants a people who are like himself. But people cannot attain to this in their own strength because our sinful rebellion against God has destroyed our ability to be like God; the Bible describes us as “dead in our sins” (Eph 2:1). This reality is seen all across the world but was most dramatically displayed in the nation of Israel. Israel was given laws for holiness and yet even the finest of her citizens could not keep them (e.g. King David). Zechariah has personally seen the problem in himself, when he failed to trust God in the holy place of the temple. So he knows that for God to have a holy people, he needs to take action himself to create them and Zechariah has realised that that is precisely what God is now doing, by sending his Holy Spirit to work through John and ultimately through the Messiah. This has been confirmed to Zechariah through what he's learned from Mary and so now he prophesies about God's new work. Firstly, God will rescue from slavery. Why are the Israelites, who had the Exodus, still in slavery? Because they've failed to be holy! But this time God's going to make sure that they will be free – through Christ he's going to deal with the root cause of their problem and, at last, make them holy. The prophets of holiness (v70) spoke about this in the Old Testament The covenant of holiness (v72) made with Abraham, looked forward to this. “Now it's coming true”, says Zechariah, “he will enable us to serve him without fear in holiness” (v74) God loves holiness and wants a holy people. True believers today will want the same: a life which is lived God's way and for God's glory.
(1) Which particular areas of Christians' lives, do you think, ought to be making a particular impression on our society, because they're so different?
(2) Are you showing the joy of holiness to friends and relatives?
(3) Zechariah longed to serve the Lord. Do you?
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In these verses Zechariah prophecies about the future of his son John. John's task is going to be to prepare the way for the Lord. But whereas we can understand important people needing servants to prepare for them to make a visit, why would God need any help? We can give at least three reasons. Firstly, John will prepare the way as a sign of the honour due to the Lord who is coming. Preparations are a way of giving our attention to a person, which is a part of honouring them. John is preparing for one who is supremely worthy of our attention. Christians are to keep in mind, when they gather and when they pray, that it is the Most High with whom they are meeting. So we are to take time to prepare to do so; we are not to come casually into God's presence. John's preparations are an indication of treating God with due respect. Secondly, John is called to prepare the way for the Lord because the Lord delights to have his people involved in his plans. The Lord could do everything himself but he sends John first and then later he'll send apostles, prophets, preachers and ordinary Christians to speak for him. It's like in a family when the father could do a job completely by himself but chooses to involve his son in the task – for the son's own benefit. God does the same with his adopted children. Christians must remember that, when the Christian life seems hard. God has not just thrown jobs at us for his own amusement, but rather he has invited us to join him in his plans. It's a great privilege to work for the Lord and we must see our lives in the light of that. Thirdly, John will gather together people who truly want the Lord to come to them. Israel has become a confused place with people wanting salvation from God but for mixed and wrong reasons. Zechariah, however, has seen that Israel's problems are due to Israel's unholiness and before anything else, people need to be saved from their sins (v77). He knows this from his own experience of faithlessness when he met the angel in the temple. So Zechariah prophecies how the Lord will bring people out of darkness and guide them back onto the path of peace. The Israelites need a new beginning and so John will call people to repent. He will call people to stop sinning and start afresh, and his ministry will identify those in Israel who want that, for such people are those who are ready for the Lord to come to them. Today, God's salvation is still for those who are sorry for their sin and want forgiveness. The gospel is about unholy people knowing their unholiness and wanting God to save.
(1) What is your own experience of repentance? If you've been a Christian for a while, do you now feel repentant over different things that at first you never noticed? Go through those things which highlight your sense of unholiness today.
(2) Then go to the Lord and ask for forgiveness, and know that he has given it. Take delight in his salvation. Rejoice in the Lord's tender mercy, like Zechariah.
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