For the next several weeks, we will be exploring the life and the role of John the Baptist.

·        Voice in the Desert

·        Leading People to repentance and preparing way for salvation

·        Human life, yet Spirit filled from birth

·        Created with special purpose

·        Role of reconciling father and child relationship

Don’t know what all will be covered – lots to study – but know that this is where God is leading us.

Before we go there, we will first look at our own role here

·        fulfilling what God established through the example of John

·        baptizing

Debate about whether humanity is the natural result of God’s plan or whether God intentionally and personally brings about our creation

·        David

·        “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.” Psalm 139:13

·        God’s intentional involvement in David’s creation

In Luke 1, we find the intentional creation of God of two humans

·        John the Baptist

·        Jesus Christ

Both are fully human – but Jesus is also fully God

·        John

o   two fully human parents.

·        Jesus has a fully human mother

o   conceives through a miracle of the Holy Spirit. 

·        John’s conception occurs through natural human contact

o   involves the miraculous as well

o   Zechariah and Elizabeth

§  well past the point of naturally conceiving a child

§   Just as it was with Abraham and Sarah, the expectation of a child for them has long passed.

§  a child had long been anticipated and prayed for.

§  Perhaps Zechariah had passed the point of praying for a child of his own. 

·        But he was no doubt still praying for the coming of the Messiah – the fulfillment of the promise in Isaiah 9:6.

Zechariah was a priest

·        One of around 20,000 or so 

·        Twice a year, served in the temple

·        Once, if ever, in his lifetime, he could offer the incense to God (incense twice a day – in the morning and in the evening)

·        As the incense was offered, the priest also prayed for the nation

·        Two priests accompanied the priest into the Holy of Holies

o    but their work was preparatory – they prepared the altar and the incense, and then they left. 

o   As they exited the temple, the people assembled outside knew that the incense and prayer were being offered up inside.

In the case of Zechariah, those waiting outside knew that something incredible must have happened because of the length of time that Zechariah was in the Holy of Holies.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were far from “ordinary” people in the sense that both were from the lineage of Aaron. 

·        Their lives were already prepared for God’s service.

·        A modern day equivalent - they grew up in church service

·        knowing they had a role and a purpose in the Kingdom of God

However, like all of us, they, too had a choice as to serving God or walking away from Him. 

·        Both chose to continue to faithfully serve Him

·        in spite of the struggle of their lives (barrenness)

Because of their faithfulness, both were positioned for God to do an incredible work in the world through them.

Do not miss this point.  God chose to do an incredible work through them – and their faithful lives positioned them to be ready for this.

I want to go back to the concept at the beginning

God, I believe, intentionally created not just John the Baptist for this special work.  But He also created Elizabeth and Zechariah, knowing that their lives would connect and would combine with His plans and His purposes and the result would be the “voice in the desert crying to prepare the way of the Lord.”

So, God has brought this man to His temple at this time to receive this message. 

And Zechariah and Elizabeth are both prepared to receive this message because of the choices they’ve made in their lives.

And the message Zechariah is going to receive is one which impacts not only his life and the life of his wife, but also the lives of all the people who are waiting outside the temple while Zechariah is inside, in the presence of God praying for them.

The message of the angel is this: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:13-17

Message from God:

·        Assurances

o   Don’t be afraid

o   God has heard your prayer

o   Answer to prayer – your wife will have a son

·        Instructions

o   name him John

o   He is never to take wine or fermented drink

·        Promises

o   Many will rejoice because of his birth

o   John will be great in the sight of the Lord

o   He will bring people back to the Lord

o   He will go before the Lord

o   Spirit and power of Elijah

o   Filled with the Holy Spirit from birth (conception?)

o   “to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children”

o   “to make a people prepared for the Lord”

Zechariah questions how this will happen and is chastised by God’s messenger because he did not believe the message

        Same word used which implies belief in God’s ability to do

A lot of things to look at in this encounter, but primary focus on this

·        Prayer of righteous people is answered

o   Regardless of delay – God answers

o   Prayer is not just answered for our sake

o   John wasn’t just a blessing to Zechariah and Elizabeth

·        Prayer which moves God blesses others- not just us

o   Prayer which moves God involves advancing the Kingdom

o   Result of answered prayer is the fulfillment of Scripture

o   “to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children”

o   Last words of the prophet Malachi

o   Last recorded words of God to His people for 400 years

·        Now, an angel appears to Zechariah

o   Precursor to angel appearing to Mary and Joseph      

o   John the Baptist is precursor to Jesus

o   John the Baptist would fulfill Malachi and Isaiah 40:3

o   Jesus would fulfill over 300 OT prophecies about Messiah

There are so many cool things here

So many applications

So many ways to take this

But for today, let’s focus on this:

God creates us for a purpose

When we live the life He intends us to, we are prepared for that purpose

When we believe His promises, we are in position to be blessed

When we are praying righteous prayers, they are going to be answered

When we are in the midst of an incredible work of God, we often do not see the big picture

Zechariah doubted that God could do in his life what said He would

Yet Zechariah was awaiting the miraculous

The miraculous often begins with the righteous people of God positioning themselves because they are anticipating answers to their prayers.

The redemptive work God wants to do here in Mecca is what He has promised to do here in Mecca.

We must continue as a congregation to be righteous

·        Personally

·        as a congregation

Our prayers cannot only focus on us

·        Prayer must be Kingdom based as well

We must believe God is answering our prayers

·        We believe that these prayers are not going unanswered

·        We believe that we are called together for a purpose

We claim what God has promised to do

·        “But thus says the LORD: “ Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you,  And I will save your children.”  Isaiah 49:25

o   Those in bondage will be free

o   Those the enemy has stolen will be delivered

o   God will fight the fight