The Christmas Prequel

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So when you have ever heard or read or thought a lot about Christmas, I imagine that you start one of two places.

You either start in Matthew chapter 1, where Mary's found with child, and Joseph has a dream, and he decides to take her as his wife, or maybe you start over in Luke chapter 2, where Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem to take part in the census and pay the taxes, and the baby's born in a manger board and put in a manger because there's no room in the inn.

Matthew 1 · chapter mention Luke 2 · chapter mention

And then you get over to the wise men and King Herod, and that's a tremendous picture of the Christmas story.

I love it so much.

I never get tired of hearing about Mary being found with a child when she was betrothed to Joseph and how they went to Bethlehem and how they laid the baby in a manger and the shepherds and the wise men.

Over and over and over again, I can hear it.

But I think if we stop there, we might miss out on a little bit of foundation that is also a part of the Christmas story.

I think we can miss out on the backstory to what happened before all of those events.

And I think the backstory is important.

So I titled this message today from Luke chapter 1, the Christmas prequel.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

If you guys would turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 1, and we're going to start looking at verses 5 through 17.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

I'm going to read those and then we'll talk about other verses throughout the chapter.

Luke chapter 1, verse 5 says this there was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the division of Abijah.

Luke 1:5

His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth, and they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

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

Verse 8.

So it was that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of the division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord, and the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.

Verse eleven.

Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense, and when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John, and you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.

He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

He will also go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for sending your Son Jesus so many years ago, so humbly to this earth.

And God, I thank you for that story that you've given us that we read so many times.

And today I just pray that you will prepare the people to hear the backstory.

And God, just give us the lessons that we can learn from the story of Zecharias and Elizabeth and Mary before Bethlehem.

And God, I just pray that you be glorified in all that is done here today.

In Jesus' name, amen.

The first point on your outline is that there has been a long silence.

If you stop reading the Old Testament and you immediately jump into Matthew in the New Testament, there's a gap there.

Some Bibles acknowledge it, some Bibles don't, but that gap is called the intertestamental period.

And it's 400 years of silence.

All through the Old Testament, God speaks to people, sometimes directly, sometimes he sends an angel, sometimes he speaks through the prophets, and we read the prophecy, but then when you come to the end of Malachi, the prophecy stopped for a period of 400 years.

The people didn't get any new word from God.

Now the people still knew the scriptures, and certainly they had access to Isaiah chapter 9 that Rick just talked about.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

One coming and the government will be on his shoulder.

He'll establish the kingdom, throne of David, the judgment, and justice forever.

Surely they read Micah chapter 5, verse 2, where it says, Out of Bethlehem, one's going to come.

Micah 5:2

They probably knew about Isaiah 7.14.

Isaiah 7.14, the virgin's gonna bear a child.

That's gonna be a sign to you, call his name Emmanuel.

But you know what?

Those scrolls were a long time ago.

And there hadn't been anything new or fresh for 400 years.

Just to give you an example of how long ago that was, the pilgrims landed in 1620, 404 years ago, and God hadn't spoken in about that long.

And it's not that the world quit moving.

Alexander the Great conquered the world during that time for the Greeks.

Alright, and then the Roman Empire got set up, and God's people were just there, waiting and holding on to a promise and trying to keep this ritual that they had done to serve and honor the Lord while they're waiting on a word.

Sometimes I believe this.

I believe when God is silent, it's because you might be right in the middle of his will.

And usually when God speaks, it's very scary.

But when God is silent and I'm right in the middle of his will and I'm searching for a word from God, it's most of the time a word that I get to go do something that I'm not doing right now.

That God's gonna change something about me or my circumstance or my situation, and I want God to speak, and it seems like he just won't speak, and I think a lot of times when that happens, it's because I'm supposed to stay doing what I'm doing.

Keep on keeping on and keep up with the work.

When something is to be said, God is gonna say it.

And these people that we're studying today had spent 400 years waiting on a word from the Lord.

Lifetimes had passed, even generations with no new word.

And we meet two faithful seniors, point two in your outline, Zecharias and Elizabeth.

And the Bible tells us they lived during this time of silence, and they were waiting, and they were faithful and righteous.

They walked in all the commandments of the Lord, they were blameless.

Now I don't have time to fully explore what all of that meant, but the way I understand it, one of the commandments they would have walked in would have said to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy.

And what I know about the old Jewish people, they had 39 things they had to follow on the Sabbath to make sure they didn't work.

It was a list.

It's like work to remember what you can't do to work.

And Zecharias and Elizabeth kept up with all of this, and the Bible tells us they were faithful and righteous and blameless.

And I'm gonna tell you if you find one faithful, righteous, blameless person, you found something.

If you find two, that's a really big deal.

And two that are married, man.

These are good folks.

But even though they kept the faith, they were suffering.

And there are some big ideas outside of the blanks in this message.

And the first big idea is sometimes faithful people suffer.

The Bible is full of stories of faithful people who suffer.

Job is probably the most recognizable.

The Bible says there was no one like him.

He was blameless, upright, and always shunned evil.

And his world fell apart about in a day.

Zecharias and Elizabeth are the same.

They're suffering.

Elizabeth says it's reproach, and her source of suffering is because she's barren.

She's advanced in years, and she doesn't have any children.

And in those days, like today, most of the time, children were considered to be a blessing.

Psalm 127, 3 says, Children are a heritage from the Lord.

The fruit of the womb is a reward, like arrows in the hands of a mighty warrior.

Happy is he who has a quiverful of them.

And despite their faithfulness, Zecharias and Elizabeth didn't have one single blessing, not one reward, much less a quiverful.

And I just have to think that people talked.

And I think what they said is, well, their righteousness is just a front.

They don't have any heritage, they don't have any blessing or reward, like the Bible says.

So I just wonder what's going on behind closed doors over there.

Couple hypocrites.

That's what I'll tell you what I think it is they're doing.

I don't know, but it would seem to reason.

But faithful people suffer sometimes.

It's just a fact.

But even then, God is still faithful.

And the Lord had a blessing for Zacharias and Elizabeth, but they had to wait and wait and wait and stay faithful while they waited on the blessing to come.

Point number three, there's a prestigious selection.

When we meet Zecharias in verse 8, we meet him at the temple burning the incense.

This is a big, big deal.

Alright, there were thousands of priests at this time, and they divided them up into 24 orders.

And Abijah is one of the orders of priests.

And the way I understand it, once every year, your section of priests got to go down to the temple to serve for two weeks.

So Zecharias and his order have gone to the temple, and while you're there, 14 out of however many thousands of priests are in your section get to go and burn the incense.

It's an honor that only came around once in a lifetime.

And if you ever got to do it once, I think they took your name out of the hat and you didn't get to be in the drawing anymore.

So this is where Zecharias is when we meet him.

I tried to come up with something that might be similar today, and I came up with maybe like getting inducted into some kind of Hall of Fame.

Or perhaps getting inaugurated as the Southern Baptist Conference president or something.

Zacharias is in the, he's at the pinnacle of his career at the temple burning this incense.

This is a huge deal.

And the people are all outside praying and they're watching, and I'm sure that he doesn't want to mess up.

He wants to make sure that he does it all exactly right.

All his I's dotted and T's crossed.

And just then, at that specific point of time, in that very moment, is where God chooses to break his 400 years of silence.

Next point in your outline, the Lord speaks.

The Bible is full of stories of God speaking to his people.

God will speak when there's something to know.

And God always speaks at just the right time.

The problem we have is that very often the time that God chooses is not the most convenient time for us.

In fact, it's probably the most inconvenient time very often.

We see stories of inconvenient times of God speaking in Matthew chapter 4, where Simon and Andrew are called to be disciples of Jesus.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

The Bible says they were casting their net when Jesus called them to be disciples.

James and John were in a boat mending their net with their father when Jesus called them to be disciples.

Even Saul was right in the porn of right in the middle of some important government work on Damascus Road when Jesus called him.

God has a right to interrupt your life.

God has a right to interrupt your life, and he does it here while Zacharias is at the pinnacle of his career, when there's not supposed to be anybody else around.

He's focused on his task and he looks over, and there's this guy.

Now we know it was an angel, but it's been 400 years since God said anything to the people, and the angels are God's messengers, so I don't know that he knew that it was an angel right off the front.

So here he is, and when God interrupts Zacharias's life, what I want you to know is this God interrupted with something so much better than anything Zacharias could ever ask or think.

His once-in-a-lifetime opportunity got interrupted with a once in the history of mankind opportunity.

And so after 400 years, the first thing God said to his chosen recipient of his message is this do not be afraid.

Well, let me just tell you something.

If you want to make the hair stand up on the back of my neck and get me trembling in my boots, you come in and lead off with do not be afraid.

If you want me to go run, you tell me don't move.

Do not be afraid and don't move.

That is every man for himself language with Dave Roper.

We're looking for the exit or trying to figure out where you would like to have one.

We're getting out of here.

And that's how God breaks his silence with Zacharias, do not be afraid.

But let me tell you this: it can be very scary when God comes and speaks to you.

Pastor Rick was given a devotion this morning about how the cedars of Lebanon crack at the word of the Lord.

So when God speaks, if you're getting ready for him, make sure that you're ready.

And the first thing you might have to do is reassure you to not be afraid.

The angel continues with Zacharias and he says, This, your wife Elizabeth is gonna bear you a son, and you're gonna name him John.

And when I read that, I wondered, how long has it been?

How many years have they been praying for this reproach to be lifted and for them to have a reward and an inheritance like the scriptures promise?

How long?

And I wondered as the gray starts creeping in their hair and finally takes over, and each new morning brings a new set of aches and pains, and as Zecharias and Elizabeth started going in rooms and not remembering why they were there, I just wondered if they stopped praying for a child.

I wonder if they just resolved themselves that this is how it has to be.

How many times, I wonder, did they search their hearts for any sin or iniquity that might be there?

Something that might be inhibiting their prayers, keeping God from giving them a reward.

And now, after all those years, at the most inconvenient time, God shows up with a birth announcement.

Your prayers are answered.

What a joyous occasion.

The Lord has spoken.

The silence is broken, the baby's on the way, but it's not just a baby, it's a baby that will cause many to rejoice.

He'll be great in the sight of the Lord, he'll be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

He's gonna go before him, the Messiah, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

This isn't just any baby, Zecharias.

You and your wife, faithful servants, who've patiently prayed, you're going to be the parents of the prophet of the Messiah.

What an honor.

Zecharias just thought it was going to be a great day.

But it's a great day.

And you know how sometimes when you're overcome with emotion, you say something you don't really mean, like a dumb thing, something stupid, and almost immediately you wish you could take it back, but you can't take it back, and you regret it.

You have to apologize.

It's like your tongue goes a little faster than your brain.

That happens to me quite often.

Some people are nodding.

I see them.

Well, that's what I think happens with Zacharias right here.

This faithful, blameless servant finds out he's going to have a baby, and some good responses will be, Thank you, Lord.

Praise God.

Amen.

Our prayers are answered.

And just to be clear, the angel isn't asking Zecharias to do anything, he's just telling him what's gonna happen.

Making an announcement, spreading good tidings, and in verse 18, Zecharias says, How will I know?

Because I'm old, and diplomatically, he says, my wife Elizabeth is advanced in years.

And in my best Fred Sanford voice, I want to look at him and say, You big dummy.

When Elizabeth starts putting on weight in her midsection and eating up all the pickles and ice cream, that's how you're gonna know.

But what happens here, Zecharias, this faithful, blameless servant, gets a visit from the angel that tells him his prayers are answered.

And this is the next point in your outline.

He requests a sign.

The request for a sign.

He spent years praying, and God sent a special messenger, and he doesn't believe it.

He says, How will I know?

Because I'm old and she's getting there.

And I'll quit with those jokes.

But a couple of things here.

First off, even the most obedient and righteous people stumble.

Especially when God starts working in what doesn't seem to be possible.

And second, I don't know who here might be waiting on a word from the Lord.

I don't know who here may be waiting on God to speak and tell you what to do or give you direction or give you assurance.

But I think there could be people here who are waiting on a word from the Lord.

And I want to ask you this.

Will a word be enough?

Or will you need something else to go with it?

Will the mighty, powerful word of God that created us and the world and everything here, will that be enough for you?

Or like Zacharias, will you need a sign too?

I mean, it seems like an angel showing up would be plenty sign enough.

But maybe not.

In the Bible we see a lot of different kinds of signs.

Sometimes we see a sign that comes before the action.

We see this with Gideon and his fleeces.

God talked to Gideon, and Gideon said, I'm gonna put a fleece out and I want it to be wet and everything to be dry.

And then it was, and I don't know if this is the right order, but then he put another fleece out and said, I want it to be dry and everything to be wet.

And that's what signaled him to go do the action.

It was a pre-action sign, but more often than that, what you see is signs that come after the action.

We're gonna talk about this next week with the shepherds, probably.

When the angels talked to the shepherds, they said, This will be a sign to you.

You will find the baby wrapped in swallowing clothes lying in a manger.

After you go and walk in faith, then you're gonna get your sign.

We see the same thing with Moses in Exodus chapter 3, verse 12.

Exodus 3:12

God tells Moses to go get the people out of Egypt, and he says, This will be a sign to you.

After you bring them out of Egypt, you're gonna worship me and serve me on this mountain.

After you walk in faith, then you get your sign.

So we see a pattern a lot of times in the Bible.

Word from the Lord, walk in faith, get your sign.

Sometimes it goes, word from the Lord, get your sign, walk in faith, but that's not the common thing.

And so Zecharias asks for a sign here, and what he ends up with is a sign he might wish he didn't have.

Sometimes carrying a sign around can be heavy.

And we're gonna see that with Zecharias in verse 19.

Gabriel is standing there with him and says, This, I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God, and I've been sent to speak to you and bring you glad tidings.

And I read a boy there, but I know that's not in the Bible.

Behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their own time.

Hey, Zacharias, here's your sign.

That's right.

And meanwhile, everybody's waiting outside, and it's taking longer than normal.

And Zacharias comes out from the biggest day of his work life, and I'm sure all of his buddies want to know what's going on because they haven't been up there to see about what the burning of the oil is about.

And he comes out and they want to say, hey man, tell me all about it.

Such an honor deserves a report, but he can't say nothing.

What the Bible says in verse 22 is he starts beckoning and gesturing.

And people think he saw a vision, and boy did he, but he can't tell them about it.

His prayers are answered, the Messiah is coming, and he's got his son.

And then, and then he's got to go home to Elizabeth.

And when he gets home to Elizabeth, she's gonna want him to tell her all about his day.

And he's been gone two weeks, so he's got a lot of days that she's gonna want to know about.

And maybe he can write it down, but there aren't any big pens or spiral notebooks.

Like this is a chore to write something down, and the first thing he Going to have to explain to Elizabeth is why he can't talk in the first place.

And she's going to be looking at him saying, What did you do?

And of course, we assume that she could read.

A lot of women in this time couldn't, a lot of men couldn't either.

So here we have Zacharias coming home to Elizabeth after being gone for two weeks, and he's limited to this beckoning and gesturing game of charades.

And in addition to general conversation, he has some news that could be very important to Elizabeth.

And he can't use his voice to tell her what's going to happen.

Maybe it's like you, I don't, I mean, this is tough stuff.

I remember when we had a baby on the way, it was so exciting.

So much anticipation and discussion.

And people would ask, What are you having?

And my wife, you don't know her that well, but she said, a baby.

And they would say, Well, what kind of baby?

And she would say, Hopefully a healthy one.

She gets very spicy about things.

And then, what are you gonna name the baby?

Over and over.

And we didn't tell anybody the names of the babies until they were born.

The birthday was the day we gave them the name.

Drove people crazy.

We didn't have any of these monogram baby shower things.

And it's a good thing because we changed Ella's name like three days out.

It wasn't locked in until the Sunday before she was born Wednesday.

But such sweet talk between a mom and a dad when you're having a baby, especially the first one, and we weren't even advanced in years.

And we didn't even have to wait a long time, like a few weeks.

And I just can't imagine what it would be like to wait and wait and wait, and finally you've all but given up hope in this most joyous time of celebrating and anticipating and talking and planning and thanking and talking and planning.

And Zecharias can't participate in any of it because he had to suffer with his sign.

And he missed a blessing.

And not just the news of the baby, he had news of the Messiah, the one who would go before the Lord.

God had fulfilled his promise to the people after 400 years of being quiet, and Zecharias's sign more or less extended the silence another nine months.

So we read in verse 24 of Luke chapter 1 that Elizabeth hides herself for five months because she didn't want to go through any public scrutiny, I imagine.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

She didn't want to answer all those questions.

There was no first response or clear blue back in those days that I know about.

They couldn't go take a 4D ultrasound.

So she just hides.

And she and Zacharias are there.

Going forward to verse 26, a story that you probably have read a lot.

We're going to include it here.

We meet Mary, a young teen girl, betrothed to Joseph.

She's in Nazareth.

And in the sixth month after Elizabeth conceives, Gabriel visits Mary, and he comes in and doesn't say hello.

He doesn't ask how you're doing.

He doesn't say good to meet you.

He comes in and says, Rejoice, highly favored one.

The Lord is with you.

Blessed are you among women.

What?

And Mary is troubled.

And so then we get the do not be afraid.

You found favor with God, and Gabriel tells her, You'll conceive in your womb, have a son, you're going to name him Jesus.

He's going to be great, the Son of the highest Lord God.

The Lord will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever.

And of his kingdom there will be no end.

This is without even really saying hello.

That's a lot.

For me.

Much less a teen girl.

I wonder if Mary knew about Micah chapter 5, verse 2, because that says that out of Bethlehem is where the Savior's coming.

Micah 5:2

And she's in Nazareth.

And Nazareth, I looked it up on Google Maps, is like 145 kilometers from Bethlehem.

And that's like a lot of miles.

Many hours of walking.

And she's probably trying to reason through all, just completely overwhelmed.

And she asked this one question How can this be since I do not know a man?

Now, Zecharias asked, How will I know?

Mary asked, How can this be?

A difficult situation is what Mary's in.

That's the next point in your outline.

How will I know?

Seems to be based in doubt.

Well, how can this be?

That seems to be Mary asking, What am I gonna tell mama and them?

Like, there's gonna be questions.

And Gabriel says, the Holy Spirit's gonna come upon you, you're gonna be overshadowed by the highest, and the holy one's gonna be born, the Son of God.

And she doesn't ask when, and she doesn't ask where.

And I just want you guys, from my perspective, Mary at best has a really, really hard sell going here.

She's highly favored, she's blessed, she's the child of God, and the Lord is with her, but from the outside looking in, it seems like he might be the only one.

What Mary has ahead of her is allegations of adultery.

What Mary has ahead of her is hard conversations with Joseph and her parents.

And if you read Deuteronomy, when there are allegations of adultery, there is this super embarrassing process to determine if it's true or not.

And if they find out it to be true, then they stone you in public.

And this is what is lay in store for the blessed, highly favored one who the Lord is with.

Another big idea for you sometimes blessings look like burdens.

Especially at the beginning before it all gets sorted out.

And there are some burdens that start off seeming like blessings.

Favor looks funny sometimes.

Keep that in mind as you navigate this ebb and flow of life here.

Mary's got to tell Joseph, got to tell the town people.

But Gabriel gives her one more bit of information in verse 36.

He says, Elizabeth, who was barren, your old, he doesn't say advanced in years, your old relative who was barren has conceived, and now she's six months.

For with God nothing is impossible.

Even though it seems hard to believe sometimes, with our God nothing is impossible.

But I evaluate God through the lens of human possibility, and it seems like a lot's not possible.

But we're seeing here that with God nothing is.

And Mary surrenders.

Mary says, Behold the maidservant of the Lord, let it be according to your word.

She tells the angel, let it be and I'll figure it out.

And sometimes we just need to say, Okay, Lord, let it be and I'll figure it out.

Whatever there is that I need to figure out.

And as we come down, what Mary does next.

There's a gap here, okay?

The Bible says she went to see Elizabeth with haste in the hill country.

And I wonder, it's arguable that she did or didn't tell her parents first that she was pregnant.

It's arguable that she did or didn't tell Joseph that she was pregnant.

I think she probably told her parents, I gotta go see Elizabeth, but she maybe not have mentioned what the angel told her.

Because we see her in Matthew chapter 1, she's found with child.

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

It doesn't say she told everybody she had a child, it says she was found with child.

I think she got a little ways along.

And I may be wrong, but it's my opinion that she went straight on up to see Elizabeth before she told everybody in Nazareth she was pregnant with the child of the Lord.

I think Luke 1 goes before Matthew 1.

So she goes off, and God has shown her a support system.

And sometimes maybe if God drops a name while you're praying or just puts a name in your head, you might need to chase that lead a little bit.

They might be there to support you, you might be there to support them.

You never know.

Next point, surprise and support.

The verses that we're looking at, summarizing, come from 39 through 45.

Mary arrives and goes in and greets Elizabeth and maybe Zacharias too, but he can't talk.

And Elizabeth, don't miss this, is six months pregnant, been hiding for five.

That means she ain't telling nobody, with a man who can't talk.

I've heard that could kill a woman.

And Mary goes in and says, hello, and Elizabeth takes it from there.

The babe leaps for joy.

Elizabeth's filled with the Holy Spirit.

She says, Blessed are you among women, blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Why is it granted to me that the mother of the Lord should come to me?

When I heard the greeting, the babe leaped for joy.

Blessed is she who believed, fulfillment of the things the Lord has told to you, there will be.

Now let's talk about what Mary didn't say.

Mary, according to the Bible, greeted Elizabeth.

She did not say that she was pregnant.

She did not say she was going to have the child of the Lord.

She did not say that the Lord had talked to her at all.

Elizabeth just started telling her all about herself as soon as Mary said hello.

She had gone to exactly the right place to get the support and the confirmation and the assurance that she needs.

And Mary has a beautiful song here that you should read.

We're going to not talk about that today.

But the Bible tells us that she goes back home, and it looks like she goes back home right before John is born.

And that's where I believe Matthew 1.18 picks up, where she's found with child.

But let me tell you what she went back home with.

All right?

Mary got a word from the Lord, and she surrendered, and she walked in faith to go see Elizabeth, who God kind of hinted to her.

And while she was with Elizabeth, Elizabeth completely told her everything.

So what we see in Mary, she got a word, she walked in faith, and then she got her sign.

And when she went back home, I believe, to tell her parents and Joseph, she didn't just have the story of the angel Gabriel coming to visit her.

She could say, the angel Gabriel came to visit me and asked him how it was going to happen.

And he told me, and then he said something about Elizabeth.

And I went up there, and y'all know she ain't never had no children, and she was pregnant, and I stayed right until the baby was born, but then I need to come on back home.

And when I walked in the door, before I said anything, Elizabeth told me that I was pregnant.

I was having the child of God and the Lord had come and talked to me with an angel.

And I just think maybe God gave her that story to tell Joseph and her parents back in Nazareth after she went to see the person that God had put in her life.

Maybe wrong, but what I want you to know is if you will get a word and follow the word in faith, a lot of times you're gonna get your sign.

And it'll be a good sign.

So, verse 57, as we start bringing this to an end, the baby is born, and all the neighbors and relatives have gathered around Elizabeth's house and said, God has shown mercy to Zacharias and Elizabeth.

And on the eighth day they carry the baby to be circumcised, and all of the friends and relatives are saying, What are you gonna name the babe?

It drove them crazy.

You're gonna name him after his father?

Because his father's got a good strong name.

You're gonna name him Zacharias?

You know what Zacharias means?

It means God remembers.

What a person to break the silence to.

A person whose name means God remembers.

And Zacharias is there, and after all those years, it would make perfect sense to have little God remembers running around.

But Mary says no.

His name will be called John.

That tells me there was some communication with her in Zacharias in these five months or in these nine months.

And all the people go crazy.

What?

You don't even know anybody named John.

Because people have opinions when you have babies.

And these busybodies start making signs over at Zacharias who still can't talk.

And he's there eight days after his baby's born, probably trying to figure out how he can get rid of this sign.

And he motions for a tablet and says his name will be John.

And immediately he starts talking again because that was the last thing that Gabriel said needed to take place before he got from under his sign.

And everyone starts marveling that the baby's name John and that Zacharias is talking.

And Zacharias says this in verse 76.

He says, You, child, will be called a prophet of the highest.

Go before the face of the Lord, prepare his ways, give knowledge of salvation to his people by remission of their sins through the tender mercy of our God.

The prophet of the Savior is the last blank.

Next to last blank.

The prophet of the Savior is born.

And that's what Elizabeth and Zecharias waited on all those years.

What a child.

What a prequel to the Christmas story.

But the best is yet to come.

Because next week we're talking about Christmas, the birth of the Savior.

But as you study the Christmas story, I hope that you'll remember the prequel.

And I hope you'll remember these big ideas that we learned from Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

Faithful people suffer.

God speaks to his people.

The Lord has the right to interrupt your life.

Be careful waiting on a sign when you've got a word.

Some blessings seem like burdens, but the Lord remembers.

And I want to tell you guys today the last blank.

There's not just a prequel to this Christmas story.

There is a glorious sequel.

Because this child, this baby, Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, he lived a perfect life and he grew up and died on a cross for the sin of all mankind.

And three days later he rose from the grave that all who might believe in him will be saved.

If you thought the prequel was something, the sequel is so much better.

If you guys would stand to your feet.

And now here we are, over 2,000 years later, and we find ourselves waiting again.

We're waiting on that final scene, on the last chapter, where Jesus returns to earth and establishes his kingdom.

And it's been such a long time.

And sometimes it seems like God is so silent.

But the Lord remembers.

God is faithful, and one day that baby is coming back, and the government will be on his shoulder, and all throughout the earth, his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and of His increase, there's gonna be no end.

Because God is faithful.

Let's pray.

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Thank you again for joining us on the CCW podcast.

We hope you'll make plans to join us in person on Sundays.