We are back in the NT and looking at Luke for the next 3 weeks. Luke is very detailed in his gospel account of Christ and gives a thorough description of our Lord’s earthly ministry through to the cross and resurrection.
Luke 1: Dedication to Theophilus
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us,
2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,
3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,
17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
19 And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time."
21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple.
22 And 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 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying,
25 "Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."
Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!"
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
34 And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"
35 And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy---the Son of God.
36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God."
38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,
40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."
Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.
58 And her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,
60 but his mother answered, "No; he shall be called John."
61 And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called by this name."
62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered.
64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
65 And fear came on all their neighbours. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,
66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah's Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Things to think about…
1. Those who reject the bible as having no authority or as a book that has apparently changed over time need to wrestle with the internal evidence that support its testimony. Have a look at how Luke clarifies his gospel in Luke 1:1-4. He has gathered everything from what has been written as well as things that have been commonly spoken about and he gathers them all together so that his audience – in this case a Councillor named Theophilus (meaning God Loving), has a complete and accurate understanding of who Jesus was. Those who reject Luke’s history must find cause as to why they would do so and why they would not also reject other historians at the time – like Pliny, Tacitus or Josephus that also speak of the person and work of Jesus. Luke the doctor is also a thorough historian. We also see this to be the case in his second volume – the book of Acts.
2. In Luke 1:5-25 Luke records the miraculous birth and description of John the Baptist’s ministry. We are told John would come in the spirit and power of Elijah vs 17. Yet John the Baptist performed no miracles in John’s public ministry. Even those of us who do no miracles can still be under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit if we walk in the obedience, love and grace of Christ. The angel tells Elizabeth that her son is not to drink wine or strong drink. This is very similar to the requirements of the Nazarite vow although the non-cutting of hair is not mentioned. John would still be dedicated to the service of the Lord as was the case with a Nazarite. Zechariah (meaning God remembers) becomes mute because he didn’t believe the angel Gabriel (meaning - God is my strength).
3. There is a good amount of Christology given by the angel Gabriel. What is significant is that Gabriel says that “he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.", Luke 1:33. This acknowledges that Christ is the One who fulfills all the OT prophecies concerning the kingdom of Israel and the events that are still to be fulfilled for this nation. Christ will fulfill these on earth in the Millennial kingdom and in heaven into eternity.
4. Jesus’ birth is foretold by Gabriel to Mary Luke 1:26-38 and she visits her cousin Elizabeth who is 5 months pregnant with John and stays with her 3 months, vs 56. Have a look at the song of Mary, Luke 1:46-56. She speaks of her Child being the generational blessing upon families who fear Him, vs 50. This is a wonderful promise to those who have begun as the first generation of those who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour. Let’s see this promise fulfilled in our families for many generations. This is why it is important to introduce our children and or grandchildren to the Saviour. How are you sharing Christ with your children? Regardless of age, are you continuing to make a purposed effort to show an accurate example of who He is?
5. John the Baptist’s birth finally arrives, Luke 1:57-66. All the townsfolk are in an uproar over his name, Elizabeth says it will be John, Zechariah writes ‘his name is John’. Then his speech returns, then it says ‘fear came on all their neighbours’ vs 65. They wondered what would become of this child. We know what became of him. How much was due to prophetic fulfilment and how much was due to godly parenting. Clearly both Elizabeth and Zechariah loved the Lord even before having a full understanding of who Jesus was. Do you ask for a word from the Lord about your children? Do you pray they would make a more significant spiritual mark in this world than you?
6. When Zechariah does eventually open his mouth, he speaks his prophecy in Luke 1:67-80. He speaks a lot about deliverance from enemies, those who hate us, but also about the forgiveness of sins vs 77. This prophecy is true, but do you think Zechariah understood it all? We know his son, John the Baptist, later struggled with whether Jesus was in fact the Deliverer they were to expect. Elizabeth, Mary and Zechariah all prophesy by the power of the Holy Spirit at this time prior to the births of Jesus and John the Baptist
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Cell groups are on break for School holidays
Prayer Points
1. Pray for the Kids Klub starting in Term 3 Fri 28th July.
2. Pray for alpha course starting 26th July Wed 6:30pm at Church. Invite non Christians.
3. Andrew has reduced kidney function. Please pray for better health and a suitable nursing home.
4. That those who are new to the church are encouraged and settle in well into the church.
5. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you saved.
6. Pray for Kids@church.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Good discussion on Sunday “Challenging Cancel Culture”.
2. New equipment is coming online at Church. New cameras and sound equipment.
3. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Axiom next Sunday morning 2nd July “Challenging Cancel Culture” – 9:30am
2. Alpha Course starting on Wed 26th July – 6:30pm – invite non Christians to this course.
3. Friday afternoon Kids Klub – starting third term Fri 28th July – 3pm (3:30pm start) - 5:30pm.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for July...
Q. 10. Where is God? A. God is everywhere..
Psalm 139:7-12; Acts 17:27-28; Jeremiah 23:23-24.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
