Okay, so Luke chapter 1, verse 5.
The birth of John the Baptist foretold.
In the time of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah
who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah.
His wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.
Both of them were righteous in the sight of God,
observing all of the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly.
But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive,
and they were both very old.
Once, when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
he was chosen by lot according to the custom of the priesthood
to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
And when the time for the burning of incense came,
all the assembled worshippers were praying outside.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
But the angel said to him,
Do not be afraid, Zechariah.
Your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you are to call him 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 before he is born.
He will bring back many of the people of Israel
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 parents to their children
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Zechariah asked the angel,
How can I be sure of this?
I'm an old man, and my wife is well on in years.
The angel said to him,
I am Gabriel.
I stand in the presence of God,
and I have been sent to speak to you
and to tell you this good news.
And now you will be silent
and not able to speak until the day this happens,
because you did not believe my words,
which will come true at their appointed time.
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah
and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple.
When he came out, he could not speak to them.
They realized he had seen a vision in the temple,
for he kept making signs to them,
but remained unable to speak.
When his time of service was completed,
he returned home.
After this, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant
and for five months remained in seclusion.
The Lord has done this for me, she said.
In these days he has shown his favor
and taken away my disgrace among the people.
The birth of Jesus foretold.
In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy,
God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth,
a town in Galilee,
to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,
a descendant of David.
The virgin's name was Mary.
The angel went to her and said,
Greetings, you who are highly favored.
The Lord is with you.
Mary was greatly troubled at his words
and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
But the angel said to her,
Do not be afraid, Mary.
You have found favor with God.
You will conceive and give birth to a son
and you are to call him Jesus.
He will be great
and will be called the son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David
and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever.
His kingdom will never end.
How will this be, Mary asked the angel,
since I'm a virgin.
The angel answered,
The Holy Spirit will come on you
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
Even Elizabeth, your relative,
is going to have a child in her old age
and she who was said to be unable to conceive
is in her sixth month.
For no word from God will ever fail.
I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered.
May your word to me be fulfilled.
Then the angel left her.
Thank you so much, Joy, for reading.
These are big sections that we'll be going through in Luke.
So we don't get to cover every little detail.
So if there's questions afterwards
or you want to follow up on anything, please do.
And if you haven't yet picked up your copy
of Surprising Salvation,
which is a little overview of Luke's Gospel,
there are plenty on the table.
Pick up your copy and have a read.
It'll help you as you go through this book.
And we're going to pray
because we need God's help.
Father, thank you for Luke's Gospel,
for this account of the life,
the birth of Jesus Christ.
we pray that this true account
would impact us deeply this morning.
That it wouldn't be just mere information
and historical fact,
but truth that changes each and every heart.
Father, we want to be those who surrender
and listen to your word
and believe every promise of your word.
So give us faith that we might do so.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You're going to have a baby.
Well, that's really exciting news
for the parents, isn't it?
Friends and family will be told.
Pictures of scans will appear on Facebook.
The baby room decorated.
Clothes and buggies bought.
Baby showers organised.
And with all the hype and chat that goes on,
you would think
that this is the first baby
to arrive on planet Earth.
But it's really quite normal.
In fact, about,
according to the statistics anyway,
360,000 babies
are born every single day
in the world.
That works out at 3.5,
I know that's not possible,
but you know what I mean.
4.5 babies a second.
It's incredible, isn't it?
So being told you're going to have a baby
is a really normal experience.
It may change your life,
but on the world scale of things,
it's really not that special.
So when we're introduced,
as Luke does,
to Elizabeth and Mary
and tells them,
you're going to have a baby.
It appears to be the most normal,
natural thing in the world.
But these birth announcements
are anything but normal.
They are extraordinary
because they change the course
of history.
In fact,
although they happened
2,000 years ago,
they have a continuing impact
on my life
and your life
right now.
The birth announcement
of John
and of Jesus
means a new,
radical life
for you.
So let's together see
how these birth announcements
impact our lives
today.
First,
God intervenes
by his grace.
We're introduced
at the very beginning
of Luke's account
to a couple
named Zachariah
and his wife Elizabeth.
Zachariah,
well,
he worked
in the temple.
And we're told,
verse 6,
that both of them
were upright
in the sight of God,
observing all the Lord's
commandments
and regulations
blamelessly.
They were godly people.
But,
verse 7,
they had no children.
Now,
all that
was going to change.
Suddenly,
during a normal day's
work in the temple
as Zachariah's
division is called
to service,
verse 11,
an angel of the Lord
appeared to him,
standing right at the side
of the altar of incense
where he was working.
Now,
I don't know about you,
but
I'm not sure
when was the last time
you ever met
an angel.
Let's say
it's not part of our
normal experience,
is it?
Verse 12,
for when Zachariah
saw him,
he was startled
and was gripped
with fear.
You see,
angels don't show up
very often
unless
God is about
to do something.
When we read about
angels appearing
in the Bible,
it's because
God is
intervening.
God has
something to say.
God has an announcement
to make.
And here it is,
verse 13.
The angel said to
Zachariah,
do not
be afraid.
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.
Of course he would be.
After all
these years,
they would have
a child.
What a joy.
But it ain't
going to stop there.
Verse 14.
He will be a joy
and delight
to you
and
many
will rejoice
because of
his birth.
This
is a birth
that will have
an impact
not just on
one family
but across
the world
and through
centuries
and in our
life today.
so what's
so special
about John?
What's he
going to do?
Well, we're told
in verse
15.
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
before he's
born.
So this
will be no
ordinary
child.
He is
set apart
from God
and he is
empowered by
God
even before
he is
born.
but what
should make
us sit up
and listen
is what
he will
do.
He will
be God's
prophet
speaking
God's
very word
to the
people.
Turn with
me please
back to
Malachi
which is
the last
book of
the Old
Testament.
So going
backwards
you're in
Luke
you've
got to
go through
Mark
and then
you go
through
Matthew
and then
we come
to
Malachi.
So keep
working
back
Mark
Matthew
and then
Malachi
to chapter
four
and
verse
one.
So the
time
difference
between
Malachi
the end
of Malachi
the end
of the
Old
Testament
and the
beginning
of Luke
the birth
announcement
of John
is about
400
years.
And
God
hasn't
said
anything
at least
nothing
has been
recorded
about what
God
has said
so there's
been
silence
for 400
years.
This
was one
of the
last
things
God
had
said
to the
people.
Malachi
chapter
four
verse
one.
God
makes
this
promise.
He
says
surely
the day
is coming.
The day
is referring
here to
God's
judgment.
The
coming
again
of God
in
judgment.
And he
says it
will burn
like a
furnace
and all
the arrogant
and every
evil doer
will be
stubble
and that
day
that is
coming
will set
them on
fire
says the
Lord
Almighty.
It's a
terrifying
picture of
God's
promised
judgment
to come
upon all
the evil
and injustice
in the
world.
But there's
also another
promise.
Look down
at verse
five.
See I
will send
you the
prophet
Elijah
before
that
great and
dreadful
day of
the Lord
comes.
So there's
hope.
Verse
six.
He will
turn the
hearts of
the fathers
or the
parents to
their
children and
the hearts
of the
children to
their
parents or
else I
will come
and strike
the land
with a
curse.
Rather than
destruction
and division
God promises
that there
will be
renewal
and
reconciliation.
Pictured in
families coming
back together
God will
send his
prophet who
will lead
his people
back to
God so
that they
might escape
God's
judgment.
The promise
of hope.
Now back
to Luke
chapter
one.
Four
hundred
years pass
and there's
not a
whisper,
not a
sound,
not a
voice until
the announcement
of John who
is to be
born.
And what do
we read
about in
verse
sixteen?
Chapter
one.
Many of
the people
of Israel
he will
bring back
to the
Lord their
God.
Sound
familiar?
And he
will go
before the
Lord in
the spirit
and the
power of
Elijah.
Is this
the promise
that God
had made
all those
hundreds of
years before?
He will
turn the
hearts of
the fathers
or the
parents to
their children
and the
disobedient
to the
wisdom of
the righteous
to make
ready a
people
prepared
for the
Lord.
The
announcement
of John's
birth is
not just
another
ordinary
baby.
This is
God
graciously
intervening
into the
world and
into my
life and
into your
life.
John may
have since
died,
but the
promises of
God and
the Word
of God
still stand
today.
God's
promised
judgment in
the future
is still
to come.
And God
will punish
all who
live in
rebellion
against him.
But through
the message
of John
we are
called to
get our
lives in
order,
to turn
back in
repentance
to God,
to experience
forgiveness
of our
sins so
that we
can be
ready and
prepared to
meet the
Lord.
this is
God's
gracious
intervention
into the
world,
into my
life and
into your
life.
And I
want us to
think about
that for a
minute.
If you
could ask
God to
intervene into
your life
right now,
what would
you want
him to do
in your
life?
life.
Maybe you
would be
just like
Elizabeth.
Look at
verse 7,
go back to
verse 7.
Remember
Elizabeth?
They had
no children.
Elizabeth was
barren,
past the
age,
wasn't able
to conceive,
they were
both well
on in years,
couldn't have
children.
And not
to have a
baby at
that time
was a
real social
stigma.
you were
a disgrace
to the
community.
Not to
have a
child,
you were
an
outsider.
But God
intervenes in
her life
and gives
her a
child and
look how
Elizabeth
responds,
verse 25.
It's a
celebration of
God's
grace.
The Lord
has done
this for
me.
In
these days
he has
shown his
favour,
literally,
God has
shown her
grace and
taken away
my disgrace
from among
the people.
Elizabeth is
so thankful
for her
new son.
But let's
not miss
the point.
She has
discovered
something even
greater.
You see,
Elizabeth's
son,
John,
was to
lead people
back to
God,
people just
like Elizabeth.
And God
has graciously
intervened into
her life
and taken
away her
disgrace,
not just
socially,
but relationally
with God.
Now,
what is your
disgrace?
What is it
that you
carry in your
life that you
long that God
would intervene
and take it
away?
Could be
unemployment.
It could be
the loneliness
of being
single.
It could be
an illness
or an
impediment
that you
carry.
It might
be that you
don't have
a child.
And all
of these
in some
way can
be that
social
disgrace
where you
feel
outside
and you
long for
God to
intervene.
Well,
the message
is that
God has
graciously
intervened
in our
life through
the coming
of John
who has
this message
to say
that through
repentance
we can be
covered in
grace so
that we
never ever
face disgrace
before God
again,
not just
socially with
others,
but relationally
with God.
God is
going to
change
your
circumstances
completely,
but the
promise
here in
verse 25
is that
God will
shower and
pour out
his grace
upon you
so that
you are
no longer
burdened
by the
guilt of
our
disgrace
of sin
and no
longer
burdened
or judged
by the
expectations
of other
people
on how
you feel.
God
intervenes
in your
life,
radically
changing
you,
giving you
a new
identity,
a new
person,
that you
belong to
God.
You no
longer are
judged by
what other
people think
about you,
but what
God thinks
about you.
God has
graciously
intervened
by his
grace.
Second,
God
enables
a new
beginning.
So God
has intervened.
What will
this intervention
look like?
Well, this
time, an
angel appears
to Mary.
Here's the
second
verse
announcement,
verse 30.
The
angel said
to Mary,
do not
be afraid.
You have
found
favour.
Again,
literally,
God has
shown
grace to
you.
You will
be with
child and
give birth
to a
son and
you are
to give
him the
name
Jesus.
God is
intervening
in grace
through the
person of
Jesus.
And we're
told what
he will be
like.
Look at
verse 32.
He will
be great.
He will
be called
Son of the
Most High.
The Lord
God will
give him
the throne
over his
father David
and he
will reign
over the
house of
Jacob forever.
His
kingdom
will never
end.
Now,
that is
some
character
reference.
But these
are more
than just
grand
titles.
This
being called
Great and
Son of the
Most High
and having
this
throne
where he
reigns over
all things
and a
kingdom
that will
never
end.
These are
not just
titles and
roles that
are just
kind of
out there.
These are
titles and
roles that
belong to
God.
But are
now being
applied to
Jesus.
So Luke
is making
the extraordinary
claim that
Jesus who is
going to be
born is
nothing less
than God
in human
flesh.
It's what we
call the
incarnation.
God,
the Most
High,
the Creator,
the Ruler
of the
Universe,
who sits
on the
throne,
who rules
over all
things,
who has
an eternal
kingdom that
will never
come to
an end.
This
God takes
on humanity
and comes
down to
people like
us.
You see,
in religions,
gods do
not come
near.
They remain
distant.
They are a
threat and
they must be
appeased.
They are
impersonal and
angry.
But the
one true
God, the
only God,
comes to
us in the
person of
Jesus.
Look at the
end of
verse 35.
So the
Holy One
to be
born will
be called
the Son
of God.
Jesus is
not like
God or
a combination
of half
God and
half man.
Jesus is
God in
the flesh.
So as
we read
through Luke's
Gospel, as
we listen to
what Jesus
says, as
we watch
him act,
we see
the beauty
and the
greatness
and the
holiness
and the
magnificence
of God
on display.
This is
not just
another baby
being born.
This is
God coming
down to
us,
intervening
by grace
into our
lives.
But why
has he
come?
Sorry, I
missed up
there.
Why has he
come?
Look at
verse 34.
How will
this be
as Mary
comes to
terms with
this shock
that she's
going to
have a
baby?
How can
this be,
Mary asked
the angel,
since I'm
a virgin,
I'm not
even married
yet, I
haven't slept
with anyone,
how can I
have a
baby?
The angel
answered,
the Holy
Spirit will
come upon
you and
the power
of the
Most High
will
overshadow
you.
Mary will
become
pregnant
supernaturally,
not through
the seed
of a man,
but through
the creating
life-giving
work of
the power
of the
Holy Spirit.
Now this
not only
begins to
explain the
birth of
Jesus,
but it
begins to
hint and
show us
what this
Jesus will
do.
Keep your
finger in
Luke and
let's jump
all the way
back to
the very
beginning of
the Bible
to Genesis
chapter 1.
Genesis 1
verse 1.
Because I
think Luke
here is
wanting us
to make
a connection.
Genesis
chapter 1.
In the
beginning,
before time
began,
before anything
existed,
God,
eternal
God,
in the
beginning
God
created
the heavens,
everything
above us,
and the
earth,
all things
here.
Now the
earth was
formless
and empty,
darkness
was over
the surface
of the
deep,
and the
Spirit of
God was
hovering,
or
overshadowing,
the waters.
It's the
exact same
phrase that
we have in
Luke about
the birth
of Jesus.
The Spirit
overshadows,
or hovers,
over.
So in
Genesis,
the Spirit
of God
is at work
in the
creation of
the world.
Verse 2,
we're told,
chapter 1,
verse 2,
that the
world was
formless and
empty.
Literally,
there was
disorder,
there was
darkness.
Things were
not the way
they should
be.
So the
Spirit is
hovering,
is overshadowing,
and God,
by His
power,
through His
Spirit,
brings about
a creation,
brings about
beauty,
brings about
order,
and God
looks at His
creation and
says,
this is
good.
Now back
to Luke.
And in the
same way as
the angel
announces the
birth of
Jesus,
he says,
the Holy
Spirit will
come upon
you,
and the
power of
the Most
High will
hover,
overshadow
you.
Bringing
about a
new creation
through the
birth of
Jesus,
the coming
of Jesus
Christ into
the world
will be like
that day,
the day of
the first
creation,
as God
brought about
a new
beginning and
a new
life and
said,
all this
is good,
and He
says,
now through
my Son,
I will
bring a
new creation
in the
lives of
many people.
He will
bring a
beauty and
an order out
of the chaos
and disorder
of our broken
lives, a
messed up
world.
In this
Jesus,
you will
find a new
creation,
as God
by His
power,
through His
Spirit and
through His
Son,
bring about a
new beginning,
a fresh
start in
your life.
Now let's
think about
that.
If you
were to
ask God
to change
anything in
your life,
what would
you want
Him to
change?
Maybe you
would ask
Him,
change where
I live,
change where
I work.
Perhaps you
would ask
God,
change how
I look,
I don't
like the
way I
look,
nobody
fancies
me.
You might
ask God
to change
the relationship
that you're
in.
God is
saying,
through
Jesus and
the power
of my
Holy Spirit,
I have
come to
change
you.
I have
come to
redeem
your life
from the
disorder and
chaos that
has been
caused by
our own
sin and
the sin
of others.
I have
come to
bring about
a new
beginning and
a fresh
start.
You see,
so often
what we
want from
God is,
God,
change my
circumstances.
Would you
change that
person?
But God's
priority says,
I want to
change you.
I want you
to change
my life.
You see,
God who
brought about
the creation
of the
world by
this same
power as
he brought
about the
supernatural
birth of
Jesus,
that same
power will
enable you
you to
start life
afresh,
to live
God's
way,
not our
own way.
So God
is graciously
intervening by
grace through
his son,
the Lord
Jesus Christ,
enabling a
new beginning
and a
fresh start.
Well,
how can we
experience that
for ourselves?
God calls
for trusting
submission.
You see,
if we are to
experience God's
intervening grace
on a daily
basis,
if we are to
know this
enabling power
to change the
things in our
lives so that
we go God's
way,
we must
submit to
him.
As we
said at the
beginning,
the announcement
of a birth
is a very
normal everyday
experience.
People get
pregnant every
day.
People give
birth every
day.
It's really
not unique.
Unless, of
course, you're
an old barren
woman like
Elizabeth or a
young virgin
girl like
Mary, that
is not a
normal everyday
experience.
Women past
the age of
childbearing
can't get
pregnant and
girls who
have not
had sex
can't get
pregnant.
In fact, we
would say
it's impossible.
But not
with God.
Look at
verse 36.
Mary is
trying to
work this
through and
the angel
says to her
verse 36,
even Elizabeth,
your relative,
is going to
have a child
in her old
age and
she who
was said
to be
barren,
unable to
have
children,
is in
her sixth
month.
For
nothing is
impossible
with God.
God is
saying what
is impossible
for you
is not
impossible for
me.
And he's
saying the
same thing
to us,
not in
terms of
having
children,
but experiencing
his grace
and his
change in
our lives.
It's not
possible for
you to do
these things,
but I
can do
it.
Have a
look at
Luke 18.
Just jump
forward a
few chapters,
Luke 18.
Here we
have the
true account
of a rich
ruler, a
very wealthy
man, who
comes asking
Jesus a
question.
Verse 18.
Chapter 18,
verse 18.
And here's the
question.
He says,
good teacher,
what must I
do to
inherit eternal
life?
How can I
receive this
salvation?
how can I
experience grace
in my life
and this
transforming
change?
How can I
have that?
Well, look at
how Jesus
responds.
Here's part of
his answer,
down in
verse 24.
Jesus looked
at him and
said, how
hard it is
for the
rich to
enter the
kingdom of
God.
Indeed, it
is easier
for a
camel to
go through
the eye
of a
needle
than for
a rich
man to
enter the
kingdom of
God.
Now, think
about that.
The eye
of a
needle, how
do you
fit an
animal and
a camel
through the
eye of a
needle?
Well, you
can't, can
you?
It's
impossible.
And that's
Jesus'
point.
He's saying,
you know, we
can't do
these things on
our own.
It's impossible.
Verse 26.
Those who
heard him
asked, well
then who
can be
saved?
How can I
be changed?
Who can
do this?
Jesus replied,
verse 27,
what is
impossible with
men is
possible with
God.
You see, we
cannot save
ourselves.
We can't
change who
we are.
We can't
change those
habits.
We can't
change our
behaviours.
But God
can.
What's
impossible for
us is
possible for
God.
God, by
his grace,
can save
the most
disinterested,
hardened,
reluctant
person.
God can
save you.
And God,
by his
power,
can bring
about a
new beginning
from the
mess that
has been
caused by
our own
sin.
That
tremble,
continues on
through our
lives.
What is
impossible for
us to
change,
God says,
it is
possible for
me,
because I
am God.
But how
do we
experience
this work?
Well,
look how
Mary responds
in verse
38,
back in
chapter 1.
Chapter 1,
verse 38.
I am
the Lord's
servant,
servant.
Mary answered,
may it be
to me as
you have
said.
Then the
angel left
her.
Mary responds
in faith,
trusting
submission.
Do you
see those
two things
she says?
First,
I am
the Lord's
servant,
literally I
am the
Lord's
slave.
I submit
to you.
I am
willing to
be used
by God.
Your
will be
done in
my life,
not my
will in
my own
life.
I want
you,
God,
to have
your way
in me.
Now,
in a sense,
that's how
we too
must respond.
Maybe there's
an area of
your life
that you
have not
yet surrendered
to God.
you're
holding
on to
it in
your
life and
you're
saying,
mine,
this is
my life,
I want
to live
my way
and do
my
thing.
But we
will never
experience
God's
grace in
all its
fullness
until we
say,
I am
the
Lord's
servant.
Your
will,
not my
will.
God's
will.
But look
at the
second
thing she
says.
May it
be to
me as
you have
said.
Now,
put yourself
in Mary's
shoes.
This was
something to
take on
board.
You're
going to
have a
baby.
She's
a teenage
girl.
How do
you respond
to that?
May it
be to
me as
you have
said.
I am
willing to
trust you
God.
I don't
understand
what's
going on
right now.
I can't
work it
all out,
but I'm
going to
trust you.
And that's
our response.
Perhaps we
are fighting
God's
word.
We know
what God
is saying
to us.
We know
where we
should obey.
We know
the sin
that we
must deal
with.
But we
refuse to
obey.
And we're
never ever
going to
experience
God's
change in
our life
unless,
like Mary,
we turn
and say,
may it
be to
me as
you have
said.
I trust
your word.
I can't
figure out
everything.
There's parts
I disagree
with and I
can't comprehend,
but I trust
your word.
God intervenes
by his
grace.
God
enables a
new
beginning.
And he
calls us to
submit,
to trust,
to have
faith in
God,
and see
him work
through your
life.
faith.
Let's
stop,
let's
pause,
and take
a moment
to reflect
on that
as we
pray.
Amen.
Father,
would you
please
forgive us
for
suffering