Initiating The Turn-6(2023)

‘INITIATING The TURN’-VI—Luke 1:13b-17(:5-25)

Attention:

Ford Motor Company is remembered for implementing innovative approaches to the assembly-line production of automobiles. The company set many historical milestones beginning in 1903.

[The following innovations are borrowed from ‘Forbes’ Magazine]

1)Ford Motor Company was innovative in, ‘Standardization’:—They ‘Standardized’ automobile parts, so they could be used in multiple models.

2)Ford Motor Company was innovative in ‘Vertical Integration’:—They controlled the entire process of producing cars - from mining the raw materials, to the manufacture of parts, to assembling the finished product.

3)Ford Motor Company was innovative in, ‘Continuous Improvement’:— They regularly analyzed their production methods & made changes to increase quality, efficiency, & reduce waste.

4)Ford Motor Company was innovative in, ‘EMPLOYEE BENEFITS’:—They were one of the first companies to offer its employees benefits, such as health care, pensions, & profit-sharing, which helped to create a loyal & motivated workforce & helped to reduce turnover & absenteeism.

*Ford Motor Company began ‘life’ as innovators. The Company is NOT remembered so much because it HAD ‘great ideas’, but the company is remembered, because it IMPLEMENTED those ‘great ideas.’

*Preparation is useless without ‘INITIATING’ the necessary process!

Likewise, God accomplished the promised ‘turning of people’ to Himself, by INITIATING the actions that were necessary to bring about mankind’s eventual salvation & glorification in Christ Jesus(Eph. 1:6-8, 13-14; Rom. 8:17-21, 30; Heb. 2:9).

*The title of this series ‘turns’ on Lk. 1:16-17.

Need:

Everyone has a soul-centered need to have an unchanging & eternally lasting peace, certainty, & confidence in their lives...which anyone CAN have...IF they are willing to unconditionally TURN to God, by trusting Christ Jesus, His only-begotten Son.

Over 2000 years ago, God ‘INITIATED’ that TURN toward Himself, thru a Jewish couple in Israel whose names were Zacharias & Elizabeth.

Luke informed his audience of the initial steps that God took to turn His people toward Himself.

God began the process of turning of His people toward Himself.

And we are answering the question...

...What principles does God use to begin turning people toward Himself?

12 principles God used to begin turning people toward Himself.

So far in Luke’s Gospel, we have found that:

In initiating the Turn to Himself, God uses...

1. RIGHTEOUS FAITHFULNESS(:5-7)

2. PRIVILEGED DUTY(:8-9)

3. CONCERTED & DUTIFUL PRAYER(:10)

4. HEALTHY FEAR(:11-12)

5. DIVINE COMFORT(:13a)

Today we’ll find that:

6—In Initiating the Turn to Himself, God also uses...

DIVINE PARTNERSHIP(:13b-17)

Explanation:(:13b-17)

:13b—“... & your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, & you shall call his name John.”

Thus “the angel” told “Zacharias” that his wife would indeed bear a son(despite her old age). “The angel” also told Zacharias that he was to name his son John(from Hebrew—‘Yohanan’), meaning—“Jehovah has graced”, OR--“YHWH is a gracious giver.”

Zacharias & Elizabeth’s marriage was a Divine Partnership.

Zacharias & Elizabeth made a godly ‘team’ that was produced thru God’s power.

*God ordained marriage, to be a ‘sustained lifetime partnership’ between a man & a woman, who operate together as one unit, so that by & thru them, God is unashamedly declared.

Through their serving God together as partners in marriage, “John”, known as ‘the Baptist’ would be born. “John” would be raised within the context of godly love & godly lifestyle. “John” would be raised within the boundaries/confines defined by Zacharias & Elizabeth’s intent to honor God in the way they would raise “John.”

Surely this speaks to our society! Surely this encourages us to raise our children in a way that shows them the benefits of trusting & following Christ Jesus. Surely this encourages us to raise our children in a way that shows them the drudgery & slavery that comes with trusting & following the crowd of lost humanity!

:14—““And you will have joy & gladness, & many will rejoice at his birth.”

Zacharias was told by the angel(Gabriel, :19) that as a result of his son, John’s birth, he would have both “joy & gladness”, & that “many” would find cause for “rejoicing” “at his birth.”

That is also to say, that SOME would NOT find reason to “rejoice at” John’s “birth.” Such people would NOT experience the settled “joy & gladness” that only the Lord offers. And unless God reveals it to us, none of us, early on, knows if our children will bring us & others “joy & gladness” in the Lord.

•Consider that John would eventually be imprisoned as a result of his preaching(Mat. 14:3-12).

Mat. 14:3-4—“For Herod had laid hold of John & bound him, & put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

•Yet John’s bold & daring preaching is what would warrant the “joy”, “gladness”, & “rejoicing” of Zacharias, Elizabeth, & “many” at his birth!

:15—““For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, & shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”