Thanksgiving Christmas Hope
Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving! I guess we should be asking if God had a good Thanksgiving. Like did we give Him thanks! For most it’s just turkey day. I hope everyone gave even a little Thanks on thanksgiving and of course I hope you got plenty to eat!
Are you ready for Christmas? Yeah! I love Christmas! No? Uh…
The Christmas Season? Actually, I heard the Christmas season doesn’t really start until December 2nd? Like who decides that? OR the 12 days of Christmas, what is that? I know know about you but in our family we didn’t have 12 whole days of receiving Christmas presents! don’t know.
Some celebrate the Advent candles and those start 4 Sundays before Christmas with a candle lit on Christmas day. Like you won’t find that in the Bible of course. It’s just a tradition, right? This year Christmas falls on a Sunday so apparently this Sunday is 4 Sundays prior to Christmas plus or minus the PI times the square root of Thanksgiving so some start the Advent candles today.
I love seeing Nativity Scenes, everyone looks so happy!
It’s amazing how many baby Jesus get stolen now. Posted on Facebook and got caught!
Sometimes we just lose hope for this world!
But the first candle of the Advent is HOPE!
Hopefully Christmas gives you HOPE!
Christmas is the hope that Jesus was born into the world to live a perfect life and then to die to be our perfect sacrifice so that we could be saved.
Sometimes we get bogged down in Black Friday shopping and wrapping presents and we lose site of the true meaning of Christmas. He was God’s promise to send us a Savior!
I can’t wait for Christmas to arrive!
Even more so, the people couldn’t wait for the Messiah who would save the people both from their sins and from their enemies. They say hind site it 20/20. We have the benefit of seeing Christ as told from the Bible. OT people didn’t have this. They had to wonder about Him and what He would be like. They imagined a King riding in for battle and striking down the enemies!
But our battle is not against flesh and blood is it? We need salvation? We need minds and hearts changed! Ours is a spiritual battle.
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In Luke Chapter 1, Mother Mary, after hearing about having the Messiah from the Angel she sang the praise song called the Magnificat. (It wasn’t called the Magnificat back then, right? Trademark Mary)
It’s beautiful song of praise of course!
There was another song also sung in Luke Chapter 1. And that’s what we are going to talk about today.
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
Luke 1:5 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. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. 8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 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. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 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. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 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.” 18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” 19 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. 20 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.” 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 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. 23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “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.”
What did Zechariah the Priest see in the Temple? The angel Gabriel. Questioned Gabriel how can i be sure of this? since they were too old for children. (sort of calling him a liar?) I am Gabriel.. then told because of his unbelief, he couldn’t speak until John’s birth.
How would we have reacted? Oh if the Angel came to me I wouldn’t have done that…
6 mos later Gabriel appeared to Mary and foretold Jesus’ birth.
Luke 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 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. 36 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. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Gabriel even let Mary know that her cousin Elizabeth was having a son in her old age. Mary then went to Elizabeth and the baby (John the baptist) leaped in her womb at the hearing of Mary’s pregnancy.
Mary then sings the Magnificat.
Mary’s Song
Luke 1:46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
Luke 1:57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
These people could not let go of their traditions! What is it with Jews and traditions? We wouldn’t have traditions like Advent candles or something. ;-) Traditions are OK but sometimes they also can be like a law and then they become unbreakable. These people were going to name this boy even though the mother was saying no! Wow!
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
Do you think Zechariah believed the angel Gabriel now? Of course. But more than that it gives divine proof that the events that were taking place were real. Not only for his son John but ultimately for Mary’s son Jesus who would save the people of the world!
Now we hear another song, this time from Zechariah!
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit ; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Zachariah once was faithless and now he is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesying.
Failure is not permanent. He was shamed for his faithlessness but now he is revered for his faithfulness.
Redeemed His people. A Horn of Salvation from David as prophesied long ago)
Salvation from enemies, honoring His oath to Abraham, serve without fear. (believed freedom from Romans)
John will be a prophet of the Most High - will prepare the way for the Lord.
Will give people knowledge of Salvation through the forgiveness of sins.
Prophesied of the “rising sun from heaven” shining on those living in darkness.
Hope is a wonderful thing.
After we die we face judgement.
Anyone who has sinned at all will face the second death with is Hell!
You can do nothing of yourself to prevent it! To prevent it you would have to be sinless which the Bible tells us all are sinners!
You know if someone paid your prison debt you would be out but you couldn’t get a job. No one would hire you. But what if someone could also give you their reputation? That’s sort of what Christ did. Not only is He our save us from wrath being our fire insurance but He also “imputed” His righteousness to us. Our righteousness is as filthy rags but when God sees us He sees His Son’s righteousness. Isn’t that cool! Rock of Ages Be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.
