‘what’s At The Top Of Your List This Season?’

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). For Zac & Liz a miracle baby! (chapter 1 verses 57-66)

• (1a). A promise fulfilled (vs 57).

• (1b). An instruction obeyed (vs 59-63):

(2). For Zachariah a Song of Praise (chapter 1 verses vs 67-79)

• (2a). He has come to redeem his people (vs 68).

• (2b). He has come to raise up a horn of salvation (vs 69).

• (2c). He has come to save us from our enemies (vs 71 & 74).

• (2d). He has come to forgive our sins. (vs 77).

(3): For Mary & Joseph they Got a miracle child, a son (Chapter 2 verses 1-21).

• (3a). Saviour.

• (2b). Christ,

• (2c). Lord.

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• Emoji Quiz.

• (a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion)

• (Quiz Slides available on request)

TRANSITION: The Christmas story contains a number of songs/hymns.

• i.e., Mary’s Song: ‘A Song of Trust’ (Luke chapter 1 verses 46–55).

• i.e., Angels: ‘A Song of Peace’ (Luke chapter 2 verses 13–14).

• i.e., Simeon: ‘A Song of Hope’ (Luke chapter 2 verses 29–32).

• i.e., Zechariah Song ‘A Song of Faith’ (Luke chapter 1 verses 67–79)

• Title of this morning’s sermon is: ‘What’s at the top of your list this season?’

• For those people in the passage the answer is threefold:

• FIRST: For Zac & Liz a miracle baby! (vs 57-66)

• You don’t have to be a rocket scientist, or even a gynaecologist for that matter,

• To know that couples in old age don’t have children.

• But with God nothing is impossible,

• And Zac & Liz finally got a son, they were told to name John (Luke chapter 1 verse 13).

• SECOND: For Zac a Christmas number one!

• He topped the charts with a catchy little number we call ‘Zechariah’s song’ (vs 67-80)

• Fortunately for Zac he didn’t have to compete with Cliff Richard that year!

• THIRD: For Mary & Joseph they also got a miracle child, a son,

• (Miracle child being born without being sexually active between the parents),

• Who they were told to name, ‘Jesus’ (Matthew chapter 1 verse 21)?

• Because this baby, “Will save his people from their sins”

Note: Let’s keep that three-fold division/outline and pull out a few threads.

(1). For Zac & Liz a Miracle Baby! (chapter 1 verses 57-66)

• Now in one sense every child born is a miracle,

• Quote:

"The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him." (or her)

There are three things to note from these verses.

FIRST: A promise fulfilled (vs 57).

There are four words that every Christian should never forget:

• 'God keeps his word'.

• He will not tell us one thing and do another!

• He will never use the expression that we often use,

• "Oh well, promises are meant to be broken".

• God traffics in truth!

• God keeps his word, always!!!

God made a promise to for Zechariah and Elisabeth and he kept it:

The promise was made in chapter 1 verse 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 give him the name John.”

The promise is fulfilled in chapter 1 verse 57:

“When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.”

• God kept his word,

• He granted them a baby boy.

• In that part of the world, the birth of a child, especially a boy,

• Was an occasion of great joy.

• When the time of the birth was near,

• Friends and local musicians gathered near the house.

• When the birth was announced and it was a boy,

• The musicians broke into music and song – it was party time!

• That is why there is a crowd mentioned in verse 58:

• Notice: Zechariah and Elisabeth were quick to give all the glory to the Lord:

“Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy,

and they shared her joy.”

SECOND: An instruction obeyed (verse 59-63):

• God had kept his side of the bargain,

• And now they are to keep their part of the agreement.

“On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John."

61They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name."