Before we read this passage together a short word of warning is on my heart. The Lord speaking to his prophet Ezekiel said: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me . . .Through the prophet Jeremiah the Lord said: “To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it . . . In the New Testament the Apostle Paul said: “Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.”
I warn you today. The hour is late. You are walking toward eternity. Are you saved? Are you confessing and following Christ? Will the season in which you can repent pass you with no change of heart? The prophet bemoaned the people of his day when he said, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
What will you do my friend when all the seasons of life come to an end and you are not saved? What will you do if heaven calls today with the declaration, “this night thy soul is required of you.” What if you step from this life unsaved? How sobering is the thought that the lost soul upon the moment of death is thrust into outer darkness. I warn you today. Humble your heart before God and turn from rebellion. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved! It is urgent you heed the call of Christ. It is urgent you yield to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps you think you have plenty of time to come to Christ, but that is a deception. Some of you may recall the lyrics of a well-known song back in the day titled, Plenty of Time. The lyrics say:
I got up on Sunday morning went to the church at ten
I listened to the words I'd heard time and time again
The preacher spoke of simple lives, it seems he spoke of mine
But I was young I have plenty of time
I walked on down life's pathway living as I wished to live
How to beat the other fellow how to get what life could give
Making money isn't sinful having fun is not a crime
So I'll just wait I've got plenty of time
Plenty of time to decide where I'm bound
To eternal darkness or to heaven's grounds
I'm just a young girl not yet in my prime
So I'll just wait I've got plenty of time
Before I knew what happened, life seems had passed away
And millions stood before God's throne for it was judgement day
Now eternal darkness beckons and the name, it calls is mine
But I thought that I had plenty of time
Eternity waits I've got plenty of time
To think of all the days that Christ could have been mine
Now my chance is over earth's days have left behind
You and I have plenty of time
Now I've got nothing but plenty of time
Isn’t it time to be saved? Isn’t it time to give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ?
Now look with me at Luke 1:57 and follow along as I read through the end of the chapter:
57Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
60And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
61And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
65And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
And so, Luke lays out for us the amazing details surrounding the birth of John, the forerunner of Messiah.
You will recall from verse 56 that Mary lived with Elisabeth and Zachariah for three months. One can only wonder how many times Mary, Elisabeth, and Zachariah talked about the power of God at work in their lives. Of course, Zachariah only listened as he was speechless. His condition was a sign confirming the significance of the child Elisabeth carried.
What excitement, what anticipation filled the hearts of these two godly women. One older, one younger, but both yielded vessels in the hands of the Lord. And as we shall see in a moment, Zachariah certainly understood the significance of what was happening to both Mary and his dear wife Elisabeth.
Looking again at verse 57. The Scripture brings us to the day of John’s birth. Elisabeth brought forth her son and how everyone rejoiced! And so as the custom was on the eighth day the brought the child to be circumcised. On that occasion the child was to be named and all the family and close friends of Zacharias and Elisabeth thought the child’s name should be Zacharias, naming him after his father.
However, Elisabeth insisted her son would be named John. Well, they seemed to be getting no where so at the last they turned to Zacharias for his opinion. Since he could not speak, he asked for something to write on. He wrote, “his name is John.”
Immediately upon declaring the name of his son in writing Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit! His tongue was loosed, and he began to prophesy! He proclaimed,
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; (HE IS SPEAKING NOW OF THE BABY MARY WOULD DELIVER)
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
Take note that the Holy Spirit says Jesus is to be a Savior for Israel and that in Jesus the Lord God of Israel would keep his covenant made to Abraham. Remember this: Jesus is the Savior of the world, but he will always have a special relationship to Israel and at the last he will deliver Israel from all her enemies and from the hand of all that hate her!
Indeed, what manner of child shall this be. He was a special child who fulfilled the most unique ministry in the history of the world. This child identified for Israel and the whole world who the true Messiah is.
I warn you today. The hour is late. You are walking toward eternity. Are you saved? Are you confessing and following Christ? Will the season in which you can repent pass you with no change of heart? The prophet bemoaned the people of his day when he said, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
What will you do my friend when all the seasons of life come to an end and you are not saved? What will you do if heaven calls today with the declaration, “this night thy soul is required of you.” What if you step from this life unsaved? How sobering is the thought that the lost soul upon the moment of death is thrust into outer darkness. I warn you today. Humble your heart before God and turn from rebellion. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved! It is urgent you heed the call of Christ. It is urgent you yield to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps you think you have plenty of time to come to Christ, but that is a deception. Some of you may recall the lyrics of a well-known song back in the day titled, Plenty of Time. The lyrics say:
I got up on Sunday morning went to the church at ten
I listened to the words I'd heard time and time again
The preacher spoke of simple lives, it seems he spoke of mine
But I was young I have plenty of time
I walked on down life's pathway living as I wished to live
How to beat the other fellow how to get what life could give
Making money isn't sinful having fun is not a crime
So I'll just wait I've got plenty of time
Plenty of time to decide where I'm bound
To eternal darkness or to heaven's grounds
I'm just a young girl not yet in my prime
So I'll just wait I've got plenty of time
Before I knew what happened, life seems had passed away
And millions stood before God's throne for it was judgement day
Now eternal darkness beckons and the name, it calls is mine
But I thought that I had plenty of time
Eternity waits I've got plenty of time
To think of all the days that Christ could have been mine
Now my chance is over earth's days have left behind
You and I have plenty of time
Now I've got nothing but plenty of time
Isn’t it time to be saved? Isn’t it time to give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ?
Now look with me at Luke 1:57 and follow along as I read through the end of the chapter:
57Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
60And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
61And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
65And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
And so, Luke lays out for us the amazing details surrounding the birth of John, the forerunner of Messiah.
You will recall from verse 56 that Mary lived with Elisabeth and Zachariah for three months. One can only wonder how many times Mary, Elisabeth, and Zachariah talked about the power of God at work in their lives. Of course, Zachariah only listened as he was speechless. His condition was a sign confirming the significance of the child Elisabeth carried.
What excitement, what anticipation filled the hearts of these two godly women. One older, one younger, but both yielded vessels in the hands of the Lord. And as we shall see in a moment, Zachariah certainly understood the significance of what was happening to both Mary and his dear wife Elisabeth.
Looking again at verse 57. The Scripture brings us to the day of John’s birth. Elisabeth brought forth her son and how everyone rejoiced! And so as the custom was on the eighth day the brought the child to be circumcised. On that occasion the child was to be named and all the family and close friends of Zacharias and Elisabeth thought the child’s name should be Zacharias, naming him after his father.
However, Elisabeth insisted her son would be named John. Well, they seemed to be getting no where so at the last they turned to Zacharias for his opinion. Since he could not speak, he asked for something to write on. He wrote, “his name is John.”
Immediately upon declaring the name of his son in writing Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit! His tongue was loosed, and he began to prophesy! He proclaimed,
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; (HE IS SPEAKING NOW OF THE BABY MARY WOULD DELIVER)
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
Take note that the Holy Spirit says Jesus is to be a Savior for Israel and that in Jesus the Lord God of Israel would keep his covenant made to Abraham. Remember this: Jesus is the Savior of the world, but he will always have a special relationship to Israel and at the last he will deliver Israel from all her enemies and from the hand of all that hate her!
Indeed, what manner of child shall this be. He was a special child who fulfilled the most unique ministry in the history of the world. This child identified for Israel and the whole world who the true Messiah is.