Luke 1:8-17 – To Make A Difference – Bible study

Luke 1:8-17 To Make A Difference Last Sunday morning, we saw the conditions which surrounded the birth of Jesus the Christ. We summed it up in three words: 1. Sin – Israel had sinned tremendously against God. 2. Subjugation – Israel had sinned so much that God had given them over to their enemies. First, to the nations that bordered them, but then to greater and more powerful nations from much further away. Israel had been subjugated for some 750 years. 3. Silence – For the previous 400 years of that subjugation, God had been silent to Israel. No known prophets and no written word. It was 400 years of pure spiritual darkness. Then came Luke 1 and God broke the darkness. It was the beginning of the SON Rise. Not that the Son was to come yet, but before the sun does rise, its light begins to brighten the horizon. So the Son Rise started when an angel was sent to an elderly couple with word that they would conceive a child. This morning, I want to ask a question. What kind of a child was God to give that could change the conditions of this nation? Darkness, sinfulness, silence – what kind of man must this child become to have an influence on that world? The answers were given by the angel and proclaimed by Zacharias before the child was ever born. Lets consider him this morning. I. Johns Connection – It would take a man connected to God to make a difference in that kind of world. John was certainly connected to God. A. John and Jesus were cousins. 1. \#36\ When Gabriel was sent to Mary and she needed some encouragement, the angel told Mary that her cousin, Elisabeth, who was barren was now with child. 2. If Mary and Elizabeth were first cousins (as some think), then Jesus and John would have been second cousinsall of that on their mothers side. B. John was Jesus forerunner. 1. Isaiah had prophesied Johns coming 750 years before. Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. a. While this prophecy does not name John, it definitely describes what he would do. b. Coming from the wilderness, he would make a highway for God; that is, he would make it easier for Jesus to be recognized. c. The prophecy compares what John did to building a highway for Jesus to walk on, he build a road, tearing down the hills, building up the valleys, and smoothing out the rough places. d. So John prepared the people for Jesus coming. a. Who? b. He preached repentance to the people and pointed the people to Jesus. 2. It is impossible that John was a forerunner of Jesus without being a believer in Jesus. a. Here is the connection that would make a difference. b. Not being a cousin to Jesus but a brother to Jesus. c. You can and must have that connection if you are to make a difference. d. We had a politician run for office and he promised change. All of his changes have been to take us away from God, but it is not his fault. He is not connected to God through Jesus Christ and the only difference you can make without a connection to Jesus is for the bad! 3. This connection is stronger than you might think. a. Sadly, John was not completely successful in his calling. b. The people did not respond as God desired. In fact, you and I know that the Jews rejected Jesus and crucified Him. c. Because of that, God is not finished with the Jews. (1) They will receive Jesus as Messiah for God has determined that the Jews will be His people and will honor Him. (2) So Jesus is to come to the earth again and before He comes, He will have again have a forerunner. (3) Again, the Bible does not tell us WHO that forerunner will be but there are only three possibilities. (a) God will either raise Elijah to be fore- runner. (b) God will raise John the Baptist to be the forerunner. (c) Or, and I think this is the most likely, God will raise up someone like Elijah and John the Baptist (i.e. with their spirit and power). (4) But the point is, there is still a connection between Jesus and His forerunner. 4. However, I want to point out something else. a. Last week, we looked in the book of Malachi, written before the 400 years of silence began, and noted that God gave a promise telling the people it would end with the SON rise. b. Here we are looking at the book of Isaiah, which was written before the 750 plus years of subjugation began; and here is a promise from God telling us that He will send both Messiah and a forerunner to prepare the way for Him. c. And if we chose to do so, we could look in Genesis 3, the time when sin began, and see that God gave a promise to send One who stamp on the head of the serpent. d. Here are the three things that afflicted Israel, sin, subjugation, and Gods silence, and before or at the beginning of each of these, God gave a promise as to how it would end. e. I said it last week and I will say it again this week, that God does not give a period of darkness without first giving a promise of light at the end of the tunnel. f. And I cannot help but to notice that the same promise is giving to all three of these. (1) The sin, the subjugation, and the silence all end with Jesus. (2) Not only was that a promise to Israel but it is the promise to you as well! (3) If you are find yourself in the bonds of sin, subjugation, or silence, turn to Jesus Christ! II. Johns Character – It would take a man with a unique character to make a difference in that kind of world. A. \#15\ Angel told Johns father what type of character John would have. 1. He would be great in the sight of God. a. That is a tremendous statement. Everyone, even the unregenerated, should want to be great in Gods sight. Mt 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. b. However, does it take to be great in Gods sight? (1) Do good works? (2) Be a very religious person? (3) No. Those are not what would make a person great in Gods sight. c. Then what? (1) There is not but one thing that would make a person great in Gods sight. (2) Be willing. Be willing to do whatever God might ask of you. (3) It might come as a shock to know that there is no predetermined list. (4) No doubt some of the things God has asked of others He will ask of you, but then again, God may ask of you something He has never asked of another. 2. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. a. When we read a passage like this, we often under- stand it as God saying John was not to partake of anything that might inebriate or drunken him. (1) That is what is meant by the term "strong" drink. (2) Of course, we have added many things to the list of the things that might inebriate or drunken a man. (a) The Jews did not have barley and the beer, ale, whiskey made from it. (b) Neither did they have access to marijuana, heroine, oxycontin, or any of the other drugswhether natural or synthetic that man has made to make himself high. (c) Anything that would make a person "high" would be something that John was forbidden to have. (3) And why? Because it is Gods desire that a person be under the influence of Jesus Christ and not strong drink. Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (4) John the Baptist was to be a man who had never known any other power or influence in his life other than the Holy Ghost of God. b. However, it was not just "strong" drink John was forbidden to have. It was any product of the vine. (1) The term that is used is "wine or strong drink." (2) Wine does not mean fermented wine. It means any product that comes from the vine. (a) This was a time before other beverages had been invented – Coke, Pepsi, Mt. Dew; tea and coffee had not yet been introduced to the Jews. (b) Their sole drink was water, unfermented juices, and strong drink. (c) The angel told Zacharias that all John could ever drink was water. (d) Was there anything wrong with juice? No. It was just something John was not to drink. (3) And why? (a) The Bible does not tell us, but I suspect it was for the same reason that John lived in the dessert instead of the more comfortable city, wore camels hair for clothing instead of the softer wool garments, ate honey and locusts instead of beans and meat. (b) God wanted John to be a man detached from this world. (c) John was not be friends with this world on any level. i. He was not to love its comforts, its pleasures, or its luxuries. ii. He was to be a man who was dependent upon God and nothing else. (d) That way John would be able to preach what God said without any other loyalties. c. This is the kind of child and man it takes to reach a world darkened by sin. One totally detached from the world. (1) People are looking for the "extremes," at least that was the term being used a few years back. (2) So is God. God wants to find a man or a woman extremely determined to live for Him and extremely determined to be separated from the corrupt influences of this world. 3. He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost from him mothers womb. a. Not only was John NOT to be under the worlds influence, He was to be under Gods. b. Not from his salvation, nor even from his birth, but from his conception, John was to be filled with the Holy Ghost of God. c. If the Bible did not have this detail written about John the Baptist, I would have said it was not possible to be filled with the Holy Ghost from conception. d. Such revealed truths help us to see that the things we think are impossible with God are actually quite possible. (1) Maybe you are thinking that God could never use you that it is too late for you that you are beyond Gods reach. (2) God reached into a mothers womb and poured His Holy Spirit upon a baby not even born yet. (3) I certainly think God can reach you. e. One thing is for certain. Anyone who is going to reach a world shrouded in darkness will have to be filled with the Holy Ghost, if not from the womb then most certainly before he do a great work for God. B. This is the type of character that will be required to influence and win and world in darkness. 1. From where you are, that kind of character might seem far out of your reach; however, it isnt. 2. The beautiful things about God, His Son, and their salvation is that it makes new creatures out of old creeps. 3. It doesnt matter what you were when you walked in, you can be something entirely different when you walk out. You can be a man, a woman, a child that God sees as a great in His sight. III. \#16-17\ Johns Calling – It would take a man with a calling from God. A. God created and called John to do some rather amazing things. 1. A call from God is God revealing to a person what it He created them to do. 2. Every human being ever born has had a calling, a reason for being created by God, including you. 3. It is true that most people never get close enough to God to find out what they were created to do but that does not mean there was no reason, it only means they never heard the call. B. The angel also told Zacharias what John would be called to do. 1. \#16\ Overall, John would be called to turn the nation of Israel to God. a. That was a monumental task. b. This is the nation that had been steeped in sin for hundreds of years. c. Truth of the matter is that John did not succeed in his call. 2. \#17\ This calling would be accomplished in three ways. a. Johns ministry would touch the home. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, (1) No nation can be godly that defies and destroys the home. (2) God created man to need others. (a) Even Adam, created in the image of God and without sin, needed a helpmeet. (b) How much more a sin-crippled race of human beings? (c) This need, although helped, is not met by good friends. (d) We need family – mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and children – to complete our lives. (3) Satan and sin always attempts to destroy the home first (i.e. Satans second major attack on mankind was getting Cain to rise up and slay his brother Abel). (4) John would have a ministry to turn the hearts of fathers toward their sons, that is to make fathers love their children again. (5) God is telling us through this text how Satan works in the hearts of fathers. (a) Men are proud and so tend to be selfish, putting themselves ahead of others. (b) Johns calling would reverse that destructive tendency. (6) Here is what is interesting. (a) We dont have a single gospel record of John ever preaching a message on the home, doing family counseling, or in any way directly ministering to the home. (b) As far as we know, John just preached against sin and promoted Jesus. (c) Yet, that ministry, would help fathers hearts turn to their children. (7) There is nothing that will fix the ills of the home and society more than preaching against sin and exalting Jesus! b. Johns ministry would touch the foolish. 17 and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just (1) When sin rules and reigns, one of the first things that goes is wisdom, plain old commons sense. (2) You can see it in our society. (a) Take God out and violence, rebellion, crime, suicide, abortion, broken homes, drug addition, and every wrong and evil behavior increases. (b) Yet no one, not even most of the churches, advocate going back to God. (3) Again, John will not run for political office; he will not write national laws; he will not teach at a university. (4) He will effect his nation by preaching! c. Johns ministry would prepare people to accept the Lord. 17 to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (1) And in this statement is the cure for all of societies problems. (2) It is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. (3) And not only is Jesus the cure for the whole of society, He is also the cure for you life and your problems. The angel was telling Zacharias that John would make a difference in the dark world that he was being born into. Christian, you and I can also make a difference. We need a connection with Jesus, a holy character, and a calling from God. Lets purpose to that difference today.