As you read Luke 1:1-25 consider the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth.
They had no children because she was barren and now they were getting
old. The dream of having a child had long faded away leaving traces of
sorrow for what could have been. See through the eyes of Zacharias'
as he walks into the temple, perhaps the air is heavy with the scent of
frankincense and light is filtering through the haze. There is a sense
of holiness and of the glory of God is thick. Then something
extraordinary happened, something that would rock his faith to the core.
The coming of a son, an extraordinary son who plays an integral roll in
the Promise and Coming of the King. Experience the awe of this amazing
story. Here are the verses foretelling the life of John that stood out to me:
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"He will be filled with the Holy Spirit,
even from His mothers womb.
And he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God...
to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children...
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Luke 1:15-17
Johns name means: "The Lord (YahWeh) has shown favor (grace) Notice the promise of joy and gladness for Zacharias, Elizabeth and those close to them at John's Birth. Vs 14 and 19.
Joy emanates from God's favor and grace.
Seek Him and you will find joy in His grace.
3 comments:
John’s birth was truly according to God’s plan and a miracle in itself because his mother Elizabeth had been barren all her life; moreover she was quite an old lady when she brought him into this world. John’s ministry would be to bring back the people of Israel to the Lord. What’s so wonderful here is that he would bring them back to the Lord but through Jesus Christ! The era of grace was drawing nigh! John the Baptist would be the precursor of the Lord Jesus announcing His arrival to the world! As end-time Christians, we must all be John-the-Baptists in the sense that we must announce Christ’s Second Coming to the world and be His instruments in bringing back lost souls to the Lord. Regarding Zachariah’s unbelief, we are reminded to always, always believe in God’s promises both in His Word and for our lives!
-Caroline :)
As Sheri shared: "Johns name means: 'The Lord (YahWeh) has shown favor (grace)'"
Indeed, the Lord showed favor to Zachariah and Elizabeth in giving them a son. Moreover, the Lord showed favor to Israel and all the other nations by giving the world a Saviour.
So, the favor of God was granted to John the Baptist's parents and the whole world! HalleluYah!
Many of Jesus' disciples had been taught by John the Baptist. Through John's powerful witness of his own life and his unshakable faith in God, these men were prepared to recognize the Messiah when they met Him. They were prepared to give up their lives to follow wherever Jesus would lead them. John was a powerful prophet, filled with boundless courage. He called sin for what it was without mincing words. How well he knew that to receive Jesus, every person needs to repent/turn from their sins to be able to deeply embrace God's gift of grace and salvation.
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