523. The Gospel According to Luke - Chapter #1 (#4) - Zacharias Prophesies the Call of John the Baptist April 3, 2024

[00:00:00] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast

[00:00:12] we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.

[00:00:21] Let's open in prayer. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today.

[00:00:27] Lord, I pray that you give everyone ears to hear and a heart to receive everything

[00:00:32] you have in store for them today. I ask this in Jesus' name, amen. This is Proverbs 3,

[00:00:40] beginning in verse 1. My son do not forget my law but let your heart keep my commands

[00:00:48] for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth

[00:00:56] forsake you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart and so find

[00:01:04] favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart

[00:01:13] and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your

[00:01:20] paths do not be wise in your own eyes fear the Lord and depart from evil it will be health to

[00:01:30] your flesh and strength to your bones honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first

[00:01:38] fruits of all your increase so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow

[00:01:46] with new wine. My son do not despise the chasening of the Lord nor detest his correction for whom

[00:01:56] the Lord loves he corrects just as a father the son in whom he delights happy is the man who finds

[00:02:05] wisdom and the man who gains understanding for her proceeds are better than the prophets of silver

[00:02:14] and her gain than fine gold she is more precious than rubies and all the things you may desire

[00:02:22] cannot compare with her length of days is in her right hand in her left hand riches and honor

[00:02:32] her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace she is a tree of life to those who

[00:02:41] take hold of her and happy are all who retain her the Lord by wisdom founded the earth by understanding

[00:02:51] he established the heavens by his knowledge the depths were broken up and clouds drop down the do

[00:03:01] my son let them not depart from your eyes keep sound wisdom and discretion so they will be life

[00:03:10] to your soul and grace to your neck then you will walk safely in your way and your foot will not

[00:03:18] stumble when you lie down you will not be afraid yes you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet

[00:03:27] do not be afraid of sudden terror nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes for the Lord

[00:03:35] will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught do not withhold good from those

[00:03:44] to whom it is due when it is in the power of your hand to do so do not say to your neighbor go

[00:03:53] and come back and tomorrow I will give it when you have it with you do not devise evil against

[00:04:01] your neighbor for he dwells by you for safety's sake do not strive with a man without cause

[00:04:10] if he has done you no harm do not envy the oppressor and choose none of his ways for the perverse

[00:04:19] person is an abomination to the Lord but his secret counsel is with the upright the curse of the

[00:04:28] Lord is on the house of the wicked but he blesses the home of the just surely he scorns the scornful

[00:04:38] that gives grace to the humble the wise shall inherit glory but shame shall be the legacy of fools

[00:04:48] friends today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 27 and proverb 3 verse 27 says

[00:04:59] do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in the power of your hand to do so

[00:05:09] friends we will take a closer look at that verse prior to closing today but what I'd like to do

[00:05:16] is to pick up where we left off on Monday's podcast now we are finishing up the first chapter of

[00:05:26] the gospel according to Luke so I'd like to pick up right where we were and we are going to begin

[00:05:34] on verse 57 now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered and she brought forth a son

[00:05:45] when her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her they rejoiced

[00:05:53] with her now imagine the celebration that took place when John the Baptist was bored

[00:06:02] Elizabeth had been bearing her whole life she never anticipated having a child that part of her life

[00:06:11] had come and gone and now imagine the joy she must have felt to finally have a baby in her arms

[00:06:22] let's go to verse 59 so it was on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the child

[00:06:30] and they would have called him by the name of his father Zacharias his mother answered and said no

[00:06:38] he shall be called John but they said to her there is no one among your relatives who was called

[00:06:48] by that name so they made signs to his father what he would have him called and he asked for a

[00:06:57] writing tablet and wrote saying his name is John so they all marveled immediately his mouth was

[00:07:09] opened and his tongue loosed and he spoke praising God friends the first point I'd like to bring up

[00:07:19] is that Zacharias ability to communicate is restored now he had been mute he had been unable

[00:07:30] to speak ever since the angel of the Lord left him and he had questioned the angel of the Lord

[00:07:39] so finally he must be tremendously revealed the angel had told him that the child was to be named John

[00:07:51] and the people were curious about that during this period of history most of the time people who

[00:08:01] had children named their children after someone who was all ready in the family so they did not

[00:08:11] understand naming a child by a name that no one was familiar with let's pick up at verse 45

[00:08:22] then fear came on all who dwelt around them and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the

[00:08:31] hill country of Judea and all those who heard them kept them in their hearts saying what kind

[00:08:40] of child will this be and the hand of the Lord was with him I really like that last verse that

[00:08:51] kind of reminds me way back in Genesis when Joseph near the end of Genesis from chapters 37 through

[00:09:02] 50 so anyway it says a several times that the Lord was with Joseph and here it says that the Lord

[00:09:12] was with John I think that's really good so let's continue and this next portion is entitled

[00:09:22] Zacharias prophecy now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied

[00:09:32] saying blessed is the Lord God of Israel for he has visited and redeemed his people

[00:09:40] and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David now I want to

[00:09:50] briefly stop here for just a moment the second point I'd like to bring up is that Zacharias

[00:09:59] is filled with the Holy Spirit so we have already learned earlier in the chapter that John the Baptist

[00:10:08] was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb and when Mary came to visit

[00:10:18] Elizabeth and she spoke immediately the Holy Spirit came upon the baby inside the womb

[00:10:29] and at that time Elizabeth was also filled with the Holy Spirit and now we hear that Zacharias

[00:10:38] also is filled with the Holy Spirit now Zacharias was a priest but he had never been able to prophesy

[00:10:48] that was not one of the gifts that he had had before but now that he is filled with the Holy Spirit

[00:10:55] he is going to prophesy and the rest of the first chapter is the prophecy of which Zacharias spoke

[00:11:05] let's go to verse 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been since the world began

[00:11:17] that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us to perform the mercy

[00:11:26] promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant the oath which he swore to our father Abraham

[00:11:36] to grant us that we being delivered from the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear

[00:11:47] in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life now friends this is a promise

[00:11:59] that we can have as well and this is one of the reasons why it is so important to be knowledgeable

[00:12:10] and to read scripture I'm going to read this one more time because this is a promise that we today

[00:12:19] can still hold on to that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us

[00:12:30] to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant friends it's important

[00:12:40] that we follow the word of God not only should we know it but we should keep the commandments

[00:12:47] and what he has asked us to do through his word the oath which he swore to our father Abraham

[00:12:57] to grant us that we being delivered from the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear

[00:13:07] and friends this is each and every one of our calls today that we are to serve him that should be

[00:13:20] our purpose on earth but I like what it says at the end it says without fear we should have no

[00:13:28] fear while we are serving him in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life

[00:13:41] let's go to verse 76 and you child will be called the prophet of the highest for you will go

[00:13:51] before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways now friends the third point I'd like to bring up

[00:14:00] on today's lesson is Zacharias prophesies the call on John the Baptist John received the call

[00:14:12] of God and this is the prophecy going over the details of what John was sent here to do let me read

[00:14:23] beginning in verse 76 and you child will be called the prophet of the highest for you will go

[00:14:33] before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways friends I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible

[00:14:44] and let me read the commentary out of my Bible for verse 76 it says you will go before the face of the

[00:14:54] Lord finally able to speak Zacharias proclaimed to those gathered what the angel had told him in the

[00:15:06] temple John was to prepare the way for the Lord a reference to his role as four runner of the Messiah

[00:15:17] verse 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people this is the commentary for verse 77

[00:15:28] John's task was to prepare the people by informing them of their need to repent and of the one who

[00:15:40] was coming now friends this goes back to our podcast last week when they compared the ministry of

[00:15:49] John the Baptist to the ministry of Elijah and they said that they both were sent to get the people

[00:15:58] to repent to get the people to realize their need that they need to repent and turn to God

[00:16:08] verse 77 again to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins

[00:16:17] through the tender mercy of our God with which the day spring from on high has visited us

[00:16:26] to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet in the way of peace

[00:16:36] so the child grew and became strong in spirit and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation

[00:16:47] to Israel so friends John the Baptist lived in the wilderness he lived in the desert he was strong

[00:16:58] in the spirit he was the four runner of Jesus he was the cousin of Jesus many many good things came

[00:17:10] by John the Baptist prior to Jesus coming to earth and beginning his public ministry friends before

[00:17:21] we close today I'd like to go back to our verse of the day today in Proverbs 3 verse 27 and it says

[00:17:40] so friends we should never do this if someone is asking for our assistance and we have the ability to do

[00:17:51] it we should do it and right here I'd like to make a little interjection because many times people

[00:18:00] will ask us to pray for them and I often hear this I will keep you in prayer and friends if anyone

[00:18:11] asks you to pray for them do it immediately do not put it off and ask people prior to leaving

[00:18:23] if you're discussing something have an a conversation with someone ask them is there anything

[00:18:30] that I can pray with you about and if they feel comfortable with that they will give you something

[00:18:37] to pray about and pray for them immediately put your hands on them when you pray and friends it is

[00:18:47] so powerful the laying on of hands and praying for people that is the kind of thing that people will

[00:18:58] always remember do not say well I'll keep you in prayer I'll pray about that for you because a

[00:19:05] lot of times we will forget but if you really want to meaningfully have an impact on someone

[00:19:14] pray for them right away I guarantee you they will always remember that you did that friends my

[00:19:23] call to action the day is really quite simple how often do you ask people if you can pray for them

[00:19:32] I want you to give that some thought make a habit of asking people if there's anything at all

[00:19:42] that you can pray with them about people will then know you are a prayer warrior and a lot of times

[00:19:52] in the future they may come to you and say hey I have a need would you pray about this with me

[00:19:58] and friends that is a powerful thing that is an example of people knowing that you are different

[00:20:07] than most people walking around the earth today the Bible tells us that we are supposed to be different

[00:20:15] we are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world make yourself comfortable

[00:20:25] praying for people without a due without making a big deal out of it make it a regular part of your

[00:20:35] discourse with people friends I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to

[00:20:43] receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior if there is anyone listening today and you've never taken

[00:20:49] that step I invite you to say a simple prayer after me today Jesus I recognize that I am a sinner

[00:20:58] and in need of a Savior Jesus I believe that you are the Son of God I believe that you came to earth

[00:21:07] and died on a cross for me I know you were buried and on the third day you rose again when you did

[00:21:17] that all of my sins have been forgiven Jesus thank you for forgiving me of my sins I invite you to

[00:21:26] come into my heart I ask that you lead me and guide me from this point forward I ask this in Jesus

[00:21:34] name now may the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to

[00:21:43] you the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace friends please join me again tomorrow

[00:21:52] as we further explore wisdom today