Sermon - AudioLuke 1 & John 1:11-14 - Reading
Luke 1 & John 1:11-14 - Audio
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Welcome to the New Testament.
Theological Themes
(1) Incarnation: Luke’s favorite title for Jesus, “the Son of Man,” shows his deity, while many of the details surrounding his birth and death highlight his humanity.
(2) Salvation: on the basis of his death on the cross and by the power of his resurrection life, Jesus brings total physical and spiritual restoration to the body and the soul.
(3) The kingdom of God: in the coming of Christ, God is establishing his sovereign rule over the universe.
(4) The Holy Spirit: more than any other Gospel, Luke highlights the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering the ministry of Jesus Christ.
(5) Forgiveness: at both the human and the divine levels, forgiveness is exemplified in the healing of the paralytic (5:17–26), the story of the prodigal son (15:11–32), the parable of the Pharisee and the publican (18:9–14), the conversion of Zacchaeus (19:1–10), and other episodes from the Gospel.
(6) Discipleship: for the sake of his gospel, Jesus calls every one of his followers to share in his sufferings.
(7) Missions and evangelism: the gospel is not just for the Jews but also for the lost sinners of all nations.
(8) Prayer: in addition to his specific teaching on prayer, Jesus exemplifies the life of prayer by his own intercession with the Father.
The Book of Luke in The Master Story:
Like the other evangelists, Luke tells the gospel story at the heart of the Bible’s saving message. The coming of Christ is the fulfillment of all the ancient prophecies of the long-expected Messiah (see especially 24:27). Luke shows the compassion of Christ as the friend of poor, lost, brokenhearted, alienated, oppressed, and abandoned sinners.
Luke 1
1 - Luke was a doctor and a companion of Paul. He was very meticulous in his writings. In these writings he claims that the things he will discuss is "common knowledge" at that time.
2-66 - Summary & Thoughts:
Elizabeth was barren (without child). Being barren in her day was seen as a curse from God. Obviously, a families lineage would stop if a child was not born and the importance placed on this was much greater than it is today. This is why we see Abraham having relations with his servant Hagar in Genesis in order for his lineage to continue. The pain and sorrow that accompanied not having a child must have been great for Elizabeth and Zechariah. However, when you look at Elizabeth’s situation it would be hard to say they were cursed. In verse 6 we see that Zechariah and her “were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” They both seemingly lived for God and had spent their life in service to Him. They were very advanced in age (v7) according to the text so I would assume that they had given up on the idea of having children. We also see this to be true from Zechariah’s reaction (v18) to the angel of the Lord. However, admist the realization that their lineage would end and they would have no children…they prayed (v13) and served the Lord. Little did they know that God had something better planned for them in the future. A son would be born to them named, John. We refer to this man as John the Baptist whom was sent to “prepare the way of our Lord,” and comes in “The Spirit of Elijah.” John will prepare the people for the Messiah! A blessing was given to Elizabeth and Zechariah, but it took almost a lifetime before it was given.
The first comment I have on this story is that I hope we are like Elizabeth and Zechariah. May we be steadfast in our commitment to God. May we continue to walk in the light and be confident in our eternal hope amidst life’s trials and tribulations. The hard days that they had to endure while not having children must have been difficult. The feeling of shame and hopelessness must have been a constant battle for both of them.
The second comment I have comes from Zechariah’s response to Gabriel. He questions him and wants more evidence of this promise. See, Zechariah had given up on the idea of having children, like all of us would have at that age. However, we doubt God and we doubt the promises He gives us. We fail to step out in faith time and time again because we doubt that God has our best interests in mind. The issue with this is that God is our Father and whether good or bad things come, He remains in that position. Zechariah finally gets the news he’s been wanting for many many years, and He respondes with disbelief. I don’t fault Zechariah one bit, because I know my response would have been the same.
Third, look at what happens to Zechariah, he gets shut up! Sometimes I wish God would do this to us. It may cause us to reflect on what God is doing in our lives and those around us. It would get us to stop thinking about our plans and to focus on what He’s doing in our lives. God releases Zechariah from his silence when John is born. He praises God and demands his son be called John as Gabriel had said. He’s disciplined and the outcome is worship, praise, and obedience. Some people are told something and they just believe, much like Mary with Jesus. Others, like myself, need God to shut us up once in awhile and depend on His discipline to transform us in the likeness of His Son. I love the story of Mary and Jesus, but I relate to Zechariah and hope that God loves me enough to shut me up when needed.
John 1:11-14
Theological Themes:
(1) Christology: the Gospel of John is a major source of NT truth about the person and work of Jesus.
(2) Faith and salvation: Jesus makes numerous claims about how a person can be saved through faith in him, and many of the stories, in turn, show people expressing that faith.
(3) Unbelief leading to damnation: the book also teaches the way of salvation by negative example, with stories of people who rejected Christ.
(4) Resurrection: the story of the raising of Lazarus, in addition to the story of Jesus’ resurrection, elevates the theme of resurrection to prominence.
(5) The Holy Spirit: Jesus’ Upper Room Discourse includes a key unit on the Holy Spirit (16:5–15).
(6) Union with Christ: chapter 15 is a key NT text on this subject, which we correctly associate mainly with the Epistles.
The Book of John in the Master Story:
The master story of the Bible tells us how people can be saved into eternal life. The Gospel of John is built around this very motif, portraying Jesus as the Savior of the whole world and showing by means of narrative examples and Jesus’ discourses how a person can come to a saving faith in the person and work of Jesus.
11 - Jesus came to his own (most likely the Jews) but they received Him not. Despite all the signs and fulfilled prophecies, His people could not see Him.
12 - Anyone who does believe in Jesus can now become God's people, His children. Jesus has ushered in a new era in salvation history. The world is now blessed.
13 - We are born not by signs and effort, but by God. This new birth is not born out of our physical weakness/frailty, but from God in strength and power.
14 - The most startling statement: God's truth has now become flesh and is dwelling among them. The people in that day (including Jesus' disciples) have beheld the Glory Of It All (Video - Click On).
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