Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20081008.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Luke: Jesus, The Son Of Man For All Mankind
Part V: Clarifying How John's Birth Showed Jesus Was The World's Savior
(Luke 1:57-80)
  1. Introduction
    1. A key critique of the Christian faith by its opponents is the claim that Christ was just a Jewish preacher Who ambitiously started a world religion, or whose followers ambitiously originated that belief system.
    2. Yet, non-eyewitness Gentile, Luke who wrote his Gospel to another Gentile non-eyewitness of Christ's life, but who had carefully investigated the eyewitnesses, noted that even in the events of John's Jewish birth three months before Jesus was born, He was evidenced to be the world's long-prophesied Savior:
  2. Clarifying How John's Birth Showed Jesus Was The World's Savior, Luke 1:57-80.
    1. The people who witnessed the birth of John, the forerunner of Jesus, were all Jewish, and were predisposed to respond to John's birth in typical Jewish fashion, Luke 1:57-59:
      1. Elisabeth's Jewish relatives and neighbors in Judaea rejoiced with her pregnancy that ended her barrenness late in life, and noted God's great mercy upon her for this blessing, Luke 1:57-58.
      2. Accordingly, when she gave birth to a son, he was circumcised the eighth day, and the Jewish people around her called him Zacharias after his father's name in accord with their custom, Luke 1:59.
    2. However, in keeping with the appearance of the Angel Gabriel to Zacharias in the temple, Elizabeth and Zacharias broke with Jewish custom to name him John, Luke 1:60-63a.
    3. So unusual was this break with Jewish custom that the Jewish onlookers marveled, Luke 1:63b.
    4. Added to this notable custom break, Zacharias' mouth that had been closed since he had seen God's angel in his temple duties was supernaturally opened, and Zacharias spoke in praise of God, Luke 1:64. This event shocked the Jewish onlookers, and news of the event spread over the Judaean hill country so that its Hebrew people wondered what God had planned for John's future ministry, Luke 1:65-66.
    5. Zacharias was then filled with the Holy Spirit, and he prophesied about John's future ministry in answer of this question, revealing he was to be the forerunner of the Messiah of worldwide value , Luke 1:67, 68-79:
      1. Zacharias prophesied under the Holy Spirit's enabling (Luke 1:67) that John was from God, that he had been sent to minister about the salvation of God that had been predicted by prophets preceding even the days of Abraham, prophets who ministered to all mankind since the beginning of the world, 1:68-70.
      2. Specifically, Zacharias explained that Israel was to be delivered from all her Gentile foes in keeping with the Abrahamic Covenant that had predicted God would bless the world's peoples through Abraham and his offspring, Luke 1:71-75 with Genesis 12:1-3.
      3. John would fit into God's great plan by going before the Messiah to prepare Israel for him in the matter of handling her sins, Luke 1:77-78. [Note how John's ministry in Luke 3:1-3 fulfills this prediction.]
      4. Then, referring to the Messiah, the Malachi 4:2 "day-spring from on high" named in Luke 1:78b (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to Luke 1:78), in Luke 1:79, Zacharias told of Christ's ministry to give light to them that sat in darkness and in the shadow of death. This referred to Messiah's work in Isaiah 9:1-2, Christ's earthly life in "Galilee of the nations" that prefigured His world outreach of Isaiah 49:4-6.
      5. Thus, though speaking to Jewish listeners, Zacharias told of the worldwide value of John's work:
        1. John's work would fit God's plan to save man as predicted from the start of the world, Lk. 1:68-70.
        2. Specifically, John's ministry continued God's work to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant by which God would deliver Abraham's seed from their enemies, and bless men, Luke 1:71-75 with Gen. 12:1-3.
        3. John's role would be that of introducing that Messiah to Israel, and of preparing Israel to repent in view of Messiah's arrival that His predicted world dominion might be instituted, Luke 1:77-79.
    6. John then grew and became strong in spirit before the Lord, dwelling in the deserts until his presentation to Israel in line with Old Testament prophecy, Luke 1:80 with Isaiah 40:3-4 and Luke 1:3-6.
Lesson: Events surrounding the birth of John in Jewish Judaea three months before Jesus was born indicate that Jesus, whom John would present to Israel, would be the WORLD'S long-expected Savior!

Application: May we realize that even according to events before His birth, Jesus was not an ambitious Jew who would start a new religion, but God's Savior of the world predicted from the dawn of history!