Let's turn this evening to Luke,
chapter one. I'll tell you, I believe, verses
thirteen through seventeen. And as I announced this morning,
the title of the message is, A Man Filled with the Holy Ghost
from His Mother's Womb. John the Baptist was a remarkable,
remarkable man. In many, many ways, he stands
above other men, separated and distinguish mother men by the
hand of God even before he was born. In this passage of Scripture,
Luke 1, 13-17, we're allowed to hear the message which the
angel of God delivered to his father Zacharias in the temple
before John was born, before he was even conceived in his
mother's womb. It is a message full of spiritual
instruction. May God the Holy Spirit feel
the words of this passage to our hearts. That which stands
out most prominently as I read this text, and the lessons it's
intended to convey, is the fact that God's ways are indescribably
higher than our ways. His ways are not our ways. His
thoughts are not our thoughts. As the heaven is higher than
the earth, so are His ways and our ways and His thoughts and
our thoughts. Men often in literature and in
various forms of entertainment, and sometimes just simply out
of lack of understanding what else to say, will quote a portion
of Cowper's hymn, but let us never forget it is true. God
moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform. He plants
his footsteps in every sea. and rise upon every storm. Now,
let me show you four or five things in this text of Scripture
that I think stand out as prominent lessons from the passage before
us. First, let's look at verse thirteen.
Now, the lesson that we find in this text is a lesson about
prayer. I hope we will lay it to heart.
God's answers to our prayers are often delayed, wisely and
graciously delayed, but often delayed for a long, long time. Sometimes, perhaps most often. The Lord graciously and wisely
delays answering our prayers for many, many years. That was
certainly the case with Zacharias and Elizabeth. No doubt, judging
by the passage we're about to read, This old man and woman
in their youth had often prayed that the Lord might be pleased
to grant them a child, as any young couple would. They find
out that she's barren, and they pray, Lord, be pleased to intervene. Lord, give us a child. Lord,
if you'd just give us a child. But now Zacharias is an old man,
and his wife is an old woman. And years had passed, probably,
since they had mentioned this thing to the Lord. They've long
since given up on the prospect or the idea of ever becoming
parents. And yet, the first words that
fell from the angel's lips to this old man in the temple are
these. Look at verse thirteen. But the
angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is
heard. And thy wife Elizabeth shall
bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. Now, there's
several things obvious here. We ought to try to remember them.
First, let's learn and remember, we must never attempt to prescribe
to God how or when to answer our prayers. We're all guilty. We're all guilty. Let's never
attempt to prescribe to God how or when to answer our prayers. Let's never attempt to prescribe
to God how or when to do anything. He knows best, and He does best. He does best in the best way
and at the best time. He knows the best time for His
elect to be born, and He knows the best time for His elect to
be born again. We want everything right now.
We want everything right now. We especially as parents want
everything so soon, so quickly. We must also never conclude that
our prayers are not answered because they're not answered
in the way we expect or at the time we desire. So many times
we pray and we, after a while, begin to think, I guess this
is over. I guess I may as well not mention
this anymore. I've been praying for so long.
Don't ever conclude that the Lord ignores your supplications
because He delays answer them, because He doesn't immediately
gratify your desires. You see, prayer, prayer, I'm
afraid, most people, most religious people, and I confess myself,
prayer is something we know so very, very little about. We just
don't know much about it. But prayer has something to do. I don't know how to say this.
Prayer has something to do with just believing God. It's got
something to do with just believing God. When Paul says, pray without
ceasing, he's not talking about constantly being on your knees
in prayer, nor is he even talking about being in a constant frame
of mind in prayer. He's talking about walking before
God with faith. walk before Him, continually
believing Him. And prayer has something to do
with believing God. So the Lord often tries our faith. He often tests our faith and
strengthens our faith by delaying His answers to our prayers. This
day of health, wealth, prosperity, demanding claims from God kind
of religion, everybody says, well, we just, we claim it in
Jesus' name, it's ours. Listen carefully now. When we
talk about praying in the name of Christ, when our Lord says,
if you ask anything in my name, you shall have it. He is not
saying that prayer is like a blank check. You fill in the amount
and I'll give you whatever you want. That's not it at all. But to
pray in Christ's name is not just catching his name on the
end of the prayer. Right now, this is what we ask.
Well, Lord, we ask it in Jesus' name. That's not it at all. But
praying in his name is praying by faith in him. Praying on the
basis of His merit, His righteousness, His blood, and His intercession.
It is praying for His will and His glory. That's what it is
to ask something in His name. As we pray in His name, led by
His Spirit, taught of Him to pray, then we have that which
we seek. Our Lord taught us to pray this
way. Not verbally. But He said, when you pray, pray
like this. Father, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed
be thy name. Pray for the sanctity, the honor,
the glory of God's name. That's primary concern. That's
our primary concern. It ought to be. He said, when
you pray, pray like this. Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Pray for God's
kingdom, His church, His people. Pray for one another. pray for
God to build and establish and do good for his kingdom, to protect
and care for his kingdom. Thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven. What does that mean? Exactly
what it says. Pray with a submissive heart,
seeking the will of God perfectly in all things. Lord, I pour out
my heart to you, and I can't because of my sinful
flesh. What you said in reading the
psalm and in praying a little bit is that I can't help, because
of my sinful flesh, I can't help being selfish. I just, I wish
I could. I hope to just have a thought
that didn't involve stealth. Just for God's glory. The Lord,
my will, whatever it is, I want. There's something I want more
than that. I want your will. I want your glory. I want your
kingdom to be established. So we pray your will be done.
That's how we are taught to pray. So prayer has something to do
with believing God. It has something to do with seeking
and submitting to the will of God. Prayer is not simply bombarding
God with our desires, be they ever sincere. But prayer is seeking
the will and glory of God, vowing our will to His will. Now often
the Lord delays our requests, not because He doesn't intend
to answer them, but because He's determined to make us willing
for Him not to answer them. Oh, how wise and how gracious.
We are at our best when we are conformed to His will. And while
we seek things, and we want things now, and we desire things of
God now, and our hearts ache for many things now, the Lord
delays answering our request, giving us what we want immediately,
gratifying us immediately, because it's best for us that we wait
until He has made us willing for Him to do what He will, not
what we will. A wise father does that with
his children, doesn't he? A wise father doesn't give his
son everything he wants. A wise father doesn't give his
child everything she wants. No, no, no, no. The wise father
makes the child understand that you've got to wait for my wisdom. And you've got to learn to trust
my wisdom. And you've got to learn to submit
to my will. Because I'm your father. And
that's just the way things are. And our Heavenly Father demands
that of us. and he graciously sees to it
that his children bow to his will. More than that, the fact
is none of us, none of us, none of us, know what to pray for
as we ought. None of us. We don't know what's
best for ourselves, much less somebody else. We just don't. We think we do, but we don't.
We don't know what's best for the glory of God. We don't know
what's best for the kingdom of God. We don't know what's best
for the accomplishment of God's purpose. And therefore, let us
wisely bow to His will. Now, this is the way we must
pray, if we're going to pray. If we're going to pray, this
is the way we must pray. I'm concerned for your health, this
thing coming up with you again, and we pray for you. And I want
you here. I want you here. But I submit
to God's will. To submit to His will. And when
we say, Lord, Your will be done, we mean it. We better mean it. Your will be done. Our Savior
did. whatever the struggle was in
Gethsemane, he said, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
me. Nevertheless, not my will, thy will be done. And he meant
it. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth
our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as
we ought. But the Spirit himself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Alright,
now look at verse fourteen, and learn this second thing. Here
is a lesson all parents ought always to bear in mind. Grace. Grace. Grace must be the principal thing
we seek for our children. The angel says, thou shalt have
joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth." What a
blessed word this is from God. Here's an old man, he's about
to have a son, and he's at the age where the promise of having
a son comes with a little bit of difficulty, because it's not
likely he's going to live to see the son grow to manhood.
He's an old man. His wife's an old woman. And
so the Lord says to him, now, I'm going to give you a son,
and you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his
birth. What a blessed word. Zacharias
is here assured, before his son is ever born, that his only son
will be numbered among the sons of God. What parent wouldn't want that?
His only son. His only son. He's one of God's
sons. He's chosen. He's redeemed. He'll be called by grace. His
name is written in heaven. Now, as I read that, I couldn't
help but think about our young friend Tony, his parents. I grabbed him as we went out
today, and I said, I want you to hear something. I think about
you every day, and I do think about and pray for and thank
God for them every day, every day. Let all those who are blessed
with God, with the heavy burden of caring for children with limited
mental capacity, or who have the heavy burden of having lost
children in infancy, be cheered by this fact. God has granted
to them the rare, rare, rare privilege of being assured they
have a child whose name is written in heaven. I can't speak from experience,
I've never been there, but I'll tell you what, I believe that
would offset every other burden. What more could any mother or
father desire? Nothing can give believing men
and women greater joy than to see their sons and daughters
experience, possess, and walk in the grace of God. Just before
promising this old man that his son would be filled with the
Holy Spirit, the angel said to Zacharias, Oh boy, hold on to
your seat. Not only you're going to have
a son, you're going to have a son who is chosen of God. And thou
shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his
birth. I'm saying this. Let us, my friends,
above all things, seek the grace of God for our children. I get disturbed with parents.
Sometimes, I'll be honest with you, more often preachers group
up in this area than anybody else. I get disturbed with preachers.
I see preachers and their wives, they want their children to become
star athletes, they want their children to become models, or
actors, or singers, or movie stars. Oh, I wouldn't want any of those
things for my daughter if she could have them. I wouldn't want
it. I'm honest with you. Some folks
got a hold of Faith when she was just a young teenager, wanted
her to do some modeling. I said, no, no, not gonna happen. Not as long as I got in control.
Oh, but that's such an opportunity. Opportunity to ruin her soul.
Opportunity to destroy her. Brother Marvin Stoniker's boy,
Gabe, I heard a demo tape he did a few years ago. all know
Dave Gage he's tall good looking you know he's got all the looks
for a country western singer and he's down there he knows
the folks got the right connection I mean he got the right connection
and not only that the boy has got talent running out of his
ears when he comes up here he just plays guitar Marvin sings
Marvin can't sing a lick compared to Gage that boy can sing I mean
he can sing and he uh he had a little band together a few
years ago he was went out to Iowa State Fair I believe what
it was open for one of the big names in country western music
And I saw him a few months later and we chatted a little bit.
I sat down in his truck and I said, Gabe, I'll tell you what I hope
God will do for you. I hope you're just good enough
with this music to enjoy it and make a little spare change with
it. And I hope you're just lousy enough that you can't possibly
make a living at it. He looked at me kind of strange. About
six months or a year later, he called me up No, he came to visit
with me, sitting here at the house. I'm already going to bed.
He said, I'd like to talk to you a little bit. We sat and
talked a while. He said, I didn't understand what you're talking
about. You had that conversation with me. He said, I want you
to know I understand now. And I've given it up. And I said,
thank God. There's something more important.
There's something more important. The beauty, brilliance, wealth,
and honor, even health and happiness are utterly insignificant. when
compared with the grace of God. Our sons and daughters need Christ. They need the grace of God in
Christ. Let us then seek it earnestly. Seek the grace of God for our
children. Happy indeed is that father who
is assured upon good grounds that his child is chosen of God,
redeemed by Christ, born of God's Spirit. That mom, that dad, the rest
of the world can envy them. Now, you've got something. You've
got something. All right? Thirdly, here's a
lesson about true greatness. It's found in verse fifteen. True greatness is greatness before
God. That's where it is, Rod. greatness
before God. He shall be great in the sight
of the Lord. What a word. Men always measure
greatness with a real short stick. That which men call greatness
is nothing. Just nothing. Politicians, presidents, doctors
and lawyers, and statesman. Boy, wouldn't you like for your
son to be one of them? Sure would like for him to grow
up to be President of the United States. I have higher aspirations.
I really do. And I'm not belittling the office.
I'd love my son to be a great statesman like Winston Churchill. Oh, I've got higher aspirations
than that. I want my son to be a doctor, a lawyer. These days, We don't even set
such high aspirations as that. We think, man, if he can just
be Michael Jordan and make ten million dollars a year, whoo,
that'd be great. Oh, my soul. All who are called greats, all
who are admired greats by little fools are utterly insignificant
to the angels of God. Did you hear me? all who are admired and called
great by little fools on the earth, are utterly insignificant
to the angels of God. Totally insignificant. Those
who are great before men, they count nothing. Those who are
great before God, they count great. We will be wise to learn
to measure with their We'll be wise to learn to measure greatness
like they do. They measure greatness with God's
measuring stick. Let's seek for ourselves and
our children this true greatness before God, greatness in the
world to come, greatness that is forever. You say, Pastor,
what is that greatness? I'll tell you what it is. Turn
to Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11. Our Lord is here talking about
John the Baptist. The angel said, He shall be great before the
Lord, great in the sight of the Lord. Now look here at Matthew
chapter 11, verse 11. The Lord Jesus says, Verily I
say unto you among them that are born of women, There hath
not arisen a greater than John the Baptist. Now, here our Lord's
talking about a great man on the earth. He said, there's never
been one greater than this. This preacher, this prophet,
this man who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah, there's
never been one like him on the earth. Notwithstanding, he that
is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. What is true
greatness? It is greatness that only the
grace of God can give you. It's a gift. It's a gift. Any of us who have ever watched,
I mentioned Michael Jordan a little bit ago. He's an icon down in
North Carolina. Any of us ever saw him play basketball?
You look at that fella fly through the air and you think he's got
wings. How'd he do that? It's just a gift. Yeah, yeah. But I'm talking about a gift
of grace. It's not something you can exercise and stretch
your muscles, and exercise and stretch your muscles, and exercise
and stretch your muscles, and finally attain it. No, no, no.
I'm talking about grace. This greatness is a gift of God.
It is the greatness of divine approval, so that we stand before
God Almighty, accepting His Son. This is the only greatness in
the world, James Jordan. that let you sleep well at night,
accepted before God, approved of God. Will you hear me, children
of God? God approves of you. God approves
of you. That's greatness. God has imputed
to you the righteousness of His Son. He has washed away your
sins in the blood of His Son. God counts you holy as His Holy
Son. This is the greatness of faith.
It belongs to all who believe, so that all who are in the kingdom
of God, believing on the Son of God, stand before God's grace
in the sight of the Lord. So great, he said, I've sacrificed
Egypt and Ethiopia and Suebi for you, and I'll give men for
you and people for your life. That's called greatness. All
right, look at verse 15 again. and learn something about the
operations of God. God always acts in total sovereignty,
and His sovereignty defies explanation. I'm getting to the age, I'm getting
more than a little bit weary and put out with imaginary brilliance. with proud, haughty opinions
of ourselves. I hear men talk about doctors
and educators. Just thought he got a doctor's
degree in theology. He got a master's of theology. I don't believe I'd put that
in my name. A master of the study of God. Man, that's a mouthful. That's a mouthful. Let me tell
you something about God. He won't fit in any box. You're not going to, you're not
going to press him down and get everything lined up neatly and
say, now there, I've got this thing figured out. Let me show
you a monkey wrench. Look at verse 15. And he shall
be filled with the Holy Ghost. even from his mother's womb. One of these days, we're going
to find out God's bigger than we are. As I read through the
book every now and then, I run across text like this, and I
think to myself, I'm so glad he did that. I'm so glad he did
that. He just takes a huge monkey wrench
and throws it right in the middle of our theological machinery
and says, now you figure that out. Oh boy, what does that mean?
I took time to read several commentators on this first scripture. I was
interested in what they had to say. J.C. Ryle, one I like to read after
Matthew Henry, another. They both took this passage of
scripture to say that John the Baptist was born again before
he was born. They both say here is evidence
that God works in little children. And therefore we should not prohibit
little children from being baptized. We dare not do that. And I read
the text again. I scratched my head, and I said,
I just don't see that. I just don't see it. Some of
the hard-shelled primitive badgers, they refer to this text, and
they say, now there is proof that God stays centered without
the use of means. There is proof God stays centered
without hearing the word, God can save me in any way He will.
Well, I scratched my head again. I just don't see it in the text.
Now, let's be honest with Scripture. Let's be honest with Scripture.
Don't ever grab a verse of Scripture and rip it out of its context
and make it mean whatever it is you want it to mean. We do
not, in honesty, build our doctrine with the whims of our imagination,
but rather upon the plain statements of Scripture. If you can't point
in the Scripture and say, this is why I believe what I do, keep
your mouth shut about it. Just keep your mouth shut about
it. We ought to be able to look in the Word of God, then are
there. That's the reason I believe what I do. And be honest and
deal with it in the context. To be filled with the Holy Spirit
simply means to be controlled by the Spirit. No more and no
less. Let me see if I can give you
an example. Our Lord tells us by the Apostle Paul, be not drunk
with wine, wherein is excess, but be ye filled with the Holy
Spirit." And now, most of you have seen a fellow who was falling
down drunk. He tries to walk a straight line,
he can't do it. He tries to touch his nose, he
can't do it. He tries to drive a car, miss
the pylons, he'll run over everyone else. They just, how come? Because
he's under the control of wine, or of alcohol and drink. This
is exactly what Paul says. He said, now you, children of
God, do live in such a way that your lives are controlled by
God's Spirit. Now here, John the Baptist, we
are told his father was given this promise. He shall be controlled
by the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. That is, he shall be brought
up and protected and cared for from the time of his conception
by the special care of God's Spirit. He's my special servant.
He's my special servant. The same thing was said concerning
Jeremiah. In Jeremiah chapter 1, verse
5, the Lord said, Before I formed you in the bed, I knew you. Before
I brought you forth from the womb, I sanctified you. The same
thing was said of the Apostle Paul. He said, when it pleased
God who separated me from my mother's womb to reveal His Son
in me. The same thing was said about
David. The Psalmist David says, Thou art He that took me out
of the womb, and didst make me to hope when I was upon my mother's
breast. I was cast upon thee from the
womb, for thou art my God from my mother's belly." Oh, well,
David was... David... That means David, when
he was nursing at his mother's breast as a little infant child,
had conscious hope before God. Now, don't be stupid. No, no. What does that mean? That means
God had put His hand on him, and cared for him, and protected
him, even from his mother's womb. And I got news for you. He has
you, too, if you hear. The special objects of His grace. And, of course, there's a special
application of this to John, as he is God's servant and God's
preacher. Look at verse 16. And many of the children of Israel
shall he turn to the Lord their God, and he shall go before him
in the spirit and power of Elijah. turn the hearts of the fathers
to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to
make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Now, there's the
character and the conduct of a man sent of God as his messenger. He's an instrument in God's hands
to turn the heart of God's people to the Lord God. He turns the
hearts of Israel, God's elect, to God by the preaching of the
Word. He turns them from ignorance
to knowledge, from darkness to light, from superstition to revelation,
from unbelief to faith, from sin to righteousness. He turns
the hearts of the fathers to the children. Now, I read that,
and I tried to find out what other fellows had to say about
it, and not much made any sense. What does that mean? Before God saved the man, surely
his heart toward his children, sorta, sorta. But when God gives
a man life and faith in Christ, now his heart is toward his children,
because he's concerned for their souls and bent upon their eternal
good for God's glory. And he turns the rebel thugs,
those who are disobedient to the wisdom of the just, calls
his rebel sons to bow willingly as the servants of God. He goes
before and walks before God in the spirit and power of Elijah,
seeking God's message, God's will, God's grace, God's glory,
and God's kingdom. And he makes ready a people prepared
for the Lord, makes them ready by preaching the word for Christ's
coming. He's a man filled the Holy Ghost,
and sent from God with God's Word for you. Now, that's the
man, John the Baptist. God make thee like him. Oh, God
make thee like that man, for your good and his glory. Amen. All right, Ron, you lead us into
him, if you will. they can come to the Lord's table.