Luke chapter 1, I'm entitling
the message from the words of the messenger from God. His name was Gabriel. He's a
messenger and an angel sent to Zacharias to declare the good
news, the good news of a coming special son that God gave a special
ministry. So I'm entitling the message
from the words down in verse 17, and he shall go before him
in the spirit and power of Elias, and that refers to Elijah, to
turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, or turn the
heart to fathers and children, to turn the heart to the disobedient,
to submission, to wisdom of the just, now here's the title, to
make ready, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. A people prepared for the Lord. Now the angel of the Lord, Gabriel,
is declaring unto Zacharias what the ministry of John was designed
to do. It was designed to turn hearts
to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is just, our just God and Savior,
who is wisdom incarnate. Wisdom personified. All the wisdom
of God is hid in Christ. Jeremiah said, Jeremiah 31, Turn
thou me, and I shall be turned. For thou art the Lord my God. Lord, turn me. Turn me. Turn
me. David prayed this in Psalm 80. Turn us, O God. Turn our hearts. Turn us, O God, and cause thy
face to shine upon us, and we shall be saved. there is a turning
that God must do in our heart. Because it's not of him that
willeth nor of him that runneth, but it's God that shows mercy
unto us. Now, only the Almighty God can
turn a sinner from death to life, from darkness to light, from
disobedience unto submission from being a rebel to having
a repentant heart." Only God can turn the heart. Only God
can grant repentance. You remember what the Word of
the Lord says concerning John's ministry? Hold your place right
there and find the Gospel of John chapter 1. The Gospel of
John chapter 1 verse 6. John had a very special ministry
that was given of God. You see at verse 6, John 1 verse
6, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. What was his ministry about?
The same came for witness, to bear witness of the light. Notice
that's capital L. That all men through him might
believe he was not the light but was sent to bear witness
of that light. That's the true light which lighteneth every
man that cometh into the world. What was John's message? Look
at John chapter 1 verse 29. What was his message? Behold
the Lamb of God. Do you remember? John 1 verse
21. The next day John seeth the Lord
Jesus coming unto him, and he saith, Behold the Lamb of God,
that taketh away the sin of the world. And that's his people,
the world of his elect. as we talked about in our Bible
study this morning. You remember what John said of
himself? John said, I must decrease, the Lord Jesus Christ must increase. John's ministry was to point
out the Lord Jesus Christ. Behold the Lamb of God. Look
to Him. Follow Him. Don't look to me.
We're going to read in a little while where John said, I'm just
a voice crying in the wilderness. John pointed sinners to Christ,
and that's what the gospel ministry is all about. In verse 13, Luke
1, the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias. Now watch this. Your prayer is heard. Your prayer
is heard. Elizabeth and Zacharias had been
praying for many years. She was a barren woman, never
had any children. They'd been praying and praying
and praying for many years, and their prayer was heard. Their
prayer was answered. When Zacharias was about his
priestly ministry in the temple, burning incense upon the altar
of incense in the holy place, Zacharias had a very special
visitor that came to him. And the messenger of the Lord
said unto him in verse 13, Fear not. Fear fell upon Zacharias. He said, Fear not, Zacharias,
for thy prayer is heard. Your prayer has been heard, your
prayer has been answered, you're going to have that special son
that you prayed for. They've probably been married
50 years, maybe more. They've been praying all that
time for a son. This ought to teach us the value
of prayer unto the Lord. The Lord does hear our cry and
in due time He will answer our prayer. Now turn to 1 Thessalonians
chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Our Lord told us to continue
in prayer. Watch unto pray. Pray always
and think not. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, look
at verse 16. Rejoice evermore, pray without
ceasing. You see that? Pray without ceasing
and in everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. What a privilege we have to call
upon our God in prayer. I love that song, Sweet Hour
Prayer, that takes me from this world of care. What a privilege
we have to call upon our God and ask for mercy. Someone said,
delay of answer must not discourage our faith. It may be God has
long granted before we shall know of his grant. God had granted
the answer to this prayer long ago, now it comes to pass. That ought to teach us to pray
and to wait upon the Lord. And again I say, wait. Now look
at verse 14. The messenger said to Zacharias,
you're going to have that special son and you're going to call
his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness
and many shall rejoice at his birth. Your son is numbered among
the elect of God. Your son is going to be a believer. Your son is going to be a prophet.
Your son is going to be blessed of God. Your son is going to
be used of God. Now, I can't think of any greater blessing a parent can
receive than to have a believing child. What could any parent
desire more than for his child, that that child should be known
as a believer, as a son of God? Think about it. A believer of
the gospel, walking with the Lord, and the angel said to Zacharias,
your son's going to be a believer, he's going to be a prophet, and
you're going to have joy and gladness. Made me think about
this. What do our sons and daughters
need more than anything else? What do you need more than anything
else? Let's get right personal. What do we need more than anything
else? Now, we want to do the best we
can for our children, don't we? We want them to be healthy. We
want them to have a good education. Maybe one day have a good paying
job. Maybe one day have a nice house. But what do we really
desire for our children? I tell you what, that the Lord
might have mercy upon them. That's what we desire for our
children. You see, good health, education, good paying job, wealth,
all these things, passing away. The fashion of this world is
passing away. What we need and what all men
need everywhere is Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, and faith
in Him, faith in Him. Oh may God help us to raise our
children up in the nurture, admonition of the Lord, and pray for their
salvation. I pray for my children's salvation,
don't you? For our children and our grandchildren.
I've got two grandchildren. I pray for their salvation. The
Lord be pleased to do something for them. I thought of two scriptures
about this. Parents and children and salvation. In Proverbs 22, wise man Solomon
said, train up a child in the way that he shall go. When he's
old, he'll not depart from it. Train a child in the way he should
go. And then I thought of this scripture that Paul says of Timothy,
"...and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith
which is in the Lord Jesus Christ." What do we need? Christ. Faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, may God grant it to be so.
And I tell you, if you're a believer, you do have joy and gladness.
And we do rejoice in those who were sent of God to preach the
gospel unto us. Look over here in this same chapter,
verse 58, verse 57 of Luke 1. When Elizabeth's full time came,
she should be delivered. She brought forth that son, just
like it was told. And her neighbors and her cousins
heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her, and they
rejoiced with her. Oh, there's rejoicing. There's
rejoicing in the salvation of sinners. Now look at Luke 1 verse
15. And this messenger sent from
God, remember he said down here in verse 19, I'm Gabriel that
stand in the presence of God and am sent to speak unto thee
and to show thee glad tidings Here's some of these glad tidings,
verse 15, "...for he shall be great..." Now watch this, "...in
the sight of the Lord." Now John was despised among men. He was
despised among men, but he was great in the sight of the Lord.
"...and he shall be separated, he shall neither drink wine,
nor strong drink. He shall be filled with the Holy
Ghost, even from his mother's womb." He shall be great in the
sight of the Lord. When they asked John, turn to
John chapter 1, when they asked John about his ministry, remember
what he said? He said, I'm a nobody. I'm a
nobody. He didn't say, well, I'm a great
prophet. He didn't say that. When the
Pharisees asked him in John chapter 1 verse 9, And this is the record
of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to
ask him, who art thou? Now, he could have said, well,
I'm the special son of Zacharias. I mean, the angel from God came
and announced my birth. I mean, he had some credentials.
But he passed all those by, and he said and confessed and denied
not, but I'm not the Christ. Who art thou? He said, I'm not
the Messiah. They asked him, what then, art
thou Elijah? And he said, I'm not. Art thou
that prophet? Are thou that prophet? Deuteronomy
18, referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. And he answered, no.
Then they said unto him, who art thou, that we may give answer
to them that send us? What sayest thou thyself? Look
at verse 23, I'm a voice. I'm a voice. The voice of one
crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord,
as said the prophet Isaiah. You remember what he said in
Isaiah 40? John, who are you? A voice of
one crying in the wilderness. You remember in Isaiah 40, he
said, all flesh is grass? The voice said, cry. And he said,
what shall I cry? All flesh is grass. We're all
sinners, and all the goodness thereof is the flower of the
field, the grass withered, the flower faded, because the Spirit
of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people, their grass,
nothing, the grass withered, the flower faded, but the Word
of the Lord shall stand forever. You see, John shall be great
in the sight of the Lord. Men, someone said, measure greatness
with a short stick. What is greatness in the sight
of the Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's only great in Christ
before the Lord. Turn to Philippians chapter 3.
It's probably one of my favorite scriptures. In Philippians 3,
I believe the Lord used this scripture to teach me the gospel.
In Philippians chapter 3, Verse 7, "...but what things were gained
to me, those I counted lost for Christ? Yea, doubtless, I count
all things lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count
them but dung, that I may win Christ and be found in Him."
true greatness. Not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ. The righteousness which is of God by faith. You see,
Christ is our righteousness. Blessed is the man whom the Lord
would impute righteousness without works. Now look back to the text. He shall be great in the sight
of the Lord. He shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He doesn't
need anything external to find comfort and joy. He shall be
filled with the Holy Ghost even from the womb. We enjoy the greatness
of His salvation. We enjoy as believers the greatness
of His love, the greatness of His mercy. God committed His
love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. We enjoy the greatness of God's
blessing upon us. It says there that John was great
in the sight of the Lord. I want you to turn and look at
a scripture with me. Luke chapter 7. Turn over there.
Luke chapter 7. Do you remember this? when they
came to the Lord Jesus and asked him about the ministry of John.
Verse 26 of Luke 7, What went you out to see, a prophet? Yea,
I say unto you, much more than a prophet. This is he of whom
it was written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,
which shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto you, among
those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet
than John the Baptist. Look at this next statement,
that he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than
he. I wish I could tell you all that
that means. Maybe I can think about it a
while when we get over to John chapter 7, the Lord will give
me something to say to you about it. But I found this statement
by Charles Spurgeon on that verse, the least in the gospel as the
believer being blessed in Christ stands on higher ground than
the greatest under the law. How privileged we are who by
virtue of entering into the kingdom of heaven by faith are made to
see here and enjoy those things which even the prophets of prophets
could not enter into. We have the full and complete
revelation of the Word of God and the Spirit of God to reveal
the things of Christ unto us. We are blessed with all spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look back at Luke 1 verse
15, the last part of verse 15. Now if you look this verse up
where it says of John, shall drink neither wine nor strong
drink. for he shall be filled with the
Holy Ghost even from the womb." John, like Samson, Samuel, and
Jeremiah, and the Apostle Paul, were specially set apart and
sanctified and totally controlled, influenced, dominated by God
the Holy Spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit. Now remember
in Jeremiah 1, Verse 5, the Lord said to Jeremiah, Before I formed
thee in the belly, I knew thee. Before thou camest forth out
of the womb, I sanctified thee and ordained thee to be a prophet.
Remember what the Lord said of the Apostle Paul in Galatians
chapter 1, But when it pleased God who separated me from my
mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in
me, that I might preach Him among the heathen. While still in the
womb of Elizabeth, John's mother, John was influenced, dominated,
and controlled by God the Holy Spirit. Now, this is a mystery. Look at Luke 1. Did you notice
this in reading this? In Luke 1, verse 40, this is
Mary coming to Elizabeth, who is her cousin. And when Mary
entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth, you got
it, Luke 140, it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the
salutation of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with
the Holy Ghost and she spake out with a loud voice and said,
Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb. Zacharias Not only was Elizabeth
filled with the Holy Spirit, not only was John filled with
the Holy Spirit, but look at Luke 1, verse 67. Later on, Zacharias preaches
the gospel here in verse 67, and he does so, and his father,
Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Ghost. and prophesied, saying,
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed
his people, and has raised up the horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David. Special, special blessing that
every believer enjoys to have the love of God shed abroad in
our hearts by God the Holy Spirit. You see, the Father chose us,
the Son redeemed us, and God the Holy Spirit in time comes
and quickens us, calls us out of darkness into His marvelous
light and is paused in Ephesians 1. We're sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption. Now look at verse
16 and 17 of Luke 1. And many of the children of Israel
shall he turn to the Lord their God, and he shall go before him,
the Lord our God, in the spirit and power of Elijah, and this
is from Malachi chapter 4 verse 6, to turn the hearts of fathers
and children and disobedient unto Christ to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord. Now here we see the importance
of the gospel ministry. The gospel preacher is an instrument
in the hand of the Lord to turn God's elect unto the Lord. Many, it says there in verse
16, you see that? Many of the children of Israel
shall be turned. Now who are the many? Who are
the many? Let's see if we can find out.
Turn to Acts chapter 13. Many. Acts chapter 13. Who are the many that will be
turned? These people were prepared by God from all eternity. We'll
see that in just a minute. Look at Acts 13. Who are the
many? Verse 48, and when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad and glorified the Word of the Lord,
and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed God. Who are the many? The many of
God's elect shall be turned unto the Lord. You see, only God This
is not saying that John turned anyone. It's saying that God
used his ministry to turn sinners to Christ. And that's what true
repentance is. Only God can turn a sinner from
death to life. Only God can turn a sinner from
darkness to light. You see, he must command the
light to shine in our hearts. And this turning here is repentance. That's what happens when God
grants repentance. We turn from self to Him. Only God who created the heart
can truly turn the heart unto Christ and give us eyes to see
Him and command the light to shine in our heart. Now look
at verse 17, "...and He shall go before Him in the spirit and
power of Elijah." John's ministry, like every true gospel ministry,
is designed to prepare a people for the Lord. Now, who are these
people? And when were they prepared? Turn to Romans chapter 9. They're the many that were given
to the Lord Jesus in that covenant of grace. In Romans chapter 9,
look at verse 21. Romans 9, 21. He hath prepared to make ready
a people prepared for or by the Lord. In Romans 9, look at verse
21. Hath not the potter power over
the clay, the same lump, to make one vessel unto honour, and another
unto dishonour? What if God willing him show
his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted For destruction there is that reprobate
world that we talked about earlier, and that he might make known
the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had
aforeprepared unto glory." You see, God has prepared his people
to receive the gospel when the gospel is preached unto his people. Now turn back to... I want you
to find Matthew, Matthew 24. Matthew 24. Here's another scripture
about the Lord preparing a people. Matthew 25. These are the people
who turn to the Lord. They're prepared to turn. And
God uses the ministry of the gospel to turn His people. You
remember Matthew 25 verse 31, when the Son of Man shall come
in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He
sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered
all nations. He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divides his sheep from the goats, and He shall set the sheep on
His right hand and the goats on the left. Then shall the King
say unto them on His right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation
of the world. You see, these people were prepared
by God. And in due time, in time, the
Lord raises up a preacher of the gospel and sends him out
to declare the message, blessed it to the hearts of God's elect
by the power of God the Holy Spirit, and they're turned from
self unto God. Now, let me show you that in
Scripture. Turn, read this with me. Find 1 Thessalonians chapter
1. They're turned. People are prepared
to turn from all eternity. God has an elect given to Christ
and he will cross her path with the gospel and call them out
of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Thessalonians chapter
1 verse 4. You got it? Knowing, brethren
beloved, your election of God, for our gospel came not unto
you in word only, but also in power. It did come by word, but
not by word only. It came by power and in the Holy
Ghost. And in much assurance, as you
know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And
you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received
the word in much affliction with joy." There's that joy again
of the Holy Spirit. So that you were an example to
all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. From you sounded
out the word of the Lord. They saw the necessity of preaching
the gospel. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of the Lord. But also in every place your
faith to God were to spread abroad, so that we need not to speak
anything, now watch this, for they themselves show of us what
manner of entering in we had unto you, how you turn to God
from idols. Now notice carefully, it doesn't
say you turn from your idols. It says you return to God, how
you turn to God. How did that happen? By His grace. Because He prepared a people
from all eternity to turn them by the gospel ministry. How you
turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. That's
what happens when God grants repentance, we turn. and to wait
for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even
Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come." How did He
do that? By taking the wrath of God for
us. Only God can turn a sinner from
death to life. from ignorance to knowledge,
from unbelief to faith. You see, faith like repentance
is a gift of God. From darkness to light, from
the ceremonies of the law unto Christ who fulfilled the law.
Only God can give a repentant heart. Repentance is not something
that gets in you naturally. The only thing that's in you
naturally is rebellion. God must grant a repentant heart.
Faith is not something that resides in you Naturally, faith is a
gift of God. The gift of God. It is the goodness
of God that leadeth thee to repentance. Romans 2.14 Acts 5.31 hath God
exalted the Lord Jesus Christ to his right hand to be Prince
and Savior for to give repentance to Israel, his elect, and the
forgiveness of sin. This turning of the heart is
true repentance. And this turning of the heart,
look back to the text again. Notice it says there, to turn
hearts. To turn hearts. Now, when we
think about, with the heart man believeth unto salvation, he's
not talking about this organ in our body. When he talks about,
with the heart man believeth unto salvation, he's talking
about your whole person, your mind, your will, your emotion,
your affection, who you really are. That's our heart, our real
self. He causes the whole man to turn. We turn in our thoughts, we turn
in our mind, we turn in our affection, we turn in our love to Him. That's true repentance. That's
believing the gospel with a heart. That's setting your affection
on things above, not on the things of this earth. And God must do
it. We'll never turn ourselves. We'll
never be turned unless God turns us. Let us always remember that
the Lord Jesus Christ has ordained the means to call out His people
through the preaching of the gospel. Now, I've had this argument
given to me before by those who refuse to believe the gospel.
Well, you say, if God elected a people and Christ died for
the people and that God the Holy Spirit will call them out, why
go preach? Why go preach the gospel? Faith
comes by hearing and hearing by the word of the Lord. It pleased
God through preaching to save them that believe. God has ordained
the preaching of the gospel to call out his people. That's why
we go, he said, go into all the world and preach the gospel.
God has ordained not only the end, but also the means to arrive
at that end through the preaching of the gospel. That's why I read
earlier, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved. That's why we preach Christ as everything in salvation.
The charge given to the church is preach the word, preach Christ.
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth. Peter said,
being born again with the incorruptible word of God. Whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now I'm a whosoever. How about you? Whosoever shall
be Whosoever shall call in the name of the Lord now. But listen
to this. How then shall they be called?
How shall they call on him in whom they've not believed? And
how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
Now you can't believe what you don't know. You cannot believe
what you've not heard. And how shall they preach, except
they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring
glad tidings of good things." We read that earlier from Romans
10, 13-17. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of the
Lord. I want you to find this scripture with me, over in Isaiah. That Romans 10, Isaiah 52. That's from Romans 10 is a quotation
from Isaiah 52 verse 7. How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publish peace,
that bring good tidings of good, that publish salvation, salvation
in the substitute Jesus Christ, that saith unto Zion, God reigns. You see that? Thy God reigneth. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. Make sure you call upon God who
is God. Behold, thy God reigneth. God
reigns in creation, created all things by the word of His power.
God reigns in providence, of Him, and through Him, and to
Him are all things, to whom be glory both now and forever."
And God reigns in salvation, doesn't He? You see, if God doesn't
turn our dead heart from darkness to light, we'll never be turned. But He turns us through the means
that He's ordained, and that's the preaching of the Word. That's
why God sent John. There was a man sent from God
whose name was John. My dear friend, Pastor Mahan,
used to always say this, and I believe he's right. One of
the greatest blessings that God can give to any community is
a God-called, God-sent gospel preacher that will say, thus
saith the Lord, thy God reigneth. God reigns in all things, everywhere. And God will bless that man that's
given that ministry as He did John. John had a very short ministry. He started his public ministry
when he was 30 years old, and he didn't preach but just a short
time. And because he would not compromise,
and because it was God's purpose, John was executed for the gospel
that he preached.