Birth Of John The Baptist

Luke 1:56-66(NLT) Before John is born Mary returns back home. She had been with Zechariah and Elizabeth for three months. When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby the word spread quickly to her neighbors and relatives that the Lord had been very kind to her, and everyone rejoiced with her. When the baby was eight days old, all the relatives and friends came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah after his father but Elizabeth said, "No! His name is John!" There is no one in the family named John so they asked to speak to Zechariah. Zechariah m0rtioned for a writing tablet and everyone's surprise he wrote, "His name is John!" Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God. Wonder fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. The question was asked, "I wonder what this child will turn out to be? For the hand of the Lord is surely upon him in a special way.

Mary Sings Song Of Praise

Luke 1:47-56 (NLT) "Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed. For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me. His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him. His mighty arm does tremendous things! How he scatters the proud and haughty ones! He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. And how he has helped his servant Israel! He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful. For he promised our ancestors-Abraham and his children-to be merciful to them forever."

Mary Visits Elizabeth

Luke 1:39-45 Mary Visits Elizabeth A few days after Mary was told she was going to have a baby she hurried to the hill-country of Judea where Zechariah lived. When she entered the house and greeted Elizabeth the sound of Mary's voice made John leap in Elizabeth's body and Elizabeth was filled the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "You are blessed by God above all other women, and your child is blessed. What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me! When you came in and greeted me, my baby jumped for joy the instant I heard your voice. You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." Thought: What a difference between Zechariah and Mary. When Zechariah heard what the angel had to tell him he didn't believe what the angel said. He was not able to speak and wouldn't be able to speak until the baby was born. Mary, on the other hand, believed what the angel told her and know she was called a blessed woman and she was going to be the mother of the Lord. I can't even imagine how Mary was feeling.

Birth Of Jesus Foretold

Review Zechariah was visited by the angel Gabriel in the Temple. He was told that his wife Elizabeth would conceive and they were going to have a baby and he was to call his name John. Zechariah did not believe the angel and because of this his speech was taken away and he it would not return to him until the baby was born. He went home to Elizabeth and she did conceive and we left off where she was 5 months pregnant. When Elizabeth was six months pregnant the same angel that visited Zechariah came to Mary who was in Nazareth in Galilee. Mary was a virgin and she was engaged to be married to Joseph a descendant of King David. The angel greeted Mary with "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.!" Mary was confused and disturbed, she tried to think what the angel was talking about. Then Gabriel explained to her that she was going to become pregnant and have a son and she was to name Him Jesus. He would be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. He would reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" Mary asked the question, "How can she have a baby for she knew not a man, she was a virgin? The angel told her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the Most High will overshadow her. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called Son of God. Also Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! For nothing is impossible with God." Mary believed the angel and told him, "I am the Lord's servant and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." I am so glad that Mary believed the angel. She had faith in her Lord. She knew what would happen once Joseph found out about her being pregnant. It would hurt him deeply. She loved the Lord with all of her heart and she wanted to please Him. I am not so sure I would have responded like Mary did. How about you? Would you have responded like Mary or would you be more like Zechariah?

Birth Of John the Baptist Foretold

Birth Of John The Baptist Foretold Luke 1:5-25 It all begins with a Jewish priest, Zechariah. He lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, His wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old. One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple and an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was overwhelmed wit fear. But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And your are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth, for he will great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or hard liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth, and he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom." Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I know this will happen? I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years." "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to bring you this good news! And now, since you didn't believe what I said, you won't be able to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time. Meanwhile, people were waiting for Zechariah to come out, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn't speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures that he must have seen a vision in the Temple sanctuary. He stayed till his of service was over then he went home to his wife Elizabeth, and she shortly afterward became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. "How kind is the Lord. He has taken away my disgrace of having no children!" What a great start to our Christmas story!

Christmas Season

Now I feel comfortable in doing the Christmas story. It is a short story and it is only found in two of the Gospels, Luke and Matthew. There are many characters found in the Christmas story. Priest Zachariah, his wife Elizabeth, John, Mary, Joseph, the Angel, Angels, Shepards, King, Wise Men, Simeon and Anna. We will look in Luke and take a few verses a day and do a summary of what took place. Get your Bibles and join me in this wonderful account of our Lord Jesus and His birth.

Thanksgiving Theme

Being that this is Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, it is appropriate to think on the theme of Thanksgiving. The other day I said I was thankful for family and friends and today I want to mention my church family. I have been with my church off and on now for 46 years. I found it is a great church to be part of. We have three Pastors. One is our main Pastor, one is our Youth Pastor, and the last one works with the Seniors in our congregation. All are very busy and on occasion they take turns to preach. Our church is a very caring church. We have a prayer line which is used when church is not in session. I have needed to us this prayer line a few times. It is great to know that people are praying when going through a tough time. We have get-togethers often and it is nice to fellowship around a dinner table and eat great food. I think this is one of our favorite times together. Coming up we are having a baptism and communion in the same service which ought to be very exciting and reflecting on the last supper in which the Lord took bread and ate and took drink which represents His blood. I pray that you also have a good church you are attending. One that preaches God's Word and is a praying church. Happy Thanksgiving!