The Promise of Christmas Series: Zechariah; a Story of Joy

As we continue our Advent series, we’ll take a deeper look at God’s plan in preparing the way for the coming Messiah.

 

John 1:1-2,14 NIV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
  1. Jesus’ Birth is the Source of True Joy

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    Isaiah 40:3-5 NLT

    3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD ! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
    4 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.

    5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!”

    Luke 1:11-17 NLT

    11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.
    12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.
    13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.
    14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
    15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
    16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.
    17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
  2. It’s Our Joy to Prepare Others to Experience God

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    Luke 1:18-20 NLT

    18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
    19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!

    20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

    Luke 1:57-66 NLT

    57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son.
    58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.
    59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.
    60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”
    61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.”
    62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him.
    63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.”
    64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.
    65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills.
    66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.
  3. Our Joy Comes from God’s Grace

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    2 Timothy 1:9 NLT
    9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.Ephesians 2:8 NLT
    8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

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