Monthly Archives: August 2021

Luke 1- Song of Zechariah

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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 hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; Luke 1:69-72

When John the Baptist was finally born, his father Zechariah was allowed by God to finally speak, and declared his son would be named John, because God told him so. Everyone knew John the Baptist was born to be a prophet of God, but everyone was wondering what his mission was going to be. Well his father Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied about the coming of the Messiah and the role his son John would play

Zechariah mentions the “Horn of Salvation” has been raised up, this title was also used for God in the Old Testament (Psalm 18:2), this was a reference to Jesus coming as  fulfillment of the Messiah. Notice the deity reference of Jesus and Yahweh both being called “Horn of Salvation”, as Zechariah said this was foretold by the prophets, the entire Old Testament is about Jesus!

The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Luke 1:73-77

Next Zechariah reveals who John the Baptist will be, the prophet of God who shall prepare the way for The Lord (Isaiah 40) This is a fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah, a messenger to declare the coming of the Messiah, and preach a message of repentance!

Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:78-79

Immanuel, God is with us, (Isaiah 7) also revealing Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8) to expose the sin in the world and lead people to repentance and salvation. Another reference is Jesus is the way of peace or the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) , Amen!

Luke 1- Mary’s Song

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And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. Luke 1:46-49

I think one of the beautiful moments in the Bible is when Mary sang this song after she found out she was giving birth to Jesus. Oftentimes I think Protestants avoid giving any praise or respect to Mary, because of their separation with the Catholic Church. However, just as we show respect to the Apostles, I think we should show some love and respect to Mary also. 

Mary starts out with the statement “My soul magnifies The Lord” Mary became a bondservant to God, even though she knew her life was going to be difficult and in some cases persecuted, she went through with it to magnify God. Her spirit rejoiced in God, her savior. Mary becoming the mother of the Messiah, was not a glamorous title or position at the time. But she accepted her mission from God because she loved and was obedient to God

Notice Mary regards herself as a servant to God, yet she knew once everyone realized that her child is the Son of God, that many generations would call her blessed. And holy is the name of Jesus! Many people today use the name of Jesus in a curse word, this is blasphemy , as Jesus is the name above all names (Philippians 2)

And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. Luke 1:50-52

Notice Mary is revealing the New Covenant, Christ mercy will be from generation to generation , meaning forever! As Jesus revealed he will exalt the humble, and bring down the proud and mighty. I like the phrase, “the imagination of their hearts”. Many people misunderstood what and who the Messiah would be. Israel had this imagination of a ruthless King who would crush the world. However Christ came as the Lamb of God, who took away the sin of the world!

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. Luke 1:53-55

Mary reveals that the seed of Abraham is Christ, as God promised Abraham through him he would bless the world and be numerous as the stars, this was a reference to Jesus and the New Covenant. Its through Israel that the Messiah was born, and it was through Christ that the world came to salvation

The Messiah has been revealed to Mary and will come through Mary to the world, what a wonderful gift from God, to save his people from their sin Amen!

Luke 1- Mary Did You Know?

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And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. Luke 1:26-29

Around Chrstmas time you usually hear the song “Mary did you know”? Well in the scriptures we are reading today, Mary did know because the angel Gabrielle told her. The virgin Mary was chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah, the Son of God. The incarnation of God becoming flesh is an amazing mystery to ponder. But God is now going to provide salvation by sending his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world

Notice Mary’s reaction upon receiving this news, “she was troubled” imagine if you were just told you were going to give birth to the Son of God! You can only imagine the range of emotions going through Mary’s mind at this point. The Bible is clear, Mary was chosen and highly favored by God, what an amazing calling to receive by The Lord

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Luke 1:30-33

The angel Gabriel revealed many things about the coming of the Messiah. First he revealed his name, the name is Jesus. For centuries the Jews could never mention the name of God in fear of breaking the commandment, now we know the name of God, and we can call out upon the name of Jesus! Next it’s revealed that He is the Son of God and the Son of David, wait what? How can Jesus be the Son of God and David? 

Son of David is in reference to the Messianic Kingship line that was foretold throughout the Bible, however many didn’t understand or realize that the Messiah would literally be God in the flesh (John 1:14) The last thing that is revealed is this Kingdom will be eternal, meaning the Kingdom of God is coming to Earth (Revelation 21, Isaiah 65) All this has been revealed by the angel Gabriel

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34-35

The obvious question , as stated by Mary, is “how can this be”? How can the virgin Mary give birth to the Son of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus wasn’t physically conceived by a man, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, as he is God incarnate. It’s infallible for our human minds to try and comprehend this

The greatest message was delivered, Jesus is coming to save the world from sin and death, Amen!

Luke 1- John The Baptist Foretold

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And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. Luke 1:11-15

As we begin the gospel of Luke, the first event we see is the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist. This should tells us the importance of John’s appearance and his ministry. The first thing we notice here, is Zechariah was a high priest, therefore John was also from the line of high priest. Often when we think of John the Baptist, we think of a crazy guy wandering the wilderness. But this was not the case, as John the Baptist was not only from the line of high priests, but Jesus called John “The greatest of all prophets” (Matthew 11:11)

John the Baptist was also the fulfillment of prophecy as foretold by Malachi (3:1) and Isaiah (40:1) John was the one who was preparing Israel for the coming of The Messiah by a message of repentance, and he was the one who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, to signify that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God

An interesting note is John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, and was great in the sight of The Lord. We can probably assume, John was also taught the scriptures by his father Zechariah since he was a high priest. John the Baptist whole mission in life was to reveal the Messiah to Israel

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 Elias, to 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. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. Luke 1:16-19

John the Baptist was also a fulfillment of the coming of Elijah. Jesus confirmed this in Matthew 17:12-13. Many Jews today are still waiting for Elijah to come, but Christ confirmed it is already fulfilled. As the angel Gabriel revealed this messenger was to prepare the way for The Lord, the same as Isaiah foretold about John the Baptist

Notice what the Angel Gabriel says in verse 19, “to bring you this good news (glad tidings) meaning the gospel. Jesus is the gospel message, the salvation for the world, this is the good news!

And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. Luke 1:20-23

 However Zechariah didn’t believe the angel Gabriel, and because of his disobedience he would not be able to speak until John the Baptist was born. Zechariah was an old man at this time, and he didn’t see how it was possible for God to fulfill his promise, however as the angel say “With God all things are possible”

I find it interesting the similarity between Abraham and Zechariah, the fulfillment of the Messiah is coming into place. John the Baptist will be the messenger to prepare the way for Jesus, for everyone to come to repentance and receive Christ, Amen!

Acts 28-Paul preaches at Rome

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And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Acts 28:23-25

Paul finally arrives in Rome, he called upon the religious leaders to come together so he can teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now Paul assumed the Jews hated him, however they revealed to Paul they had heard nothing about him and they were willing to hear what he had to say. Imagine the big stage Paul is on right now, in the city of Rome preaching the gospel to all the religious leaders of this area

Paul taught them about Jesus through the Old Testament. Now he actually was able to convince some of them, while others rejected the gospel. Paul then quoted Isaiah , who prophecy about this very moment hundred of years before

Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.  Acts 28:26-28

Paul revealed through the prophet Isaiah, that salvation is going to the Gentiles because of the hardness of the hearts of the Jews. They rejected and killed their own Messiah, so God is building his Kingdom now through the Gentiles! Obviously this was not a message the Jews wanted to hear, or many still today don’t want to hear this message

And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. Acts 28:29-31

Paul remained in Rome for 2 more years, preaching the gospel of Christ. Historians believe Paul was eventually beheaded in Rome from Nero. As stated throughout his letters, he fought the good fight and he ran the race! Paul knew eventually his death would come but he willingly accepted this mission as a servant of Christ

This concludes the book of Acts, this book is a great reference on the history and story of The Church. We , as the Church, should learn and remember what our brothers and sisters endured in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen!