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- What happened to Zechariah when he was in the temple?
-An angel of God appeared to Zechariah.
- What did the angel say to Zechariah?
-The angel said that God was going to give Zechariah a son, and that his name was going to be John.
- What then did the angel say about the son that God was going to give to Zechariah?
-The angel said that Zechariah’s son, John, would prepare the people for the coming Savior.
- What did the angel call the coming Savior?
-The Lord.
- Who is the Lord?
-God.
- What did the angel tell Mary?
-The angel told Mary that God had chosen her to give birth to the coming Savior.
- What was to be the Name of Mary’s Son?
-Jesus.
- What does the Name “Jesus” mean?
-The Name “Jesus” means Savior or Deliverer.
- What did the angel mean that Mary’s Son would be the Son of the Most High?
-Mary’s Son would be the Son of God.
- How would Mary’s Son be the Son of God?
-God the Father and God the Holy Spirit were sending God the Savior to earth as a Son of God and as a Son of man.
- Was Mary’s Son to be God or man?
-Mary’s Son would be both fully God and fully man.
- Why was Mary’s Son to be born without the seed of a human father and mother?
-So that He would be born without the sin of Adam and Eve.
-So that He would be born perfect without sin.
- Was Jesus to be the Savior whom God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to all people?
-Yes.
-The time came for Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, to have her baby.
Let’s read Luke 1:57-58
57-When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.
58-Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
-Did God keep His promise to give Zechariah and Elizabeth a son?
-Yes.
-God gave Zechariah and Elizabeth a son, and they named him John.
-When Zechariah’s son John was born, God the Holy Spirit spoke through Zechariah.
Let’s read Luke 1:67-71
67-His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68-“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.
69-He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.
70-(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71-salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us–”
-What was Zechariah saying?
-Zechariah was praising God.
-Why was Zechariah praising God?
-Zechariah knew that God would be sending the Savior very soon.
-Zechariah knew that the Savior would come and save the people from the power of sin, death, and Satan.
-All people need to be saved from the power of sin, death, and Satan.
-This is why God was sending the Savior into the world.
-How did Zechariah know that the Savior would come and save the people from the power of sin, death, and Satan?
-Because Zechariah read in God’s Bible that God promised to send the Savior.
-What else did Zechariah say?
Let’s read Luke 1:72-75
72-Zechariah said, “To show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
73-the oath he swore to our father Abraham;
74-to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear
75-in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”
-Zechariah knew that God would be keeping His promise to send the Savior.
-This was the promise that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob many years ago.
-God always keeps His promises.
-God never breaks His promises.
-What did Zechariah say about his son John who was born to him?
Let’s read Luke 1:76
76-Zechariah said, “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him.”
-Zechariah said that his son John would be a prophet of the “Most High.”
-Who is the “Most High”?
-God the Father.
-What was the work that Zechariah’s son John was to do?
-John would go before the Lord, to prepare the way for Him.
-Who was this Lord, before whom John would go to prepare the way?
-Jesus, God the Savior.
-Who alone saved Noah and his family from the flood?
-God.
-Who alone saved Isaac from death and provided a ram as his substitute?
-God.
-Who alone saved the Israelites from the bondage of slavery and Pharaoh?
-God.
-Who alone saved Jonah from the stomach of the big fish?
-God.
-Only God can save us from the power of sin, death, and Satan.
-What else did Zechariah say about his son John?
Let’s read Luke 1:77
77-Zechariah said, “to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.”
-Zechariah said that John would show the people the path to be saved.
-Zechariah said that John would show the people the path for their sins to be paid.
-What else did Zechariah say?
Let’s read Luke 1:78-79
78-Zechariah said, “Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79-to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
-How is the coming Savior like the rising sun?
-Here is an illustration:
-One very dark night, with no light from the moon or stars, you become lost in an unknown forest.
-As you are very afraid of the darkness, you eagerly wait for the light of the sun to come up in the morning.
-When Adam and Eve sinned, they were separated from God, who was the light of their souls.
-Because of their sin, their souls entered into the darkness of Satan.
-Because of sin, all people are born into the darkness of Satan.
-Just as the morning sun gives light after a very dark night, so the Savior would come to give light after the darkness of Satan.
-How many suns are there in the world?
-Only one.
-Just like there is only one sun in the world, there is only one Savior in the world.
-How many saviors did God promise to send?
-Only one.
-Just like only one sun gives light to all the world, only one Savior can save all people.
-God did not promise to send many saviors.
-God promised to send only one Savior.
-Zechariah’s son John grew up, and believed very much in God.
Let’s read Luke 1:80
80-And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.
-John lived in the desert until God called him to show to the people the path to be saved.