“The Prophet of The Highest” – Luke 1:68-79
Luke 1:8-10 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
Luke 1:13-14 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.
Luke 1:18b Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
Luke 1:19-20 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. 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.
Luke 1:63-64 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
I. The Needed to Be
Luke 1:76 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;
Isaiah 40:3-5 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, And every mountain and hill shall be made low: And the crooked shall be made straight, And the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together: For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Malachi 3:1a Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.
John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
We can use our lives in so many ways to make a big deal about that which matters most – and that is Jesus Christ.
Jesus deserves our best, and thankfully, we can join him in the work of preparing people to meet Jesus.
II. The Needed to Be
Luke 1:77-78a To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God;
No one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy. It’s just that great!
God’s mercy never gets old or all used up.
Lamentations 3:22-23 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
III. The Needed
Luke 1:78b-79 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.
Jesus does not just provide “light.” He is the “Light.”
John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.