What Jesus Did : Luke 1:76-79 - Great Expectations!

    by Phil Ware

    Great Expectations! - Luke 1:76-79

    "Now you, little boy, will be called a prophet of the Most High (God). You will go first before the Lord to make the people ready for the Lord's coming. You will make his people know that they will be saved. They will be saved by having their sins forgiven. With the loving mercy of our God, a new Day from heaven will shine on us. God will help the people that live in darkness, in the fear of death. He will lead us in the way that goes toward peace." (ERV) Full Text

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    Key Thought

    At first glance, this is a passage about great expectations that parents have for their child. However, on closer inspection, it is really about the great expectations that people have for God. The birth of John is the dawn of God's great time of fulfillment. Many of the promises of the people of God, spoken over many centuries in the Old Testament, are now coming true. John will be a tool in God's hand. John will be a sign that the time of fulfillment has come. John will be a servant to the Almighty. However, the work is God's work. The deliverance is God's salvation. The triumph is God's victory. The fulfillment is God's faithfulness. The dawn has come and darkness is being driven away by a holy light.


    Today's Prayer

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    Father, I praise you for being completely faithful to your promises. I thank you for using everyday human beings to be your vessels through whom your work is done. I appreciate you for choosing Zechariah and Elizabeth to receive your miraculous blessing of John. I honor you for loving your people and bringing them hope in their night of despair. I am in awe that the gospel begins with John the Baptist. Thank you for your plan to bring us salvation. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


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    Today's Verses in Context


    Then Zechariah, John's father, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He told the people what would happen: "Praise to the Lord God of Israel (the Jews). God has come to help his people and has given them freedom. God has given us a powerful Savior from the family of God's servant, David. God said that he would do this. He said it through his holy prophets that lived long ago. God will save us from our enemies and from the power of all those that hate us. God said he would give mercy to our fathers. And he remembered his holy promise. God made a promise to Abraham, our father. God promised to free us from the power of our enemies, so that we could serve him without fear. We will be holy and good before God as long as we live. "Now you, little boy, will be called a prophet of the Most High (God). You will go first before the Lord to make the people ready for the Lord's coming. You will make his people know that they will be saved. They will be saved by having their sins forgiven. "With the loving mercy of our God, a new Day from heaven will shine on us. God will help the people that live in darkness, in the fear of death. He will lead us in the way that goes toward peace." And so the little boy (John) was growing up and becoming stronger in spirit. John lived in a place away from other people, until the time when he came out {to tell God's message} to Israel (the Jews).

    -- Luke 1:67-80 (ERV)

      URL: http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/luke/0122-wjd.html

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