"Promises Made, Promises Kept" 12-22-24

Overview

Promises Made, Promises Kept

For 400 years, the heavens were quiet—no prophecy, no dream, no fresh word from the Lord. Then God broke the silence with two announcements of impending birth: one to Zechariah concerning his wife Elizabeth, and one to Mary. Where Mary received her promise in faith, Zechariah focused on the problem of Elizabeth's barrenness and old age, and his doubt was met with nine months of personal silence. Yet God's promise did not fail. In Luke 1:57-58, the appointed day arrives: Elizabeth bears a son, and the neighbors rejoice that the Lord had shown her great mercy. Promised mercies are fulfilled in their due time—not early, not late, but precisely when God wills.

On the eighth day, against family custom, the child is named John—short for Yohanan, meaning "God is gracious" Luke 1:59-63. The name itself preaches the gospel, for John is the forerunner who will prepare hearts to receive God's grace in Christ. When Zechariah confirms the name on the writing tablet, his mouth is opened. After 400 years of national silence and nine months of his own, the priest's first words are not a birth announcement but praise. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he prophesies in the Benedictus Luke 1:67-79: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people." Zechariah now sees clearly—the birth of John means the promised Redeemer is at hand, the covenant sworn to Abraham is being kept, and the dawn from on high is breaking upon those who sit in darkness.

The deepest bondage Israel faced was never merely political; it was the bondage of sin in the human heart, and we are all born into that same captivity. We cannot free ourselves. This is why John's ministry begins by preaching the law and exposing sin—because hearts that recognize their darkness are hearts prepared to welcome the Light. John points beyond himself to Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, who takes on flesh without our sinful heart, lives the life we cannot live, and dies the death we deserve but cannot endure. The promise of redemption is kept in him.

God still makes and keeps promises to his people. He promises to forgive your sins, to deliver you from death and the devil, and to walk with you every step of this side of heaven. Those promises come to you week in and week out through his Word and Sacraments. When you hear "your sins are forgiven," receive it as a promise founded in the blood of Jesus Christ—a promise made by God himself and kept in God himself, for you, eternally.

Transcript

If you would please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, the first chapter, if you are 3s

using a Pue edition of the Bible, this can be found on page 49 in the New Testament, 10s

where in the Gospel of Luke the first chapter. 16s

400 years. 21s

400 years. 24s

And there was no word. 27s

There was no prophecy. 30s

There was no dream. 32s

400 years of silence. 36s

That is the precursor to the series that we've been in this Advent season. 40s

Mary and Elizabeth, the prelude to Christmas. 46s

We began this series after 400 years of God's silence with God delivering the news 51s

of two pregnancies to Zechariah for his wife Elizabeth and to Mary. 60s

And we heard how Mary focused not on the problem of her pregnancy because she had never 67s

been married or had relations, but she focused on the promise that God had made to 75s

her. 82s

And we continued in this series with understanding what it means to be blessed. 83s

What it means to be a blessing, to receive the power and grace of God and to be set apart 90s

whereby God uses us to bless others. 97s

Last week we heard the song of praise that was on Mary's lip, the magnificent hot. 103s

We heard that those were the words from her heart that were borrowed from Scripture itself. 109s

We're looking now back at the first promise that had been made. 119s

Recall when Zechariah was told of his wife's pregnancy, the birth that would come, that would be miraculous. 125s

And unlike Mary, he did not focus on the promise, but he focused on the problem of Elizabeth's 134s

advanced age. 141s

And the fact that she had had a barren womb to that point and for his doubt, Zechariah was 143s

silenced. 153s

So we begin with 400 years of silence. 155s

And then Zechariah hears from God and doubts and is silenced himself. 160s

And so he remains in silence. 170s

But today, today the time has come where that first promise delivered to Zechariah will indeed be fulfilled. 173s

If you would please look with me at verses 57 and 58 in the first chapter of Luke. 186s

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth and she bore a son. 194s

Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her and they 198s

rejoiced with her. 205s

Promised mercies are fulfilled in their due time. 208s

They are not fulfilled before and they are not fulfilled after, but right in the perfect time, 213s

in the perfect time of God's timing and will. 219s

And in this time, God had appointed for this promise of mercy to be fulfilled for Elizabeth. 224s

And all had gathered around her and they rejoiced for they knew this was a miraculous birth. 233s

They knew that she was a seasoned saint. 239s

They knew that she had had a barren womb. 243s

And so they rejoiced with her and then to top it all off, she had a son, a son in 246s

the ancient Near East was a double blessing because that would be the one to carry on the family 254s

name. That would be the one to carry on and care for his family when the patriarch had died. 262s

And so this was a double blessing that her relatives and her neighbors rejoiced with her. 270s

It was a miraculous birth and all that would have heard of it would have been very glad. 278s

We continue in verse 4, 59. On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and they were 283s

going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said no, he is to be called John. 290s

They said to her, none of your relatives has this name. Then they began motioning to his father 298s

to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, 304s

his name is John and all of them were amazed. John is short for Johannon, which means, 310s

God is gracious. John was named this because he is the one to usher in the good news to prepare the way 322s

of God's grace to be revealed to his people to introduce the gospel of Christ. 335s

Where all the world is to know of God's grace. 400 years, 400 years and there was no word. 343s

There was no prophecy. There was no dream. And God delivers the news. 354s

He delivers the promise of two pregnancies, Elizabeth and Mary. 362s

And Zechariah focusing on the problem was silenced for nine months. 372s

Silence. 384s

The birth of this baby, this miracle baby, it was announced and he was given the name 388s

that was commanded by God. God is gracious. We continue in verse 64. 396s

Immediately, his mouth that Zechariah's mouth was opened and his tongue freed, 406s

and he began to speak praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors and all these things were 412s

talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea, all who heard them ponder them and said, 418s

what then will this child become? For indeed the hand of the Lord was with them. 424s

We've all seen them. Some of us have made them a birth announcement. The joyful news that a baby 432s

has been born and we send out cards. There are newspaper announcements. We call all the relatives. 440s

The baby has been born. He or she is here. He weighs this much. There's great joy, great 449s

as Ben born. And here we have a birth announcement. The child, John, God is gracious, has been born. 461s

And when he is born and when he is named, the silenced mouth of Zechariah is freed to announce 477s

the birth of his son. But what does he say? Looking at verse 64, immediately his mouth was 486s

opened, his tongue freed, and he began to speak praising God. Jump down with me, please, to 67, 501s

where it says then the his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this 510s

prophecy. 400 years, no prophecy. And here Zechariah who had been silenced in his doubt is 517s

filled with the Holy Spirit and with the Holy Spirit, a prophecy is spoken. And he says, 526s

beginning in verse 68, blessed be the Lord God of Israel. For he has looked favorably upon his 537s

people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty Savior for us in the house of his servant David, 545s

as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old that we would be saved from our 555s

enemies. And from the hand of all who hate us, thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, 562s

and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, 569s

to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 577s

in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. Zechariah had been freed to speak. He had 585s

filled with the Holy Spirit and the prophecy was upon his lips and he didn't announce the birth of 595s

his son. He didn't praise the Lord for the birth of his son, but he praised the Lord because the promise 603s

the promise had been kept. No longer was Zechariah focusing on the problem of the pregnancy. 613s

He focused on the promise that had been delivered. This miraculous birth of his son had indeed 629s

taken place and he knew that his son John being born meant that the promise the promise of the 637s

Savior would be held true that God would keep that promise. God had made a promise long ago to Abraham, 646s

that Abraham's descendants would be more numerous than the stars that they would be countless, 659s

and here Zechariah sees this will indeed be fulfilled. He says, blessed be the Lord God of Israel 668s

because he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He knew that God was raising 677s

up for them indeed as Savior who was to come and he praised God. He praised him for the promise 684s

that God had made and he praised him for the promise that he knew God was keeping in that very day. 693s

What was the promise that God had made to Israel? What was the promise that God had made 703s

was the promise of redemption? It was the promise that they would be freed from the bondage 712s

that they were in. The promise is not for Israel only because Israel was indeed in literal 721s

bondage when they were in slavery and Egypt and God promised that He would deliver them and indeed 732s

brought them through the Red Sea and He brought them through the wilderness wandering for 40 years 739s

and they brought them to the promise land and every time the Israelites would turn and rebel against 747s

God. He would deliver them. He would redeem them. He would save them from their bondage. 756s

But their bondage, their bondage was greater than just the physical bondage of being overtaken 770s

by a tribe or a people. Their bondage, the depth of their bondage was found in their hearts. 781s

The depth of their bondage that they could not free themselves from was the bondage of their sin. 796s

My brothers and sisters, we are born into this world in that same bondage of sin. 804s

We may not physically find ourselves in bondage but the depth of bondage, the real slavery 816s

is the slavery of our heart to sin. This is what we cannot free ourselves from. 830s

But God is gracious. God is gracious and Zechariah knew that because God is gracious was born. 846s

John was born. It meant that the promise of the Redeemer was to come and would be fulfilled. 856s

And indeed, as we will see in just a couple of days, the promised Redeemer indeed will be born. 868s

Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, God Himself entering into creation, 876s

born in the flesh, taking flesh upon Himself and yet without our same heart of sin, 883s

so that He can grow and be raised up, living the life that we cannot live, 895s

so that He can die the death that we so rightly deserve yet cannot endure. 903s

And it is through Jesus Christ that that promise of redemption, that promise of saving is kept. 913s

This is the first word upon Zechariah's lips. 400 years of silence, no word, no prophecy, no dream. 924s

Nine more months of silence for Zechariah, the priest of God, and when his lips are freed, 940s

he speaks the praises of God because he knows the redemption is at hand. The redemption is real, 950s

and the promise that God has made is the promise that God is keeping right in His midst. 959s

And the people all wondered what they heard and they knew something was special about this young child that had been born. 967s

The man or the child they were to name John, God is gracious and they all pondered saying, 978s

what then will this child become? And John prophesies about his own child after praising God 985s

for the redemption that will be coming in Jesus Christ. He says in verse 76, you child, 996s

speaking of John, will be called the prophet of the most high for you will go before the Lord 1005s

to prepare His ways to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the forgiveness of their sins. 1012s

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us to give light to those 1020s

who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet to the way of peace. 1027s

John was named God is gracious because he would be the one to prepare the way, to prepare the hearts. 1036s

To hear the message that John would deliver is to hear the law. 1051s

To hear the word that John would proclaim in the wilderness was to hear of sin. 1058s

How can that be God is gracious? 1068s

Because when we hear of our sin and we hear of the darkness in which we dwell, 1077s

in our sin, our hearts are prepared to hear the dawning light, our hearts are prepared to hear 1087s

of God's grace, our hearts are prepared to hear that our sins are forgiven, 1101s

not in our own deeds, not in our own righteousness, but in God's loving mercy and grace 1110s

that He has for you. God promised, God promised that this child, this miraculous birth, 1122s

would happen for Elizabeth. The child that grew in her womb would indeed be born. 1136s

And today we celebrate the birth, the birth of God is gracious because the birth of John 1145s

is a promise made and a promise kept and as we celebrate that promise that has been kept, 1159s

we celebrate knowing that the promise of redemption of our sins, the promise of the full 1168s

forgiveness of our sin, the full darkness in which you were born has been cleared by the light 1175s

of Christ, the promised Messiah, the promise that was made by God Himself and kept in God Himself. 1189s

God makes many promises to us. He promises to forgive our sins. He promises to save us 1203s

from death, the devil. He promises to walk with us every step of our journey, this side of heaven. 1212s

God makes those promises. Those promises are kept for you in Christ and they are brought to you, 1225s

weak in and weak out in His Word and in His sacrament. When you hear today, 1239s

your sins are forgiven. Know that that word is rooted and grounded and founded in the promise that 1250s

God has made to you and has been kept in the blood of Jesus Christ for you and continues to be 1261s

the promise that is kept for you eternally in His grace and His glory. Amen. 1273s