Before Christ came, the forerunner of Christ came. Before there was the nativity of the Messiah, there was the nativity of one appointed to prepare the way for Messiah. Before an angel announced the birth of Christ, an angel announced the birth of the forerunner of Christ. In fact, there are a number of similarities between the birth of Jesus and the birth of John, his forerunner. Both births, for example, were announced by the angel Gabriel. The names of both children were given to their parents by the angel who said, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. But the angel also said to Zacharias, you shall call his name John. Both of these young boys were born to mothers in miraculous circumstances, and indeed there are probably a number of other parallels as well, and yet also there are quite a few contrasts, probably more contrasts than similarities. John, for example, was born to the wife of Zacharias, and both of them were well advanced in years, but Jesus was born to a young unmarried virgin, without the benefit of a man. John was born into a family that was considered prominent in Israel, but Jesus came into a home that was considered low class in Israel society. John became a social recluse. Jesus led an active social life. John was a man. a great man, but no more than a man. Jesus was the God-man, Son of Man and Son of God. Jesus was the sinless one, and Jesus was the eternal one. The title of my message today is Preparing for the Preparer. and it is an examination of the account of the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist, recorded in Luke chapter 1, verses 5 and following, and found only in Luke's Gospel. We find the setting described in verses 5 through 12. The announcement, which we will consider in verses 13 through 22, And then the fulfillment began in verses 23 through 25. The setting is described for us, beginning at verse 5. The parents of John, the forerunner of Christ, were carefully selected by God, and he was born in an opportune time, in a perfect moment in Israel's history, but it was an interesting time indeed. There was, we read, in the days of Herod the king of Judea. John, like Christ, was born during the reign of Herod the Great, as he is known in history, who reigned from 37 to 4 BC. Of the reign of Herod, we might write or quote the words of Charles Dickens in the opening of A Tale of Two Cities when he says, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In some ways, the reign of Herod was the best of times because he was a builder, and he built many public buildings and improved many things in the land of Israel, not the least of which was the enlargement of the temple. And the Jews were very proud of that temple, which was still under construction at the time of Christ and many years after the death of Herod the Great. But it was also the worst of times because Herod was an evil man. He was a cruel tyrant. He put many people to death, including many of his own family. So paranoid was he, so jealous of his throne, so determined was he to hold on to his power at all costs. And so in many ways these are dark times in the nation of Israel, dark because of the political situation, dark because of the spiritual situation, for God's people have not heard a word from God either directly or through a prophet in 400 years. 400 silent years from the last word from God recorded by the prophet Malachi until the prophetic voice begins to be heard once again in these first century days. It was indeed dark times and those who trusted God and believed the Scriptures, recognized this to be a great time of darkness. And though they believed the Word of God and hoped, they also were filled with much perplexity and despair. But the fact of the matter is that God was at work in these difficult and dark times. Unseen at first, but very much at work, and little by little, the evidence of His work became manifested. And at the time when society, at the time when history seemed to be at its lowest ebb, that turned out to be the black backdrop against which God began to paint the brilliant rays of his illuminating truth and to bring forth his promised Messiah and fulfilled the promises that he had made to his people Israel. But before the Christ, there is the forerunner. And the family background of the parents that have been selected to bring John the forerunner into the world are also given to us in verse 5. We read a certain priest named Zacharias of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them have names that have meaning as I would say virtually all of the Jewish people did in that day. They chose their names carefully and they chose their names because of the meanings which they communicated. The name Zacharias means Jehovah remembers. God remembers His promises. It's a dark time, but the very name that these parents gave to their son was a reminder that Jehovah remembers. God has not forgotten us, no matter what it may look like, no matter what the circumstances may seem, we are confident that Jehovah remembers and God will fulfill His Word. Zacharias, we read, was a priest. Josephus tells us that priests were the royalty of Israel in this day when they had no king and when Rome ruled Israel, but the priests were considered the most honored members of Israeli society. And Zacharias was a priest. He was of the course of Abijah, we are told. It was in the days of David, you read about this in 1 Chronicles, that the priests were divided into 24 courses. because there were so many of them. And they took turns, and each division, each group of priests would serve in the temple for a week in turn until 24 weeks had passed, and then another week in the temple until 24 weeks had passed. And so each group would serve approximately two times a year. And Zacharias was of the eighth group the course of Abijah. His wife's name was Elizabeth. Her name means, my God is an oath. In other words, the absolutely faithful one. Her parents also named her with the Word of God and the promises of God in mind. My name is an oath. What God has promised, God will fulfill. What God has sworn, God cannot fail to bring to pass. the absolutely faithful one. And Elizabeth was also of the line of Aaron. It was not required that the priests marry into the tribe of Levi, but Zacharias did, and so his wife was also of that honored line. What a blessed prospect for a fruitful marriage. What a blessed union God had brought to pass with two who had come from a godly background, parents who believed in God and who prepared their children to serve the Lord and brought them together into a lifetime of service unto God. God so many times honors the spiritual legacy of believing parents. There are no guarantees, as we know, for God is sovereign in all that He does, and we cannot do certain things and say that binds God to certain results, but there are so many promises in God's Word to encourage believing parents to train up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and to trust God to work in their hearts and to bring them to Himself and to guide them in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. And that apparently was the case with both Zacharias and Elizabeth, parents who by the very names they gave their children indicate their strong faith in God. And God honored their faith, and God honored their labors in rearing their children in the paths of righteousness. And now we see the results of that in Zacharias and Elizabeth. Take heart, dear Christian parent. Some of you labored long and hard to bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and at this time you don't see the results that you would like to see. Take heart, dear Christian parent. Jehovah remembers. Your God is an oath. He will fulfill His promises. Continue to trust Him. The public reputation of these two was stellar. They were both, we read in verse 6, righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. They were righteous before God. That is, they were righteous in God's estimation. In that particular statement, we cannot tell whether that means their outward righteousness or their inward righteousness. There's no question in my mind that they had both. They had both the righteousness which comes only from above, which only God can give, and which has nothing to do with our deeds or works or performance, but everything to do with our faith in God and in His promises. They had a righteousness which had justified them before God, but because that righteousness was living, and working in their lives, they had a righteousness which also was displayed before men. They were righteous before God, but what does that mean? And apparently that means as much, and maybe entirely, but certainly as much as anything, they were walking in all the commandments of the Lord. In other words, they were known in their communities as people who were sincere, who were dedicated to the Lord, who were faithful to His Word, as to believers in God who were not hypocritical, who did not say one thing and do another, who did not claim to believe one thing but lived as if they did not believe it, but they were those who had a reputation in their community as serious-minded followers of Jehovah, the covenant-giving, the covenant-keeping God. But they had a great marital disappointment. These lives that seemed to be filled with such promise actually had a great cloud that often darkened their sky that passed between them and the sunshine rays of God's loving kindness. And we read in verse 7, they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. They had no child, which obviously they desired, They had a natural desire for a child, as most married couples do, and God had denied them that natural desire. But in their day, it was more than simply a natural desire. It was a cultural matter. There was a great cultural stigma attached to those who did not have children. In fact, those who could not have children were thought to be under the curse of God, were thought to be under the judgment of Almighty God. And that was a great stigma to bear. Elizabeth felt it more keenly than her husband, Zacharias. She expresses that in verse 25 of this chapter when she says, Thus the Lord has dealt with me in the days when he looked upon me to take away my reproach among people. You see, as godly as these people were and as wonderful backgrounds they had, they did not live perfect lives. They did not live unblemished lives. They did not live an idyllic existence without any burdens and sorrows. As a matter of fact, they probably had other burdens and sorrows which are not recorded here, but we know they had one great one. They had no child, and that was a great burden in the day in which they lived. Surely you have learned by now, dear friend, that no one lives with all blessing and no burden, all sunshine and no rain, all joys and no sorrows. That's not the lot of anyone in this world, this fallen world under God's curse because of Adam's sin. And God appoints sorrows and trials to all people, not the least of which His own people. And anyone who would tell you that it is not God's will for his children to suffer trials, and if we do it is a lack of faith, is not dealing honestly with the Word of God. For the Bible tells us just the opposite. The Bible tells us whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. And we are appointed to trials. My brethren, count it all joy when, not if, but when you fall into divers' trials." And thus, in this condition, Zacharias went to his appointed time to serve the Lord as a priest in the temple. His week had come. And so it was that while he was serving as priest before the Lord in the order of his division, and thus begins the account of Zacharias' work in the temple, and what God did at that time, Zacharias is simply carrying out the duties that as an older priest he's carried out many times before, as his week of service came around twice a year, and he's doing that again. in his priestly service, and this account gives us a lot of helpful details about the expression, the exercise of the Jewish religion in the first century. Because there were several thousand priests at this period in history, even as there had been in the days of David, they had reinstituted these 24 divisions that David had first appointed, though those divisions had been broken up with the Babylonian captivity, and only a few representatives, or maybe I should say a few representatives of a few of the divisions returned from that Babylonian captivity. But nevertheless, all 24 had been restored with their original names and were carrying on as they had in days of old. But in addition to the regular priestly work that Zacharias was doing, a lot was cast. This was how they selected the one who would serve, who would offer incense in the temple at the appointed time. Twice a day, morning and evening, incense was burned upon the golden altar in the holy place. And because there were so many priests, no one was allowed that privilege more than once in a lifetime, and many priests served their whole lives without ever having the privilege of offering incense upon the altar of incense. But at this juncture, late in life, The hand of God directed that the lock should fall upon Zacharias, and so he was now doubly honored, not only to serve as a priest, honored and esteemed in Israel for that reason, but now all the eyes of the nation, at least all those who had gathered at this particular time of prayer, were upon Zacharias, the appointed priest, to go into the holy place and to offer incense upon the altar. According, we read, to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord, and the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour. of incense, public worship going on. It went on constantly actually in the temple, in the courtyards of the temple, but there were two times in particular when people gathered together to join their hearts together in prayer. And at this time they might pray for personal needs, but often they were praying for national needs, the nation coming together to pray for their nation. to pray for the well-being of their country, to cry out to God for help as their country had fallen into very difficult and low spiritual circumstances. And so at that time, whether the morning or afternoon incense offering, we do not know. The crowd of people gathered in the courtyard and Zechariah steps inside the holy place to carry out the privileged duties of offering incense upon the golden altar. He had two assistants who were with him to help serve him. One of them had coals from off the brazen altar where animals were sacrificed, and he took those coals and spread them out upon the altar of incense in preparation for this act of worship. The other one was carrying the incense, and at the proper time he handed it to Zacharias the priest. And Zacharias took this incense, a formula prescribed by God to be duplicated and used for no other purpose except for the worship of God in the temple in this way. And Zacharias took that carefully prepared incense and he poured it over the coals that had been laid upon the altar, and the incense began to billow, the smoke began to billow and to roll, and it would have vented outside the temple, and the people out in the courtyard were watching the incense rise, and they recognized this as a symbol of the prayers, their prayers, and the prayers of their nation that are arising to the throne of Jehovah Almighty God. It was a sacred time. It was a God-appointed time of worship of these people in the temple. After offering the incense, normally Zacharias would turn. He didn't spend a lot of time in the Holy of Holies, just long enough to offer the incense and for the cloud of smoke to fill the holy place and to escape to the outside. And then it was his lot, his duty to return outside to the courtyard and there to pronounce upon the people the benediction. The blessing found in Numbers chapter 6, the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and give you peace. The people were waiting for that. Zacharias delayed his appearance. They waited and they waited and they waited until they feared that something was wrong. Has Zacharias had a stroke? Has he had a heart attack? Has some tragedy befallen him as he's serving the Lord in the holy place? What's wrong? There was a sense of growing concern, of growing alarm as the normal time went on for Who knows how many extended minutes? But the reason for the delay is described for us in verse 11. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. An angel of the Lord on the right side of the altar, which means to the left of Zacharias, who would have been facing the altar. An angel of the Lord, and Zacharias, though he'd never, I'm sure, had ever seen an angel before, there was no question in his mind that this was an angel. When you find angels appearing to men in the Bible, most of the time they recognize them as angels, though not always. It all depends on whether they appear as a man or they appear as a man in shining garments. That's the main distinction. And when they come as an angel, they come with the glory of Almighty God upon them, the reflected Shekinah glory of God. And obviously this angel appeared to Zacharias in that way. And sure enough, fear gripped Zacharias. Fear fell upon him. the consistent response to the appearance of angels in the Bible. You can trace that through the Old and New Testament scriptures. In fact, the consistent experience of those who find themselves unexpectedly in the presence of God Almighty, they also are always gripped with fear. Surely we understand that there is a great danger of failing to have proper reverence for God that seems to be encouraged in our day. It is true that we can have a close and familiar relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We're grateful for that. It's true that whenever angels appear and cause fear, they always, always say, fear not. And by their words, diminish the fear that has come upon the worshipers. But how important it is that first we enter into a holy fear, a reverential fear, before we find the fear removed, before we hear the words, fear not, rather than to rush into the presence of Almighty God as if He is our school buddy and we slap Him on the back and chew our gum and pop our bubbles and have a rocking good time with Almighty God. the maker of heaven and earth, the thrice holy God of the universe. The angel announces a surprising answer to prayer. The angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. Zechariah's fears are diminished, though apparently not completely removed. But he is told that his prayers have been honored. What prayers? The prayer that he made perhaps before the golden altar, represented by the incense arising? Perhaps. But the indication seems to be that the angel has more in mind prayers made by Zacharias and Elizabeth over the course of their lifetime. In fact, prayers that were earnestly made years before when they were beseeching God Almighty to give them a child. Prayers which they had stopped praying with the advancement of years, for now they are well advanced in years and have come to the conclusion that God does not intend to answer that prayer, and they have come to terms with this denial of answer and disappointment. But now the angel says, don't be afraid, your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. And you shall call his name John, which means Jehovah is merciful. What an appropriate name. Jehovah is merciful. The mercies that you have sought are being poured out. Certainly the mercies that you have sought for in begging for a child that you thought were denied are not denied. God is merciful. He is going to give you that long sought son. God is answering your prayer, but just not in the way or the time that you expected, but actually in a better way, at a better time. Oh, God is wonderfully merciful. And yes, no doubt the prayers that were being made by the crowd outside that represented the burden of the nation praying to God for a time when better days would come, when spiritual blessings would fall, when Israel's captivity would be restored, would be released and she would be restored. I think the angel, by these words, is giving Zacharias and others reason to believe that God is merciful in that regard as well. And those prayers, too, have been heard by God and shall be answered. And then a number of prophetic statements are made about this child. This child will be a cause of great rejoicing, not only for his parents but also for others. Verse 14. The child is one who will be great in the sight of the Lord, verse 15, and that's the greatness that matters. Greatness in the sight of the Lord. Many have ambition to be considered great in the sight of men, but you can be great in the sight of men and not be great in the sight of God. That's a very little value. It's a very temporary value, and in the light of eternity is of no value whatsoever. But the greatness that matters is to be great in the sight of the Lord, which sometimes means to not be considered great at all in the eyes of men. Other times it means you may be considered great in the eyes of men as well, as John was. But the key is to look to God, consider what pleases Him, Consider how your life can be used by Him and make that your sole ambition and leave all other considerations to God. If pleasing God, if being great in the sight of God will make you large in the eyes of men, well and good, if it does not, well and good, it really makes no difference as long as I am counted valuable to God. The third statement says that he will consume no wine or strong drink. You can read these things beginning in verse 14. And you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. It makes us wonder if John was a Nazarite. It doesn't really say that. This is one of the characteristics of the Nazarites, that they must not touch wine or strong drink. Whether the other requirements, for example, never cutting his hair, were also imposed upon John, we do not know, but there's no indication of that in any of the descriptions we have of him in the Bible. I take it that this was probably just one particular requirement that was given to John, but you shall drink neither wine, that is the fermented product of the grape, nor strong drink, which is the fermented product of other fruits, or honey, or grain. All of these, all fermented beverages, will be denied to this one. Though allowed to other members of Jewish society, they are going to be denied to this one for reasons that are not explained. We are only left to speculate. Furthermore, we're told, he'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. Verse 15, he will also be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. I suppose that characteristic has probably occasioned more speculation than any of the others. And whatever it means in fullness, we know that it means this much in general. He is going to be one who is going to be controlled energized, directed by the Spirit of God continuously from His earliest days to the end of His life. An amazing pronouncement. And yet please note, just in passing, that the life of John is characterized by the fact that he performed no miracles. Did you know that? though called the greatest of the prophets by none other than Jesus Christ Himself, and many of the prophets, Old Testament prophets in particular, but New Testament ones as well, many of them were enabled by the Holy Spirit to perform miracles. The power of the Holy Spirit does not automatically mean performance of miracles does not necessarily mean the performance of miracles. In fact, that is not the highest end to which the power of the Holy Spirit is given. Whatever the performance of miracles indicates, whenever it is done, it is always something less than the ability to speak the Word of God with power. the ability to see God work in response to His Word in changing the hearts and lives of men. And indeed, we're not surprised, therefore, to read that if He's filled by the Holy Spirit, what shall transpire next? And we see it in verse 16, and He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. That's the evidence of His filling by the Holy Spirit, the powerful impact of His preaching ministry upon the nation of Israel, that's the evidence of His Holy Spirit control and empowering. John's ministry is not going to be temporarily effective, as it may be if he performs miracles, but hearts are not changed. But John's ministry is going to be eternally effective, because his ministry is going to be used by God to convert many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. His ministry will be eternally effective, which is the greatest need. His ministry will convert men, will turn them to the Lord their God, will turn them to the wisdom of God as we read in verse 17. He will also go before Him that is Messiah and the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient that is Believers, rebellious, those who are not rightly related to God, the disobedient, to the wisdom of the just, to be brought into glad surrender to the Word of God, the wisdom of the just. That's what conversion does. It brings people into glad obedience to the Word of the living God. And all of that will make ready a people prepared for the Lord. True conversion turns men to the Scriptures. Show me a person who has been truly saved, and I'll show you a person who is interested, vitally interested in the Bible, God's Word. Show me a person who claims to be a Christian, but seems to have very little interest in the Word of God, and I must, by the wisdom that is given to me in the Bible itself, I must take a a magic marker and put a big question mark over that person's profession because true conversion always gives people a hunger and a thirst for the living word of the living God. That's one of the most obvious evidences of conversion, one of the most compelling evidences of the new birth. We're also told in this prophecy that conversion reforms domestic relationships. Conversion, when it's real, makes a difference in homes, in marriages, in relationships between husband and wife and parents and children. Not that there will be perfect relationships, there never are this side of heaven, but true conversion makes for happy and harmonious homes and where that seems unattainable. Again, it's only biblical to take your finger and paint a question mark over the profession of salvation in those instances. And then, this one will prepare the way for Messiah, verse 17, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And in verse 17, Luke, the sacred historian, quotes from the book of Malachi, the last two verses of the Old Testament. Here's how the Old Testament ends. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." The last words, the last promise of the Old Testament, and then 400 silent years, no message from God, but now the angel comes from the throne of God and says, Zacharias, you and your wife will have a son, his name is John, and he will do the things that are described here, and he will come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. will prepare a people for the Lord their God. God is at work. God has spoken again, and what God has spoken before has not been forgotten. What God has spoken before remains His Word, has been His Word to believing people all through these 400 years. Yes, 400 silent years as far as God sending another prophet to speak word directly from heaven, but not 400 silent years for those who listen for the voice of God in the scriptures that He has already given, while God has been continuing to speak to them all along. And so they hear His voice in the angel And it simply sounds to them like the next verse of Malachi's prophecy. That like Malachi is continuing to speak after having given his last message 400 years before. Well now Zacharias comes outside to the crowd who have been wondering where he has been. And the people waited for Zacharias and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak to them. And they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying, Thus the Lord has dealt with me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people." There was this declaration, this public communication. of at least some elements of the angel's message to Zacharias. He couldn't speak a word, but he was able to communicate to them enough so that they knew he saw a vision in the temple. How they knew that exactly, we don't know, but apparently through hand signals he was able to make that known. It was a speechless communication. And so now all those who were worshipping God in the temple that day, realized that after 400 years of no vision, God has now spoken to his people once again, and the air of excitement and anticipation is stirred up. to a great degree, and no doubt all eyes are now following Zacharias and Elizabeth as he, first of all, completes his responsibility, fulfills his week's duty in the temple before he goes home. If this had happened to you, And you had burned incense on the altar. We're never going to do that again. The highest privilege that ever came to a priest. And you knew that there were probably scores of other priests on duty alongside you who could carry out your duties without any difficulty. You really wouldn't be missed. Would you hang around till your week was over before you went home? Zacharias did. That's just the kind of man he was. That's the kind of pattern that he had established. He was a righteous man in obeying all the commandments and ordinances of God. He had a duty to perform and he fulfilled it. There was no reason, no human reason, why he couldn't stay and complete his week before he went home, and so he completed it! Zacharias was Above everything else, a faithful man. He could be counted on to do what he said he would do. He could be counted on to do what had been given to him to do. He could be counted on to carry out his work before he went home. What an example. And then he went home and Elizabeth conceived and concealed herself five months. her reasons again that were left to speculate, until she gave this humble testimony that we read earlier in verse 25, "'Thus the Lord has dealt with me in the days when he looked upon me to take away my reproach among people.'" Elizabeth publicly testified of this. Number one, my trial, the great trial that I bore in all of these years, was from God. I know that it came from the hand of God. I don't know why He ordained to do it this way, but I acknowledge that it was God who has dealt with me, God who brought this trial. Every joy or trial cometh from above. traced upon my dial by the Son of Love." That's what Elizabeth is saying. She's saying, my trial came from God, and my triumph comes from God. God has now seen fit to end my great trial, to remove my reproach, and to give me the joy of a son. And thus from this passage we learn that God always keeps His Word. Always keeps His Word. Sometimes His Word is misunderstood. Many puzzled over the details of the promises of the coming Messiah and didn't always understand what God was saying about that coming and the timing of that coming. But nevertheless, God keeps His Word whether men understand it exactly or not. God keeps His Word even when it often seems delayed and that's only seem so by men, never by God, because a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day, and God has no delays, and no disappointments, and no long waits in His timetable. But His promises often seem delayed to us, and that's just the test of our faith, Are we going to continue to trust Him even when His promises seem to be unfulfilled over a long period of time? Are we going to trust God or man? His Word or our circumstances? What are we going to believe? I would recommend that you believe God because God keeps His Word and His promises are always fulfilled. My God is an oath. The parents of Elizabeth pronounce that name upon her as a baby girl. And now in her age, her advanced years, that name brings new meaning. My God is an oath. He's absolutely reliable. You can count on Him. He fulfills His word every time. Those of you who are wondering about the Gospel, about the whole issue of salvation, is that real? Is there really a God before whom we must stand someday and give an account, and before whom we are sinners unless we have a righteousness which is not our own? And has that God really given us His Son as a substitute? to take the place of sinners who trust in Him? And if I trust in Him, the crucified and risen Son of God, will I really be granted salvation and shall never die but live in His presence forever, having been made righteous before the throne of God? Is this true? If you're wrestling with those questions today, let me remind you, God's Word is true! It's always true. And because God keeps His Word, therefore God sent His Son. It was a promise fulfillment, the greatest fulfillment of all of God's promises, the greatest event of all of history. And so it is fitting that there come a time in every calendar year, even in nations that are moving further and further and further away from Christ and the Bible, but how fitting that there should be a recognized time of year that societies don't seem to be able to shed themselves from, no matter how hard they may try. A time of year when all society, to some degree, great or small, thinks about the birth of the Messiah, the fulfillment of God's promise, God's greatest promise fulfilled. God keeps his word. That's why we celebrate Christmas. God keeps his word. A wonderful opportunity for you to witness to others at this Christmas season. And this also reminds me that God prepares for his presence. for the coming of Christ, which was indeed the presence of Almighty God. God prepared in many ways, and the culmination of that preparation was in sending John, the forerunner of Christ. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Isaiah said a forerunner would come, and that's exactly what he would do. That's what Malachi also said that he would do. Malachi 3, 1, Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. Even the messenger of the covenant That's a name for Messiah, a title for Messiah. The messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But he will be preceded by a messenger, by a forerunner. God prepares for his presence, then and now. God prepares for his presence. God powerfully works in our lives to make us His children. He prepares for that presence through the various circumstances of our lives that bring us into connection, into the presence of God's Word and the presence of people who know the Lord. God prepares for His presence by bringing His Word to bear upon our soul and making it understandable, making it powerful in our lives. God prepares for His presence by sending His Holy Spirit to do a work in our heart and to make room, to make a place prepared for the Savior to cleanse out the sin and to prepare place for the Messiah. And dear friend, you need to recognize that you're here today for a reason. Some of you who may still be outside the arc of safety, you're here today for a reason. God has brought you here to hear his word. Is he preparing you for that great act of conversion, that great invasion of your soul by the Holy Spirit of God, you should think so, you should hope so, you should want that, you should seek that, you should respond to God's Word in faith and humility and cry out to God to come, complete that work, do a work within my soul. How foolish you are if, like other members of Jewish society, You belittle that preparation, you despise that work, you dismiss these things. Oh, how badly it will go for you in that day when you must stand before the one who made you to give an account. Are you preparing for the preparer? Shall we pray? Thank you, Lord, for your word that speaks to us so wonderfully. Mix, O Lord, your word with your spirit. Mix your word with your grace, and may it do eternal work, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.