I want to open with a text from the Gospel of John, chapter 1, which Bryce read for us earlier, but particularly verses 14 through 18. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory. The glory is of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me. For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace, for the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever. Father, who is even worthy, Lord, to speak of such things. Lord, I pray today as we walk through your word and consider afresh, Lord, stories surrounding the nativity of Christ, God, that you would feed us with heavenly manna from above. It is Christ. For those who hunger, Lord, spiritually, may they be well-fed this morning upon Christ. And if there be any here yet without Him, oh God, would you cast that hunger into their hearts as well, that they too may come and feast. It's in His name that we pray. Amen. You may be seated. One little word. Does that phrase remind you of something? Does it ring any bells for you? One little word. It's actually a phrase found in the third verse of Martin Luther's great hymn, A Mighty Fortress. It's a phrase that often gives me chills. Now sometimes when we're very familiar with a hymn, we might sing it through and not really appreciate the truths that are coming from our mouths. So I want you to bear with me as I read through the four verses of this hymn so that you too can appreciate the context and the meaning behind this particular phrase. Again, it's going to come at the end of the third verse and Luther will refer back to it again in the fourth verse. So listen to the words that he penned in the 1500s. A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe. His craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate on earth is not his equal. Did we in our own strength confide our striving would be losing? We're not the right man on our side. The man of God's own choosing. You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus. It is He. Lord, sabbath His name from age to age the same and He must win the battle. And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure. One little word shall fell him. That Word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them abideth. The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also, the body they may kill. God's truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever. One little word. And that word is Jesus. Now, in this hymn, Luther is giving reference to the exalted Christ who is at the right hand of the throne of God. But I can't help but to think about this phrase in reference to the Incarnation. That moment in time when the Word was made flesh. In this way, quite literally, one little word. born in a stable and laid in a manger. And by that one little word, God brought salvation to this world by claiming victory over sin and death and hell. So it's my intention today to begin a series by that title, One Little Word, with yearly installments at Christmastime, walking through the narrative in Luke's Gospel surrounding the incarnation of Christ. This year we will begin with the story of Zacharias the priest and with his wife Elizabeth and the baby boy given to them, whose name was John. So the title of my message this morning is one little word His way prepared. And the theme is this, God is faithful to fulfill all of His promises and to remove the disgrace of His people who wait patiently in faith. I have three main headings this morning. First, by God's choosing. Secondly, his purpose revealed. Thirdly, fulfilled in silence. So to begin with, by God's choosing, verses one through 10 in Luke chapter one. Luke opens this way, in as much as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the exact truth about the things that you have been taught. So here we have the opening to Luke's gospel, and these first four verses run in parallel to the opening of his second volume, which is Acts of the Apostles. Now, in both situations, he addresses his orderly account that he has recorded to Theophilus. We don't really know who this Theophilus is. It's speculated that he was a wealthy believer among the Roman dignitaries. However, others have suggested, and I like this thought, that this was simply a pseudonym in reference to the church among whom it was to be circulated, because the name Theophilus means loved by God, and so here we have most excellent Theophilus, most excellent one, loved by God. How fitting that would be, to write a letter to the church in that way. What I want us to appreciate then as we begin to move through the following verses here of Luke's gospel account is the emphasis that he gives upon the sovereign initiative of God in setting into motion the long-awaited promises. And we see here in the text that follows, it was God's chosen timing among God's chosen people and in God's chosen place. So first of all, it was God's chosen timing, continuing in verse five. In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias. Now, the Herod that is before us here is Herod the Great, who had been set over the land of Judea by the Romans who now were in occupation of the land. And here's the context that we need to have in mind. There has been an interval period of over 400 years since the Jews have received any word from God. This is the period of time that's known as the intertestamental period between the Old Testament and the New Testament. And the last word from God came through the prophet Malachi, whose ministry was around 420 BC. The last words of the prophet Malachi were these. For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff. And the day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the Lord of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you, fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing, says the Lord of Hosts. Remember the law of Moses, my servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I'm going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." And then there was 400 years of silence. To make matters worse, the land had been conquered by Rome in the year 63 BC. And this would have very likely have been in the early years of this priest, Zacharias. So he likely witnessed the conquering of their land by the Romans. We can only imagine how difficult this was for God-fearing Jews. What had become of God and His promises? Would He ever come again to deliver them? And where was the promised Messiah? As we say in Bethlehem Revisited, the light of hope was surely growing quite dim. But now, in the unsearchable wisdom of God, that light would begin to dawn like the hues that fill the early morning sky before the sun emerges. And it was the time of His choosing to bring about His promised deliverance. It was God's chosen time. Secondly, we see that it was God bringing His salvation through His chosen people. Continuing in verse 5, In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias of the division of Abijah, and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years. So the episode here today centers upon this man by the name of Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth. They are an elderly couple. They live in the hill country of Judea, just outside of Jerusalem. Let's consider briefly some of the other details that we find here in the text. First, they were both of priestly descent. Zacharias was from the order of Abijah, and his wife Elizabeth was a daughter from the lineage of Aaron. Secondly, they were both eminent in holiness. Luke says they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. Now, obviously we know that no man is without sin. They were not perfect. but their lives of faith were made evident in their godly conduct. Their hope was resting upon God. Thirdly, they were childless. They had been unable to conceive and have children, and now that season of life had come and gone for them. And I want you to appreciate that this was no small thing. A childless Hebrew was considered a disgrace among their people. It came with a certain stigma. Oftentimes people viewed a barren womb as some sort of mark of divine displeasure, perhaps as a punishment for some secret and serious sin. But as we see moving forward, this also provided the ground for a demonstration of God's remarkable interventions. So here are the people of the story chosen by God for his intended purpose. It was God's timing and God's people, and thirdly, it was God's chosen place. Continuing in verse eight, now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by law to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering." So, it is interesting to note that in those days, it's estimated there were some 20,000 priests. Perhaps a detail you might not have appreciated. I certainly didn't until I came across that. And my understanding is that there was a weekly rotation among the priests in services at the temple. And then every day, there was a priest that was selected out from that particular division who was dedicated to offer up the incense within the holy place. And so, in consideration of these things, it was unlikely that any man should attend to this duty more than once in his entire lifetime. So this made, in more than one ways, perhaps the most memorable day of Zacharias' life. Now the incense was prepared in accordance with the sacred recipe, and it was to be offered up within the holy place upon what was called the altar of incense. And the altar of incense sat right beside the veil into the other chamber, which was the holy of holies. And this incense was to be offered in the morning and in the evening, as a pleasant aroma wafting upward to God. And the symbolism of this incense offered in such a manner was the lifting up of prayers. Psalm 141.2 reads, may my prayer be counted as incense before you, the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. Luke also notes that while Zacharias was inside, the holy place offering the incense, there were a number of people gathered out in the temple court for prayer. Now this was customary for them to do this and they would wait then in expectation for the priest to return again from his duties and provide them with a blessing at the conclusion of that particular event. And so it was by God's sovereign choice in the context here of the temple, in the holy place, with incense and prayers being lifted up before him, that he spoke to Zacharias through his messenger, Gabriel. And this brings us to the next heading, his purpose revealed. So reading now from verses 11 through 20. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. But the angel said to him, do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard. And your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 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 he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Zechariah said to the angel, how will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years. The angel answered and said to him, I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the days when these things take place because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time." So I wanna focus on three aspects of this portion of the text. And first of all, the messenger of God. His name, we're told, is Gabriel, which means the strength of God. So, what do we actually know about Gabriel? Now, there's plenty of speculation, there are legends, there's apocryphal literature that tell us various things, but I want to examine the biblical facts. Several things, four things we can... surmise about Gabriel from scripture. First, Gabriel is only one of two angels that is actually called by their name. The other is Michael, the warrior archangel. Secondly, Gabriel is mentioned a total of four times. in the Old and New Testament, twice in the book of Daniel in chapters 8 and 9, and then twice here in Luke chapter 1, appearing first to Zacharias, and then secondly to Mary. Now, consequently, his name is not mentioned when the angel speaks to the shepherds. His message in each of these accounts pertains in some fashion to the coming of the Messiah. The third biblical fact that we know is that Gabriel himself tells Zacharias in verse 19 that he stands before the presence of God. So this is not your average angelic being. This is, in fact, a very exalted angelic being. And then fourthly, from the various passages, we can gather that Gabriel has the appearance of a man. So no wings on this Gabriel. but he is terrifying when he is viewed by men, those in his presence. Second thing I would like to consider then is the message of good news that Gabriel delivers to Zacharias. First of all, he informs him that Elizabeth, his aged wife, was to bear him a son. And he mentions that this has done an answer to their petition. We ought to just kind of pause there for a moment. An answer to their petition. Let's say she's 60 years old. That petition was given probably over the course of the last 40 years. that they would grant them a child, that God would grant them a child. Secondly, that his name was to be John, which means God has shown me favor. Thirdly, that he would be a very special child, because he was going to be filled with the Spirit of God, even while still within his mother's womb, and then consecrated to the Lord with the vow of a Nazarite. And then finally, more than this, Gabriel's words demonstrate that he is coming as the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy. Now there's several pieces to this particular part. We know that he is going to come and bring about a repentance, turning the hearts of those in Israel back towards God. He's going to come as a forerunner of the Messiah. as one who would herald his coming. He would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. So in other words, not as Elijah himself, but as the Elijah to come as prophesied by Malachi, a prophet that is in the likeness of Elijah and filled with the spirit like Elijah. And then fourthly, that he would turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children. and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous. Now, there's a variety of opinions as to what this means exactly. I don't have time to chase this all down right now, but I lean towards the understanding that the fathers here are in reference, a reference to the Old Testament patriarchs of faith to whom the promises of God had been given. and the children then, ultimately, the spiritual children of faith. And John's ministry was to prepare the Jewish people by means of repentance for the gospel ministry of Christ, through whom the intervening grace of God would be opened up to them, and to the Gentiles as well, and the inheritance of those promises then according to the new covenant made in his blood. So really the good news delivered by Gabriel was quite astounding and it had multiple layers. Finally, we see here the sign of reproof. So after receiving the good news, Zechariah says in effect, how am I supposed to believe this since I'm old, my wife is old. Give me some sort of sign as proof that this really will come to pass. And so Gabriel responds by first declaring to him his position, the one whom Zacharias is questioning here by saying, I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. I've been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. So as I'm thinking about that scenario playing out, I have to think at this moment, Zacharias was thinking to himself, Yeah, good point. This angel is no small potato. And God himself sent him with this message. In other words, to question God's messenger here is really to question God himself, as though God were somehow unable to do such a thing. And Gabriel continues, and behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time. So again, Zacharias, for want of faith here, asked for a sign to know that what was spoken was really true. And Gabriel granted him his request. He gave him a sign. that he should be rendered speechless for a time. Now, while this was a reproof, we also see that it was laced with mercy and it even contained sort of this ironic effect. The man full of joy for an answered prayer should now be speechless. and a speechlessness, a sign from above that the words of the angel would surely come to pass. And this brings us to the final portion of this little story this morning, under the heading Fulfilled in Silence, verses 21 through 25. The people were waiting for Zacharias and were wondering at his delay in the temple. But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. and he kept making signs to them and remained mute. When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home." So we see here first this curious delay. As I mentioned earlier, there's this group of people that are out in the courtyard offering up their prayers, waiting for him to complete his service of offering up the incense, which probably wouldn't have taken all that long. Now, as they wait, the time keeps ticking along, and there's no Zacharias. They wait longer, they continue praying, and still, no Zacharias. Now part of the reason for them waiting was they knew that when he came out, he would offer to them a blessing. Like that prescribed in Numbers 6.23 which says, The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace. But Zacharias wasn't coming. And the time was waxing longer and longer such that they began to wonder what had become of Zacharias. In fact, they probably began to worry that he had been slain by God in the midst of his duties. The duties of a priest before God in the holy place were a very serious business. but they themselves couldn't enter into the temple. They had to just simply wait until he emerged. Then finally, with suspense mounting, Zacharias emerges from the temple in a very peculiar manner. Instead of bringing to them the anticipated blessing, all he could do is make wild gestures with his hands. Here stands this excited but muted priest. And I'm sure this only added to their sense of astonishment. Now I can empathize a little bit with Zacharias. Nancy's mom lives with us and she's deaf. And while I know a little bit of sign language, I often have to rely more on creative gestures that are similar to charades more than American sign language. So I can only imagine and envision the kinds of signs that Zacharias would have been making that day. But just as Nancy's mom can usually understand what I'm saying, apparently they caught what he was laying down. They begun to realize that he had seen some sort of vision while there in the temple. Luke goes on then to record that after completing his priestly duties, he returned home again to their nearby village in the hills of Judea, and then continuing in verse 24, After these days, Elizabeth, his wife, became pregnant. And she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, this is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when he looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men. So here's how this first portion of the nativity story ends. God's word came true, and Elizabeth, who was previously barren, conceived a son in her old age. And her response was to remain in seclusion for five months. That would have been the amount of time it would have taken until it was obvious that she was with child. And in this time, pondering upon the mercy and the grace of God, as he was knitting together in her womb the forerunner of the Messiah. That's a very, very precious picture. And here's what she pondered. This is the way the Lord has dealt with me, and the days when he looked with favor upon me to take away my disgrace among men. She sat in silence, soaking in the grace and the mercy of God towards her. It was personal. It was profound. And her heart sang the song of joy that Sarah did upon conceiving Isaac and Rebecca when conceiving Jacob and Esau and Hannah when she conceived Samuel. God had removed her disgrace. Now, the Greek word translated disgrace in the NASB is likewise translated reproach in other versions. God removed her reproach. This was the outer edges, the fringes, if you will, of God's love being manifested to this world through the coming of His Son. The resolution of her lengthy trial had been given for the purpose that her son, John, God has shown me favor, would prepare the way of the Lord, that one little word by which the curse that hangs over this broken world would be undone. So let me close this morning with a few brief points of application. First of all, all of God's promises will come to pass. Jehovah is faithful. He has made this clear to us time and time again through the unfolding of redemptive history. And therefore all of the promises yet remaining surely are true. In Christ they are yes and amen and he will bring them to pass. None shall fail for he is both faithful and he is mighty to deliver. Secondly, we must wait patiently on the Lord. Many are the trials and the tribulations that God has ordained for a time upon this earth. Paul writes in Romans 5, verses 3 through 5, and not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations. Knowing the tribulations bring about perseverance, and perseverance, proven character. and proven character, hope. And hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is given to us. Now, the Greek word translated here, perseverance, in the NASV is translated patience in the King James Version, or endurance in the ESV. According to Strong's lexicon, this word is used to describe a quality of steadfastness and endurance, particularly in the face of trials and difficulties. It conveys the idea of remaining faithful and patient under pressure, maintaining one's faith and hope despite challenges. This term is often associated with the Christian virtue of perseverance, reflecting a trust in God's promises and a commitment to His will. Well, that's well put. When we trust in the faithfulness of God, we are in a position to wait patiently upon the Lord, even though our path for now may be marked by thorns. The psalmist writes in Psalm 35, weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. You know, it's interesting here in our text this morning, how long it was that they had to bear this particular affliction of being childless. Sometimes we might pray for something a day or two, and we get frustrated because God hasn't given us what we had longed for. And maybe it's been weeks, maybe it's been months. But in her case here, this was 40 years of waiting, waiting patiently. But there's another way, too, in which our waiting, we know, is going to go on beyond the life that we have here in this world, because we live in a broken world. in need of its full redemption. It's a reading from Romans, chapter 8, 19 through 25. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope. For why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance, we wait eagerly for it." This last Friday, as the elders and deacons met together, In one of our discussions, we were talking about the practice of reviewing, as we meet together, the various needs among those in our body. Where are those needs, whether they be spiritual or physical or otherwise? And as we were talking about it, it became clear to us, who isn't without a need? I mean, as we surveyed everybody, even the men sitting at the table, whose life isn't groaning in some fashion? Right? That's the world we live in. We're all dealing with it. We have to, you know, our task then is to sort of prioritize it. Who's groaning worse at the moment? Right? That's the world we live in. And we're called to wait patiently. The consummation of all of those promises will be at His return. The final point of application here, let us, like Elizabeth, take time to bask in joy as we reflect upon God's grace and mercy to us. You see, the reproach for which Elizabeth was delivered was actually a reproach before men. Now, I don't want to take anything away from that. And quite frankly, there's a way that when we take the name of Christ upon us, we share in His reproach. There is a reproach before men that will one day be removed. Surely it was a beautiful token to her, though, of God's mercy and grace to give her a son in her old age. But there is this greater reproach that all of us were born with, and that is the reproach of our sinful nature. This reproach is not merely before men, but it is before God Himself. And the consequence of that reproach is eternal separation from Him. We are sons of Adam, the disobedient. We're born into this reproach, and we confirm it by our deeds. But God, in His mercy and grace, sent us His Son, the second Adam, And God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus took our disgrace. He took our reproach. He took our shame. And He went outside the camp, bearing it upon Himself. And He died upon the cross in our stead, so that we might be sanctified. that we might be freed from our approach before God. It was for this reason that Jesus was born 2,000 years ago. And the river of that grace is still flowing, its streams making glad the city of God. And God brought this to pass by one little word, through whom that spring was opened, and the course of humanity altered for all eternity. As declared the shepherds 2,000 years ago in response to the angelic, as declared to the shepherds, rather, 2,000 years ago by the angel, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. One little word. For today in the city of David, there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord. One little word. This will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in the manger. One little word. Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. Let's pray. Lord, we marvel at what miraculous things you have done, Lord, to intervene. Lord, to those who were entirely unworthy, Father, you stepped in. You stepped into our world, and not only this, you took our guilt and our sin and our shame upon yourself and your Son. Father, I pray as, particularly this season of the year, we think upon the incarnation of Christ. Lord, let these truths just grip our hearts. Father, may we just bask in the wonder of it all, Lord, and in the joy of the grace and mercy that has been extended to us in Him, who is willing to leave glory and to humble Himself to take on the form of a servant, that of a man, lowly. And all of this, Lord, as a demonstration of your love to us, to redeem us from the curse. Lord, we give you praise this morning. May you be worshipped, Lord, through all that you've done on our behalf, and it's in Christ's name that we pray.