1.

Read verses 57-66. Why did the angel insist on naming the child John? In what respect was it not easy for the couple to follow the angel’s direction on the child’s name? Yet, how did the couple obey it? What can we learn from them? 

** The Lord God knows that we are born selfish and remain selfish, so that in case of Zechariah and Elizabeth, after finally getting what they wanted, i.e., a son, they might end up indulging in the son for their own selfish purpose, and thereby not being able to fully surrender the blessing (the boy) to serving the Lord’s important purpose, that is, the salvation of souls.

The Lord’s purpose in insisting on giving the son a different name than what they might have naturally wanted was to ensure that the child would serve God’s purpose without being disrupted by the couple’s natural desire to utilize the son for their own selfish purposes. 

** 1) It might have been difficult because they might have thought that they had already sacrificed a lot for the Lord, that it was finally about the time for them to “enjoy” the child for their own comfort and security thinking that finally the time came for them to enjoy the “reward” for their life long sacrifice.  Figuratively speaking, Zechariah is like a man in a marathon, who is called to run the race to the last minute, until he touches the finish line. 

2) The Jewish custom/tradition/culture might have worked as a stumbling block.

3) Peer pressure coming from well wishers.

4) The desire to please men might also have been a hindrance.

** Through the Lord’s discipline. Discipline works. Without discipline it is impossible for one to overcome one’s natural state of mind, emotions, will, etc. and obey God’s will. 

** We need to learn not only how to receive God’s blessings, but also how to bear God’s blessings. 

The bottom line is this: every blessing comes to us for us to be able to serve God’s redemptive purpose. If any one is rich like Bill Gates, he is already obligated to use the material wealth for God’s redemptive purpose. If not, he is abusing God’s blessings given to him, and thereby remains held accountable to God at the time of God’s judgment.  

2.

Verse 67 says that Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. When did the Holy Spirit fill him? What does this passage tell us about: 1) the way to be filled with the Holy Spirit; 2) the kind of person the Holy Spirit uses; and 3) the nature of the song described in verses 68-79? 

** It occurred when Zechariah’s obedience became complete.

** It has been said, “Commitment is the mother of revelation.” Likewise, when one fully commits oneself to the Lord, the Lord fills that person with His Spirit who then reveals His will to his servant. 

In the passage Zechariah demonstrated his full commitment to serving the Lord’s will by committing his best gift/reward/blessing, i.e., Little Johnny, to the Lord, whereupon the Lord blessed him by filling him with the Holy Spirit. 

** Obedient man. (Obeying not with lips but with words and actions.)

** It is God’s prophecy, speaking of the things to happen from generation to generation. It is prophetic in nature in that it will happen exactly as prophesied, for every prophecy which is truly from God always comes true, and there is no exception to this truth. 

The point for us to learn then is to know the way God does his business, that is, he always completes what he says in advance. There are no buts or ifs in the way God does his business. 

3. 

Consider the prophecy described in verse 68. At the time of prophecy the Christ was not even born. Yet Zechariah testifies that he has (already) come and has (already) redeemed his people. Why? (Isaiah 46:10) What can we learn here about the way for us to handle the promises of God in the Bible? (Habakkuk 2:4; Hebrews 11:1)

** It is because God makes the end known from the beginning, and to God what he says is going to do is as good as completed. God is the God of perfection. There are no oops in God’s dictionary. God does not make a mistake. Genesis 6:6 for example may indicate that God made a mistake. But the way it was written was not for God but for men. In fact the whole Bible is for men, not for God. God has no problem, we have problems. 

** All the promises of God (which have not yet been fulfilled) are as good as fulfilled. So we need to live by faith in all of them.

4.

Read verses 69-74a. This passage indicates that God redeems people through raising a “horn” of salvation. What does “horn” stand for? What does the expression “a horn of salvation” suggest about the way God saves man? 

** It stands for power (to either hurt or heal depending on who uses it.)

** God saves man by God’s power. It also indicates that the enemies always use the power to hurt people. One of the major ways is to use their resources (like talents, positions, etc.) to steal, kill, and destroy. The devil is the prime example, in that he first tempted man to commit sins, and upon falling into the devil’s temptations, the devil kept condemning a sinner, so that the sinner would live in eternal shame, guilt, and condemnation, in eternal separation from God. But Jesus came to undo/destroy the work of the devil.

5.

Read verses 74b-75. What does this passage show us about the purpose of salvation? 

** It is to enable us to worship the Lord God without fear. This constitutes the purpose of creation, the frame work for real happiness coming with eternal satisfaction, bearing fruit without a limit, for serving the Lord comes with provision, with the privilege to participate in his work of redemption. 

6.

Verses 76-79 describe John’s mission. What practical applications can we find from the following statements in serving the Lord in our generation? 1) A prophet of the most high; 2) you will go before the Lord; 3) prepare the way for him; 4) give his people the knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of their sins; 5) the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death; and 6) to guide our feet into the path of righteousness. 

** A prophet of the Most High – this is who we are in that we are called to live as Bible teachers proclaiming God’s word to the people.

** You will go before the Lord – we must remember that it is the Lord who works in and through us, just as Jesus said in Mark 16:20. Jesus is our head; we are his eyes, arms, legs, and mouth pieces.

** Prepare the way for the Lord – through fishing, inviting them to Bible studies, helping them to repent, and accept Jesus as the Lord and Savior.

** Knowledge of salvation – this indicates that we need to serve the gospel, knowing that people’s problem is sin problem, and the purpose of the gospel is to have people’s sins forgiven, and come out of the snare of the devil’s condemnation.

** Rising sun…- healing must follow, healing men of all the ill effects of sin, so that man would become sound and wholesome in character.

** To guide our feet into…- this indicates that the ultimate goal for our ministry is to help people build an intimate relationship with God through Jesus.

7.

Verse 70 describes how John prepared himself for the mission. What do the following expressions tell us about the areas in which one needs to prepare himself for the mission? 1) the child grew; 2) and became strong in spirit; 3) and lived in the desert; and 4) until he appeared publicly in Israel

** These four steps are critical applicable to all who are called to live as shepherds and shepherdesses:

We need to grow up not just physically but spiritually.

We need to become strong not just physically but spiritually.

We need to keep ourselves pure, free from the contamination of materialism and humanism.

We need to come down to the place where sheep are found.

The end