The birth tidings of John the Baptist.
Luke 1:13-17
1:13 But 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.
1:14 "And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
1:15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
1:16 "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
1:17 "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, `to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
John 5:33-35
5:33 "You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
5:34 "Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
5:35 "He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.
If Luke 1:13-17 and John 5:33-35 are concluded, John the Baptist has borne witness to the truth like the burning and shining lamp as follows:
Luke 1:13
1:13 But 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.
In the Bible, there are some people who get their names from God as follow:
The practices are as follows:
Luke 1:13-17
1:13 But 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.
1:14 "And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
1:15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
1:16 "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
1:17 "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, `to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
John 5:33-35
5:33 "You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
5:34 "Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
5:35 "He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.
If Luke 1:13-17 and John 5:33-35 are concluded, John the Baptist has borne witness to the truth like the burning and shining lamp as follows:
- [Luke 1:13] He got his name from God.
- [Luke1:14] He brought joy and gladness from Heaven.
- [Luke 1:15a] He was great in the sight of Lord (John the Baptist became the greatest human that has ever been born in the world).
- [Luke 1:15b] He became a Nazirite of God (people who vow/promise, not drinking wine or strong drink).
- [Luke 1:15c] He lived in the anointing of Holy Spirit.
- [Luke 1:16] He made people repent.
- [Luke 1:17] He became a pioneer/precursor (to prepare the way for the Lord).
Luke 1:13
1:13 But 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.
In the Bible, there are some people who get their names from God as follow:
- Abram.
Genesis 17:1-5
17:1. When Abram was ninetynine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I [am] Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
17:2 "And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."
17:3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:
17:4. "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
17:5 "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
God was having a covenant with Abram.
The covenant of the Lord was to gave a new name to Abram becoming Abraham which is inserted the letter H. That was a name of God, called Jehovah or Yahweh.
Genesis 17:15
17:15. Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah [shall be] her name.
Sarai also got a new name from God to become Sarah.
From the Abram’s side, he must be circumcised. - Jacob.
Genesis 32:28, 30
32:28 And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."
32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
Jacob was named Israel by God.
The requirement is by having a renewal/renewal of lifefrom the name of Jacob, which means deceiver, to Israel, which means having prevailed/win. - John.
Luke 1:13
1:13 But 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.
Luke 3:15-16
3:15. Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ [or] not,
3:16 John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His name, John, is related to his task to baptizes people with water. - Jesus.
Philippians 2:8-9
2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to [the point of] death, even the death of the cross.
2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
Jesus had the name above every name, the powerful name.
The requirement is to be obedient up to being dead upon the cross.
The practices are as follows:
- Being circumcised in their heart = the works of the Word that is sharper than two-edged sword to circumcise the heart from all dirty sins.
Romans 2:28-29
2:28 For he is not a Jew who [is one] outwardly, nor [is] circumcision that which [is] outward in the flesh;
2:29 but [he is] a Jew who [is one] inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise [is] not from men but from God.
Matthew 15:19-20
15:19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
15:20 "These are [the things] which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."
The sins’ desires that is kept in the heart are as follow:- evil thoughts,
- murders,
- adulteries,
- fornications (adulteries that are repeated),
- thefts,
- false witness/lies,
- blasphemies.
Not being willing to confess sins = blasphemy against God, against the Holy Spirit.
The Heart is purified from all sins’ desires and will be filled with faith in Jesus, meaning the heart that trusts and the mouth that confesses. The mouth confesses sins to God and neighbor, being forgiven and do not sin anymore. - evil thoughts,
- The circumcision of Christ.
Colossians 2:11-12
2:11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
2:12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with [Him] through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
The circumcision of Christ means as follow:- By putting off the body of the sins of the flesh= to repent = being dead to sins.
- By true water baptism.
The practices of true water baptism are as follow:- We are baptized in the name of God the Father, the Son of God, and God the Holy Spirit namely the Lord Jesus Christ. There is the name of Jesus that is given.
- Being buried with Jesus in water baptism to revive in the new life.
Romans 6:4
6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The new life means living in the righteousness and honesty, no more lies.
The new life also means being obedient until the flesh does not sound anymore.
- We are baptized in the name of God the Father, the Son of God, and God the Holy Spirit namely the Lord Jesus Christ. There is the name of Jesus that is given.
- By putting off the body of the sins of the flesh= to repent = being dead to sins.
- The power of winning over satan the trinity.
Philippians 2:10
2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, - The power of lifting, the power thatlifts us from all failures ; becoming successful.
Philippians 2:9
2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
The Power of lifting also lifts up our lives to be the servants of God.
Our right and reward are in the hands of God, our life and death are in the hand of God.
Isaiah 49:3-4
49:3 "And He said to me, `You [are] My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.'
49:4 Then I said, `I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; Yet surely my just reward [is] with the LORD, And my work with my God.' - The Power of renewal starts from the tongue that confesses and worships God.
Philippians 2:11
2:11 and [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Until we are renewed to be as glorious as God, to be the bride of God who is ready to welcome the Jesus’ second coming, and our mouth only says “ALLELUIA”.
Revelation 19:6-7
19:6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."