Dedication to Theophilus
1:1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will 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 for the Lord a people prepared.”
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And 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. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. (ESV)
80And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.
This is great a young child growing in the lord,thats allways a great thing to hear..
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
This sounds a lot like Repentance. John’s whole goal in life was to prepare people for Jesus’ coming, and he did so be telling them of their need to repent. I like the way that this verse says that forgiveness of sins leads to the knowledge of salvation. It’s not like a small part of salvation is that you get forgiven; you cannot be saved unless you have repented from your sin and have been cleansed by God. We need to keep this in mind as we go out onto our high school campuses this week, and be gently reminding people of their sin and the need to repent and turn to God before the coming Judgement.
30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
The Bible is amazingly accurate! In Isaiah 7:14 the LORD says, “Therefore the Lord himself with give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Just as God said the Messiah’s birth would happen, so it did. Mary giving birth the Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture. The Old Testament tells us how Jesus will be born in Isaiah 7:14, where Jesus will be born in Micah 5:2 and when Jesus will be born in Daniel 9:24. There is proof that the Bible is a legit document…fulfilled prophecy. It is so important for us as Christians to know exactly where these passages are in Scripture so that we can tell those we share the gospel with that the Bible is the ONLY reliable religious document!
6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.
This is amazing, and we should really look towards Zechariah and Elizabeth for being good examples. They were blameless it says, and they carried out and observed the Lord’s commands! Wouldn’t it be awesome if people knew we were Christians by the way we acted, and considered us to be blameless? Our lifestyle should show that we are Christians on fire for God. And that we live to please him! We need to be stepping it up daily!
37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
This is so true! Nothing is impossible with God! No matter how many problems, bad times, or persecutions we face, God is always there and gives us the words to say when talking to people, and to comfort us. We can not do anything on our own, we need to rely on the Lord, and be continually praying and seeking for what he wants us to do! His will is always the best one, and we need to be following it and doing what the Lord desires and commands us to do.
LUKE! How exciting to start a new book!
And what a chapter it is with 80 verses!
I am always really encouraged by the song/psalm that Mary says to Elizabeth in verses 46-55. Mary was just a teenager and yet it shows she has a deep and profound view of God.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
This is a great thought that might not make sense right away. But God wants to be feared and responds in love to those who truly understand him.
Praying for campus lunches at Capo, SC and Laguna Hills today…see some of you at Laguna small groups tonight!
Let’s plead with some people to repent!
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
I love Mary’s response to realizing God chose her. She breaks out in a worship sonng. She praises God because his mercy extends to those who fear him. Even to us who fear him today. He also scatters those who are proud. Not just those that act proud but those that are proud in their inmost hearts. The cure to be proud in your inmost heart is to fear God. If you truly fear God you realize you have absolutely nothing to be proud of.
6Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.
It is so awsome to see that people could notice that Zechariah and Elizabeth were living their life to glorify God with their whole heart. I hope as a high schooler that people could notice me striving to live for God and want to glorify God in my actions.
What a chapter! 80 verses!
18Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”
…
34″How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
I thought it was so interesting to see how different the responses of Zacharias and Mary were. The Bible describes Zacharias as a righteous priest and a very blameless man before the Lord. Yet, his response to the angel’s news is full of doubt and disbelief! And as a consequence, the angel muted Zacharias. Mary’s response, on the other hand, is completely opposite! Although she isn’t someone of high rank in the church like Zacharias, her response is not doubtful or lacking faith. She accepts her role as the mother of Jesus without questions! (v. 38).
Also, just as Meisha said, I loved Mary’s response to knowing God chose her. I loved how there was so much joy and rejoicing between Mary and Elizabeth! (v. 42-55). God can do amazing things to those who fear and love him!
59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,
60but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
61They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.
63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”
This is a good example of not just going along with the flow of what everybody else thinks but rather being obedient to God. Everybody was amazed that they chose the name John because that was against the Jewish tradition of the time. As Christians, there should be times when people look at us in astonishment as we do things contrary to the world around us because of our obedience to God over our culture.
38″I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
I think it is pretty amazing that Mary said this with only one question. It shows how much she trusts and fears God that she just accepts what the angel tells her. I want to be more like that!
37For nothing is impossible with God.”
I just love this verse!!
74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear
This says that we are supposed to serve him without fear, so therefore not caring what men say about but only what God will do to us in the end if we dont serve him!!
…….This chapter is seriously amazingggggggg
Nice comment Mike!
46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Mary’s attitude is quite exemplary! She understands that whatever she does will bring glory to God! She has a humble and willing heart and is ready to rejoice with her Savior no matter what! This is 24/7 Christianity! She is definitely rejoicing in all circumstances! We have to adopt this type of attitude to whatever trials or praises that life brings us. We need to do it ALL for the Glory of God!
22When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
Now, I was thinking about this verse, and how frustrating would that be to not be able to talk to the people around you about what you just saw and heard! I mean, you just saw an angel from GOD and your not able to talk about it. And also, as Bobby would know, it would be frustrating to not be able to tell everyone the exciting news that your wife is going to have a baby! Something so good and something you want to rejoice with others about and he doesn’t get to talk about it because of his doubt. It reminded of me of how we should NEVER doubt the Lord and His plans for us because He has everything under control and NOTHING is our of His hands. He knows what’s gunna happen tomorrow so why do we worry? Why do we doubt in hard times? We should be always praising His name throughout all of our difficult times, knowing that whatever happens, God is always going to be there for us and He always has a plan. :D
11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
13But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
This is just proof right here that anything we ask for in prayer will be answered if it is God’s will!! Here, Elizabeth was getting old and didn’t think she would be able to have a child, and then God answered her prayer!!
For nothing is impossible with God.”
This is probably my favorite verse and every time i read it, it encourages me to know that EVERYTHING is possible with God, no matter what the circumstances are.
12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
One way I can apply this is by connecting it to when He come down for the reapture. We shouldnt fear him we should rejoice becaus we should be shiure wwe a going to heaven if were really christians
63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”
Zechariah learned to obey God when he was struck dumb. Even though he was unable to speak, he made it perfectly clear that they would name the child John, which God told them to name him. Then God blessed him and gave him back the ability to speak. This shows that we will be blessed when we do the will of God.
Yes!!! I am loving Luke and the length of this chapter! :)
79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Reading this verse reminded me of the well known song that we sing in church and the passage in Philippians 2:15 which says that we will shine like stars in the universe because we follow Christ. Everyone living in sin is in darkness and do not walk by the truth. (I John 1:6) We need to show them the light of Jesus. This light is from the glory of Jesus and can only be found in him! A verse that I love and totally applys is Daniel 12:3 “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever.” “Those who are wise”…meany when we dont shine and lead others to righteousness we are being foolish. That is the last thing that I think anyone wants to be…a fool. So when we go out to lead others to repentance we need to be shining and representing Christ, not showing hipocracy. When we self examen ourselves to make sure we are living lives worthy to be ambassadors for Christ, then we can guide the feet of others to our indescribable God.
MARANATHA!
We are reading Luke Finally!!! This is my favorite chapter!
37 For nothing is impossible with God.
Zechariah didnt belive that he could have a son like the angel told him. But God can do anything! Because he doubted this he lost his voice. His wife belived the Angel and they had a son named John. Thus… the new baby, John the Baptist was born!!
Because nothing is impossible with God…… we need faith. Some people have their doubts….but if you read this verse it clearly states that nothing is impossible with God. We should truly belive this.
mmmmmMMMMmmmm nice comment luke
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.
mary shows that even though she would give birth to the savior of the world, she still remains humble and acknowledges that it has only been made possible through God alone. our response to our success shouldn’t be pride but rather praising God’s faithfulness and holiness.
64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.
This is pretty cool. The first thing Zechariah did when he got his voice back was praise the Lord. He could have been grumpy for God shutting it, but he knew that it was his fault for doubting and knew that God always does things according to His perfect will. We should be praising God continually like this because the Savior that Zechariah was rejoicing to know would be coming soon has already come and saved us of our sins. We need to praise God for His grace as well as tell other people about it.
the young boy in verse 20 really inspirered me because he is so young yet he still understand christiaity
15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.
I am confused by what it means by the fact that John was “filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” What does it mean when someone is born with the Holy Spirit? Did he have sinful intentions like everyone else?
46And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
these verses I love in particular, becaseu Mary is giving the Lord thanks for her child, miraculously from a virgin birth, because her Son is Jesus Christ! we should be giving thanks to the Lord always, because He has given us Christ, who saves us all if we repent and put faith in him from an eternity of destruction. but notice verse 47. this is a great apologetic (defending Christian faith) verse because it says “God my Savior.” the Catholics believe that Mary is perfect, because she is the mother of Jesus. HOWEVER, if Mary was perfect, she would not need a savior, and she would be perfect like God. except Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Mary is so humble too which is awesome. instead of gloating that her Son is the Savior of mankind. she graciously gives praise and worhsips the Lord
80 VERSES WOOT!!!
12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
I’m trying to think if I would be scared if I saw an angel. Would I be excited? I don’t know. But he was.
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
I agree with Mike. This DOES sound a lot like repentance. THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD VERSES IN THIS CHAPTER THAT IM BURSTING WITH HAPPINESS but i cannot find one verse to talk about. I never really looked into Luke alot. I mean, at Stoneybrooke (SB REP YO!) we MEMORIZED Luke 1 But I didnt really LOOK INTO it like, try to fully understand it. But this verse meant a lot to me because i understand it NOW.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
Pastor Bobby made a great comment on this and it brought this verse to my attention. Bobby has a good point. read his comment its true.
38″I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
This is how we should act. ALWAYS.
IM SO HAPPY TO BE BACK ON SOTD…. woot
I apologize for the insanely long comment and this uneccessary one.
45Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
We too must believe in His Word so things can be accomplished through us
LUKE 1:37For nothing is impossible with God.”
I like how this passage says that god can do anything he wants at any time and any where. so that is why we need to be ready for gods coming day because it will come like a thief in the night and we must reach out to as many people as possible. God can also call anyone to heaven and we need to make it a priorty to goto campus lunches and be the best christian we can be so that we can invite our non christian freinds to campus lunches to share the great gospel to our friends.
68″Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.
69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—
72to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
73the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
…
78because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Until God sends out Jesus to guide us to heaven, and until Judgment day comes, It is our duty to tell everyone about Jesus, to shine a bright light to this dark path. To go through the narrow road that leads into heaven, instead of going to the wide path that many walk through that will lead to the ultimate destruction of the unbelieving and immoral. In the New Jerusalem that will come after the rebirth of the world, God will be the light, the sun. moon and stars. There will be no more suffering, because all of those things will come to pass.
80 verses! thaT is a lot of verses in one chapter :)
Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
We like how Luke makes it very clear that everything he is about to write is carefully investigated. We don’t have a blind faith–our faith is based on fact–it’s been carefully investigated!
77to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
The knowledge is repentance and faith in Christ! And that there has been born a savior He is Jesus Christ the Lord that Christ died on the cross for our sin, so that we can be saved, and he rose again from dead on the third day (the Gospel). I agree with Mike, this is how you have the forgivness of sins. Also many people think that you only have to believe in him, but that is a misconception. I remember at Teen Ministers this weekend that believe in Greek means to put your whole trust into it.
37For nothing is impossible with God.”
I think I remember this verse from the Old Testment too, I think it was in Leviticus. It’s amazing, some people say somethings are impossible, but look nothing is impossible with God, with God you can do anything because God has control over everythinng! What encouragement for faith!
There are sooo many verses to comment on…
37.) For nothing is impossible with God.
This is a very simple, yet powerful verse. Just to know that the God we serve can do anything is such an amazing thing. Like Luke said, we just need to have faith in God.
20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”
The word of God is truth and we should put our full trust in it. After all, it is God’s word and it would be unjust for Him to go back on His word. When we doubt God we are basicly telling Him that He is not powerfull enough to acomplish His will, and that would be sin to say or think that. Nothing is impossible for Him (verse 37) so lets trust Him in everyhting we do!
Alrighty woo hoo new chapter, and what a very great one!!
I agree with brett so many verses i could comment on
The one that stood out to me is verse 37) For nothing is impossible with God
This verse is so encouraging and gives me such a peace of mind. To know that God can do anything and everything helps me not to worry and to simply live my life out for Him. At small groups we talked about having a truly joyful spirit and being optimistic…and this verse helps me to remember to be that way because i have nothing to fear with God on my side!!
woot woot day one of small group challenge completed;]
13But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.
16Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.
17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
This few verses just kind of stood out to me. I have thought about at times what my child would be like. I know how his attitudes and actions would be at home, but he could totally be a different person at school or other places. I know some people who live lives like this and I do pray for them. It must be so exciting for Zechariah to hear that his son John will be a great sight of the Lord, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the day that he was born. I would love it if an angel told that my son will be a Christian all his life and made many people rejoice and come to the Lord. I just know that I need to continue in my faith and be a light to him through his whole life.
37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
Hmm..this verse is soo true!!! with god nothing is impossible, no matter what kind of problems we are going through god will always handle the situation! thats so comfortable to know that, with our selves we can not do anything, and we need to really rely on the lord in all things, and if were ever evangalizing and we have a difficult time is is awsome to know that godd will give us words to say!!! good verse:)
-SC-
I love the excitement of Luke! As I read the first few versus, I see a guy who is so excited about what and who Jesus is, that he does in depth research on Christ’s whole life and pays enough attention to the details to write more in the new testament than any other author! It makes me wonder about our desire to learn more about the one we call Lord, Lord. We should have this much interest that we are digging deep into the life of Christ and because of the fear of Him, we should be proclaiming this life to everyone we come in contact with.
this is my first time commenting:)my friends invited me to church and i really love it. the scripture of the day i think is a great to start off your day or to end your day, either way its very refreshing!!!:)i feel this will be a great way for me to connect with Christ more and to get to know him better.
37 for nothing is impossible wiht God”
this verse is very powerful and very meaningful.this verse is very encouraging and it gives me relief to know i can do anything ifif som i stick with him the whole journey.
if someone told me i was to have a baby and im going to name it a certain name, i would be a little confused and freaked out but blessed in the same way. this shows that elizaveth and Zechariah trusted the Lord enough that they even showed others what good things God can do.
Great turnout tonight at small group…
Wow where do we start with this (80 verses)? I love the way Luke uses his medical background when writing his gospel. The research is incredibly detailed and gives us alot more information about John the baptist than the other gospels.
I think in a nutshell verse 4 sums it all up.
Dude!! I just clicked on SOTD on the 13th of this month and guess what, it was double the amount we had today!!! There were 62 comments and we only have 30 so far, that is as Bobby says, “DISGRACE!”
Mmmhmm… The book of Luke im excited! What a great way to start off this book by telling about the birth of John the baptist. A righteous man that wasn’t afraid to call people out. I agree with mike, John the baptist refers to repentance a lot.
Hey Beth, great question! The filling of the Holy Spirit is something that many people are confused by. John the Baptist had a sinful nature. He was a man. Yet, the Holy Spirit was on him in a supernatural way. The Holy Spirit frequently comes upon Bible characters that God is working in or through. This is different than the way he comes upon us as Christians at salvation which doesn’t start until the book of Acts. But obviously from even before he was born, John the Baptist, was special and God had a unique purpose for him which the Holy Spirit accomplished in his life. Hope this helps!
Justin Young, welcome back!
Summer, great to have you here with us on Scripture of the Day!
I’m so excited for the book of Luke and looking forward to more comments than ever!
41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
I love this verse! It’s soo cool to see how John the Baptist, before he is even born acknowladges the prescence of Jesus. I can’t wait untill heaven where i will get to meet my Lord and savior. I don’t think i will be able to control what i do because i think my first reaction is going to be falling facedown.
It also says that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (i just thought that was cool)
Ashlyn and Summer, Great to see you girls on here after small groups!:)
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.
This verse really stood out to me, even though I love Mary’s whole psalm to Elizabeth. At small groups tonight we talked a little about how God’s grace is apparent all around us–life, the sun and rain, all the comforts we enjoy daily–in ways we totally don’t even notice because they are so “common” to us God is doing great things, how much more should we who have repented of our sins and are living for God be overflowing in praise to Him!?
I liked how Bobby pointed out that Mary was a teenager because in v. 46-55 she says some awesome things showing that she really understood who God was and the mighty things He was doing in and around her. Let’s make sure that every day we are proclaiming His greatness like that!
38″I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
What great faith Mary had! Seriously, if one of God’s very own messengers came to me one day and told me I was going to give birth to the son of God… I would probably freak! And, really, she was pretty close to our age.. Young! I just think she’s a great example of what real faith in Christ is.. and an example of fully giving our lives to him (as she says she is his servant)…
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
This verse and all the other verses where Mary is talking show that God is a good God who is holy and righteous forever. We should learn to fear the lord more and let others know that they should fear God also. His wrath will one day be unleashed upon the earth so we should tell our friends to repent and put their faith in Jesus in order to be saved from God’s just judgement.
Wow! What a great chapter!!! I always love reading Mary’s song! She responded to the news from the angel so well, even though that news could have caused her to be stoned when others find out she is pregnant. She rejoices in the Lord and exalts His name! She has such a deep understanding of Him lifting up the humble.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
more from doc luke ya!!!
This verse popped out to me because it is what we have been talking about in campus lunches (at least at Capo). God’s love and mercy, as well as the importants to fear him and repent. sweet huh!!!!
69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
What an inspiring verse – salvation. What we’re all about, the hope and promise of being redeemed by our loving Father.
J Young…finally the threat of having to eat a pickle mustard peanut butter sandwich got you back on hear. Now get those other dudes from SJH on here and your leader too…oh yeah, that’s me.
Ok, to the passage:
50His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
A reverent fear should be the starting point whenever we are looking at an attribute or command of God. At CBC, one of the 8 distinctives is that “We maintain a high view of God.”
Paul Washer said that one of the greatest problems in our country is not liberal politicians, but evangelical preachers because the don’t preach the God of the bible (CBC pastors excluded).
Did I right hear…I meant here.
So exciting to star a new chapter! I alway love reading about Jesus’ life…
38″I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
I LOVE the response that Mary has to God’s calling on her life. We should have the same willing spirit and contrite heart when it comes to doing the will of the Lord-no matter what the cost!!
It’s amazing to think that Mary was so young! (about the same age as our True North girls! Yet she was willing to do the will of the Lord even though it was tremedously scary and difficult.
I hope that I am known by God as: “His servant”, and that I would respond to His calling on my life with such trust and such grace.
One main thing I like about this chapter is that it just proves how powerful and in control God is. He can allow a baren woman pregnant, a virgin pregnant, take away and give a man his voice. It is completley amazing. I also love verse 78 & 79, very powerful!
38″I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.”
Wow emily great comment! i completely agree. Mary was such a great example of someone who followed God 100% She was an example of someone who had such tramendous faith in God, she gave her entire life to follow his commands. This verse really encouraged me to keep following my life, to keep giving myself over to Him every day! To put my full trust in him to run my life. I need to give him the wheel and let him drive!
37 “For nothing is impossible with God.”
This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible! It encourages me so much, and helps me perservere through hard times. everytime i read this verse it gives me strength to keep living my insane life, through God.
(:
I have to say this chapter was really inspiring to me. It showed me how God impacts your life so much and guides you along the path of life. He is always in control and has a plan for all of us! I need to remember that God wants the best for all of us and I need to trust him more. This chapter really helped me realize how I need to put more faith into God!
<3
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”
The picture here of a priest who is lacking in faith is not uncommon even today. Many who are believed to be believers in Christ may also have a tremendous amount of unbelief. Zechariah in this case is a priest filled with fear and doubt when approached by Gabriel. You might think that seeing an angel and hearing God’s Word would strengthen Zechariah’s faith. He looked to the improbability instead of looking to God in faith. God tests our faith and we need to pass every test that comes our way. We need to always look to God and know that in Him all things are possible. Let’s make sure that our faith is real.
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins
we need to acknowledge that we are living in sin, and ask for forgiveness so we can reach salvation