The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura

The Song of SimeonSunday, January 18th, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 2:21–40
Prayer
O Father grant that we like Simeon, may now take up Christ into our arms by faith. That we may behold the light of his perfect humanity, the radiance of His divinity, and receive in ourselves the consolation of Israel, and having received this consolation, to then depart in peace, entering that blessed rest of the undivided Trinity, One God forever, Amen.
Introduction
This morning, we come to the fourth and final song that surrounds the birth of Jesus. Thus far Luke has given us Mary’s Magnificat (My soul magnifies the Lord), then he gave us Zacharias’ Benedictus (Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people), last week we heard the angelic Gloria, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! And now here at Christ’s presentation in the temple, we have one more hymn of prophetic praise. A hymn that helps us ponder the implications of the gospel, and why God became man in Christ.
Now the way that Luke has arranged this final prophesy from Simeon, is by bookending it between two other important sections, so let me give you the outline of our text, and then we’ll walk through it together.
Outline of the Text
Our text divides into three parts.
In verses 21-24 we have Christ observing the ceremonial law. Jesus is circumcised the 8th day, consecrated the 40th day, and this consecration becomes the occasion for adding two more witnesses to Christ.
In verses 25-35, Simeon bears witness and we have his song and blessing.
And then in verses 36-38, Anna bears witness and spreads the good news.
So recall again Luke’s purpose in writing this gospel, he said back in Luke 1:4 it is so that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
So just in case there was any doubt, he gives us an abundance of credible eyewitnesses in his gospel. We have Mary and Joseph; we have Zacharias and Elizabeth. We have angels and shepherds. And now we have Simeon and Anna. And the question God continues to confront us with in these opening chapters is, How will you respond to this news about Jesus? Will you stumble at the stumbling stone and fall, or will you rise again and build your life upon Him?
Luke has been marshalling witnesses from every age, sex, station, and social class. We have an urban priest and country shepherds. We have angelic armies, and a virgin girl. We have a married man and a widowed woman. We have young and old, male and female, and all are welcome in the kingdom of God.
However, as we will see, not everyone will accept the Divine invitation, not everyone will receive the gospel as good news. Indeed, the rest of Luke’s Gospel and on into the Book of Acts shall illustrate this point: that wherever and whenever Christ is proclaimed, people are divided in their responses to Him.
As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
So some people hear and become more hardened in their sins, some will even try to kill Jesus or whoever is preaching Jesus. But this is exactly how God’s kingdom advances and grows. This is what Simeon prophesies will happen when he says to Mary: Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against. People will speak against Jesus, they will mock at his cross, but the kingdom of Jesus shall conquer nonetheless.
And so as joy-filled and wonderful as the birth of Christ is, there is also a specter of judgment here, there is a shadow of doom that hangs over those who reject Jesus. As the Puritans liked to put it, “the same sun and heat that melts the ice, also hardens the clay.” So what kind of material are you? Into what kind of heart and mind do you receive Jesus? Is your heart a place of love and affection, gratitude and hospitality, or are you hostile to Christ, do you chafe at His words, are you fearful to let Him see what is inside of you?
Simeon says to Mary in verse 35, (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Who is Jesus? Jesus is the light that exposes things hidden. It says in Hebrews 4:12 that He is a twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Nothing can hide from Jesus.
Jesus is the light who shows you who you really are, and how hideous our sinful state is. This is in part what Christ comes to reveal, but he comes to reveal in order to heal. Jesus reveals our true condition (which is way worse than you think it is), in order to heal you from that terminal disease that is sin. And we see this manifest even from his earliest days, starting right here in verse 21 with his circumcision.
Verse 21 – The Circumcision of Christ
21And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Why was Jesus circumcised? Why did the one who is most perfect as a lamb without blemish, have a part of his perfect flesh cut off? Well for many reasons but I will give just four.
Reason 1. Because Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, that from Abraham’s seed a son of promise would be born in whom all the world would be blessed. And so just as Abraham was circumcised as a sign and seal of the righteousness of the faith (Rom. 4:11), so now Jesus is circumcised as the righteous son (the true Isaac) to whom Abraham looked in faith.
Jesus fulfills and brings to completion what circumcision always pointed to, the cutting off of the old Adam and the putting on of the new. The end of the old creation ruled by sin, and the beginning of a new creation in which righteousness reigns. This is why God commanded that circumcision be done on the 8th day, (which is also the first day of the week) to signify a new heavens and new earth, and a new resurrected heart.
Reason 2. Because as Galatians 4:4-5 says, Jesus was born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And so because circumcision bound a person to keep the Mosaic law, and yet none could keep that law perfectly, Christ comes as both lawgiver and law keeper and fulfills all righteousness for us. As Paul says in Romans 8:3-4, For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
So while the law was holy, just, and good (Romans 7:12) our flesh prevented us from keeping it in its entirety. And so by Christ carrying out all the law’s commands, he shows both the sinfulness of sin, and the righteousness of God’s law. Flesh cannot keep what the spirit of God commands, but Christ can keep it, for He is a man full of the Spirit.
Reason 3. Jesus was circumcised to prove the reality of his human nature. Jesus has a real body that can really bleed, that can really be cut, and cut off for us. And so against those who said that Christ had only an imaginary body (Manichee’s, Docetists) or that His body was heavenly material and not from the virgin Mary, Jesus is circumcised the 8th day to show his solidarity with the human race. Jesus is fully God, and fully man. Of the same exact nature with us, except without sin.
Reason 4. To remove any excuse the Jews might have for not receiving Him. They cannot claim he is a foreigner, or a Gentile, or an uncircumcised Philistine.Jesus is a true Israelite, a true Jew, a fleshly descendent of David, who can trace his lineage back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But as it says in John 1:11-12, He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
So Jesus was sent first to the lost sheep of Israel, but all who believe in Jesus are joined to Him as one flock under one Shepherd.
Verses 22-24 – Mary is Purified and Jesus is Consecrated
22And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
23(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
24And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
So again, we see that Jesus’ parents are faithful law-abiding Jews. They submitted to Ceasar’s census, they paid their taxes in Bethlehem, and now they keep the law of Moses, first for circumcision, and now Mary’s purification and Jesus’ consecration.
According to the Levitical laws for cleanliness (Leviticus 12), a woman was ritually impure for 40 days after the birth of a son, and then when those days are accomplished, she is to bring a sacrifice to God according to what she can afford.
It says in Leviticus 12:8, And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.
The reason a woman was ritually impure after childbirth was not because giving birth is a sinful act, but because every birth brings another sinner into the world. God was teaching Israel through the ceremonial law the doctrine of original sin, and that all sin, both original and actual, needs to be dealt with by sacrifice.
It says in Romans 5, As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)…For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Rom, 5:12, 17, 19)
So although there was no sin or uncleanness in Jesus’ birth, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, still they carry out this ritual in accord with the law because this is what Jesus whole life shall be about: Exposing our sins and then atoning for our sins. Identifying with our guilt, while Himself being innocent. Offering to God what we ourselves cannot offer, a sacrifice more perfect than turtledoves and pigeons. All this Jesus does for us.
Now there are two witnesses to Jesus’ consecration, Simeon and Anna. And we can learn from both of them what true devotion to God looks like, especially as we reach the latter years of our life. So starting with Simeon, what kind of man was he?
Verses 25-26 – Simeon
25And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
Simeon’s name means God has heard. He is just. He is devout. And he is patient. Patiently waiting for God to comfort His people. What does this comfort consist of?
It says in Isaiah 40:1-2, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, That her warfare is accomplished, That her iniquity is pardoned: For she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
Simeon knows that comfort means pardon, comfort means forgiveness, comfort means the end of this warfare and the beginning of everlasting peace. Simeon yearns for this consolation of Israel, and God has rewarded his yearning with a promise: Simeon will not die until he sees the Lord’s Christ, until he holds in hands the consolation of Israel.
Can you imagine waiting for the day when you shall see what you have hoped for? When all your longings and hope deferred become a dream fulfilled and a tree of life? Well, this is that day for Simeon.
It says in Proverbs 11:3, 5, the integrity of the upright will guide them, and the justice of the upright will deliver them, and here now the just and upright Simeon is guided by the Spirit into the presence of the Divine.
Verses 27-28
27And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God.
Simeon holds in his hands the one who holds up the world. Simeon takes into his arms, the God whose everlasting arms are holding Simeon in his very being. This is the marvel of the Incarnation. That He whom heaven and earth cannot contain, chooses to be contained in mortal flesh. Chooses to be held by an old man who has been waiting for Him. And so for good reason Simeon blesses God and prophesies saying…
Verses 29-32 – The Song of Simeon
29Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart In peace, according to thy word:
30For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Simeon can say these words as he looks into the infant Jesus’ eyes. Simeon is saying these words to Jesus directly. Because Jesus is the Lord/Master in whose service Simeon has long been in. Jesus is the Lord who Simeon has been devoted to and waiting to see in the flesh. And now what Simeon desires is to depart in peace, to die, so that he can see that child’s divinity in full, so he can see in the next life what in this life he can only apprehend by faith, the beatific vision, to see the Divine essence through the Divine essence, face to face without a mirror or veil.
Do you like Simeon desire to go and be with Jesus? To be done with the warfare of this life and all its sorrows, and to be joined more perfectly to Your heavenly Savior?
Can you say with Simeon and the Apostle Paul, For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain?Are you, hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better,[but knowing that] Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you [for those under our care]?
Are you homesick for heaven? Because that is the sign of true faith and a mark of true love. To want to go and be with Jesus.
Simeon is a model of Christian justice, devotion, and patience.
Do you hate the injustice all around you, and do you long for the justice of God’s kingdom?
Do you despise the vanity of this lying world with its allurements, and do you long for the solid joys, the pure pleasures of the world to come?
Do we wait patiently for God’s heavenly consolation? For the peace that comes to those who wait in hope?
Jesus says in John 14:27, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Simeon teaches us that our patience in waiting is not in vain, our hope shall be rewarded. Here in part, and in heaven in full.
It says in Isaiah 64:4, Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
And in Psalm 50:3-6 it says, Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people: “Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” Let the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is Judge.
Judgment is coming, but that same judgement is salvation and vindication for those who love the Lord. So do you look for Him in hope?
How does Mary and Joseph respond to all this? Simeon’s holding their child in his arms?
Verses 33-35
33And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Now observe that these ominous words to Mary are called a blessing. Simeon blesses Mary with this prophesy of people falling and rising because of Jesus, and a sword piercing her own heart.
This piercing refers to the pain she will suffer at how her son is treated. He will be rejected, condemned as a blasphemer, arrested and falsely accused, beaten, mocked, and murdered in the most humiliating way possible, a crucifixion.
Mary will be there when Jesus dies. She will suffer the agony of having to watch the person she loves most, her own son suffer, and that unjustly. Yes, a sword will pierce Mary’s own soul, but it will be the piercing sword in the hand of the Divine healer.
The cross will be a sign spoken against, but that same cross shall become the instrument of our redemption.
As Jesus says in John 3:14-15, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
The cross reveals the thoughts of many hearts.
Do you believe that you deserve to be up there? That your sins are worthy of a most painful death and eternal damnation? Do you believe that this is what your sins deserve?
Many people do not believe that the wages of sin is death. Many people deny they are sinners, they deny the guilt of original sin. They deny that God is the Creator, that Jesus is a Savior, that he died and rose again, they deny that there is a future judgment, or a heaven and a hell. Many people live in denial.
The cross of Christ confronts people with what they actually think about God. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:18, For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
So what is the cross to you? Is it folly, or is it your salvation? Do you believe what God has revealed, or are you living in denial?
This brings us our final witness of Jesus birth, and to a woman who truly lived for the world to come.
Verses 36-38 – Anna
36And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
What do we know about Anna? Anna’s name means Grace. And she has been given the grace of prophecy. She proclaims the word of God to those looking for redemption in Jerusalem. She is also a daughter of Phanuel, which means “the face of God.” Phanuel/Peniel was the place where Jacob wrestled with the angel and then said: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved (Gen. 32:30). Anna is also from the tribe of Asher, which means Blessed.
We are told that Anna was of a great age. Depending on how you read the text here, she is either 84, or she has been a widow for 84 years, and then depending on when she was married, she could be as old as 105. So 84 on the younger side, 105 on the older side, but whatever the case, look at what she has done with all those years of widowhood.
It says in verse 37, she departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. Anna lived to worship and serve God.
Conclusion
And so let us close by considering some of the qualities of Anna’s life.
1. Anna loved the house of God. Anna was a woman who could say in truth the words of Psalm 27:4, One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
Anna was a woman of singular desire for God, and so when Jesus comes in, she gives thanks to God, for her eyes behold the very beauty of the Lord in the face of the infant Jesus. Anna loved the house of God, lived in the House of God, and so enjoyed the blessing of seeing God face to face.
2. Anna was a woman of self-denial. When she was young and unmarried, she was chaste virgin. And after her husband died, 7 years into their marriage, she devotes herself to religious service. Like Jacob who wrestled with God at Peniel, Anna a true daughter of Peniel wrestles with God in fasting and prayer. Anna denies her flesh that she may grow strong in the spirit. She gives herself to the hard work of constant prayer, because she knows, The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous woman availeth much (James 5:16).
In 1 Timothy 5 Paul describes two kinds of widows, faithful and unfaithful. And he condemns those widowswho cast off their first faith…and learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
Anna is not one of these foolish women. She remains in God’s house, she speaks God’s Word, and she keeps her first faith holding fast to the end.
Anna is a woman of whom this world is not worthy, and there is much we can learn from her example.
3. Third and finally, Anna told people about Jesus. She, spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Do we do the same?
The life of a widow who fasts and prays and lives at church, is not the life that most young people aspire for. It’s certainly not the American dream. But in God’s kingdom, the first shall be last. Jesus will say later in Luke 6:24-26, But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Anna is a true prophetess; she is unashamed to tell the world about Jesus. She fasted and prayed and God fed her. God gave to this poor widow His heavenly consolation.May He do the same for you, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

The Newborn KingSunday, January 11th, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 2:1–20
Prayer
O Father our soul blesses You for the birth of Your only-begotten Son. Grant that we like Mary may keep and ponder these things within our heart, and that we like the shepherds may return to our labors tomorrow, glorifying and praising You for all we have seen and heard. Bless now the preaching of these good tidings of great joy which shall be for all people, to the glory of the undivided Trinity, One God forever, Amen.
Introduction
Well, this morning we celebrate Christmas in January. After five sermons in Luke chapter 1 to prepare us for Christ’s birth, we come now to that moment in which God Himself enters our world.
Now unlike you and I who did not choose where we would be born, or when we would be born, or who our parents would be, or what circumstances might attend our birth, God selected every single detail of how He would personally enter His own creation. Here in these verses we have the Author of all entering His own story.
Now for those of you familiar with the Christmas story, it can be easy to overlook just how odd this whole scene is. Of all the possible details that we might like to know about the birth of God, what does God draw our attention to?
Notice that Mary and Joseph have zero words of dialog here. Jesus himself says and does nothing, except lay swaddled in a manger. Luke under the inspiration of the Spirit chooses instead to tell us about taxes, Caesar, angels, and shepherds. In fact, the only words of dialog in this scene are from angels to shepherds, and from shepherds to one another.
Why is this? Why did God choose to enter our world this way and not another? This is the question we shall ponder together as we consider the mystery of Christ’s birth.
Outline of the Text
Our text divides into four basic sections.
In verses 1-5 we have The Occasion for Christ’s birth.
In verses 6-7 we have The Birth.
In verses 8-17 we have The Celebration.
And then in verses 18-20 we have The Contemplation of all these things.
The Occasion, The Birth, The Celebration, and The Contemplation.
Verses 1-5 – What was the occasion of Christ’s birth?
1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world (οἰκουμένην) should be taxed.
Recall that Caesar Augustus (aka Octavian) was the first Emperor of Rome. And it was under his rule (27 BC – 14 AD) that the empire enjoyed a good measure of military peace, what would become known as the Pax Romana.
As a sign of this “worldwide” dominion, all of Caesar’s subjects were required to register. This refers to some kind of universal census in order to be taxed. Verse 2 goes on to say…
2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Beth-lehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
So what is the political occasion of Christ’s birth? An empire-wide census, where the people of God, and the land that God had promised to His people is now under Roman dominion, they must pay tribute to Caesar.
This is exactly what God promised would be happen if Israel broke covenant with Him: Foreign powers would rule over them.
And it is under this foreign power’s decree that Jospeh and Mary must travel to Bethlehem, which also happens to be the birthplace of King David.
So we have here a contrast being setup between two kings: the greatest of all earthly rulers, Ceasar Augustus, and the ruler of all creation, the Lord Jesus.
Whereas Caesar is taxing the whole world, and requiring them to travel to their hometowns to be registered. Christ, the Son of God leaves his home in heaven and comes down to earth. The one who created and owns everything (the cattle on a thousand hills, the breath of Caesar), subjects himself to Caesar’s taxation. And he chooses Bethlehem (which means House of Bread), as his birthplace. Why? Because Jesus is the bread from heaven, the bread of life, the one who gives to the world his own body and blood to redeem us from our sins.
As Jesus will say later in John 6:55-57, For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
No man ever spoke this way, and no Caesar ever ruled this way. But Jesus is no mere man, Jesus is the God-man, and the God-man is a giver of life.
God says in Isaiah 55:8-9, My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts.
Summary: So whereas our thoughts take us to our own imagined ideal conditions in which we might like to be born, God chooses by different criteria. God chooses according to what will be most expedient for our salvation.
God chose this moment in time, to show us the difference between man’s ways and God’s ways, between man’s kingdom and God’s kingdom. Who is Caesar? Caesar is a taker. But who is God? God is a giver, whatever you give to God He gives back more. Caesar makes peace through force of arms; God makes peace through sacrificial love. Caesar exalts himself with worldly pomp. God humbles himself unto death on a cross.
Already the words of Mary’s Magnificat are being fulfilled.  Recall she says in Luke 1:51-53, God has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.
Even in the way God enters this world He preaches the gospel to us. He shows us that the way of salvation is by humility, meekness, and the trampling of human pride.
It says in Psalm 25:9, The meek will he guide in judgment: And the meek will he teach his way.
And Jesus will say later to the Pharisees in Luke 16:15, For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. And this is true even in Christ’s birth.
So yes, Caesar has his kingdom and Caesar has his peace. But it is not the everlasting peace that only God can give. It is not the peace of a good conscience, of forgiveness and assurance, of a sincere faith, and love that proceeds from a pure heart. That is the true peace and true life that Jesus gives to the meek.
This brings us to verses 6-7, where the birth of Christ is recorded. And notice how humble this scene is.
Verses 6-7 – The Birth of Christ
6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
These are all the details God wants us to know. Mary gives birth, Jesus is her firstborn son. Mary herself wraps him in swaddling clothes; indicating there is not a nurse there assisting her and/or the birth was rather painless. Mary herself also lays him in a manger (a feeding trough for animals). And why? Because there was no room for them in the inn, (the house). They are outside (in a barn or in a cave) where the animals are.
This is God’s chosen way of entering His world. And He chose this as His nativity scene (His icon for our remembrance) to teach us about the higher ways of His kingdom, to reveal from the beginning of His earthly life, the meekness and lowliness of his own heart (Matt. 11:29).
Let us attend to a couple details here.
Why is God laid in a manger? What is signified by Christ laying in the place where animals eat grass and hay?
It says in Isaiah 40:6, All flesh is grass. And what has God chosen to assume and redeem though Christ? Our flesh. Our nature. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever (Is. 40:8).And here in this manger what do you have? The Word made flesh. God made grass.
And so if Jesus is the food in the manger, then what are we?
Animals. Beasts. Sheep and Oxen. Goats and Rams. We are those creatures who listened to the Serpent, and who need the image of God restored in us so that we may share in God’s dominion.
It says in Isaiah 53:6, All we like sheep have gone astray.
It says in Isaiah 1:3 of our ignorance, The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib (manger); But Israel does not know, My people do not consider. In other words, the animals are smarter than us when we sin.
And likewise in Psalm 73 it says, So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee…Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: But God is the strength of my heart, and my portion [my food] for ever.
So God has chosen to cure us of our beast-like ignorance. To heal us of our animal passions and the irrational cravings of a carnal mind. And he does this by making Himself food for us. By assuming our flesh, and that without sin, and by making his pure and spotless body food for the lowly.
God chooses to lay where simple creatures may go to eat. The gospel is not that complicated, it is as simple as repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus. Come and eat. And we see in the book of Acts that when simple people, like Peter and John feast and feed upon Christ, they become bold and wise unto salvation.
For Luke says of them in Acts 4:13, Now when the [Jewish leaders] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
So have you been with Jesus? Have you repented of your own willful ignorance of the grace of God? Have you forgotten who your Master is, and what will actually nourish your soul? Have you wandered like a sheep from the fold of God? If so, return. Those who come earnestly and honestly He will by no means cast out.
So already at Christ’s birth, our future salvation is foreshadowed. Do you remember what will Jesus later sing from the cross? The words of Psalm 22 which recalls his birth. He prays, But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion…Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me…The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!
Notice that Jesus is surrounded by animals (literal and metaphorical) at his birth and at his death. Some surround him because of malice and envy like lions to devour. And others because they love Him and worship Him and want their soul to be satisfied.
Moreover, we notice another detail that foreshadows the death of Christ. Where was Jesus born? Outside the house, because there was no room inside the house.And so also Hebrews 13:12 says, Jesus suffered outside the gate, outside the walls that should have welcomed him in. And so while in David’s hometown no room was found for David’s Lord, David’s Lord will later say, In my Father’s house are many rooms (mansions)…I go to prepare a place for you (John 14:2).
The God who is left outside in the dark of winter, is the God who shall die to turn every winter into a Christmas celebration, and to turn every season into a season of light and harvest, joy and gladness.
And this brings us to verses 8-17, where the first celebration of Christmas takes place. And notice who does God choose to share the news of His birth with?
Verses 8-17 – The Celebration
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Why does God choose shepherds to be the first recipients of this news, this gospel? For a few reasons:
1. Because as Psalm 23 says, The Lord is my shepherd. God is the great shepherd of His people, and so he shares with his fellow shepherds (pastors) the news that they also shall teach.
2.Because shepherds signify the Old Testament patriarchs to whom the promise of God’s kingdom was told.
What was David before he was king? He was a shepherd in the country of Bethlehem (just like these shepherds).
What was Moses before God spoke to Him from the burning bush? A shepherd, tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, priest of Midian (Ex. 3:1).
What was the vocation of Jacob and the original twelve sons of Israel? Joseph says to Pharoah in Genesis 46:32, the men are shepherds. And then two verses later we are told, they may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
What was Abel, the first martyr and prophet according to Jesus? It says in Genesis 4:2, Abel was a keeper of sheep.
So God chooses shepherds and faithful shepherds at that (those who are keeping watch over their flock by night) to be the first witnesses and human messengers of Christ’s birth.
This is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David, Moses, and the shepherds of Israel.
3. Because the job of a shepherd is to feed the sheep, and where is the best food, the greenest pastures and the stillest waters to be found? They are in wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And so it is most fitting that God sends the angels to tell them where this food is found. We read in verses 9-17…
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men.
15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Beth-lehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
There is much here but let us just highlight a few words these angels proclaim.
In verse 10 we see this is good news of great joy. The Triune God is eternally joyful in Himself and through Christ that joy is extended to others. How many others? The angel says, this is good news of great joy, which shall be to all people. God’s gospel is a universal invitation to rejoice, all are invited to come to the King’s feast.
While Caesar Augustus sent forth a universal decree to be taxed, God sends forth a universal invitation to receive the greatest gift. What is that gift? Why should we rejoice?
The angel says in verse 11, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Three titles are assigned to Jesus: Savior, Christ, and Lord.
1. Savior signifies the action of Jesus; He will save us from our sins. He will save us from the devil’s clutches. He will save us from eternal punishment. He will save us from our own fleshly desires. He will save us from ourselves. Jesus is the savior and His salvation brings us joy.
2. Jesus is the Christ. Christ means anointed one. Jesus is the anointed king, the anointed high priest, the anointed prophet of God. He is the very word of God full of the Holy Spirit, full of grace and truth, He is the sender of the Holy Spirit together with His Father. Jesus is the Christ and those baptized into Christ are called Christians, little anointed ones.
3. Jesus is Lord. That is, He is God. There is one God, eternally subsisting in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And Jesus is the Son who alone assumes our human nature. Fully human, fully divine, One Lord Jesus Christ.
To know Him and to understand Him, is the greatest of all gifts. And this is why the angels of heaven sing Glory unto him.
It says in verses 13-14, And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men.
First observe that that word host means army. This is God’s angelic army come to announce the reason for the heavenly king’s birth. It is to make peace. It is show forth God’s favor (His good will). It is to invite the whole world to join them in singing, “Glory to God in the highest!”
Usually when an army shows up, that means war. That means battle. That means prepare yourself to fight. But when God’s army appears on earth, they come announcing peace.
And so from this moment onwards, the question becomes: How shall peace be made? How shall Jesus bring peace to a world living under Roman peace? What kind of peace does Jesus come to bring? How is the kingdom of God different from the kingdoms of this world?
These questions the gospel of Luke shall go on to answer. And as Colossians 1:20 says, He made peace through the blood of his cross. But at this moment in the story, there is only the promise of peace made, but no explanation how.
And this leads us to our fourth and final section of this passage, and where we shall close.
Verses 18-20 – The Contemplation
18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
First notice the response of all who hear this news. They wonder. They marvel. Do you wonder and marvel at birth of Christ? At the word of the angels, and the preaching of the shepherds?
Second observe Mary’s response. God could have sent an angel directly to Mary (He had done it before), and He could have surrounded that stable in Bethlehem with angelic choirs. But instead, God sends the angel to the shepherds, his angelic choir appears to those out in the countryside. And it is the shepherds who come and tell Mary what the angels told them. These are the ways of God. He wants us to share in the sharing of good news, because in the sharing our own joy is increased.
And now here in Mary we see the joy of contemplation. The joy of gazing at the truth in our heart with delight. Mary treasures these things, she ponders them in our heart, she marvels at the mystery that she just gave birth to the Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord.
And so do you like Mary treasure what you hear? Do you meditate upon the Word, wondering and marveling at the mysteries revealed. Do you apply these truths to your own life and struggles, temptations and fears, looking to Christ as the source of your strength?
What is the very first action of the blessed man in Psalm 1? His delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
It says in Psalm 119:97, O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: For thy testimonies are my meditation.
It says in Psalm 63, My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, And meditate on thee in the night watches.
Saints of God, do you meditate day and night? Do you ponder and treasure the things of God? Because this is the way to blessedness. This is the way to joy. May God grant you such holy and constant meditation of Him, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

BenedictusSunday, January 4th, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 1:68–80
Prayer
O Father, we thank You that in this world that is full of broken promises, You are the God who cannot lie. You are the God who always keeps His Word, who always keeps covenant, and who loves to show mercy to those who desire peace. Grant us Your peace now and forever, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
In the year 110 AD, about 80 years after Christ’s ascension on high, a Roman governor named Pliny the Younger wrote a letter to the Emperor Trajan. And in this letter Pliny asks the emperor what the policy should be for prosecuting alleged Christians. Already Pliny had executed some Christians for their refusal to burn incense to Caesar and curse Christ, but he says that if he were to keep prosecuting them in this way, “Many persons of every age, every rank, and also of both sexes are and will be endangered. For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but also to the villages and farms.” Just two generations after Jesus died and rose again, and the Roman empire is full of Christians, young and old, rich and poor, male and female, country folk and city folk, all spreading their religion according to Pliny, like a contagion.
In this same letter we also have one of the earliest descriptions (outside of the New Testament) of what a Christian gathering looked like. Pliny says, “They were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not to falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food–but ordinary and innocent food.”
And so here you have an unbelieving Roman official attesting that Christians would gather together for a potluck. They would meet early in the morning before the sun rose, and swear oaths to keep God’s law, and during their gathering they would sing to one another, “a hymn to Christ as to God.” Of course, this should not surprise us since Paul commands the church to do this in Ephesians and Colossians, he says, teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Col 3:18, Eph. 5:19). From the beginning Christianity has been a religion of singing. Singing to one another. Singing unto Christ as God.
Now as far as we know, the 150 Psalms of David were the original hymnbook of the Christian church. But as time went on and the gospels were published and circulated, the church also started to put to music the inspired words of the New Testament as well, especially some of the first “hymns to Christ as God.” So by the time of the 6th century, Mary’s Magnificat was being sung in the liturgy, and also the text we have before us this morning, which is Zacharias’ song, now known as the Benedictus.
That word Benedictus is just the Latin word for Blessed, and it is taken from the first line of Zacharias’ prophesy, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel (Benedictus Dominus Deus Israël).
And so my hope for you this morning is that by understanding a little more the meaning of these words, these lyrics, you may be moved like Zacharias, moved by the Holy Spirit, to bless the God of Israel. For what we have before us in our text is an inspired New Covenant example, of what Psalm 103:2 tells us to do, Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.
The Benedictus is all about blessing God for His many saving benefits. And it is those benefits we shall call to mind again this morning.
Outline of the Text
We are focusing in on verses 68-79, which is prophetic poetry. And this poem divides into two basic sections:
In verses 68-75, Zacharias extols The Mystery of the Incarnate Lord.
In verses 76-79, He extols the The Mission of John to Prepare People for that Lord.
So we have 1) The Mystery of the Incarnation, followed by 2) The Mission of John the Baptist, so let us walk through this text together.
Verses 68-69 – The Blessed God Blesses Us
68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; For he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
What does it mean to bless God?
To bless God is to confess with your mouth praise. And more specifically to praise God because He is most blessed (He is most happy). Blessedness is God’s very nature.
What makes a person perfectly happy is the perfect possession of a perfect good. And this God alone possesses in Himself, and He has created us to share in the happiness that He is.
So whereas you and I have a happiness that fluctuates according to the goods we have or do not have, and how permanent they are or are not, God is the only permanent and perfect good, and in this life we can only possess Him by faith, but in the next life we shall enjoy Him by sight. And this is what Jesus calls in John 17:3, eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
And so because God wants you to share in His own abundant happiness, He chooses to come down to us in the most personal way, not as an angel, not as a voice in a cloud, or a fiery mountain or a burning bush, or an invisible force, but rather in the man Christ Jesus, to visit and redeem us from our sins.
This is the reason why Zacharias blesses the God of Israel: For he hath visited and redeemed his people And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.
Here in these opening verses are contained three momentous actions of God.
1. First, He has come down to visit us. This refers to the mystery of the incarnation, that the unborn child growing within Mary’s womb, is none other than the God of Israel in human flesh.
2. Second we are told that the purpose for this divine visitation is, to redeem His people.
Just as the nation of Israel was in bondage in Egypt, slaves to Pharoah, treated as Pharoah’s property, just so the whole world was in bondage to Satan and sin, subject to death and in need of someone to pay our debt and purchase us out of slavery.
This is the new and greater Exodus Jesus comes to bring. Jesus is the Passover lamb, the New Moses. Baptism becomes our Red Sea crossing. Jesus is our new High Priest, of whom Hebrews 9:12 says, by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
And it says likewise in Colossians 1:13-15, that God the Father, hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.
So already before Jesus is born, Zacharias is prophesying the purpose for his birth, He was born to die, born to redeem us from our sins.
3. Third, he extols the victory of Christ’s kingdom saying, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.
This raising up of the horn refers to Christ’s resurrection and enthronement as king. It says in Psalm 132:17-18, There [in Zion] I will make the horn of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.”
What is a horn but an animal’s crown. A vessel for pouring out oil (1 Sam. 16:1), an instrument to make the walls of Jericho crumble (Josh 6:5). The horn signifies power and beauty, strength and glory. In the book of Daniel, a horn signifies a king and the extent of his kingdom. And so who is Christ but the king of kings, who says after his resurrection in Matthew 28:18, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And as we heard earlier from Psalm 72, his dominion shall be from sea to sea.
In Revelation 19 it says of Christ, And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
So who is Jesus? He is The Triumphant Horn of salvation. The reason we bless the God of Israel is because He joined to Himself our humanity to save us from the wrath to come. Jesus was born to die, He died to redeem, and He did not stay dead but rose victorious as king. All of this so that you may share in His blessedness, so that you can share in the eternal happiness that God delights to give.
So dear Christian, Does your soul bless the Lord? Can you say with Psalm 104:33-34, My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
Or have you forgotten His many benefits?
God gives you His word, and gives you these songs to help you remember what we are so prone to forget.
This brings us to verses 70-73 where we are told that all of these benefits were promised by God in times past.
Verses 70-73 – Prophets Since The World Began
70As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, Which have been since the world began:
71That we should be saved from our enemies, And from the hand of all that hate us;
72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, And to remember his holy covenant;
73The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
So here Zacharias takes us back to the beginning of the world and the patriarchs of Genesis.
Who was the very first prophet and martyr for the faith? According to Jesus it was Adam and Eve’s son, Abel.
Jesus will say later to the scribes and Pharisees in Luke 11:49-52, Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
It is interesting that this name Zacharias which means “God remembers,” is also the name of the last prophet who was martyred in the Old Testament canon (2 Chronicles 24:20-22), and now the son of Zacharias, John the Baptist will become the last prophet to be martyred before the death of Christ.
And so what exactly has God remembered that martyrs like Abel and Zacharias foretold and which John the Baptist will also proclaim.
It is nothing other than God’s coming judgment. The day of the Lord. God’s punishment of sin both temporal and eternal. John says in Luke 3:17, His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.
According to Genesis 4, the blood of Abel cried out to God for vengeance, for the making right of Cain’s murderous wrong.
Likewise in 2 Chronicles 24:22 it says, And when [Zacharias] died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it. Require what? Require justice.
And so for those who refuse to plead the blood of Jesus, all that is left for them is Divine judgment, the receiving of what they deserve, God’s vengeance for every sin.
It says Hebrews 12:24 that Christ’s blood, speaks a better word than the blood of Abel, namely forgiveness. So for those who refuse the price of redemption Christ offers upon the cross, they are choosing instead to receive the wages of sin, namely eternal death.
If you do not repent of every sin and plead the blood of Jesus, you are as those who condemned Christ to death, calling God a liar and saying, His blood be upon us, and on our children (Matt 27:25).
The message of the prophets from the very beginning is that God is just and God is merciful, and if you do not fall upon His mercy seat, only justice remains. Well Jesus is that mercy seat, the only safe place to hide from the wrath to come. So who is your shelter? Who are you trusting in?
Zacharias goes on in verse 71 to say that one of the results of Christ’s judgment is, That we should be saved from our enemies, And from the hand of all that hate us.
Who are those who hate the church? Who are those enemies from which we shall be saved? They are all those people and powers, spiritual and physical, human and angelic, political and ecclesiastical, who would oppose Christ and his people.
This includes men like Cain, who envy, hate, and murder their own brother. This includes women like Potiphar’s wife, who would try to seduce the righteous and then falsely accuse them. It includes evil rulers like Ahaz and Jezebel, who persecuted Elijah and enticed the people into idolatry.
It includes Satan and his demonic hordes. It includes our own sinful flesh and perverse desires. Anyone or anything that does not love and serve Jesus is counted an enemy of God, and all such enemies shall be defeated.
Some of those enemies were defeated 2,000 years ago. Some of those enemies God permits to remain for a time to test us, try us, and increase our faith. All of us who now love Jesus used to be His enemies, and so aren’t you thankful that Christ conquered you?
The gospel promise is a promise of deliverance from everything that hinders our happiness in God.Some of those enemies Christ destroys immediately, some he deals a death blow but allows to live on for a time, some of them await the final judgment and the lake of fire.
So while Jesus Christ the God-man is presently reigning over heaven and earth right now, that same Jesus is very patient, very kind, and as it says in 1 Timothy 2:4, God desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth, and that is why He tarries, that is why He permits so many enemies to continue for a season, that we may be converted to Him and bow the knee willingly before judgment day.
So God has performed in Christ the mercy He promised to Abraham and our fathers. And when God’s mercy encompasses a person, it changes them from the inside out. It transforms us to desire what is truly good for us. In verses 74-75 we see what that truly good life looks like.
Verses 74-75 – The Good Life
74That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Might serve him without fear,
75In holiness and righteousness before him, All the days of our life.
Recall this was our fifth diagnostic question last week. Do you desire from God nothing more and nothing less, than to serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness forever?
Because that is the desire of someone who has received God’s mercy.
Why did God save us from Satan, sin, and death? To bring us to a loving service of Him, in holiness and righteousness all our days.
Does not your heart yearn for this rest? This perfect peace? This freedom from all fears and doubts, liars and deceivers? Where there is secure tranquility and tranquil unity amongst the joy of myriads upon myriads of angels and saints more numerous than we can count?
This is the rest God promises to those who will not rest until they rest in Him. Is this the desire of your heart?
It says in 1 John 4:18, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear. And so while in this life our love for God is very small and imperfect, and our capacity to receive His love is constantly assaulted by sins and fears, a day will come when we may cast aside this body of death and embrace in full the glorious love of our Redeemer.
But in the meantime, He gives us a taste of these gifts in varying degrees. At present the church in our region is not suffering overt persecution, we may gather freely and worship God according to His Word. This is a great freedom, a hard-won freedom, that many Christians have never enjoyed.
But how have we used this freedom? Have we used it to grow in holiness and righteousness? Have we made every effort to become holy as He is holy, keeping ourselves unstained from the world, hating even the garment that is stained by the flesh?
When God gives His church a measure of liberty and then we abuse that liberty, He often removes it to teach us what that liberty was for. Do we want to be free so you can worship God? Or do you want to be free so you can just do what is right in your own eyes?
The freedom God gives is a freedom to become conformed into the image of His Son.Is this what you are doing with the freedom you have?
If not, you are not alone, you are like many of the Jews in Jesus’ day. And God knows how slow we are to hear, and how dull our understanding is, how forgetful we are. And so from His mercy he sends a messenger to prepare people for what He intends to do. And this is what Zacharias extols at the end of this song.
Verses 76-79 – The Mission of John the Baptist
76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord To prepare his ways;
77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people By the remission of their sins,
78Through the tender mercy of our God; Whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.
Notice that we are not born walking in the way of peace. Someone needs to guide us there. And here we see how God guides His people, first through John, then through Jesus.
What does John do? It says in verse 77 he gives knowledge of salvation unto God’s people, and that that knowledge consists in the remission of sins. The knowledge that you are a sinner and need to repent.
Remember that John is the son of a priest.  And it says in Malachi 2:7, For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, And they should seek the law at his mouth: For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
And so John prepares people by preaching the truth. In Luke 3:3 we are told, And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
And then Jesus comes, and what does Jesus do?
Jesus comes and forgives sins. How? It says in verse 78, Through the tender mercy of our God. Jesus is the fullest expression of God’s mercy. He is mercy in the flesh.
To show mercy is remove a person’s misery (their defects) insofar as you are able. But how able are we to heal ourselves? How able are we to change a person’s heart and all our own personal defects? How able are we to pay the debt for our own sins, nevertheless another person’s sins? We are totally unable. We are those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death.
But who is Jesus? Jesus is God. Jesus is God’s mercy. Jesus is the one says, I came to seek and save the lost. Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance (Mark 2:17).
Jesus is God’s mercy come to heal you of your misery by His infinite power.
Paul says in Romans 8:3-4, For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Jesus gives what no mere man can give. Jesus gives the Spirit of God. Jesus gives a transformed heart. Jesus gives a complete forgiveness, so that Romans 8:1 may become true of us which says, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. So what are you walking in?
Jesus is the light of the world, the dayspring from on high, who guides our feet into the way of peace. That way of a peace is what Paul calls, “walking in the Spirit, minding the things of the Spirit and not the things of the flesh.” So do you have this Holy Spirit? Do you have God’s peace?
Conclusion
What will make Christianity spread like a contagion again? What kind of people will convert the Empires of our day, even as the Roman Empire was eventually conquered by Christ?
It will be those who walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. It will be those who want to serve God without fear, in righteousness and holiness all their days.
It will be those who refuse to bow down and burn incense to all our American idols, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” Mammon, Pornography, Feminism, Technology. These are all idols to help us idolize ourselves. We want people to serve and worship us. We are our own gods. We want God to serve and worship us. This is what Satan wanted, and it is what he seduced Eve into grasping for, the fruit that will make us like God.
What Satan offered with a lying tongue, God now gives freely and truly to all who believe on His Son.
For Jesus Christ was hung like fruit upon the tree. And by grasping for Him you may take hold of eternal life. Your eyes will be opened to know true right and true wrong, and you may become like God sharing in His blessedness.
For what does Paul say in Romans 8:29? He predestinated us to be conformed to the image of his Son. And in 2 Peter 1:4 it says that by trusting in God’s promises, we may become partakers of the divine nature.
So while the world is busy exalting itself, worshiping itself trying to play god and rule others, the true God came down and humbled Himself, died for our idolatry, to make us partakers of His blessedness. To make us share in His divine life.
If you know these saving benefits, then may you bless the God of Israel, now and forever, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

The State of the Church 2026Sunday, December 28th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 1:57–80
Prayer
O Father we thank for Your Son, and we thank You for all those people who like John the Baptist, pointed us to Christ in whom alone is salvation and the remission of our sins. Grant that we also might grow and wax strong in the spirit, by the hearing of Your Word preached, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
It has been our custom that around the New Year, I preach a sermon on The State of the Church. And just as a you might go see the doctor for a routine examination, this sermon is that kind of annual check up on our health as a corporate body of believers. How are we doing as Christ Covenant Church? How is the broader body of Christ doing in our region and beyond? These are good questions to ask, perhaps not every week, but on occasion, and the turn of the year is a fitting time for this kind of big picture assessment and personal reflection.
Now some people avoid going to the doctor simply because they don’t want to know whether they are actually healthy or not (“I feel fine!”). We don’t want them to run those tests, or draw our blood, or go poking around in our private places.
Or maybe you are one of those people who hates taking your car to the mechanic, because you know there’s always going to be something to fix or replace, belts and tires get worn out, and usually it all costs a lot more than we want to spend. And so we think, If it’s still running, why pop the hood.
Well, this should not be the case when it comes to your soul. When it comes to the health of the body of Christ. Paul says very plainly to the Corinthian church, Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves (2 Cor 13:5).
And so with God’s help, we need to submit ourselves to His loving scrutiny. We must go and go often to the Great Physician and Healer of our souls and ask for His honest assessment of our true condition and state. That is what these State of the Church sermons are intended to help us discover about ourselves, and that means asking ourselves the (sometimes uncomfortable) questions that God’s Word places before us.
So with that in mind let me give you the outline of our text, and then as we work through the first half of this passage, I am going to highlight five diagnostic questions that arise from this text, and which we should ask ourselves as a church.
Outline of the Text
Our text divides into three sections
In verses 57-58, A Son is Born.
In verses 59-66, that Son is named John.
In verses 67-80, God is praised for what He will accomplish through John and through Christ.
Verses 57-58 – A Son is Born
Recall the context. An angel appeared to Zacharias the priest 9 months ago. And while Zacharias was offering incense and prayers in the temple the angel Gabriel appeared and said to him, thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. (Luke 1:13-14).
And here now that promise is fulfilled, even in spite of Zacharias’ unbelief. For 9 months he has been deaf and dumb, unable to hear or speak. And for the last 3 months, Mary the mother of God has been living under their roof. The unborn Jesus has been dwelling in their house. And now finally the time has come for the elderly Elizabeth to be delivered.
And so as it happens when a child is born, news gets out. And it says in verse 58, her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
And this brings us to our first diagnostic question we should ask: Do we as a church rejoice in the mercy God has shown? Are we a church that has a reputation, that is known for our joy? When people visit us is it undeniable that we are a people who love the mercy of God and rejoice in His mercy?
Recall from last week that we said that all joy is contingent upon the intensity of our love. And so, where joy is lacking, love is lacking.
And so what are your joy levels like? Are you resolved in the year ahead to love God more intensely because you want to experience joy more intensely? You want for yourself and for others what the Apostle Peter describes who says, In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory (1 Peter 1:6-8).
The Christian life is a life of joy because even our trials are God’s mercies: to strengthen our faith, to purify us, to rid us of sin and all those desires that hinder our love for God in Whom is fullness of joy (Ps 16:11).
And so, are we a church that is known for our joy and known for our love?
Jesus says in John 13:35, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
And Paul says in Philippians 2:2, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
It is by this love and joyful unity that the church becomes as a pillar of smoke by day, and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21-22) to show the world around us where the glory and presence of God is. We are God’s tabernacle in the wilderness of this world.
What is that pillar of smoke but the prayers and the lives of the holy saints? It says in Hebrews 12:1 that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. And in Revelation 8:4 it says, And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
And so this smoke and fire, this glory and light is given to signify the church’s love and joy in God. And where this love and joy is manifest, people will see it and wonder at it, and be drawn to Christ. For Jesus is our glory and we are His. And so how can we not rejoice in the mercy He has shown?
So grade yourself. How are we doing in keeping the fires of charity roaring upon the altar? Does the smoke of our prayers ascend daily as a pleasing aroma to God because they are offered from a humble heart? Because this is the love offering God desires from His people, and Jesus says that it is by our love that people will know to whom be belong. We belong to the God who is love.
This brings us to verses 59-66 where this son of Zacharias and Elizabeth is named.
Verse 59-66 – A Son Is Named
First observe that there are two circumcisions happening here:
The first is in accord with Genesis 17:10-12 where God says to Abraham, This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations.
And so John as a son of the covenant promise, and Zacharias as one who has walked blamelessly before Lord, has John circumcised. And just as Abram’s name was changed to Abraham by this covenant of circumcision, here now the one they presumed to name Zacharias is named by God as John, which means, “Jehovah has graciously given,” or “YHWH has been gracious.”
This is the first circumcision, the cutting away of the flesh and the naming of a son in grace. And just as John precedes Jesus and the new covenant Jesus brings, so also John’s circumcision precedes a new covenant circumcision which will be of the heart, and the ears, and the lips of God’s people. And Zacharias is a foreshadowing of this spiritual circumcision.
Notice that John has been alive for 8 days already, but still Zacharias is deaf and dumb, they have to make signs to him to communicate. And it is not until Zacharias himself names John (according to the word of the angel in Luke 1:13) that it says, his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
This is the spiritual circumcision of the spirit, and what fleshly circumcision always pointed to.
God says way back in Deuteronomy 10:16, Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.
And Jeremiah preaches to those who were circumcised in the flesh saying, Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings (Jer 4:4).
And so recall what John’s ministry will be. Calling the Israelites, calling the Jews, to live out what their fleshly circumcision signified, namely to love God with a whole heart and to mortify fleshly desires.
This is why Paul can say to the Philippians in Philippians 3:3, For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
And likewise in Colossians 2:11-12 he says, In Christ 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, 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.
And so just as John’s baptism will anticipate Christ’s baptism, so also John’s circumcision anticipates the spiritual circumcision of Christ’s death.
And when the spirit opens our ears to hear, and opens our mouths to speak, and has cut away the deadness of our heart’s unbelief, what comes forth but praise?
As David says in Psalm 51:15, O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
And in Isaiah 50:4-5 it says, The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God hath opened mine ear, And I was not rebellious, Neither turned away back.
So notice, Zacharias is the first fruits of his own son’s ministry. Already God is turning the hearts of the fathers to the children. And the amazing thing about Zacharias, Elizabeth and John, is that together they are the original spirit-filled family. All of them receive the spirit of prophesy and become God’s instruments to testify of Christ.
And this brings us to our second diagnostic question which is: Are our families, spirit-filled families? Do we all have the Word of God constantly on our lips? Do mothers and fathers and children alike hear the word, speak the word, pray the word, and sing the word? Because this is what God promised would take place in the New Covenant.
It says in Acts 2:17 quoting Joel 2:28, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. What is prophecy but speaking the Word of God, testifying to Christ, praising Him for His mercies which are new every morning.
A spirit-filled church needs spirit-filled families, and the way we receive the spirit is by having our ears opened to the word, our hearts softened to receive it, and our mouths opened to proclaim it.
And this leads to a third diagnostic question we could ask. It says in verse 65 that after Zacharias praised God, fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
And so we could ask ourselves: Do we “noise abroad,” do we make known to our little hill country of Centralia and Chehalis and roundabout, the mercy God has shown in Christ?
Are we as it says in 1 Peter 3:15-16, ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Notice that when we are a people who live in hope, that hope becomes evident to outsiders, and then outsiders begin to ask, Why are you so hopeful? Why are you not stressed, fearful, and anxious about the future?
And to them we can say, I already died in Christ. I have already counted this world as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. And so however bad things may get, or however good things may be, I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:11-13).
Moreover my Lord Jesus told me, Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from [my] Father’s will. But the very hairs of [my] head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Matt 10:28-31).
When we are living out the hope of the gospel, doing as Abraham did, we become as those of whom this world is not worthy. For it says in Hebrews 11, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland…But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them… For here have we no lasting city, but we seek one to come (Hebrews 11:13-16, 13:14).
When the church lives in hope of this heavenly country, and orders all of its earthly affairs towards that end, the blessing of God rests upon His people. The gospel goes forth and triumphs, and true prosperity abounds.
It says in Proverbs 10:22, The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, And he addeth no sorrow with it.
Whereas those who love money and trust in uncertain riches, err from the faith, and pierce themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Tim 6:10, 17).
As Americans we are abounding with more material wealth than kings of old could have imagined. And yet we have been deceived by our wealth, we have trusted in riches, and lost our soul as result. That is what happens when you serve Mammon instead of God, or worse, serve Mammon in the name of God.
And so if the American church would recover a more potent witness to Christ, we must check our hearts and check where our treasure is. We all love and trust money more than we should. And we must declare war on this idol if our hope will become heavenly and not earthly.
This leads us to our fourth diagnostic question which is: Do we treasure God’s Word within our hearts? Is our attention, memory, and comprehension of God’s Word a high priority for us?
It says in verse 66, And all they that heard them [referring to the news of God’s mercy and the birth of John] laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
It is not enough to just hear the Word, we must also retain it and treasure it in our memory.How else will you be ready to give an answer for the hope within you? How else will you have hope unless God’s Word is constantly within your mind?
David says in Psalm 119:11, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.
And in Psalm 119:16, I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
And so are we a church that memorizes Scripture because we value Scripture? And do we value it at the price that God values it?
It says in Psalm 119:72, The law of thy mouth is better unto me Than thousands of gold and silver. And of gaining wisdom and understanding it says in Proverbs 3:14-15, For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, And the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: And all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
And so if you struggle with discontent, with covetousness which is idolatry, with love of money, then turn your attention to memorizing and understanding God’s Word. Because as Proverbs 3:17-18 goes on to say, Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.
Fifth and finally, observe what is at the center of Zacharias’ song of praise.
In verses 67-73 (the first half), he blesses God for visiting His people, for redeeming them, and keeping His covenant promises. In verses 76-80 (the second half) he prophesies of John’s ministry to prepare people for Jesus. But in the middle, in verses 74-75, he extols the whole purpose for God saving us, and what is that? That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, All the days of our life.
Conclusion
And so as we close, I want to ask this final diagnostic question: Is this our highest aim, and our greatest desire, and our burning ambition as a church? Do we want what God wants from Christ’s saving work?
Do we want to simply serve him without fear? Worship Him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life?
Does all our planning, and budgeting, and programs and ministries aim at this goal? Is this what Christ Covenant Church is all about? Serving God without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, All the days of our life.
This is what the chief end of man is: to glory God, and enjoy Him forever. And so do this goal govern us. Does this goal order all our lesser goals and set them in right proportion?
Is this your personal goal if God were to come to you and ask, “What do you want? I’ll give you whatever you ask up to half of the kingdom?” Is this your knee-jerk response, to say, “I just want to serve you God. I just want to be holy and to live righteously before you all my days.” Or as the Psalmist says in Psalm 73:25, Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
May that become our true answer and desire more and more in the year ahead, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

MagnificatSunday, December 21st, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 1:39–56
Prayer
O God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, teach our soul to magnify You, teach our spirit to rejoice in God our savior. For you have done for us great things, and holy is Your name, and so teach us to hallow that name, both now and forever, and Amen.
Introduction
In Luke 1:4, we are told that the purpose of Luke’s gospel is, so that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
Thus far in Luke’s gospel you have been instructed about the miraculous conception of John the Baptist, and then you were instructed about the even more miraculous conception of our Lord Jesus who was conceived by the Holy Ghost and to be born of the virgin Mary.
And now in our text this morning, Luke brings together these two pregnant women, the elderly Elizabeth and the young virgin Mary. And he brings these two women together under one roof, so that three people can bear witness to the Incarnation of God.
Who are those three witnesses? They are: Mary, Elizabeth, and a 28-week John the Baptist, still in utero, all testifying to the Lordship of Christ.
It says in Revelation 19:10,for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And in 1 John 4:2 it says, Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And so here in our text we have the Holy Spirit moving two women and an unborn baby to testify, and not only to testify but to rejoice at God’s entrance into this broken world.
This is the pattern of Luke chapters 1-2. Those who believe the gospel rejoice. The one person who does not believe (Zacharias) is silenced. Praise and prophecy follows from faith. True believing leads to true and lasting joy.
And so the question Luke confronts us with in this scene is: Does your faith give birth to real joy? Does what you believe about Jesus move you to say with Mary, my soul doth magnify the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour?
This is what the Christmas season is all about. The inbreaking of God’s Son into our world of sin and misery. The inbreaking of real joy and certain hope into all of your present sorrows, pains, and fears.
And so as we consider this passage before us, I want you to take these three witnesses (John, Elizabeth, and Mary) as a guide to recovering your joy. And if you are someone who has yet to believe on the Lord Jesus as your Savior, may God grant you to taste and see this joy for the very first time. So with that in mind, let me give you the outline of our text.
Outline of the Text
This passage is bookended by Mary’s travel plans.
In verse 39, Mary arises, leaves Nazareth, and goes to the house of Zacharias in Judah.
And then in verse 56, Mary abides there with Zacharias and Elizabeth for 3 months and then returns to her own house.
And then in between those two details, Luke gives us a threefold witness to Christ.
In verses 39-41, John bears witness.
In verses 42-45, Elizabeth bears witness.
And then in verses 46-56, Mary bears witness.
And as we shall see, all three witnesses are marked by rejoicing.
Verses 39-40
Recall from last week that Mary has just been told that she shall bear the Son of God through a virginal conception. And because a virgin child has never happened before, and because it would be both scandalous and hard to believe that such a miracle has occurred, Luke tells us that Mary arises in haste to abide with Zacharias and Elizabeth for three months.
And what this three month stay does for Mary, and for us, is protect against the false accusations that maybe Mary and Joseph had been fooling around, or that this wasn’t a virginal conception at all and Mary committed adultery. So Luke illustrates and fills out what Matthew 1:25 tells us plainly, that Joseph knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son.
So after that first trimester when Mary returns to Nazareth, and her belly is starting to show, and people are starting to wonder and whisper, there are at least two respectable people who can testify that Mary has been with them this whole time. She has not known a man, the power of God has caused this child to be conceived. And later Joseph himself will add his own testimony that this child is virgin born.
So Luke is supplying us with witnesses, both angelic and human, that some of the other gospel accounts do not include. And again this is all part of his project to give us certitude in the faith. And by giving us certitude, to also give us more sure grounds for joy and hope.
Verse 41 – John Bears Witness
Recall the prophesy and purpose of John’s life and ministry. The angel Gabriel said earlier in Luke 1:15-16, he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. [so already this is coming to pass] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
And so long before John can preach or speak or say “behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” he is already testifying to Christ. John is bearing witness to that newly conceived 1-week old baby living in Mary’s womb. That baby is God and because He is God that is cause to leap and rejoice.
And here John exemplifies a model of Christian faith. John believes without seeing. He rejoices at what he hears. Elizabeth will say in verse 44, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
And so notice that John’s leaping for joy then leads to Elizabeth being filled with that same Holy Spirit. Joy in John begets joy in John’s mother. This is how joy is shared.
God loves to use spirit-filled people to bring the Holy Spirit to others. And while John cannot yet testify with words, he can testify with his body, and his joyful leaping causes Elizabeth to be the very first person in the gospel of Luke to make the fundamental Christian confess, Jesus is Lord. We hear this testimony in verses 42-46.
Verses 42-45 – Elizabeth Bears Witness
First observe what is completely absent from this scene. There is absolutely zero envy, jealousy, or rivalry between Elizabeth and Mary, or between Jesus and John. And this is unique in a world of self-important sinners. In a world of vain women who think too highly of themselves and are constantly comparing themselves with others.
To such women the words of 2 Corinthians 10:12 are apt, it says, but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
What is 90% of social media but vanity and lies?
Now if you think back to the Old Testament (before they had the internet), you’ll notice this problem of rival women with rival sons is as old as Genesis. And this strife between brothers and strife between mothers, dominates the storyline of Israel’s history.
There is the rivalry between Sarah and Hagar, between Rachel and Leah, between Hannah and Peninnah, between Isaac and Ishamel, Jacob and Esau, between Joseph and His brothers, between David and his brothers, between Solomon and Adonijah. And many more examples could be given.
But when the Holy Spirit comes and fills a person with divine charity, this evil spirit of envy and strife, of vainglory and pride, is crucified and vanquished. This is the change Christ came to bring about, and Luke makes it evident from the very start.
It says in Romans 14:17, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
And in 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 it says, Love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.
So observe what spirit Elizabeth is of. Truth itself is living within Mary, and Elizabeth rejoices in that Truth. Divine love is growing in Mary’s womb, and Elizabeth rejoices in that love.
Remember Elizabeth is the older woman and a blameless woman at that, and she has had her own miracle. And therefore, to Elizabeth a certain honor and praise is due. But Elizabeth is virtuous, and she recognizes the genuine superiority of Mary’s blessedness and Mary’s child and she counts it no slight against herself, but rather rejoices in Mary’s good.
While some women mighty feel like “Mary is stealing my thunder, upstaging me with her more miraculous child,” nothing of that attitude is found in Elizabeth. Instead, she rejoices at Mary’s greeting and announces, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And what is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Notice, Elizabeth counts it an honor, a privilege, an underserved blessing that the mother of her Lord should come and visit her.
And so here Elizabeth (and later John) embody that ancient prophesy that “the older shall serve the younger,” and yet they do it with all joy, desiring to decrease that God may increase.
And this really is the mark of a Spirit-filled woman, over against the envious woman. The spirit-filled woman is glad to decrease that God may increase. A spirit-filled woman is content with what she has. But the envious woman is focused on what she lacks, and then she murmurs and complains because life is unfair. No one likes me. No one is attentive to me. Envious people are me-centered people, and me-centered people are unhappy people.
And so while envy is sorrow at another’s good, love enables us to rejoice at the goods that others possess. And the more we love the blessedness of others, the more we share in that blessedness, their joys become our joys.
This is one of the great secrets to becoming more joyful: You must love those people that God loves and love when God blesses them. It is for good reason that the order of the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22 is, love, then joy, then peace. Love is the fountainhead of every spiritual good because love unites you to God who is the greatest good.
And so learn from Elizabeth how true joy is born in the soul.
First you must cease from envy, you must repent of your self-seeking and entitlement. You must not covet. You must not love money.
Second you must give thanks to God for His goodness towards you. You must acknowledge that however imperfect or unpleasant your current state may be, it is still far better than what your sins deserve.
Third, you must love the Lord thy God with everything you are. Because all joy is contingent upon the intensity of your love. If you love God a lot, your joy will overflow. But if you only love God a little, or worse, love this world more than God, your joy will be easily taken from you.
Jesus says to his disciples in John 16:22, Therefore you now have sorrow [because he is about to die]; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
That is the promise to those who keep Christ within their heart. You keep Christ there by trusting Him, hoping in Him, and loving Him.
And so if you are a person who lacks joy, if you struggle tocount it all joy when you fall into various trials (James 1:2), or to Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (Phil 4:4), thenstart by asking yourself, What do I really love? What do I truly value? And what is the intensity of the love that I have for God compared with all these other created goods?
The key to constant and stable joy is to treasure God more highly, and to love Him more intensely. Because that is treasure no one can take from you.
So learn from John to rejoice in pointing to Christ.
Learn from Elizabeth to love without envy, without comparing your blessings with someone else’s blessings.
And third learn from Mary to rejoice in God’s promises even before they are fulfilled. For this is what Mary does in her Magnificat of verses 46-55.
Verses 46-55 – Mary Bears Witness
Here in these verses, Mary shows herself to be a woman of the Word. Depending on how you count, there are at least 25 different allusions, references, or interpolations of the Old Testament in this song of hers. Far more than we have the time to show.
But to give you just a sample of how she brings together the entire Old Testament in this song, there are references here to Psalm 34, Psalm 35, Habakkuk 3, 1 Samuel 1-2, Genesis 30, Deuteronomy 10, Psalm 106, Psalm 111, Psalm 100, Psalm 103, Psalm 89, Psalm 75, Ezekiel 21, Job 40, Isaiah 41, 2 Chronicles 6, Micah 7, and that’s just a partial list.
And so if you would desire to rejoice like Mary, your soul must first drink and drink deeply of the promises in God’s Word.
What is perhaps even more remarkable about Mary’s joy is that she did not have the New Testament Scriptures. Mary did not have Romans or Ephesians, The Gospels or 1 John.
And so how much more joy should we have who live on this side of God making good on His promises? When so many more have been fulfilled now that Christ has died and risen and ascended and sent forth His Spirit to fill the church. You and I have even more cause for joy than Mary the mother of God did. Because we live in the days of her Son’s reign. We live in a world where the gospel has conquered and shall continue to conquer till Christ returns.
And so do you know the promises of God in His Word? Do you know just how gracious He has been to you, by causing your ears to here, even now, the greatest news this world has ever known. That in Christ Jesus, God became man, and now through Christ Jesus, you can be reconciled to God.
Conclusion
Every Christian has their own “Magnificat” that they could pen. And that is because every Christian can honestly say with Mary, “He that is mighty hath done to me great things.” Every Christian can say they are recipients of Divine Mercy.
Remember that line from St. Augustine who said, “Mary is more blessed in receiving the faith of Christ, than in conceiving the flesh of Christ.”
And so if you believe on the Lord Jesus, the same Son that Mary bore in her womb, is the same Son who takes up residence in your heart. And when God dwells within you, making you into His holy temple, joy is the supernatural effect, even a joy that cannot be taken from you anymore than God can be taken from you.
And so do you receive this truth today? Do you believe what John, Elizabeth, and Mary believed? Because they had joy, and God wants you to have the same joy, so believe on the same Lord they believed in. IN the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

The Handmaid of the LordSunday, December 14th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 1:26–38
Prayer
O God Our Father, nothing is impossible with You. And so grant that new life may spring forth in our hearts even now, a life of faith formed by love, which alone is pleasing to You and profitable for our salvation. Grant Thy Holy Spirit to overshadow us, even as it overshadowed the virgin, so that Christ may be perfectly formed in us, to the glory of the undivided Trinity, One God Forever, Amen.
Introduction
From the earliest days of the Christian church, it has been necessary to believe and confess that the Lord Jesus was, “conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.” And this morning we come to a passage in Luke’s Gospel that is a foundational proof text for this article of faith.
Our belief in the virgin birth of Christ is a truth we confess in the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Definition of Chalcedon, and it is a truth that unites all of Christendom (Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox alike). However, it might not be obvious at first why this truth matters. Of course, it matters because the Word of God teaches it, and therefore we must believe it, but how does the virgin birth relate to who Jesus is and what He came to do? Why did God choose to enter our world in this way, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary?
Wel this morning, I want to begin to answer that question as we study this passage before us. And so let me give you the outline of our text, and then we’ll consider some of the implications of it.
Outline of the Text
Here in verses 26-38 we have a conversation between the angel Gabriel, and the virgin Mary. And this conversation unfolds in three parts:
In verses 26-29, the angel greets Mary, and Mary responds with silent wonder.
In verses 30-34, the angel prophesies that she will bear the Son of God, and Mary responds with faith seeking understanding.
And then in verses 35-38, the angel explains how God will work this miracle, and Mary responds with Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
And what Luke is doing in this section is setting up a contrast between Mary and Zacharias (who we learned about last week). He is giving us a contrast between an old man and a young woman, between a priest in the Temple and a girl from the countryside. An angel appears to both of them with good news of great joy, a miraculous son shall be born, but the responses of Mary and Zacharias differ. And so as we walk through this text together try to note those differences, because Luke is teaching us, his readers, how we should respond when the most certain word of God is preached to us. So with that in mind, let us walk through our text.
In verse 26 we have the setup.
26And in the sixth month [referring to the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.
Where is Nazareth? It is about 75 miles north of Jerusalem (about week’s journey walking), and about 15 miles west of the Sea of Galilee, which is where Jesus will later call his disciples.
Now we know from Nathanael’s comment in John 1:46, that Nazareth did not exactly have the greatest reputation. In modern day terms we would say it was “flyover county,” perhaps a place to pass thru but not a vacation destination. Nathanael says to Philip, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
And so already God is teaching us a lesson here that will recur again and again in Luke’s gospel, and that is: God loves to take foolish things and shame the wise. God loves to use weak things to humiliate the strong. It says in 1 Corinthians 1:28-29, God uses the base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
It is not good for us to be proud and mighty and to boast in our beauty or strength, for all flesh is as grass and our beauty as the flower, but the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, is forever, unfading in its glory.
And so mark this theme of Luke’s gospel: God’s kingdom turns the kingdoms of men, and Satan’s kingdom upside down. God’s kingdom brings justice and equity where corruption and oppression has been institutionalized. When Jesus shows up on the scene pronouncing “Woes” and “Blessings,” he separates by His words those who love the evil status quo from those who love the ways of God. And the question then becomes for everyone: Which kingdom do you belong to? Are you with Christ or against him? Are you seeking first the kingdom of heaven, or seeking first your own?
So Luke sets this truth before us up front by this act of God sending the angel to Nazareth of all places. Mary is living in that town from which nobody expects anything good to come, and it is from there that the only Good thing shall come. And so to those who may doubt the goodness of Jesus of Nazareth, we say to them with Phillip, “Come and see.”
So the angel Gabriel is sent to Nazareth, and in verse 27 it says he was sent…
Verse 27
27To a virgin espoused [betrothed] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Here Luke is connecting Mary and Joseph to the royal lineage of King David, and by doing so he is also connecting them to God’s promises to David which have yet to be fulfilled.
God says in 2 Samuel 7:16, And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.
And David himself wrote in Psalm 110, The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek.
And in Psalm 132:11 it says, The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
These promises the Jews had held onto for centuries waiting, Mary and Joseph among them. And Luke tells us they are of the house of David, which makes them candidates for begetting the promised messiah.
However, there is a natural barrier to that begetting, namely the wedding hasn’t happened yet. Mary is still a virgin. This is the setup for the angel’s message in verse 28.
Verse 28
28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Here the angel proclaims three things to Mary: She is 1) highly favored with God, 2) the Lord is with her, and 3) she is blessed among women.
However, at this stage in the conversation, Mary has no idea what or why this angel has suddenly appeared to her, a virgin girl living in Nazareth. Moreover, such a greeting has never been given to any other woman in Isarel’s history. This is unprecedented for someone like Mary, who knows the Hebrew Scriptures. And therefore, in verse 29 it says.
Verse 29
29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
Mary’s mind is racing, wondering, she is vexed at what she is seeing and hearing. Like Zacharias she is afraid, but unlike Zacharias she is ready to believe whatever the angel says. And so what does the angel say?
Verses 30-33
30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
So after quieting Mary’s fears, and assuring her of God’s favor, the angel describes who she will conceive in her womb, and what his divine mission shall be.
1. His name will be called Jesus, which means Salvation.
2. He shall be great, which is always an understatement when you ascribe it to God. It says in Psalm 145:3, For His greatness is unsearchable, His ways past finding out (Rom 11:33).
3. He shall be called the Son of the Highest. That is, divine in His sonship, from God in His eternal origin.
4. We have this Divine Son’s mission described. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. This fulfills many prophesies in Isaiah, to give you just one it says in Isaiah 11:1, And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. Meaning, what David lost because of his sins, and what Israel had squandered because of their idolatry, the throne that sat in ruins shall be raised up by Mary’s Son. Moreover, how long shall her Son reign?
5. The angel says in verse 33,And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.It was this same angel Gabriel who explained to Daniel 500 years earlier this coming of the Messiah (Daniel 9:21-27). It was also Daniel who saw in a vision this everlasting reign of Christ. It says in Daniel 7:13-14, I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
For Mary as a pious Jew, and as one related to Elizabeth and Zacharias the priest, she would have most certainly known this prophetic hope. She would have been constant in praying for God’s promises to be fulfilled. And therefore, unlike Zacharias who should have known better than to doubt the word of the angel, Mary believes and has only one question.
Verse 34
How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
We call this kind of question, “faith seeking understanding.” And this principle is the basis of all good Bible questions, and all good theological endeavors. If faith is not your starting point, you are destined to go astray, you are destined to entangle yourself in foolish questions, vain speculation, and empty controversies.
And so while Zacharias asked the epistemological question, “How shall I know?” Mary proceeds from faith in God as her first principle and then asks the ontological question, “How shall this be?” And there is a world of difference between these two intellectual states. It is the difference between faith that makes you strong, and doubt that makes you weak.
Zacharias doubts what his own eyes and ears are perceiving, and for such doubt he is silenced. But Mary hears and believes what she cannot see, and for such faith is lead to understand it.
It says in Isaiah 7:9, If you will not believe, Surely you shall not be established. Or as the Greek translation has it, If you do not believe, you will not understand.
And so Mary exemplifies this intellectual posture and attitude of trust that every Christian should imitate. Mary believes not only to understand, but in order to obey and cooperate. She believes the Word of God and then asks the question of application, How does this Word relate to me personally?
And because she asks this question from faith, and because it is a question worthy of her knowing, God gives her an answer.
Verses 35-37
35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37For with God nothing shall be impossible.
This is the miraculous means by which Mary shall conceive the Son of God. Not through marital intercourse, not through any sexual act at all. Not by the will of man, but by the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowing her.
This word for overshadowing (ἐπισκιάσει) is the same word that is used in the Greek version of Exodus 40 to describe the glory of God filling the tabernacle. It says in Exodus 40:34-35, Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud overshadowed/rested (ἐπεσκίαζεν) above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Mary has become the literal physical dwelling place for God, and the place in which God’s glory shall be hidden for 9 months. And in this respect her husband Joseph is akin to Moses, who for the glory dwelling within her, does not enter.
We learn from Matthew’s gospel that God also sends an angel to Joseph to inform him of this miraculous conception and virgin birth. It says in Matthew 1:18-20, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And then in verse 25 it says, And [Joseph] knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
So just as the first woman was created without intercourse, formed miraculously from Adam’s side, so now the Last Adam is conceived without intercourse, formed miraculously in the womb of the virgin.
Mary is The Woman whose seed shall crush the serpent’s head. Mary is a New Eve, a New Mother of all the living, for the Son of God who is eternal life has chosen her to be His mother.
And lest the wonder of such a gracious promise give Mary any occasion for doubt, the angel adds to these words a sign of confirmation, the sign of Elizabeth’s miraculous conception. And then he seals that sign to her saying, For with God nothing shall be impossible.
How then does Mary respond to this answer? Because there is still a lot of things she does not understand. She does not yet know how Joseph will respond, or how they will need to travel to Bethlehem in 9 months. She is not told up front about the circumstances that will surround the child’s birth, and how Herod will try to kill him, and so they will need to escape to Egypt to protect their child. And rather than asking all those follow-up questions now with the angel in front o her, questions that you and I might be tempted to ask, instead she contents herself with what God has seen fit to reveal, and she says in verse 38.
Verse 38
Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
These are most beautiful and lovely words. You can hear the meekness in her voice as she gives her consent. She declares that she is the handmaid of the Lord. In Greek this is δούλη, translated elsewhere as slave or bondservant.
So far from exalting herself as being worthy of such high favor, Mary regards herself as the lowly maidservant of the Lord. Later she will say to Elizabeth, My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His handmaiden; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.
Jesus is Mary’s Savior, even though she is the Savior’s mother. Notice that Mary does not cease toacknowledge the gratuitous nature of this gift. It is not because she is so awesome that all will call her blessed, it is because He who is mighty has done great things for me.
This is in part why we as Protestant don’t pray to Mary, she would not want us to. She would say “take you prayers directly to my Son, the one Mediator between God and man, for my Son is my savior just as He is yours.”
Mary exemplifies the attitude of Psalm 115:1 which says, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But unto thy name give glory, For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
Conclusion
I want to close by returning to the question we asked at the beginning: Why did God choose to enter our world this way, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary? Let me give you just three of the many reasons for God doing this:
1. It was to demonstrate Christ’s real humanity. If the Son of God had just descended from the sky looking like a healthy 30-year-old man with a halo on his head, it would be hard to believe that he was fully man, of the same nature as you and I. As Hebrews 4:15 says of Him, He can sympathize with our weaknesses, and was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
And so to make us know just how close God wants to get to us, He assumes our very nature starting at conception, and joins that nature to Himself in a Personal Union, eternal God with time-bound man, unchangeable divinity with a growing humanity. And all so that we might be joined to Him. He partakes of our nature that we might partake of His (Hebrews 2:14, 2 Peter 1:4).
2. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary to demonstrate his full divinity. Only God can beget God, no virgin could do this however holy, with a man or without one. And therefore, the only explanation for the existence of Jesus is that He is God from God, light from light, the only begotten Son of the eternal Father. And because the Father begets the Son in a spiritual conception, so also it was most fitting that Mary conceive that same Son without carnal intercourse, but by the Spirit’s power.
As Isaiah 7:14 foretold, A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel. God with us.
3. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary to teach us how the miracle of salvation is effected in us.
As miraculous as the virgin birth is, the justification of the ungodly is an even greater miracle than this!
For consider the virgin Mary, she possessed God in her very womb, and yet without faith, that virginal conception would be no profit to her. Mary still had to believe in the Son of God dwelling within her.
St. Augustine writes that, “Mary is more blessed in receiving the faith of Christ, than in conceiving the flesh of Christ…Her nearness as a Mother would have been of no profit to Mary, had she not borne Christ in her heart after a more blessed manner than in her flesh.”
So do you like Mary tremble and fear before the announcement of God’s high favor towards you? You are favored to hear the gospel of Christ. As Philippians 2:12 says, do you work out your own salvation with fear and trembling?
Do you like Mary, believe in order to understand? Do you believe in order to conceive the same Word and Christ that Mary conceived and nourished in her womb?
As Paul says in Ephesians 3:17, That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. And in Colossians 1:27 it says, To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
And finally, do you like Mary consent to the will of God? Does your heart say to Him, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
Salvation is God’s gracious giving of His very self to you. And so purify your heart for Him. Keep your soul chaste from idols and demons, lies and falsehood, so that as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:1, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
May God’s Holy Spirit overshadow you, and dwell within you forever, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Blameless & BarrenSunday, December 7th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 1:1–25
Prayer
O Father, we thank You for the miracle of grace, that takes away the reproach of our sins. Teach us now to believe more firmly the testimony of Your Word, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
Well, if you have ever wondered what the longest book in the New Testament is, you just heard the first 25 verses of it. Yes, the Gospel of Luke is the longest book in the New Testament by word count (and the second longest is Luke’s sequel, the book of Acts). And so this morning we shall begin our journey through this gospel, although because of its length, we may take some breaks along the way, we shall see.
Now what is unique about Luke is that it gives us many stories and details that no other gospel records.
For example, Luke alone tells us about the angel Gabriel appearing to Zacharias. Luke alone tells us about the angel appearing to Mary, and how she responds with her now famous Magnificat (“My soul magnifies the Lord!”). Luke alone gives us the “Song of Simeon,” which we sing as our benediction during Advent. Luke alone gives us the one story about Jesus as a boy, which all the other gospels remain silent about. Luke alone also contains some of the most famous parables like the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.
So there is a real sense in which Luke is the most detailed and comprehensive account of Jesus’ earthly life. An account that begins even before his birth, with the miraculous conception and naming of John, who according to the angel shall make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
So this morning on this Second Sunday of Advent, in this season of preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ, I want to consider the question: How does God prepare His people for His own Son’s arrival? How does God make ready those faithfully awaiting the Messiah, and what we can learn from this inspired history that Luke records for us?
There are three answers to this question we find here in Luke 1:1-25. And they are
1. By Sending His Most Certain Word
2. By Answering Our Former Prayers
3. By Reconciling Us to Himself and One Another
So let’s walk through this text together just focusing on those three answers. How does God prepare us for His only begotten Son’s arrival?
The first way is….
#1 – By Sending His Most Certain Word
God does through the Luke as the author of this gospel, and then also through many figures within the gospel story.
First observe how Luke describes the reason for him writing this gospel. He says in verse 1 that others have attempted this work (like Matthew and Mark), and yet there is still so much more to say about Jesus. And because Luke has access to reliable eyewitnesses, referring to the apostles (ministers of the word), He says in verses 3-4, It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
So notice that Luke’s intention is to give certainty/assurance to those who already believe and have been instructed (κατηχήθης, catechized).
This name Theophilus means “lover of God” or “friend of God” and he was most likely the patron who funded the writing and distribution of this work and the book of Acts.
Luke says in Acts 1:1, The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.
So who is Theophilus? He is the “most excellent friend of God” and patron of these two important treatises, Luke & Acts, which together make up almost a third of the whole New Testament. So whatever it cost Theophilus to fund Luke’s work, I think we can safely say it was money well spent!
By way of application, we could ask ourselves: In what ways are we being friends and lovers of God like Theophilus? In what ways can we support and assist those laboring to make the truth known in our day? The ordinary way is by our tithes and offerings, but there also many other ways that we can be using what God has given us to further His kingdom. It says in Proverbs 22:9, He that hath a generous eye shall be blessed. And so are you aspiring to be generous like Theophilus?
So God prepares people for Christ by inspiring individuals like Luke and Theophilus to get in writing what the apostles and other people saw from the beginning. Written records matter! And back then writing was not cheap.
Given the contents of this gospel, Luke must have had to interview Mary, Elizabeth, Zacharias, and others. How else would he know what they saw, said, and thought within themselves? So Luke has his work cut out for him (he will need to travel and schedule meetings with these people), and then gather up all this eyewitness testimony in his library so he can them put into an orderly account.
And so notice that while “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim 3:16), the Holy Spirit uses many earthly means to write the Scriptures. He does not merely dictate to Luke the words to write, He uses Luke’s human efforts, education, and acquired skills of writing and composition to author this masterful and coherent narrative.
And so while human beings are involved in the process of writing Scripture, the result of Luke’s work is still the very Word of God, authored ultimately by the Holy Spirit with Luke as God’s instrument. In a similar way, whenever you preach the gospel to others, whenever you tell someone the truth about Jesus, you are functioning as God’s prophet, you are God’s instrument to bring people into the kingdom.
It says in Revelation 19:10, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And it is by testifying of Jesus that God fulfills the promise Joel 2:28, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.
So this is one of the ways God prepares people for Christ. By using fallible and mortal creatures to bear witness to the infallible and immortal truth of what God has accomplished in Jesus.
God does this by sending His most sure and certain Word, through human messengers.
Second observe, that God also uses angelic messengers to prepare His people. And in verses 5-20 we have the angel Gabriel bringing good news to Zacharias the priest. And the message of Gabriel illustrates this second way in which God prepares us, and that is….
#2 – By Answering Our Former Prayers
It says in verses 5-7,5There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
Here we are introduced to the parents of John the Baptist. The name Zacharias means, “God has remembered.” And the name Elizabeth, means “My God is abundant,” or “My God has sworn an oath.”
And so in the very names of this godly older couple are contained a message of hope and expectation that God will remember His Word. My God has sworn and made promises and He shall keep them. And yet despite Zacharias and Elizabeth being righteous before God and blameless, they are also barren.
This should call to mind for us the first promise of the gospel in Genesis 3:15 where God says to the Serpent, And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel. And so from Genesis onward there is this expectation that through the bearing of godly seed, salvation shall come, the Serpent shall be defeated and the curse undone.
And then starting in Genesis this pattern of barrenness that precedes a miraculous conception becomes a theme of the Old Testament. We might think of Abram and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Manoah and his wife (who gives birth to Samson), and perhaps most similar to our scene here in Luke 1 is the scene in 1 Samuel 1, where Hannah miraculously conceives and gives birth to the priest Samuel.
So according to God’s Word, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth (Psalm 127:3-4)
And in Exodus 23 and Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 7 God tells Israel that if they keep covenant with Him, none shall be barren, they will be fruitful, multiply, and prosper.
And so the fact that Zacharias and Elizabeth are now old and still without this blessing, made them “a reproach among men,” as Elizabeth says in verse 25. There was a kind of social shame and suspicion that maybe they had done something wrong to deserve this barrenness.
We might think of the disciples in John 9:2-3 who ask Jesus, “Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
And so like the man born blind, Luke tells us that for Zacharias and Elizabeth, it was not for any personal individual sins that they lacked children. Instead, it was the consequence of living in a sin-cursed world, amongst a covenant breaking people. They are collateral damage of decades of Israel’s apostasy and in a most personal and painful way, unable to have children.
So the Bible has a category for people (like Job, or like Joshua) who are personally righteous and blameless, but who suffer various pains and evils of God’s curse. This could be 1) Because of original sin in Adam such that we all die, or 2) Because of national sins of idolatry and the corporate stain of bloodguilt, or 3) Simply because God is going to glorify Himself and strengthen our faith through the suffering He permits.
Whatever the case, Zacharias and Elizabeth are innocent and faithful covenant keepers, but who are members and part of a corporately/nationally guilty people. They represent the righteous remnant who dwell among an unrighteous people.
Luke frontloads this reality by telling us when this angelic appearance took place, it was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea. In other words, if Herod is the king, something has gone tragically wrong for the nation. If a blameless priest and a blameless daughter of Aaron are without the blessing of children, the nation must be under the curse of God’s covenant.
So this is an important distinction we need to remember as Christians. Some of our misfortunes and trials are direct consequences of our own sin and folly (we can draw a direct line between the two). But there are other times when we cannot. And so we need to remember this biblical category of the righteous individual who suffers the consequences of their nation’s corporate sins.
Christ is of course the perfect example of someone who is perfectly righteous and innocent, and yet who suffers the consequences of other people’s sins (even the whole world). As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
So we don’t always know the why for our lack of blessings, sometimes it’s us directly, sometimes it’s the result of Adam’s sin and living in a fallen world, sometimes it’s the consequence of corporate sins of our nation or family, but in either case, we always ought to be praying for and seeking after God’s blessing, trusting what the names of Zacharias and Elizabeth signify, God shall remember and My God has sworn, and He will make us abundant according to His promise.
And so with this burden of barrenness weighing heavy on this blameless couple, God visits them in a momentous way: By an angel with a most certain word, and by answering the prayers Zacharias had prayed from long ago.
It says in verses 11-13 that while everyone was praying outside,And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
John’s name means “The Lord is Gracious.” And by this angelic announcement we have the answer to the constant cries of the Psalms and Prophets who say to God, Be gracious unto me, O Lord. Have mercy upon your servant. Do not forget thy covenant which You have sworn of old. In answer to that hope and longing, God gives a son named, “The Lord is gracious.”
However, observe that Zacharias does not respond with joy and thanksgiving. This otherwise blameless priest suddenly has a crisis of faith.
Perhaps his heart had grown weary from hoping against hope. It says in Proverbs 13:12, Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
Perhaps Zacharias was so sick with sorrow that even an angel appearing to Him does not rouse him to believe. What a state of despair to be in that even an angel from heaven does not awaken your faith.
In verse 18 he says to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” It’s as if Zacharias has forgotten his own history, his own priestly lineage, he has forgotten that his God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who has done this thing before! Zacharias has forgotten God’s Word, forgotten his own prayers, and so God answers him with a sign that matches his unbelief.
It says in verses 19-21,And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
The angel’s answer to Zacharias is (I think very humorously), “I am Gabriel (my name means Man of God or God my strength), I stand in God’s presence. I visited Daniel 400 years ago. And God sent me to tell you these things. Are you so dumb as to not believe me? Oh yes, you are, and so silent you shall be for 9 months, until God’s word is fulfilled.”
Summary: So how does God prepare His people for Christ? First, He sends His most certain word, through human messengers, through angelic messengers, and Second, He is so gracious that He answers the prayers of someone who is experiencing a crisis of faith. And this should be a great comfort to us.
Maybe it was ten years ago that you prayed with great faith and fervency for the conversion of a family member, or for healing, or for a spouse, or to conceive children.But because nothing seemed to happen, heaven appeared silent, you stopped praying, you lost heart. And so the question I ask you today is: Would you believe it if God answered that prayer from ten years ago, today? Would you believe that your former prayers of faith are still heard by the eternal God, even if you are presently struggling with doubt in the now?
It says in Isaiah 49:14-16, But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.”[And God says in response] “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.
Although a mother may forget her own child, God shall never forget you. And it is this truth that God uses to stir up and renew our faith and our hope, to renew our prayers and zeal to ask for great things that only He can give. How many of need to repent for our unbelief? Even as we are praying Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
It says in Numbers 23:19, God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
God never forgets His promises or His people, and He loves to prepare us for new blessings by answering even our former prayers.
Third and finally, we see from Gabriel’s message to Zacharias that John’s ministry will be to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And if we look at Gabriel’s prophecy about John, we see that God also prepares us….
#3 – By Reconciling Us To Himself & One Another
Gabriel says in verses 13-17, And thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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.
First notice that God thinks you need time to prepare yourself, to prepare your heart, so that when Christ comes (whether for salvation or judgment!), you are ready to receive Him with joy and faith.
It says in Isaiah 59:2-4, But your sins have built barriers between and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: They trust in vanity, and speak lies; They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
And so because your sins and lies imprison you, they shut your eyes to God’s goodness, He sends messengers on ahead of Christ, to call you to repentance. To give you a heads up that judgment day is coming, and you need to get right with the Lord and those you have sinned against before you die.
And so John’s ministry is to be the “Turning Point” for Israel. It is a ministry of repentance and reconciliation, between God and between men. Repentance has a vertical dimension that reconciles us to God, and it has a horizontal dimension that reconciles us to one another. True repentance includes both of these dimensions.
Now there are three turnings that Gabriel prophesies shall result from John’s ministry.
1. In verse 16 it says, many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
This is the first and foundational repentance for judgment day. Turn your attention to the LORD God. Worship God. Fear God. Obey God. Do everything for the glory of God. Without this turning to God you will die in your sins.
2. In verse 17 it says, he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.
This is the healing of generational strife between fathers and their children. However disobedient the children may have been, however prodigal and foolish a son or daughter may be, the sign of a repentant father is that his heart yearns with compassion for his children. His heart reflects the heart of God the Father, as it says in Psalm 103:13-14, As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
And so fathers, what is your heart’s disposition towards your children? It is easy to love an obedient son, a respectful daughter, but what about when they are disobedient and disrespectful? Do you still love them the way God loves you?
Is your discipline of them just and equitable and intended for their good, or is it just venting your anger, or avenging your own wounded pride?
God knows our frame as imperfect fathers, and so He gives us clear instructions like, Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged (Col 3:21).
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6:4).
And in 1 Thessalonian 2:11-12, Paul says You know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
The sign of a man who is at peace with God, is that he is tender-hearted towards his children, and seeking to be at peace with them insofar as it is possible. So fathers, is your heart turned towards your children?
3. Also, in verse 17 it says that John will turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.
This refers to the turning away from folly and the pursuit of earthly gain at the expense of heavenly treasure.
We are given a few examples of such turning a few chapters later when John begins preaching.
It says in Luke 3:10-14, So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
So these are the fruits worthy of repentance. For soldiers and tax collectors it did not mean quitting their jobs, it meant doing what is just and fair without taking advantage of other people. And for those not in positions of authority it meant looking out for those in need.
As Paul says in Galatians 6:10, As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Conclusion
This is how you make ready for Christ’s coming.
1. When God sends His Word, choose to believe it. This Gospel contains eyewitness testimonies to real historical events, that God orchestrated and authored for your salvation. Do you believe this?
2. Renew your prayers. Repent of your unbelief. Don’t be like Zacharias who was struck dumb for doubting the word from the angel, a word that was intended to bring him joy. Don’t miss out on the joy God wants to give you by praying fervently and hoping in His Word.
3. If there are people you are out of fellowship with, who you have wronged or sinned against. Seek out their forgiveness. Jesus says in Matthew 5:23-24, Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
What does God want more than your tithes and offerings and sacrifices? Reconciliation between estranged brothers. This is how you prepare yourself for God. And so may we, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Foolish Questions, Heretics, and Winter PlansSunday, November 30th, 2025Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WATitus 3:8–15
Prayer
O Father, we thank You for this precious letter, that you inspired the Apostle Paul to write to Titus, and which You have preserved for the church’s benefit, so that we hearing it today, 2,000 years later, might learn from the church in Crete, that we might discern what Your unchangeable will is for your holy people. So please bless now the preaching, the hearing, and the keeping of this Word of faith, for we ask this all in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
This morning, we come to the happy conclusion of Paul’s letter to Titus. And whenever you get to the end of a book in the Bible, it is often worthwhile to go back and reflect on how that book began and why it was written in the first place.
Recall that Paul is writing a personal letter to his spiritual son Titus, and this letter is all about how to govern and care for the church.
And because this question of church government and discipline is important for the whole church to know about, Paul intends this letter to be read publicly within the many cities and congregations on the Island of Crete.
And so while this letter is addressed to Titus as a spiritual ruler, we see in the final verse of this letter (Titus 3:15), Paul proclaims “Grace be with you all (plural),” referring to all the saints in Crete.
So just in case the Christians in Crete are uncertain about Titus’ authority, preaching, and doctrine, they have this letter from the Apostle’s pen to confirm his ministry among them.
Recall also the reason why Titus was left in Crete in the first place. Paul says in Titus 1:5, For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.
So now that we have studied this letter in its entirety, we can more fully appreciate everything that was wanting and lacking in Crete.
1. First and foremost, they were lacking a qualified eldership, and so chapter 1 was spent detailing Presbyterian government and what a bishop/pastor must be.
2. Second, was this problem of false teachers, of whom Paul says in Titus 1:11, their mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.
3. And then after addressing this lack of leadership in the church, he spends the rest of the letter addressing what is wanting amongst the saints. And so in chapters 2-3 he addresses every class of people within the church: older men, older women, younger women, younger men, servants, and then all Christians in their relation to the civil government and the outside world.
And this brings us to Paul’s concluding words and salutations here in verses 8-15, which contains specific instructions for Titus more personally but also has principles that the whole church ought to know and embrace.
So while this section is directed primarily at the pastors and elders in the church, it’s still important for all the saints to know these things and to be aware of them.
Outline of the Text
In verses 8-9, Paul contrasts what is good and profitable with what is unprofitable and vain, and therefore to be avoided.
In verses 10-11, He tells Titus how to deal with heretics who persist in what is unprofitable and vain.
In verses 12-15, He directs Titus to fulfill some of his presbytery duties to assist other ministers.
So we have here: 1) What to avoid, 2) How to deal with heretics, and 3) How to help other ministers.
Verses 8-9 – What should Titus avoid?
8This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 9But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
So looking at verse 8, what is this faithful saying that Titus is to affirm constantly? It is nothing less than the doctrine of God’s grace that leads to good works which is what he just explained in the verses prior, and which has been then theme of this whole letter, the marriage between wholesome doctrine and wholesome living, God’s grace that leads to gracious action.
So unlike the Cretans who are “always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons,” Christians are to be submissive to the civil government, hardworking and peaceful citizens, and they are To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men (Titus 3:2).
So Christian conduct should look radically different from the unbelieving world around them. There should be an obvious difference between the light and the dark. However, lest we get too high on our horse as children of the light, Paul also wants us to constantly remember our former state, our former sins and ignorance, and the grace of God shown to us in spite of that ignorance and sin and the eternal damnation we all justly deserve.
And so the faithful saying that Titus must affirm constantly is that salvation is Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; [so] That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying…(Titus 3:5-8).
So that’s the content of what Titus and every Christian needs to keep front and center. Last week we said that this is the truth that makes us gentle and meek, patient and kind. And then in sharp contrast to this truth, which is most good and most profitable, there are all kings of falsity, diversions, and distractions that we must learn to avoid.
Here in verse 9 Paul lists 4 things for Titus (and every pastor and parishioner) to avoid:
1. Avoid foolish questions.
So yes, this means that not all questions are good questions. Some questions are bad. In 2 Timothy 2:23 Paul says likewise, But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
How do you determine if a question is good or foolish, wise or unlearned?
Well first ask yourself, “Will knowing the answer to this question increase my faith in God, my love for God and my neighbor, and my ability to be a blessing to others?”
If the question and answer does not have any relevance to the duties God has assigned to you, then there’s a pretty good chance it is either a foolish question, or just a question for another time, or for someone else to ask and answer because it is relevant to them. Knowledge is not equally profitable to every mind, a child often needs a very different answer than a grown adult.
And so we must be on guard that our quest for knowledge or new understanding, is not a distraction from the actual duties and clear commands we already know and understand.
A husband can spend his entire life learning to obey and do better at Ephesians 5:25, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.
And yet many husbands overlook what is most plain and clear and relevant to their own duties before God, and become fixated on doctrinal minutiae and debates, when what would really please God is turning off the TV, putting down the phone or the book, and holding their wife’s hand for a change, looking her in the eyes, and asking how is your soul?
There is a proper order to acquiring real knowledge. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, with obeying the clear commands of God, and only after that do we proceed to other matters.
As David says in Psalm 131, Lord, My heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
So we must be careful to avoid foolish questions, or searching out things too high for us.
2. The second thing Paul says to avoid is genealogies.
Again notice, this is a fixation upon what is less relevant in Scripture at the expense of what is most important. The Jews were known for memorizing lists of names from Abel to Zerubbabel, and yet they neglected and lacked knowledge of why those names mattered.
Jesus points out this same problem in Matthew 23:23, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
And so because Christ has come as the fulfillment, culmination, and end of the genealogies in Scripture, and because Christ is himself the Last Adam, and the head of a new humanity, debates about “who begat who,” and tracing your own bloodline to this tribe or that one is now irrelevant as far as the kingdom is concerned.
And so while there is a place for honoring and remembering our earthly fathers and mothers, baptism gives us a new identity and a new community in Christ, and that takes precedence and priority over everything else that we may ever discover about ourselves. It does not matter at all whether you have Abraham’s blood running through your veins, what matters is whether you have Abraham’s faith living in your heart.
As Paul says in Galatians 3:26-29, For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
So while carnal men and carnal women entangle themselves with things of the flesh, genealogies, blood and soil, the Christian is to avoid such fixations that distract from faith, that distract from Christ, and which only stir up identity politics, bitterness, and war. If the result of such “study” and “research” is you boasting in the flesh, or vilifying some people group, then it is by definition not of the Spirit. And such things Titus and everyone else should avoid.
3. & 4. The third and fourth thing to avoid are contentions, and strivings about the law.
This especially refers to squabbles over what you can eat and drink, touch or not touch, and which of the Jewish ceremonies were still binding on believers.
We learn from the church council in Acts 15 that this question was already debated and settled, and therefore it would be unprofitable and vain to rehash that same debate over and over again, rather than just obeying the decision that was determined.
Again, remember that the devil loves to distract you from obeying, by calling into question the Word of God. How did the serpent seduce Eve? By sowing doubt in her heart, “Did God really say?”
There is a time and a place to argue, debate, and defend the truth, but only if and when God has called you and equipped you to do that. Titus was a minister, and yet Paul says, avoid these kinds of strivings and contentions about the law, because they are a waste of time and will not profit anyone.
Moreover, the kinds of people who want to argue these things are warped in their mind. And the most loving thing to do for them is not argue, not engage them.
We need wisdom to know how to apply Proverbs 26:4-5, Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own conceit.
Debates with fools can easily consume hours of people’s time and attention and that without profit. Especially when what they should be doing is their God-given vocation, exercising dominion, raising their children, and serving others.
So if pastors and elders are to avoid these four things: foolish questions, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law, then how much more the rest of the congregation? If it is not profitable for Titus, it is definitely not profitable for you or me.
This bring us to our second question which is, How should Titus deal with the people who don’t listen, and who persist in what is unprofitable and vain.
Verses 10-11 – How should Titus deal with heretics?
10A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; 11Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
So notice that Paul is aiming at a kind of pastoral efficiency for Titus and the elders in Crete. He is insistent that they do not waste time debating with heretics, but rather warn them twice, and after that reject them.
Now here we might ask, what exactly is a heretic in this context?
This word for heretic could also be translated as a divisive man, or a schismatic, they are someone who causes division and usually is trying to gain followers for his own novel views.
Paul gives a similar warning about such people in Romans 16:17-18 he says there, Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
So a heretic is someone who seeks to divide the church and gain for themselves a following. They are often fixated on some secondary or tertiary doctrine, or have invented some new doctrine contrary to the faith once received (often it’s some weird view of marriage, sex, or eschatology), but of course they do it all in the name of “true Christianity,” or being “more biblical” than the apostles were. Beware of such people.
On the outside, these men are often likeable and persuasive, Paul says it is with good words and fair speeches that they deceive the hearts of the simple. They use Bible verses just like the Devil did. They are smooth talkers, confidence men.
And so the way you find out if someone is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or just a sheep who has been led astray by a wolf, is by confronting those errors and admonishing that person.
If they are obstinate and not teachable, you give them a second warning. And if they still refuse after that, Paul says mark and avoid them. This might be a public censure from the elders or presbytery, or it might be excommunication, but usually these people end up separating themselves from the body by their own choice, they avoid accountability, and then wander (like a wolf) around the fringes of the church.
So this is the biblical process for church discipline when someone is being divisive. We do not instantly kick them out, but after two warnings, they must be rejected.
Paul adds in verse 11 three common qualities of such divisive people. 1) They are subverted/perverted, meaning they have ruined themselves, they have abandoned the straight and narrow path of Christ. 2) They sinneth, not just any sin, but willfully and knowingly so because they’ve been admonished twice but have refused to repent. And then 3) he says such heretics are self-condemned. By dividing themselves from the “one holy catholic and apostolic church,” they witness to their own destruction. And it says in the WCF, they are now outside the church where “there is no ordinary possibility of salvation” (WCF 25.2)
Now one of the things I really appreciate about you as a congregation, is that you often ask us, me or one of the other elders about whether so and so is a sound teacher or not. And in these days of internet pastors, podcasts, platform builders, and the buffet of heresies that are just one click away (you thought pornography was bad, their soul destroying heretics all over YouTube) you need to be very careful who you follow and listen to.
As a general rule, if a person is not accountable to a real church with a real elder session that actually exercises real church discipline, that is at the very least a red flag.
Secondarily, if that person has a financial motive to generate traffic to their channel, there are now all kinds of perverse incentives to stir up controversy, to be provocative and edgy, just to game the algorithm. Again, that doesn’t automatically make someone a heretic, but it is something to factor in as to what someone’s real motives might be.
And then third, if that person does not meet those 16 qualifications to be a teacher in the church, in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, living above reproach, meek and gentle with all, then there’s a good chance something is off, and they may not be worth subjecting your soul to their instruction.
Summary: Titus and all of us are to avoid foolish questions that are vain and unprofitable. We are also to avoid divisive people (people who murmur and complain like Korah and his company did against Moses, and then were destroyed). Don’t become a divisive person, and don’t follow those who are contentious, or soon you will be divisive and contentious too.
As it says in Proverbs 22:24-25, Make no friendship with an angry man; And with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, And get a snare to thy soul.
This brings us to our third and final section of this chapter, and the end of this letter.
Verses 12-15 – How should Titus help other ministers?
12When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter. 13Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them. 14And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. 15All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Here we have an assortment of presbytery duties that are assigned to Titus.
In verse 12 we see that Paul is planning to send Artemas or Tychicus (he’s not sure yet which one) to replace Titus on Crete, so that Titus can then join Paul in Nicopolis for the winter.
This means that Titus’s days are numbered in Crete, and this would be another reason to not waste time on heretics and foolish questions. He has a bunch of elders he has to examine and ordain, false teachers to kick out, and whole lot of work to get done before winter.
In verse 13, Titus is told to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey, meaning pay for their expenses, give them lodging while they visit, replenish any needs they have so they can keep on going as ministers of the gospel.
This is something we try to do as a church when we have guest preachers visit us, or traveling evangelists like Keith Darrell. We want to show them hospitality, assist as we are able, and then send them on their way to keep preaching the truth.
In verse 14, Paul says that the church needs to have a kind of budget for these ministers, especially in a day without phones or email or knowledge of when exactly someone might arrive. In the ancient world there was no Air BnB, no cars or airplanes, and so traveling a was very dangerous and risky venture, especially by ship to an Island like Crete (as Acts 27 records for us).
And so Paul wants the church to maintain good works for necessary uses. Other translations have, And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need.
So are we prepared and budgeted for what God might send our way? Have we made plans and created margin for assisting those doing gospel work?
It says in Proverbs 10:4-5, A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. So what kind of son or daughter are you? Are you devoted to good works so that you have something to share with others?
We are likewise encouraged to be generous in Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 which says, Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
And then finally in verse 15, Paul gives salutations and the blessing of grace to all those that love us in the faith. And then he seals that blessing with the holy kiss of Amen. Let it be so.
Conclusion
And so as we close this sermon and this series in Titus, I want to ask you some questions that God has confronted us with throughout this small but punchy letter.
1. Does your life adorn your doctrine? Does the way you live harmonize with the truth you profess? Does your conduct make people want to believe the things you believe, Or does it turn them off to Christ and the church by how you present the truth?
Recall that Titus 2:10 told us to, adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
2. Do you know and are you aware of, what your particular sins and temptations are, and have you declared war on them? Remember how Paul addressed every man, every woman, old and young, servants and pastors, to acquire virtues and avoid vices that are common to our sex, age, and stage in life.
3. Are you being careful to maintain good works? Are you bearing fruit so that if an urgent need arises, you are ready and prepared to meet it?
Recall that Titus 2:14 says, that Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
All of us have many areas in which to grow, in our doctrine, in our zeal, in becoming more gentle and meek to all.
And what Paul wants you to remember and affirm constantly, wherever you are at in this journey, is that this is a journey of grace.
As it says in Psalm 32:10, Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
The gospel is not that “we are so good and look at how awesome we are,” it is that God is so good, God is so kind, and look at how awesome God is.
Our testimony to the world is that we ourselves were once very lost, we ourselves were not long ago miserable creatures, hating God and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.
God’s mercy is the only grounds of our boasting. And so may you say with the Apostle, and may you say with Jeremiah, let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord (Jer 9:24).
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.