Preparing the Way: The Prophecy of John the Baptist

We might say that this final section of the Benedictus gives to us the gospel in a nutshell, as John’s father now prophesied about his son and about his son’s ministry for the Son of God. Let’s look at it in verse 76, “And you child will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways.” [00:03:46]

We remember from other occasions in looking at the ministry of John the Baptist that the work of prophecy had ceased after the work of Malachi, the last of the minor prophets of the Old Testament. And the voice of prophecy was silent in Israel for four hundred years. [00:04:30]

But for the most part, there was very little miraculous activity thereafter until the coming of Christ, where once again there was this marvelous outpour of miracle, heralding the earthly ministry of our Lord. Those miracles were given by God for a reason to certify the Law with Moses, to certify the prophets with Elijah and his successors, and above all to attest, authenticate, and certify the messianic ministry of God’s only begotten Son. [00:06:11]

And as we will see later on in the unfolding of the New Testament record and from the teaching of our Lord himself that he said of John the Baptist, this is Elijah who was to come. This is the one who comes in the spirit and the power of Elijah, and in this prophetic hymn of Zacharias he says, “And you child, you will be called the prophet of the highest. The prophet of the supreme God and your task will be to go before the face of the Lord to prepare His way.” [00:09:37]

And together with the Messiah, he will be given the task to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of sins and through the tender mercy of our God. So, what’s the mission? It’s to inform people. It’s to give them knowledge. We sometimes think that the purpose of Jesus’ coming was to do miracles, and he certainly did that, to heal the sick and so on. Or his purpose to come was to buy our salvation through his atonement, and that’s certainly true. [00:11:07]

But his earthly ministry, just as John’s began with preaching, with proclamation, with the announcement of the gospel – early on it wasn’t called the gospel of Jesus Christ, it was called the gospel of the kingdom of God – and he called his hearers to learn, to gain knowledge. But he didn’t set up a university and give courses in systematic theology. It was a particular kind of knowledge that our Lord and his predecessor were commissioned to give. It was the knowledge of salvation. [00:12:00]

How confident are you at this very moment that you understand what salvation is and more importantly whether you possess it? Well, in its rudimentary meaning, the idea of salvation biblically indicates the idea of being rescued from some impending disaster, being spared from some catastrophe, to being saved from defeat in battle or from a life-threatening disease. [00:13:28]

But those were only proximate meanings of salvation, meanings of salvation in the lower sense of the word. But the ultimate meaning of salvation in biblical terms was to have an experience, rescue – not from disease, not from poverty, not from military defeat, but to be rescued from God. [00:14:00]

This knowledge of salvation is the knowledge that is being announced, of reconciliation between God and mankind. What is the absolute necessary condition for reconciliation? What is the thing that has to be before any reconciliation can ever take place? Well, before reconciliation can take place, there first has to be estrangement. People who aren’t estranged don’t ever need to be reconciled, but we’re at ease in Zion. [00:16:29]

The forgiveness of sins is not something that you merit, it’s not something that you strive to achieve, it’s not that you can make up for your sins by works of righteousness. That is the worst myth ever perpetrated in the church. If you want to go on a fool’s errand, chase the hope of redeeming yourself by your own achievements, if any activity was doomed to failure, it would be that. [00:24:25]

The only way you can know salvation, the only way you can have the remission of sins is through the mercy of God. But it’s not through the justice of God, it’s through the mercy of God. But notice here under the influence of the Holy Spirit, how the mercy of God is described. I can’t just pass over this, “Through the tender mercy of God.” [00:25:02]

When God forgave me of my sins, the mercy that he poured out on my soul that night was sweet and gentle and tender. That’s how the mercy of God functions. [00:27:53]