HIS NAME IS JOHN (Luke 1:57-66) Intro The old comedian Milton Berle used to say, God has

s been good to you. God has been good to me. But Hes been better to you than Hes been to me. Well, the truth is, God is good all the time. He can never be other than good! In Luke 1:58, we see the Lord had shown great mercy to Elizabeth. In her old age, she had at last born a child. But the word translated mercy is used 194 times in the Greek OT and translated steadfast love. For example, Psa 118:1: Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! 194 times God reminds us of His steadfast love and mercy. Think Hes trying to tell us something?! Gods steadfast love is flowing our direction 24-7. It never ceases. His mercy is active in our lives like the air we breathe. If we got what our sin deserves, we would be dead within 2 minutes if not for what we did, then certainly for what we thought. God gifts us with the air we breathe, the ability to work and the capacity to enjoy life. Every opportunity that comes to us is from God. The fact we live in the USA places us among the most gifted people in the history of the world. Often unrecognized, His mercy never ceases. And spiritually as believers we have the gift of God which is eternal life (Rom 6:23); we are recipients of the surpassing riches of His grace for all eternity (Eph 2:7); the God of all grace (I Pet 5:10) has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph 1:3). Even on our worst day, Gods grace and mercy flow over us like Niagara Falls. Sure, its not a miraculous pregnancy every day, but we are no less daily recipients of Gods mercy. The question is, are we being changed by grace? Or is it flowing unrecognized, unappreciated and unused. I want us to see 5 ways Gods mercy attaches to and changes us. I. Preempts Merit The most basic truth to understand about Gods mercy is it cannot be earned. It is not based on merit. All we do is receive it! Gods blessing in our lives is apart from anything we can do either before or after receiving Christ. Everything inside us says, Do well, and you can earn Gods favor. Youre good enough to merit Him!

But notice verse 57, Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Now the time came. Arent those great words? God is about to act in the space/time continuum. It has all been promises until now, but no longer. The very next verse assures us that this is Gods mercy in action. God has delivered. Why? Because Elizabeth and Zechariah earned it? Clearly, they had not. They were physically incapable of conception. Zechariahs unbelief brought Gods discipline What he earned was to be passed over in favor of someone else. Yet God delivered. Didnt faith play a part? Yes. They did what they could coming together as husband and wife resulting in a conception in defiance of the natural order. But even their faith was Gods mercy. Eph 2:8 tells us our faith is not our own doing; it [too] is a gift of God. That was equally true for Elizabeth and Zechariah. There was nothing at all to set this little country priest and his wife apart from scores of other faithful priests except God chose them. And then, He delivered on His promise despite the fact that Zechariah had told Gabriel in so many words, I dont believe God can do it. Arent you glad Gods lovingkindness is not dependent on our performance. If it were, wed be doomed. It is freeing to know that I need not earn His favor. New Yorker magazine had a telling cartoon one time. It showed an exasperated father saying to his prodigal son, This is the fourth time weve killed the fatted calf. It was meant as a joke, but it was, accidentally, a theologically informed representation of what God does for us over and over again. His mercy flows despite our unfaithfulness. Thus our security is not based on our performance but on His. So does that mean we can sin at will, that it doesnt matter how we live? Of course not. Grasping this truth will give us even more incentive to live a holy life; the desire to take advantage would reflect an unsaved condition. Someone has never received Gods mercy in the first place; someone who has just watched it flow right on by. But for those in Christ, His mercy preempts merit. What a great truth to grasp! Get ahold of this and it will change your life. Youll stop trying to be God to earn mercy and start doing it out of gratitude. II. Provokes Joy Gods mercy is always a cause for rejoicing, even when associated with discipline but it especially provokes joy when a promise is fulfilled. Vv. 5758, Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her,
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and they rejoiced with her. Elizabeth had kept her condition secret for at least five months. But now she has delivered her child, and everyone rejoiced perhaps even some who had been unaware until now. Mary was probably still there. She came at Elizabeths sixth month and stayed 3. It is hard to imagine she would have left just before the big moment when they shared such incredible evidences of grace. Other neighbors and family also rejoiced with her. There is no envy that Elizabeth has experienced Gods tender mercies. Rather, everyone rejoices. Verse 59 tells us And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. The promise has turned into a living, breathing baby boy. Its party time; time to celebrate at Johns circumcision on the 8th day which was a provision of the law. Further, though not prescribed by law, tradition dictated there be at least 10 witnesses to circumcision which was usually, performed by the head of the home. Moses wife, Zipporah, reluctantly circumcised their boy. But it was probably Zechariah here, and everyone celebrated. Gods mercy is always cause for celebration. And since it flows constantly, joy should be a discriminating feature in the life of a believer. Paul says in I Thess 5:16, Rejoice always. And his insistence on this only increased with age as he later wrote to the Philippians from a jail cell in Phil 4:4, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Notice he didnt say rejoice in the circumstances, but rejoice in the Lord the One who is raining mercy at all times. Joy refreshes. Is your life characterized by rejoicing? Constantly? Or is it more like whining, griping, complaining, perfectionism or some other distraction from joy! You know its one thing when the mercy of God brings a baby boy. What about when it takes one? Tony Dungy coached the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl victory in 2007, but he faced the loss of his 18-year-old son who took his own life in 2005. Dungy is a believer and he spoke at the funeral. He said, Its great to be here today. I know thats a strange-sounding message, but when you came in today, one of the first songs you heard was I Will Bless the Lord at All Times. Those words were taken from Psalm 34 which David wrote . . . when he was on the run from Saul, fleeing for his life in desperation. Even so, he was able to say that he would constantly praise God and bless Him. Thats not easy to do. . . . The only way we can praise God at all times is to remember that God can provide joy in the midst of a sad occasion. Our challenge today is to find that joy. He went on to explain that his son had accepted Christ as Savior. Thats why we
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have joy today. We know that while we had him for eighteen short years, God has him now. And He will have Jamie forever. Could we find joy in that situation? Tony Dungy did. He knew Gods goodness and mercy. He dived into the mercy of God that is always, always flowing. III. Prompts Obedience Verse 59, 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, No; he shall be called John. 61 And they said to her, None of your relatives is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, His name is John. And they all wondered. It is quite interesting that the friends who come to celebrate also want to name the baby. There is precedent. In Ruth 4:17, we find the neighbors helping name Boaz and Ruths son, Obed, Davids grandfather. And at Zechariahs place, friends and relatives were looking at the baby and cooing over him as young Zechariah. They had Big Zach and Little Zach. But Elizabeth immediately steps in and vehemently says, No not Zach! He will be called John. This puts the friends off a bit, so they go to consult Dad. But Zechariah calls for a tablet a wood slat covered pliable wax to allow writing and writes even more emphatically, His name is John! Not his name will be John, but his name already is John. The name John comes first in the Greek phrase giving it further emphasis. This was the name God had dictated through Gabriel (v. 13). As far as Big Zach was concerned there was no Little Zach only John. He considered the matter out of his hands. It was a done deal. John is his name! John means Jehovah has been gracious. His very name emphasizes Gods mercy to his family, and the natural response to mercy is extreme obedience. It says at the end of verse 63, And they all wondered. Such thorough insistence on a non-family name threw these people for a loop. They were seeing resolute, unquestioning obedience and that always causes a bit of a sensation. A disobedient heart doesnt understand grace. Years ago the Russian army had a secret society whose members gained promotion by their ability to withstand torture. They practiced by enduring ever greater trials of pain. One of these officers was involved in a plot against Peter the Great (1672-1725), and although tortured four times refused to confess. Peter, realizing that pain would not break him, went up to him and kissed him. I know full well that
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you were party to the plot against me, but you have been punished enough. Now, confess freely to me on account of the love you owe to your czar, and I swear that I will grant you a complete pardon. Not only that, but as a special sign of my mercy I will make you a colonel. The man was so unnerved that he confessed; Peter kept his bargain and made him a colonel. Mercy always commands loyalty and obedience. People who use grace as an excuse to sin know nothing of Gods grace and mercy. His lovingkindness has the opposite effect causing us to avoid anything that would disappoint Him as possible. Is your life characterized by obedience? If not, I must tell you that you are failing of Gods grace. Youre just watching His mercy flow right on by unwanted, unappreciated, unused and untapped. Jesus said in John 14:15, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. So, do you? Love Him? Or just SAY so? IV. Partners With Discipline Verse 63, Zechariah wrote, His name is John. And they all wondered 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. Friends had 9 months to get used to the idea that Zechariah could not hear (thus the sign language of verse 62) nor speak (thus the writing tablet). I suspect the average person attributed the symptoms to old age, dont you? Were all going there, folks, and John and Elizabeth were old. But suddenly, Zechariah is speaking again. What gives? Well, Zechariahs problem was not old age. It was an unbelieving heart. His condition was the subject of Gods discipline. Hed been taken to the woodshed, where, in the graphic language of my grandfather, you would shed some tears. Discipline is not pleasant, nor is it meant to be. Its tough not to be able to talk. All through school, I used to get laryngitis every year just like clockwork. For one week every year I could not talk. The first day it was always kind of fun. I could not recite my lessons out loud, and the novelty of it was cool! But it didnt take long for the fun to wear off. Before long the frustration of not being able to make myself heard far outweighed any benefit. It was miserable, and I suppose it was miserable for Zechariah too. Nine months and not a word. Where he went his tablet followed! But while discipline is not pleasant, neither is it incompatible with the mercy and grace of God. In fact, its Gods grace is at work. Absence of discipline when we need it that would be neglect. Heb 12:5, . . . My son, do not
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regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. Love and discipline are partners not enemies. Thats why if you love your children, you must discipline when they need it just like God does you. Skip to v. 11 and to see why: For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Discipline is Gods way of saying, I love you enough to help you get it right. Thats what Hed been saying to Zechariah. And, as soon as Zechariah showed the purified faith of his heart, the discipline was lifted. An obedient response to Gods grace in our lives lifts His discipline. We may need it again tomorrow. We are slow learners. But His discipline is never harsh or extended beyond what is necessary to renew us. The Bible says, And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. God could hardly wait to remove the discipline and reward obedience; and Zechariah didnt mess up his second chance. John is his name! We have a very gracious Father, Beloved. He disciplines, but only for our good. Tough times are not Gods anger. They are His grace, bringing discipline or demonstrating His worth through us to others. But mercy never stops. Jonah thought he was a better judge than God of what was best for his life and his nation and the Assyrians. He played a little game of God for a Day. God might well have wiped him out, but He knew that somewhere buried deep inside of Jonah was faith, so he let him run right into the belly of a great fish. You have to appreciate the creativity of some of Gods discipline, dont you? But, you know, the most sensible things Jonah said in the whole book were spoken from the inside that fish. In Jonah 2:9, he ended with But I with the voice of thanksgiving (thanksgiving from the whales belly? Yes!) But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord! That, Beloved, is the ultimate acknowledgment of grace. Salvation belongs to the Lord. He sounds like Rock of Ages: Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. Its all Him! Jonah got grace, it prompted obedience. So, v. 10: 10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Gods discipline and mercy working hand in hand to produce obedience. And the sooner the obedience, the sooner the discipline is over. The response will always be to bless God, not to take advantage. V. Promotes Ministry
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And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What then will this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him. Do you see the last thing that Gods mercy in the lives of Elizabeth and Zechariah did? It produced an opportunity to influence others. It raised questions about eternal things in the minds of those who saw. It produced the uneasiness that comes with the realization that God is near. Now, its true that we dont typically have miracles following our every move. But God is just as active in the little things of life as the big. The issue is to bring the Lord into every conversation based on his ever-flowing mercy. To live a life that reflects obedience to and reverence of God. As we see God active in the small things, others will as well. We could argue all day about the miraculous content or not of some of the Denver Broncos wins last year with Tim Tebow at quarterback. But what you cannot argue is that Tebow knelt and gave God credit for the way he played in wins and he did the same thing in losses. And he turned Tebowing into a national phenomenon. He saw Gods mercy in all things, publicly acknowledged it and became a powerful witness. Of course, there were naysayers. There will always be naysayers. II Cor 2:15-16, For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. The point there is we are not responsible for peoples reactions to the gospel, just our delivery of the gospel. The same message brings life and death to others because they reject it. Such is the divisive power and content of the gospel. Were not on the hook for the results were just on the hook for the proper response to the mercy of God, for getting the message out and getting it right. God takes it from there. Alexander Woollcott wrote for The New Yorker magazine in the early 20th century. A clever critic he once reviewed a Broadway play by saying, The scenery was beautiful, but the actors got in the way of it. Thats a perfect description of a Christian life that is joyless, disobedient, and unresponsive to the constant flow of mercy in life. A life that is not responding to Gods mercy obfuscates a merciful God. The truth is, God has been good to all of us. The question is, are we being good back? Are we getting in the way of the beautiful background of a glorious God who is operating behind the scenes, or do our lives reflect His love, grace and mercy? Lets pray.