 Amen. So Luke chapter 1. So we're looking at the start of our series, the Christmas here. We're going to look at the Christmas story and what we can learn around, you know, the events of the birth of Christ and also, you know, the events running up to the birth of Christ. Tonight we're going to look at, the sermon tonight is called, you know, the preparation for Christ. We're going to look at the preparation of the people and what God did to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. We're going to look at the first part of chapter 1 in Luke, which is a long chapter, talks about Mary and Elizabeth, but we're going to look at verses number 5 through about verse number 17 tonight and see what we can come up with on why God did things the way He did, what kind of preparations God made for the coming Messiah. So let's just go ahead and get in. We're going to go to a lot of Bible tonight and just try to figure out what God's motivation is here and what kind of His goals are before, I mean, why send this child in front of Jesus and that's what we're going to look at tonight. We're going to look at the preparation of the coming Messiah. Look at verse number 5 of Luke chapter 1. The Bible says, there was in the days of Herod the king of Judea a certain priest named Zacharias of the course of Abiah and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God walking in all the commandments and ordinance of the Lord blameless. And they had no child because that Elizabeth was barren and they both were now well-stricken in years. So this is kind of an Abraham and Sarah situation, there's no child here and they're older people, it doesn't say how old exactly they are, but they're well-stricken in years meaning they're beyond child-bearing years. The Bible says, and it came to pass that while He executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. So if you remember from just the temple and the layout of the temple, he's actually going inside the temple, he's not at the altar where they sacrifice all the animals out in the courtyard or the outer temple area, whatever you want to call that. He's actually inside the temple at the altar of incense which is right before the veil going into the Holy of Holies. So he's not going into the Holy of Holies, but he's burning the incense on the, it's actually called the altar of incense. And the whole multitude, verse number 10, and the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense, look at verse number 11, it says, and there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. So it's interesting here that he walks into the altar of incense to do his job, to burn the incense, and he sees the angel of the Lord who we later find out is actually Gabriel himself standing on the right side of the altar of incense. So here we see, the Bible gives us this detail that not only is he just standing by the altar of incense, but he's standing on the right side of the altar of incense. So I can just give you a little aside on the right side and what that means. Turn to Genesis chapter 48, and we'll just take a little rabbit trail here for a second to just kind of show you the significance of the right side, the right hand in the Bible. Turn to Genesis chapter 48, Genesis chapter 48, and I will give you some insight on that. And it just kind of shows you there's nothing really in the Bible by accident. I mean, if there's a detail in the Bible, there's a reason for it. So when you read things like that, when you're reading through the Bible, and you're reading through verses in the Bible, and you come up with something where it says, oh, it was on the right side, that means something. It's there for a reason. It definitely has some significance. Look at Genesis chapter 48. Look down at verse, actually look at verse number, look at verse number 17. So here we have Jacob or Israel, and he's blessing, he's blessing his son Joseph, who has Ephraim and Manasseh, these two sons. And if you remember Joseph, there's no tribe of Joseph. If you look at the tribes that got the land, there's no Joseph land. And it's because Ephraim and Manasseh, these two boys of Joseph's, were blessed by their father. But their father does something a little bit different, because the way the blessing was to happen is the right hand of the father would be put on the firstborn son. But what happened was in verse 17, and when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. And he held up his father's hand. He actually grabbed his dad's right hand, and he said, he's like, no, no, no, you got them wrong. And he put it on Manasseh's head to remove it from Ephraim's head and put it on Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, not so my father, for this is the firstborn. Put thy right hand upon his forehead. So Joseph thinks that he got it wrong. But the point I'm trying to make here is that the right hand signified the two-thirds blessing of the firstborn. All right, so that has significance in the Old Testament. This is also why you see in Psalm 110, you see in Ephesians chapter one, you see in 1 Corinthians chapter six, no, you see Romans chapter eight. You see that Jesus Christ is actually sitting on the right hand of God, meaning that he is receiving this great blessing from the Father. So it's also where they're saying, this is my right hand man. It comes from the Bible. Just saying that this is a person that has great blessing or I'm considering an equal to me, that's where this comes from. If you go to actually Psalm chapter 118, right in the center of your Bible, the book of Psalms, if you go to Psalm chapter 118, you can see that even more than just sitting at the right hand of God, you can see that in Psalm 118 verse number 16, look what the Bible says about Jesus. It says, the right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. Here, calling Jesus the actual right hand of God, all right? So the right hand has significance. I believe this is also why part of the reason that the mark of the beast is going to be on the right hand because what does the devil do? He copies everything that God does. He's going to try to make this mark of the beast look like something spiritual, like something good, like some kind of blessing, all right? So he's just copying what God does. So the right hand has a lot of significance, especially when it comes to the greatest blessing that the earth will ever receive, the right hand of God, where Jesus sits. Jesus is actual place in heaven as if you just chapter 1 verse 19, the Romans chapter 8 and verse number 34 points out that Jesus is actually there. He's at the right hand of God, all right? So all that to just kind of explain why the right side is significant. The right side means there's blessing here, okay? The right side means that, and that's exactly what Zacharias received, this great blessing, this great honor, not that the Messiah would come from him, but this child named John would come from him. Look at verse number 12. The Bible says, And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, And thy wife Elizabeth 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. And he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall neither drink wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb. And what the Bible here is saying is that John, this child John, is going to be a Nazarite from birth, okay? He's going to have this Nazarite vow from birth. There's only three people in the entire Bible that had the Nazarite vow from birth. And the only one in the New Testament is John the Baptist, who we're talking about here. In the Old Testament, of course, you have Samson, who is a Nazarite from birth, and you have Samuel, who is a Nazarite from birth. In 1 Samuel 1, of course, we see the story of Hannah, and she prays to the Lord. She's barren. She's really stricken. She prays to the Lord. If you give me a child, then I'll just dedicate him to you. And the Lord blessed her with a child, and she dedicated him to the Lord, and he was a Nazarite from birth as well. So the three things about the Nazarites, basically, are that they're not to touch wine or strong drink. They're not to have anything from grapes, anything like the skin of the grape, anything. Anywhere near it, Samson didn't do a great job at being a Nazarite. His whole life was kind of just like, you know, breaking that vow again and again. The second one was they were never to cut their hair. So, you know, of course, that fits with Samson. That fits also with John the Baptist. We know that he was kind of a rougher looking character in the Bible. And then the third one is that they're supposed to stay away from, they're supposed to stay away from dead things, like dead bodies, things like this. These things are all detailed out in Numbers chapter 6 of what the Nazarite vow entails. This is why in Judges chapter 14, when Samson, like, eats the honey, you're like, what's the big deal? Or he's eating it out of a carcass. He's eating it out of a carcass of a lion. He's not supposed to be anywhere near, you know, dead things. And then he goes and gives it to his parents, and he's like, you know, he didn't tell them that he took it out of a carcass. You know, I'd probably want to know that. But anyway, so there's some significance here, okay? John, just as Samuel, just as Samson, you know, has this life, the idea of the Nazarite, you know, people took Nazarite vows, okay? Paul even took a Nazarite vow in the Bible in Acts chapter 12, I believe it is. But the point is, is that a Nazarite vow is someone that would dedicate, you know, they would dedicate their lives, or they'd dedicate a period of time in their life. But these were three specific examples where their whole life was dedicated in this way to the Lord. And John the Baptist obviously fits that bill as he had a very specific purpose in his life, and that's what we're going to talk about this evening. The purpose of John the Baptist was to prepare the people for the Lord. Let's read a couple more verses and then we're going to stop and we're going to look in detail on John the Baptist and his purpose. And many of the children of Israel, verse 16, shall he turn to the Lord their God. So I mean, already there we see the purpose, right? He's going to get the people ready for the Messiah that's coming in what? In like six months. Like he's literally six months younger than Jesus, okay? And he's actually, Jesus is, you know, I mean, it was Mary who is Elizabeth's cousin, so if you, you know, you do that, it's like they're second cousins, really. I mean, maybe with a different dad that was twice, once removed, or I don't know how you say that. But anyway, they're cousins. They're really second cousins, John and Jesus, all right? Look at verse number 17. This is going to be the focus of our sermon tonight. And he shall go before him. So God sends this child, this man, six months before Jesus, is born 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. So he's to go there and prepare the people for the coming of the Lord, okay? So look, this is a prophecy that he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias. This is a prophecy turned to Matthew chapter 17. The disciples actually asked about this prophecy. They asked Jesus about this prophecy. This is a prophecy being fulfilled. Talking about the spirit and power, you know, of Elijah here, okay? That's in the New Testament, it's Elijah in the Old Testament. Look at Matthew chapter 17 and verse number 10. The Bible says that his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said to them, Elias truly shall first come. So they're saying, the scribes, the prophecy says that Elijah will still, and we're going to look at that prophecy. The prophecy says that Elijah is going to come first before the Messiah, and here you are, and Elijah hasn't come. They're asking the question. Now, I mean, at least they know the Bible, at least they know their timelines, right? They know their timelines. They're saying, How could you be here when Elijah hasn't come yet? Look at verse number 11. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall come first and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elias has come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed, likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. So Jesus basically tells them, like this guy has come already, and then verse 13 it explains it. So there's no debate on this. The disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. So he's talking about John, this baby that we just learned that was just conceived by Elizabeth in Luke chapter 1. And it says that he was there to prepare the people, but they didn't know who he was. They did unto him whatever they wanted. They killed him. They cut his head off. They'd be headed to John. And it says likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. So look, that was part of the prophecy too, because the Son of Man is also going to suffer death just like John did. So he was also preparing the people for that ending as well. And we know, of course, that Jesus was different and more miraculous and the more important one, but it was just preparing the people for what was going to happen. John prepared the way in more ways than one through his death as well. But the main thing is this. Go back to John or go back to Luke chapter 1 or look at the front of your bulletin. Go back to Luke chapter 1. The main part of this whole thing, of him preparing the people's hearts, notice how it says to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. Now that's super interesting. We need to go back to Malachi and look at the original prophecy that's being quoted here. Go back to Malachi chapter 4 in your Bibles, Malachi chapter 4. And to understand Luke chapter 1, we really need to look at Malachi chapter 4 in some detail. But go ahead and go back to Malachi chapter 4 if you would. Go to Malachi chapter 4 and look down at verse number. So we're looking at Luke chapter 1 verse 17 where it says, we need to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. And also this that Elias is going to come is he's quoting, what he's doing is the Bible is quoting Malachi chapter 4 verses 5 and 6. But let's look and see if we can understand, because that's kind of an obscure thing to say. John the Baptist is here in the power of Elias to turn the hearts of the father to the children. Well what is that all about? What is that all about? That's what we're going to look at. And to understand that we need to look at Malachi chapter 4. Malachi chapter 4 in verse number 5 says this, behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Now look at verse number 6. We already talked about that. Verse number 6 he says, he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. Now I love the Bible how it gives you more detail in different places if you know what you're looking for. He says, and he shall turn the hearts of the father to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers lest they come and smite the earth with a curse. So first of all let's take this and work this one backwards. Otherwise if the hearts, we get some extra information right? Not only is the heart of the father going to go to the children, but the children's hearts are going to go back to the father or the earth is going to be cursed. There's going to be a curse coming. Turn to John chapter 7. Keep your place in Malachi 4 so you can go back and reference it and go to John chapter 7 if you would. John chapter 7 look at verse number 49. John chapter 7 verse number 49. John chapter 7 and look at verse number 49. So we're looking at it says if this doesn't happen we're looking at the preparation so Luke chapter 1 says the point of this prophecy. See isn't this beautiful how Luke chapter 1 verse 17 at the very end of that verse it gives you the point of the prophecy is what? Is to prepare the people for the Lord. Ok there to prepare the people. It's the whole point of this fathers children children fathers thing is to prepare the people for the Lord. Or Malachi chapter 4 verse 6 says there's going to be a curse coming on that for whatever reason. John chapter 7 and verse number actually look at verse 48. It says have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him. But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. So the Bible here is saying the Pharisees many of these Pharisees they are not believing on Jesus. And it says because of that they're what? They're cursed. Because they did not believe on Jesus they are cursed. In first Corinthians chapter 16 in verse number 22 it says they that did not love Jesus you know I'm paraphrasing this you know and then it says that Anathema Maranthana you know two words right there that I'm sure I said wrong. But that basically means a great curse. Meaning those that did not love Jesus are under a great curse. So that is what Malachi chapter 4 in verse number 6 is talking about it's talking about people that do not receive Jesus when he came or people that when they are you know when Jesus is preached to them or Jesus is told to them they do not they do not receive Jesus. I mean what does John 3.36 says? It says if you don't believe on Jesus the wrath of God abideth on you. Look that's the curse right there. The curse is the wrath of God. So that's the curse. Now what about this father's children children father's thing. Malachi implies if we just take you know the both relationships in both ways Malachi implies that a father who doesn't have a heart towards his child will produce a child without a heart towards his father. Now that's just a good one just as a parent right there ok that's a good one as a parent a father aside from what the prophecy means and we'll get to that in just a minute but it's a great example that a father who doesn't have his heart towards his children you're like what kind of father would that be there's lots of them there's lots of fathers there's lots of fathers that have children that they've never met there's lots of fathers that have children that maybe they do know who they are but their fathers they go out and they live selfish lives they go out and they do whatever they want they could care less if they take care of their children maybe they go have children with all sorts of people they're not even married to and they don't even have anything to do with those children this is what it's talking about this is a father who doesn't have his heart towards his children maybe it's a father who's you know in a normal family married to his wife and he has children yet he just doesn't he lives a selfish life and he's not being a servant leader to his family you know this is saying this is implying that look if a father if that father too doesn't have a heart towards his children it could produce children that don't have a heart towards their father and look that's it's very true it's very true I mean you think about you know because guess what if you raise your kids and things may seem normal to them at that time if you're living a father's living a selfish life doing whatever he wants the kids may not know anything different about it but guess what they're gonna grow up they're gonna grow up and realize like hey you know my dad didn't really do anything for me or my dad didn't really have his heart towards me and then look this is part of how in Ephesians chapter 6 verse number 4 where it says you know father's provoked not your children to wrath it says father's provoked not your children to wrath but what's the opposite of that coin that it gives you in the same verse it says but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord so a father you're like how do I how do I show my heart towards my children you bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and then you won't provoke them to wrath Malachi chapter 4 verse number 6 is it's giving us this same relationship saying a father that has his heart towards his children will have children that have a heart towards their father look that's how it's supposed to work and guess what your children by default will have their heart towards you you kind of have to break that you kind of have to mess that one up but not having your heart towards your children will mess that up that's what the Bible's telling us here okay so we get that you say pastor we get it we get that relationship I believe you the Bible says that what does that have to do with the coming Messiah what does that have to do with the version of this verse in Luke chapter 1 and verse number 17 where it says turn the heart of the father towards the children and for that you know to prepare the people for the Lord you say what does that have to do with that well think about this you got to think about this for a second we're thinking about the relationship between fathers and sons or fathers and children fathers and children and children towards their fathers why not mothers why I mean moms are you know why aren't the moms in there is a very specific reason that the mom's not in there and I'm going to show you I'm gonna tell you why what was think about this what was God about to do he's preparing the people for what what was God the father about to do he was about to show his heart to all men he was about to send the Messiah to save all men and he knew unless the children's hearts were right towards their heavenly father they would not receive him they would not receive what he was about to do for his children turn to Ephesians chapter 1 turn to Ephesians chapter 1 he was about God the father was about to show his heart towards us on earth that they may become his children look at Ephesians chapter 1 in verse number 5 Ephesians chapter 1 in verse number 5 the Bible says having predestinated that doesn't mean that like you know I don't have to explain this to this crowd but the point is it's saying this was always the plan when it says predestined this was always the plan it's not like God you know woke up the morning the Zacharias was about to go into the temple and he's like I should start thinking about how to redeem these people it was always the plan to send Jesus so we were everyone was predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ ok to himself so the Bible is saying that God wants to adopt us God our father wants to adopt us through Jesus Christ in order to be adopted you know you have to believe on Jesus Christ and then the Bible says you're adopted as children Romans chapter 8 says it this way for as many are as led in verse 14 by the Spirit of God they are sons of God for you have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear but we've received this received the Spirit of adoption adoption whereby we cry Abba father Hebrews chapter 12 talks about this father son relationship this father child adopted son relationship in the in the sense of chastisement talking about how God loves his children once you are adopted by him he loves his children so much that you know he'll scourge us and he'll punish us you know and if you don't get punished he's like then you're bastards and you're not sons so God was God the father was about to show like he was about to commend his love towards the earth in his son Jesus Christ and he wanted the the father son relationship to be understood so as many people as possible would be prepared to be saved that's what this is talking about turn to John chapter 10 because here's the thing if they don't have the heart towards their father if the people when Jesus came and this is exactly what happened by the way if they didn't have the right heart towards their heavenly father they would not become his children look at John chapter 10 in verse number 38 and Jesus he said this again and again and again to the Jews and they never you know they just some of them got it but a lot of them a lot of the leaders did not look at John chapter 10 of verse 38 John chapter 10 of verse 38 Jesus says if I do not the works of my father believe me not he's saying what he's saying there is he's saying like I'm doing what my father wants me to do you know and then he says but if I do though he believe not me believe the works he's like but if I'm doing God's work believe the works so here's the thing they didn't know what God's work was because they didn't know who their father was are you seeing the relationship issue that they have here that he they you need to have a good relationship this father son relationship was pretty important especially when it came to God the father that the father and then he says that you may know and believe that what the father is in me and I in him you know people say Jesus never said he's God I mean you basically just said you know the father is in me and I am in him could anybody would anyone here feel comfortable saying that would any human being be comfortable saying that so what Jesus is saying is that believing in the father believing in the father but knowing what the works of the father are Jesus saying you should recognize the works of the father as the works that I'm doing if I'm doing works that are not of the father he's like don't believe me he's like but if the works I'm doing are of the father then believe me because I and the father were any we're in each other but they didn't know who the father was so they missed the whole thing you know having a heart towards your heavenly father will mean you will accept you will know what his works are and you accept somebody when they're doing those works turn to John chapter 5 turn to John chapter 5 look believing in the father means you will accept Christ that's a general statement that is true today if people believe God they believe the words of the Bible and then show them what the words of the Bible say they believe it it's really easy to get somebody like that saved I mean the Bible says I'll make the words of God say look they said who I mean you say what he what didn't they know about Jesus well the Bible the Old Testament has all kinds of prophecies about Jesus about who he would be about where he would be born about the things that he would do where he would come from it just all these descriptive prophecies that everybody just missed because they didn't know the father look at John chapter 5 in verse number 46 Jesus said this to he said so there's they're talking constantly these Pharisees and these religious leaders are talking constantly about Abraham and Moses and all this and they're throwing all these names out all the time and look what he says he's like he's like you don't believe Moses verse 46 he says for had you believed for had you believed Moses you would have believed me for he wrote of me he's like he described exactly what I'm doing he's like had you you know seen Moses in Luke chapter 16 the guys like send me back he's like take me out of hell and send me back he's like if they see somebody from the dead you know they'll they'll believe I want to go save my brothers so they don't end up here you know what Abraham says Abraham says to him he's like hey they have Moses and the prophets they have the Bible if they won't believe the Bible they won't believe even if you came from the dead is what Abraham says to him but here it is folks the reason that it is ultimately so important for the fathers to turn to the sons and the sons to turn to the father is because of our relationship with God turn to 1st John chapter 2 turn to 1st John chapter 2 because you cannot have the father without the son and you cannot have the son without the father and that was the problem that they had you cannot you will not they would not believe the son unless they had the father so this is what John was trying to prepare for the people he was trying to prepare the people's hearts to be right in this relationship look at 1st John chapter 2 in verse number 23 the Bible says whosoever denyeth the son hath not the father but he acknowledges the son hath the father also so you see what it says there it says he the denyeth the son hath not the father so this idea that that the Jews the Jews today okay and look when I say the Jews today I mean people that follow the Jewish religion okay that's what I mean I mean nobody even knows what the Jews means today when I say the Jews I mean I mean people that follow the Jewish religion just like when I say the Muslims I talk about people that follow Islam or the Buddhists people that follow the Buddhist religion or the Hindus people that follow the Hindu religion it's a religion everybody thinks today and Christians think that the only difference between the Jews and us is that we believe in Jesus and they don't but what did the Bible just say here no I used to think that many many years ago before I was even saved I said well the only thing is they believe the Old Testament we believe the New Testament too no wrong they don't believe any of it because the Bible says that if they would have believed it if you find somebody that truly believes the Old Testament they've just never seen the New Testament you go show them the words of Jesus they're going to get saved this is what the Bible is saying that they have the father this one Malachi chapter 4 in verse number 6 is saying it's saying that if they have a proper relationship between the father and the son that they will believe what they say and Jesus is just saying you can't have one without the other and he's also explaining why these people didn't accept Jesus so this idea that the Jewish religion the Jews today they just don't believe in Jesus but you know we're a Judeo Christian country what in the world the Talmud says that Jesus is boiling in hot excrement that's what they believe they do not have the father you think the father would have anything to do with someone that believes that about his son it's just it's just another false religion but it's one that's very anti-Jesus okay you just can't have one without the other turn to Matthew chapter 3 this prophecy is saying hey let's get this father son thing right so more people will accept the son more people will accept the son of God the Messiah look at Matthew chapter 3 I mean these were the Jews in Jesus time that said this in Matthew chapter 3 in verse number 2 so John what were the words of John when John met the Jews for the first time what did he say to them when he met the Jewish relieved leaders what did you say this is what he says look at verse number 2 of Matthew chapter 3 and saying talking about John the Baptist here repent II for the kingdom of heaven is at hand you know what he's saying there let me translate that he's like you better turn things around because the Messiah is at hand it's imminent like you know that was imminent Jesus was imminent this is like this is like the Christian today that thinks the rapture is coming tomorrow right no like it's imminent in this verse right here he's saying he's like get right get right who's he saying get right with someone they never met he's like no get right with your heavenly father is what he's saying get right with your heavenly father believe Moses and the prophets because the Messiah is coming and if you don't get this right you're not going to know who he is for this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah this is Isaiah saying the voice of one crying in the wilderness prepare you the way of the Lord make his paths straight but their right their way was crooked they had perverted you know God's word look at verse 9 and you think to say and think not to say within yourselves what do they say within themselves we have Abraham to our father for I say unto you that God is able to take of these to able of these stones to raise up children on the Abraham so here's the thing these people were relying on who they were related to they were laying all we have Abraham is our father they had totally forgotten about their heavenly father and they were just relying on just this genealogy that they came from Abraham but here's the thing turn to Exodus chapter 12 the same thing is listed out in Leviticus chapter 19 but turn to Exodus chapter 12 let me show you something let me show you something the Jews of Jesus's day were were just totally just relying on the fact that they were spiritual somehow or they were they had some kind of they had some kind of favor with God because of their lineage where they came from okay look let me tell you something we believe in what's called replacement theology here that spiritual Israel whoever believes on Christ but let me tell you something it's always been this way it's actually not a new doctrine it's actually not a new doctrine even in the nation of Israel you say well the nation of Israel they had they were all from tribes and they all let me look at all the the genealogies in the Bible I mean look at you just read genealogy genealogies for chapter after chapter after chapter in the Bible but yeah it's listed in the Bible because that was God's nation but there was many people in that nation that had nothing to do with that genealogy look at Exodus chapter 12 Exodus chapter 12 look at verse number 48 Exodus chapter 12 verse number 48 this is it's just God's nation right here and when a stranger when a stranger sells so Jordan with the if it's the same so Jordan means stay with you visit and stay a long time it says if a stranger comes in you know somebody like comes from the Ammonites or somebody comes from the Moabites or what I mean Ruth hello I mean genealogies they never meant anything as far as like spiritual salvation or anything like that okay look at verse 48 what a stranger so Jordan with the and what and just do whatever he wants and he's like a pothead and he's just like you know worshipping devils over in the his corner of the city no it says when a stranger sells so Jordan with these so he comes into the nation of Israel and will keep the Passover to the Lord let all his mails be circumcised and let him come near and keep it and he shall be as one that is born in the land notice how it doesn't say like oh he's like you know he's gonna be under a tribute to you this is like the Muslims they do this like in Muslim nations like if you're not of a certain tribe or your of a different sect of Islam even or you know if you're a Christian I mean forget about it but the point is like you're treated as a lower citizen you know if you're even allowed to be there but what is saying here is if a stranger comes in a stranger somebody from a another nation somebody that's not related to you they come in and by keep the Passover and having their mails circumcised you know what that that is implying that they have accepted the Lord they have accepted your God as their God then it says they'll be just like one born in the land they're just like you look what it says in the next part it says for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof and one law shall be to him and the law and one law shall be to him that is homeborn and unto the stranger that's so Jorneth among you they're under the same rules there's no difference I mean this is replacement theology right here it never had anything to do with genealogies because if you look at the Pharisees and the religious leaders during Jesus's time this literally kept them from getting saved this literally kept them from noticing the Messiah turn to Titus chapter 3 I mean the Bible even warns us against this going into the future we'll go to Titus chapter 3 Titus chapter 3 so they were just they were all proud they were just like oh man you know we're we're of you know we're of Abraham and you know we don't need any any of this stuff we're we got Abraham to our father and John the Baptist is like these rocks could be of Abraham you know it's it's not important is what are you saying it's not important listen to what I'm trying to tell you look at verse number nine of Titus chapter 3 it says but avoid foolish questions and what and genealogies and contentions and strivings about the law for they are unprofitable and what vein so here's the thing folks it doesn't even matter if a Jew today could say someone that's Jewish of the Jewish religion there may be you know Jewish people today that say I'm of this tribe or I'm of that tribe and I doubt that they could ever know that personally but it doesn't even matter if they could it makes absolutely no difference the problem is the real Israel the real Jews as Paul points out in Romans chapter 7 through 11 they are the ones that have believed on Christ they're the ones that in the Old Testament they're the ones that had a good relationship with their father that believed they're saved in the Old Testament just like the New Testament you say how could they be saved in the Old Testament the same way as they're saved in the New Testament because it's all about believing on God's promise that he's going to send a Messiah it's it's belief on the the promise of God coming in the future it was just we just look back on Jesus they look forward to Jesus there's no difference there's no difference and it made no difference you know look believing that you have some kind of favor with God because of your bloodline I mean what is the definition of racism I mean that is literally just like you know oh you know I'm related to this person so like God likes me more it's like could you be any more racist than that right but the Bible is saying it means nothing as a matter of fact it's vain right it's vain for me to go up to brother Trevor and be like hey man you know you know I got some my great great great great grandparents were of this whatever and you know that makes me better than you that's a pretty vain thing to say and it's certainly unprofitable for me right and what does it do it fills me with pride it fills me with pride and it makes and what is what is the one thing soul winners that will stop somebody from getting saved being this super proud person and if you're super proud and you think you have favor with God you are never going to accept Christ and that's that's why quite frankly it's so hard to get you saved I mean it's just it's so hard to get you saved I've never even gotten to a point where I could open a Bible to somebody that said that they were Jewish because oh no no we're we're we're good they kind of chuckle the ones that I've met they chuckle we got it we got it we're God's people it's a prideful thing it's vain it's vanity alright so this is the point of this prophecy and this is the point of what John was trying to do he was trying to point out to the Jews at the time that look you got to get right with your father and if you're not right with your father you this isn't going to go well for you right it was a heart issue and look that that's that's what that's what unbelief is unbelief is a matter of the heart every single time turn to Matthew chapter 19 turn to Matthew chapter 19 it's the same today it's the same today it's the same it's the same reason that anybody doesn't get saved you know in Matthew chapter 19 verse 24 we get an example of a rich man somebody who's who's got a lot of money why is it his money no it's because his heart is not right his heart is not correct Jesus says in Matthew 19 24 and again I say to you it's easier for the camel to go through the eye of a needle and for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God why because no man can serve two masters that's why so their heart isn't right towards their heavenly father because the Bible says in Matthew 6 you can't serve two masters for you'll either hate the one it says if your heart isn't right towards your heavenly father has said you know you're after riches or whatever else you're after the world and things in the world your heart's not going to be right to your heavenly father the heart needs to be fixed first that was the whole point of John the Baptist that's the whole point of Luke chapter 1 and verse number 17 and Malachi chapter 4 and verse number 6 is just fixing the heart of the people so they would be what they would be prepared for Jesus it doesn't show you that God cares that he literally sent somebody he literally sent somebody who dedicated his whole life and died a murderous death just to prepare the people because I'm sure a lot of people you know that we read about the Pharisees that didn't accept he called them vipers you know and all this you know and I mean they didn't accept Jesus there's a lot of people that John did prepare successfully and he did what he did it how he prepared their hearts that's how alright so thank God that you know God before Jesus you know came into this ministry he sent somebody before him just before him to prepare the people because God wants everybody look it's God's will that all would be saved right it's God's will that all would believe on his son so hopefully that makes some more sense on how God did that through John the Baptist let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer