1. Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile anarrative of the things that have beenaccomplished among us, just as those who fromthe beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers ofthe word have delivered them to us, it seemedgood to me also, having followed all thingsclosely for some time past, to write an orderlyaccount for you, most excellent Theophilus, thatyou may have certainty concerning the thingsyou have been taught. Luke 1:1-4 (ESV)

2. In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was apriest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah.And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, andher name was Elizabeth. And they were bothrighteous before God, walking blamelessly in all thecommandments and statutes of the Lord. But theyhad no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and bothwere advanced in years. Now while he was servingas priest before God when his division was on duty,according to the custom of the priesthood, he waschosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord andburn incense. And the whole multitude of the peoplewere praying outside at the hour of incense.

3. And the whole multitude of the people were prayingoutside at the hour of incense. And there appeared tohim an angel of the Lord standing on the right side ofthe altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubledwhen he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But theangel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, foryour prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabethwill bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.And you will have joy and gladness, and many willrejoice at his birth, for he will be great before theLord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink,and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even fromhis mothers womb. And he will turn many of thechildren of Israel to the Lord their God,

4. and he will go before him in the spirit and power ofElijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to thechildren, and the disobedient to the wisdom of thejust, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I knowthis? For I am an old man, and my wife is advancedin years." And the angel answered him, "I amGabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I wassent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.And behold, you will be silent and unable to speakuntil the day that these things take place, becauseyou did not believe my words, which will be fulfilledin their time."

5. And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and theywere wondering at his delay in the temple. Andwhen he came out, he was unable to speak to them,and they realized that he had seen a vision in thetemple. And he kept making signs to them andremained mute. And when his time of service wasended, he went to his home. After these days hiswife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months shekept herself hidden, saying, "Thus the Lord has donefor me in the days when he looked on me, to takeaway my reproach among people. Luke 1:5-25 (ESV)

6. And there appeared to him an angelof the Lord standing on the right sideof the altar of incense. AndZechariah was troubled when he sawhim, and fear fell upon him.

7. When God shows up,sometimes FEAR gets the best of us!

8. Something unexpected and OUT OF THIS WORLD is beginning to happen IN the world.

9. Luke wants us to see the right way and the wrong way to RESPOND to Gods promise of power.

10. And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I knowthis? For I am an old man, and my wife is advancedin years." And the angel answered him, "I amGabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I wassent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.And behold, you will be silent and unable to speakuntil the day that these things take place, because youdid not believe my words, which will be fulfilled intheir time. Luke 1:18-20 (ESV)

11. He did not weaken in faith when he consideredhis own body, which was as good as dead(since he was about a hundred years old), orwhen he considered the barrenness of Sarahswomb. Romans 4:19 (ESV)

12. When the crowds were increasing, he began to say,"This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for asign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign ofJonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people ofNineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.The queen of the South will rise up at the judgmentwith the men of this generation and condemn them,for she came from the ends of the earth to hear thewisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greaterthan Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will riseup at the judgment with this generation and condemnit, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, andbehold, something greater than Jonah is here. Luke 11:29-32

13. How People Learn 10 % of what is read 20 % of what is heard 30 % of what is seen 50 % of what they see & hear 70 % what they say as they talk 90 % of what they say as they do a task