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Isaiah 61:1-3
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."
ESV
The anticipation of the good news of Jesus
1. Zachariah anticipated people prepared for the coming of the Lord
Luke 1:11-17
"And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.'" ESV
2. Mary anticipated serving God
Luke 1:26-38
"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's
name was Mary. And he came to her and said, 'Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!'
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He
will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the
throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom
there will be no end.' And Mary said to the angel, 'How will this be, since I am a virgin?'
And the angel answered her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High
will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy— the Son of God. And
behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth
month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God."
And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to Your word.' And
the angel departed from her." ESV
3. Elizabeth anticipated blessings for others and herself
Luke 1:39-45
"In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she
entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting
of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she
exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For
behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from
the Lord.'" ESV
4. Mary anticipated being significant
Luke 1:46-56
"And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent empty away. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.' And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home." ESV
5. Joseph anticipated a restored marriage
Matthew 1:18-25
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel' (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus." ESV
6. Simeon anticipated release from this life
Luke 2:25-35
"Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
'Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.'
And His father and His mother marveled at what was said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, 'Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.'" ESV
7. Anna anticipated redemption
Luke 2:36-38
"And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem." ESV
8. The nation of Israel anticipated freedom from tyranny
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