Thank you.
In Jesus' name we pray.
In those days, Mary arose and went with haste to 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 leapt 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 leapt for joy.
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.
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 away empty.
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.
Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth.
And she bore a son.
And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her.
And they rejoiced with her.
And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child.
And they would have called him Zechariah after his father.
But his mother answered, No, he shall be called John.
And they said to her, None of your relatives is called by this name.
And they made signs to his father inquiring what he wanted him to be called.
And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, His name is John.
And they all wondered.
And immediately his mouth was opened.
And his tongue loosed.
And he spoke, Blessing God.
And fear came on all their neighbors.
And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea.
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.
And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people,
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
to show the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham,
to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
The child grew and became strong in spirit.
He was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
This is the word of the Lord.
One of my favorite children's books is entitled The Carrot Seed.
If any of you have read it, if some of you have kids,
it goes like this, it's a very short book,
it says,
A little boy planted a carrot seed.
His mother said,
I'm afraid it won't come up.
His father said,
I'm afraid it won't come up.
And his big brother said,
It won't come up.
Every day the little boy pulled up the weeds around the seed
and sprinkled the ground with water.
But nothing came up.
And nothing came up.
Everyone kept saying it wouldn't come up.
But he still pulled up the weeds around it every day
and sprinkled the ground with water.
And then,
one day,
a carrot came up.
Just as the little boy had known it would.
It's a simple story about childlike faith.
About perseverance.
I don't know if the author is Christian,
but it's really something that should characterize the Christian life.
Childlike faith.
Perseverance.
Because we are called as God's people to live by faith.
And not by sight.
And this can be difficult,
especially when what we see around us don't match up with what we believe.
Yet,
even when we are surrounded by naysayers,
those who keep the faith
will be rewarded
and proven right
in the end.
And this passage serves to provide evidence of that.
Assurance of the fact that those who humbly trust in the Lord
will rejoice in the end for God's mercy.
That those who humbly trust in the Lord
will rejoice in the end for God's mercy.
And so the first part we see in verses 39 to 56,
Mary's faith and rejoicing.
And in the second part we see
Zechariah's faith and rejoicing.
And we saw last week that
Gabriel, the angel,
gave announcements to Elizabeth and Mary.
And after hearing from Gabriel
that Elizabeth,
her formerly barren relative,
is now pregnant
and that this is the sign for Mary
that she will bear a son as a virgin
named Jesus.
Mary departs immediately to visit Elizabeth.
It says in verses 39 to 40,
follow along with me,
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.
So her hasty departure,
so she's not hesitating,
she's not delaying,
she goes immediately
because she believes the word of the Lord
and this is her response of obedience
to God's announcement through his angel.
And as she departs for Elizabeth,
it doesn't take long for Mary
to receive confirmation
about the sign that Gabriel had given her.
Because it says in verses 41 to 45,
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,
the baby leapt 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 left for joy.
And blessed is she who believed
that there would be a fulfillment
of what was spoken to her from the Lord.
So this is a fulfillment
of what Gabriel announced
in verses 15 to 17 of this same chapter,
that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit
even from his mother's womb.
So this is a fulfillment of that.
And he also announced that he will go,
John will go before Jesus
in the spirit and power of Elijah
to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.
And what we're seeing now here
is that even in the womb,
baby John is filled with the Holy Spirit,
and he goes before Jesus
and announces his coming.
He's alerting his mother,
here is the Lord,
here is Jesus.
And Elizabeth,
having been alerted by her baby in her womb
in this manner,
is filled with the Holy Spirit herself
and begins to bless Mary
and the baby Jesus in her womb.
And even though she is significantly senior to Mary,
and she humbles herself before Mary
and expresses her sense of grateful disbelief.
Why is this granted to me
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
The word Lord could simply refer to a human superior,
but since just three verses later,
Mary says,
my soul magnifies the Lord,
and that's in reference to God,
it's hard not to see a reference
to the divinity of Christ here,
that Jesus is indeed God.
He is the Son of God.
He is the divine Lord,
the King above all kings,
the very Son of God,
and because of that,
this is the proper posture of Elizabeth.
This is the proper posture for subjects
who are paid a visit by their king.
I don't know if you've ever met a celebrity in your life,
or if you've seen someone else meet a celebrity,
which is even funnier, right?
It's a very interesting human phenomenon, right?
Because in our culture,
we view celebrities like this,
this larger-than-life,
kind of superhuman kind of figure, right?
And some people just start jumping around and screaming
because they can't help themselves,
they can't handle themselves.
And then other people freeze completely,
they're starstruck,
and are at a loss for words, right?
And if that's how we react to other humans,
however famous they may be,
how much more when we are visited
by the Lord God,
the creator of the universe,
the savior of the world,
as Christians,
we need to recover a little bit of a sense
of that reverence and awe before God.
Do we walk into a worship service
like we are entering into the throne room of the king?
Or are we casual, lackadaisical, bored?
Do we open up our Bibles
with humble submission
as if the king is about to speak?
Or do we read it with less interest
and enthusiasm than we have for our emails?
Do you recognize the staggering reality
that we as God's people
are indwelled by the very spirit of God?
Do we live every moment of our lives
as if we are before the very face of God?
Why is this granted to me
that my Lord should come to me?
That's a great question
that we need to ask more often.
If we did, we'd become more grateful
and humble people.
After explaining that the baby in the womb
left for joy at the sound of Mary's greeting,
Elizabeth says in verse 45,
Mary is blessed because she believed
that there would be a fulfillment
of what was spoken to her from the Lord.
So notice how she phrases it.
Instead of saying,
blessed are you,
which is the more natural way to speak
when you're speaking to the person
that's in front of you,
she says, blessed is she,
referring to Mary in the third person.
And this is a way to kind of generalize the statement
to make Mary a model of faith for everyone,
every future believer
that should be emulating Mary.
She's basically saying,
blessed is anyone who believes
that there would be a fulfillment
of what was spoken from the Lord.
There is a blessedness,
a happiness
that characterizes the life of faith.
And the reason for that is because
faith is the way by which we appropriate
and experience God's grace.
Romans 8.1 says,
there is therefore now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.
And this is an objectively true statement.
But when you are feeling overwhelmed
by seemingly insurmountable sin in your life,
when you feel weighed down with guilt,
you have to believe that
in order to experience subjectively
that truth
that there is no condemnation for you in Christ.
Similarly, Ephesians 1.20-21 says,
Christ is seated at God's right hand
in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority
and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named,
not only in this age,
but also in the one to come.
That is objectively true.
But when you are full of fear and anxiety,
you have to believe it
in order to experience the comfort
and peace and freedom
that comes from the sovereignty of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3.7-9 says that
everything is rubbish
compared to the surpassing worth
of knowing Christ Jesus.
But when you are tempted
by the wealth of this world,
the fame of this world,
you have to believe God's word
in order to resist
the pool of worldly treasures
and to cherish Christ above all.
That's the blessedness of faith.
To believe is to be blessed,
to be happy,
to be fortunate.
And Mary was blessed
because she believed
that there would be a fulfillment
of the word of the Lord.
And because of her faith,
she was able to obey
in anticipation of that fulfillment
and as a result,
experience the joy
and satisfaction
and fulfillment
that comes from that.
Those who humbly trust in the Lord
will rejoice in the end
for His mercy.
And that's what we see
in Mary's hymn of praise
in verses 46-56.
Mary begins the hymn
with two parallel poetic lines
in verses 46-47.
She says,
My soul magnifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices
in God my Savior.
To magnify means
to make large
or to make great,
to make much of something
or someone,
to praise someone.
And Mary magnifies the Lord
not like a microscope
that makes something really small
appear larger than they really are,
but more like a telescope
that takes something
that is huge,
like a faraway star,
appear as they really are.
in their true size.
She magnifies God.
What she's doing
as she does that
is she's appreciating God
as He really is
in His bigness,
in His majesty,
in His glory.
So we praise His greatness
not to make God appear great,
but because He is great.
So that's what Mary is doing.
She magnifies the Lord.
And the parallel line says,
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
This is so helpful.
The fact that the words magnify
and the word rejoice
are in parallel construction
is illuminating
because magnifying God
consists in rejoicing in Him.
You guys follow what I'm saying?
Glorifying God
consists in delighting in Him.
Praising God
consists in enjoying God.
This is the insight
that C.S. Lewis
arrived at in his book
Reflections on the Psalms.
He writes,
I think we delight to praise
what we enjoy
because the praise
not merely expresses
but completes the enjoyment.
It is its appointed consummation.
It is not out of compliment
that lovers keep on telling one another
how beautiful they are.
The delight is incomplete
till it is expressed.
When we see a splendid sunset
and we exclaim with a sigh of longing,
Oh, that's so beautiful.
We don't say that
to compliment the sunset.
We say that
because that is the way
in which we delight in it
and enjoy the sunset
by praising it,
by exclaiming about it.
In the same way,
that's what it means
to praise God,
to magnify the Lord.
It means to enjoy Him
and to rejoice in Him.
And that's why
the book of Revelation
describes heaven
as a place
where God's people
are forever praising Him.
And some people
read that description
in Revelation
and think to themselves,
Oh, heaven must be
insufferably boring.
Forever?
Far?
Go far from it.
Heaven is where we delight
in God.
We enjoy Him forever.
It is where His love for us
and our love for Him
are experienced
in infinite fullness
without any hindrance
to prevent us.
Heaven is a world of joy.
It's a world of love
as Jonathan Edwards,
a theologian, calls it.
And compared to that,
the mutual enjoyment
and ecstasy
between even a husband
and wife
is a pale shadow.
There dwells God the Father
who in love
chose us
before the foundation
of the world
and predestined us
for adoption to Himself.
Ephesians 1.45
There dwells God the Father
who so loved us
that He gave His only Son
that we might believe in Him
and not perish
but have eternal life.
That's where He dwells.
There dwells God the Son
who showed us
the greatest love there is
by laying down
His own life
for His friends
by dying on the cross
for our sins.
There dwells
the Spirit of God,
the Holy Spirit
who has poured out
God's love
into our hearts
as it says in Romans 5.5
That's heaven.
That's where
we praise God forever.
And so Jonathan Edwards
as he says in his sermon
Heaven a world full of love
There in heaven
this fountain of love
this eternal three in one
is set open
without any obstacle
to hinder access to it.
There this glorious God
is manifested
and shines forth
in full glory
in beams of love
There the fountain
overflows
in streams
and rivers of love
and delight.
enough for all
to drink at
and to swim in
yea so as to overflow
the world as it were
with a deluge
a flood
of love
That's
the sure hope
of the Christian.
Those who say
that praising God
is boring
betray their only
impoverished understanding
of God
their own
anemic appreciation
of God
to glorify God
is to enjoy Him
to magnify God
is to rejoice in Him
and then
in verses 48 to 50
Mary gives the reasons
why she magnifies
and rejoices
in the Lord
and the first reason
is in verse 48
for
He has looked
on the humble estate
of His servant
for behold
from now on
all generations
will call me
blessed
well here in chapter 1
verse 38
Mary said
behold I am
the servant
of the Lord
let it be to me
according to your word
and Mary once again
here describes herself
as God's servant
the word is
is a reference
to a bond servant
a slave
Mary acknowledged
that her estate
is humble
she is lowly
and yet
God from on high
has looked
on her
and has made her
the mother
of Jesus Christ
the Savior
of the world
and for this
she says
all generations
will call
me blessed
and verse 48
is paralleled
by verses 49 to 50
it says
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
verse 49
is a flip side
of verse 48
48 focuses on
Mary's poverty
her impoverishment
and verse 49
focuses on
God's lavishness
His generosity
verse 48
focuses on
Mary's weakness
verse 49
focuses on
God's might
verse 48
focuses on
Mary's lowliness
and verse 49
focuses on
the greatness
of what God
has done for her
anyway
even though Mary
was undeserving
and lowly
God has bestowed
on her
unprecedented honor
from on
high
and likewise
the end of
verse 48
is paralleled
by verse 50
from now on
all generations
will call me
blessed
because God's
mercy is for
those who fear
Him from
generation
to generation
because God
is merciful
to those
who fear
Him
to those
who humble
themselves
before Him
Mary as the
recipient of
God's mercy
will be called
blessed by
all generations
and the phrase
from now on
is an important
Lukean phrase
it indicates
a significant
change that
took place
when Jesus
came to
earth
the change
that took
place in
God's
redemption
plan
so that
from now
on
nothing
is the
same
and so
for the
world
and for
Mary
nothing
will be
the same
again
now Mary
will be
called
blessed
forever
and if
God is
merciful
to the
humble
then the
converse
the opposite
of that
statement
is also
true
and that's
what Mary
turns to
next in
verses 51
to 53
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
away
empty
this is
echoing
what we
see
repeatedly
throughout
the entire
years
that God's
consistent
mode of
operation
is to
oppose
the proud
but give
grace
to the
humble
and that's
what Mary
sees God
doing through
the conception
of Jesus
Christ
the God
who is
mighty
has brought
down the
mighty
from their
thrones
and instead
has exalted
those of
humble estate
so it's not
King Herod
who will get
the last laugh
as a Davidic
Messiah
wannabe
it's not
the Roman
Emperor
Augustus
who will prevail
in the end
but it will be
King Jesus
born from
the womb
of lowly
Mary
who will
triumph
and establish
the kingdom
of God
the oppressors
will be scattered
and the oppressed
people of God
will be gathered
around the throne
of Jesus
and this reality
is so certain
that even though
it hasn't happened
yet
Mary uses
the past tense
to describe it
it's what
grammarians call
the prophetic
past
it's so certain
to happen
that even though
it lies in the
future
they use the
past tense
to describe
as if
it had
already
happened
as if
it has
already
happened
because that's
how certain
it is
Paul speaks
of this reality
too doesn't he
about how God
gives grace
to the humble
in 1 Corinthians
1 27-29
God chose
what is
foolish in the
world to shame
the wise
God chose
what is weak
in the world
to shame
the strong
God chose
what is low
and despised
in the world
even things
that are not
to bring to
nothing
things that
are so
that no
human being
might boast
in the presence
of God
those who claim
to be wise
in this world
and then reject
the word of God
will not be saved
but only those
who profess
their ignorance
submit to God's
wisdom
those who claim
to be strong
and deny
their need
for God
will not be
saved
but only those
who acknowledge
their weakness
and cry out
to God
for help
those who claim
to be high
and noble
and powerful
and spurn
God
as their
Lord
will not
be saved
but only
those who
humble themselves
before God
and serve
him as
their Lord
and by
choosing to
save us
through Jesus
in this way
Jesus who
ascended to
his throne
and established
his kingdom
by redeeming
people for
himself
by dying
on the cross
God destroys
all human
pride and
pretension
we cannot
save ourselves
that's why
Paul says
in 2nd
Corinthians
12
9
I will
boast
all the
more
gladly
of my
weaknesses
so that
the power
of Christ
may rest
upon me
some of you
are in a
season of
being humbled
by God
if God's
humbling you
right now
if you feel
like you're
being laid
low
by God
maybe it's
failing in
school
maybe it's
being disrespected
by your
peers
maybe it's
being unemployed
maybe it's
the weight
of sin
that makes
you feel
undeserving
of God's
salvation
if God's
making you
feel weak
right now
don't let
that drive
you to
despair
let that
drive you
to Christ
and boast
in your
weakness
because there
you will
find the
power of
Christ
rest on
God
brings down
the mighty
from their
thrones
and exalts
those of
humble estate
a Puritan
prayer puts
it beautifully
this way
as water
rests not
on barren
hill summits
but flows
down to
fertilize
lowest
veils
make me
the lowest
of the
Lord
my spiritual
riches may
exceedingly
abound
gives grace
to the
whole
and Mary
concludes her
hymn
by recalling
the promises
that God
had made
to her
forefathers
in verses
54 to
55
he has
helped
his
servant
Israel
in
remembrance
of his
mercy
as he
spoke
to our
fathers
to Abraham
and to
his
offspring
forever
God
remembered
his
mercy
toward
his
people
he
remembered
the
commitment
that he
had made
toward
his
people
it's a
sad thing
to be
forgotten
isn't it
whether it's
your
best friend
that forgets
your birthday
or your
spouse
that forgets
your anniversary
or your
aging
grandparent
forgets
your name
or a
grandparent
that gets
forgotten
and neglected
even when
they pass
no one
knows
Israel
has for
many years
now felt
forgotten
and forsaken
by God
and yet
God
has proven
decisively
through Jesus
that he
remembers
them
he has
remembered
them
and has
intervened
on their
behalf
in mercy
and as
Jesus
served
to remind
Mary
of God's
remembering
his mercy
let Jesus
and his
gracious
saving acts
remind you
also of the
fact that
God has
and continues
to remember
you
Satan
our enemy
will accuse
you
and lie
to you
saying that
you are
forgotten
by God
that's why
these things
are happening
to you
you're
forsaken
he doesn't
care
but let
Christ
stand guard
over your
mind
and guard
over your
heart
and dispel
those lies
because God
remembers his
mercy
toward you
and Jesus
and his life
and his death
and his
resurrection
is the proof
of that
once and
for all
those who
humbly
trust in
the Lord
will rejoice
in the end
for his
mercy
that's
Mary's
faith
and rejoicing
and then she
returns home
after spending
three months
with Elizabeth
shortly before
John's birth
and in verses
57 to 80
the focus
shifts back
to John's
parents
and we see
Zechariah's
faith
and rejoicing
verses 57
to 58
am I not
coming out
of the mic
anymore
verses 57
to 58
tell us
of John's
birth
it says
now the
time came
for Elizabeth
to give
birth
and she
bore a
son
and her
neighbors
and relatives
heard that
the Lord
had shown
great mercy
to her
and they
rejoiced
with her
so this
is further
fulfillment
of the
angel's
announcement
in chapter
1
verses 13
to 17
the angel's
word that
John would
be filled
with the
Holy Spirit
even from
his mother's
womb
was fulfilled
when he
left with
joy at
the greeting
of Mary
and now
the angel's
word that
Elizabeth
would bear
a son
is fulfilled
in exactly
those words
and the
promise that
you will
have joy
and gladness
and many
will rejoice
at his birth
from verse 14
is also
fulfilled
because now
people are
rejoicing along
with Elizabeth
and Zechariah
and so
Elizabeth does
bear a son
many rejoice
with her
and joy
is really
a running
theme
throughout
this passage
that recount
the birth
of John
and Jesus
and now
that John's
been born
the announcement
that the angel's
been fulfilled
it's not time
for Zechariah
and Elizabeth
to obey God
because the angel
had also
commanded them
in verse 13
you shall
call his name
John
now verses
59 to 66
tell us about
John's naming
remember
in verse 6
that Zechariah
and Elizabeth
were both
righteous
and blameless
in obeying
God's commandments
and so they
followed God's
commandments
to circumcise
the baby
on the eighth
day
as it says
in verse 59
and then
their relatives
who were there
for the birth
and the circumcision
want to name
the child
Zechariah
after his father
which was
customary to do
in this culture
but Elizabeth
likely having
conferred with
Zechariah already
answers them
in verse 60
no
he shall
be called
John
but they
protest
these are
stubborn
relatives
none of your
relatives
is called
by this
name
what are you
thinking
it was
customary
among the
Jews
to name
children
after their
relatives
so they
take it
up with
Zechariah
perhaps
thinking
to themselves
that
Elizabeth
is going
rogue
and hadn't
consulted
her husband
and perhaps
thinking
to themselves
well surely
Zechariah
would want
us to name
his only
son
after him
so they
it says
that they
made signs
to his
father
inquiring
what he
wanted him
to be
called
so based
on this
verse
I suggested
to you
last week
that Zechariah
must have
been struck
a death
not merely
mute
because they're
making signs
to him
instead of
asking him
the question
that's what
a majority
of the Bible
scholars think
but as I was
studying this
passage I
think I was
wrong so I
want to
retract that
from last
week
I think
what's
happening
is
because the
word to
make sign
can also
mean to
motion
or to
nod
or to
gesture
towards
someone
using
your
body
and so
because
this
passage
only speaks
of him
losing
his speech
it doesn't
specifically
mention him
losing his
hearing also
I think it's
more likely
that he's
just unable
to speak
so he's
hearing all
this conversation
and Elizabeth
is talking
they're asking
Elizabeth
hey what
should we
name him
Elizabeth
says his
name shall
be John
so Zechariah
is hearing
all this
but they
want his
confirmation
so they
gesture to
him
hey so
what do you
think
so he's
I think that's
what is going
on and so
because he can't
speak they bring
him a writing
tablet so he
can write his
response and
he says his
name is
John
right he
doesn't say
his name
shall be
John he
says his
name is
John
different from
the way
Elizabeth
phrased it
that's his
name because
God says
so
that's the
name that
God commanded
me to give
him that's
the name that
the angel
announced so
it's not a
matter what I
shall name
him his
name is
John whether
I like it
or not I
don't have
any choice in
this matter so
this shows
John's submission
and obedience
to God in
that period of
being struck
with muteness
Zechariah has
learned to
trust God
and the
agreement of
Zechariah and
Elizabeth on
this unusual
name fills the
crowd with
wonder he
says and
then immediately
Zechariah's
mouth was
opened and
his tongue
loosed and
he spoke
blessing God
now that the
word God's
word has been
fulfilled a
sign of muteness
that God had
given to
Zechariah is
also fulfilled
and comes to
an end so
that Zechariah
is able to
speak and
then verse
65 tells us
that as a
result of that
fear came on
all their
neighbors so
we're told of
three different
reactions of
the relatives and
neighbors in this
passage right
verse 58 told us
that they rejoiced
that a son was
born to an old
formerly barren
couple verse
63 they
wondered at
John's
untraditional
name and the
fact that
Zechariah and
Elizabeth agreed
on that and
then in verse
65 they are
filled with
reverential fear
that after
seeing Zechariah
speak again
miracle of
restored speech
so these
three things
all point to
the fact that
John is not
an ordinary
child this
new baby
becomes the
talk of the
town and
the entire
region and
the people
leave Elizabeth
and Zechariah's
home saying to
themselves what
then will this
child be for
the hand of the
Lord was with
him and just
as the
fulfillment of
God's promise
to Mary in
verses 39 to
45 was
accompanied in
Mary's by
Mary's hymn of
praise now the
fulfillment of God's
promise to
Zechariah here
is also
accompanied by
Zechariah's
hymn this is
probably what he
spontaneously burst
out with when
his speech was
restored and he
says he blessed
God because that's
the first thing he
says and this
came in the
inspiration of the
Holy Spirit verse
67 tells that
Zechariah was
filled with the
Holy Spirit and
prophesied it's a
prophetic hymn
inspired by the
Spirit and the
hymn has two
sections in verses
68 to 75 Zechariah
speaks of what God
has done and
then in the rest
of it 76 to 79
he speaks of what
his son John will
do so what God
has done is
described in verses
68 to 69
blessed be the
Lord God of
Israel for he
has visited and
redeemed his
people and has
raised up a horn
of salvation for
us in the house of
his servant David
what God does for
his people here is
described in terms
of three words
visitation redemption
and salvation
first God has
visited his people
the word visit is
an important word
for Luke he uses
it repeatedly
throughout the
gospel and also
in the book of
Acts which he also
wrote and it
always conveys
God's gracious
intervention on
behalf of his
people and in this
passage is repeated
again in verse 78
later to refer to
the coming of the
Messiah so the way
God visits his
people is through
Jesus the promised
messianic king from
the line of David
the visitation of
God happens through
the incarnation of
Jesus Christ Jesus
becoming a human
taking on human
flesh and living
among us that's why
Jesus is called
Emmanuel which means
God with us in
Christ who came we
have God with us in
the spirit of God
who indwells us we
have God with us we
have been visited by
the God of salvation
God of all creation
and the second God
has redeemed his
people redemption
conveys the idea of
purchasing the rights
of a slave commenting
on the Exodus Moses
says in Deuteronomy 15
15 you shall remember
that you were a slave
in the land of Egypt
and the Lord your God
redeemed you so then
the redemption of
Israel from Egypt meant
that they were no longer
slaves to Pharaoh but
slaves to the Lord
they had been freed and
no longer enslaved to a
fellow man but to their
creator as they were
intended to be that's the
meaning of redemption
God's people would no
longer be enslaved to
their enemies or
oppressors but they will
be slaves of the
gracious Lord God
servants of God that's
why the purpose of God's
redemption is given this
way in verses 74 to 75
read with me that we
being delivered from
the hand of our enemies
might serve him without
fear in holiness and
righteousness before him
all our days that's what
Jesus did for us first
Peter 1 18 to 19 says
that Christians have been
ransomed with the precious
blood of Christ the blood of
Christ his death his life
given for us is the
ransom the redemption
price that God paid for
us we were all once
slaves of sin as Romans 6
says but because Jesus
paid the penalty of our
sin and redeemed us from
by dying on the cross in
our place we are not free
to serve God and that's
why 1st Corinthians 7 23
says you were bought with
the price do not become
bond servants of men we
have been delivered from
the hand of our enemies
that we might serve God
without fear in holiness
and righteousness before
him all our days so are
you serving God with your
life and if not God whom
are you serving where does
your ultimate allegiance lie
are you serving yourself
are you a workaholic
enslaved to your boss
are you serving your city is that
where your primary ultimate
allegiance is because to serve
God is what Christ redeemed you
for paid for with his own
blood so if you're a Christian
that's where your ultimate
allegiance lies you are not
your own you were bought with
a price so glorify God and then
third so that second is
redemption third idea is salvation
verse 69 says that God has raised
up a horn of salvation for us in
the house of his servant David the
horn of salvation comes from the
image of a horned ox that gores its
enemies into submission right this
expression is used in second
Samuel 22 3 and Psalm 18 2 to
refer to God himself so this too is
to imply the divinity of the son of
God the Jesus and by dying on the
cross for us and then being raised
from the dead Jesus defeats sin and
death and subdues all the spiritual
forces of evil so that they no longer
have any claim on those who have been
united to Christ by faith and not only are
spiritual enemies but also the
physical enemies of God's people as
well will be subdued by the Lord
open doors is is a is a Christian
foundation that serves Christians in
persecuted areas throughout the world
and they published a report at the
beginning of this year summarizing last
year's finding and research and it
states that one in 12 Christians that's
about 215 million total live in an
area where they face high level of
persecution for their faith in 2017 3066
Christians were killed 1252 were
abducted nearly 800 church buildings
were defaced and 1020 Christians were
raped or sexually harassed for their
faith just a few days ago a hundred
underground Christians in China were
arrested and it's estimated that about
hundred thousand Christians have
already been arrested so far this year
in China
all because they pledged their ultimate
allegiance not to any earthly ruler but
to Christ their king
all those who have hated and oppressed God's
people will be defeated by the horn of
salvation at Jesus second coming those
who humbly trust in the Lord will
return in the end for his mercy and then
in verses 76 to 79 Zechariah turns his
attention to what his son John will do he
says and you child will be called the
prophet of the most high for you will
go before the Lord to prepare his ways to
give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins so
John's subordinate supportive role to
Jesus is clearly laid out here because in
verse 32 Jesus was described as the son of
the most high but John is the prophet of
the most high Jesus was called Lord in
verse 42 and John is the one who prepares
the way for the Lord and Jesus is the horn
of salvation as I said in 69 John is the
one who gives knowledge of salvation he
will point to Jesus that they might
receive forgiveness of their sins and
then in verses 70 to 79 Zechariah
recounts once more why God's salvation
has come because of the tender mercy of
our God whereby the sunrise shall visit us
from on high to give light to those who
sit in darkness and in the shadow of
death to guide our feet into the way of
peace the sunrise that will visit us is
another reference to Jesus who says in
John 8 verse 12 I am the light of the
world whoever follows me will not walk in
darkness but will have the light of life
without light we would be groping around in
the darkness unable to find our way but
Jesus has come to give light to those who
sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to
guide our feet into the way of peace Jesus is
the light that illuminates our darkened
minds he's the light that dispels the
darkness hidden in our hearts and the
reason why the light of the world comes to
us is summarized in this one word here in
verse 78 God's mercy God's tender
compassionate mercy this is now the fifth
time that the word mercy has been used in
this passage alone it's the key word of
this passage in the Greek translation of
the Hebrew Old Testament the word mercy
most often translates the Hebrew word that
means steadfast love God's loving kindness
love for people who do not know the
not deserve it the overflow of God's
God's kindness that finds its basis not in
the worthiness of the recipients but in the
bondfulness the generosity of the
Giver so let me ask me ask you a question
on judgment day of God's heavenly court what
what would you say to him plead not guilty
most non-Christians in Cambridge will say well I'm a pretty good person
I live a moral life unlike so many people in the world
that's foolishness because God's standard is perfect and every one of us has fallen short of his perfect standard and the prosecutor
Satan the accuser has a perfect record against anyone who tries to stand on his or her own righteousness and pleads not guilty
our only hope is mercy of God
if you are not yet a follower of Jesus Christ stop pleading not guilty
instead plead for his mercy and if you are already a follower of Jesus Christ don't let your sins drive you to despair instead let your sins drive you to Christ our Savior and when we plead his mercy and fling ourselves into the arms of Jesus Christ who is our intercessor he's our advocate he's our defender and God will then count Christ's righteousness as our own
so that instead of wrath
instead of wrath
instead of the darkness
instead of being cut off from the presence of God forever
instead of being deprived of every good gift that comes only from him
instead of that which is what we deserve instead of wrath
we receive his mercy
that's the good news of Jesus Christ
God
we
do humbly trust in the Lord
will
rejoice
for his mercy
as
you
as