It's always a concern when the crush helper appears.
I hope, I hope, I hope that they're all grand, they're grand.
That's alright.
They are.
In case anybody's panicking, they're fine.
They're fine.
So Luke chapter 1.
And we're going to read verse 67 through to verse 79, which is another song.
This time it's Zachariah's song.
So Luke chapter 1 verse 67, we'll read it.
I'm going to pray and then we'll look at it in a little bit more detail.
So starting at verse 67.
His father, so he's talking about John, John the Baptist.
His father, Zachariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied.
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
as he said through his holy prophets of long ago.
So salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
To show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham.
To rescue us from the hand of our enemies and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the most high.
For you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him.
To give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.
Well, that is Zachariah's song.
Let's pray and ask for God's help as we seek to understand it and apply it to our lives.
Let's pray.
Father God, thank you for the record of these songs
written hundreds, two thousand years ago.
Written down for people like us today
so that we can know the certain truth about Jesus Christ.
His birth.
But more importantly,
what his birth means for us today.
So Father, as we look at this ancient song,
may it be like a new song in our hearts today.
And may this song truly make us a happy people.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Got a question for us as we start.
You don't have to shout it out,
but just to think for yourself.
What makes you happy?
What will you have to get?
Or what will you have to change in your life
to make you happy?
Well, at the beginning of Luke's Gospel,
we meet a variety of different people.
We meet Mary,
Zachariah,
the shepherds,
Simeon,
and Anna.
And all of these different characters that we meet,
all these people
have two things
in common.
First,
they are all genuinely happy.
People are singing songs of joy.
Others burst into spontaneous praise.
Some overflow with thankfulness.
All these different characters
are really happy.
And the second thing they have in common
is the source of their happiness.
All of them,
in some way or another,
have been told
the good news
that God's Messiah,
Jesus,
is to be born.
The announcement
of Jesus' birth
makes all these people
happy.
And so we're going to look
at one of these songs
that we have just read,
Zachariah's song.
And as we listen
to this song of praise,
we too will discover
what will make people like us
truly happy.
And before we get into the song,
just a little bit of background.
Who is Zachariah?
And who is he
that he should sing this song?
Well,
at the beginning in chapter one,
just into the first few verses,
we're introduced to him there.
We're told he's a priest.
That he's married to
Elizabeth.
They're both well on in years.
They have no children.
They haven't been able
to have children.
But then an angel appears
to Zachariah
and says to him,
you are going to have a son
and you are to call him John.
He would later become known
as John the Baptist.
And he would have a special role.
Ralph referred to it earlier on.
That he will prepare
the people
for the coming of Jesus.
Zachariah's son
would tell people
about God's son,
Jesus.
And in response
to all this wonderful news,
Zachariah sings
a song of joy.
So this whole song
that we're going to look at,
this outburst of praise,
is all about
how Jesus
makes us truly
happy people.
Three things
we're going to look at
from in this song
that make us
truly happy.
Three words.
Incarnation,
redemption,
and consummation.
Incarnation,
redemption,
and consummation,
or if you like,
new creation.
So first,
the reality
of the incarnation
makes us
truly happy.
Look at verse 68,
the beginning
of this
song.
It says,
Praise be to the Lord,
the God of Israel,
because
he has
come
to his people.
The coming
of Jesus
into the world
is the coming
of God
into the world.
It's what
theologians call
the incarnation.
God in
human form.
Not kind of
part man
and part God,
but 100%
God
and 100%
man.
And if we
can grasp
this,
it's going
to make us
truly
happy.
First,
Jesus
is
God.
Look at
verse 76.
Zachariah
is singing
and he's
referring
first to
his own
son,
John.
So he
says,
and you,
my child,
so,
and you,
John,
will be
called a
prophet
of who?
A prophet
of the
Most High.
It's
referring to
Jesus.
Now,
the Most High
is not that
Jesus is the
tallest.
Oh,
he's the
Most High.
It's a
title.
A title
that was
reserved
for God
alone.
One who
had absolute
power and
supreme
authority.
So this
is the
creator of
the universe,
the ruler
of all
nations and
all people,
the sustainer
of life,
the provider
of all that
we have.
This is
the greatness
of God.
You can't
contain him
and you
can't control
him.
He is
the Most
High.
And now
this title
has been
given to
Jesus,
declaring
that Jesus
is God.
And as we
continue to
read through
Luke's Gospel,
if you were
to turn a
few pages,
you would
see Jesus
doing only
what God
could do.
Controlling
the forces
of nature,
healing the
sick,
raising the
dead,
conquering
demons.
Jesus is
God come
to us,
introducing
himself so
that we can
know him,
love him,
and enjoy
him.
But Jesus
is not just
God.
Jesus is
fully human.
Jesus'
conception
was supernatural
by the
Holy Spirit,
but his
birth was
painfully
natural.
He was
born like
every other
baby.
He ate and
he slept and
he cried.
He grew and
he developed and
matured.
He walked and
he talked and
he worked.
Jesus was
every bit
human as
you or I,
experiencing
pain and
hardship,
struggling with
limitations and
frustrations,
but also
enjoying
friendships and
laughter.
Jesus lived
life as we
live life.
Jim Packer,
a writer and
author, put it
like this.
God became
a man.
The divine
son became
a Jew.
The almighty
appeared on
earth as a
helpless human
baby, unable
to do more
than lie and
stare and
wriggle and
make noises,
needing to be
fed and
changed and
taught to
talk like
any other
child.
And there
was no
illusion or
deception in
this.
The babyhood
of the
son of
God was
a reality.
The more
you think
about it,
the more
staggering it
gets.
Nothing in
fiction is
so fantastic
as in the
truth of
the
incarnation.
You see,
Jesus is
both God
and human.
And that
means that
Jesus is
both powerful
powerful,
because he's
God,
and personal,
because he's
just like one
of us.
He's powerful
over your
life.
That means he
can change
you, he can
transform you,
he can take
your fears
and give you
joy, he can
take your
brokenness and
your hurts and
bring healing.
But he's also
personal in
your life.
That is,
he understands
all your
struggles and
frustrations,
all the
things that
you go
through in
life.
He walks
with you in
your suffering,
he comforts
you in your
pain, and
he wipes
away your
tears.
But best of
all, God
did not wait
for us to
call out to
him.
He came
to us.
God didn't
wait to be
invited into
this chaotic
world.
He took the
initiative and
came to us
in power and
in person.
God, most
high, now
stooping so
low to
come to
people like
us.
You see,
knowing and
believing the
reality of the
incarnation,
makes us
happy.
The personal
and powerful
God-man
with us
today.
So first,
the reality of
the incarnation
makes us
truly happy.
Second,
the plan
of God's
redemption
makes us
truly happy.
You see,
God became
man
for a reason.
God came
to us in
Jesus for
a purpose.
look at
verse 68
again.
Praise be
to the
Lord,
the God
of Israel.
Why?
Well, because
he has come
to his
people
to redeem
them.
Whenever the
Bible starts
talking about
redeeming or
redemption,
it means
rescue and
salvation.
it implies
a victory
has taken
place and
liberty has
now been
given.
Victory over
enemies and
liberty to
live a new
way.
So think
back to the
story of the
Exodus in the
Old Testament.
God intervening,
a rescue,
bringing victory,
defeating enemies,
and setting
people free so
they can live a
new way.
That is what
God has done
for people
like us.
First,
let's look at
Jesus'
victory.
Verse 69,
it says,
God has
raised up a
horn of
salvation for
us in the
house of his
servant David.
So he was to
come from the
kingly line of
David, as he
had said or as
he had promised
through the
holy prophets.
hearts.
Now when it
talks about the
horn of
salvation, just
think for a
moment of the
horn on an
animal, like a
ram or a
bull.
The horn of an
animal is its
strength and
power.
With the use of
its horn, it
fights and goes
into battle.
So when God
says he's raising
up a horn, he's
saying, in Jesus,
here is one who
has come in
power and in
strength, who's
going to fight
and go into
battle for you.
A battle,
verse 71, that
will mean
salvation from
our enemies and
from the hand of
all who hate
us.
Now
Zachariah, as he
was singing this
song, he knew
who the enemy
was.
He lived in a
land where the
Roman authorities
had invaded and
taken over.
The might of
Rome was, if you
like, holding
people like
Zachariah and
others captive in
their own country.
They needed
liberated.
They needed set
free.
And at long
last, it seemed
God had come to
defeat the enemy.
But as
Zachariah goes on
to prophesy, the
salvation that
God had promised
was not what
they expected
and perhaps not
what we
expected.
So we
actually get to
see what that
salvation is if
we look down
again at verse
76.
So Zachariah
praises and he
says, and you,
my child, and you,
John, will be
called a prophet of
the Most High,
that's Jesus, for
you will go before
the Lord to
prepare the way for
him.
To do what?
Verse 77.
To give his
people the
knowledge of
salvation through
the forgiveness of
their sins.
You see, the
salvation, the
liberation that
God was going
to bring was
primarily against
our most fierce
enemy, sin and
Satan.
salvation.
And as we
read through
Luke's gospel, we
see Jesus going
into battle as
Jesus begins to
forgive people their
sins and as he
overthrows the
powers of Satan.
Jesus comes into
the world and
confronts our
enemy head on.
But what we see
taking place in
Luke at the
beginning are just
like little
skirmishes, little
battles taking place
place because the
final battle will
take place at
the cross as
Jesus is
crucified.
And Jesus goes
into that battle
not armed with
swords and
spears, but in
weakness and
humility, taking
upon himself the
sin of people
like you and me.
And he
surrenders himself
to the cross and
dies in our
place.
The judgment
falls on him.
But this is no
defeat.
This is God's
plan of redemption.
This is God's
victory for people
like you and me.
Look at how
Paul says it in
Colossians.
These are great
verses that explain
the victory that
has taken place as
Christ died.
Look how it
starts.
for in Christ
all the
fullness of the
deity lives in
bodily form.
That's the
incarnation.
All of God
in Christ,
in bodily
form.
And he is the
head over every
power and
authority.
That means he's
over Satan,
over every
evil power
that may exist.
and he
forgave us
all our
sins,
having
cancelled the
charge of our
legal indebtedness,
which stood
against us
and condemned
us.
He has
taken it
away,
nailing it
to the
cross.
And having
disarmed the
powers and
authorities,
disarming
Satan,
he made a
public spectacle
of them,
triumphing
over them
by the
cross.
You see,
at the
cross,
Jesus
defeated
our
greatest
enemy
and
greatest
power,
sin
and
Satan.
So now
there is
no more
condemnation.
There is
no more
accusation
because Christ
has dealt
with it all.
He went
into battle
for us.
He crushed
our enemies.
He destroyed
their hold
over us.
Jesus is
victorious
and we
today can
share in
that same
victory.
But not
only is it
victory,
it also
means
our liberty.
Look at
verse 74.
Jesus
came
to
rescue us
from the
hand of
our enemies
and to
enable us
to serve
him without
fear
in holiness
and righteousness
before him
all our
days.
You see,
without
God
intervening,
sin and
Satan are
like evil
tyrants that
rule over
us,
enslaving us
to our own
selfish and
destructive
desires,
ruining our
lives and
breaking our
world.
We
couldn't
resist him.
We just
obeyed him
continually.
They held
us captive
and we
surrendered
willingly.
But now
through Jesus
we have been
redeemed,
set free.
We've been
set free
from our
enemies.
Liberty is
now ours.
The victory
is ours.
And we can
now go and
serve the
purposes of
God.
we're no
longer held
back by
crippling guilt
and shame.
But now
we can live
as God's
loved and
treasured
children,
belonging to
him, part
of his
family,
filled and
equipped with
his Holy
Spirit.
We no
longer have
to sin.
We no
longer have
to go
against God.
We've been
set free
and empowered
by God
to live
as God's
people in
the world
today.
This is
what makes
us truly
happy.
The
incarnation,
God
becoming
man,
but becoming
man so
that he
would redeem
us,
give us
victory,
set us
free to
be a new
kind of
people.
But there's
another reason
for our
happiness.
The promised
consummation
makes us
truly
happy.
Look down
at the
end,
or sorry,
look at the
beginning of
the song
again in
verse 68.
It says,
Praise be
to the
Lord,
the God
of Israel.
Why?
Because he
has come
to his
people.
So the
song starts
by saying,
God has
come.
But look at
the end of
the song,
verse 78.
because of
the tender
mercy of
our God
by which
the rising
sun will
come to
us from
heaven.
So God
has come
in the
past,
in Christ,
and it's
saying that
God will
come again
in the
future.
The second
coming of
Jesus will
bring about
the
consummation
of all
things,
consummation,
big word
I know,
but it
simply means
the
fulfilment
or the
conclusion
of God's
redemptive
plan.
All that
God is
doing in
history,
all that
he is
doing
through
his
son,
has one
goal,
one end,
and that
is to
bring about
the fullness
and the
completeness
of God's
salvation,
where all
things are
going to
be renewed
and
restored.
let's
look at
them in
part.
First,
the renewal
of all
things.
Look at
verse 78.
Because of
the tender
mercy of
our God,
by which
the rising
sun will
come to
us from
heaven,
to shine
on those
living in
darkness,
and in the
shadow of
death.
darkness
is a
great way
to describe
the world
that we
live in.
All the
mess and
all the
chaos that
we see
and experience
is a
darkness
that covers
the world.
Disease,
disorder,
and death
surround us
every day.
The world
and its
people,
as it says
to us in
verse 79,
are living
in darkness.
we live
in a
chaotic
and broken
world.
But the
promise is
that Jesus
is going
to come
again,
and like
a light,
will banish
the darkness.
darkness.
I love the
scene in
Tolkien's
The Two
Towers.
You'll
probably see
it on one
of the
channels over
Christmas.
Well, in
The Two
Towers,
there's a
battle that
takes place
in a
valley called
Helm's Deep.
So,
picture this
enormous,
great,
rocky
gorge,
a valley,
and it's
dark.
And the
evil armies
of Saruman
are marching
against King
Theoden.
Ten thousand
and more
demon-looking
orcs are
relentlessly
marching against
the king who
just has a few
hundred fighting
men.
And just as
defeat looks
imminent,
Gimli turns
to the king
and says,
do you remember
the words?
The sun
is rising
and with
that the king
remembers the
words of
Gandalf.
Look to
my coming.
At first
light on the
fifth day,
at dawn
look to
the east.
And as
they all
turn and
look to
the east,
there above
this dark
valley is
Gandalf.
in blazing
glorious
light.
And with a
thunderous roar,
he charges
down the
hill into
the deep
darkness
below,
blinding the
enemy with
the brightness,
destroying the
darkness and
defeating the
enemy.
Well, we
too are to
be people who
are on the
lookout,
who are
waiting for
the coming of
that light
from heaven.
One day
the risen
Lord Jesus
is going to
come again
into this
world in
glorious light.
Like the
sun that
rises in the
morning, he
will banish the
darkness of
evil forever
and ever
and Satan
and his
dominions and
all his
followers will
scurry into
the pit of
hell itself.
look for the
coming of
that light.
Not only is
there renewal,
there is
restoration.
Look at
verse 79.
He will
come from
heaven to
shine on
those living
in darkness
and in the
shadow of
death to
guide our
feet into
the path
of peace.
When the
Bible talks
about peace,
it conjures
up two
ideas.
On the
one hand,
it means the
absence of
evil and
suffering and
trouble.
Picture a
world like
that, of
no evil,
no suffering,
no trouble.
but it's
more than
that.
It also
means wholeness
and restoration,
joyful,
flourishing
life,
things bursting
into bloom.
The Hebrew
word for that
peace is
shalom.
And speaking
of that
eternal,
final peace,
one writer
put it like
this,
evil will
be destroyed
and creation
will explode
into fullness
and beauty.
That's the
peace that
we can look
forward to.
Evil will
be destroyed
and creation
itself will
explode into
fullness and
beauty.
And to
find our
way to
enable us
to get
there, to
be able to
experience that
peace in all
its fullness,
us.
Look at
the end
of verse
79.
He will
guide our
feet into
the path
of peace.
That light
is the
person of
Jesus who
has come
to us
and who
now dwells
within his
people by
his Holy
Spirit.
God
in us.
God who
has
redeemed
us.
given us
victory and
liberty over
sin and
Satan so
that we
might walk
with him,
so that he
might walk
with us
and take us
through the
darkness of
this world,
shining the
light onto
our path and
onto our
life and
bringing us
through this
life into
peace itself.
death.
And not
even death
will be able
to keep its
hold upon
us.
Nothing in
all creation,
not even
death,
not even
the demons,
nothing at
all will be
able to keep
us from that
path of
bringing us
to that
eternal
home.
the new
creation
awaits.
The renewal
and restoration
will come
just as sure
as Christ
came
2,000 years
ago.
So God
will come
at a time
that he
has planned
and he
will come
again.
Look for
the light.
Watch out
for his
coming for
he will
come.
The promise
of the
consummation
makes us
truly
happy.
Let me
ask you
again what
we asked
at the
very beginning.
What makes
you a
happy person?
What will
you have to
get this
Christmas
to make
you happy?
What gift
would you
long for?
What would
you have to
change
in your
life
to make
you happy?
Well in
this song
we have
everything we
need that
will make
us eternally
happy.
The
incarnation
God
coming to
us in
Christ
now dwelling
in our
lives by
his spirit.
Redemption
from sin
and the
powers of
Satan
and the
glorious
peace
shalom
the
consummation
that awaits
all this
because of
Jesus.
Sing the
song
fill your
hearts with
this song
and you
will have
a very
happy
Christmas.
us.
Let's
pray
together.
Father
we thank
you for
every gift
that we
have received
from you.
Our
health and
strength
the
friends and
the
family that
are with
us here
this day.
The work
that you've
provided for
us.
The
resources and
the money
that we
have to
be able to
buy gifts
and presents
for other
people.
All of
this comes
from you
and we
are thankful
for everything.
And yet
when we
sing this
song
nothing
compares
to the
wonder
of the
amazing
gift of
Jesus
Christ
the
incarnation
God
coming to
people like
us
to redeem
us
to set
us free
to live
a completely
new way
of life
so that
we can all
look forward
to our
eternal
home
the new
creation
the home
of peace
thank you
so much
for Jesus
thank you
so much
for his
gift to
us
in Jesus
name we
all pray
amen
me
for one
go
the same
too
high
grave
north
Lord
him
in on
Avec
very
beaten
him
money