Sermon

The song of Zechariah

Grace Evangelical Church Newcastle - Sermons

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  1. Luke chapter 1, and we're reading from verses 57 through to 80, which is the end of the chapter.

    Luke 1 chapter mention

  2. Zechariah is being struck dumb because he didn't believe Gabriel when Gabriel told him that he and his wife, as an aged couple, they were going to have a baby.

  3. Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.

  4. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

  5. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they would have called him Zechariah after his father.

  6. But his mother answered, No, he shall be called John.

  7. And they said to her, None of your relatives is called by this name.

  8. And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.

  9. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, His name is John.

  10. And they all wondered.

  11. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, Blessing God.

  12. And fear came on all their neighbors.

  13. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea.

  14. And all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What then will this child be?

  15. For the hand of the Lord was with him.

  16. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

  17. for he has visited and redeemed his people, and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

  18. as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

  19. that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,

  20. to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,

  21. the oath that he swore to our father Abraham,

  22. to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

  23. might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

  24. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,

  25. for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

  26. to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.

  27. Because of the tender mercy of our God,

  28. whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high,

  29. to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

  30. to guide our feet into the way of peace.

  31. And the child grew and became strong in spirit,

  32. and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

  33. Well, good morning, everyone.

  34. For those who don't know me, my name's David.

  35. I'm one of the pastors here.

  36. Our world longs for peace.

  37. Everywhere and every day,

  38. we just see hostility and violence break out.

  39. Rarely do we see peace break out.

  40. But boy, we're used to seeing hostility and violence break out, aren't we?

  41. From the biggest picture where it's war,

  42. Ukraine and everywhere around the world.

  43. Terrorist attacks,

  44. conspiracy theories and the bloodshed and the mayhem they caused this week in Queensland.

  45. Road rage.

  46. Even coming down to the micro picture of our own families.

  47. Hostility breaks out so quickly and so easily, doesn't it?

  48. Even here at church, you can get into trouble for changing the sermon title,

  49. mucking up small groups and, dare I say it, mucking up the children's title.

  50. My goodness me.

  51. So there's always a breakout, isn't there?

  52. We long for peace.

  53. We long for safety and stability and rest.

  54. Peace and rest go together.

  55. We just want to know that in our world of chaos,

  56. that all is well for us.

  57. Everywhere and every day,

  58. I think therefore people are searching for peace.

  59. Numerous different pathways

  60. to just try and find that peace that is so critical to us,

  61. to our sense of well-being in this world.

  62. The problem is that most of the pathways our world offers us to peace

  63. are so shallow and so fragile

  64. that we know they're so easily lost.

  65. And therefore, even as we chase for these peace things,

  66. we're actually becoming more anxious and even depressed

  67. because the things we look to for peace,

  68. we just know could evaporate before us in just a moment.

  69. Everywhere and every day,

  70. people are looking for peace in the wrong direction.

  71. But the historian Luke,

  72. whose word we're looking at this morning,

  73. he wrote a biography of the life of Jesus,

  74. one of the four biographies.

  75. Luke points us in a totally different direction

  76. when it comes to the issue of peace.

  77. He's convinced that he's discovered the secret,

  78. unlocked the key to real peace, real safety,

  79. real rest in this chaotic and uncertain world.

  80. And remember, he's a historian,

  81. and he promised that all his stuff was compiled

  82. on the basis of solid research.

  83. He says this stuff because he believes it.

  84. He's got good reason to believe it.

  85. Historical, substantial reasons to believe it.

  86. And he believes that peace has come into our world

  87. in the person of Jesus Christ.

  88. He believes that peace,

  89. the peace that everybody's looking for,

  90. comes from God.

  91. And that lovely phrase of having broken into our world

  92. in the person of Jesus.

  93. I said a minute ago that peace rarely breaks out.

  94. Well, Luke's telling us this morning

  95. that peace does break out.

  96. It has broken out in our world.

  97. And he showcases, therefore,

  98. in the early part of his writings

  99. around about the birth of Jesus,

  100. he showcases several Christmas songs

  101. inspired by Jesus,

  102. some even before Jesus was born.

  103. Last week we looked at Mary's song,

  104. and that showcased God's grace and mercy.

  105. Grace and mercy coming to us in our world

  106. in Jesus.

  107. And Zachariah's song this morning

  108. we're going to look at

  109. adds to that

  110. because he adds not only to grace and mercy,

  111. but he adds to the concept of peace.

  112. The promise of peace.

  113. Peace which God says he will establish.

  114. Peace that God says he'll bring to us

  115. in our world

  116. through the kingdom of Jesus.

  117. And that causes Zachariah to overflow

  118. or burst into song.

  119. That song, as I said last week,

  120. doesn't necessarily mean it was sung.

  121. It's just a picture of an overflow

  122. of an expression of delight.

  123. Oh, and thanks.

  124. Because Jesus will deliver

  125. the life of peace,

  126. the life of rest,

  127. the life of security

  128. that we all long for.

  129. Now just stop there at that point.

  130. We'll dig into these concepts in a minute.

  131. But just stop at that point

  132. and just imagine that.

  133. Imagine what Luke is telling us,

  134. that we can have

  135. a life of peace

  136. without fear.

  137. Wouldn't that make you want to sing?

  138. Well, let's jump into the text

  139. and see how Zachariah and Elizabeth

  140. were blown away

  141. by an immediate and personal experience

  142. of God's grace,

  143. mercy, and peace.

  144. Now, by the way,

  145. if you're a visitor

  146. and you didn't get one of these,

  147. you can just nab one

  148. off the back table,

  149. I think,

  150. if there's any left.

  151. Just a sermon outline,

  152. some of the points I'll be saying.

  153. So, go back to the stuff

  154. that Gareth referred to

  155. when he was doing the reading.

  156. Go back to chapter 1,

  157. verse 6 and 7.

  158. And we'll just put this in context.

  159. Chapter 1, verse 6.

  160. Zachariah and Elizabeth,

  161. Zachariah is a priest,

  162. his wife Elizabeth,

  163. they were both righteous before God,

  164. walking blamelessly

  165. in all the commandments

  166. and statutes of the Lord.

  167. But they had no child

  168. because Elizabeth was born

  169. and both were advanced in years.

  170. There you are.

  171. You've set yourself

  172. in the whole of your life

  173. to honour the Lord.

  174. Connection back to Malachi again.

  175. Yet, at the same time,

  176. you were childless.

  177. And so, what that meant for you

  178. in those days

  179. was you were living in shame.

  180. Because in those days,

  181. to be barn,

  182. to be without child

  183. as a couple,

  184. was to be thought

  185. to be under God's judgment,

  186. to be people

  187. under God's disfavour,

  188. displeasure.

  189. And so, you've got this

  190. sort of terrible mix

  191. for this couple,

  192. determined to serve the Lord

  193. and be glad

  194. in their service of Him,

  195. and yet living

  196. a lifetime of shame.

  197. And they're old.

  198. They're old.

  199. That chance of a child,

  200. humanly speaking,

  201. has passed them by.

  202. And suddenly,

  203. because of God's

  204. miraculous intervention,

  205. we jump into the story

  206. then this morning,

  207. suddenly,

  208. well,

  209. nine months later,

  210. you're actually holding

  211. the child

  212. that you'd always wanted,

  213. the child you'd always

  214. longed for.

  215. And you're bursting

  216. with thankfulness

  217. because this little

  218. miracle child

  219. showcases

  220. a personal experience

  221. of how God

  222. delights to save

  223. or reverse

  224. the fortunes

  225. of His people.

  226. They turn them

  227. from shame

  228. into a position

  229. of honour

  230. and delight.

  231. Look at chapter 1,

  232. verse 25.

  233. Chapter 1,

  234. verse 25.

  235. Try that one.

  236. Yep.

  237. I'm on the wrong page here.

  238. We'll get there eventually.

  239. Chapter 1,

  240. verse 25.

  241. Thus the Lord,

  242. Zacharias says,

  243. thus the Lord

  244. has done for me

  245. in the days

  246. when He looked on me

  247. to take away

  248. my reproach

  249. among people.

  250. The birth of John

  251. turns disgrace

  252. and shame

  253. to honour

  254. and joy

  255. for Zacharias.

  256. Same sort of things

  257. in chapter 1,

  258. verse 58.

  259. On the eighth day

  260. they came

  261. to circumcise

  262. the child

  263. and they would have

  264. called him

  265. Zacharias

  266. after his father

  267. but his mother

  268. sorry,

  269. and her neighbours

  270. and relatives

  271. heard that the Lord

  272. had shown

  273. great mercy to her

  274. and they rejoiced

  275. with her.

  276. Mercy

  277. spilled into shame

  278. turns to honour

  279. and delight

  280. and thankfulness.

  281. God's grace

  282. and mercy

  283. delivers

  284. comfort

  285. and hope

  286. and peace

  287. into their

  288. restless

  289. anxious lives.

  290. The naming

  291. of John

  292. as God

  293. directed it

  294. says it all

  295. that John

  296. actually means

  297. grace and mercy.

  298. Their miracle

  299. child

  300. was destined

  301. to be a key

  302. player

  303. among God's

  304. people.

  305. John would be

  306. as we're told

  307. in the song

  308. as it was rehearsed

  309. in the song

  310. John would be

  311. God's messenger

  312. bringing grace

  313. and mercy

  314. and peace

  315. to God's people

  316. and that means

  317. the reversal

  318. of God's judgment

  319. forgiveness

  320. a new opportunity

  321. praise God

  322. as he deserved

  323. to be praised.

  324. If you look

  325. at chapter 1

  326. verse 65

  327. suddenly

  328. their fortunes

  329. among the locals

  330. were turned around

  331. fear came

  332. on all their neighbours

  333. and all these things

  334. were talked about

  335. through all the hill

  336. country of Judea.

  337. Now

  338. what was Zachariah

  339. and Elizabeth

  340. going to do now?

  341. A lifetime of shame?

  342. Were they going to

  343. sort of puff

  344. their chests out

  345. and say well actually

  346. no

  347. you lot look

  348. we're now

  349. blessed and favoured

  350. by the Lord.

  351. No

  352. they didn't do

  353. that at all.

  354. They very quickly

  355. pushed the focus

  356. onto their child

  357. and then onto

  358. Mary's child

  359. as we'll see

  360. in a moment.

  361. Why did they do that?

  362. Because they knew

  363. it was their child

  364. who would be used

  365. as a key player

  366. in God's salvation plan.

  367. Just like Elijah of old

  368. and Zachariah

  369. and Elizabeth

  370. were just delighted

  371. to be part

  372. of God's

  373. intervention

  374. God's plan

  375. as it were.

  376. and indeed

  377. their own names

  378. add to that focus

  379. the showcase

  380. here that Luke's

  381. bringing to us.

  382. Zachariah means

  383. God remembers

  384. his covenant.

  385. Elizabeth means

  386. God is absolutely

  387. faithful.

  388. So their

  389. personal experience

  390. is a zoomed

  391. in picture

  392. of what is

  393. about to happen

  394. in God's world

  395. at large.

  396. an experience

  397. of God's grace

  398. and mercy

  399. bringing peace.

  400. So if that's

  401. their personal experience

  402. then how much more

  403. would they want

  404. to sing?

  405. How much more

  406. would they want

  407. to honour

  408. and praise the Lord

  409. when they think

  410. of what they've

  411. experienced

  412. now being applied

  413. globally?

  414. And so

  415. Zachariah

  416. rehearses

  417. then an

  418. immediate

  419. global experience

  420. of God's

  421. grace and mercy

  422. and peace

  423. and salvation.

  424. What did

  425. Zachariah

  426. have prayed

  427. for all his

  428. lifetime?

  429. Well he had

  430. prayed

  431. that the Lord

  432. would establish

  433. his kingdom

  434. and establish

  435. his covenant

  436. would save

  437. his people

  438. as he had

  439. promised

  440. that they

  441. bring the

  442. new age

  443. of salvation.

  444. Now it's

  445. happening

  446. and he's

  447. part of it.

  448. Verse 67

  449. Zachariah's

  450. song is

  451. actually called

  452. a prophecy.

  453. That shouldn't

  454. trip us up

  455. because I

  456. think that

  457. just tells

  458. us that

  459. it is a

  460. song but

  461. it's actually

  462. meant to be

  463. something that

  464. we then in

  465. subsequent

  466. generations

  467. join into.

  468. It's meant to

  469. be written

  470. down and

  471. recorded and

  472. learned from

  473. and joined

  474. with.

  475. Shaped and

  476. inspired by

  477. God's

  478. spirit

  479. Zachariah's

  480. song is a

  481. model to

  482. us then of

  483. God's

  484. commitment

  485. to salvation.

  486. In his

  487. grace and

  488. mercy God

  489. comes to

  490. his people.

  491. So if you

  492. look at the

  493. very first

  494. lines there

  495. verse 68

  496. the thing

  497. that bubbles

  498. up into

  499. praise is

  500. in the first

  501. sentence.

  502. God would

  503. personally come

  504. into his

  505. world.

  506. God would

  507. actually drop

  508. in as it

  509. were and

  510. visit his

  511. people to

  512. redeem them

  513. for he has

  514. visited and

  515. redeemed his

  516. people.

  517. A few years

  518. ago I

  519. watched a

  520. documentary in

  521. America.

  522. A group

  523. there were

  524. trying to

  525. help Vietnam

  526. war veterans

  527. many of whom

  528. are homeless

  529. and in

  530. really bad

  531. state.

  532. The forgotten

  533. generation

  534. they called

  535. them.

  536. They were

  537. trying to

  538. get them

  539. into homes

  540. and the

  541. documentary was

  542. one particular

  543. African-American

  544. soldier in a

  545. really bad

  546. way.

  547. He managed

  548. eventually

  549. under this

  550. group to

  551. be given

  552. a small

  553. one-bedroom

  554. unit and

  555. he was

  556. delighted.

  557. His very

  558. first visitor

  559. the next

  560. day was

  561. Michelle

  562. Obama.

  563. She was

  564. the patron

  565. of this

  566. group of

  567. people who

  568. were actually

  569. trying to

  570. give homes

  571. to Vietnam

  572. veterans.

  573. So here

  574. was this

  575. guy and

  576. he was in

  577. bad shape.

  578. He hadn't

  579. really cleaned

  580. up or

  581. anything.

  582. He was

  583. just there

  584. in his

  585. house so

  586. excited.

  587. His first

  588. visitor was

  589. the first

  590. lady of

  591. America.

  592. And she

  593. just came

  594. in.

  595. Of course

  596. there were

  597. cameras there

  598. but as far

  599. as you could

  600. see it was

  601. just a very

  602. ordinary thing.

  603. She came

  604. in and

  605. sat down

  606. and he

  607. offered her

  608. a cup

  609. of coffee

  610. and she

  611. said yep

  612. she would

  613. have a

  614. cup of.

  615. There they

  616. were.

  617. He was

  618. blown away.

  619. Now

  620. why was

  621. he blown

  622. away?

  623. Well he

  624. actually told

  625. him.

  626. He could

  627. not believe

  628. that somebody

  629. so important

  630. would come

  631. to him in

  632. all his

  633. humbleness.

  634. All his

  635. dirtiness.

  636. To see how

  637. he was doing.

  638. To have a

  639. cup of with

  640. him.

  641. It was a

  642. very powerful

  643. picture.

  644. Well I

  645. think it's

  646. a great

  647. picture that

  648. we can

  649. use here.

  650. God

  651. doesn't

  652. hold back

  653. waiting for

  654. his dirty

  655. lost people

  656. guilty people

  657. to come

  658. to him.

  659. He knows

  660. jelly well.

  661. Remember

  662. what we

  663. said in

  664. Malachi?

  665. God knows

  666. jelly well

  667. his people

  668. wouldn't

  669. come to

  670. him.

  671. So what

  672. does God

  673. do?

  674. He takes

  675. the initiative

  676. and comes

  677. to his

  678. people.

  679. He comes

  680. to them

  681. at their

  682. point of

  683. need.

  684. He comes

  685. to us

  686. at our

  687. point of

  688. need.

  689. That's

  690. God's

  691. character.

  692. Grace

  693. and mercy.

  694. Coming to

  695. those who

  696. lack peace

  697. who are

  698. anxious to

  699. give them

  700. peace.

  701. God cares

  702. deeply for

  703. his people.

  704. He wants

  705. to have

  706. relationship.

  707. The relationship,

  708. the good life

  709. that he created

  710. them for.

  711. the relationship

  712. and good

  713. life which

  714. ultimately only

  715. he can

  716. give.

  717. So he

  718. visits us

  719. in our

  720. place.

  721. He comes

  722. to show

  723. us what

  724. he has

  725. on offer.

  726. A home.

  727. A real

  728. family.

  729. Real

  730. hope.

  731. And he

  732. does that

  733. for people

  734. who otherwise

  735. are homeless

  736. and hopeless

  737. and fearful.

  738. people.

  739. That's an

  740. amazing

  741. statement just

  742. by itself.

  743. And one we

  744. should never

  745. lose when we

  746. think about

  747. Christmas.

  748. This is God

  749. coming to

  750. us in

  751. our need.

  752. So

  753. familiar to

  754. us and yet

  755. so powerful

  756. when we

  757. think about

  758. it.

  759. Not only

  760. does he

  761. come to

  762. us but

  763. he redeems

  764. his people.

  765. Verse 69

  766. again.

  767. He has

  768. visited and

  769. redeemed his

  770. people.

  771. How does

  772. he do that?

  773. Well he

  774. has raised

  775. up a

  776. horn of

  777. salvation for

  778. us.

  779. That's an

  780. Old Testament

  781. picture of

  782. a powerful

  783. saviour figure

  784. in the

  785. house of

  786. his servant

  787. David.

  788. This is

  789. Messiah.

  790. This is

  791. the long

  792. promised,

  793. long awaited

  794. king and

  795. saviour,

  796. Messiah,

  797. whom God

  798. said would

  799. come to

  800. deliver the

  801. salvation,

  802. promised.

  803. Come to

  804. redeem or

  805. save his

  806. people.

  807. And so

  808. Zechariah has

  809. moved the

  810. spotlight from

  811. himself and

  812. Elizabeth,

  813. from his

  814. own son.

  815. He's now

  816. speaking about

  817. Mary's child

  818. yet to be

  819. born.

  820. Jesus would

  821. be God's

  822. specially

  823. equipped

  824. saviour.

  825. Jesus would

  826. come and do

  827. what no

  828. other prophet

  829. or king

  830. before him

  831. had been

  832. able to

  833. do.

  834. He would

  835. come and

  836. he would

  837. deliver God's

  838. people from

  839. their sin.

  840. He would

  841. deliver them

  842. into peace

  843. and hope.

  844. He would

  845. destroy their

  846. enemies.

  847. We'll say more

  848. about that in a

  849. minute.

  850. He'd bring them

  851. into a place of

  852. safety to enjoy

  853. the good life.

  854. And why?

  855. Why is all this

  856. happening?

  857. Well,

  858. Zechariah knows

  859. very well why

  860. it's all

  861. happening.

  862. It's a very

  863. simple answer

  864. for Zechariah

  865. because God

  866. said that's

  867. what he would

  868. do.

  869. God remembered

  870. his covenant,

  871. his covenant

  872. with Abraham,

  873. his covenant

  874. right through

  875. the Old

  876. Testament,

  877. repeatedly

  878. saying,

  879. yes,

  880. I'm doing

  881. this.

  882. It is on

  883. track.

  884. From

  885. Abraham's

  886. time,

  887. God had

  888. promised he

  889. would show

  890. mercy on his

  891. guilty people

  892. and not

  893. destroy them.

  894. Remember how

  895. the Lord

  896. describes his

  897. people in

  898. Malachi 2?

  899. He says,

  900. well,

  901. I know

  902. jolly well

  903. that you

  904. guys have

  905. never,

  906. ever had a

  907. heart to

  908. obey me.

  909. And yet I

  910. will still

  911. keep my

  912. covenant and

  913. my promise to

  914. you that I

  915. will come to

  916. you.

  917. You won't

  918. come to me,

  919. but I will

  920. come to you

  921. as I

  922. promised.

  923. God

  924. and he

  925. delivers

  926. them,

  927. not just

  928. redeems

  929. them,

  930. but he

  931. delivers

  932. them into

  933. fear-free

  934. acceptance and

  935. relationship with

  936. himself.

  937. Look at

  938. verse 74

  939. and verse 75.

  940. We're

  941. delivered from

  942. the hand of

  943. our enemies,

  944. might serve

  945. him without

  946. fear in

  947. holiness and

  948. righteousness

  949. before him

  950. all our

  951. days.

  952. redeeming,

  953. Jesus'

  954. redeeming

  955. work would

  956. mean

  957. deliverance

  958. from being

  959. held prisoner

  960. by their

  961. enemies and

  962. deliverance

  963. into a

  964. new state

  965. of safety

  966. and security

  967. and acceptance

  968. and obedience.

  969. And verses

  970. 76 through

  971. 79,

  972. his son

  973. John, he

  974. realized,

  975. would be part

  976. of that

  977. dawning

  978. edge of

  979. salvation.

  980. salvation.

  981. He would

  982. be the

  983. prophet,

  984. ultimately the

  985. final prophet

  986. that would

  987. be the

  988. one that

  989. would introduce

  990. God's

  991. Messiah,

  992. God's

  993. Savior,

  994. Jesus.

  995. How would

  996. he do

  997. that?

  998. Well, he

  999. would actually

  1000. help God's

  1001. people develop

  1002. a new sense

  1003. of their

  1004. sinfulness.

  1005. And by

  1006. that, then,

  1007. a new sense

  1008. of their

  1009. need for

  1010. God's grace

  1011. and mercy,

  1012. a new

  1013. longing for

  1014. it.

  1015. So, in

  1016. God's plan,

  1017. the two

  1018. things would

  1019. marry up

  1020. just as

  1021. God's people

  1022. became more

  1023. and more

  1024. aware of

  1025. their need

  1026. to be

  1027. saved.

  1028. Up pops

  1029. Jesus,

  1030. the Savior.

  1031. John would

  1032. teach them

  1033. that their

  1034. greatest need

  1035. was not

  1036. deliverance

  1037. from their

  1038. political

  1039. enemies,

  1040. military

  1041. enemies.

  1042. John would

  1043. teach them

  1044. their greatest

  1045. need was

  1046. deliverance

  1047. from the

  1048. enemy

  1049. within.

  1050. See, what

  1051. had happened

  1052. was that

  1053. God's people

  1054. had come to

  1055. think of

  1056. salvation as

  1057. been livered

  1058. from all the

  1059. enemies out

  1060. there.

  1061. So, they

  1062. thought, well,

  1063. okay, if we can

  1064. get rid of the

  1065. Romans, we can

  1066. get rid of all

  1067. these people,

  1068. and then Israel

  1069. will be great

  1070. again.

  1071. And we'll be

  1072. able to be

  1073. God's people as

  1074. we're meant

  1075. to be

  1076. God's

  1077. people.

  1078. Well, John's

  1079. mission, as

  1080. has the

  1081. prophets before

  1082. him, being

  1083. to say that

  1084. not right.

  1085. You need

  1086. deliverance from

  1087. the enemy

  1088. within.

  1089. It's your

  1090. hearts that

  1091. are the

  1092. problem, not

  1093. your geopolitical

  1094. circumstances.

  1095. And this is

  1096. what Jesus

  1097. comes to

  1098. deliver,

  1099. deliverance

  1100. from the

  1101. enemy within,

  1102. deliverance

  1103. from rebellious

  1104. hearts.

  1105. Deliverance

  1106. from the

  1107. guilt of

  1108. that rebellion,

  1109. the sin and

  1110. the offense

  1111. that it

  1112. causes.

  1113. Deliverance

  1114. from the

  1115. fear of not

  1116. being acceptable

  1117. to God

  1118. because of

  1119. their sin.

  1120. Deliverance

  1121. from the

  1122. fear of

  1123. ultimately being

  1124. rejected by

  1125. God because

  1126. of their sin

  1127. and their

  1128. failure to

  1129. live under

  1130. his rule.

  1131. And in

  1132. that bleakness,

  1133. in that

  1134. darkness, we

  1135. have a metaphor

  1136. working here,

  1137. as we saw in

  1138. Malachi, that

  1139. Jesus, therefore,

  1140. would be like

  1141. the brilliant

  1142. sunrise after

  1143. the long,

  1144. dark night of

  1145. misery and

  1146. sin.

  1147. And once

  1148. again, God's

  1149. people would

  1150. bask in the

  1151. sunlight, in

  1152. the warmth,

  1153. in the

  1154. newness that

  1155. that sunrise of

  1156. Jesus would

  1157. bring.

  1158. Quite

  1159. literally,

  1160. Zacharias says,

  1161. that Jesus

  1162. would deliver

  1163. them from

  1164. darkness and

  1165. the shadow

  1166. of death

  1167. into the

  1168. new light

  1169. of life.

  1170. Quite

  1171. literally,

  1172. Jesus would

  1173. be the

  1174. light of the

  1175. world.

  1176. And so,

  1177. we just

  1178. pause there

  1179. and flesh

  1180. out that

  1181. metaphor a

  1182. little bit.

  1183. Death does

  1184. cast a shadow

  1185. over life,

  1186. doesn't it?

  1187. I was just

  1188. listening to the

  1189. TV last night

  1190. and they were

  1191. talking about

  1192. a show about

  1193. Harry Houdini.

  1194. And he was

  1195. known as the

  1196. man who

  1197. cheated death

  1198. and avoided

  1199. death until

  1200. death caught

  1201. up with him.

  1202. I thought,

  1203. that was a

  1204. really interesting

  1205. way of saying

  1206. that.

  1207. It was almost

  1208. as if he had

  1209. done something

  1210. amazing.

  1211. But no,

  1212. he was just

  1213. like the rest

  1214. of us.

  1215. It just hadn't

  1216. caught up with

  1217. him.

  1218. Death casts a

  1219. shadow over

  1220. all of life.

  1221. And when we're

  1222. young, I think,

  1223. we don't think

  1224. about it.

  1225. I certainly

  1226. didn't think

  1227. too much

  1228. about death

  1229. whenever I

  1230. was young.

  1231. Or perhaps

  1232. we just ignore

  1233. it when we're

  1234. young.

  1235. But here's the

  1236. shadow because

  1237. we know the

  1238. jolly well that

  1239. 100% of people

  1240. die.

  1241. Death will come

  1242. to all of us.

  1243. No matter how

  1244. hard we try and

  1245. avoid it.

  1246. And death

  1247. forces us to

  1248. ask the big

  1249. questions of

  1250. life, doesn't

  1251. it?

  1252. Well, okay,

  1253. what then?

  1254. Is there a

  1255. God?

  1256. What will I

  1257. have to say

  1258. to him?

  1259. What will he

  1260. have to say

  1261. to me?

  1262. Well,

  1263. Zacharias

  1264. tells us

  1265. here that

  1266. Jesus will

  1267. remove all

  1268. of those

  1269. fears of

  1270. death.

  1271. Why?

  1272. Because he

  1273. will deal

  1274. with our

  1275. sin, which

  1276. is the

  1277. thing that

  1278. makes us

  1279. alienated from

  1280. God.

  1281. He will

  1282. make us

  1283. acceptable to

  1284. God.

  1285. He will

  1286. bring us

  1287. into a new

  1288. relationship

  1289. with God

  1290. and therefore

  1291. the fear

  1292. can dissipate.

  1293. Now imagine

  1294. that being

  1295. spoken by

  1296. somebody like

  1297. Zacharias.

  1298. Remember what

  1299. Zacharias was?

  1300. He was a

  1301. priest.

  1302. What does

  1303. that mean?

  1304. Well, it

  1305. means that

  1306. every single

  1307. day of his

  1308. life he

  1309. had been in

  1310. the temple,

  1311. which I

  1312. picture in my

  1313. mind, whether

  1314. this is a good

  1315. picture or not,

  1316. but this is a

  1317. country picture.

  1318. I just

  1319. picture it

  1320. like an

  1321. abattoir.

  1322. Blood and

  1323. guts everywhere.

  1324. And if

  1325. you've been

  1326. involved in

  1327. the killing

  1328. of animals

  1329. up close,

  1330. there's a

  1331. distinct smell

  1332. and the

  1333. smell never

  1334. gets nicer

  1335. after you

  1336. do it for

  1337. a long

  1338. time, believe

  1339. me.

  1340. It's a

  1341. distinct

  1342. smell of

  1343. death.

  1344. And there

  1345. was Zacharias

  1346. day after

  1347. day offering

  1348. sacrifices.

  1349. Why?

  1350. Because he

  1351. cared for his

  1352. people and

  1353. his role

  1354. as a

  1355. priest was

  1356. to be

  1357. an

  1358. intermediary

  1359. to try

  1360. and provide

  1361. the sacrifices

  1362. that would

  1363. allow the

  1364. relationship

  1365. between the

  1366. clean God

  1367. and his

  1368. dirty people

  1369. to continue

  1370. to deal

  1371. with sin.

  1372. And now

  1373. he gets a

  1374. glimpse that

  1375. this is all

  1376. coming at an

  1377. end.

  1378. He's going to

  1379. be out of a

  1380. job because

  1381. Jesus would

  1382. offer a

  1383. sacrifice once

  1384. for all.

  1385. Deal with

  1386. our sin once

  1387. for all.

  1388. Make us

  1389. acceptable to

  1390. God once

  1391. for all.

  1392. And that

  1393. will guide

  1394. our feet

  1395. into the

  1396. way of

  1397. peace.

  1398. Imagine the

  1399. joy that

  1400. would have

  1401. brought to

  1402. Zacharias.

  1403. this Jesus

  1404. would restore

  1405. relationship

  1406. with God

  1407. forever.

  1408. But there's

  1409. one more

  1410. thing that

  1411. Zacharias

  1412. throws in

  1413. here.

  1414. Because

  1415. ultimately God

  1416. takes us

  1417. home to be

  1418. with him

  1419. forever in

  1420. rest and

  1421. peace.

  1422. The idea of

  1423. guiding our

  1424. feet into

  1425. the way of

  1426. peace.

  1427. It's again a

  1428. picture of

  1429. a pathway.

  1430. It's pushing

  1431. us down a

  1432. particular

  1433. pathway in

  1434. life.

  1435. If you

  1436. look again

  1437. at those

  1438. verses

  1439. 74 and

  1440. 75.

  1441. The idea

  1442. of a

  1443. wonderful

  1444. freedom to

  1445. serve the

  1446. Lord without

  1447. fear all

  1448. our days.

  1449. Now, one

  1450. of the things

  1451. I know in

  1452. my own

  1453. life and

  1454. one of the

  1455. things I'm

  1456. bumping up

  1457. against as

  1458. I speak with

  1459. people here

  1460. on every

  1461. day, every

  1462. week of

  1463. my ministry

  1464. is the

  1465. fear that

  1466. can get into

  1467. our heads and

  1468. can get into

  1469. our hearts.

  1470. We struggle

  1471. to serve the

  1472. Lord, but

  1473. we're fearful.

  1474. Well,

  1475. Zachariah is

  1476. talking here

  1477. about freedom

  1478. from fear,

  1479. freedom to

  1480. serve the

  1481. Lord.

  1482. Now, what's

  1483. the basis of

  1484. that freedom?

  1485. What's the

  1486. basis of

  1487. freedom from

  1488. fear?

  1489. Well, it's

  1490. simply Jesus

  1491. and taking

  1492. Jesus at

  1493. his word

  1494. that he

  1495. will reconnect

  1496. us to

  1497. God, having

  1498. dealt with

  1499. our sins,

  1500. and having

  1501. dealt with

  1502. our sins,

  1503. there's no

  1504. longer any

  1505. reason for

  1506. God to be

  1507. alienated from

  1508. us.

  1509. The

  1510. relationship's

  1511. restored forever.

  1512. And the

  1513. end point of

  1514. that?

  1515. Salvation,

  1516. peace,

  1517. rest.

  1518. I spoke

  1519. earlier about

  1520. that Vietnam

  1521. veteran.

  1522. He was

  1523. blown away

  1524. that Michelle

  1525. Obama would

  1526. come to

  1527. visit him,

  1528. but the

  1529. end of the

  1530. story was

  1531. actually even

  1532. more surprising,

  1533. because after

  1534. having her cup

  1535. of tea and

  1536. her biscuit,

  1537. and that's

  1538. literally what

  1539. it was,

  1540. a cup of

  1541. coffee and

  1542. a biscuit,

  1543. that's

  1544. literally what

  1545. it was,

  1546. she said to

  1547. this guy,

  1548. now, I've

  1549. come to your

  1550. place and

  1551. you've made

  1552. me at

  1553. home, I

  1554. want you to

  1555. come to

  1556. my place,

  1557. and I want

  1558. you to feel

  1559. at home and

  1560. make my

  1561. place your

  1562. place.

  1563. Well, can

  1564. you imagine

  1565. the consternation

  1566. that Vietnam

  1567. vet felt?

  1568. It was such

  1569. a beautiful

  1570. finish.

  1571. The old

  1572. soldier was

  1573. overwhelmed,

  1574. from homelessness

  1575. to the

  1576. White House,

  1577. from shame

  1578. to honor,

  1579. and that

  1580. was the

  1581. deal.

  1582. She said

  1583. she had

  1584. come to

  1585. his place

  1586. and her

  1587. intention

  1588. was to

  1589. take him

  1590. back to

  1591. her

  1592. place.

  1593. Such a

  1594. great picture

  1595. of salvation.

  1596. God comes

  1597. to us,

  1598. seeks us

  1599. out,

  1600. pursues us

  1601. when we

  1602. would have

  1603. no regard

  1604. for him,

  1605. fixes the

  1606. mess that

  1607. we've made

  1608. through our

  1609. rebellion and

  1610. our sin,

  1611. takes the

  1612. punishment that's

  1613. due to us

  1614. on our

  1615. behalf,

  1616. makes us

  1617. acceptable to

  1618. God when

  1619. we have no

  1620. right to be

  1621. even near

  1622. God,

  1623. and caps it

  1624. all off by

  1625. saying,

  1626. now I'm

  1627. going to

  1628. take you

  1629. home to

  1630. be with

  1631. me forever.

  1632. forever.

  1633. We lose

  1634. all that as

  1635. we celebrate

  1636. Christmas and

  1637. focus on a

  1638. little baby.

  1639. Of course,

  1640. Christmas begins

  1641. with a little

  1642. baby, but no

  1643. ordinary baby.

  1644. God's King and

  1645. Savior coming to

  1646. do all of

  1647. that.

  1648. He sorts out

  1649. our heads,

  1650. he renews our

  1651. hearts through

  1652. the power of the

  1653. Spirit within us,

  1654. he gives us new

  1655. desires, new

  1656. attitudes, new

  1657. delight in serving

  1658. him, and

  1659. finally he makes

  1660. clear that he

  1661. won't be finished

  1662. with us until

  1663. he has us back

  1664. at home in

  1665. heaven with

  1666. him forever.

  1667. Now, the

  1668. promises all

  1669. leading up to

  1670. being saved,

  1671. he's delivered

  1672. on.

  1673. Why do we

  1674. find it so

  1675. hard to

  1676. accept that

  1677. he'll deliver

  1678. on all the

  1679. promises he

  1680. makes to us

  1681. after we're

  1682. saved?

  1683. we need to

  1684. take Jesus

  1685. at his

  1686. word.

  1687. Sin has

  1688. been dealt

  1689. with, freedom

  1690. from fear of

  1691. death, new

  1692. life, and

  1693. ultimately

  1694. heaven.

  1695. Now, surely

  1696. that's something

  1697. to make you

  1698. sing about,

  1699. isn't it?

  1700. Now, two

  1701. parting thoughts

  1702. then.

  1703. If you're a

  1704. believer, then

  1705. you've got lots

  1706. to sing about.

  1707. And let's

  1708. sing from the

  1709. song sheet that

  1710. Jesus gives

  1711. us.

  1712. Let's not go

  1713. through and cross

  1714. out the words

  1715. we're not sure

  1716. about and write

  1717. in our own

  1718. interpretation,

  1719. because nothing

  1720. we're sure will

  1721. write in a lot

  1722. more fear and

  1723. uncertainty again.

  1724. But then we

  1725. won't be singing

  1726. from Jesus

  1727. song sheet,

  1728. will we, if

  1729. we do that?

  1730. But it may be

  1731. that you're here

  1732. this morning and

  1733. you actually think

  1734. you've got nothing

  1735. to sing about

  1736. because you're

  1737. still living in

  1738. the shadow of

  1739. death, living

  1740. in fear,

  1741. desperately trying

  1742. to find community.

  1743. You're not

  1744. actually a

  1745. believer.

  1746. You're still

  1747. longing for a

  1748. place of safety,

  1749. you're still

  1750. longing for

  1751. security.

  1752. You're still

  1753. longing to find

  1754. a way to

  1755. live when

  1756. life seems so

  1757. fragile and

  1758. uncertain and

  1759. lonely.

  1760. Well, the

  1761. song sheet says

  1762. it all.

  1763. Turn to

  1764. Jesus.

  1765. He's come to

  1766. you in this

  1767. world, in your

  1768. situation.

  1769. life.

  1770. He's offering

  1771. you your very

  1772. heart's desire.

  1773. And he's

  1774. gently challenging

  1775. you to give up

  1776. looking for these

  1777. things elsewhere,

  1778. as you've been

  1779. doing, and find

  1780. them in him.

  1781. him.

  1782. And he promises

  1783. that his light

  1784. will dispel

  1785. darkness and

  1786. fear in your

  1787. life.

  1788. And he tells

  1789. you that his

  1790. light is already

  1791. shining.

  1792. What you need to

  1793. do is step out of

  1794. darkness into his

  1795. light and be

  1796. healed and feel

  1797. the sunrise warm

  1798. you through and

  1799. through and comfort

  1800. you.

  1801. and give you

  1802. that sense that

  1803. yes, all is

  1804. well in the

  1805. world, in

  1806. Jesus.

  1807. Pray with me.

  1808. Lord, the

  1809. words here, in

  1810. some ways, are

  1811. just so simple

  1812. and so clear.

  1813. Jesus is

  1814. light and

  1815. life and

  1816. peace.

  1817. He has come

  1818. to us.

  1819. You have

  1820. pursued us,

  1821. Lord, when we

  1822. wouldn't pursue

  1823. you.

  1824. You've pursued

  1825. us.

  1826. You've brought

  1827. us to

  1828. Jesus and

  1829. you've brought

  1830. Jesus to

  1831. us.

  1832. Lord, for

  1833. those here this

  1834. morning who have

  1835. not yet turned

  1836. to Jesus, but

  1837. are searching

  1838. for peace, I

  1839. pray, Lord, that

  1840. you might just

  1841. fill their minds,

  1842. flood their

  1843. hearts with the

  1844. fact that Jesus

  1845. is what they've

  1846. been looking for

  1847. all along.

  1848. And for those,

  1849. Lord, who are

  1850. already believers

  1851. but struggle to

  1852. take Jesus as

  1853. word and

  1854. therefore still

  1855. fearful, I

  1856. pray, Lord, that

  1857. we might actually

  1858. just be able to

  1859. go back to

  1860. singing from

  1861. your song

  1862. sheet, the

  1863. song sheet that

  1864. quite literally

  1865. says, Jesus

  1866. has done it

  1867. all and all to

  1868. him we owe.

  1869. I pray in Jesus'

  1870. name.

  1871. Amen.

  1872. Thanks very much

  1873. for listening to

  1874. me.

  1875. Thank you so much

  1876. for listening to me.

  1877. Thank you.

  1878. Thank you.

  1879. Thank you.