Zechariahs Song Luke 1v67-79

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.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

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.

Luke 1:67

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 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.

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 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