Blessed be the Lord God!

Luke 1:67-79 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, (68) Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, (69) And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; (70) As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: (71) That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; (72) To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; (73) The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, (74) That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, (75) In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. (76) And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; (77) To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, (78) Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, (79) To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. 

As we look at the text this morning, let us consider the context that leads up to it.  Earlier in the chapter, an angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, and informed him of the upcoming birth of their son, John (Luke 1:11-17).  But due to Zacharias’ and his wife’s old age, he doubted the news that the angel delivered (Luke 1:18).  So to prove who he was and by whom he was sent, the angel struck Zacharias mute until the birth of John (Luke 1:20).  In verse 64, we find that Zacharias’ mouth was finally loosed and so he spoke the words of our text today.  Keep in mind that the passage makes clear, as Zacharias is speaking, he is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesies...that he is speaking the specific message of God!  We will single out a few statements that we want to key on this morning.

1.  God has visited and Redeemed his people (vrs. 68):  It is simply amazing the Love that our Father has for us.  He knew that we were unable to save ourselves...he knew that we were unable, ON OUR OWN, to be reconciled back to him so he made the ultimate sacrifice to bridge the gap.  That sacrifice was Jesus, as God (John 1), literally visited us as a man for the purpose of washing away our sins, which is what causes our separation from God.

2.  Raised up a Horn of Salvation (vrs. 69):  The term “Horn of Salvation” is used in the Old Testament (Psalm 18:2).  It symbolizes strength and power.  The power of God to save man is far more powerful than that which Satan has with sin and temptation.

3.  The Words of the Prophets are about to come to Pass (vrs. 70):  Nearly a third of the Old Testament are books of Prophecy.  Much of the prophecy was written for the contemporaries of the writers of that time to help guide them in their own lives.  However, there is an enormous amount prophecy given about the coming Messiah which Jesus will fulfills and is revealed later on in the book of Luke.

4.  He Will Remember the Covenant Made to Abraham (vrs. 73):  While the Israelites benefitted from the promises that God first gave to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, much of the promises were much more forward looking.  The ultimate fulfillment of the those promises comes from the embodiment and sacrifices of Jesus (Galatians 3:29).  Those prophecies are about to come true as Jesus is due to come into the world.

5.  John Will be a Prophet who will Prepare the Way of Him (vrs. 76):  In this prophecy uttered by Zacharias, he tells of the future of his newborn son.  He will prepare the way of Jesus.  He will be a preacher that will get the Israelites ready for Jesus to come and to make his way ready.

6.  John will Give Knowledge of Salvation (vrs. 77):  In his preaching, John will give knowledge of Salvation.  It is so interesting how God phrases this.  Salvation is NOT some sort of mysterious “event”.  Salvation is not a purely emotional occurrence.  But rather Salvation is based upon KNOWLEDGE.  One cannot be saved without PROPER knowledge of who God is, what he has done for us, and what he wants from us.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

That is why Paul wrote this:

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

The ONLY way that man can be saved from our sins is to have FAITH in our Great Creator.  That faith comes only from a knowledge of God’s word and then a specific application of that knowledge.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 

As we begin this day, let us keep in mind the enormity of God’s Love and all that he has done to make his salvation available to us.  Then let us search out his will and have the COURAGE to follow it in every detail!