The Tender Mercy Of Our God

Luke 1:39-80

I just want to look at these few events before Jesus’ birth, through the scene of John the Baptist’s father and mother and the interaction with Mary and Jesus while He was in her womb.....only to point out to us what all of this means......The Lord has visited us......Humans, His creation, has separated themselves from God because of sin.......the full fellowship with God was broken at the moment of disobedience and there is no ability by any human to be able to get back to God!

Our only hope is for God to intervene and He has!

Today, let’s the high points of these events to get to Zechariah’s song, where he declares:

Luke 1:68–69 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; For he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David;”

Luke 1:77–78 “To give knowledge of salvation unto his people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; Whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,”

Before we start in verse 39, we need to know that Elisabeth, Mary’s cousin, was barren and was passed the child bearing years......keyword was.......The angel was Gabriel and he told Zechariah that Elisabeth would have a son and that he would be great in the sight of the Lord!

This was given by God, but somewhat different than Jesus, God allowed 2 human parents to bring forth this child........

John the Baptist was born with the Spirit of God, the spirit and the power that Elijah had.

Prepared to prepare!

Zechariah questioned this........For that he was made mute until the birth of John the Baptist.

The angel “because you did not believe...”

Let’s look at Mary’s visit to Elisabeth....

The main take away was the 2 responses to the Babe Jesus in Mary’s womb.....

Just at the sound of Mary’s voice, Elisabeth’s child leaped in her womb.......

Mom’s have you ever felt your child kick or move around while pregnant?

It is something to me that Elisabeth recognized what the baby done....

He leaped which is an expression used in the “skirtao” which means jump for joy!

At that moment this child which was filled with the Holy Spirit, expressed joy at the approach of God the Son!

Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit, long after this moment, but very relevant......

John 16:14 “He shall glorify me:......”

As soon as God the Son came close the babe (filled with the Holy Spirit) leaped for joy!

Elisabeth’s grasp of the situation was profound, but she was filled with the Holy Spirit.

How is it the the mother of my Lord..........That little phrase right there shows exactly what was going on in Elisabeth’s heart and mind....

It wasn’t of Mary, but of her Lord, Jesus the Messiah, the anointed One!

Mary’s Magnificat....it is filled with OT quotations.....It really reveals that Mary’s heart and mind was saturated with the Word of God!

In Mary’s song.......she worships the Lord, declaring some of His attributes!

Savior

Mighty

Holy

Merciful

Every bit of what she says is true, Mary didn’t just get to that place because she was carrying God the Son, she was there in her faith in God before the angelic visit!

I wonder are we there, where Mary’s heart is, that produces a song of praise just from her knowledge of our God?

Is that spirit of praise in our hearts and minds?

Mary knew all about being exalted (by God) from low degree!

Now let’s move on to John the Baptist birth......Remember that Zechariah had been made mute during the visit from Gabriel and hadn’t spoken a word since.

On the 8th day it was the law that they be circumcised and it also had been customary to name the child......

The folks wanted to name him after Zechariah, but Mary knew from Zechariah writing it down for her that the babe was to be called John......

As it always is, it seems the folks around knows better than the parents.....they questioned that name and made gestures to Zechariah, basically asking what should the child be called?????

Zechariah told them on paper John.....and then he was able to speak......folks were amazed....

Now Zechariah goes into a song himself, a song of praise....

Blessed......The Lord is praiseworthy.......Why?

Because He has visited and redeemed His people

A horn of salvation,,,,Horn meaning might/strength of unusual significance.

Out of the house of David......just like the prophets has said.

Everything about Christ is a fulfillment of prophecy!

Saved from our enemies........

Enemy number one is satan

The rest of our enemies is those that follow after the world/satan......

They hate Christians Jesus because

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.”

They hate Jesus because of that very reason, the world (the world system, which is after satan) hates Jesus

Jesus also said in John 15:18 “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.”

Jesus has delivered us out of this untoward/evil generation....He has saved us from a world that hates God and the very righteousness of God found in Jesus Christ!

Now, John was to be the forerunner of this....to prepare the way for Jesus’ earthly ministry......

Declaring this truth and calling for all to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus!

He will be called the prophet of the Most High!

John the Baptist was a great man/prophet.......he was called great by Jesus....

Matthew 11:11 “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

I believe what Jesus was telling us that the greatness of John the Baptist was that he saw and participated in the fulfillment of what others only prophesied.

Jesus also said there least in the kingdom of Heaven is even greater because believers after the cross participate in the full understanding and experience of the atoning work of Jesus Christ!

Everything that Mary, Elisabeth, and Zechariah is declaring in not about them or about John…it is about the coming the Lord our Savior!

Through Jesus Christ the tender mercy of the Lord is revealed......through the tender mercy of the Lord the Sunrise from on high is about to break on us........The glory of Heaven is about to be revealed in Jesus Christ!!

He has been revealed!.........To give light to those that sit in darkness........

Jesus told Pilate.....John 18:37 “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”

The Holy Spirit filled all of these people involved in the visitation from God the Father to redeem His people......that Holy Spirit only pointed to One.......Jesus Christ.....Jesus said that it will guide us into all truth!