A Song of Thanks - Benedictus

Luke 1:67–80 NASB95

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant— 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old— 71 Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us; 72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, 74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. 76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; 77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” 80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Introduction

When we talk about things that really endure or really last, at some point we bring in time! When we talk about architecture, art, or music that really last we call it timeless. It’s relevant and admired for generations. There is no time limit to it’s quality…

On the other hand if there’s some doubt as to whether something will really last you might hear that phrase, “Time will tell...” It’s probably said with a bit of skepticism.

In that grand scheme of history there are very few things that truly stand the test of time. Everything at some point wears out. People wear out. Things and possessions wear out. Houses and building and cars all wear out at some point. Even legacies and nations, perhaps some of the most enduring things ultimately come to an end at some point.

A question I’d like us to ask ourselves this morning, “Can our gratitude stand the test of time?” How long does gratitude really last? Christmas is coming, presents are going to be opened, and hopefully there’s a degree of gratitude that accompanies that gift. Depending on the present that gratitude may endure for some time, but over time gifts are forgotten or become plain and gratitude fades too doesn’t it?

Consider Zacharias for a moment. What gift has he been given? Will his gratitude and thankfulness stand the test of time? Perhaps this song is just a flash in the pan only to be subject to the test time. From a worldly perspective you might look at this story as a tragedy. Zacharias finally receives this magnificent gift of a son in his old age, yet it’s a gift he will only get to appreciate for a short while before time takes its toll on Zacharias. Beyond that Zacharias doesn’t realize his son will be beheaded . What reason for thanks and gratitude is there here when time will ultimately exact such a cost for this family??

My hope this morning is that we would see just how timeless our gratitude can be in recognizing the salvation that Zacharias sings of here. It’s a salvation that truly stands the test of time!

The church is uniquely characterized by gratitude because we have received a lasting salvation that no one can take from us.

A brief note on the structure of the text. Zacharias actually has two major sections to his song, and he has an introductory outline in his song in the first two verses.

Luke 1:68–69 NASB95

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant—

Verse 68 summarizes the redemption and salvation God has accomplished for his people Israel in delivering them from Egypt. He addresses this from vs. 70 down to verse 75.

There’s reason for thanks and praise there certainly, but Zacharias’s whole song is moving from the good to the greater, the temporary to the eternal.

Verse 69 in his introduction speaks of the redemption and salvation that’s coming through Jesus who John, his son will prepare the way for. He addresses this salvation in greater detail from verses 76 to 79.

If you put these two sections in parallel you’ll see they address much the same topics, but Zacharias is ultimately pointing to the greater that is to be found in Christ.

This morning I’d like us to look at three of those topics.

A Greater Prophet (vs. 70 and vs. 76)

A Greater Salvation (vs. 71 and vs. 77)

A Greater Peace (vs. 74 and vs. 79)

Each section addresses all three, and as we’ll see the greater is always found in Christ - the source of our lasting salvation for which we will forever give thanks!

Let’s begin with the greater prophet.

A Greater Prophet

As Zacharias begins his song, let’s realize the scene that’s before him as he praises God. Elizabeth in her old age has just given birth to a son. Their whole community has gathered around them to celebrate with them. This is an extraordinary gift to Elizabeth and Zacharias who bore the burden of childlessness for so many years. It’s only been 8 days and Zacharias really sets the record straight before everyone watching.

His name will be John! He will not receive a family name. This prophet to come will have a purpose far greater than even the priestly family he has been born into. John is going to be an instrument of God to prepare the way for the Messiah.

In his naming and in Zacharias’s song he’s letting everyone know, this baby is so much more than my son! He’s going to be known by so much more than the family he’s been born into. He’s going to play a role in God’s plan of redemption unlike any that has been seen before.

I don’t know about some of you, but 8 days after having our first, I’m still trying to figure out how to change a diaper. My eyes are still a little glazed over. I am not thinking about this baby’s purpose and calling in this world. I’m not thinking about 2000 years of church history and what place my son might have in the grand history of the church. I’m thinking about how to care for my family and sleep.

To everyone watching Zacharias, there’s probably some inquisitive looks on peoples faces, but to Zacharias it’s as clear as day. He’s singing not so much for the blessing he has received in a son, but for the blessing God is about to bring to the world and the role his son will play in that blessing!

He starts all the way back at the Exodus: the redemption which God has accomplished for the people of Israel and the proclamation of the prophets of old.

Who are these holy prophets from of old declaring redemption and salvation? There’s certainly more than one, but we can start with Moses. God gives a message to Moses to deliver to his people Israel, a message of deliverance and redemption.

Exodus 6:6–7 NASB95

6 “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 ‘Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

—-

To any ordinary Israelite Moses is legendary.

He’s the one who declared to Israel the coming redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

Moses is the one who would call down plagues to strike the enemies of Israel in Egypt.

Moses would lead the people of Israel across the Red Sea.

He would go up onto the mountain and bring Israel the law.

He would prepare a place - a tabernacle - for the presence of God to be among His people.

Who could be greater than Moses? Look what he has accomplished.

For all those who are watching Zacharias, there may be a few nodding heads. Maybe a few amens in the gathering. Surely there is thanks and praise and blessing to be given to God for what he accomplished through his prophet Moses! Today we can join in and say, “Amen!” The redemption which God accomplished for Israel is a testimony to God’s faithfulness - to his promise and His mercy toward undeserving sinners. I hope that as we take time to read through the Old Testament we’d be inspired toward thankfulness - a thankfulness toward God who shows himself to be faithful and patient with His people through the prophets who lead and correct and remind the people of God’s promises and God’s law.

For Israel in the day of Zacharias though, consider the place they’re in. It’s been some time since a prophet came to Israel. The nation of Israel has been ravaged by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. You can imagine how the gratitude and thankfulness of Israel might fade after so many years of silence and occupation, yet now a new prophet has come! Zacharias looks at his own son just a few days old in verse 76

Luke 1:76 NASB95

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;

—-

Now again the Lord will speak to his people through this prophet to come! Now again a great prophet will prepare a way for the Lord to dwell among His people!

You can imagine the questions people would have as they look upon the infant John.

Will he be like Moses bringing plagues upon the enemies of Israel?

Perhaps he will lead Israel to overcome the Romans?

What great deliverance will this prophet declare and usher in?

He would be greater than even Moses, why?

In the words of Gabriel to Zacharias

Luke 1:15–17 NASB95

15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

—-

With the spirit and power of Elijah, John will come to turn the hearts of the people to God and in love toward one another that they may be ready for the Messiah, Jesus. He called them to repentance and pointed them to their Savior, and when the Savior appeared he was glad to become nothing that Jesus would be the one they followed.

Jesus himself would say of John,

Matthew 11:11 NASB95

11 “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

—-

Now for all the dads out there, there’s something in all of us that says, “My kid’s the best!” I don’t care what anyone else says, my kids the best. We’re a little biased. They’re our kids. Zacharias isn’t just being another dad. He’s got the angel Gabriel with a message from heaven on one side, and a future proclamation from Christ Himself.

John the Baptist will be the greater prophet by the perfect sovereign plan of God, how? He’s going to be dressed in camel’s hair, live in the desert, and eat locusts. He’s going to be beheaded....

Where are the plagues?

Where’s the miraculous deliverance of the people of God?

Where’s the shining face of Moses?

How about fire from heaven to consume the sacrifices like Elijah?

Where is this prophet’s greatness?

What reason does Zacharias have to sing and be thankful?

The greatness of a prophet is found in His message, and John had the privilege as the humblest servant of God.. to declare to Israel of the coming of God Himself in human flesh.

John 1:29 NASB95

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

—-

The reason Zacharias can sing blessings to the Lord in thanks is because John’s message is going to be timeless! John’s ministry, John’s appearance, and John’s death are going to be the humblest of them all, yet his message is particularly glorious because it will have no end. John’s death may have ended his ministry but it did not end his proclamation. Since that day the disciples of Christ and the church of God have not ceased to proclaim that timeless message, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Perhaps this Christmas before we anticipate what we are about to receive in the gifts that await us under the tree, let’s consider what we’ve already been given. What have we been given that’s truly timeless? What have we been given that stands the test of time, and doesn’t end up forgotten or fading? I think many of us here can consider ourselves blessed in many regards, but even beyond the blessings we see before our eyes as great as they are, we as the church have received good news! A simple, timeless proclamation that brings us to sing year after year after year in thanks much like Zacharias. “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Might our gratitude this Christmas begin with the timeless message of this Greater Prophet - a message which points to that greater salvation which Zacharias speaks of.

A Greater Salvation

As we follow Zacharias’s song in verse 71 he speaks of the salvation declared by the prophets of old and it’s fulfillment.

Luke 1:71–73 NASB95

71 Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us; 72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

—-

What God promised to Abraham, Moses declared to Israel in Exodus 6 like we saw, but then it came to pass! You might recall Moses’ words to Israel as they stood on the banks of the Red Sea as the army of the Egyptians threatened to enslave them once again.

Exodus 14:13–14 NASB95

13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 14 “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”

—-

It was truly a great salvation Israel experienced that day! So great in fact that Mary and Zacharias see fit to include it in both of their songs! It was this salvation that made Israel a free nation. It was this salvation which brought about a unique identity and purpose to the people of God marked in the ceremonies, celebrations, and the law given to them.

No longer were they slaves to Pharoah they were servants of God! God promised it to Abraham, God declared it through Moses, and God accomplished it himself as the people stood silent.

I’m sure we’ve all heard someone say at some point, “Those were the good old days!” There’s this talk of the glory days, a time past when great blessing and provision were abundant such that we look at our today thinking, “If only we could go back to that time.”

You can probably imagine a few people in Israel thinking the same thing! Boy wouldn’t it be great to go back to the time of Moses and experience that great salvation once again - to experience the freedom from our enemies as armies are swallowed by seas behind us, and conquered before us with men like Joshua at the helm.

Sometimes the Lord provides us with seasons of great abundance, deliverance, and provision. Sometimes he gives us just enough, but let me say it is always enough to be thankful!

The “good old days” may very well be behind us, but their is a greater provision and a greater salvation always before us that will never fade.

If we follow this parallel which Zacharias presents, he looks at his present time, a time when Israel has been ruled and occupied by foreign enemies for centuries, and he speaks of a “horn of salvation” being raised up for the people of Israel in the house of David His servant. (There in his introduction in verse 69)

A king is coming! A king who will bring salvation! In the hearing of those words, you might imagine what’s going through the minds of those who are hearing. The time of David and David’s house, now those were the glory days! Is there a chance that this baby, John, might usher in a golden age like we once experienced? Might this king once again deliver us from our enemies!??

He absolutely will deliver His people, but he comes to deliver them from an even greater enemy.

How does Zacharias describe this salvation that is coming?

Luke 1:76–77 NASB95

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; 77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins,

—-

As we look at the Exodus narrative we recognize very quickly that as much as Israel finds themselves free and delivered from their slavery in Egypt there still remains a battle to be won in their own hearts. They’re greatest problem is not behind them in Egypt or before them in the Amalekites, it’s in them! Their own sinful hearts before a holy God.

This king is coming to restore the glory days, but in truth the glory days were never found in Israel’s crossing of the Red sea or even David and Solomon’s reign. The glory days were the days before sin corrupted the perfect fellowship man had with God. The glory of God in the garden walking among his image bearers free from the burden of sin, those were the glory days!

John is going to come declaring the restoration of fellowship between God and man through this King who is coming. By His mercy He will utterly conquer sin and death in His own dying and rising again. He comes to those enslaved in sin and seeking a greater salvation… He takes upon Himself their penalty of sin that he might offer to us forgiveness and eternal salvation. This salvation is ours today for us who have set our faith in Christ. It will never fade! It will never be taken from us! There’s nothing lacking in that great salvation!

Let’s not let the busyness and commercialization of Christmas in our day convince us that there something we’re missing or lacking in our Christmas celebration. From a worldly perspective there’s always a little more glory to be added to Christmas. It’s a perspective that absolutely robs us of our gratitude because it always tells us something’s missing. Maybe if things were like they once were… Maybe if the decor was a little more glamorous… If only the gifts were little more extravagant… Did you ever consider that maybe the glory days are today? We have received that great salvation in Christ and we have reason for thanks this Christmas. Might we find reason for thanks in the ordinary blessings of Christmas, but at the end of the day we have received the greatest blessing, the greatest gift, the greater salvation, that is the forgiveness of our sins and a restored fellowship with God Himself.

...

Zacharias makes one more comparison between these two salvations, and that is the ongoing result, the ongoing peace that follows.

We’ll see this theme in greater detail next week, but we’ll address it here briefly.

A Greater Peace

Firstly, what is this ongoing peace that follows the redemption and salvation God accomplished for Israel in their deliverance from Egypt?

Luke 1:74–75 NASB95

74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

—-

No longer would Israel have reason to fear the enemies that surrounded them. They were intended to know a peace and freedom in the deliverance that God provided for them, but the deliverance which God accomplished for His people was not without purpose! It was not a freedom for freedom’s sake. It was freedom unto service! It was a purposeful peace!

What was that intended purpose?

Exodus 19:5–6 NASB95

5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

—-

To serve him in holiness and righteousness before God as His priesthood all their days. That is their purpose. That’s the reason God has delivered them from their enemies and from the fear of slavery and death at the hands of the likes of Egypt, Amalek, the Philistines and all the rest.

Yet what did they do with their peace they were provided?

Time and again they would show themselves to be idolaters. Prophet after prophet would come warning them pointing them back to their intended service in holiness and righteousness, but they would not listen. They failed to fulfill their purpose. They failed to be the holy priesthood they were intended to be and so too lost their peace. Once again they would fear the nations at their doorstep because they failed to fear God.

As an Israelite in the time of Zacharias, there may be a temptation to wonder, “Will we ever know peace again?” Will we ever be able to live without fear again?

Yes, and there is a greater peace coming!

Luke 1:78–79 NASB95

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

—-

When Israel was unable to fulfill their purpose as a holy nation and a light to the world with the peace they were given, God would send His own Son to be the light to the world, the sunrise coming to the dead still in darkness that they would know an even greater peace, that is peace with God.

It’s a peace our world will never really understand while they remain in death and darkness. One might turn a couple pages in the Luke narrative and see John the Baptist once again bearing witness to Christ and His coming, declaring to all the good news of salvation through repentance and the forgiveness of sins, and then they may naturally wonder, surely now is when Israel and God’s people will know peace like Zacharias said only to find John thrown in prison.

We might be tempted to say, “What kind of peace is this?”

At the end of the day the one who is at peace with God and judged by the world has greater reason for thanks than the one who is at peace with the world and judged by God. (x2)

Our reason for thanks doesn’t change with what the world thinks of us because as dark as the world is it can’t do anything against the light of Christ we know.

They may threaten our lives yet our reason for thanks doesn’t change because the risen Christ has defeated death.

All this to say don’t let the world and all of it’s opinions about us, it’s threats, or it’s search for glory deprive you of your gratitude this Christmas.

I’m sure some of you have seen the movie, but I grew up watching the original animated Christmas movie: The Grinch. The story actually comes from a children’s book written in the 50’s and it shows. Amidst our modern generation’s fascination with more stuff around the holidays the story of the Grinch trying to steal Christmas is a fun and subtle reminder, it’s not really about the stuff. When the Grinch has come down the chimney and stolen every last present and crumb, all the Who’s down in Whoville still sing. You don’t find them thinking about the good old days. They’re still thankful and it’s baffling to the Grinch. They’re still singing! In the kids story the emphasis is about community and family, but I’d like to step that one step further.

What’s at the heart of our thanks and singing on Christmas?

At the end of the day if we have family at Christmas that’s a lot to be thankful for. This evening we’ll gather together as a church family and that’s a lot to be thankful for, but the reason we even have a church family to gather with is all that we have in Christ… and that’s something no one can take away from us!

We have a gospel proclamation that remains to be true to this day that we can be thankful for! The lamb of God has come to take away the sins of the world.

We have a very real salvation that Christ has accomplished in Himself. We are forgiven! That is reason for thanks no matter the season.

We also have a peace that surpasses understanding. A lasting and eternal peace with God that we can be thankful for even while the world despises us.

Let’s continue to remind one another of those timeless reasons for thanks, and let’s keep singing!

Let’s pray.

Prayer of Devotion

Pastoral Prayer:

Wayne and Vicki Carver

Vicki still fighting pain in her hip and back: provide for treatment soon through a skilled doctor

Wayne feeling weak. Give him strength!

The Ridge Church - Rollie Rench

For everyone at the Ridge who have lost something or someone, or perhaps are waiting for your provision. Might they find reason for gratitude this Christmas!