Zechariah Blesses the Lord

a) Last week we began our Advent series that will take us up to Christmas. As I said last week, Advent is a time on the church calendar where we look back to the long-promised & long-awaited 1st coming of our Lord, as well as look forward to His promised 2nd coming or advent.

b) We began last week by looking at the 1stresponse to the many years of silence being broken by Mary’s Magnificat, as Mary, the mother of our Lord, magnified God for looking upon her humble estate & blessing her. Today we’re going to see the 2nd response to the silence being broken.

c) We are going to see what’s known as Zechariah’s Benedictus, as Zechariah blesses the Lord. W/ that background, let’s now hear the word of the Lord in Luke 1:57-80.  READ & PRAY

I’ve titled today’s sermon: “Zechariah Blesses the Lord”

a) Before we look at Zechariah’s Benedictus, let me give you the background leading up to our passage. Last week we saw Mary, Jesus’ mother, travel to Judea to visit her cousin, Elizabeth (Zechariah’s wife). When Mary entered their home & greeted them a worship session broke out.

b) The baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy. Elizabeth, filled w/ the HS, declared Mary’s baby was indeed the Lord. And then Mary magnified the Lord. But unfortunately, Zechariah was unable to join into their songs of praise. And that’s b/c he had been rendered mute & unable to speak.

c) He couldn’t sing or say a word! Lk. 1:18-20 tells us why. When the angel came to him in the temple & announced his barren wife, Elizabeth, would give birth to a son, unlike Mary who responded in faith, Zechariah asked in v18:“How shall I know this…” my wife & I are old.

d) Then the angel said in v19-20: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God & I was sent to speak to you & bring you this good news. And behold, you’ll be silent & unable to speak until the day these things take place, b/c you did not believe my words.”

e) Now Zechariah was a righteous, faithful man. He was a priest who served in the temple. He knew the history of Israel & the OT. He would’ve known, or at least should have known, Elizabeth wouldn’t be the 1st old, barren woman whose womb God graciously opened.

f) But Zechariah was overcome w/ unbelief. There’s an application for us here. Even as faithful Christians who know the Bible, we too can fall victim to unbelief. No matter how mature we are in our faith, we too can be like Zechariah & be filled w/ doubt & unbelief.

g) And as a result of his unbelief, Zechariah was plunged into silence for 9 months. Now I give you that background b/c I don’t want you to miss the fact this blessing we’re looking at today erupted from Zechariah. It took 9 months to prepare his heart to be able to speak these words.

h) It took 9 months of speechlessness for Zechariah to understand the significance of what God was doing. Think about that. 9 mos. 36 wks. 252 days of not being able to speak! What’s the longest you’ve gone w/o speaking? There’s another valuable lesson for us here on the value of silence.

i) On the benefits of us slowing down, being slow to speak & quick to listen. Sometimes it takes us going away to a quiet place & away from the noise to stop speaking & listen to the Lord.

j) But we see in v57-60 that John’s birth sparked controversy. In v59 & v61, we’re told it was the custom of that day for a boy to be named after his father, or a male family member. But Elizabeth was adamant, “his name will be John!” Those gathered turned to Zechariah for the final verdict.

k) And it appears from v62, Zechariah may not only have been left speechless b/c of his unbelief, but he also might have been unable to hear. Notice, it says they made signs to Zechariah asking what he wanted to call the child. Now if he was only mute, why would they need to make signs to him?

l) They could’ve simply said: “what do you want to call the child?” But either way, Zechariah wrote on a tablet: “His name is John”. And v64 says: “Immediately his mouth was opened & his tongue loosed & he spoke blessing God.” And this leads to Zechariah’s Benedictus in v67-79.

m) And this response to the silence being broken is both a word of praise for what God had done, but also a prophecy of what was to come. Look at v67, “And his father Zechariah was filled w/ the HS & prophesied.”  This sheds light on why the Lord rendered Zechariah mute for 9 months.

n) It wasn’t just the Lord rebuking Zechariah for his unbelief, but it also served as an acted out parable for Israel. See, his inability to speak symbolized that long silence that had gone on for over 400 years in Israel since the prophet Malachi spoke. Zechariah had been silent for nearly a year.

o) So, when he opened his mouth, everyone would’ve been listening. And in response to the Lord’s silence being broken & his own silence, we see Zechariah bless the Lord for 3 things.

Here’s the 1st thing Zechariah blesses the Lord for: that He has visited His people.

a) It’s so interesting that much of Zechariah’s response is not about his own son that was just born. This song centers on the Messiah who Mary would soon give birth to. Only 2 verses of this song reference Zechariah’s son, which we see in v76-77.

b) “And you child will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.” John goes before the Lord to reveal the nature of what Christ is coming to do.

c) But Zechariah’s primary focus is Jesus. Notice, v68 clearly says this is no ordinary child.  He says: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited…His people.” Jesus, the Christ child, is Emmanuel. God w/ us. God Himself has taken on flesh & became like us.

d) God didn’t wait for us to come to Him, but He came to us. God didn’t send another prophet. God Himself, in the person of Jesus, stepped into time & space & into this fallen world. I love v78. “b/c of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high.”

e) If you have a different translation you might see the rising sun, dawn, morning light or dayspring will visit us. Fulfilling Malachi’s words, the sun of righteousness, the eternal Son of God, added a human mind, body & soul to Himself. The Greek word translated as sunrise here is ἀνατολή.

f) This word can also refer to a shoot or branch. Zechariah could be declaring Jesus the promised Messiah, the shoot or branch from Jesse (David’s Father). As Isa. 11:1-2 said of the Messiah:

g) “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse & a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom & understanding, the Spirit of counsel & might, the Spirit of knowledge & fear of the Lord.” Zechariah prophesied & announced God’s long-awaited visitation had come.

Here’s the 2nd thing Zechariah blesses the Lord for: He had come to redeem His people.

a) Here’s the question. Why did we humanity need to be redeemed? And from what? Look at v71. Zechariah says God has visited His people: “that we should be saved from our enemies & from the hand of those who hate us.” Now for many in Israel, they believed this meant a political salvation.

b) God’s people thought the Messiah would come to free them from being ruled by the Romans. But Jesus came to redeem His people from their true enemies. He came to redeem us spiritually. Our true enemies are not foreign invaders or political oppressors, but spiritual foes who oppress us.

c) Our true enemies are sin, Satan & death. You could say sin is the disease, Satan is our adversary & death is the result of being enslaved to both sin & Satan. God’s word declares apart from Christ, we are all sinners who fall short of God’s glory. Ps. 51:5 says we are brought forth in iniquity.

d) The NLV translation of Ps. 51:5 says it like this, “For I was born a sinner - yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” In other words, you & I aren’t sinners b/c we sin. Instead it is who we are apart from the saving work of Jesus. We are born w/ a fallen sin nature. And that’s why we sin.

e) And sin is nothing more than rebellion against God & His glory. That’s why sin is our enemy. B/c God, being holy & righteous, must punish sin. Unless we are redeemed, we’ll face God’s eternal wrath & punishment for our sin. That’s why we needed God to not just visit us, but to redeem us.

f) But notice the different reasons Zechariah gives for why God has visited us & redeemed us. 1st, look at v78: “b/c of God's tender mercy.” The only reason any of us are redeemed & our sins are forgiven is b/c of God’s great mercy. We can't demand God redeem us. God owes us nothing.

g) But here’s the good news. B/c of God’s tender mercy, He will grant mercy to all who admit they’re sin & their need of a Savior. But friends, there is only 1 Savior. But notice the 2nd reason Zechariah gives for God coming to redeem us. Look at the end of v74-75:

h) “that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him w/o fear, in holiness & righteousness before him all our days.” God redeemed us so we might serve or worship Him. So we might do what we were created to do. Think back to the Exodus.

i) What was God’s purpose for redeeming Israel from Pharaoh? In Ex. 7:16, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” God visited & redeemed His people to set us free to worship Him. Just as Zechariah worshiped God when his mouth & ears were set free.

j) But there’s a 3rd reason Zechariah gives for God redeeming us in v79, “to give light to those who sit in darkness & in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Left in our sin nature, we are like prisoners serving a life sentence in dark dungeon w/ no hope & no light. We are sitting in darkness awaiting the execution of our sentence: eternal death. Eph. 2:1-3 says,

k) “And you were dead in the trespasses & sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body & the mind, & were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

l) But then comes the good news of Eph. 2:4-5: “But God, being rich in mercy, b/c of the great love w/ which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together w/ Christ - by grace you have been saved.” In Christ’s coming, God redeems a people for Himself.

m) We’ve been bought w/ a price, the precious blood of Christ. We’ve been brought from death to life. We’ve been delivered from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. We’ve been brought into His marvelous light. The Light of the World has come to us who sat in darkness.

n) Darkness in the Bible symbolizes sin, evil, judgment & death. But the Light of the World brings us into the light. Into a true knowledge of God. Into a true knowledge of ourselves. And the Light of the world brings us into true & abundant life. And in that light, sin, darkness & death are defeated.

o) In that light, we’re brought peace. Peace w/ God. Peace w/ ourselves. Peace w/ others. Peace about the future. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for He has visited & redeemed us!”

Here’s the 3rd thing Zechariah blesses the Lord for: He’d raised up a horn of salvation.

a) Last week Mary praised God who sent Christ in remembrance of His mercy, “as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham & to his offspring.” But notice, Zechariah calls to mind God’s covenant from 1 Sam. 7 w/ King David. He says in v69:

b) God “has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.” See, we not only face the deadly disease of sin that leads to death, but a real enemy. As 1 Pet. 5:8 says, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.”

c) But we no longer have to fear this enemy who seeks to devour us b/c God has not only visited & redeemed us, He has raised up a horn of salvation for us to overcome this enemy. See, this kind of horn isn’t a musical instrument. It’s more like a deadly weapon. Think of a wild ox’s horn.

d) In Ps. 132:17 God declared, “I will make a horn to sprout for David. I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. And His enemies I will clothe w/ shame.” In the OT, God is the 1 who fought for His people. God is the 1 who brought victory over His people's enemies.

e) So, it's not surprising that the only 2 instances in the OT where the phrase “horn of salvation” is used all refer to God Himself. We see this in 2 Sam. 22:3 & Ps. 18:2. And both passages record the same words of David after God saved him from his enemy Saul. In both passages David declares:

f) “The Lord is my rock & my fortress & my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield & the horn of my salvation.” This is the only time in the NT Jesus is called a horn of salvation. He came not only to visit & redeem us, but to overcome our enemy for us.

g) On the cross Jesus triumphed over Satan. Although Satan & his demonic forces continue to exist & incite evil & persecute believers, our victory has been won. In Mt. 8:29 the demons said: “What have you to do w/ us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

h) See, they know that when our Lord returns a 2nd time, He will finally destroy His enemies. But look back at v74-75. God’s aim in raising up a horn of salvation for us is not merely to save us from our enemies, but once again so we might serve & worship Him w/o fear all our days.

i) Friends, that’s not a future reality, but a right now reality. We can serve God w/o fear b/c God has raised up a horn of salvation for us. See, Satan may be a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, but none of those who take refuge in Jesus, the horn of our salvation, can be devoured.

j) We may suffer physically. We may be persecuted for our faith. But no harm can come to us spiritually. We are enterally secured & protected by the horn of our salvation. So, we can live w/o fear & freely serve & worship our Lord & King b/c He will defend, protect, lead & rule over us.

Zechariah blesses the Lord b/c the promised Messiah & Christ had finally come.  

a) He is the great gift of Christmas. He descended to redeem us. He lived to redeem us. He died to redeem us. He was raised to redeem us. He ascended to redeem us. And 1 day He will return to fully & finally redeem us & make us new.

b) Our redemption was promised. Our redemption was purchased. And now, our redemption is preached & proclaimed. That’s the message of Christmas. Christ has come. Salvation has come. Have you been redeemed? Do you have this great gift of Christmas? Do you know your sins are forgiven? If not, I exhort you to come to God who is in rich in mercy.

c) If you do have this gift, I exhort you to be in awe this Christmas season that Christ came to redeem you. What a gift!

Well this morning we come to the Lord’s table as a church family.

B/c Christ has come to us, we now have the great joy of approaching our God, Father & Savior through this sacrament the Lord established for His people. And since our Lord instituted this sacrament until now, Christians have gathered & come to this table “in remembrance of Him.” And there are 3 things I want us to remember about the Lord’s Supper. 1st, this is a temporary sacrament. Paul says in 1 Cor. 11:26 that we will participate in this meal “until he comes”. When Christ returns, those united to Him by faith will no longer need to remember Him, for we will be w/ Him forever. So we come to this table looking forward to the day we will be w/ Him face to face.

2nd, the Lord’s Supper is a proclaiming sacrament. Paul also says in 1 Cor. 11:26 that by participating in this meal we proclaim the Lord’s death until he returns. When we come to this table, we are declaring what Jesus did for us. He allowed His body to be broken & His blood to be shed as our substitute, taking the penalty & punishment us & our sins deserved to reconcile us to God.

And 3rd, the Lord’s Supper is an examining sacrament. Paul says in 1 Cor. 11:27-29 that before we come to this table to eat & drink, we should examine ourselves. We are warned that “whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty. And whoever eats & drinks w/o discerning the body & blood of the Lord drinks judgment on themself.”

The only worthy manner to come to this table is by faith. To put your hope & faith & trust in the person & finished work of Jesus Christ for your life & salvation. We come to this table not as perfect people, but as sinners forgiven by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Now, in a few moments I’m going to invite you to come forward, take the elements, & once everyone is served, we will participate in this meal together. Here at CrossWay we don’t require you to be a member of this church to participate, but we do require that you’ve placed your saving faith & trust in Christ. That you’ve confessed w/ your mouth & believed w/ your heart Jesus is your Lord & Savior.

Before you come, I’m going to lead us in prayer & ask you to examine yourself before coming.

Now, all who are willing, I invite you to come to the Table. Paul writes in 1 Cor. 11:23 & following: “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, & when he had given thanks, he broke it, & said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Let’s now take the bread together, in remembrance of our Lord. In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread & drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Let’s now take the cup together, in remembrance of our Lord.