Get Victory in David's Horn & Mercy in Abraham's Seed
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Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
In this last OT prophesy before - after 400y of God’s silence, open aged Zechariah’s mouth to give the signal of what God was now about to do at the centre of world history, greatest act of salvation ever, 9 months mull over - wonders , whole list of OT prophesies - . And by Holy Spirit we are given the first thing we need to know about Christmas, incarnation, about God personally visiting this world - Event of - Visiting - but like a general of army , like a caring shepherd, bishop of our souls … and not only that not just pat us on the back there there I see I care and know - can relate ; but to do something - What the other big why? Redeem. Buy us back … remember goel - like Boaz ; had happened once in Egypt - first born lambs given in place and God adopted Israel as his first born - a new nation - But now again whole human race, including Israel now enslaved to sin, sold into exile - need to understand that Zechariah aged senior citizen wife just had a baby and the people all around asking - What manner of child will this be - and he passes over amazing miracle, and his boy is going to be someone, the forerunner, herald of Lord jesus Christ - not even registering until the end of his song and prophesy. But Mouth open and he understands what’s going on that God Himself in Mary's child -and the Messianic Age, a world wide salvation from sin - That’s why the third WORD explain why =- our response to God visiting and our response to God redeeming - has got to be BLESS the LORD God of Israel.
But now Zechariah gets down to how Mary’s child who is the Son of God is going to visit and how he is going to redeemer or deliver people. And if you want to celebrate Christi’s coming - need to ask how this Son of Mary who is also the Son of God - visits and redeems you. And Zechariah - with literally thousands of prophetic details about the Messiah studies, read, prayer - the Holy Spirit, like a solution, mixed up shaken, then its like two things about how solidify in that two images are suspened that summarize everything else the Messiah will do. It’s the image of a horn and the image of a seed!
The Key Truth: The Horn of David & the Seed of Abraham must save us from our enemies and establish us in a mercy relationship with God.
The Horn of David and the Seed of Abraham must save us from our enemies and establish us in a mercy relationship with God.
And it is your experience of Jesus deliverance from your enemies and Jesus as a seed that sprouts a whole of new relationship of mercy with God - that assures you of Christ’s oath bound covenant with you! So let’s understand this victory in the horn, this mercy in the seed, we must experience with Jesus!
A. The Horn of David must save you from your enemies
Do you realize that you need deliverance from your enemies that only a Messiah could give? Do you realize our nations, our families house all burned up and in shambles, forced to live as it were as spiritual refugees and even if have a lot of stuff and d\o reasonably well in exile of this world’s kingdoms; you are not yet home, you are not yet part of glorious family and nation and kingdom that God made you for! And the way God is going to bring you back home is by raising up a horn of salvation for you!
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
Those words reaisedup, military words. Imagine you are part of brother and sisterhood but lost the war POW camp, but back home they are mustering up an another army for 40 years now rotted away, but army raised up and dispatched saved up enough weaponary, got enough training, know the lay of th alnd - ready to go. . That’s what Zechariaih is anonouncing, but listen not only an army - have a secret weapon a horn!
Imagery in OT for strwength power authority - head on collision break horns of oppressors - Like vision of powerful beasts in Daniel! smash it around to portect - and who is he doiong this for - Zech says for us!, and even in
that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
Here is important to take a step back - Zechariaih is telling us how redemption is going to happen, not going to be by us hating our enemies back, or by us fighting - What some of jesus disciples even wanted - kick out Rome - what you may be tempted to think Christmas is all about - Jesus down from heaven in to my life - to destory all the bad things in this world and my life and make my life easy - speaking of different enemies - than political ones, medical ones, finanicail ones - But not like the kingdoms of this world!
What is this a horn of? SALVATION - whoever will keep his life will lose it, but whoever looses his life for my sake and the gospels will saved it! This is what salvation means in Luke - saving health of individuals soul - sure implications… full-orbed kingdom - but bulls eye. And in v70 we can see how this going to work - because he says this is no deep secret, its what prophets of God preparing world for from the garden of Eden on =-
And in v70 we can see how this going to work - because he says this is no deep secret, its what prophets of God preparing world for from the garden of Eden on =-
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
First prophesy -Gen 3:15 one of battle and war and destroying an enemy - not cain , but like principalities power of darkness - reconozie those in your life - seed of Eve - crush Satan head! Recognize in yourself - don’t live in God’s house, in His kingdom - sold in bondage to your sin - Jesus says: who ever sins is aslave to sin - but you will know the truth and the truth shall set you freee.
‘s teh strong man come to tie up and bind Satan - what his gospel does - kingdom of darkness - feel his accusation his claim on your life! The NT goes on to say that the last enemy to be destroyed is death - Christ won decisive battle on the Cross, in His resurrection . Do you feel the claim death.
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
This seed sent to do battle for you - so that just like Moses as great prophet brings them out of that house of sin idoaltry orppression - and into promisesd land, So too this Jesus got to lead you like a genreal, sure aprophet but mediator - God promsies prophet of Old - One Great than Moses. Same promise to David, build you a house, now David, i will build you a house a dynsty - and your seed - this horn I’ll annoint - I buildi Him a house a thorne, a kigndom that will last forever.
What Isaiah prophesied with God’s one mouth as it were: this branch of David, from the burnt up stem of Jesse, would be Immanuel God Himself with us - Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father Prince of Peace - Last one interesting - Do you know when Israel was supposed to take the land Moses sent 12 not spies, though they were to spy the land. 12 Princes - They failed, But God’s Son now sent into battlefield of this world spiritually,even today on the battle field of your life, and he is to lead us into His kingdom, into His reign of grace, into promised land!
Zechariah said this horn is gong to be THE BRANCH - no Christmas tree, just a Christmas stump - out of the house of David - small beginnings just like David youngest most unassuming, small tribe not in priests of Levi, but Judah’s family , but for 400 years there hasn’t been a Son of David on the throne, but now this child from humble beginnings, going to ascend to throne of heaven and earth and reign!
Holy prophets of Old Ezekiel and Zechariah say - he will be THE SHEPHERD . Daniel the Son of Man with an everlasting Dominion and authority . Micah Ruler comes in on a donkey. Rescues us in his own blood atonement on the Cross for us. Destroys the power of Satan to deceive and keep us ensnared! Malachi - Angel, the Messenger of the Covenant the New Covenant, rises to return in power to His church on earth, restore Temple made of people like you and me, and then to reign in grace by His suffering love! That’s the horn and the redemption, deliverance only going to come as he does battle with your spiritual enemies. This is what Zechariah means that from of old God’s master plan now like a constellation of brilliant stars all focused on Mary’s child! And the end of the Bible says that you turn to this Child this Horn like that then you too united to him will conquer:
Do get that? It isn’t just that Jesus defeated Satan and died for our sins two thousand years ago: Look what Zechariah announces: Our/US
that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
Do you understand that though Stan is defeated foe, still rages against God’s plan and his people, seeks to destroy lives of a dying world? He is the thief that comes to steal kill and destroy. Luke later will record how the we is s the people of God even after Jesus gone to heaven again. The we is even the Gentiles scattered around the world now turning to Jesus and they will have their spiritual enemies defeated, and they united to Jesus conqueror and reign with him in new righteous life:
They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
Do you feel it - hand of sin temptation, hand of death , clutches of Satan’s hell - despair - and this horn from David, He is powerful to to bring this salvation to all who have faith in Him. He is alive to apply His saving power in the midst of our lives!
You can imagine how much those jews wanted to be free from Rome, how about you from sin and death - they wanted to be a kingdom again, how about you to be the people of God the colony of heaven, the city on a hill - Receive this jesus as your powerful horn, the establisher of a kingdom.
Christmas time a lot of people going home - same house, same parents - maybe some estranged - come home to the house of God’s servant David - made a way … in this child reconcile and redeems and will protect you! Are you turning to Jesus as your prince, have you had enough of the influence of Satan in your life, enough of Satan's work of dividing family - enough of strife of this world. Do you understand this spiritual salvation is what you need this horn to work in your life? That’s how Jesus talked of salvation in Luke’s gospel: - Don’t you ache for the full salvation this horn, last enemy death, be destroyed, for Satan not only to be bound, but cast into the fiery lake of final destruction. Don’t you long for the kingdom of heaven in fulness that this prince, this mighty Saviour brings?
Christams time a lot of people going home - smae house, same parents - maybe some enstranged - come home to the house of God’s servant David - made a way … in this child reconcile and redeems and will protect you! Are you turning to Jesus as your prince, have you had enough of the influence of Satan in your life, enough of Staan’s work of dividing family - enough of strife of this world. Do you understand this spritiual salvation is what you need this horn to work in your life? That’s how Jesus talked of salvation in Luke’s gospel: - Don’t you ache for the fulll salvation this horn, this prince, this mighty Saviour brings?
B. The Seed of Abraham must establish you in a mercy-relationship with God.
But there is a second way that Jesus must bring us salvation, not just deliverance from the real spiritual enemies of our lives and world and from death and hell, but look at
to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
But the
What is this mercy that Jesus is to bring us into? It’s a mercy promised all through the Bible but concentrated into the oath mentioned in
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
For sure mercy involves the horn battling our spiritual enemies and redeeming us, but mercy is a big relationship Word. With God it means Him being absolutely loyal and faithful to His people, purely out of his kindness and compassion. Now the people in Zechariah's day doubted this about God. God had promised Abraham on oath, when Abraham had demonstrated his faith in God’s miraculous power, and had trusted God could bring His son from the dead, and providing a Lamb - God did - and he promises Abraham:
I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
But Israel had wondered away from faith, they had forsaken really living by God and His Word, and what had happened: covenant divorce, and God let the enemies storm their gates, and the very place that happen Mount Moriah - the temple mount area - the Romans now contorled and mean Idumean - Hoerd the Great controlled even the religious leadership of the Jews. God said far from being a blessing to the nations, to yoru neighbours, bringing the ligh tof my Word transforming them by living by my grace! You've not only adopted wicked practices, you have out done them.
Psalm ends book III of the Psalms - when the earthly king of Israel was supposed to bring all the promises of Abraham and David -the covenant promises to pass, but instead:
But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed. You have renounced the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown in the dust.
And the Psalm ends saying its the enemy that’s exalted and horn of David is broken, and the promises o Abraham are nothing in our midst. Asking How long Lord,
Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
But the heart of the Psalm is this new horn of David, God will reestablish his covenant through Him:
My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.
Do you understand what Zechariah is saying will happen with Jesus - as he comes as God’s miracle Son for us, He is Abraham’s promised seed, he is David’s promised seed - and the even bigger deal than spiritual victory over our enemies is that - steadfast love, hesed, that mercy relationship is what he will bring us into! God’s favour upon you and upon us a His family - His kingdom. Do you remember the last part of the promise God gave Abraham
I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
The only open space in Hebrew towns and cities was the area just inside the city gate. This space was reserved for meetings of citizens (cf. ; ), the proclamation of judicial decrees (; ), and the pursuit of commercial activity (). Solomonic gates at 200 key cities, Hazor! Outside the gates closed every night, is where disreputable persons such as traders, tanners, prostitutes, and beggars lived. And the prophesy is that the offspring of the Messiah - children of Chris by faith - go into this world - and the enemy gates won’t overcome them, but they will have like all the protestors in New York City - OCCUPY Movement. We don’t like how your doing business moving in . Christians to move into the decision making places, business place, even mix with the disreputable - not overcome by their influence but slat and light occupy the gates of our lives for Christ!
Do you remember what Jesus promised to all who would join Him, be united to Him in faith, and joined to each other - community of grace here? He was standing above what the Greeks in Caeserea Phillipi called the gates of hell, hades… He was sending forgiven and renewed disciples into the world with his gospel - and he says, right after Peter confess - You are the Son of God, the Messianic Christ - the Seed of Abraham who bless all nations of the earth, the Son of David - the Horn bring -victory of God to all nations - Jesus looks at them all, just as I look at you this morning, and he says to all who confess Christ like Peter did:
Do you remember what Jesus promised to all who would join HIm , be united to HIm in faith, and joined to each other - commuinty of grace here? He was standing above what the greeks in Caeserea Phillipi called the gates of hell, hades… He was sending forgiven and reneewed discples into the world with his gospel - and he says, right after Peter confess - YOu are the Son of GOd, the Messianic Christ - theSeed of Abrhaam who bless all nations f the earht, the Son of David - the Horn bring -vicotry of GOd to all nations - Jesus looks at them all, just as I look at you this morning, and he says to all who confess Christ like Peter did:
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
I give you the keys not to the gates of hell, but I give you church f Jesus Christ - who go with gospel of forgiveness and mercy, truth and light of Jesus, I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven - GO out and release those - bowed down in suffering, crushed with weight of their sin, stumbling in path of despair, bound with anger - tumbling towards hell - GO and show them the mercy promised to Abraham and all who have his faith, to David, and all who are joined to His greater Son. Go and be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful; you’ve been delivered from the enemy, now live daily in my family of mercy, but enemy gates still all around you - go into them and possess the for my kingdom!
There are gates of evil in our public life - rotund of our city hall, sex-trafficking of women, violence against women, a government that stands for abortion, hospital that perform such incredible lifesaving, but in floor just below euthanizing - not just elderly now but infants with special needs. Go to the gates and make a difference. Gates of the city were business deals transacted, where people bring all their complaints and grievances. Any of those in your life, Go down there with my gospel. That’s the how of Christmas that this Christ child - bring deliverance from our spiritual enemies, and make us into a people who know and live by the mercy, grace of God - and then he would and us to occupy the enemy gates by proclaiming and living out his mercy and grace there! And what a testimony then we are to have what a witness - in how we do family this Christmas, in how we do hospitals, funerals, and weddings how we do our business.
C. You Need the Certainty of the New Covenant-Oath for Encouragement & Hope
Next week we will look at the why, what result will it have in our life if we embrace the child of Christmas as this strong horn of salvation over every spiritual enemy and as this surprising mercy-bringer; but today we must close with our text - Abraham didn’t get the salvation in fulness - had to live as sojourner not settling in cities of the land, but in tents - fix his eyes on a coming kingdom, - not on - So God said - get living in trust of this seed by faith and mercy! And I will want to give you a surety, a down payment - so you can know the certainty - let me sign this promise to you: And he calls from heaven a second time - I swear by myself. The Holy Spirit explains this in
C. Next week we will look at the why, what result will it have in our life if we embrace the child of Christams as this strong horn of slavation over every spiritual enemy and as this surprising mercy-bringer; but today we must close with our text - Abraham didn’t get the salvation in fulness - had to live as soujourner not settling cties of the land, but in tents - fix his eyes on a cmiong kingdom, - not on - So God said - get living in trust of this seed by faith and mercy! And I will want to give you a surety, a down payment - so you can know the certianty - let me sign this proimse to you: And he calls from heaven a second time - I swear by myself. The HOly SPirit expalins this in
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven
How is that for a certified promise from heaven to keep you living by faith. Zechariah says delivered, but now this horn of David, seed of Abraham - establishes his kingdom and his new covenant way of living with us - and he says, I know until I come again - you’re faith will waiver, you will grow tired - lose sight of the victory over the enemy that remains and you will think my mercies not enough; so in the same way I want to swear to you and how does the child of Christmas do that with us?
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,
Why?
so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
When did Jesus swear this oath - that he will finish his work of salvation and mercy and deliverance in your life and mine?
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Says, signed it in blood, gone into heaven with it - new testament in my blood - I will deliver, flee to me find my strong encouragement - the oath is final for settling all the disputes in our lives. It is settled Jesus loves, Jesus sent us into the world until he comes again to live by and for this mercy of God for the nations, As we go promised to be with us always to the end of the age -
So this Christmas - prepare yourself not just to celebrate Jesus came, but that he is David’s great horn - cornucopia of deliverances you need, come celebrating that he is the deliverer of the sure mercies of God! Come entering into the new covenant, he sets up with all who put their faith in him. Be assured no matter what battles remain, what stumbling we fall into, what trails are to be endured - his deliverance, his mercy, his kingdom and our place in it - are assured! Amen.