Sunday Service 6-14-2020 - Luke 1,72-75 - Zechariah's Song Part 2 - Covenant Fearlessness

Luke 1 Sermon H (72-80) - Zechariah's Song Part 2 Intro: Two songs: Why? Shows us how to read the book, openings are important and this is still unfolding the opening scene. Both are faithful Israelites, but one is more humble than the other, and thus more believing - This will be true in Israel's response in general - there is a remnant, those who God will raise up from humility to exalt them as His reconstituted people of the New Covenant. There is an obstinate arrogant group who disbelieve and unfortunately this comes from the top, the religious and political elite who value power, money, status, their stomachs, the kingdom of the earth ore than the kingdom of heaven, the flesh more than the spirit. Zechariah and Mary illustrate this for us, but in Zechariah, we see a special kind of repentance, a repentance that takes him from a leader of people to a servant of God, a discipline that shows him his own weakness and God's greatness, a new-found belief that takes him from a high status on earth to a low status in the kingdom of heaven (better to be a servant in the house of God). Most did not respond in repentance and faith though they were given even greater opportunities and signs (Rich man / Lazarus, Thomas - blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe). Prodigal Son/Elder Brother. And, this is still true of us and is always true - The world is divided into the humble and he arrogant - is it about you or about God, are you your own savior devoted to your own self-salvation project, or will you trust your life to Christ? Two Songs: Each comes to understand that God is moving to save his people, and both react with love and praise to the Lord. Might that be a pattern for us to follow as we read Luke's Gospel? We are going to read about things that are even more wonderful than what Mary and Zechariah knew at this point. If they were led to joyfully magnify the Lord, how much more should our hearts convert the fuel of Luke's narrative into flames of praise! Of all the points that are true about this part of the narrative, this is the one that towers above and undergirds them all: These births are impossible ... But, nothing shall be impossible with God!! In what will we place our hope and trust? In man, in the world, (in our own feelings and fears), or in God? Will we humble ourselves before Him and believe on Him for what is impossible - namely forgiveness of sin, salvation from deserved wrath, reconciliation with God and neighbor, and the eternal satisfaction of His glory rather than the emptiness of our own. Zechariah represents Israel here also - (Mary's song more personal, Zechariah's more national) The Lord has remembered/visited his people (as he has done unto me). Zechariah is the ideal Israelite - Could Zechariah be the ideal Jew ... prays for God to save, then god does, but he doubts god's salvation. God then disciplines him, but unlike Israel as a whole, he humbles himself beneath god's hand of discipline, learns to trust and obey god, and praises god for his salvation and participates in it. 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us Chiasm: Chiastic structure work covenant in the middle. How everything leads to and flows from covenant. Not us remembering God as much as God remembering us, Noah. Sovereign grace. Luke 1:68-79 (ESV) 68 visited his people 69 salvation 70 prophets 71 saved from our enemies 72 fathers covenant, 73 the oath father 74 delivered from the hand of our enemies, [might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.] 76 prophet salvation his people 78 visit [79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."] Abrahamic Covenant, equal to the same theme in the Magnificat (V54-55). Again, Luke is eager to show the continuity of everything leading up to this point. This too is Paul's big message of the Gospel, that it is the fulfillment of the covenant God made to Abraham, and that we are the true offspring of Abraham (Rom, Gal, Eph). Hebrews 6:13-20 (ESV) 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 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, 18 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. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less) Zechariah: God remembers. Elizabeth: God is fortune. John: God is gracious. Jesus: God is salvation. It's not so much that we remember God but that He remembers us. Noahic Covenant: Gen 9:12ff "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." 17 God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth." "To show the mercy promised to our fathers" - Fathers are alive and are seeing/aware of this fulfillment. to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. The purpose of our salvation is the service/glory of God. It is a God-centered salvation. Psalm 23 "for his name's sake" ... Other passage in prophets, "For my own name's sake I will save you ..." He saves us from our slave master so that we would be his slaves ... because in Him we are truly free, truly happy/blessed ... These things must always be held together ... His Glory, Our Good ... to Glorify God and to Enjoy Him forever. ... Paul's glad willingness to call and consider himself the servant/slave of God/Christ. Also, this verse isn't implying that there is a divide between God's dual purposes of glory and love, or you might say, His good and our good, or our service or our happiness. In fact, the two are brought together in this verse because it says that we might serve him without fear - in other words, this is what we WANT to do, but there is something that holds us back, that keeps us from fully enjoying God and our service to Him and our purpose in being His people. This deliverance removes that obstacle. (Context: Rome/Babylon/Persia/Assyria/Egypt/Philistia/etc - Greater Cosmic, Eternal Context - Sin/Satan/Death/Hell.) I want to point out some grammar... "to grant us" - this is a gift from God. To serve him is a gift, not a demand. Our service to him is not our gift to him but his gift to us. Don't ever think that you're paying God back when you serve him. First, you can't pay him back - It's like giving a penny to someone you owe a trillions of trillions of dollars. Second, it's still Him serving you, not you serving him. (Paul says this, Acts 17:25 - 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything ... for from Him and through him and to him are all things, and in him all things hold together, all things have their being through him). And, yet ... He still says that we serve Him, and has chosen to fulfill His glorious purpose in and through us!!! He has chosen us for His bride!! His child, his brothers, his people, his family!! Holy and blameless before him - washing us with the word - making us like Him!! A fitting bride, a fitting body that grows into its head! Fearlessly is the emphatic leading word here. Wow... What would it be like to exist without fear ... Do you fear? How much of your life is driven by fear - your words to defend yourself, your actions to ensure your position, your thoughts and feelings driven by it ... perfect love casts out fear. To fear God is to fear nothing else. Psalm 27:1f (ESV) 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 56:11 (ESV) 11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Romans 8:31-39 (ESV) 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. Holiness - with respect to God. Righteousness - with respect to man. OR, Holiness - abstaining from what is forbidden. Rightousness - doing what is commanded. OR, Holiness - set apart from the world. Righteousness - loving the world. Either way it's a complete description of becoming like Christ, perfect. "Before him" - in his presence, before his face (Coram Deo) - this is what matters for us. "all our days" - not just Sundays, not just in the prime of life but from the cradle to the grave, all ages are redeemed for special service ... Zechariah the old and John the infant. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, It becomes personal for Zechariah and his son - his part in the story of Redemption. Notice the Trinitarian assumptions - the prophet of the Most High, go before the Lord. Who? The people needed to be prepared. And, John was the preparer. He was the appetizer before the main course, the pulverizer/tenderizer before the cooking/oven. They were looking for the wrong kind of salvation - political, economic, social, national. The salvation they wanted put them at the top. But, the salvation they needed put them at the bottom. John brought this. John brought knowledge, a realization of their need, their sin and guilt, their brokenness ... it brought humility, it brought repentance. It was a baptism of repentance. Seeing that they were under curse and wrath and deservedly so, the need to be cleansed. Salvation would not involve military victory, but forgiveness of sins. It was the opposite of their expectation - they expected strength and instead got someone who showed them their weakness, expected a throne but got a manger, expected a general but got a servant and teacher, expected regal pomp but got a traveling prophet, expected one who would be a pharisee of pharisees but got someone who sought tax collectors and sinners and harlots and fishermen. Salvation would not be from Rome but from themselves. Their greatest enemies were spiritual - Satan on the outside and Sin within themselves. We also have the wrong expectation - we want deliverance from outward circumstances - a bad work situation, financial trouble, a difficult marriage, a country that is growing more and more anti-God and chaotic. Salvation starts here/heart. It may or may not impact society. But, it must impact me. It impacts society because I am part of society. If racism is a problem, you will not cure it out there, it must be cured "in here". And, then as I go "out there", a small difference is made - salt and light. 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, Tender mercy - the insides of mercy of God - an expression of deep emotion/feeling combining that expression with mercy ... that this is due to the inner being of God, the mercy in the core nature of God - this is something he feels (made in his image - he feels, but not disconnected with truth but in harmony with truth and reason is his affections). whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, After darkness light ... Darkness (delusion/blindness, depravity, despondency/hopelessness) Psalm 23 (Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me) Isa 9:2 Isaiah 9:2 (ESV) The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. Malachi 4:1-6 (ESV) 4 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. 4 "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction." In Heaven there is no sun or moon, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb! (Rev 21:23) think of the shadow, the darkness, the hell we would be in ... those of you who sit in darkness, who sit in the shadow of death ... who wish death upon yourself, who think it would be better if you weren't alive or had never been born, whose sin, weakness, conflict, tension, anxiety, pressure, worthlessness, meaninglessness, failure, evil ... see the picture God paints through his prophet Zechariah ... If you worry for the the darkness of chaos that is gripping our society. ... Hear the Holy Spirit speak through Zechariah: This is what he want you to picture: the sunrise ... after darkness, dawn, to awake from a nightmare; ... what is the destination? to guide our feet into the way of peace." Peace ... more precisely, the WAY of Peace. The path of peace. Involves walking, a manner of living, a manner of thinking, feeling, orienting, directing ourselves that puts our feet on solid ground. The way of peace - I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. "It is the quiet and comforting assurance of forgiveness and adoption (Rom. 8:16 f.). It is the smile of God reflected in the reconciled sinner's heart, the shelter from the storm, the hiding-place in the shadow of his wings, the stream that issues from the fountain of grace. To that peace the Rising Sun directs our feet." Peace with God. Peace with ourselves. Peace with our neighbor. Luke 6:29 - To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Luke 17:3 / Matt 18 - If your brother sins against you, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. "go to him and tell him his fault and if he repents, you have gained your brother ..." How many times do you forgive? 70 times 7. 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. The fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy has begun ... John was strong where it counts most - in Spirit, raised by believers who were strong in faith because of how God had dealt with them, they were able to teach this young one a trust in God that I can barely dream of ... But, then it was up to the boy himself / then the man himself, and God dealt with him personally, as he, like his father was for 9 months, was secluded from the sounds and communications of the world, relying on God in the wilderness being developed for His task and then his task would come to speak to the people ... to prepare the way ... to show them their need and point them to the One who was to come after Him, the one for whom he leaped while he was still in the womb. He still leapt for him then. 67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, We should give reverential attention to Zechariah's song because this is the Holy Spirit's song ... Zechariah is the instrument, the Holy Spirit is the composer, the musician. To prophecy means to forth tell or to foretell. "Whenever a servant of God faithfully proclaims God's message, whether that be a word of condemnation, reproof, command, admonition, consolation, prediction, or any combination of these, he prophesies" We will tread through this passage slowly to take in the Holy Spirit's details. 68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people How can we bless God? To speak goodness. God does this effectively. We do this prayerfully or ascribingly (to recognize or affirm or confess). The focus of this blessing: his concern for his people (what is man that you are mindful of him, "Who am I that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt, who am I that the eyes that see my sin would look on me with love and help me rise again?" Zechariah epitomizes his own prophecy - he received a visit, but he fell short of the glory of the one who visited, he was redeemed. The verb "visit" is the same verb in Matt 25:36 - I was sick and you looked after me ... He has looked after ... came to where we were, entered into our place of suffering, our room of sickness, nursed us, provided for us, cared for us, bandaged us, fed us, brought us back to health. Even Zechariah, a righteous man (blameless), had hidden sin in the heart, hidden unbelief, lack of faith/trust, hardness toward God perhaps. This was mercifully healed by God through discipline as we've already discussed previously. This looking after, visitation, redemption is more fully laid out in what follows. 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, A horn of salvation = the horn of a ram, symbol of power, destructive power. Jesus' power to destroy the enemies of his people in saving/delivering them. We must think here of the power of Jesus displayed in his earthly ministry, to trample over scorpions, to heal, to cast out demonic beings, to command the wind and the sea to obey him, to teach with authority to put the religious hypocritical know-it-alls in their place, not allowing them to exploit people for their own power/gain ... But, we must ultimately think of his resurrection from the dead. NOTHING could stop him, in fact the more you try to stop him, the more his power is on display. "El Shaddai" God, Almighty ... YHWH Sabbaoth (Lord of Hosts - Commander of legions, the mightiest warrior) ... Ish Milhama (man of war) ... gibbor aris (awesome valiant champion) Exodus 15:3 "The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name." Jeremiah 20:11 "But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail." Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory" Psalm 24:8 "Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle." Psalm 2:8-12 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break[b] them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Isaiah 25.8: "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces." Acts 2:24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 1 Cor 15:52-58 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Job 19:25-27 25For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.b 26And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet inc my flesh I shall see God, 27whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. 1 John 3:8 (ESV) 8 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. Revelation 19:11-16 (ESV) 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. We're talking about the power of Jesus - the one who is the horn of salvation, not the meek/mild, but the one who rides on the white horse in the book of Revelation, with blood stains on his robe, the one who is the commander of the armies of heaven, the one who is YHWH who says, "I will fight for you", the one who deals death the death blow, the of whom the disciples said, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the waves obey him", the one who is the warrior whose armor we are to put on in Ephesians 6. Who do you say that he is? As we look at the chaotic forces at work in our world, racism - true and falsely accused, riots, antifa or forces stoking the flames of division and violence, viral pandemics, crippled economies, corrupt politicians, interfering foreign governments out to manipulate and weaken our system, false religions who indoctrinate their adherents to hate and to attack their enemies, demonic forces masquerading as Christianity going against the Word ... WE long for a Hero, one who can conquer all of this, who can command the attention and respect and obeisance of the world, who can subdue and bring peace, who can put humanity in its place ... the HORN of salvation. BUT, as fearsome as this warrior is, he uses his power in surprising ways. As terrible as his wrath is against sin and sinners, he took the horn to himself!! He is the Lion and the Lamb of Revelation. (CS Lewis - Narnia - Aslan - Ellie/Eva) John 16:33 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." Revelation 17:14 (ESV) 14 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." 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." "Fight the good fight." 1 Tim 6:12 (I have fought the good fight 2 Tim 4:7) Q: How doth Christ execute the office of a king? A: Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself,1 in ruling and defending us,2 and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.3 1. Psalm 110:3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. 2. Isaiah 33:22. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us. 3. 1 Corinthians 15:25. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. Acts 12:17. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. Acts 18:9-10. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. This is why we find true and ultimate comfort in this faith in Christ ... What is our only comfort in life and in death? That I am not my own but belong body and soul, in life and in death to a faithful savior Jesus Christ ... In this context, we see the stark picture, the overwhelming/scandalous picture of this same Jesus washing the feet of his servants, speaking to the servant girls as he raises her from the dead "Talitha Cum" - Little girl, get up. Him saying, the one who exalts himself will be humbled, the one who humbles himself will be exalted, Him telling the parable of the father who runs to meet his wayward son. In the house of his servant David - as we've said before, this is the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant, the fulfillment of the promise that a son of David would reign on the throne forever, and this is what so much of the Psalms and the Prophets agonized over - the promise seemed to be abandoned, the house of David had failed and fallen, becoming wicked and corrupt, making deals with foreign powers, becoming subservient to them, leading the people into the worship of false gods, and culminating in the fall of Jerusalem and the Davidic king (Zedekiah) being led away captive in chains with his eyes gouged out. So for Zechariah to mention this is to bring this most sensitive, sore, controversial subject to the foreground and to say, "You think you've seen the end of that, don't you ... you ain't seen nothing yet." 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, Whose coming is from of old, from ancient days - this is a continuation, a fulfillment of the old, old story. And, all of the prophets bore witness to him from Moses to David to Malachi, each giving an aspect of Him, so that together they give a full picture ... But, notice, it was the mouth of the prophet, but it was God speaking the whole time ... the power of the horn is in the power of the WORD (has the power to divide bone and marrow, the Sword of the Spirit) ... "His holy prophets." The lower our view of inspiration, the smaller the blessing we receive and the capability of permitting the Word to be a blessing to others. 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; See above ... is this a physically or spiritually focused verse? Though physical life is not out of the picture, the primary focus from which all else flows is spiritual ... see 77, 79, END: Zechariah: a spiritually mature man still needing to grow, subdued by God, brought to a much deeper level of trust and effectiveness, given eyes to see the greatness of God ... His attention during this most amazing, blessed time of his life is not even on the gift (his own Son) but the Giver and the greater gift of His Son. God calls us to see His strength, to see Him as our Strength, that he fights for us with awesome and terrible power, that he uses His power to save us even through His own ultimate suffering ... See His Power and His Love ... See that power at work in you to free you from anything that holds you back to bring you to a deeper level of trust and peace ... See that power at work in Your own love, to love God more than the world, to love Christ and His Kingdom more than your own life, for that love to flow as a river of the Spirit from your heart to the Church, the rest of the body of Christ and feel their love as well, and for that love to be seen in the World, to give them pause to ask ... Who is this King of glory? For Jesus' question to rise up in them as it did in us, "Who do you say I AM?" A Mighty Fortress Is Our God