The Gospel of Luke (5) 10/16/2022

First Baptist Church Leominster

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Titus, Tap the Chu, but as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

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Older men are to be sober -minded, dignified, self -controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

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Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.

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They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self -controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

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Likewise, urge the younger men to be self -controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

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Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters, everything they are to be well -pleasing, not argumentative, but pilfering, showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our

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Savior. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self -controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great

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God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness, and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, who are zealous for good works.

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Declare these things, exhort and rebuke with all authority, let no one discard you.

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Let us pray. Heavenly Father, you are the one who is sovereign, who rules over all things.

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We've come this morning to hear your voice through your preached word this morning. It's our prayer that you will be pleased with all the parts of our service.

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So help us, we pray. Open our minds and ears that we might see and hear clearly as your servant, our pastor, preaches what he has studied these past days.

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We are your privileged people. Gather this first day of the week and help us,

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Lord. As we listen to the word, that there might be something that we hear that we hadn't heard for a while, may it touch our hearts and our minds,

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Lord. And we pray, as we often do, for revival, a revival in our own hearts and spreading throughout our church family and the community.

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So, Lord, we thank you for allowing us to live in this world and to worship in this place.

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For Christ's sake, amen. Well, let's turn in our

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Bibles to the first chapter of Luke. I've been here now for, well, this is the fifth

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Lord's Day, and hopefully we'll complete our consideration of this chapter this morning,

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Lord willing. Luke's infancy narratives record a number of miracles that God had wrought at the beginning of this

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New Testament era. We've already shown that these first two chapters of Luke are set forth in the form and style of a narrative suitable in the

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Old Testament social context. Chapters one and two is

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Hebraic in nature, even though it was originally written in Greek. And in so doing, the author of Scripture is showing that the promised worldwide

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Davidic kingdom of the prophets would become a reality with the lives of these two persons set forth, that being

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John the Baptist and, of course, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. Today, we'll give our attention to the account of the birth, circumcision, and naming of John the

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Baptist, as well as the celebratory song of John's father,

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Zacharias. The long -anticipated event arrived in the home of Zacharias and Elizabeth, in which their son was born and then circumcised on the eighth day.

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In this very joyous and solemn occurrence, the parents were imposing upon their son his lifelong commitment and responsibility to keep the law of God, the

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Mosaic covenant, with all its duties, but also with all its promises.

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And they preface it, they would do all they could do to have the angel's words, Gabriel's words, regarding him realized.

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For Gabriel had told John's father nine months before, and you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the

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Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the

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Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the

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Lord their God. He will also go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, and to make ready a people prepared for the

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Lord. Well, here is the account, recorded in Luke chapter one, a number of verses here, verses 57 through 80.

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Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard how the

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Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. So it was on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the child, and they would have called him by the name of his father,

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Zacharias. His mother answered and said, no, he should be called

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John. But they said to her, there's no one among your relatives who is called by this name.

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So they made signs to his father, what he would have him called. And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote saying, his name is

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John. So they all marveled, and immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke praising

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God. And then fear came on all who dwelt around them, and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.

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And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, what kind of child will this be?

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And the hand of the Lord was with him. Now his father,

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Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, blessed is the

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Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant

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David. As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father

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Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

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And you, child, will be called the prophet of the highest, for you will go before the face of the

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Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our

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God, with which the day spring from on high has visited us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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And so the child grew, and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts, till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

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It's a long passage of scripture, but basically it contains two parts. First, there's the birth, circumcision, and naming of John the

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Baptist, verses 57 -66. And then second, we have recorded for us another song.

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We've seen several already. And this song, of course, is attributed to Zacharias, the father of John.

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And this song of Zacharias has traditionally been known as the Benedictus.

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So let's consider these two sections first. The birth and naming of John the Baptist. The birth of John is recorded in verses 57 and 58.

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Nine months of Elizabeth's pregnancy had transpired. She gave birth to the son that had been given to her and Zacharias in answer to their prayer, and in God's preparation for the arrival of the

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Messiah. So it simply stated, now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered.

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She brought forth a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

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Elizabeth's neighbors and family relatives were amazed when they had learned their dear elderly friend was expecting a child in her old age.

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The fact that her husband had been struck dumb while serving in the temple just before the onset of her pregnancy, no doubt accentuated the excitement and wonder concerning her child.

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But I suspect that there may have been some doubts among some that this older woman would be able to go full term with this pregnancy, given that she was a woman of her age.

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When they heard that the child was born and that he was a son, the news was received and celebrated that the

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Lord had shown great mercy to her. We read that they rejoiced with her.

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Of course, we're instructed in the scriptures to rejoice with those who rejoice. And this is not only with others with whom we are related or have close friendships, but we should rejoice with anyone of whom we have learned that the

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Lord has been merciful. This is implied within the context of the command of Romans 12, 14, in which we read, blessed are those who persecute you.

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So he's not just talking about Christians, he's talking about everybody. Blessed are those who persecute you, blessed do not curse.

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Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another.

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Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

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J .C. Ryle wrote some words I think that were appropriate, that if this were commonly practiced by us, it would greatly enhance our society.

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Ryle wrote, we see in the conduct of Elizabeth's neighbors and cousins, a striking example of the kindness we owe to one another.

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It's written that they rejoiced with her. How much more happiness there would be in this evil world if conduct like that of Elizabeth's relations was more common.

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Sympathy in one another's joys and sorrows cost little and yet is a grace of most mighty power.

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Like the oil on the wheels of some large engine, it may be a trifling and unimportant thing, and yet in reality it has an immense influence on the comfort and well -working of the whole machine of society.

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A kind word of congratulation or consolation is seldom forgotten.

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The heart that is warmed by good tidings or chilled by affliction is peculiarly susceptible, and sympathy to such a heart is often more precious than gold.

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Moreover, to direct someone to the mercy that God has shown to him or her is also a good witness of the mercy and grace of God to another.

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While having a haircut with a new barber about three weeks ago or so, I asked how his infant son was getting on.

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This son had been born very prematurely and was at Boston Children's Hospital for quite a number of months, and this father was very happy that his son was about to be released home that very week, and that he and the boy's mother were very excited that that day was soon here.

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And so I took the occasion to congratulate him and express to him verbally, the Lord's been very merciful to you and good to you and to your wife and your son.

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And he very promptly agreed. He kind of exudes or tries to show himself as kind of a tough guy, but there was a softening in his words that was apparent.

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And he even said so, acknowledging the mercy and grace of God toward him and his family.

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And I hope it'll be an opening for further speaking with him as he's not a Christian, I believe.

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But again, these simple, easy words to express are memorable.

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And I suspect when I go and sit on that chair in his, you know, business some weeks from now, a few weeks from now, that he's going to remember that.

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And I'll ask him once again, how his son is doing now that he is at home. And so we call attention to people of the

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Lord and his involvement in their lives, and that he's merciful and good to people, even though they may not be

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Christian in their profession. I think it's a good opening for a witness for the gospel.

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As we consider the joy of Zacharias and Elizabeth, we might also reflect on the fruits of their affliction.

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They had gone through many long decades of great hope unrealized and much prayer unanswered.

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So when the child, this child was born and all gathered about them sharing their joy, the measure of their happiness must have been enhanced greatly after having endured those many difficult years, don't you think?

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In fact, Proverbs tells us, hope deferred makes the heart sick. But when the desire comes, it's a tree of life.

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And I imagine it was to Zacharias and Elizabeth. Now some of us may feel somewhat like Zacharias and Elizabeth while they're, while they are waiting literally for years for the blessing of God.

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It would seem that your prayers have remained unanswered while others about you seem to encounter his blessing at every turn.

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And it may be many years before God's blessing is fully realized by you to any great degree as you await what might seem to be quite a dismal and difficult life here and now.

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And some of us I think could describe their life in that manner. But there will be a day of rejoicing for each of us who knows

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Jesus Christ. And perhaps the ones who have waited the longest and have seemingly encountered the least of God's favors in this life will perhaps rejoice the loudest and longest in that day when we stand before him.

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But do not let your apparent absence of personal blessing prevent you from enjoying that which

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God does on behalf of others. Certainly let's not be envious or jealous of others, but congratulatory.

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Let us enter their joy and their blessing with them. And here we read that it was now

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Zacharias and Elizabeth's time for rejoicing and all who knew them, relatives and neighbors, rejoiced with them.

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That's a wonderful word. Verses 59 through 66, we have the circumcision and the naming of John.

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We read that the family would circumcise their son and at this time of circumcising their son, they would also officially declare his name, name him.

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We need to say a few words about circumcision because it is found throughout the scriptures.

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Circumcision of the male physical descendants of Abraham had been observed by the

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Jewish people for nearly 2 ,000 years. It was originally the command of God to Abraham that that had first established the practice.

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And so here we have the first of it declared in Genesis 17 9 and following. God said to Abraham, as for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, throughout their generations.

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This is my covenant, which you shall keep between me and you and your descendants after you.

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Every male child among you shall be circumcised, and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

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He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male child in your generations, he was born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who's not your descendant.

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He was born in your house, and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised. And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

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And the uncircumcised male child who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people.

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He is broken my covenant. And so the covenant side of circumcision continued through the generations and was strictly reinforced later when

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God established the Mosaic Covenant with the nation of Israel at the time of the exodus, 400 years, 400 plus years, after he initiated with Abraham.

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Circumcision was a physical sign of a physical people. It constituted them as a physical nation in covenant relationship with God.

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A political, earthly nation. This covenant with God with all its promises and stipulations was an external, physical, and national covenant in which

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God promised Israel physical health, prosperity, and security in its relationship with God, if they kept

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God's commandments, the terms of the covenant. The basis or essence of this covenant was one of works, ordering their lives according to God's law.

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The Ten Commandments and circumcision was the sign of Abraham's covenant, but also the

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Mosaic Covenant later on. It was a continued sign, even though Sabbath Day observance was the sign of the

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Mosaic Covenant itself. God also promised them, Israel, that he would curse them, however, if they broke their covenant with him.

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And of course, that's what historically happened. Much of the Old Testament is a record of Israel's defection and departure and breaking the

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Mosaic Covenant with God. And as a result, the nation of Israel incurred the judgment of God, eventually resulting in Israel's exclusion from God's blessing from the land.

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God exiled the Jews from the land of promise, having encountered God's wrath. And so, the northern kingdom of the

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Ten Tribes went off into Assyria in 722 BC. The southern kingdom of Judah went off to Babylon in 586

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BC. Nevertheless, God purposed to save a remnant of these people that he sent off into exile.

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He had promised a restoration of his nation under a new covenant, a covenant which would be quite distinct and different in nature from the old covenant that they had broken.

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God did indeed restore a remnant of Jews to their land from exile, and there they awaited the promise and fulfillment and the full restoration as his people upon the arrival of the

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Messiah. The Jews continued to circumcise their infant sons, identifying themselves as God's people to whom his promises belong.

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And so, with the circumcision of John, it would then be incumbent on John to keep

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God's laws and all its covenantal stipulations throughout life, even as he in faith awaited the promised salvation that would come through the

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Messiah, of which, of course, he was the forerunner. And so, Paul had written,

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I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

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And so, John's circumcision on the eighth day committed him to lifelong adherence and obedience to the covenant.

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Now, it's extremely important for us to understand that physical circumcision or physical birth, for that matter, did not warrant or guarantee

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God's blessing. There's much misunderstanding about this in today's world, in evangelicalism.

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Paul made this very clear in his letter to the church at Rome. He had shown that the Jews were not assured of God's favor and blessing simply because they were ethnic

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Jews and they had been circumcised. Their circumcision, which was a sign of their covenant with God, would only bring benefit to them if they kept

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God's law. In other words, order their life in faith and obedience to God's law. Romans 2 25 reads, for circumcision indeed is a value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.

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And so, clearly circumcision in and of itself brought no merit or standing.

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Physical circumcision was a sign of their covenant relationship with God, and although it distinguished them as God's people from all others in the world, circumcision, physical circumcision, was not a life -changing experience.

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It served to foreshadow the need of spiritual circumcision, of the heart, which is regeneration or the new birth.

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What the New Testament refers to as the new birth in John chapter 3. And so, with the coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the promised new covenant with his disciples, the right of physical circumcision was no longer practiced.

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We read in Colossians 2, these words, in Christ, in him also, you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands.

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That's the true circumcision, a spiritual circumcision of the heart, by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

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And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demand.

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This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and the authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him, in Christ.

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I need to say a word about our Pato Baptist Reformed friends, and I have many of them, who

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I love as brothers in Christ. I meet with them monthly in our NERF meetings. They're Reformed Pato Baptists, in that they teach that the

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Bible instructs us to baptize infants of believing parents, both boys and girls.

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Just as the Jews in the Old Testament circumcised their sons, Christians in the New Testament churches are to baptize infants because their parents are

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Christian. The passage we just read from Colossians is argued as a proof text.

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I think they argue wrongly from this passage. The physical circumcision as an

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Old Testament type did not prefigure baptism. That's very clear. But rather, it foreshadowed the spiritual circumcision of the heart that God performs in conversion.

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Spiritual circumcision of the heart is regeneration, or the new birth, in which the

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Lord imparts a new heart, giving that soul the desire to know God and do his will. And so the new covenant, circumcision, is performed without hands.

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That's what Paul said in this passage of Colossians. And that could never be said of infant baptism because that's performed with hands.

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And so circumcision of the Old Testament does not point to baptism, certainly not to infant baptism.

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The New Testament teaches that only committed disciples of Jesus Christ are to be baptized upon their profession of faith and upon the evidence of their repentance.

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Babies are not to be baptized, nor does God require male infants to be circumcised as a sign of a covenant relationship with God.

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And so regarding physical circumcision under the new covenant in Christ, Paul wrote, Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which

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Christ has made us free and don't do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed, I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised,

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Christ will profit you nothing. And what he means by that is if you add to Christ alone as the basis of salvation, and you couple that with your works beginning with the work of circumcision,

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Christ will not bring you any profit, benefit at all. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised, he's a debtor to keep the whole law.

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You think circumcision is going to bring approval for you before God? Well, then you're going to have to keep the entire law of Moses perfectly.

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You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace.

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That is from grace teaching, not that you lost your salvation. For we through the Spirit, the

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Holy Spirit, eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything.

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Brings no benefit whatsoever, but rather faith working through love. And so the circumcision of John, clearly under the old covenant, the parents were committing him to lifelong obedience to the covenant under which they stood.

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Now let's consider the naming of John. Returning to our text, we read the infant son was to be circumcised, and Elizabeth named her son over the objection of what others would have preferred.

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So it was on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the child, they would have called him by the name of his father,

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Zacharias. His mother answered and said, no, he shall be called John.

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Notice the tense there, he shall be called John. It was the father's privilege and responsibility to name the child, not the mother.

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But Zacharias could not speak, for the angel Gabriel had pronounced judgment upon him for his unbelief nine months before.

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And so Zacharias was speechless. It would seem that the officiating rabbi assumed the child would be named customarily after his father.

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But Elizabeth spoke up, which itself would have been unusual, and declared the boy would be named in an unusual manner.

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She said he shall be called John. And so what might appear to have been inappropriate boldness on her part by some, actually bore witness of her faith and obedience.

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For Gabriel had said to Zacharias, your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, you shall call his name

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John. Well, how did Elizabeth know this? Zacharias didn't tell her, did he?

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It would seem either the Holy Spirit had personally informed Elizabeth, or Zacharias had written to her on his writing tablet that the angel

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Gabriel told him to name his son John. I think that's likely, although I read some commentators who think that the

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Holy Spirit must have illuminated Elizabeth to this reality.

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And so they made signs to the boy's father, Zacharias. And so we read in verse 63, he asked her writing tablet and wrote saying his name is

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John. So they all marveled. Most commentators suggest that these signs were necessary because Zacharias must have been both dumb and deaf.

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Why didn't they just speak to him? They made signs to him. He could neither speak nor hear.

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I don't know if that's true, but it seems likely. The ancient Jews held high regard for the name of a person, and therefore the naming of a person was exceedingly important.

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From what had been proceeding as customary, given the inability of Zacharias to speak, apparently all present anticipated the child to be named after his father.

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And that Elizabeth spoke up, interrupting the procedure, declaring the name for her son, which bore no connection with her or her husband, seemed strange to the gathering.

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And when they put the matter to Zacharias, and he confirmed his wife's assertion, it caused the people to wonder further about God's purpose and the destiny of this child, the meaning of the name

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John means God is gracious. Their reaction was one of astonishment.

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It may be rather surprising for us that they would be surprised, but their reaction may be not only because the departure from custom in naming the child, but due to the certainty of Zacharias' words.

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Remember what Elizabeth said? He shall be called John. That's not what Zacharias said. His name is

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John. It's already a done deal. His name had already been established, apparently, by God himself.

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Some must have thought his name is John. This signified that God's hand would be upon his son in a mighty way in order to accomplish some great purpose for God.

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And so this incident in naming John serves to further the readers of the gospel to recognize the significant intervention of God that was taking place before them.

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The long -anticipated arrival of the kingdom of God was at hand and this child, John, had a significant role to play in God's graciously working history on behalf of his people.

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And then we read, wonderfully, miraculously, God restored Zacharias the ability to speak.

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And then at that moment, the tongue of the speechless began to praise God. Verse 64. Immediately, his mouth was opened, his tongue loosed, and he spoke praising

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God. I really appreciate Alfred Edersheim's classic work.

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The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. He wrote, of Zacharias, his last words back in the temple nine months before had been those of unbelief.

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His first words were those of praise. His last words had been a question of doubt.

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His first were a hymn of assurance. Luke then recorded the immediate and wider effects and influence of this event.

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And fear came on all who dwelt around them. And all these sayings were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea and all those who heard them kept them in their hearts saying, what kind of child will this be?

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And the hand of the Lord was with him. And so as a result of this event, fear fell upon the people.

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It was not long before an expectation concerning this boy filled the entire country of Judea.

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All knew that a great work of God would be wrought by this son of Zacharias and Elizabeth. The hand of the

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Lord was certainly with him, speaking of God's power and presence, God's leading and strengthening, and his preparation for his life's work.

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And now we come to the second major section of our passage, the Song of Zacharias, which is commonly what had been known for centuries as the

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Benedictus. In verses 67 through 79, verse 80 is a concluding word, but in these verses really 68 through 79, we have a record of Zacharias' hymn, come to be known as the

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Benedictus. Note first the words in the preface of his song, verse 67, it records, and Zacharias was filled with the

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Spirit and he prophesied. We do not have, therefore, the words of simply an

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Old Testament Jew who spoke with no reference to New Testament truth. Rather, we have a divinely inspired commentary on the transpiring events.

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Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave forth this divinely inspired word from God regarding fulfillment of the

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Old Testament hope and longing. We see in this hymn of praise, therefore, the transition from the old to the new, the fulfillment of the

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Old Testament hope in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Details of the

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Messiah and his work are given, for whom Zacharias' son John would be his forerunner. This song very aptly bridges the gap between Old Testament expectation and New Testament realization of our

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Lord Jesus and the work that he would perform on behalf of his people. Now, that statement in that paragraph, you may not realize, is quite significant and counter to much assumption and thought about these early chapters of Luke and Matthew.

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Our dispensational friends teach that basically what was being offered was the

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Jewish millennium of a thousand years. That's the fulfillment of the kingdom of David. But clearly,

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Luke 1 and Matthew 1 and 2 set forth Jesus is fulfilling the promise of the inauguration of the kingdom of David.

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Just this morning, I happened to pull off my shelf Ryrie Study Bible and Scofield's Bible, and they were strangely silent, didn't have any comments about Luke chapter 1 and 2, because it is so inconsistent with what they teach.

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Clearly, this is showing that what's taking place through Jesus Christ is a fulfillment of what

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God promised in the Old Testament and that this church age is not a large parenthesis like plan

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B after Israel rejected Jesus as their king, but it is a fulfillment and realization of what

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God had taught through the prophets. These were the first words that came forth from Zacharias through the course of the nine months of Elizabeth's pregnancy.

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When Zacharias had first emerged from the temple after his offering incense and prayer on behalf of the people of Israel, the people waited in anticipation of his concluding blessing, his benediction, but he was struck dumb.

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He came out in silence. No benediction was given in the temple. Nine months later, we have his benediction.

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His voice is restored to him. And so here now upon the circumcision and naming of his son, the first words out of his mouth are in the form of the benedictus, that is benediction.

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And so here he drew a conclusion to his work of intercession in the temple as he proclaimed before the people praise unto

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God for having answered their many centuries of prayer. The hymn itself is divided into two sections.

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The first section, verses 76 to 79, speak, or pardon me, 68 to 75, speak of Jesus.

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The second portion of the hymn, verses 76 to 79, speak of John, the forerunner of Jesus.

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And so Zacharias first speaks of the Messiah and then his son. Let's consider the words concerning God's work of salvation in Jesus Christ.

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We'll read again the first eight verses of this song. Zacharias spoke these words upon being filled with the

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Holy Spirit. These are the words of God. Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant

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David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who aid us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father

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Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness, for him all the days of our life.

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And so God, after a long period of silence, 400 years, the ending of Malachi, was now coming among his people to bring them salvation.

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He had visited his people in the past, and here Zacharias is saying that God is now visiting us with salvation.

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Whenever God came to the defense or deliverance of his people, it was regarded as a day of visitation by God.

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He had seen their affliction in Egypt and then visited them. Bringing them deliverance from those who had oppressed them.

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And then just before Joseph died, a generation later, he gave this word. Joseph said to his brethren,

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I'm dying, but God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land, talking about the exodus, to the land which he swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

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And much later, when the Jews were exiled to Babylon, God promised to come and save them from captivity and enable them, a remnant of them, to return to their land.

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And so in Jeremiah we read, they should be carried to Babylon and there they shall be until the day I visit them, says the

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Lord. Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place. And so for God to visit in history means that he was intervening in a very direct and overt way in bringing salvation.

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God is in control of all things, but there are occasions when he intervenes in a very more visible and remarkable way.

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And it's a visitation. Of course, we also see in the scriptures that God visits people in judgment as well.

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It may first be a visit with the promise of blessing, but if they do not hear him or not responsive to him, then he visits them with judgment.

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God and the two angels coming to Abraham, they were going down to visit Sodom, and judgment resulted when

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God visited that city. There are times when God makes himself and his word known to an individual.

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He may come to you and let you know with certainty that your ways are not pleasing him, and the

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Holy Spirit will convict you, will judge you, and condemn you, and your conscience will be affected by it.

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He may point out clearly the specific sin that's to be repented of, and he offers grace to assist and deliver you from that wicked thing.

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Otherwise, it's often as we read in Proverbs 30, the adulteress, she commits her sin, sits down, wipes her mouth,

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I've done nothing evil, and that's how people of the world think, until and unless God visits them, and takes the truth of his word and drives it home to their soul.

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But at such times when God visits people in preparation of judgment, it's incumbent to respond to God, to obey

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God, to repent of sin. But if you do not do so, you'll become, you'll find yourself hardened in that thing,

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I've done no wrong. Perhaps further enslaved to that thing, sin doesn't stand still.

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What is to be celebrated today was repudiated by everybody 25 years ago.

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Sin hardens people. They justify it, and then they begin to demand everybody celebrate it.

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Terrible sin. And in time, if you don't respond, you'll find yourself increasingly distanced from God.

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When that day comes, and God is speaking to you, do not harden your heart, but rather be responsive.

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Don't be deceived by the deceitfulness of sin. Obey God promptly, call upon him for forgiveness, and ask him for power through Jesus Christ, to gain victory over that sin that will damn your soul.

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And by the way, God deals with nations like this, just as he deals with individuals. And it seems to me, take it for what it's worth,

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God is presently visiting this nation. And even this world, we're seeing a manifestation of his judgment.

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But in contrast to a visitation of judgment, Zachariah sings of a visitation of God, in which redemption is experienced.

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God has accomplished redemption, and he expresses it in the past tense. It's a done deal.

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The events are unfolding, and they're so assured of being accomplished, that it's spoken in the past tense.

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He wrote, blessed is the Lord God of Israel. He has visited and redeemed his people. And yet, it's just opening up, isn't it?

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We see that his promised salvation is linked to the promises given to David, verses 68 through 71.

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Actually, verse 69 and 70 read, And he, God, has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant

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David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began.

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We could go back to Genesis 3, and show how Eve prophesied, or it was prophesied to Eve, and to Adam, and the serpent, that God would send a

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Messiah, a Savior. And so immediately, when this is stated, the mouth of his holy prophets,

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Old Testament passages with their promises, are brought to mind. We may read of God's initial promise to King David in 2

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Samuel 7, when God would have, or God promised David that he would have an everlasting dynasty, that his son would reign forever on his throne.

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And David's throne was God's throne, as it were, over his nation, his people. And so we could recall

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David's song in 2 Samuel 22. Then David spoke to the Lord, the words of this song, on the day when the

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Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, he said, The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, the

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God of my strength, in whom I will trust, my shield, and here's the expression, the horn of my salvation.

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And Zacharias, inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke about God raising up a horn of salvation from the house of David.

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And here we have David, prophetically, describing the Messiah as the horn of my salvation.

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Just as all the power of an animal is concentrated in its horns, so all of God's power is concentrated in a deliverer from the lineage of the great king

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David. And so we see here clearly that Zacharias is not prophesying of his own son,

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John, but of a greater son, who would be born some six months later. Jesus was in the lineage of David.

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John was not. He was in the lineage of Aaron, a Levite. Now, what great work would

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God accomplish through this son of David? First, he would bring us salvation from our enemies.

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Verse 71, Zacharias declared that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who ate us.

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Now, we might say from all our enemies, both physical and spiritual. Now, many of the

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Jews in the first century were hoping for deliverance from Rome, and they were so fixed on this manner of salvation that they could not see their greater need, which is in reality their personal sin.

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And some of us may be so focused on God delivering us from physical and emotional problems to which we see ourselves enslaved, we may not see that there's a greater need that exists.

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Our Lord was to conquer a greater threat and enemy than the Romans could ever impose. He would conquer corruptions within.

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Dealing a death blow to sin's damning and domineering power. Our greatest enemy is not from those without, but it is ourselves.

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Our own heart, our own bent leaning towards sin. Parents were often focused on the dangers of society and the influence of wrong friends upon our children, and rightly so.

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You know, evil companions, corrupt behavior in our children.

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But the real danger to our children is the sinfulness which resides in each of their hearts. That's the main problem.

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It is that heart which is tainted by sin that should be our greatest concern and the subject of our principal prayers on their behalf.

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Christ came to deal with this very kind of thing, and he has and does on behalf of his people.

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As David wrought victory and delivered his people Israel from the hands of their enemies, so Christ, David's greater son, delivers his people from sin from which comes all that oppresses and slaves them.

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Well, not only would he bring salvation from our enemies, but he would fulfill the promises of God given to the patriarchs.

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God was about to save his people so as to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, the patriarchs, and remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father

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Abraham. Three words of significance here. Mercy, covenant, oath.

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Mercy. Due to God's mercy, he initiates and maintains a relationship with his people, even the patriarchs.

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They did not merit a relationship with God, and certainly neither do we. But God graciously made himself known to them, promising them a savior in Jesus Christ.

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And the promises to those patriarchs would find fulfillment in this savior, this son of David.

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And then the term covenant. A covenant is an agreement between two parties on which a relationship is maintained.

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A marriage is based on a covenant relationship in which two persons have pledged themselves to one another, and God made a covenant with Abraham promising that God would be a

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God to him and to his descendants. And in order for that covenant to be established in true fellowship experience, sin had to be dealt with.

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Sin had to be removed. Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, sin was fully atoned for.

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And Abraham and all those who are like him in saving faith have entered into this relationship with God.

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He is our God, we are his people, and we are children of Abraham, whether Jewish or Gentile, if we're believers as Abraham was a believer.

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And then the third word is oath. So significant. God had appeared to Abraham on a number of occasions early on.

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He gave the right of circumcision in Genesis 17. He promised Abraham of the blessing of relationship between them, and that would have been sufficient.

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God's promise, you can't lie. But years later after Abraham had offered his son

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Isaac as a sacrifice, or he was willing to, God appeared to Abraham and confirmed his promise with an oath.

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Surely Abraham, I'm going to bless you. And so with these two words of God, the promise and the oath,

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Abraham was assured that God would bless him. God was saying to Abraham, I will bless you as I promised.

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And so this confirming word or oath given to God by him, through this,

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Abraham lived out his existence on earth as a stranger living in tents, waiting for the day that would be fulfilled by God.

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He and his family of spiritual descendants would dwell together one day in a marvelous city made by God, a city made without hands.

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And so the scriptures say because of Abraham's lifetime of faith, God was not ashamed to be called his

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God, as the book of Hebrews declares. But it should be noted the book of Hebrews in the

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New Testament tells us when God gave that oath to Abraham, it wasn't just for the benefit of Abraham, but it was a benefit for the benefit of all

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Christians, New Testament Christians. Hebrews makes this clear.

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When God made a promise to Abraham because he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself saying, here's the oath.

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Surely blessing I will bless you, multiplying I will multiply you. And so after he,

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Abraham, had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by their greater, and an oath or confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.

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You promised, you swore with an oath, I know that you're committed to this. And thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise, notice not just Abraham, but the heirs of promise, the immutability or unchangeableness of his counsel or purpose, confirmed it by an oath, so that by two immutable or unchangeable things,

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God's promise and God's oath, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we, the writer of the

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Hebrews as a Christian, includes himself and his Christian readers, so that we may have strong assurance, strong comfort, strong consolation of our salvation.

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We who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope of set before us, this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.

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If you've come to Christ in faith and repentance, God himself has promised you salvation.

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He swore with an oath. It is more firm than if it was written in granite. It is unchangeable, and you may be assured of your salvation because of what

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God has promised, not because of how you're performing. And so in this

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Benedictus, we see that Jesus Christ would bring salvation from our enemies, secondly, fulfill the promises of God given to the patriarchs, and thirdly, that he would enable us to serve

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God acceptably. Verses 74 and 75, to grant us that we being delivered from the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

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Jesus Christ saves us not only from the guilt and punishment of sin, but in doing so he saves us so that we might live before God without fear, and in holiness and righteousness.

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And we've made mention of this frequently. Christ provides a full complete salvation.

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He deals with the penalty of sin that condemns us, but he also gives us the power so that we might defeat sin in our lives.

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Christ is a wonderful savior who enables us to serve God without fear, first, in holiness, secondly, and in righteousness all our days.

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That is faithfulness and apart from unfaithfulness. He does this by performing a heart work in us, in addition to an atoning work on behalf of us.

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He saves us so that our lives exhibit this wholly acceptable service unto God, as Matthew Henry wrote, note the great design of gospel grace is not to discharge us from, but to engage us to, encourage us in the service of God.

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He saved you not just to forgive you of your sins and get you out of hell into heaven, he saved you so that you might live before him and serve him.

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Under this notion, Christianity was always to be looked upon as intended to make us truly religious, to admit us into the service of God and to bind us to it and to quicken us in it.

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We are therefore delivered from the iron yoke of sin so that our necks may be put under the sweet and easy yoke of the

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Lord Jesus. The very bonds which he has loosed do bind us faster or more firmly on to him.

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Well, after these words about the Lord Jesus, Zacharias, inspired of the Holy Spirit, voiced words concerning his son.

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And that's what we have in a few short verses. We're not going to say hardly anything about them. But he spoke these inspired words after speaking of the

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Redeemer, the son of David. He addressed the role and ministry of his son, John the Baptist.

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The father here honors his son with these words, and you child will be called the prophet of the highest.

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Notice Jesus Christ is the highest in this context, for you will go before the face of the

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Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins through the tender mercy of God with which the day sprang from on highest visited us to give light to those who sit in darkness in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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The expression day spring from on high has visited us. Day spring is the bursting forth of sunshine in the early morning dawn that dispels the darkness of the night.

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In sin, we were sitting in darkness in the shadow of death. But Jesus Christ has shown forth to us the blessed light of knowledge of salvation.

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And John was the first one pointing to this sun rising, as it were. And so we walk in the light of this knowledge in the way of peace, even as he leads us through the dark valley of this world unto our eternal day.

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John Calvin rightly wrote, to this purpose are those words of Isaiah, the sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither by brightness shall the moon give light unto thee, but the

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Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and the God of glory. But if the mere sight of his son, while still a child, led

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Zacharias to discourse and so lofty a strain respecting the grace and power of Christ before he was born, are not they so much the more ungrateful who now that Christ has died, risen, ascended to heaven and sat down at his father's right hand speak disrespectfully of him and of his power to which the

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Holy Spirit bore testimony while he was still in his mother's womb? We must bear in mind that I have already mentioned that Zacharias spake not from himself, but the

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Spirit of God directed his tongue. And so what a glorious experience for both

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Zacharias and Elizabeth. After having waited and prayed so long, now receive answer to their prayers and in such an extraordinary manner.

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Surely it would be their testimony that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.

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And then we have a concluding word respecting John. The hand of the

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Lord was with him. Matthew, Henry. Lastly, it said the hand of the

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Lord was with him. That is he, John, was taken under the special protection of the Almighty from his birth as one designed for something great and considerable.

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And there were many instances of it. It appeared likewise that the Spirit was at work upon his soul very early.

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As soon as he began to speak or go, you might perceive something in him very extraordinary.

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Note, God has ways of operating upon children in their infancy, which we cannot account for.

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God never made a soul, but he knew how to sanctify it. I thought that was great. And John was in the deserts.

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Not that he lived a hermit cut off from the society of men. No, we have reason to think he went up to Jerusalem at the feasts and frequented the synagogues on the

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Sabbath day. But his constant residence was in some of those scattered houses that were in the wilderness of Zuf and Maon, which we read of in the story of David.

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There he spent most of his time in contemplation and devotion and had not his education in the schools or at the feet of the rabbis.

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Amen. What a wonderful opening to a gospel with John the

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Baptist coming on the scene in this miraculous manner. And next

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Lord's Day, we will address the birth of our Savior as we open with Luke chapter two.

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Thank you for your patience. I know it was a long passage, but it was rich and I didn't feel it would be proper to not deal with it in its entirety.

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Let's pray. Thank you, Father, for your word that you've given to us. Help us, our

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God, as we read these words. Many of them are so familiar to us, but help us, our

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God, to see the truth of them and the relevance of them and the importance of them to our own souls.

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Thank you, our God, that we live on this side of history and we can read about these matters that you have accomplished through Jesus Christ.

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And help us go forth, our God, and be faithful witnesses of the Savior just as John the

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Baptist was throughout his life. Help us, our God, to go forth and declare your wonderful grace and mercy to sinners through whom they could have forgiveness of sins and new life in Jesus Christ, in whose name we do pray.