Luke 1: 68 – 79 A Mighty Savior
Intro: “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is a magnificent literary piece where the weaker defeats the stronger, the pure in heart overwhelms the wicked and evil, and the underdog defeats the bully. Goodness triumphs over evil. Frodo Baggins must destroy an evil ring by sneaking across dangerous lands with goblins, wraiths and orcs hot on his trail. The way is long and difficult; but, Frodo succeeds and once again, good triumphs over evil.
I. When reading this passage from Luke, one must be aware of the fact that the Word of God to Israel had been silent for 400 years. During much of that time Israel had been largely dominated by foreign powers and the words of the prophets were not heard in the land.
A. Verses 67 – 68 are the beginning of the Benedictus or the Song of Zecharaiah in which he rejoices over the fact that Israel will finally be redeemed.
B. In OT times,, slaves could gain their freedom by serving a # of years or it could be bought back. --- The word used in verse 68 for “redeemed” can be understood as “a release secured by the paying of a ransom.” Zechariah’s son, John would hearld the “redemption of God’s people in Christ Jesus.
C. Stores used to give stamps – green stamps, plaid stamps that could be “redeemed” for something else. --- Points on credit cards that can be exchanged for cash or merchandise.
II. Frodo had been “chosen” to save middle earth by destroying the evil ring. He would give up the ring and its evil power to save not only the lives of his people but to also preserve their land and way of life.
A. Verse 69 – “God has raised up a horn of salvation. Horn was a symbol of great power and victory.
B. Verses 71 thru 75 expound upon the good that will come about because of this Horn. For the Christian, that horn is Christ Jesus.
C. In any sport, when the clock reaches “00” the team that has the most points is victorious. Our “00” was when Jesus said from the cross, “It is finished!” It was that sacrifice that bought humanity salvation and deliverance and rescues us from fear to serve God without fear.
III. Zechariah declares that God has broken His silence. Verses 76 –79 lay out a prophesy regarding Zechariah’s son, John. Through him, God’s people will come to know salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.
A. Forgiveness or remission of sins – “to send away, to dismiss as a debt” --- to bring hope.
B. Have you ever stumbled around in a dark room bumping into furniture and grumbling when someone opens a door and light filters in to faintly illuminate the way? John would be the one who opened the door or salvation a crack so people might experience more clearly the saving love of God.
C. In the early morning hours of July 4, 1952 Florence Chadwick waded into the waters off Catalina Island attempting to be the first person to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast. The fog was dense and after 15 hours of swimming, she quit. She was only 1 mile from reaching her goal. It wasn’t cold, fear or exhaustion that cause Florence Chadwick to fail. It was her inability to trust where she could not see.
Conclu: Often, we fear what we cannot see. We are frequently afraid to follow where God leads because we can’t see where we are going. God has sent to us a might savior, Christ Jesus who has come into our world to illuminate our path and show us the way. Will we follow or like Florence, give up because we lack a clear vision of where God is leading?
