The REALIZATION Of GOD’s GUIDANCE-V—
Luke 1:67b-79[Part-2--:69-70](:57-80)
Attention:
Slippery Subject:
Students at school were asked to write about the harmful environmental effects of oil on fish/the marine environment.
One 11-year old wrote, “When my mom opened a tin of sardines last night it was full of oil and all the sardines were dead.”
!We are in dire need of overall guidance, But especially GOD’s Guidance!
1:76-79—““And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the 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 God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness & the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.””(cf.-Isa. 9:6-7; Isa. 40:3-5;)
God’s ‘GUIDANCE’ can come to any individual, thru their willful & conscious, personal trust in Jesus Christ.
And the ‘evidence’ of the Savior’s ‘salvation’ in a person, is seen in that person’s trust in Jesus as ‘the Lord’ of their life, as they allow God to ‘guide’ their life choices.
And by means of a person’s living a life guided by God, His GUIDANCE becomes a priceless gift that is made available to & for others to apprehend by their own personal faith.
BUT the ‘touchstone’ for the arrival of God’s promised GUIDANCE, was the birth of John-the-Baptist. With John’s birth, God’s promise began to be realized in real time.
Need:
There is a battle that continually rages in us, between the offer of God’s guidance versus our own fleshly choices. And that battle describes the dilemma we constantly answer thru freewill!
So all people stand in need God’s ‘Guidance’ & direction!
Willfully AVOIDING God’s ‘Guidance’, leaves your life devoid of real answers to the most troubling quandaries of life.
On the other hand, willfully RECEIVING God’s ‘Guidance’, gives a beautiful & peaceful, clarity & purpose to your life!
Luke records prophetic events surrounding the birth of John the Baptist.
The means towards God’s ‘guidance’(1:79) was realized thru the birth of John the Baptist.
God’s ‘guidance’(in the way of peace) has been historically realized.
But:
?How is God’s guidance realized for you & me today?
We are attempting to answer that question by examining...
...6 Realizations that bring God’s Guidance to us.
So far we’ve found that ‘God’s ‘Guidance’ is realized thru a’:
1. Prophetic BIRTH(:57-58)
2. Prophetic RITUAL/CUSTOM(:59)
3. Prophetic ENCOUNTER(:60-64)
4. Prophetic GRASP(:65-67)
& a:
5. Prophetic REVEALING(:67-79)[part-1--:67-69]
Last week we found that Zacharias’ prophecy, by the Holy Spirit, REVEALED that YHWH-God “has raised up a horn of salvation for” His people, thru Jesus Christ.
And we saw that God had “raised up” that “horn of salvation”,
“...In the house of His servant David,”;
Isa. 11:1—the prophecy of the coming Messiah states,—“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”
Mat. 1:1—confirms Jesus’ genealogy,—“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:”
Rev. 22:16—Jesus says f Himself,—“I am the Root & the Offspring of David,”
And TODAY we’ll ‘continue’ to find that:
(CONT...)5—God’s ‘guidance’ is realized thru a Prophetic...
REVEALING(:67b-79)[Part-2--:69-70]
:69—“And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,”
The “salvation” spoken of in verse :69, had & would occur thru “the house” of King “David.” But “David” was of the tribe &/or “the house” of Judah.
•So neither “David” nor any in his genealogical line would serve in priestly matters in Israel. Because the priestly aspect was to be accomplished thru the tribe of Levi.
However, “David”, being the ‘King’ of Israel...he & his physical kindred would also be part of God’s plan for their Messiah(‘Anointed One’).
Heb. 7:11-19—“Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood(for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, & not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness & unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”
The RESULT of having “raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David”:
Eph. 1:3-10—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom & prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are on earth--in Him.”
:70—“As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,”
God’s ‘promise’ is that He “has visited & redeemed His people”(:68) Israel, as well as being the“redeemer” of the Gentiles. And He brought it about by having “raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David.”
*That ‘promise’ was ‘promised to God’s people thru the “holy prophets” of the Old Testament.
*There has never been a time when God did not leave Himself a revealing witness!....Both with (1)General/natural revelation & with (2)Special revelation.
(1)GENERAL or Natural Revelation provides enough knowledge thru His creation, to convict a person of God’s majesty, YET it DOES NOT provide enough conviction to ‘save them from’ the perfection of God’s majesty. GENERAL or Natural Revelation places ALL people under the condemnation of their personal sin against God, making ALL people accountable to God, & so, deserving of Hell.
Ps. 19:1-4b—<<To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.>> “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world...”
Rom. 1:18-23—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, & changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--& birds & four-footed animals & creeping things.”
Whereas,
(2)SPECIAL Revelation, fills that gap of conviction, & completes what General or natural Revelation cannot do!
•SPECIAL Revelation is an OFFER to the willingness of ALL men, women, & children!
•SPECIAL Revelation offers ALL people—under the condemnation of their personal sin against God—the specific & only means to the certainty of a person’s ‘salvation from condemnation’!
•SPECIAL Revelation ‘Reveals’ that the only way to a ‘saving’ relationship with God, is thru a personal trust relationship with Jesus!
•And so, by a person’s personal trust in Jesus, that person is judicially ‘declared’ by Almighty God, to be ‘deserving’ of Heaven rather than Hell!
Notice that such a person’s presence in Heaven is not & cannot be personally earned!
Instead, Heaven comes to a person by faith in Christ alone, & so by that faith, they are ‘declared’ by Almighty God to be fit for heaven!
‘God’s Guidance’ is made available to all people whom God has declared fit for Heaven.
(CONT...):70—“As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,”
Early in the book of Genesis, Adam & Eve are created(Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7). They walked with God in the Garden of Eden(Gen. 3:8-10). Surely they saw fit to share God’s reality with each of the children who were born to them!
•After Adam’s son Seth had produced a son, we are told, “Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.”(Gen. 4:26)
2Pet. 2:5—reveals Noah to be,—“...a preacher of righteousness...”
JEREMIAH 7:25-26—““Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early & sending them. Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.”
ISAIAH 9:6-7—“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government & peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David & over His kingdom, To order it & establish it with judgment & justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
2Chron. 36:15—“And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them[Israel] by His messengers[prophets], rising up early & sending them, because He had compassion on His people & on His dwelling place.”
•YHWH-God does not change His people’s circumstances, but He DOES offer people the opportunity to favorably change their relationship with God...
EZEKIEL 34:17, 2024—“‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep & sheep, between rams & goats.”.....‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat & the lean sheep. Because you have pushed with side & shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, & scattered them abroad, therefore I will save My flock, & they shall no longer be a prey; & I will judge between sheep & sheep. I will establish one shepherd over them, & he shall feed them--My servant David. He shall feed them & be their shepherd. “And I, the LORD, will be their God, & My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.”
•And that was written some 300yrs. after David was dead, & some 600yrs. before Christ’s birth!...
*BUT the ‘fulfillment’ of their prophecies is in Christ Jesus:
Rom. 1:1-6—“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, & declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace & apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;”
Rom. 5:18-21—“Therefore, as through one man’s offense[Adam’s] judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act[Jesus’] the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience[Adam’s] many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience[Jesus’] many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Remember the 11-year old’s statement describing ‘the harmful effect of oil on the marine environment’—“When my mom opened a tin of sardines last night it was full of oil, & all the sardines were dead.”
People are in dire need of much more than ‘common-sense’ guidance!
People are in dire need of GOD’s Guidance!
Action:
God’s guidance is realized thru a Prophetic...
5. REVEALING(:67b-79)[Part-2--:69-70](:57-80)
1. BIRTH(:57-58)
2. RITUAL/CUSTOM(:59)
3. ENCOUNTER(1:60-64)
4. GRASP(:65-67a)
5. REVEALING(:67b-79)[Part-1--:67b-69](:57-80)
Pnt# 5(:67b-79)[Part-2--:69-70](:57-80) only! presented 11/16/2025am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
