Luke 1:57-80
The Blessedness of God
Woodlawn Baptist Church
November 27, 2005
Introduction
It has been said that if our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior!
I think we forget how desperate our need for forgiveness was. I wonder if we do not realize how great a need we had and still have for the grace of God and how great God is for providing that grace and forgiveness to us in the person of Jesus Christ. God is worthy of our praise. That God is worthy of our praise is a fact we have explored already in Luke’s account and one which we’ll continue today in this message.
In Luke 1:57, we learn that Elizabeth came to full term in her pregnancy and delivered the son God had promised through Gabriel. Several women showed up on the eighth day when the child was due to be circumcised and determined to name the boy Zach Jr. Elizabeth however told the women that his name was supposed to be John. I love the response given by the ladies: “What? We’ve never done it that way before!” They questioned Zacharias about it, so he stepped in at this time and let everyone know that the boy’s name was indeed John, and when he communicated this fact, the Bible says that his tongue was loosed and he spake and praised God.
In fact, being filled with the Holy Ghost in verse 67, he prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel…” In other words, Zacharias told the people and in fact tells us that God is to be praised; He is adorable for some reasons that I want you to consider this morning. Why is God to be praised? Why is God worthy of our adoration?
Because He visited us
I read the story about a wise and good king. He loved his people. He wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about their hardships. Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler. One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left. Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed his identity by saying, "I am your king!" The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn’t. Instead he said, "You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!"
God did that for us. The word visit means more than to drop in on. It has the idea of going with a desire to do something. Philippians 2 says that He “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
The incarnation of Jesus Christ is an event that ought to solicit great praise from the hearts of men and women who love the Lord. “The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” But He didn’t dwell among us because He was bored. He saw our pitiful condition and chose to do something about it.
Because He redeemed us
He redeemed us! He paid the ransom price! When man was sold into slavery to sin and was unable to help himself God paid the ultimate price. He gave Himself! Paul wrote to the church of Galatia that “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” This wasn’t some new concept. Long before Paul came along, before there even was a Law, Job wrote, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” Hosea told the story about the love of his life being put on the auction block, and when she had deserted him, had forsaken him for other lovers, had gotten so low that she was being sold into slavery he bought her for himself. It’s a beautiful picture of the love God has for us. Mankind deserted God, none go seeking after God. We spend our lives in pursuit of every lover that comes along, but in His infinite love God purchased us for Himself.
Zacharias praised God because He had redeemed His people. He purchased mankind with the precious blood of Christ. I love the old hymn we sing.
Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.
Because He raised up a Horn of Salvation for us
The horn of an animal is its weapon for defense and vengeance. It is a symbol of power and strength, but it is also an animal’s ornament and beauty. The word salvation, connected here with the word “horn,” means that this “strength,” or this mighty Redeemer, was able to save. He was not weak or hindered in any way. There was no part of purchasing our salvation that was beyond His ability to bring to pass.
Now notice something about what Zacharias said in verses 68 and 69. He said that God was to be praised because He visited, redeemed and raised up a horn of salvation for his people, all of which are stated in the past tense. Why is that worthy of noting? Because Christ hasn’t even been born yet! Zacharias speaks about them as though they were already done when the One who would perform them hadn’t come yet! What does that mean? It means first that he had great confidence in the God who made the promises, and secondly that so far as God was concerned it was a done deal. God’s work of redemption had been worked out long before the world was even created by the God who sees the future just as plainly as He sees the past.
If the first three reasons for praising God concerned what He was doing, then the next reason has to do with His motives for doing them. Why did God visit, redeem and raise up a horn of salvation?
Because He keeps His promises
Let’s read verses 70-75.
Remember that when Zacharias says that God did all these things for “us,” he’s primarily talking about Israel. These were promises made first to Abraham. From the beginning of time God had been using His prophets to declare His great love for His people. He promised protection from their enemies and from those that hated them. As I studied this passage most seemed to indicate that these enemies are us: that our biggest and greatest enemies are sin and self. I don’t disagree that those are our greatest enemies, but that’s not what this is about. It’s really about God making a promise to Israel that she would be protected from her enemies like Egypt and Babylon and so forth. They are real enemies.
Why did God visit and redeem and raise up a horn of salvation for His people? So they would find protection from their enemies. Does that mean when Hitler began killing them by the millions that God was a liar? When God promised mercy and to remember His holy covenant was He just getting their hopes up? Not at all! God was making a promise that will find its ultimate fulfillment when He sets up His kingdom here on earth. Just as surely as Zacharias could praise God for a past tense redemption that had not taken place yet, he could also praise God for keeping His promises that hadn’t been fulfilled yet.
I don’t know about you, but when I read about the things God has said He will do one day I don’t worry a bit about whether He’ll do them or not. God has been faithful in the past; He is faithful today and I know He’ll still be faithful tomorrow! The God that promised a Savior and made promises for four thousand years about how that Savior would come is the same God that fulfilled those promises with amazing accuracy. That same God has promised that one day Jesus Christ is coming again to rule and reign in peace and righteousness. He came the first time as a meek and gentle Lamb, but He’s coming again as the mighty Lion of the Tribe of Judah! How do I know? Because God keeps His promises!
Watch this: verse 72 says that God will perform the mercy promised to our fathers (Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and David, etc.). He would also remember his holy covenant. Which holy covenant? It was the oath that He swore to Abraham, but not only did God swear it to Abraham, He said He would grant it to us also.
Now, that “us” refers to the Jews of that day, but it includes all who by faith are the children of Abraham. In other words, the kingdom is not promised to the Jews as a race of people, but to true Jews, who are the children of Abraham because of their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. We like to talk about the blessings and privileges of the relationship we enjoy as such, but verse 74 throws something in that we often overlook. Let’s read it together.
“That he (God) would grant unto us, that we might serve him…” You see, the words “being delivered out of the hand of our enemies” is a parenthetical statement. Read the verse without those words and you’ll see that God visited us, redeemed us, raised up a horn of salvation for us not just so we’ll enjoy the coming kingdom, but also because God wants us to serve Him. Now notice that God expects you to serve Him four ways: without fear, in holiness, in righteousness, and for life.
I want to submit to you that we have great reason to praise God today because He does keep His promises, and part of the way we praise Him is through holy, righteous, courageous and lifelong service to Him. Praise to God is not just about the words that come from your lips, but the actions that flow from your heart, and if you agree with me this morning, do you agree with your lips alone or is there something in your life that would back up the “Amen” you say with your mouth?
Conclusion
God is worthy of our praise isn’t He? He is good beyond measure. 2,000 years ago He visited us in the form of the virgin born God-man Jesus Christ. The God we adore today sent His only begotten Son to this world so He might live a sinless life and die a substitutionary death for you and me, redeeming us from sin, death and hell. Because of the resurrection of Christ from the grave we have the victory today! We are more than conquerors through Him! There was never a doubt in the mind of God as to Christ’s ability to perform what He set out to do. He is truly our Horn of Salvation.
Zacharias prophesied some wonderful truths that day long ago, then he turned to his son and said some things about him that we need to take note of. Think it no accident that as soon as he said that we are to serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness throughout our lives that he turned to John and said,
“And you, son, shall be called the prophet of the Highest: for you are going to do these things…” I want you to take note of these things because they are the very things we are called upon to do today as ambassadors of Christ.
We are to go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways. John had the special privilege of preaching and proclaiming the gospel of Christ so people might be prepared for His first coming. We have the privilege of preaching and proclaiming the gospel of Christ so people might be prepared for His second coming.
We are to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by remission of their sins. We need to declare to them that it is only through repentance and faith that their sins can be forgiven. Our job is not to tell people how good they are or how much we are impressed with them. We need to tell them that the one and only way to heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and that the only way to have that relationship is to repent and trust Him.
We are to share that message through the tender mercy of our God. There is a shortage in the world today of mercy. We like to preach the gospel of justice and equity. We like to tell people what we would do if we were God. God is not John Wayne or Clint Eastwood. There is no “Old West” justice in God’s economy. God’s way is the way of mercy. We are to share the gospel through the tender mercy of our God; the same mercy shown to us when the dayspring from on high visited us. He showed us mercy when we did not deserve it. You want people to listen to what you have to say? Then treat them with grace and mercy.
We are to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. We are to guide their feet into the way of peace. Satan, the god of this world has blinded the minds of them that do not believe. The lost live in a world of darkness, but they’ve grown accustomed to that darkness. God wants you use you and me to shine the light of His glorious gospel into their lives. Jesus said that we are the light of the world – it is our privilege to shine that light; to lift up the name of Jesus high so all might see.
It is our privilege to show people that in a world of hostility and war and hurting and strife that there will never be true peace on earth until Christ comes again – but while we wait for His return we can know the true peace of life that few will know and even fewer will really come to experience as Christ intends.
Have you ever experienced that peace for yourself? Do you know the Prince of peace as your personal Savior? Have you trusted the gospel of salvation: that Christ came to this earth to live and die for your sins? Have you ever accepted that had there never been another sinner yours alone would have been enough to put Christ on the cross? Do you understand that it’s not enough to know about Christ, to believe in Christ, to believe what He did? The devil believes, but the gospel has not been offered to him. It has however been offered to you, and today God invites you to repent of your sin and trust in the saving work of Christ. He wants you to step out of the darkness and into the light. He wants you to experience His tender mercy and to guide your feet into the way of peace. You can do that today.
If you know Christ – then let us join together in giving God the praise due His holy name! “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,” for He has visited us, He has redeemed us, He has raised up a horn of salvation for us, He keeps His promises, and He has extended to us the privilege of serving Him.
