The Realization Of God’s Guidance-7

The REALIZATION Of GOD’s GUIDANCE-VII—

Luke 1:67b-79[Part-4--:74b-75a](:57-80)

Attention:

A mother & father were visiting a large university with their son who was a potential engineering student for the coming year.

On the family’s official tour of the campus, they came to a large bricked courtyard, & noticed several students on their hands & knees assessing the courtyard with calculators, pencils, tape measures, & clipboards in hand.

The family was curious & asked the tour guide, “What are they doing?”

“Each year,” he replied with a grin, “The upperclassmen are charged with having the freshmen figure out how many bricks it took to finish paving this courtyard.”

When the family was out of earshot of the freshmen, the family, in hushed tones, asked the tour guide, “So what's the answer?”....“How many bricks did it take to finish paving the courtyard?”

The guide replied, “One.”

*The engineering students were in need of ‘dependable/trustworthy’ Guidance!

All people are in need of trustworthy Guidance....that is, we are ALL in need of God’s perfect Guidance!

In Zacharias & Elizabeth’s day, God’s people had been waiting many centuries, for the arrival of the promised Messiah, Who would perfectly ‘GUIDE’ them into the way of peace(:79)....

And the ‘touchstone’ for the arrival of God’s promised GUIDANCE, was the birth of John-the-Baptist.

The REALIZATION Of GOD’s GUIDANCE-VII—

Luke 1:67b-79[Part-4--:74b-75a](:57-80)

1:79—““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 person/individual, thru their willful & conscious, personal trust in Jesus Christ as Savior....

....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, that perfect GUIDANCE becomes a priceless gift, that is freely shared with others, so that others might experience it by their own personal faith.

Need:

We choose daily, between the offer of God’s guidance versus our own fleshly choices.

God made us all with Freewill!

So all people stand in need of God’s ‘Guidance’ & direction!

Willfully AVOIDING God’s ‘Guidance’, leaves your life devoid of real answers to living life as God intends.

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.

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-a-b. Prophetic REVEALING(:67-79)[parts-1, 2, & 3--:67-74a]

AND we’ll ‘continue’ to delve into this prophecy that Zacharias’ proclaimed by the Holy Spirit.

TODAY, we’ll continue with verse :74b, ....

(CONT...)5—God’s ‘guidance’ is realized thru a Prophetic...

REVEALING(:67b-79)[Part-4--:74b-75a]

Explanation:(:74b)

(CONT...):74—“To grant us that we," ..... "Might serve Him without fear,”

•People must somehow be enabled & compelled to “come boldly to the throne” of Almighty-God’s grace(Heb. 4:16).

•Heb. 4:14-16—“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest[Jesus] who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.”

•And all praise be to God alone!, ANYONE can be granted access to the power of His grace, flowing from YHWH-God’s throne!....

•But such intimate access can ONLY come thru God’s loving graciousness.

•That bold ACCESS to the throne of God, is graciously extended & offered to everyone, requiring only a personal faith in Him...BUT it is thru a saving faith—a faith that MUST be ‘married’ to, & IS seated/couched/contained in the Cross of Christ!

:75a—“In holiness & righteousness before Him...”

Israel’s “serving God without fear”(:74) is intended by God, to be done “in holiness & righteousness.”

•That is to say, individual & national ‘service’ to YHWH-God, can only be accomplished & fulfilled with-“in” the confines of that “holiness & righteousness” of YHWH-God’s design & power!

•And it is ‘prophesied’ that, in order for the nation of Israel to serve God “in holiness & righteousness”, God must FIRST be at work within each of them individually!(cf.-Jer. 31:31-34)

AGAIN—•Jer. 31:33-34—““But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, & write it on their hearts; & I will be their God, & they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, & every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, & their sin I will remember no more.””