Latest / HBCWestminster / 12.15.24 Luke 1:57-80 Pastor Danny Gardner

Transcript

12.15.24 Luke 1:57-80 Pastor Danny Gardner · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  Church, would you pray with me? Almighty God, whose loving hand has given us all that we have
• 0:08
  and all that we need, draw our hearts near to you, guide our minds, fill our imaginations,
• 0:16
  control our wills that we may be wholly yours. Utterly dedicated to you and then use us, we pray,
• 0:23
  however you will, for your glory and for the welfare of your people through our Lord and
• 0:28
  Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thank you. You can be seated. Some statements are obvious.
• 0:37
  They make you say, duh. You'll never catch fish in a swimming pool. Eat nothing but jelly beans
• 0:45
  and it'll ruin your afternoon, right? And sometimes babies cry even when there's nothing wrong.
• 0:52
  I get an amen from all the young parents in the room. Juan Soto is not worth $765 million.
• 0:59
  He's just not. That was for the baby.
• 1:01
  Yeah, amen. God's ways are not our ways. Duh. Some statements are less obvious and make you say,
• 1:11
  huh? For my birthday a few years ago, Hallie booked a fancy hotel room in downtown.
• 1:18
  We had dinner together in the hotel restaurant, decided to enjoy the sunset on their rooftop patio
• 1:23
  because it was a nice occasion. Both Hallie and I were dressed well. She in a nice dress.
• 1:27
  I also in my finest. When we got onto the elevator to head up to the roof,
• 1:33
  we joined a young couple, both quite good looking, also very well dressed.
• 1:38
  I thanked the young man for making room for us in the elevator. And he replied with,
• 1:41
  that's a nice jacket, sir. I appreciate the drip. I had no idea what he was talking about.
• 1:52
  When we exited the elevator, again, this was for my birthday, recent. I asked Hallie,
• 1:57
  sweetheart, I know I'm another year older, but am I dripping? She said, no, sweetheart.
• 2:03
  He made you look good.
• 2:05
  I said, oh, in that case, girl, you are such a drip. Hallie just looked at me again and said,
• 2:13
  no, sweetheart. You know, honestly, I think some things God says are supposed to make perfect sense.
• 2:20
  Like in our text this morning in verse 74, look at that really quickly, that we might serve him
• 2:24
  without fear. Do you see that? We are intended to serve the Lord without fear. Look at verse 75,
• 2:31
  that we would stand before him in holiness and righteousness. These statements are supposed to
• 2:37
  provide peace and comfort. We are intended to serve the Lord without fear. Look at verse 75,
• 2:38
  comfort to the hearers, but they don't because I'm not holy and I'm not righteous. And so the idea
• 2:46
  of serving in his presence actually produces in me a little bit of fear and a truth, which is
• 2:51
  supposed to make us say, duh, actually makes us say, what? Huh? How in the world is that going to
• 3:00
  work? I consider the holiness of God. And then I plunge the depths of my own sin.
• 3:10
  And honestly, I'm not worthy to be in his presence. Amen. I have no business there.
• 3:17
  I have no business walking into the throne room of God with my muddy shoes on. I'm just not seeing
• 3:24
  it. And that's why the invitation, which Savannah just read this morning, is so important.
• 3:29
  It was issued by the Lord himself 700 years prior to Christ's birth. It is
• 3:34
  an invitation. It's Isaiah 55 to come to the Lord without payment.
• 3:40
  To seek the Lord who promises to be found. It's an invitation to cease scurrying after things which
• 3:46
  will never satisfy. To be filled in the company of the one who can do all things. And contained
• 3:51
  within that invitation is the reminder that if the peace with God, which verse 78 talks, or 79
• 3:58
  talks about, the way of peace, the peace of God, it makes no earthly sense. That's okay because
• 4:04
  God's ways are not like our ways. And that, friends, is really good news. You know how
• 4:10
  thankful I am that God is not like me. I'm petty. And I'm exacting. And I am unforgiving.
• 4:19
  But God reserves the right to act differently than that. Amen. To do the unexpected. To act
• 4:26
  in ways that don't even make sense from our perspective. Even maybe to surprise us from
• 4:30
  time to time. Listen to Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 20. It says,
• 4:36
  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly,
• 4:40
  than all that we ask or imagine. Imagine that truth for a minute. To him who is able to do far
• 4:49
  more abundantly than all that we ask or imagine. Have you ever asked God for some big stuff?
• 4:55
  God says, I can do so much more than that. Challenge me. Have you ever imagined some big
• 5:03
  stuff? Have you ever tried to allow your theological imagination just to run wild?
• 5:09
  And not into unsound doctrine,
• 5:11
  of course. That's not what I mean at all. But just to imagine what God must be like.
• 5:18
  Ephesians 3 says, no matter what you imagine, bigger than that.
• 5:22
  And could it be that maybe our greatest theological problem is just a simple lack of imagination?
• 5:30
  We can't see how God is going to pull off what he promises to do. And so in the end,
• 5:34
  we doubt that he can do it. Last Wednesday, we studied Mary's Magnificat,
• 5:40
  a hymn of thanksgiving.
• 5:41
  By a young virgin girl who would become the mother of Jesus. And this morning,
• 5:44
  we look at Zechariah's benediction, blessed be the Lord God of Israel.
• 5:49
  A hymn of astonishment from an aged priest who was to become the father of John the Baptist.
• 5:56
  We see what happened when an old man, a doubter, suddenly realized what God was doing,
• 6:01
  what all of the prophecies meant, what all of the covenants were for, and then declared in song
• 6:06
  that the God of scripture will fulfill every promise he has ever made, and often in greater
• 6:11
  ways than we've ever known. And so we look at Zechariah's benediction, blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
• 6:11
  we ever thought. His prophecy in Luke chapter 1 is a remarkable one. It has been called a song
• 6:18
  of salvation by many. But don't be misled by that title. He's not singing about his own salvation
• 6:25
  here. He's singing about how God, the creator God, holy and powerful and terrifying, and whose
• 6:32
  presence is a consuming fire, how that God has devised a gospel which will allow us to serve him
• 6:40
  without fear.
• 6:42
  And to stand in his presence in holiness and righteousness. If you're taking notes, I've
• 6:47
  divided the text in half. The first section, beginning of verse 57, I'm going to call John's
• 6:53
  birth and name. John's birth and name, and look at verse 57. Now the time came for Elizabeth to
• 7:01
  give birth, and she bore a son, and her neighbors and relatives heard the Lord had shown great mercy
• 7:06
  to her, and they rejoiced with her. Earlier in the same chapter, we were introduced to Zechariah,
• 7:13
  a priest of the division of Abijah. There were thousands of priests in Israel in the first
• 7:18
  century whose job it was to tend to the duties of the temple, but only certain priests would be
• 7:23
  selected for the more important tasks. Zechariah, the year prior to John's birth, was one such
• 7:30
  priest. He was specially chosen to light the temple incense while the other priests stood
• 7:37
  outside singing and worshiping the Lord. Chapter 1 also states,
• 7:43
  Three additional important facts about Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. First, they were blameless.
• 7:49
  Second, they were childless. And third, they were old. Really old. Well beyond childbearing years.
• 8:01
  And it was during that priestly service, a year prior, while alone in the temple during the
• 8:06
  incense lighting, that an angel suddenly appears to Zechariah. Remember, he was frightened to his
• 8:11
  very core. The angel said, I'm going to light the temple incense while the other priests stood outside
• 8:13
  The angel declared to him that he would have a son. He was so shocked by the announcement that he
• 8:17
  refused to believe it. His disbelief was interesting because he had heard all of the Old Testament
• 8:23
  stories. He was familiar with the story of Abraham and Sarah. Do you remember that? They got a promise
• 8:29
  well beyond childbearing years, that they would also have a son. He had heard that story and he
• 8:34
  had believed that. He'd heard of Hannah, who was barren, who cried out to the Lord and was blessed
• 8:41
  with a son. He had heard that story and believed that.
• 8:44
  And yet, he disbelieved when an angel showed up and said, the same thing is going to happen
• 8:48
  to you. Can I ask, friends, does that ever happen to you? Our God is good. Amen? Do you believe that
• 8:59
  our God is good? And yet, sometimes do you have trouble believing that our God is good?
• 9:04
  Our God knows all things. Do you believe that? Yes. Our God can do all things. Do you believe that?
• 9:13
  Then why do you worry? Why do you fret?
• 9:18
  Why are you filled with anxiety about tomorrow? You just said you believed that your God is good,
• 9:24
  that he knows all things and can do all things. And if those three truths are true and you believe
• 9:30
  them, then why would you worry about what's coming tomorrow? You serve a God who knows
• 9:36
  everything and can do everything and is good. He has promised to only do good things for you.
• 9:44
  It's funny to me, and I do the same thing, church,
• 9:48
  as though the Lord does not see me, does not care about me, and wouldn't help me even if he could.
• 9:55
  Lord, save us from being Zechariahs. His disbelief, we read in chapter 1, was punished.
• 10:02
  And the angel Gabriel almost got offended. Remember, Zechariah replies with,
• 10:06
  how can this be? I'm old. And the angel Gabriel says, but I'm Gabriel.
• 10:14
  And I stand in the presence of God. And I'm quoting here. This is Luke chapter 1 and verse 18.
• 10:18
  I was sent to bring you this good news. I stand in the presence of God. And he told me to come
• 10:23
  tell you this. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these
• 10:28
  things take place because you did not believe my words. Fast forward a year. Now John the Baptist,
• 10:36
  this promised son, is eight days old. Had Zechariah learned his lesson,
• 10:43
  faithful Jewish parents even today circumcise their sons on the eighth day.
• 10:49
  I was searching for a piece of art to show for this morning's sermon. I found a photograph of a
• 10:54
  beautiful stained glass window displayed in a church on the east coast. Corresponds to this
• 10:58
  text. I saw the caption read, the circumcision of John. I looked at it and realized the stained
• 11:04
  glass was a little too detailed. And so I decided not to show it. It didn't leave enough to our
• 11:10
  imagination. I thought, who puts that in stained glass? But it depicted this event well. Faithful
• 11:18
  Jewish families would call a speck of glass. And I thought, who puts that in stained glass?
• 11:19
  A special rabbi, a mohel, whose job it was to perform the circumcision. It was a celebration.
• 11:25
  It was a party. Imagine like a baby shower today. The family would invite relatives and friends,
• 11:31
  all of their neighbors. The whole town would show up for the party. And verse 58 says,
• 11:37
  they rejoiced with her. This newborn baby was a celebration, a spiritual victory,
• 11:42
  the ushering in of another person into God's covenant community.
• 11:48
  You know, this true,
• 11:49
  caused me to pause this week as I thought, you know what? I don't know if we do a good enough job
• 11:56
  celebrating spiritual victories. We celebrate a lot of things, birthdays and anniversaries and
• 12:02
  graduations and weddings. All of those things should be celebrated. They're appropriate to
• 12:06
  celebrate. But what about celebrations around the outpourings of God's grace?
• 12:13
  Do you do an equally good job celebrating when God is on the move? The Bible describes something
• 12:22
  called Ebenezer. The Bible describes something called the outpouring of God's grace. The Bible
• 12:23
  describes something called the outpouring of God's grace. The Bible describes something called the
• 12:23
  These are stones of remembrance. One example of them is when the people of Israel were
• 12:28
  wandering around in the desert for 40 years and then God called them finally to enter into the
• 12:32
  promised land. Do you remember this? And they crossed the river Jordan. And it actually says,
• 12:37
  as they were going across tribe by tribe, one man from each tribe was tasked with picking up a rock
• 12:44
  from one side and carrying it to the other side and then stacking those 12 rocks, one for each tribe,
• 12:53
  in a pile on the israel side on the promised land side of the river i'm imagining these were the
• 12:59
  biggest dudes in each tribe carrying the biggest rock they could i don't think they were carrying
• 13:05
  little pocket rocks okay these were large stones these guys would come and pick these things up and
• 13:10
  carry them from one side of the river to the other side and then stack these 12 stones making this
• 13:15
  big rock pyramid so that for generations people would walk by and little kids would look at those
• 13:21
  stones and say mommy daddy why are the stones there and it would give them opportunity to
• 13:27
  remember the goodness of god a stone of remembrance a commemoration of the outpouring of
• 13:34
  god's grace we sing that song come thou fount of every blessing and we've changed the lyrics
• 13:40
  unfortunately because nobody knows what an ebenezer stone is but the actual verse 2 says here
• 13:46
  i raise my ebenezer you're like
• 13:51
  i mean it's christmas no it was a stone of remembrance here i raise my ebenezer hither
• 13:57
  hither by thy help i come and i hope by thy good pleasure simply to arrive at home can i encourage
• 14:03
  us to be on the lookout for opportunities to celebrate and commemorate spiritual victories
• 14:08
  one such victory happened this week now this is a picture of somebody's bible reading that they
• 14:15
  began i don't know how long ago but they checked off their last box this week the very last box
• 14:21
  you see there the last two aren't checked but those were both checked this week this was from
• 14:27
  the anderson's little girl 13 year old 13 year old little girl jane anderson a 13 year old in our
• 14:36
  church finished her bible reading this week it was the first time she went all the way through it
• 14:41
  every single word in her bible she read she's 13 years old nathan on wednesday i think said uh you
• 14:48
  know pastor danny i'm going to take the afternoon off why we're celebrating with jane anderson
• 14:51
  today it's a spiritual victory take times in your home in your families to celebrate
• 14:58
  the outpouring of god's grace that's exactly what they did here and notice we pick up in verse 59
• 15:04
  on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child and they would have called him
• 15:07
  zechariah after his father but his mother answered no he shall be called john and they said to her
• 15:14
  but none of your relatives is called by this name and they made signs to his father inquiring what
• 15:19
  he wanted him to be called and he asked for a name and they said no he shall be called john
• 15:21
  so they took a writing tablet and wrote his name is john and they all wondered it was also during
• 15:28
  this same celebration that a baby boy was typically named tradition would have expected that he would
• 15:34
  be named after his father but nine months of solitude certainly had taught zechariah a lesson
• 15:42
  he immediately grabs for a tablet probably with wax on it think of like an etch-a-sketch okay it
• 15:48
  was a wax tablet that they could melt and basically
• 15:51
  start over he grabs a stylus and he scribbles the message gabriel had shared with him the year
• 15:55
  before in fact he insisted upon it notice it does not say he shall be called john it says
• 16:03
  his name is john it's already john we can't change it he was named a year ago in fact the
• 16:11
  naming of this child actually has very little to do with us names have significant meanings as we
• 16:17
  know zechariah's name for instance means yahweh's
• 16:21
  name yahweh remembers in a time when the jews felt forgotten god sent an angel to a man whose
• 16:28
  name means god doesn't forget when we found out we were pregnant with my second son whose name is
• 16:37
  zechariah we had recently found out that my dad had terminal cancer we thought if we're going to
• 16:44
  name this little boy what are we going to name him god does not forget god remembers and in times
• 16:51
  when we feel forsaken we just don't know what to do with him we just don't know what to do with him
• 16:52
  we just remember his name that god never forgets well his son john's name was no different
• 17:00
  his name was taken from the hebrew yohanan means god is gracious or the grace of god has arrived
• 17:07
  that this is the perfect name for the man who would spend his life declaring
• 17:11
  the grace of god and friends how are you doing at declaring the grace of god
• 17:17
  how often does it come up in your home you ever wonder how your kids will remember their
• 17:24
  childhood what will they think of their home and of their parents what will be their greatest
• 17:30
  memories no doubt my sons will remember the times we watched baseball together we went fly fishing
• 17:38
  together we slept in tents in the rain those are the ones they most often remember they're
• 17:42
  miserable in the moment but those are always their favorite ones looking back the times that we read
• 17:48
  books together but how much of what they will remember will be hallie and i talking about and
• 17:53
  praising the grace of god in our lives and in our homes now we
• 17:57
  would say that god's grace is the very foundation of our homes right if that's true then it should
• 18:05
  come up right our kids should overhear us talking about the goodness of god in our homes praising
• 18:12
  him our kids should catch us in our bible reading catch us in prayer if it really is true that god's
• 18:20
  grace is the very foundation of our homes and that is exactly what zechariah makes this declaration of
• 18:24
  god is gracious he does not forget
• 18:27
  and my son's name will declare that truth pick up in verse 64 immediately says his mouth was open and
• 18:32
  his tongue was loose and he spoke blessing god the fact that his neighbors made signs to him
• 18:37
  probably means that he was deaf as well as mute the words of gabriel were the last words he had
• 18:43
  heard in nearly a year the words your wife will conceive and your son will be great were still
• 18:49
  ringing in his mind and now with his first opportunity what does he speak not a greeting to
• 18:54
  his wife
• 18:57
  thank you to his family for coming but worship of the lord he immediately used his mouth for what it
• 19:03
  was designed to do what is first on your mouth what takes precedence over all else may we learn
• 19:12
  from his example we don't want to be like zechariah in our disbelief but we we do want to
• 19:18
  be like zechariah when it comes to opening our mouths and having the praise and blessing of god
• 19:23
  come out let us be the type of people and the type of church that we want to be like zechariah
• 19:27
  who do with our mouths what they were designed to do
• 19:32
  ephesians 4 and verse 29 says let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths
• 19:37
  but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion that it may give grace to those who
• 19:43
  hear that you know every time we open our mouths and words come out we should ask ourselves
• 19:47
  will the person who is hearing this feel built up am i speaking grace over them colossians 3 and
• 19:55
  verse 16 let the word of christ dwell in you and let the word of god dwell in you and let the word of
• 19:57
  god dwell in you richly teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom singing psalms and hymns
• 20:02
  and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to god and whatever you do in word or
• 20:09
  indeed do everything in the name of the lord jesus every word that issues forth from our mouths
• 20:16
  should be done in the name of the lord jesus and that is we see the example that zechariah sets
• 20:24
  verse 65 and fear came on all their neighbors
• 20:27
  all these things were talked about through all the hill country of judea
• 20:30
  all who heard them laid them up in their hearts saying what then will this child be for the hand
• 20:34
  of the lord was with him zechariah's words were true this child indeed was to be the forerunner
• 20:41
  of the messiah and foremost in his neighbors and friends minds would have been that the messiah
• 20:46
  must be revealed then shortly in fact it would be a mere six months before jesus would be born
• 20:53
  in bethlehem now at this point in my study this week
• 20:57
  i struggled because honestly what we're going to talk about next is my favorite point in the sermon
• 21:02
  and i couldn't figure out how to word it well if you can catch if you can zone in for about 20
• 21:08
  seconds with me i'm going to teach you a little bit of hebrew okay which is going to point out
• 21:15
  an unbelievable truth which we can see occurs in the mind of zechariah in this moment
• 21:22
  he is in the middle of circumcising his son the rabbi is there
• 21:27
  the hebrew word for circumcision is the word breit transliterated in english b-r-i-t breit
• 21:33
  okay the celebration was called a breit come to our house we're having a breit our son is eight
• 21:39
  days old he will be circumcised the breit in hebrew literally means to cut it makes sense
• 21:45
  the cutting is here come to our home circumcision he is watching this circumcision take place
• 21:52
  everybody is congratulating him he's hearing that word the breit
• 21:57
  over and over and over and over all day they prepared for it for weeks elizabeth has been
• 22:03
  cooking preparing right sending out invitations for the breit he has been hearing this word
• 22:08
  the cutting is coming over and over and over interesting that the word the hebrew word for
• 22:15
  covenant is the same word it's the word breit it is the cutting of a covenant and so as he's
• 22:25
  hearing this word the cutting
• 22:27
  Over and over and over and over and over and over.
• 22:29
  His mind begins to wander back to the Old Testament covenants.
• 22:33
  And it suddenly occurs in the mind of this old man who had doubted previously.
• 22:39
  It suddenly occurs to him what all of those Old Testament covenants meant.
• 22:44
  He goes back to the Davidic covenant.
• 22:47
  This promise from God that he would provide a king.
• 22:50
  And he realizes who his son will be.
• 22:53
  He's a forerunner to the new king.
• 22:56
  He goes back in his mind to the covenant with Abraham.
• 22:59
  And we're going to read this because he just breaks out in song.
• 23:02
  We're going to read about the covenant with Abraham.
• 23:05
  And that God promised to make of Abraham a great nation.
• 23:08
  I'm going to gather people together.
• 23:11
  And it occurs to him what he meant was,
• 23:14
  I am going to gather people from all over the planet.
• 23:20
  From all over the planet.
• 23:21
  Not just the nation of Israel.
• 23:22
  We're going to read in here.
• 23:23
  About the people who walked in darkness.
• 23:26
  Referring to the Gentiles.
• 23:28
  And that they also would be saved.
• 23:30
  And then his mind continues to wander.
• 23:32
  And he says, but wait a minute.
• 23:34
  We can't serve the Lord without fear.
• 23:39
  And we can't stand in his presence in holiness and righteousness.
• 23:44
  Because none of us is holy or righteous.
• 23:47
  It's the same problem we had at the very beginning of the sermon.
• 23:50
  And so his mind begins to wander even more.
• 23:52
  And it occurs to him.
• 23:53
  That a new covenant must be coming.
• 23:57
  A new covenant, we would say, in Christ's blood.
• 24:02
  Every time we celebrate communion.
• 24:04
  He is referencing.
• 24:05
  And he doesn't understand it in its fullness yet.
• 24:07
  But he's referencing there must be a new covenant coming.
• 24:11
  Which actually forgives people of their sin.
• 24:13
  It is unbelievable.
• 24:15
  And so if you don't listen for the rest, at least you caught the gist.
• 24:18
  Okay?
• 24:19
  There it is.
• 24:20
  It is this epiphany that Zechariah suddenly has.
• 24:23
  All of the lights suddenly turn on.
• 24:28
  So look first at his promise to provide a king.
• 24:30
  Look at verse 67.
• 24:32
  His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied saying.
• 24:36
  So imagine he's just breaking out in song.
• 24:38
  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.
• 24:40
  He has visited and redeemed his people.
• 24:43
  And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.
• 24:51
  You know, it's interesting.
• 24:52
  He says God has visited us.
• 24:54
  He has redeemed us.
• 24:55
  We do not serve a God who is far off.
• 24:58
  Philippians chapter 4 says the Lord is near.
• 25:01
  Another time.
• 25:02
  The Lord will draw near to those who draw near to him.
• 25:05
  The Lord our God has promised through Christ's spirit never to leave us or forsake us.
• 25:11
  And so don't be tempted friends to live as though God is far away.
• 25:14
  He is not.
• 25:16
  And he says this horn will be raised up in the house of his servant David.
• 25:21
  And as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets.
• 25:23
  Oh, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
• 25:27
  The horn of an animal represented its power to conquer and kill.
• 25:32
  Here he says the son that was to be born to David will have a powerful horn.
• 25:40
  He will be like a beast that would lower his horns and drive out his enemies and rescue his people.
• 25:47
  And it suddenly occurs to Zechariah who John's cousin Jesus will be.
• 25:53
  God has promised that another king, a king like David, would come.
• 25:57
  But here was the problem.
• 25:59
  As Zechariah was singing this, who was the king of Israel?
• 26:06
  You guys remember?
• 26:07
  We're going to study it in a couple of Sundays.
• 26:08
  A real famous king who tries to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem.
• 26:11
  Do you guys remember this guy?
• 26:12
  What was his name?
• 26:14
  Herod the...
• 26:15
  He wasn't that great.
• 26:18
  I'm guessing he took that name himself.
• 26:20
  Right?
• 26:22
  Herod the Great?
• 26:24
  A wicked king.
• 26:27
  I mean, honestly, he was a puppet king of Rome.
• 26:30
  He had been appointed by the Romans.
• 26:33
  He had been empowered by the Romans to keep control over the...
• 26:36
  In fact, he was barely even considered Jewish.
• 26:40
  He would certainly not rise against his own benefactors.
• 26:46
  So when Zechariah begins to sing and says,
• 26:48
  There is a horn of salvation coming for us.
• 26:50
  A king from the line of David who will lower his horns and push out our enemies.
• 26:56
  Certainly he was not talking about King Herod.
• 27:00
  Herod would never do that against the Romans.
• 27:03
  What Zechariah must have been referring to was that a new king was about to appear.
• 27:09
  A new kingdom was about to dawn.
• 27:13
  A reestablishing of David's throne.
• 27:16
  He continues.
• 27:17
  You're going to notice the name Abraham come up.
• 27:19
  Look at verse 72.
• 27:21
  To show the mercy promised to our fathers.
• 27:23
  To remember his holy covenant.
• 27:24
  It's the word breit.
• 27:26
  It's the same word.
• 27:27
  Circumcision.
• 27:28
  The oath that he swore to our father Abraham to grant us that we being delivered from the hand of our enemies
• 27:33
  might serve him without fear.
• 27:36
  Holiness, righteousness before him all our days.
• 27:39
  When the Jewish people heard Abraham's name, they thought of how God would bring a nation.
• 27:44
  A people through whom he could display his power, mercy, and love.
• 27:47
  And herein lay another problem.
• 27:50
  By the time of Zechariah, the people of Israel were scattered.
• 27:56
  They were all over the map.
• 27:58
  Literally and metaphorically.
• 27:59
  They were disjointed geographically.
• 28:02
  They were theologically divided.
• 28:03
  And yet here in Zechariah's song, God is promising to gather his people together.
• 28:07
  To fulfill his promise to Abraham.
• 28:09
  To create a nation.
• 28:12
  And not only that, this promise would have God at their head.
• 28:16
  His people serving in his presence without fear.
• 28:19
  In holiness and righteousness.
• 28:22
  And there is the other problem.
• 28:24
  What is God's promise?
• 28:25
  What is God going to do with our unrighteousness?
• 28:28
  With our unholiness and our sin?
• 28:31
  Hold your finger, if you would, in Luke chapter 1 and turn to the right with me.
• 28:36
  Look at Jude.
• 28:37
  Jude is the one page letter right before Revelation.
• 28:40
  If you hit Revelation, you went a few pages too far.
• 28:43
  Jude is one page long.
• 28:48
  Look at Jude, verse 24.
• 28:54
  It says,
• 28:55
  Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling.
• 29:00
  And to present you.
• 29:02
  What is the next word?
• 29:04
  Blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.
• 29:08
  How will we stand in his presence with great joy?
• 29:11
  God will make us blameless.
• 29:13
  Let me ask you.
• 29:14
  Are all people going to stand before the presence of God?
• 29:17
  Yes.
• 29:18
  Every single human who has ever lived will stand before God's presence and give an account.
• 29:23
  But will all people stand before God's presence with great joy?
• 29:27
  No.
• 29:30
  Unfortunately not.
• 29:33
  Some will inherit eternal life.
• 29:35
  Some will be condemned for eternity.
• 29:39
  And so how is it that we will be able to stand before his presence with great joy?
• 29:43
  He is able, it says, to present us blameless.
• 29:49
  Blameless in his presence.
• 29:51
  We'll go back to Luke chapter 1.
• 29:52
  How in the world is he going to do that?
• 29:54
  The problem in Zechariah's mind as he is shaping and singing this song on the spot
• 30:00
  is that those two old...
• 30:02
  Covenants, Davidic and Abrahamic covenant,
• 30:04
  that those blessings that they were promised
• 30:07
  could not be enjoyed by mankind because of their sin.
• 30:11
  And it suddenly, I believe, occurs to him
• 30:13
  that a new covenant must be coming.
• 30:17
  It will be a covenant that offers a genuine solution to our greatest problem.
• 30:21
  We sing the song,
• 30:23
  It is well with my soul.
• 30:25
  And do you remember this one verse?
• 30:26
  Oh, the bliss of this glorious thought.
• 30:32
  My sin, what does it say?
• 30:35
  Not in part, but the whole,
• 30:39
  is nailed to the cross,
• 30:41
  and I bear it no more.
• 30:43
  Praise the Lord.
• 30:45
  Praise the Lord, oh my soul.
• 30:48
  Romans chapter 8 and verse 1.
• 30:51
  You guys know how I feel about Romans 8 if you've attended the church at all.
• 30:54
  It's the best chapter in Romans.
• 30:56
  Romans is the best chapter in the Bible.
• 30:58
  The Bible is the best book in the world.
• 31:00
  Romans 8 is the best chapter in the best book.
• 31:02
  And the best book in the world.
• 31:03
  And verse 1 is the best verse in the best chapter.
• 31:05
  And the best book in the best book in the world.
• 31:07
  Romans chapter 1 is God's declaration of war on sin.
• 31:11
  It is a one statement shot heard around the world.
• 31:16
  Romans chapter 8 and verse 1.
• 31:17
  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
• 31:21
  Can I get an amen from all the people in Christ Jesus?
• 31:25
  You will not be condemned for your sin.
• 31:29
  How is he going to do that?
• 31:32
  It can't be done in the Davidic covenant.
• 31:34
  It can't be done in the Abrahamic covenant.
• 31:36
  There must be a new covenant coming.
• 31:38
  And we would say a new covenant in Christ's blood.
• 31:41
  Look at verse 76.
• 31:42
  And you, child.
• 31:43
  He's referring to now his own.
• 31:47
  John the Baptist will be called the prophet of the most high.
• 31:51
  God is coming to earth.
• 31:53
  Do you see all of these truths all coalescing, all coming together?
• 31:57
  The lights turning on in this old man's mind.
• 32:00
  A doubter.
• 32:01
  The previously now a believer.
• 32:03
  You will go before the Lord to prepare his ways.
• 32:06
  To give knowledge of salvation to his people.
• 32:09
  And the forgiveness of their sins.
• 32:12
  Forgiveness has to be coming.
• 32:13
  Or else how are we going to use and utilize and receive the blessings of those old covenants?
• 32:18
  We can't receive them.
• 32:20
  So forgiveness must be coming.
• 32:21
  Because, verse 78.
• 32:23
  Of the tender mercy of our God.
• 32:25
  Whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high.
• 32:28
  It's always been interesting to me.
• 32:30
  That we do a sunrise.
• 32:31
  Service at Easter.
• 32:34
  Really, the sunrise service should be at Christmas.
• 32:37
  And for you who have young kids.
• 32:39
  I promise you've seen every sunrise on Christmas morning.
• 32:44
  The sun is about to rise, he says.
• 32:46
  To give light to those who sit in darkness.
• 32:49
  Now that's a reference to Isaiah chapter 9.
• 32:51
  There is a people who sit in darkness.
• 32:54
  And are waiting for a light.
• 32:56
  We're going to talk about Isaiah chapter 9.
• 32:58
  And that idea on Christmas Eve.
• 33:01
  That will be our text on Christmas Eve.
• 33:02
  Make sure that you're here.
• 33:05
  Darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace.
• 33:11
  What he's saying is we can have peace with God.
• 33:14
  Because there is a new baby king about to be born.
• 33:21
  God's ways are not our ways.
• 33:23
  He reserves the right, in fact, to blow our minds every now and again.
• 33:28
  This morning we see how the light suddenly turned on for an old man.
• 33:31
  Who, during his son's circumcision, suddenly realized.
• 33:34
  What it all meant.
• 33:35
  That the Lord would indeed provide his people with a new king.
• 33:38
  That he would indeed make his people a new nation.
• 33:41
  And that he would accomplish these things.
• 33:43
  By ushering in a new covenant in Christ's blood.
• 33:47
  And Lord, we rejoice this morning.
• 33:50
  In that new baby king.
• 33:54
  Lord, we don't just celebrate Christmas because it's cute.
• 33:57
  We don't just celebrate Christmas because we enjoy giving and receiving presents.
• 34:01
  Lord, it's not just because we enjoy the food.
• 34:03
  And the decorations and the songs.
• 34:05
  Lord, we really do enjoy all of those things.
• 34:07
  But the reason we rejoice in Christmas.
• 34:10
  Is because we can finally.
• 34:14
  Serve in your presence without fear.
• 34:17
  Stand in your presence.
• 34:19
  In holiness and righteousness.
• 34:21
  No longer condemned, Lord.
• 34:23
  Because you yourself has declared war on sin.
• 34:29
  And so God, we thank you and we praise you.
• 34:32
  For Zechariah's song.
• 34:35
  For his understanding.
• 34:35
  And under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
• 34:37
  Seeing this truth for us.
• 34:40
  That all of the culminations of all of those promises.
• 34:43
  In the Old Testament.
• 34:44
  Find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
• 34:46
  And it is in his name we pray.
• 34:48
  Amen, church.
• 34:50
  Amen.