Life of Messiah 10- Luke 1:57-80 The Birth of John the Baptist

[00:00:01] You are listening to Theology and Apologetics with Thomas Fretwell, bringing Theology to life.

[00:00:11] So we are back in our Life of Messiah series. If you remember we were in the Gospel of Luke.

[00:00:19] Luke chapter one really is what we've been looking at.

[00:00:22] And the whole chapter of Luke is really revolving around these two different births that we see

[00:00:28] for these two very important people.

[00:00:30] The Messiah and the one who would be his forerunner, John the Baptist.

[00:00:35] The mother of John the Baptist, Elizabeth remember the story she was barren?

[00:00:39] Her husband Zacharias was a priest.

[00:00:41] He was chosen to be the one going into the temple to do his holy service of burning the incense.

[00:00:47] And when he was inside the holy place he was visited by the angel who announced to him

[00:00:52] that Elizabeth would become pregnant and that they should name the child John.

[00:00:57] John was going to be a forerunner to the Messiah.

[00:01:00] His mission was in fact to make a people ready, to make ready a people who would be prepared for the Lord.

[00:01:07] And you remember the story Zacharias responded with a hint of disbelief in some ways

[00:01:12] and he was immediately struck mute by the angel

[00:01:16] and he had been unable to speak throughout the entire pregnancy of Elizabeth.

[00:01:21] And then we looked at the story change. We had our second birth announcement.

[00:01:26] This time it was that wonderful faithful girl Mary.

[00:01:29] She was visited by the angel Gabriel who told her that even though she was a virgin

[00:01:34] she would be with child.

[00:01:36] Luke 1.31 says, Behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall name him Jesus.

[00:01:43] He will be great, he will be called the son of the most high

[00:01:45] and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David

[00:01:48] and he will reign over the house of Jacob and his kingdom will have no end.

[00:01:53] And we had this beautiful episode remember where Mary goes on a journey

[00:01:58] to visit her cousin Elizabeth at this time.

[00:02:01] And you had that scene when Mary entered the house and greeted Elizabeth

[00:02:05] it says that the baby jumped for joy in the womb.

[00:02:09] The first mission there of the forerunner, the herald of the Messiah

[00:02:13] started even in the womb.

[00:02:15] And then you had Mary.

[00:02:17] She gave us that famous piece of scripture called the Magnificat.

[00:02:20] She burst into praise at this and it says in verse 46,

[00:02:23] And Mary said, My soul exalts the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.

[00:02:30] That was Mary's view of herself and we looked at all that.

[00:02:33] She then goes on to give that wonderful scripture filled portion of scripture that we read last time.

[00:02:40] And then at the end verse 56 it said Mary stayed with her about three months

[00:02:45] and then returned to her home.

[00:02:47] And probably in my view I reckon she stayed to see the birth of John the Baptist there before she went home.

[00:02:53] So we will pick up the narrative in verse 57.

[00:02:57] This is the birth of John the Baptist and really the song of Zacharias the father

[00:03:04] called the Benedictus again.

[00:03:06] So you have the Magnificat and the Benedictus two very famous portions of scripture here.

[00:03:10] So in verse 57 it says,

[00:03:13] Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth and she gave birth to her son.

[00:03:19] Her neighbours and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed his great mercy towards her

[00:03:25] and they were rejoicing with her.

[00:03:27] So this is really very simply put for the miraculous event that it is.

[00:03:32] The time had come for Elizabeth to give birth.

[00:03:35] Now what a statement that Messianic era here,

[00:03:38] the herald now of the coming Messiah is born.

[00:03:42] That's what this statement is saying.

[00:03:44] This is a different birth from all other births.

[00:03:46] This person had a different mission from all other people born at this time.

[00:03:49] He was to be the one that testified prepared the way for the Messiah.

[00:03:54] And this of course obviously confirmed that everything that was promised to the child Mary

[00:03:59] the Messiah would also definitely arrive.

[00:04:02] If the herald had arrived the Messiah will arrive.

[00:04:05] And that would be being that God keeps his promise simply put.

[00:04:09] God is faithful to keep his promises.

[00:04:12] And because of that we must continue to live for him in light of that faithfulness.

[00:04:17] This is the character of God.

[00:04:18] He is a promise keeper.

[00:04:20] He will never break a promise.

[00:04:22] That is the type of God that we have.

[00:04:24] This is said to us many, many times in scripture.

[00:04:27] 1 Kings 8.56

[00:04:29] Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel.

[00:04:32] According to all that he promised and not one word has failed of all his good promise.

[00:04:38] I love that verse.

[00:04:39] Not one word has failed of all his good promise.

[00:04:42] 2 Corinthians 1.20

[00:04:44] For as many as are the promises of God and there are a lot in him they are yes.

[00:04:50] In Jesus that means in him they are yes.

[00:04:52] Therefore also through him is our amen to the glory of God through us.

[00:04:57] What's that basically saying?

[00:04:58] All the promises find their yes in Jesus.

[00:05:00] He is the amen.

[00:05:01] He affirms them.

[00:05:02] He says yes may it be so to the promises of God.

[00:05:05] He is the proof.

[00:05:06] And God really is faithful.

[00:05:08] That's the theme we get from this portion of scripture.

[00:05:11] Reminds me of Lamentations 3 in that book that's quite a hard book to read.

[00:05:15] You have this wonderful little jewel.

[00:05:17] These two verses where it says the Lord's loving kindness indeed never ceases.

[00:05:21] For his compassion never fail they are new every morning.

[00:05:25] Great is your faithfulness.

[00:05:27] Great is your faithfulness.

[00:05:29] You remember the missionary Hudson Taylor who founded the China Inland Mission.

[00:05:33] He had demonstrated many times remarkable faith and trust in God.

[00:05:37] In one of his journal entries he says this,

[00:05:40] Our heavenly Father is a very experienced one.

[00:05:42] He knows very well that his children wake up with a good appetite every morning.

[00:05:47] He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years.

[00:05:51] And we do not expect he will send 3 million missionaries to China

[00:05:54] but if he did he would have ample means to sustain them all.

[00:05:58] Depend on it.

[00:05:59] God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply.

[00:06:03] It's a very famous quote that you'll see that little end part there.

[00:06:06] You'll see on many different things in Christendom.

[00:06:09] God's work in God's way will never lack God's supply.

[00:06:13] A verse 58 please.

[00:06:15] It says her neighbors and her relatives heard

[00:06:17] that the Lord had displayed his great mercy towards her

[00:06:20] and they were rejoicing with her.

[00:06:23] This was a time of great joy.

[00:06:25] God had displayed his great mercy.

[00:06:28] It's a lovely way to think of what had just happened.

[00:06:31] The birth of John the Baptist, the fulfillment of God's promises

[00:06:34] were a display of his great mercy.

[00:06:37] So we have these two themes.

[00:06:39] Great is your faithfulness, great is your mercy.

[00:06:42] These are the two things that stand out to us in this narrative.

[00:06:45] Everything that we really read is just an explanation of those two themes here.

[00:06:49] And it says the neighbors rejoiced with her and I like that.

[00:06:52] They shared in the pleasure of God's great mercy

[00:06:56] visiting this small village in Israel at this time.

[00:07:00] They shared in her pleasure.

[00:07:02] And I think this is a lesson for us, for the church generally,

[00:07:05] for us as individuals but for the church generally

[00:07:07] because too often we see a brother or sister who has received great mercy.

[00:07:12] Part of us thinks well they should have maybe received some judgement for that

[00:07:16] but they receive great mercy from the Lord.

[00:07:19] And what is our reaction?

[00:07:21] Do we share in their rejoicing at that great mercy?

[00:07:24] Let's be honest sometimes we don't do we, we get a little jealous.

[00:07:27] How has that happened to them? It's not happened to me.

[00:07:29] I've worked harder than them. How come that's been going well for them?

[00:07:32] These are just natural I would say in one sense

[00:07:35] but in a fleshly sense we get these feelings.

[00:07:37] But no, when we see the great mercy of God displayed

[00:07:40] on any of our brothers and sisters

[00:07:42] we should share in that pleasure with them.

[00:07:45] Not because of them but because it is a display of God's great mercy

[00:07:50] which is something that we are all totally dependent on in every way possible.

[00:07:55] It's a reminder really that we desperately need the great mercy of God in our lives

[00:08:00] and thus when we see that great mercy displayed

[00:08:02] even if it's not on us, if it's on someone else

[00:08:05] at that particular moment that should cause us to rejoice

[00:08:08] because it proves to us that God is a God of great mercy

[00:08:11] and that is really the point there.

[00:08:13] Again, the narrative is about God here.

[00:08:16] Verse 59

[00:08:18] And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child

[00:08:22] and they were going to call him Zacharias after his father

[00:08:25] but his mother answered and said,

[00:08:27] No indeed he shall be called John

[00:08:30] and they said to her there's no one among your relatives who was called by that name

[00:08:33] and they made signs to his father as to what he wanted him called

[00:08:37] and he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows

[00:08:39] his name is John and they were all astonished.

[00:08:43] Again, lovely portion of scripture this.

[00:08:45] The eighth day.

[00:08:47] Now the eighth day was a special day for Jewish people

[00:08:50] that's the day that they would circumcise the child in accordance with the law

[00:08:54] that was also the day when the child would be given its name

[00:08:57] so you wouldn't name the child when it was first born

[00:08:59] you'd name it on the eighth day

[00:09:01] that's actually still the tradition for Jewish people to this day

[00:09:04] but that was the custom in Jesus' day

[00:09:06] it was customary that you would name

[00:09:08] the name would come from someone in the family

[00:09:10] usually after the father or someone like that

[00:09:13] and this is why you see they're puzzled by this

[00:09:16] they assumed that he was going to name

[00:09:18] they were going to name the child Zacharias after his father

[00:09:21] and that's why they say when Mary says John

[00:09:24] there's no one in your father

[00:09:26] there's no one in your family with that name

[00:09:29] and then Elizabeth obviously intervenes

[00:09:32] I love this little section

[00:09:34] but no he shall be called John

[00:09:37] and she's very firm about this

[00:09:40] I like notice she says this immediately

[00:09:42] really without hesitation

[00:09:44] and she's at that moment going against

[00:09:46] years of cultural tradition

[00:09:48] going against the pressure of her family

[00:09:50] at that time immediately

[00:09:52] she's not even phased by it

[00:09:54] she says no his name is going to be John

[00:09:56] why? because that was obedient to the word of God

[00:09:58] that they had for this child

[00:10:00] Mary Elizabeth here again

[00:10:02] and our character in this story

[00:10:04] both Elizabeth and Mary really are standout characters

[00:10:06] in this first chapter of Luke

[00:10:08] and this is interesting for us

[00:10:10] sometimes it's required

[00:10:12] we have to go against family

[00:10:14] we have to go against friends

[00:10:16] in obedience to the word of God

[00:10:18] that'll be something that probably happens more and more

[00:10:20] we have to go against the culture

[00:10:22] the tide of prevailing opinion

[00:10:24] if we're going to be obedient to the word of God

[00:10:26] sometimes that's hard to do

[00:10:28] sometimes that can be intimidating

[00:10:30] just the faith of Elizabeth here

[00:10:32] it shines through

[00:10:34] she says no immediately

[00:10:36] his name shall be called John

[00:10:38] remember Zacharias had already slipped up

[00:10:40] once in the narrative

[00:10:42] he responded in disbelief to the angel

[00:10:44] don't blame him for that

[00:10:46] there must have been a fairly overwhelming experience

[00:10:48] but he questioned the angel

[00:10:50] he was unable to speak

[00:10:52] but Elizabeth forcefully without hesitation

[00:10:54] obeys the word of God and she says no

[00:10:56] the child is John

[00:10:58] if they're confused by that

[00:11:00] the crowd they turn to Zacharias

[00:11:02] what they're basically trying to do is go over her head

[00:11:04] at this point and they turn to the father

[00:11:06] Zacharias and they're assigning to him

[00:11:08] because he still can't speak at this moment

[00:11:10] asking you get the final say here

[00:11:12] what is his name

[00:11:14] so he asks for a tablet

[00:11:16] and most assuming that he would probably follow

[00:11:18] the Jewish custom at this time

[00:11:20] and override Mary's mistake

[00:11:22] as they see it

[00:11:24] but no Zacharias

[00:11:26] in this whole episode he has the opportunity

[00:11:28] really to redeem himself here

[00:11:30] and he's learned that lesson now

[00:11:32] and following his wife's obedience

[00:11:34] he says his name is

[00:11:36] John

[00:11:38] and the crowds were astonished at that

[00:11:40] and I like this because it shows you that

[00:11:42] although John has been afflicted

[00:11:44] Zacharias sorry has been afflicted

[00:11:46] for the last nine months

[00:11:48] he's learned now

[00:11:50] Psalm 119 verse 71

[00:11:52] it is good for me that I was afflicted

[00:11:54] when I learned your statutes

[00:11:56] sometimes that's

[00:11:58] what we need to learn the word

[00:12:00] of God

[00:12:02] he was afflicted that he would learn

[00:12:04] the lesson that God had for him there

[00:12:06] and he did and they were all astonished

[00:12:08] why were they so astonished really

[00:12:10] because Zacharias was a priest

[00:12:12] and he went against the priestly

[00:12:14] in the Jewish custom at that time

[00:12:16] and he did that in obedience

[00:12:18] for the word of God

[00:12:20] and this is again another lesson for us

[00:12:22] in church and I'd say particularly for those in church leadership

[00:12:24] maybe across the land

[00:12:26] will we capitulate to the consensus

[00:12:30] at the time

[00:12:32] it changes a lot the consensus

[00:12:34] the tradition of the age changes

[00:12:36] but there is always a tradition and culture of the age

[00:12:38] and sometimes it's very tempting

[00:12:40] to capitulate to that

[00:12:42] you see many church leaders in different church denominations

[00:12:44] doing that right now

[00:12:46] much of it in the news at this time

[00:12:48] church leaders capitulating

[00:12:50] going against the word of God

[00:12:52] I think we need to learn a lesson

[00:12:54] from these two faithful servants of the Lord here

[00:12:56] we need to be more like Zacharias

[00:12:58] and Elizabeth and be obedient

[00:13:00] to the word of God in spite

[00:13:02] of what those around us are saying

[00:13:04] verse 64

[00:13:06] and at once his mouth was opened

[00:13:08] and his tongue loosed

[00:13:10] and he begun to speak in praise to God

[00:13:12] fear came and all those living around them

[00:13:14] and all these matters were being talked about

[00:13:16] in all the hill country of Judea

[00:13:18] all who heard them kept in mind

[00:13:20] will this child turn out to be

[00:13:22] for the hand of the Lord was certainly

[00:13:24] with him

[00:13:26] so at this agreement with God's will

[00:13:28] Zacharias and Elizabeth

[00:13:30] his tongue is immediately loosed

[00:13:32] and now for the first time in nine months

[00:13:34] he begins to speak

[00:13:36] this must have been a pretty dramatic moment

[00:13:38] not only for him and his family

[00:13:40] but also for all of those who had seen

[00:13:42] and knew about the priest who had been made mute

[00:13:44] when he entered the temple

[00:13:46] what has happened here

[00:13:48] and notice what he speaks

[00:13:50] does he speak anger

[00:13:52] why has God allowed this to happen to me

[00:13:54] it's nine months of my life that have been ruined

[00:13:56] I haven't been able to speak it's been so hard on my family

[00:13:58] you can go on and on with all the things that we could imagine

[00:14:00] he might come out with but no

[00:14:02] he's learned the lessons, he's learned the word of God

[00:14:04] his tongue is loosed and he speaks

[00:14:06] praises his first words are praises

[00:14:08] again to God

[00:14:10] God has dramatically broken his silence

[00:14:12] again here remember this is all

[00:14:14] in the narrative of 400 silently years

[00:14:16] that are being broken with the dawn of the messianic era here

[00:14:19] and he uses this priest against Zacharias

[00:14:21] and it's all about the subject now

[00:14:23] of John and of Jesus Christ

[00:14:25] and we're going to see that in the next portion of scripture

[00:14:28] but it says fear came on all those living around them

[00:14:31] and fear is again this is in the sense of

[00:14:33] probably truly fear for some people

[00:14:35] but also astonishment or what is happening really

[00:14:38] everything is so unusual that it's happening here

[00:14:40] this is not normal

[00:14:42] this is the talk of the town

[00:14:44] there was an expectation about this child

[00:14:47] people were talking about it

[00:14:49] something was different that the anticipation of the Messiah

[00:14:51] the messianic era now was reaching

[00:14:54] more was beginning actually

[00:14:56] and it reaches its peak as we go through the gospels

[00:14:59] there was an expectation though

[00:15:01] that the hand of the Lord was on this child

[00:15:04] and now just as we saw Mary's song of praise

[00:15:07] the Magnificat here we get Zacharias' song of praise

[00:15:10] and this is a lovely portion of scripture

[00:15:12] when we were in Israel just recently

[00:15:14] whenever we teach on site I'd always start

[00:15:16] by saying this is one of my favourite portions of scripture

[00:15:20] and after like fifth time I noticed people started laughing

[00:15:22] whenever I kept saying that

[00:15:24] because it was every time a different piece of scripture

[00:15:26] obviously but it wasn't lying it is actually true

[00:15:28] whichever bit you're studying does become

[00:15:30] your favourite portion for that moment

[00:15:32] and this has been one of my favourite ones

[00:15:34] this last week because there were so many lessons from it

[00:15:36] just like we saw in Mary's song

[00:15:39] this was a scripture filled woman

[00:15:41] we're going to see Zacharias now with his song

[00:15:43] is very similar in that regard

[00:15:45] so let's look at verse 67 please

[00:15:47] and we'll read this

[00:15:49] it says

[00:15:50] So again we see the presence of the Holy Spirit in this narrative

[00:16:11] he was filled with the Holy Spirit

[00:16:13] that's what we see we've seen this a lot actually

[00:16:15] in this first chapter of Luke

[00:16:17] the Spirit is very present in all of this

[00:16:19] and again note what is the result

[00:16:21] of this man being filled with the Spirit

[00:16:24] what does he do?

[00:16:26] he praises God

[00:16:27] simply he praises God

[00:16:29] and this is he says

[00:16:31] blessed

[00:16:32] spoken well of that means

[00:16:34] to be worthy of praise you could say

[00:16:36] blessed means there

[00:16:37] remember when Paul said in Ephesians

[00:16:39] blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

[00:16:42] who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing

[00:16:46] blessed blessed blessed

[00:16:48] over and over we read that in the scriptures

[00:16:50] that is our theme

[00:16:51] he is blessed

[00:16:53] the Lord God of Israel

[00:16:55] now the Lord God of Israel is a very nationalistic title

[00:16:58] I say that it's not a bad word nationalistic

[00:17:00] in this sense it's biblical in this sense

[00:17:02] it's used 54 times in the Old Testament

[00:17:04] it's actually used only here in the New Testament

[00:17:07] and this shows you something about the thinking

[00:17:09] of Zacharias and where we are

[00:17:11] in the current redemptive program

[00:17:13] that's important

[00:17:14] they are thinking in terms of the kingdom

[00:17:16] his son was to be a forerunner of the king

[00:17:19] this Messiah who would bring in the kingdom

[00:17:22] now Zacharias at this stage

[00:17:24] knew nothing of the fact that the nation

[00:17:26] would shortly reject that king

[00:17:28] and that the program that they all understood

[00:17:30] was going to be not changed

[00:17:32] but it was going to have an element to it

[00:17:34] that they had not yet been revealed to them

[00:17:36] but this is the term

[00:17:37] the Lord God of Israel

[00:17:38] he has visited us

[00:17:40] remember after 400 years of waiting

[00:17:42] really from the last word of God

[00:17:44] now this program is beginning to be fulfilled

[00:17:47] the coming of the Messiah is very very close

[00:17:49] and this is how he will accomplish

[00:17:51] salvation for his people

[00:17:53] and I want to think about this

[00:17:55] what does the coming of Messiah do to their hearts?

[00:17:59] what should it do to a believer's heart

[00:18:01] as we contemplate the coming of the Messiah?

[00:18:04] now we can think about this in terms of the second coming

[00:18:06] just as they were thinking about it

[00:18:08] in terms of the first coming

[00:18:10] and notice this whole narrative that we've seen

[00:18:12] with all these fainful saints

[00:18:14] with Mary, with Zacharias, with Joseph

[00:18:16] with Elizabeth here

[00:18:18] as the Messiah is being heralded to them

[00:18:20] the forerunner, the real one, the birth announcement

[00:18:22] what does it do?

[00:18:23] it always causes them to burst forth into praise doesn't it?

[00:18:26] and that's a lesson for us today

[00:18:28] ask yourself now

[00:18:29] what does the thought of his appearing do to you?

[00:18:31] what does it fill you with?

[00:18:33] or if it doesn't maybe fill you with any sort of expectation

[00:18:36] maybe that's because we are a little too comfortable

[00:18:38] living in this world right now

[00:18:40] we spend a little too little time

[00:18:42] I would say dwelling on what it means

[00:18:44] that the Messiah is soon to approach

[00:18:46] that his coming is near

[00:18:48] and we're too much in the world

[00:18:51] maybe

[00:18:53] now I will know we get busy in life

[00:18:55] and it's hard sometimes to stop and think about these things

[00:18:57] but I think the lesson here is

[00:18:59] at a time we should think about

[00:19:01] really what does the promise

[00:19:03] that his coming is near mean to us

[00:19:05] remember this whole narrative is saturated with the theme

[00:19:08] that God will never break his promises

[00:19:10] God is faithful to fulfill his promises

[00:19:12] and one of his promises is

[00:19:14] Messiah is coming again

[00:19:16] for them Messiah was coming

[00:19:18] they didn't realize this too advent concept yet at this time

[00:19:21] but what it did do was fill them with praise

[00:19:24] and that should be the same for us too

[00:19:26] the thought of the coming of Jesus

[00:19:28] should fill us with praise

[00:19:30] and if it doesn't go before the Lord yourself

[00:19:33] in your own personal time

[00:19:35] and ask him to change that in your heart

[00:19:37] verse 69 it says

[00:19:39] and has raised up a horn of salvation

[00:19:41] for us

[00:19:43] in the house of David his servant

[00:19:45] in the house of David his servant

[00:19:48] now Zacharias now links the redemption of Israel

[00:19:51] with the fulfillment of the covenants in the Bible

[00:19:54] and we're going to look at this

[00:19:56] he's going to do this three times actually

[00:19:58] three different covenants in this portion of scripture

[00:20:00] very similar to what Mary did

[00:20:02] remember the covenants are the promises of God

[00:20:05] basically how he reveals his blessing to us

[00:20:08] the covenants that a Messiah would come

[00:20:10] that his faithfulness in keeping these covenant promises

[00:20:13] they're hugely important to the Bible

[00:20:16] remember we went through the genealogy

[00:20:19] the whole gospel story starts with these genealogies

[00:20:22] that we spent a lot of time in

[00:20:24] and the theme of that genealogy was

[00:20:26] the authors were proving that the Messiah

[00:20:29] or the mother of the Messiah at this point

[00:20:31] was the descendant of David

[00:20:33] and that was a big point

[00:20:35] remember we spent a lot of time on that

[00:20:37] he had to be a descendant of David

[00:20:39] why? because the covenant was made with David

[00:20:41] it's all about that covenant

[00:20:43] the Davidic covenant

[00:20:45] the promise that God made to David

[00:20:47] all those years ago

[00:20:49] that one of his descendants would be an eternal king

[00:20:51] who would come to rule over an eternal throne

[00:20:53] and there would be the king over an eternal kingdom

[00:20:55] and this is the one that now is coming to fulfill

[00:20:57] all of that

[00:20:59] and he uses that term there

[00:21:01] as a horn of salvation

[00:21:03] and we might just read that

[00:21:05] and think that's another biblical way

[00:21:07] of expressing something

[00:21:09] that term is so rich with meaning

[00:21:11] I'm going to try and explain just a little bit

[00:21:13] of that to you now

[00:21:15] it's just a lovely term

[00:21:17] it's a name of the Messiah

[00:21:19] the term horn in the ancient world

[00:21:21] you'll find this outside of the Bible too

[00:21:23] but you find it all through the Bible

[00:21:25] where rulers or leaders

[00:21:27] or people of strength are referred to as horns

[00:21:29] and leaders

[00:21:31] it was an ancient symbol of strength

[00:21:33] but you find it applied uniquely

[00:21:35] to the Messiah

[00:21:37] let's go back to Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel

[00:21:39] do you remember we talked about Hannah

[00:21:41] that her prayer for a child

[00:21:43] and Mary's prayer were very similar

[00:21:45] to each other

[00:21:47] 1 Samuel we find this

[00:21:49] 1 Samuel 2 verse 10

[00:21:51] Hannah prays this

[00:21:59] and he will give strength to his king

[00:22:01] and he will exalt the horn

[00:22:03] of his anointed

[00:22:05] you find that phrase

[00:22:07] King David also uses this

[00:22:09] in Psalm 18 verse 1 and 2

[00:22:11] he says

[00:22:29] and if so

[00:22:31] we should actually find this imagery

[00:22:33] of the horn all throughout the Bible

[00:22:35] because the pictures and the types

[00:22:37] that we get of Messiah don't just appear

[00:22:39] out of nowhere they always come from a context

[00:22:41] and we do find this throughout the Bible

[00:22:43] let me show you one way we find this

[00:22:45] if you go right back to the book of Exodus

[00:22:47] remember the tabernacle

[00:22:49] or the temple the temple furniture

[00:22:51] in the tabernacle

[00:22:53] one of the things you notice

[00:22:55] they had this big bronze altar

[00:22:57] the altar of sacrifice

[00:22:59] that was to be placed outside

[00:23:01] of the holy place

[00:23:03] let me read to you in Exodus 27

[00:23:05] some of the design of this altar

[00:23:07] it says

[00:23:09] and you shall make the altar of acacia wood

[00:23:11] 5 cubits long, 5 cubits wide

[00:23:13] the altar shall be square and its height

[00:23:15] shall be 3 cubits

[00:23:17] and then listen

[00:23:19] you shall make its horns on its 4 corners

[00:23:21] its horns shall be of one piece with it

[00:23:23] and you shall overlay it with bronze

[00:23:25] the altar had 4 horns

[00:23:28] on its corner

[00:23:30] just remember that as we go forward

[00:23:32] let's jump forward now

[00:23:34] to Leviticus chapter 4

[00:23:36] the chapter deals

[00:23:38] with the sin offering

[00:23:40] the law of sin offerings

[00:23:42] we find this instruction

[00:23:44] it says when sin has been committed

[00:23:46] intentionally or unintentionally

[00:23:48] we read this instruction

[00:23:50] of what the priests are to do

[00:23:52] in Leviticus 4 verse 15 to 18

[00:23:54] the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of a bull

[00:23:56] before the Lord

[00:23:58] and the bull shall be slain before the Lord

[00:24:00] and then the anointed priest

[00:24:02] is to bring some of the blood of the bull

[00:24:04] to the tent of meeting

[00:24:06] and look, the priest shall dip his finger in the blood

[00:24:08] sprinkled it 7 times before the Lord

[00:24:10] in front of the veil

[00:24:12] then verse 18 says he shall put some of the blood

[00:24:14] on the horns of the altar

[00:24:16] which is before the Lord

[00:24:18] in the tent of meeting

[00:24:20] and the rest will pour out at the base

[00:24:22] of the blood from the sacrifice

[00:24:24] on the horns of this altar

[00:24:26] and this was done for a sin offering

[00:24:28] and I think how often the priests were having to do this

[00:24:30] many times daily

[00:24:32] for all the different people

[00:24:34] definitely at the two appointed times every day

[00:24:36] those horns must have been absolutely

[00:24:38] stained with blood

[00:24:40] they would have been stained blood red

[00:24:42] from all of the sacrifices going on them

[00:24:44] the horn was the place

[00:24:46] where the blood had to be put for the sin offering

[00:24:48] it was the place of judgment

[00:24:50] and for

[00:24:52] you see this is the prophetic picture

[00:24:54] because we know really that bronze altar

[00:24:56] was a picture of what

[00:24:58] it was a picture of the cross wasn't it

[00:25:00] the place where the ultimate sin offering

[00:25:02] would be sacrifice so it's no surprise

[00:25:04] that when we talk of the horn of salvation

[00:25:06] being a term for the messiah

[00:25:08] that we go back to the prophetic picture

[00:25:10] and we see this altar having four horns on it

[00:25:12] where the blood of the sacrifice must be placed

[00:25:14] and this is the idea that we get here

[00:25:16] so even right back in the Old Testament

[00:25:18] thousands of years ago we see this picture

[00:25:20] being developed that will ultimately lead us

[00:25:22] to the cross that we're going to celebrate on Good Friday

[00:25:24] where once again the blood

[00:25:26] from the sin sacrifice was put

[00:25:28] on the horns of the altar

[00:25:30] that's what the cross is this is the prophetic imagery

[00:25:32] that we have here I find it amazing

[00:25:34] every detail in this scripture is important

[00:25:36] it is designed

[00:25:38] remember when King David and you'll see this

[00:25:40] in the scripture too it has an important factor

[00:25:42] King David remember when he was in old age

[00:25:44] he needed to appoint a successor

[00:25:46] amongst his sons

[00:25:48] he had promised the throne in the kingdom to King Solomon

[00:25:50] he had another son though called Adonijah

[00:25:52] who tried to usurp the throne

[00:25:54] from him at a certain point

[00:25:56] and he gathered

[00:25:58] Adonijah gathered together his supporters

[00:26:00] and they tried to do a coronation

[00:26:02] and someone came to David and said

[00:26:04] this is what's going on and David immediately said

[00:26:06] no we need to stop this my son

[00:26:08] Solomon is going to be king

[00:26:10] he called for the prophet Nathan and the priests

[00:26:12] and they gave Solomon a proper coronation

[00:26:14] like an official handover

[00:26:16] and obviously when the people of

[00:26:18] Adonijah heard

[00:26:20] that Solomon had been made king by David

[00:26:22] they realized that they had chosen

[00:26:24] the wrong camp and they were extremely fearful

[00:26:26] at this time and then we read

[00:26:28] a very interesting portion of scripture

[00:26:30] in 1 Kings 49

[00:26:32] listen to this this is Adonijah

[00:26:34] said then all the guests of Adonijah

[00:26:36] were terrified and they arose and each went on his way

[00:26:38] as they would be

[00:26:40] but then it says and Adonijah was afraid

[00:26:42] of Solomon and he arose

[00:26:44] he went and took hold

[00:26:46] of the horns of the altar

[00:26:48] it's a very unusual thing

[00:26:50] to do isn't it? Of all the places

[00:26:52] you could run to you run right

[00:26:54] into the center of the camp

[00:26:56] of Israel where the king

[00:26:58] and all his people are going to be

[00:27:00] and you grab hold of the horns

[00:27:02] of the altar

[00:27:04] but it fits when you understand the typology

[00:27:06] that we've just gone through

[00:27:08] he had sinned

[00:27:10] he needed mercy

[00:27:12] where did he go? He went to the altar

[00:27:14] not only to the altar he went

[00:27:16] and hung on to those blood stained horns

[00:27:18] of the altar. You see the picture of the typology

[00:27:20] being developed here is amazing really

[00:27:22] he appealed for mercy and protection

[00:27:24] by clinging to the horns of the altar

[00:27:26] and what a picture this is for all of us

[00:27:28] who need refuge as sinners

[00:27:30] because we go and cling to the cross of Christ don't we?

[00:27:32] It's exactly the same principle going on here

[00:27:34] just in Old Testament

[00:27:36] New Testament it's amazing

[00:27:38] even more so the Jewish sages at this time

[00:27:40] they were considered the four

[00:27:42] horns of the altar they corresponded

[00:27:44] to the four corners of the earth

[00:27:46] because they would picture the entire earth

[00:27:48] as a giant altar to Yahweh

[00:27:50] so this was their understanding of it and again

[00:27:52] for me this is a wonderful development

[00:27:54] if that is you take that picture

[00:27:56] and go with it prophetically and symbolically

[00:27:58] then this means that the blood of Christ

[00:28:00] on the cross was shed to save

[00:28:02] humans from the four corners of the earth

[00:28:04] it was shed for the sins

[00:28:06] of the whole world four corners of the earth

[00:28:08] the four horns of the altar

[00:28:10] this typology is so wonderful here

[00:28:12] the picture that it gives us of Jesus Christ

[00:28:14] and really when we read a portion like this

[00:28:16] we must ask ourselves have we been saved

[00:28:18] from the sins that we have committed in this life

[00:28:20] have we ourselves actually grabbed hold

[00:28:22] of the horns of those bloodstained altars

[00:28:24] have we come to the cross of Christ

[00:28:26] have we asked for forgiveness

[00:28:28] because his mercy is still available to us

[00:28:30] so verse 70 please

[00:28:32] he says

[00:28:36] he is old

[00:28:38] salvation is from our enemies

[00:28:40] and from the hand of all who hate us

[00:28:42] to show mercy towards our fathers

[00:28:44] to remember his holy covenant

[00:28:46] the oath which he swore to Abraham our father

[00:28:48] to grant us that we being rescued

[00:28:50] from the hands of our enemies

[00:28:52] might serve him without fear

[00:28:54] in holiness and righteousness

[00:28:56] before him all our days

[00:28:58] verse 70 as he

[00:29:00] spoke now who's the he there

[00:29:02] the he is God in this particular instance

[00:29:04] he spoke and this is a wonderful

[00:29:06] statement actually

[00:29:08] that we can apply to the whole Bible

[00:29:10] particularly about the area that we talk of

[00:29:12] as messianic prophecy

[00:29:14] but the whole Bible equally applies

[00:29:16] the promise is found all throughout the Bible

[00:29:18] that speak of this coming redeemer

[00:29:20] starting right back in Genesis chapter 3

[00:29:22] going all the way through those prophetic

[00:29:24] images that I've just given you through the law

[00:29:26] through the prophets through the writings

[00:29:28] right up into the New Testament

[00:29:30] they are all God speaking

[00:29:32] the prophetic picture of the Messiah

[00:29:34] and Zacharias confirms here

[00:29:36] that the prophets of old spoke

[00:29:38] the word of God in the New Testament

[00:29:40] we have a name for this doctrine

[00:29:42] we call it the doctrine of inspiration

[00:29:44] coming from to Timothy all scripture

[00:29:46] is inspired by God

[00:29:48] what we mean when we say that is that

[00:29:50] God spoke

[00:29:52] 2 Samuel 23 verse 2

[00:29:54] the spirit of the Lord spoke through me

[00:29:56] his words were on my tongue

[00:29:58] it's a lovely Old Testament expression

[00:30:00] of the doctrine of inspiration

[00:30:02] in the New Testament the apostle

[00:30:04] Paul confirms this too acts 28 25

[00:30:06] he says the Holy Spirit spoke

[00:30:08] the truth to your ancestors when he said

[00:30:10] through Isaiah

[00:30:12] so here he says that when Isaiah wrote

[00:30:14] when Isaiah spoke it was the Holy Spirit

[00:30:16] speaking through him which was the

[00:30:18] function of a prophet

[00:30:20] the Bible speaks through the Bible

[00:30:22] the Holy Spirit speaks

[00:30:24] because a lot of people don't actually like to think of it

[00:30:26] like that today they like to say

[00:30:28] the Holy Spirit speaks to you today

[00:30:30] is when you get either a dramatic word

[00:30:32] or a miracle or a gift of knowledge

[00:30:34] or something like that not true

[00:30:36] the Bible when you read the Bible

[00:30:38] you are reading what the Holy Spirit has spoken

[00:30:40] the Bible speaks today

[00:30:42] these verses prove that very clearly

[00:30:44] that was the understanding of Isaiah

[00:30:46] of Zacharias and of these people who wrote it too

[00:30:48] and this should tell us something

[00:30:50] in the way that we approach the word of God

[00:30:52] in our own personal time

[00:30:54] but also incorporately as a church

[00:30:56] we should approach it with reverently

[00:30:58] we should approach it with anticipation

[00:31:00] we should approach it with excitement

[00:31:02] we should even approach it maybe with desperation

[00:31:04] if that's what we need to hear from God

[00:31:06] but we should be aware, be cognizant of the fact

[00:31:08] that what we are reading is ultimately

[00:31:10] what he spoke

[00:31:12] it is what God spoke

[00:31:14] that is what the word of God is

[00:31:16] now you see what did the Holy Prophet speak

[00:31:18] at this time what's the focus here

[00:31:20] you find that in verse 71

[00:31:22] salvation from our enemies

[00:31:24] and of those who hate us

[00:31:26] this is back in the first century context

[00:31:28] that we are dealing with here

[00:31:30] and this is again typical remember of Zacharias

[00:31:32] they assumed the forerunner would lead to the Messiah

[00:31:34] the Messiah would come and that would lead to the kingdom

[00:31:36] that was the order that they understood it

[00:31:38] they as of yet had no knowledge

[00:31:40] that the Messiah was actually going to be rejected

[00:31:42] there'd be this massive gap in between

[00:31:44] before the kingdom would be established

[00:31:46] in that sense there

[00:31:48] but he's not aware of that at this time

[00:31:50] but it does say

[00:31:52] notice the hand of those who hates us

[00:31:55] salvation from our enemies

[00:31:57] from the hand of all who hate us

[00:31:59] and this is quite an interesting statement here

[00:32:01] a lot of people hated the Israelites at that time

[00:32:04] this was before the first coming

[00:32:06] I see a very similar thing prophesied in the scripture

[00:32:08] before the second coming

[00:32:10] remember when we studied Revelation one of the major themes

[00:32:12] that would be the advent to the coming of the Messiah

[00:32:15] would be that most people would once again hate the Israelites

[00:32:17] these are the two themes that you get here

[00:32:19] this prophetic pattern

[00:32:21] we use that to see and understand a few things

[00:32:23] that are going on in our world

[00:32:25] if you want to get into that remember Revelation 12

[00:32:27] we did two studies called the unseen war

[00:32:29] I went into that in a lot of depth

[00:32:31] verse 72

[00:32:33] to show mercy towards our fathers

[00:32:35] to remember his holy covenant

[00:32:37] the oath which he swore to Abraham our father

[00:32:39] God's covenant mercy

[00:32:41] to show mercy towards our fathers

[00:32:43] and of course he's referring to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

[00:32:45] with the term fathers there

[00:32:47] to remember his holy covenant

[00:32:49] the oath which he swore to Abraham

[00:32:51] so he's already mentioned the Davidic covenant

[00:32:53] now he mentions the Abrahamic covenant

[00:32:55] they're so foundational to our faith

[00:32:57] these two elements

[00:32:59] and I think we deprive ourselves

[00:33:01] of a proper biblical theology

[00:33:03] when we don't understand what these covenants mean

[00:33:05] but just notice something else that's gone on in the text here

[00:33:07] you might not remember this

[00:33:09] but you remember there's a play on words here

[00:33:11] with the names of the people

[00:33:13] remember what I said Zachariah

[00:33:15] what does his name mean? it means God remembers

[00:33:17] Zachariah means God remembers

[00:33:19] and you show that here

[00:33:21] to show mercy towards our father

[00:33:23] to remember his holy covenant

[00:33:25] and what did Elizabeth's name mean?

[00:33:27] it meant the oath of God

[00:33:29] God's oath

[00:33:31] you see both of those terms here

[00:33:33] to show mercy towards remember his holy covenant

[00:33:35] then it says the oath which he swore to Abraham our father

[00:33:37] you find the names of Zachariah

[00:33:39] and Elizabeth even being hinted at

[00:33:41] through these words here

[00:33:43] the covenant with Abraham was a display of mercy

[00:33:45] with this in Genesis chapter 12

[00:33:47] which is really the beginning of the messianic line

[00:33:49] as we see it here

[00:33:51] from that covenant in Genesis 12

[00:33:53] that stream of mercy as it's been called

[00:33:55] the blessing of Abraham flows down through the centuries

[00:33:57] to provide forgiveness, redemption, eternal blessing

[00:33:59] ultimately to all of those

[00:34:01] who would have faith in the seed of Abraham

[00:34:03] that ultimate seed of Abraham

[00:34:05] the Messiah, the Lord at this time

[00:34:07] this is a story that's being developed here

[00:34:09] in this particular song of Zachariah

[00:34:11] all the nations have been blessed

[00:34:13] through this foundational covenant

[00:34:15] which is still active today

[00:34:17] because the Messiah is still alive today

[00:34:19] it can never be broken

[00:34:21] because the Messiah will never die

[00:34:23] that's the point with all of these

[00:34:25] that's why we call them eternal covenants

[00:34:27] verse 74

[00:34:29] to grant us that we

[00:34:31] being rescued from the hand of our enemies

[00:34:33] might serve him without fear

[00:34:35] in holiness and righteousness

[00:34:37] before him all of our days

[00:34:39] so Zachariah here looks to the future

[00:34:41] and he says to the heavens

[00:34:43] he will rescue Israel

[00:34:45] they will be saved and in holiness

[00:34:47] they will serve him

[00:34:49] and this is again a good reminder for those of us

[00:34:51] who today are saved

[00:34:53] who do know the Lord

[00:34:55] ask yourself sometimes

[00:34:57] just stop in the business of life

[00:34:59] just stop and ask yourselves

[00:35:01] why are you saved

[00:35:03] for what purpose are you saved

[00:35:05] that's what I mean

[00:35:07] for what purpose are you saved

[00:35:09] to us but it's a big issue in today's culture

[00:35:11] what is the meaning of my life

[00:35:13] the Christian cannot complain that they don't know the meaning of their life

[00:35:17] we don't have that uncertainty

[00:35:19] we actually have the full certainty

[00:35:21] you get it from here

[00:35:23] why were they saved

[00:35:25] it was saved to serve God

[00:35:27] to serve him in righteousness and holiness

[00:35:29] all the days of his life

[00:35:31] that's the same for us too

[00:35:33] that's why God saved us

[00:35:35] to serve him

[00:35:37] and he said many things that he would like to do

[00:35:39] through his people

[00:35:41] and how long do we serve him for

[00:35:43] not just at the beginning

[00:35:45] in those honeymoon stages

[00:35:47] when everything's new and everything's fresh

[00:35:49] no you serve him all the days of your life

[00:35:51] that will take you up

[00:35:53] to the end of your life

[00:35:55] and into the new life that you get

[00:35:57] in eternity with the Lord

[00:35:59] always serving him

[00:36:01] verse 76

[00:36:03] of the most high

[00:36:05] for you will go on before the Lord

[00:36:07] to prepare his ways

[00:36:09] to give his people the knowledge of salvation

[00:36:11] by the forgiveness of their sins

[00:36:13] because of the tender mercy of our God

[00:36:15] with which the sunrise from on high

[00:36:17] will visit us to shine upon those

[00:36:19] who sit in darkness and the shadow of death

[00:36:21] to guide our feet in the way of peace

[00:36:23] so he spent the first half

[00:36:25] of his praise speaking about the Messiah

[00:36:27] now he shifts

[00:36:29] and he speaks a little bit about his coming son

[00:36:31] John, child, a new child. This is John the Baptist.

[00:36:34] Remember his mission was to testify to the light,

[00:36:37] to prepare the way, to prepare the people for the reception of the Messiah.

[00:36:41] He was a prophet of the Most High.

[00:36:43] Now let's think about this. What were the ways of the Lord

[00:36:46] that he was trying to prepare everyone for?

[00:36:49] I believe verse 77 really gives us the focus of this,

[00:36:53] for all of us, to give his people the knowledge of salvation

[00:36:57] by the forgiveness of their sins.

[00:36:59] And that's really what it all comes down to.

[00:37:02] Because before we talk about all the wonderful things

[00:37:04] that we have talked about with the coming kingdom,

[00:37:06] the overthrowing of all evil, justice, righteousness,

[00:37:08] reigning, glory across the earth, none of that is possible

[00:37:11] without this verse here.

[00:37:13] The forgiveness of sins, the knowledge of salvation.

[00:37:16] The kingdom program very much included this.

[00:37:19] They just didn't understand how it was going to be separated

[00:37:22] from the kingdom at this time.

[00:37:24] But here we have it, the forgiveness of sins.

[00:37:26] And this is actually our third covenant connection.

[00:37:29] We've had the Davidic covenant, we've had the Abrahamic covenant

[00:37:32] and the forgiveness of sins was promised to Israel

[00:37:36] in what we call the new covenant.

[00:37:38] And the new covenant is also how all of us as Gentiles

[00:37:42] share in this forgiveness of sins.

[00:37:44] But you find the original promise in Jeremiah 31,

[00:37:47] very famous portion of Scripture, Jeremiah 31, 31.

[00:37:51] Behold the days are coming, declares the Lord,

[00:37:53] when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel

[00:37:56] and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant

[00:37:58] I made with their fathers in the day I took them

[00:38:00] by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

[00:38:03] So he's referring to the Mosaic covenant.

[00:38:05] This new covenant is not going to be like the Mosaic covenant.

[00:38:08] He goes on again, I'll just, for time I'll read the end of it.

[00:38:12] Verse 34, Jeremiah 31, 34.

[00:38:14] They will not teach again each man his neighbor

[00:38:17] and each man his brother saying,

[00:38:18] Know the Lord, for they will all know me

[00:38:20] from the least of them to the greatest of them,

[00:38:22] declares the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity

[00:38:25] and their sin, I will remember no more.

[00:38:28] See that was the promise of the new covenant,

[00:38:30] forgiveness of sins.

[00:38:31] This is what again, Zechariah is alluding to

[00:38:33] in this verse in this New Testament passage here.

[00:38:36] So we've seen Zechariah allude to all three

[00:38:39] of these covenantal promises that we have,

[00:38:41] Davidic, Abrahamic and the new covenant.

[00:38:44] They're the most important things really

[00:38:46] in Scripture at this time.

[00:38:47] Through the Messiah was going to be the way.

[00:38:49] This cunning child that's been promised,

[00:38:51] this one that John is preparing the way for,

[00:38:53] that is how this is going to be accomplished.

[00:38:55] That is the fulfillment of all these promises.

[00:38:57] And why is he doing this?

[00:38:59] And this next verse is probably my favorite verse

[00:39:01] in this whole portion of Scripture

[00:39:03] that we're reading here because although

[00:39:05] the knowledge of salvation and the forgiveness of sins

[00:39:08] is of course the most important part,

[00:39:10] for me it's the reason why,

[00:39:12] which is given to us in the very next verse.

[00:39:15] It says because, verse 76,

[00:39:17] why did he do this?

[00:39:18] Because of the tender mercy of our God.

[00:39:22] Why?

[00:39:23] Because of the tender mercy of our God,

[00:39:25] because God loves his people.

[00:39:26] God has compassion on his people.

[00:39:28] That's what the term tender there, the mercy,

[00:39:30] these are what these are referring to.

[00:39:32] The forgiveness of our sins is the most extraordinary proof

[00:39:35] that God's has tender mercy towards us,

[00:39:38] of his love and of his compassion towards us.

[00:39:40] He could not give his people salvation

[00:39:42] on the grounds of his justice,

[00:39:44] on the grounds of his holiness alone.

[00:39:46] He needed to have the mercy of God

[00:39:48] in order to be able to accomplish the salvation too.

[00:39:51] You see, he needed those blood-stained horns on that altar.

[00:39:54] He needed that blood-stained cross

[00:39:56] which is the ultimate demonstration of his love for us.

[00:39:59] And that is how he accomplished the forgiveness of sins.

[00:40:02] It is that act that in fact initiated the new covenant.

[00:40:05] You see all of this stuff is just so connected.

[00:40:08] Thus we know that forgiveness is the ultimate gift from God.

[00:40:12] And remember what was John's name?

[00:40:14] It meant God's gracious gift, doesn't it?

[00:40:17] You see all these themes even in the names.

[00:40:19] John, God's gracious gifts,

[00:40:20] Zechariahs, Elizabeth, God's oath, God remembers.

[00:40:23] All of these themes just bringing us back

[00:40:25] all the streams, thousands of years

[00:40:27] of messianic prophecies coming to this moment

[00:40:29] on the dawn of fulfillment at this time.

[00:40:32] This is what the nation was experiencing at this time.

[00:40:35] This speaks to us of the grace and compassion of God

[00:40:37] for those who are helpless,

[00:40:39] those who are in darkness it says,

[00:40:41] those who are in misery.

[00:40:43] His tender mercy is a phrase that really,

[00:40:45] it's like a double tender mercy.

[00:40:47] Mercy is a strong enough phrase,

[00:40:49] but the tender mercy put together with that

[00:40:51] is a really deep, it's expressing the deep

[00:40:53] degree of compassion that God has for sinners.

[00:40:55] The love of God is truly a deep well.

[00:40:58] Isaiah calls it a spring of salvation

[00:41:01] from which we joyously draw the water

[00:41:04] from the spring of salvation.

[00:41:05] Reminds me of that old hymn where it says,

[00:41:07] oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus.

[00:41:10] You know that hymn?

[00:41:12] Vast, unmeasured, boundless and free,

[00:41:14] rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me.

[00:41:16] Underneath me, all around me

[00:41:18] is the current of thy love,

[00:41:20] leading onward, leading homeward

[00:41:22] to thy glorious rest above.

[00:41:24] Like this is it, the deep, deep love of Jesus.

[00:41:26] This is what this story is reminding us of.

[00:41:28] Verse 79,

[00:41:40] it's very significant, actually.

[00:41:42] We won't go hugely into it now,

[00:41:44] but this is a prophecy, if you read it

[00:41:46] in Isaiah 9 verse 1,

[00:41:48] that this tender mercy is not only

[00:41:50] extended to his covenant people, Israel.

[00:41:52] This tender mercy is also going to be

[00:41:54] extended beyond the covenant people

[00:41:56] to the Gentiles, to the nations

[00:41:58] who were the people who were described

[00:42:00] as being strangers from the covenant.

[00:42:02] Through his tender mercy he will grant them

[00:42:04] and graft them in to the spiritual blessings

[00:42:06] of the covenant.

[00:42:08] And I promise that we have here, so that

[00:42:10] mercy of God covers the entire

[00:42:12] breadth of humanity.

[00:42:14] Remember, the four corners of the earth,

[00:42:16] the four horns of the altar

[00:42:18] with the blood of Christ sprinkled on them.

[00:42:20] This is what we have going on through this narrative here.

[00:42:22] And Isaiah

[00:42:24] Chapter 9 is also significant.

[00:42:26] You find this prophecy in Isaiah 9.

[00:42:28] What else do we find in Isaiah 9?

[00:42:30] The explanation of how we do this.

[00:42:32] For a child will be born unto us, a son will be given.

[00:42:34] The government will rest upon his shoulders.

[00:42:36] He will be called everlasting father.

[00:42:38] But the end term is he will be called

[00:42:40] the Prince of Peace.

[00:42:42] And that's the point here. He will be called

[00:42:44] the Prince of Peace. He is the one who's going

[00:42:46] to establish this. This is why when the

[00:42:48] Gospel is being preached, the apostle Paul calls

[00:42:50] it the Gospel of Peace.

[00:42:52] He is the one that will bring that peace

[00:42:54] to his people. So we can sit back

[00:42:56] from this and we can ask ourselves now,

[00:42:58] looking at ourselves, looking at our nation,

[00:43:00] at our culture, are we in darkness?

[00:43:02] Are we groping? Are we lost?

[00:43:04] Are we going still to understand

[00:43:06] meaning purpose? To understand

[00:43:08] why we sin? To understand where to flee?

[00:43:10] What to cling to for mercy in this world?

[00:43:12] Why is this whole story that we tell?

[00:43:14] This story of Easter, this story

[00:43:16] of the coming son of God who came down

[00:43:18] to earth. Why did this all happen?

[00:43:20] Simply I would say it is because

[00:43:22] the tender mercy of God.

[00:43:24] God was moved with

[00:43:26] compassion for his creation.

[00:43:28] That is the reason he created.

[00:43:30] To have a place, a people

[00:43:32] to share that compassion with.

[00:43:34] Sin broke that,

[00:43:36] but even immediately he has dealt

[00:43:38] with that by coming to earth and

[00:43:40] dying himself. That is

[00:43:42] a Lord. That is the King.

[00:43:44] That is why we bow our knee to him. That is why

[00:43:46] we follow him. There's no one else

[00:43:48] who has that sort of power, but also

[00:43:50] that sort of compassion. Every

[00:43:52] world leader will always fail

[00:43:54] only the Prince of Peace and that's

[00:43:56] why it's said that the government will

[00:43:58] one day rest upon his shoulders

[00:44:00] that he will be the very foundation

[00:44:02] of his throne. Then verse 80, let's

[00:44:04] finish with this. And the child

[00:44:06] continued to grow to become strong

[00:44:08] in spirit and he lived in the deserts

[00:44:10] until the day of his public appearance.

[00:44:12] He was being prepared, John was,

[00:44:14] for this short, very short ministry

[00:44:16] but very vital ministry

[00:44:18] because he would announce this

[00:44:20] epoch making shift that was about

[00:44:22] to occur in God's redemptive

[00:44:24] program. This expression, this

[00:44:26] ultimate expression of God's tender

[00:44:28] mercy to mankind. Amen.

[00:44:58] Thanks for listening.