We’re studying four songs of Christmas presented by Luke. We studied the song of Mary last week. Last night, we studied the song of the angels as they sang together outside in the night in the fields of the shepherds. Today, we’re going to study the song of Zechariah, who is the dad of the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist. Next week come back. We’re going to have another Christmas song and it’s the song of Simeon. So you don’t want to miss that as we begin our new year. We catch a little bit of the story now. Luke sets it kind of center. It’s often one of the parts of the story that we don’t think about very much, but it’s so significant that Luke puts it right in the center of the narrative of this account of the Messiah being born.
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
May God encourage us through His Word!

One recent study found that on average we speak 16,000 words a day. As followers of Jesus, we are right to ask ourselves, how many of our words point others to the glory of Jesus? How many of our words speak of His excellence? How many of our words give thanks to Him for His amazing grace? How many of our words proclaim Jesus’ atoning death upon the cross to our believing friends, but our unbelieving friends and relatives as well? How many of our words are invested in bringing spiritual encouragement to one another? So out of 16,000 words that you might speak today, how many of them today will be used to point ourselves and others upward?

Psalm 96:2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

In other words, there is a command here in this psalm to use some of the 16,000 words we speak every day to tell of His salvation. We tell other believers who experience His salvation because we need encouragement. Amen? Does anyone need encouragement today as you walk in this world of unbelief? Tell of his salvation. Be used by God. I am convinced that some of the people who live very near to you or work really close around you have never heard a follower of Jesus tell them the story of Jesus, of the Gospel. God has placed you in their life to use your words to tell of His salvation.

Each one of us holds the power of words to either light the path or to darken the step of others around us. We may use all of our 16,000 words on superficial matters like the weather. Has anybody talked about the weather in the last couple days? We might talk about football games, politics, our jobs, food. Or we may use some of our words to lift up Jesus. So think with me what words you might share today. Make application at the outset of our message to consider what words you might share today with your family and friends that would deepen your joy in God and that would strengthen the faith of others. I know sometimes it takes some courage because some are not used to telling words that relate to these subjects, the subjects that are central to life. But I would say to ask God for courage. Ask God for boldness. Our opportunities to tell of His salvation abound.

Today in our story in Luke 1, I’m drawn to think about the power of words to be used to glorify God for two reasons. First, for nine months God removes Zechariah’s ability to speak words. That’s fascinating! I don’t know exactly how He does it, but He took the ability to speak even one word from this godly man for nine months. I wonder what we would do if for nine months, we couldn’t speak one word to any person. How would that impact us? How would it impact our thinking? How would it impact our faith? How would it impact our values? How would it impact our worship? I believe God did that first out of discipline to Zechariah because he didn’t believe the angel’s message. But also, I believe God did that in order to help Zechariah deepen in His understanding of spiritual things.

Second, I think of our ability to speak words because of the power of words to bring glory to God. When Zechariah does receive back the ability to speak, he uses it to the max! He speaks about Jesus with a heart that is now overflowing with love for Him and joy in Him. He speaks of the joy of the Messiah’s future work. Zechariah’s words ignite our faith today as we listen to what he says back then 2,000 years ago.

So again, by way of application, I would urge you to ask God to give you faith and courage to speak words today that would help your friends and family see Jesus more clearly. Could you ask that? Just pray that prayer right now. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ and you hear the command to tell of His salvation, sing to the Lord, ask God right now that He would give you some words, maybe a dozen words, maybe two dozen words, maybe hundreds of words, but some words that would have a spiritual impact in pointing others to the greatness and goodness of Christ.

Luke tells us this story and he introduces Zechariah, a priest and his wife, Elizabeth, early on in chapter 1. We’re told from verse 5 forward that Zechariah and Elizabeth are righteous before God. This doesn’t mean that this couple is sinless. They are far from it! It simply means that they walked by faith in God and they submitted their lives to Him. God then counted their faith as righteousness. So they were righteous because they believed God, just like anyone else in the history of humankind possesses righteousness. It always comes through faith.

This couple is very different in that they’re not going through the motions of religious life. He is a priest, but most priests in this day were simply superficial. They had some rituals to perform. They had a job to accomplish as priests and they just sort of went through the motions. But Zechariah is of a different kind. Elizabeth is of a different kind. Here they are devoted to the Lord. They love the Lord and they seek to honor Him in every aspect of their lives. So for Zechariah, being a priest was not merely having a job, but it was spiritual worship to the Lord.

Now, this couple also were both advanced in years and they didn’t have any children. Elizabeth herself, as well as everybody in the community felt that she was just simply barren. In that day particularly, barrenness for a woman had reproach attached to it. She knew that the other ladies and perhaps other men were whispering about her. “I wonder why God didn’t give her a baby? Maybe she…” Then they would fill in the blank with their dark, evil suspicions and imagination. That’s what she is going through. That is her life. Elizabeth mourns her childless state. She prays over it. She accepts it.

As a priest, Zechariah serves the LORD in a village in the hill country of Judea. Two times a year, every division of priests that lived throughout Israel were assigned to go to Jerusalem and spend one week there. So two times every year, you’re going to spend one week in Jerusalem, and there you’re going to serve in the temple. So Zechariah’s division’s week comes up. They travel then to Jerusalem.

Once you get to Jerusalem, every priest’s name in your division is placed on a little piece of rock, a little piece of slate, and then put in a bag. The leader then takes his hand in the bag and he jumbles through and he pulls out one. The name of the priest that he pulls out would be the one who would go into the Holy Place, because only one priest could go into the Holy Place. This was a holy place and you just don’t go willy nilly into the presence of the Lord. It was just outside of the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant is. There, that one priest would attend to the burning incense, to keep the incense burning as an offering that is representative of the prayers of the people up to God. So this year, it “just so happened” that Zechariah’s name is called. No, it didn’t just so happen. God ordained it. God had designed that Zechariah is going to go into the Holy Place and He is going to stand in my presence and I have a message to tell Zechariah on that day. Zechariah is very conscious that God’s holiness could move against him if while in the Holy Place, he did anything dishonoring to the Lord while so near to the Holy of Holies.

He enters this Holy Place and he is all alone. Again, we can imagine what it’s like as you go in all alone and you’re in this sacred place and you sense the holiness of the Lord. Then suddenly, he is not alone. He is shocked by this! An angel appears, standing to the right of this altar. Zechariah is stunned! He is shocked! The last time an angel appeared to anyone was 500 years ago when the prophet Zechariah saw an angel through a series of visions. This isn’t a vision. This is a real angel standing physically right in front of him. He trembles and he nearly falls over in fear. The angel speaks to Zechariah. In verse 13, we pick up the story.

Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard,

Elizabeth and Zechariah, while they thought that there was no chance to ever have a child, they still prayed for a child. Such was their faith.

Luke 1:13 “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

Have you ever prayed for something that you really didn’t believe could ever possibly happen? That’s exactly what Zechariah was doing. The angel says, “Yes, God actually heard it when you prayed and He is blessing you with a son.”

Luke 1:14-15 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord.

In fact, Jesus is going to say that no one born among women is greater than this one, this John that is going to be born. The angel says to Zechariah

Luke 1:15-16 …And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,

At this, Zechariah has to wonder because he knows as a priest how spiritually dark the nation is. The angel says this child

Luke 1:17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah,
Wow!

Luke 1:17 …to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

He is going to make a way ready for the Lord, for people to receive the Lord. Now, Zechariah is incredulous. This is not at all what he was expecting to hear an angel tell him. He doesn’t believe that it could possibly be true to have a child at this age. He says, “How can this be true?”

Luke 1:18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? I am an old man,

I love this because you can see the wisdom pouring out from him. He has just called himself an old man and he doesn’t say, “and my wife is an old woman.” He says

Luke 1:18-20 …and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

He says, “I am an angel sent from God. When you didn’t believe me with my message, you’re not believing God, because this is God’s message to you.”

Now, the conversation takes some time and the people outside the Holy Place are wondering what happened to Zechariah. They assume something perhaps really tragic happened while he was in there. It’s a Holy Place and bad things will happen if you’re not holy and you enter into the Holy Place. Finally, Zechariah emerges and he can’t speak. He is making signs to communicate. It appears that he can’t hear either, because later when they try to ask him what his son’s name is, it says they were making signs to him. So it appears that he can’t hear as well as speak. So he is trying to communicate and he is having a hard time communicating. The people realize he must have seen a vision from the Lord. “We’re getting that at least from what he is telling us.” Zechariah then completes his week in Jerusalem as a priest. He returns home to his wife, Elizabeth.

Luke 1:24-25 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

For five months, she doesn’t tell anybody. She keeps it quiet. Around the sixth month, cousin Mary comes to visit. When Elizabeth comes out to meet Mary, the baby who is now six months old in Elizabeth’s womb, leaps for joy in the presence of the Messiah who has been conceived in Mary’s womb. She is in her first trimester and this baby leaps for joy. Already, this baby is responding to his Messiah, indicating again that God is the one who is sovereign over salvation. God is the one who is sovereign over spiritual understanding. Mary stays for three months with Elizabeth and then returns to Nazareth.
Elizabeth then gives birth to a son. Her neighbors and her family are rejoicing with her. What an amazing gift from God! Zechariah has been silent for these nine months. Not a word comes from him. Eight days after the birth of their son, they go to the Temple to dedicate him to the LORD through circumcision. The Jews at this time waited for the circumcision of a son in order to name the baby. So he had no name for eight days. On this day, he is to be given a name. The friends and family who gather were all talking and saying, “I know they’re going to name him Zechariah. Isn’t that amazing! Zechariah has been so honored by the Lord and they waited so long to have a baby. What a tremendous gift to have a son named after you.” So everybody is saying the baby’s name is going to be Zechariah. Elizabeth then at the Temple, stops them.
60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”
Everyone is shocked! What? You can’t name him John!
61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.”
They’re not getting anywhere with Elizabeth. She is absolutely resolute that his name is John. She knows that this name is from the Lord. She knows this baby is from the Lord. She is going to name this child John.
62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.”
I think he wrote in really capital letters with exclamation points. God appointed the name John to this boy. John means “God is gracious.” This boy is going to point to the grace of God that comes to man through the birth of Jesus Christ. God is gracious. Everyone is shocked when Zechariah writes this. Immediately, God gives Zechariah the ability to speak.
64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
Zechariah uses his first words to give praise to God.
66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
What did Zechariah say that caused that kind of response? Much of what Zechariah said is found in verses 68-79. That’s where we’re going to hold our attention for the rest of our time together. There is so much here! Zechariah reflects upon the unconditional covenant that God made with Abraham, the father of Israel. Then he dwelt upon what God said again in a restatement to King David about this covenant that He is making with this people and with this place and with the rule. Then he meditated upon a new covenant that Jeremiah and Ezekiel speaks about and promises.
The promise is that God’s blessing is going to be upon this people and that He is going to send a King, a Messiah, a Savior to this people, to this nation. Despite all the difficulties this nation and the people experience, this Messiah is going to set everything right. He is going to bring in righteousness and peace. He is going to bring forgiveness of sin. He is going to bring a spiritual renewal of the people of this nation.
There are two observations about Zechariah’s song before we dig into it. The first is that Zechariah writes with joy about a baby who is not his own. He just witnessed the birth of his own baby. “I’m inspired. I’m going to write a poem. I’m going to write a song.” What would you write about after you saw the birth of your son, a son that you didn’t ever expect to ever have because you had him in your old age? You’re so excited! What would your poem be about? I know what mine would be about. It would be about my kid, my son. That’s not Zechariah. What does Zechariah write about? He writes about a baby that is in the womb of his wife’s cousin.

He says, “That’s the one who is amazing! That’s the baby I want to write about. As I think about my baby, what gets me really excited about my baby is this other baby that my baby gets to point toward. The whole purpose of my baby’s life is to bring praise and glory to another baby. So the song that I’m going to sing about is not praise and glory about my baby. The song I’m going to sing about is the glory of this baby that God has given to a virgin named Mary, whose name will be Jesus.” That is the lyrics. That is the subject of Zechariah’s song. John’s whole life mission is what this father is recognizing about his child. “My son’s whole life mission is tied to the advance of another. The reason why I’m so excited about the birth of my baby is because my son gets to shine light upon the one who is going to be born in Bethlehem who is called Jesus, who will save His people from their sins.”

What I want us to capture both for our children but also for our very own lives is that what is true of John in a unique way is true of us in a broader sense. If our life is to have meaning, then we must tie our life to the advance of the eternal Son of God, Jesus. That’s what Zechariah acknowledges. That’s what John does when he is born and when he grows. He ties the whole meaning of his life to the advance of another. That other one is the One who alone is worthy because He is God of very God. He alone is the one who can bring salvation to mankind. Paul later would restate this idea that my whole life’s purpose is really about another person and advancing another person’s glory. Paul says, “For me to live is Christ.” That’s what living is. I wonder, if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, are you able to say that, today? Are you able to say, my whole life’s purpose is not about me and how I might advance and how I might promote myself and get ahead in life. My whole life’s purpose is settled on my ability to bring glory to God in Jesus.

Secondly, I’m excited about this song because Zechariah writes about the work of salvation that the Messiah will bring to this world. He is enamored with this big picture. He knows that this world is messed up. He knows that God created this world for His glory. He knows that God is not going to leave His creation in a state of darkness, in a state of brokenness and despair, in a state of ruin. He knows that Jesus, this one who is to be born, is the key to everything that God is doing in human history to rescue mankind from sin and darkness and evil and death.

There is so much theology here in this song and we’re not going to do it justice today. But if you’re taking notes, we’re going to look at five pictures that Zechariah paints about Jesus’ ministry. Hopefully we can capture what is the ministry of this one who is to be born whose name is Jesus. That’s what Zechariah writes about. The first word picture that I see in this is

Picture #1 The arrival of relief.

When this one is born and through this one’s life, there will be the arrival of relief. Look at what he says.

67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

I love that! The word “visited” is used here to describe a visit that brings necessary help. It brings hope. It brings satisfying comfort to the one who is being visited. Jesus is going to use this very same word in Matthew 25 when He says

Matthew 25:36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me,

James is going to use this same word in James 1 when he says

James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction,

The word “visit” carries the idea of visiting with a view to supplying a need, to bring relief in the midst of suffering. Here, Zechariah exults that this one, this Messiah that is to come will be one who visits His people.

Friend, do you know that you have one who always loves you, who always has time for you, who always understands you? He always comes with sufficient provision for every need. He always knows what to say. He always knows what to do and He personally comes and visits you. That’s what Christmas is. He has come and He is coming. He is coming actively to every one of us every moment. He stands at the door and knocks. No other person can visit us and bring this kind of absolute, perfect, complete relief. We love the visits of others and they often represent Christ when we are in great need. But there is only one that really comes and visits us and everything then is taken care that we need to have taken care. You see, Jesus is God of very God. He is infinite in His Person. He is sufficient in His supply. Here, Zechariah exults that He has visited us. He has come! Does that make you excited?

I read a story this week, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to get through it. But it brought to mind in an emotional way what it means for the Lord to have visited us. It’s a story from Corrie ten Boom. In December 1944, she and her sister Betsy are in a concentration camp because they were kind to Jewish people. In December, Betsy dies. Her beloved sister dies and she watches her sister die right there in Ravensbruck, in Germany.

One day later, the day after her sister dies, Corrie stands in line for roll call and she hears her name. She is shocked because she is declared to be released. She didn’t expect that. There is only one thing that needs to happen in order for her to get out of the concentration camp. She needs to go see a doctor and be medically released. Well, she has edema, so the doctor says you have to stay in the hospital before you leave. On December 25, 1944, Christmas day, she is in a hospital in a concentration camp, in the barracks. All around her are these moans and groans of tremendous suffering. The nurses there are rather cold-hearted. They mock the other patients’ pain. She has edema, but she can still walk. She hears the cries and she tries to visit the patients and address the needs. Many of them have grown cold-hearted by this time and angry at God. They don’t want any help. They don’t want her to visit. They don’t want to hear her talk about Jesus.

In the midst of all this, she hears a little girl cry out. This little girl cries out, “Mommy, come to Ellie! Ellie feels alone!” She looks over and she sees this girl and this little girl is emaciated. She goes to sit by her and she discovers that this little girl has a wound from a surgery running all the way down her back. She knows that this little girl is not long for this world and that her mommy probably died. She says, “Ellie, mommy cannot come, but you know Who is willing to come: the Lord Jesus. He came into this world as a little baby and later He saved us from all the wrongdoings and sins. Ellie may go to heaven and Jesus is there right now. He is getting a little house ready for Ellie.” Corrie asks the little girl if she understands. The little girl answers, “Jesus is preparing a little house for me where there will be no more warrior’s boots and no soldiers who hurt others. There I will see Jesus.” They both bow their hearts and thank the Lord. What I tell you is Jesus visited that little girl. He visited her with hope in a really, really dark place. That’s what we need, isn’t it? Isn’t it exciting to read Zechariah’s line, “the Lord has visited us”? What a picture! When Jesus visits us, He is always enough.

Picture #2 The release of a prisoner.

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

That word “redeemed” is all through the New Testament. It’s a central theme. The word “redeemed” refers to the release of a prisoner or the freeing of a slave. Our world seeks to convince us that we are already free and we don’t need to be freed. Our world teaches us that we have the power in ourselves to define our own lives and to chart our own destinies. We are autonomous. We can do whatever we want to do. We can be whoever we want to be. Yet, if we slow down enough, we can see the lie for what it is. We look inside and we see chains upon our souls. We discover guilt and shame. We discover fears we cannot shake. We discover hatreds and animosities. We discover darkness. We discover discontent and turmoil.

If man is already free, why does mankind feel so isolated and alone? If mankind is free, why does mankind continue to live in ways that destroy themselves both in body and soul? If mankind is free, why is mankind so afraid of what lies ahead, refusing to even think of death and acknowledge it? If mankind is free, why do men and women feel like they’re failing? God in His Word tells us what we truly are.

John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

How many practice sin? Well, that’s every one of us. We all have disobeyed God. That’s by nature. By our connection to Adam, we have sin already printed on us and then we willfully give into that sin by disobeying God willfully. So we are born imprisoned. We are born in this prison of darkness. This spiritual prison doesn’t let us have the freedom to be able to enjoy God, to walk with God, to love God, to serve God the way we were first created to be. The word “redeemed” means that God sent His Son. Galatians tells us

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

He came to buy those redeemed under the law out of slavery. He came to buy them out of that prison so that no longer would we be prisoners. No longer would we be slaves, but He came that we would be adopted as sons. He came that we would be children of God, connected of God forever and ever. Jesus is preparing a room for us in the Father’s house that forever we would be with the Lord. Only Jesus possesses the ability to pay our debt, to pay the price that our sins demand. He alone can liberate us. He alone can adopt us into God’s family. He alone can break open the prison doors. I love it that Zechariah has this word picture of the Messiah that is to come.

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

Jesus would say it this way.

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

If you are a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, you are free. Let us no longer live as though we’re slaves. It’s possible for a person who is free to live like a slave. Let us no longer live as those who are under slavery to sin, but let us live in light of the freedom that Jesus Christ has secured for us.

Picture #3 The defeat of an enemy.

I love this picture!

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
It’s an interesting term. It’s an interesting symbol, a metaphor. Why does God, through Zechariah, call the Messiah one who is a horn of salvation? Why would He do that? It’s kind of strange. Think of some animals who have horns, for a moment. Rhinoceros have horns. Moose have a big rack we call horns. Cape buffalo have horns. These animals that are strong and mighty use their horns in both defense and in attack. They drive away any living thing that threatens their little ones. If you’re hiking in the wild and you come across one of these horned animals, you would do well to avoid confrontation. It might not go well for you because these are powerful animals and they use their horns very adeptly to kill. Here it says the Lord God has raised up in the Messiah a horn of salvation. The horn of salvation is named Jesus.

The Christmas story brings up the imagery that is so innocent, so vulnerable, so weak, of a baby in a manger. God of very God placed Himself in that weak and vulnerable form. But let us know that Jesus, while He is meek and mild and approachable, this Savior who was born is infinite in power and strength. He in fact is terrifying to those who would stand against Him. Jesus is gentle with those who come to Him humbly and in need. A bruised reed He does not break. We take comfort in this. But we also take comfort in the truth that Jesus is a horn of salvation. He is a strong, mighty victor. He is strong enough and willing to destroy every enemy of God that threatens to harm our souls, that threatens to undo and bring wickedness and darkness into this world. How safe we are when we are in Him, when we have Him as our King, because He is a powerful King. He is the most powerful of all kings.

71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;

74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Friends, evil is real. It’s so real that we can almost smell it in the air of this world. It’s real in the physical realm. We can see it. There is crime both from governments as well as from individuals. It’s real in the spiritual realm. There are demonic forces that seek to devour God’s people. This evil is more powerful than any one of us. None of us can stand before the evil that exists and that is real in this world. If we rely upon our own strength, we would have no hope, no future. Evil would absolutely overrun us.

This past week, the President of Ukraine spoke to the US Congress to appeal for more help. Why would he do that? It’s because he realizes there is a real enemy that is invading his country and is seeking to annihilate his people and destroy his country. He realizes, “I don’t have the strength to stand up against this. We’re going to lose.” Have you ever been in a situation where you say, I’m going to lose if I’m just me by myself? That is the position all of us truly are in, in the face of evil. We have no ability to overcome the evil that is in the world or the evil that is even in our own hearts. That’s where Zechariah exults that there is a horn of salvation. He’s a mighty King. When He enters the room, evil flees. When He enters into the fight, evil is absolutely demolished and destroyed in every place. That is our Jesus. That is our King. Blessed be the Lord God, for he has raised up a horn of salvation for us.
Hebrews 2:14-15 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Praise God for that!

It is healthy to our soul to meditate upon the devastating power of our Messiah. If we are God’s children, then God’s enemies are our enemies, too. Jesus is the most gentle of Beings, but He is also the most terrifying if you stand against Him. I want to read from Revelation.

Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

This is a future day, when Jesus comes the second time. This is the same Jesus. The same Jesus that occupied the manger is the one who sits on this white horse.

Revelation 19:12-16 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

That is our Messiah! Praise God that Jesus has secured victory for righteousness, truth, and peace at the cross and He will complete that victory at His second coming. He is the horn of God’s salvation. As we sing at Christmas time,

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Doth his successive journeys run.

Picture #4 The cancellation of a debt.

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God,

Forgiveness means the cancellation of a debt. There is a huge debt laid against us. We can’t pay the debt. We’re lost to pay the debt. Then in comes a benefactor and he has infinite resources as a result of His person and His work upon the cross and He pays the debt in our place. If our debt were only measured in dollars, the cancellation of our debt would cause us great joy. But our debt is not monetary. It is spiritual. Ours is not the debt of a borrower of money against a lender of money. Ours is the debt of a criminal against the Law. We have sinned against God and the Law requires a payment.
This past week, I read in the newspaper kind of a surprising story. A ninety-seven year old woman was convicted in a German court of being a secretary at the Nazi concentration camp in Stutthof, where over 10,000 people died. She was a secretary. She was 18 or 19 years old. Now 70 years later, the law tracks her down and places her on trial. She is guilty and she will have two years in prison for the crime of being a secretary. What kind of life did she live in those 70 years? It seemed like she lived a moral life. She had family. She had grandkids. It seemed like she was a nice neighbor. But guess what the law says? It doesn’t matter. You committed a crime. How much time goes by before the law says you’re no longer guilty? 70 years didn’t erase her crime. The law treated her like she had done it just yesterday because that’s what the law does.

We’ve sinned against the law of God, the eternal law, the eternal God! What can wash away my sin? Can the passing of time? Let’s say you sinned 70 years ago. When you stand before God, you didn’t do that sin again for the last 70 years, so you’re okay. No! Time doesn’t cause the strength of your offense of God to lessen. Time doesn’t help. Not all eternity is enough time for our sins to fade in His presence. Can our own confessions help? “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I wish I hadn’t done it.” No. Our sins only confirm our guilt. Can we make amends? What if this woman lived those 70 years being kind to Jewish people? Would that have taken away the offense of the law? No. This 97 year old woman was held to account not for the reward of her good works, but for the guilt of her sins. The guilt of her sins can never be removed as a result of any other good work she may accomplish.

What can wash away our sins? That’s the question. What can cancel our debt? This is why Zechariah gives praise to God. The Messiah can. The blood of Jesus Christ can forgive us of every one of our sins. The angel said to Joseph about Mary,

Matthew 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

He will bring forgiveness.

Picture #5 The gift of light.

78 …whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

It’s like a whole new day is dawning. We’ve had the dark of night and now a day comes forward. The morning finally is here.

Most mornings I rise a bit earlier than Kimberly. In the winter, it’s always really dark. I don’t want to wake her. It’s important for her health to have sleep. So I try really hard to be really quiet. I don’t turn on any light and it’s absolutely pitch black in our bedroom. So I get out of bed and the first thing I try to find is a sweatshirt or something to put on that’s a little warm. I try to find my slippers. I put them in different places on the floor, so every morning I’m looking for them. You’d think I would learn, but I don’t. So every morning, it’s like this big adventure. I try not to jam my foot against the bed. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. I try not to step on something that I laid out in the room the night before. Then I finally sneak out and I turn on a light. It’s a little bit stressful getting out of the room, but when I turn on a light, I’m thankful. There is light. I can see.

That’s what light does. It relieves the burden. God tells us that spiritually, without Jesus Christ, without God, we’re all walking in darkness. Do you feel it? Do you feel the lostness that Christlikessness would bring? If you’re without Christ, you might not feel it. You might have just gotten used to the darkness. But I tell you, it’s darkness. It’s without God. It’s without hope. It’s without life. Here Zechariah exults. Here is this coming Messiah. It’s like a whole new day dawns. It’s like a whole new beginning. It’s light that shines in the darkness to guide our feet to a path of peace. There is peace first with God and then peace within ourselves. This is what light brings. It brings peace to us. Why did Jesus come into this world? The Christmas answer is to give light to every man.

John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

I ask you, do you have the light of life? Do you know these five privileges that have been secured for you by Jesus? Do you know the arrival of relief? Help is here! Do you know the release of a prisoner? My chains are gone. I’m set free. Do you know the defeat of an enemy? I don’t need to look out and fear anybody because I have the conquering King, the one who sits on that white horse. He is with me. I’m with Him. He is the horn of my salvation. He is my strength. Do you have the cancellation of a debt? Then you are clean inside. You’re forgiven. Do you have the gift of light? I can see. I can see God. I can see hope. Do you know these five privileges that have been secured for you by Jesus? If you do not, the call of God upon your life is simply to believe in Jesus as your Savior and as your Lord. If you do know them, and I trust that’s the vast majority of you here this morning, let us worship the Lord. Let us say with Zechariah, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel!” For now we have relief from our troubles. Now we have been set free from our chains. Now the enemy that threatens us is vanquished. Now our infinite debt has been cancelled. Now we walk in the Light as He is in the light! Blessed be the LORD God of Israel!”