"Promises Kept: The Son Is Here"

Luke 1:57-80 - Riley Boggs

If you remember all the way back to 4 sermons ago, when we began our time in the book of Luke, I pointed out a few different things that would be important for us to keep in mind throughout our journey through this Gospel. One of those things to keep in mind was the reason for which Luke was writing. As we begin, I want to remind you of what that reason was. So if you would, look briefly back in verses 1-4. Luke starts and says, “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”

That last verse, verse 4, is the one I really want you to take note of. Luke says that he is compiling these things, in an orderly way, so that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. In other words, this book is supposed build our trust in God's Word. When we read this book, we should a greater confidence in the things that we have been taught. This is a faith building book. That is Luke’s purpose for writing. And, I think, when we come to our text this morning this purpose is put on grand display. This is a faith building passage. It should bring us confidence, and it should grow our trust. And so, my goal this morning is the same goal that Luke had when he set out to write this. My goal is for you to leave here this morning with more certainty concerning the things you have been taught. Nothing new, nothing super creative. Just more certainty about the things you already know.

Last week we saw the amazing interaction between Mary and her relative Elizabeth. Mary rushes to see Elizabeth, John leaps in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary speaks, knowing that the Lord is near. Then Elizabeth is filled with the Spirit and speaks, and Mary sings a song of praise for what God has done and what He will do. Then, verse 56, tells us that Mary returns home.

And this morning, our story picks up when it is time for Elizabeth to give birth to her son, and so she does. Elizabeth gives birth and her neighbors and relatives rejoice with her because of this, knowing that she was unable to have children her whole life until now. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s grace and people rejoicing because of it. But then, things get a bit chaotic. It comes time to circumcise and name their son. And so, they are all standing around, waiting for the name to be announced, and expecting that it he is going to be named after his father, Zechariah. But Elizabeth doesn’t want to do this. Instead, she says that she wants to name him John. Well everyone around her starts to wonder what in the world is going on. 

They were thinking, “John? Who is John? You don’t even have any relatives named John.” And I guess they think that Elizabeth isn’t thinking clearly, and so they turn to Zechariah, who still cannot speak, and start trying to tell him what’s happening, thinking that surely Zechariah will see the issue here. Of course he is going to want his son to be named after him. But then, Zechariah picks up a writing tablet and writes, “His name is John.” And then, all of a sudden, John’s tongue is loosed. He can speak again, and he immediately blesses God. The whole situation causes fear and awe to come upon their neighbors, and people began to talk about all that had happened. Luke says that they laid these things up in their hearts and begin to ask who this John will be. And then, the second half of our text this morning, with a tongue that had not spoken in over 9 months, Zechariah speaks. He is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophecies.

There’s a lot here. I debated dividing this text up into 2 parts so that I could give proper attention to each thing. But I decided to put it all together because I think that this passage as works well as a whole, and puts forth points that are all aimed, as I mentioned, at building your faith. The first one is this.

1.) God always keeps His Word

There’s a board game that Shelby and I often play called Secret Hitler. Some of you don’t know this game and are now concerned about us. Don’t worry, we play it with the Adwells and Dru, so that either makes it better, or worse. But really, the game is about trust and deception. The whole point is that you are trying to figure out who you can trust and who is lying to you. You listen to what someone says, and then you have to begin to reason through it in your head. “Are they telling me the truth? Are they trying to manipulate me? Are they just telling me what I want to hear? How do I know that they are going to keep their word here?” It’s a fun game, but at times, it can be a little anxiety inducing. All you want is to trust what someone is saying, and yet you can’t fully do that until the game is over.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that we don’t have to live like that when it comes to God? Everything He says is true. Every promise He makes is kept. We never have to step back and reason through whether or not we can trust something God has said. Even if it’s hard to understand, we can push all the chips in, and fully trust what God has said. He is incapable of lying or breaking promises, because He is truly Holy and truly good.

I think we see this truth all throughout this story. We see it in the fact that Elizabeth did indeed have a son like the Lord said, despite what anyone thought was possible. We see the son named John, again, despite what others thought. We see it in Zechariah’s being able to speak again once all that the God has said to him was fulfilled. And then, we see it all throughout Zechariah’s prophecy, where He recounts how God’s Word, from the very beginning, has been found to be true every single time. 

We can trust God’s Word. We can trust what He has said, no matter what. What an amazing thing. The second thing I want to remind you of this morning, in hopes of building your faith, is this. 

2.) God shows mercy to His children

Do you know the difference between grace and mercy? Grace is receiving something that do not deserve, mercy is not receiving something you do deserve. Our God is both a God of grace and mercy, but for this point, I simply want you show you the mercy that God shows to His children.

There are several different places where we can see it in the passage. We see it in verse 58 where the neighbors and relatives hear about Elizabeth giving birth and know that it was an act of God’s mercy on her. We see it again in verse 67 when Zechariah speaks again. God could have taken his voice for the rest of his life for not believing, but He didn’t. He only did so for a time, and then restored him. We see it all throughout Zechariah’s prophecy, where He recounts the many times throughout Israel’s history where God has been merciful. And then, if you think about it, we see it in the fact that Zechariah prophesied at all. Zechairah didn’t do what was right. He didn’t believe, He disobeyed, and yet God is merciful towards him and uses him in an amazing way by granting him this amazing prophetic word.

One interesting thing throughout this passage is the response to seeing God’s mercy on His children, especially with the neighbors and relatives. When they see that the Lord shows mercy on Elizabeth by granting her a son, they rejoice with her. When John is named and Zechariah’s tongue is loosed again, verse 65 says that fear came upon them, that is they were filled with awe and reverence, and they kept on talking about it. Then, and I love this part, verse 66 says that everyone who heard laid these things up in their hearts. That is the same thing we will see Mary doing after giving birth to Jesus. And what this means is that they continued to think on these things so that they would remember them. It wasn’t just another day, it was a day, an event, worth calling back to their mind for the rest of their life. And then, of course, we have this prophecy where Zechariah speaks of times where God showed His people mercy, and they have ben faithful to remember and record it for those to come.

The point is this. When God shows mercy on you, as His child, your response ought to be one of rejoicing, thanksgiving, praise, and seeking to store it up in your heart. And, when God shows mercy His other children, not you, your response ought to be one of rejoicing, thanksgiving, praise, and seeking to store it up in your heart. Do you see that? Whether it is towards you or your brother or sister, your response should be the same when God shows mercy. We haven’t been called to envy, jealously, or bitterness, but we rejoice with and for one another. And, when you do that, when you rejoice with one another and seek to store acts of mercy on others up in your heart, you’ll find yourself being less envious, less jealous, and less bitter. You’ll find yourself altogether more joyful.

This is why it is so important for churches to share their lives with one another. When God is merciful to you as His child, you need to tell the rest of us. Don’t think you are being holier or humble by keeping it to yourself. Not only are you not allowing us to give God the praise He is deserving for it, but you are robbing us from the opportunity to grow in our faith. The Lord brings together pockets of His children, that we call churches, all around the world, and then He shows each of them mercy so that they might share it with the rest of the church. Let’s be a church who recognizes that God is a merciful God, and be quick to share with one another the acts of mercy He has shown towards us. The next thing that I want you to see this morning is this.

3.) The plan of redemption was always Jesus

We won’t spend as long on this point, but I do want to show you this in the text. Look at Zechariah’s prophecy with me. Throughout this prophecy he recounts how God has delivered Israel at different times and made different promises throughout Israel’s history, all leading up to this moment. We see one example in verse 68 where he says, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people…” On one hand, this is likely a reference to when God came to Israel and delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians. But, on the other hand, it was a deliverance that pointed to a greater deliverance. That’s what I think is being conveyed in this prophecy, that the plan all along was that Jesus would be the one who brings about ultimate redemption.

Let me explain it like this. There might be a temptation to read the Old Testament and think, that God is continually having to come up with a new plan. He tries to wipe out evil with a flood and that doesn’t work. He delivers Israel time and time again, and gives them favor over their enemies, and that doesn’t work. He makes covenants with Israel’s leaders, and that doesn’t work. He brings them under judgement for a time, and that doesn’t work. And then, finally, He decides to send His Son to get the deal done.

That isn’t at all how we should read the Bible or begin to think that God has ever had to go to plan b. From the very beginning, the plan was always that His Son would take on flesh and bring about redemption by dying on the cross for the sins of His people and raising from the dead 3 days later. That was always the plan. There was never another plan. Each and every deliverance and promise made in the Old Testament simply point forward to the moment where Christ came. I think that’s what we are to see from this prophetic word from Zechariah.

He calls to mind promises and covenants made with Abraham that are being fulfilled right now in Christ. He’s past deliverances as less glorious examples of what is about to take place. He sees it all leading to this moment where Jesus Christ, the light of the world, burst onto the scene to bring about true and complete redemption. That is where I want to go for our 4th point. 

4.) Jesus is the light of the world

In verses 76-79, Zechariah turns to his newborn son and begins to speak to him. And what he says is profound and shows us that Zechariah, under the power of the Holy Spirit, understands the significance of not only his sons role, but who Jesus is and what He is going to do. He tells his son that he is going to a prophet of the Most High, who goes before the Lord to prepare the way. How? By telling of the salvation coming to His people by way of true forgiveness of their sins. Why? Because of the tender mercy of God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high. For what purpose? To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace. A man who less than a year ago didn’t believe what God told Him, now speaking in this way. Only the mercy of God and the power of the Spirit.

I want to key in on the phrase in verse 78, “whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high.” What does Zechariah mean by this? He is referring to Jesus Christ being the light of the world and how He is visiting us, to do the very things that the light of the world is to do. The Son, S-O-N, from on High is here. The Sun, S-U-N, is dawning, is beginning to shine upon us.

If you’ve ever driven woken up well before the sun rises, you’ll know what I am talking about. There is a time in the early morning where the light of the sun begins to lighten everything, but the sun isn’t actually in view yet. It’s still below the horizon, but because it is shining in the sky above, everything is a little bit more visible than just darkness. I like to think of that time as the time where Jesus is in Mary’s womb. It has been total darkness, but now, everyone notices something begins to change. They ask, “could it be? Is it really happening? Look around and what is happening! I think the Son is here, right over the horizon!” And then, when Jesus is born, boom. The sun pops over the horizon and it is undeniable. The Son is here. 

And Zechariah, in his first words to his son, tells him that his job is go tell everyone that the light they are beginning to notice is Jesus, the light of the world. He is here. The sunrise from on high is here for us. And then, he tells us exactly what this light, what Jesus, will do. He will give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. That is Old Testament language used to describe prisoners, and he is using it here to show that Christ has come to set those who have been imprisoned, free. The great light is dawning is going to set free those who are enslaved to sin and bound for death. That is His purpose in coming. 

But not only that, the second half of verse 79 says that the light is coming, “to guide our feet into the way of peace.” That is where I want to go for our final point this morning. 

5.) Christ came so that we might serve Him without fear

I had a basketball coach in middle school was especially harsh. He wasn’t just a tough coach who cared a lot about the game, that I could understand, he was harsh. Here’s what I mean. If anyone on the team made one single mistake, he would absolutely crush them. There was a little bit more room for the very good players on our team, but as someone who wasn’t one of the best on our team, it seemed like I had no room for error. I would come in off the bench knowing that if I made one mistake, I was done. I would immediately get pulled from the game and potentially get raked over the coals. 

And because of this, when I got placed in the game, my goal wasn’t to score or make this great pass or this great defensive play. My goal was to not mess up. I played incredibly careful; I took no risks. And guess what, the moment you start doing that, the game gets away from you, you are behind on a play, and you make a mistake. It made me not enjoy playing basketball at all anymore.

I think, if we’re honest, we can be tempted to think that God is like that towards us. He saves us and asks us to walk a life of holiness. And so we begin to walk, but we constantly fear that we are going to make a misstep, and God is going to unleash on us. Or, maybe not so extreme, He’s just going to turn His back on us. He’s going to be disappointed. And so what happens is that instead of walking boldly, we walk very timidly. Instead of spending our lives trying to serve God with all we have, we spend our times just trying to not mess up. Because we think that it’s better to attempt much and only mess up some, rather than give it all I have and mess up a bunch of times.

Can I show you how untrue that is? Look at verses 74 and 75 with me. God has remembered his covenant so that, verse 74, “we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” Christ came and delivered us so that we can serve him without fear. Christ came so that our lives might be holy and righteous before him all of our days. How? Verse 77, because we have been forgiven our sins due to the tender mercy of our God. Thanks be to God; we have full authority to serve Him without fear. 

But what does this look like? What does it look like to serve Him without fear? I think there are 2 ways. First, we truly seek to live Holy lives unto God. And doing this without fear means that we don’t believe the lie that we cannot actually do it. Christ came so that we could, and He gave us the Spirit to enable us. And, not only that, but we don’t fear that if we misstep, the pursuit of a holy life is over. For example, you’re struggling to keep your thoughts pure. You’ve been doing really well and then, you let your guard down, and you find yourself having lustful thoughts. You can’t, in that moment, think, “All that was for nothing. I’ve messed it up and there is no coming back from this. God is disappointed in me and now I don’t even see why I should keep fighting it, I’ve lost.” But no, you don’t have to do that, because you know that on the authority of God’s Word, Christ came so that you might serve Him without fear. And so, you repent, rest in the forgiveness that God readily gives you, and you keep pursuing holiness.

Secondly, we take our cues from what John will do, and we serve Him without fear by telling of the salvation that Christ has brought. We go and tell, without fear of anything coming against us or fear that we might find someone who cannot actually be forgiven. No, we run the race with boldness because we know that the forgiveness found in Christ can be had by all those who repent of their sins and place their faith in Christ. We need not fear, we can run the race with confidence. That is what Christ has granted us.

The God who we gathered to worship this morning always keeps His Word, He shows mercy on His children, and send the light of the world, as He planned from the very beginning, into the world to bring redemption. Now, go and serve Him without fear. He is a God who is trustworthy, who delights in you, who is ready to forgive you and restore you, and who is guiding your feet into the way of peace. He is worthy of our lives and our praise, for all of our days. Amen.