Davidic Covenant

Inter vivos turn with me if you would look chapter 1 will be looking at versus 67 to 71 might say Doug would been going through the Scripture verse by verse first and second Samuel about the last eight months. What were we doing in the gospel of Luke while wearing the gospel look today because we see the prophecy of second Samuel chapter 7 full-field and to me this is a glorious thing in and we need to rejoice over this morning started verse 67 and his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel free is visited and redeemed his people and is raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us spray heavenly father.

Today's message is centered around the Davidic covenant we hear that term is we don't get excited like we should, instead of rejoicing.

We apathetically your own without all that's just theology is just something for seminary students to banter back and forth. God forgive us for being shallow. Forgive us for not rejoicing from the depths of our being the Davidic covenant is not just theological jargon is a promise to all of God's children that we will not spend an eternity in hell, but will live forever in glory face-to-face with our Creator and Savior, or 3000 years ago you entered in that covenant with David. You promised him as the Messiah would be born in his bloodline. 2000 years ago, you fulfill that promise by sending Jesus to die on the cross is not just theological banner that is heartrending, life changing, God honoring all-consuming truth. Father, help me preach this morning. Please keep my lips from era help me exalt Christ help me to edify this flock. 40 is the precious and holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.

You may be seated in a little mountain village in the hill country of Judea about 2025 years ago John the Baptist was born, his parents were elderly age, they were more like grandparent aids and they were parent age. This was a John the Baptist, a miracle baby. Zechariah and Elizabeth had been praying and wanting a baby for almost 4 decades and God had not given them one and now in their retirement age.

They get a baby, a beautiful baby and you remember the setting for the story John Zechariah was a a priest he was performing his priestly duties in the tent in the temple, and as he was doing that an angel appeared before him and gave him a prophecy of Zechariah, you and Elizabeth are going to have a baby. It will be a son and that son will be the forerunner of the Messiah, he will be the price of a on me will be the forerunner of the Christ. He will prepare the world for the Christ John respondent or Zechariah responded to that was cynical unbelief. He said, laughingly said how can that be, and the Lord disciplined him immediately. Zechariah lost his ability to speak and the angel Gabriel said to him, you will not regain the ability to speak until this promise and has been fulfilled until the baby is born six months after that. Mary, the future mother of the Lord Jesus Christ arrived on the doorstep of Zechariah and Elizabeth and made an announcement that she is a virgin was going to give birth to the son of God, three months after that John the Baptist is born eight days after that they were going to do the circumcision and Zechariah invites all the family and the friends and the neighbors to come and to celebrate with them in John circumcision and then the Lord did another great miracle. The Lord gave Zechariah, his voice back and he rejoiced and praised God and with loud shouts of joy he was praising the Lord, versus 65 to 66 tells us what happens. And fear came on all their neighbors and all these things were talked about through all the country of Judea and all who heard them laid them up in their heart, saying what the end will this child be for the hand of the Lord was with him.

That opens the door for Zechariah to prophesy any does. He's going to answer their question. What shall this child be and Zechariah explains it. But although he starts explaining them about John the Baptist.

He doesn't primarily talk about John the Baptist.

Prepare primarily talks about Jesus and brothers and sisters. That's the way it all to be and that's the way it was with John the Baptist. All through his life. It was not about himself.

He was about Jesus became and was the forerunner and he came to just plow up the fallow ground and prepare the world for the Messiah. He was a great preacher.

He was a great prophet, and he was extremely humble. I will share with you some of John's testimony we see how humble he is.

John chapter 1 verse 19 through 27 says this and this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him who are you thinking fast and did not deny, but confess I am not the Christ, and they ask him what the are you a lodging said I am not. Are you the prophet and the answer no. So they said to him, who are you, we need to give an answer to those who sin us what you say about yourself. He said I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord is the prophet Isaiah said, how they had sent been sent from the Pharisees. They ask him, then why are you baptizing if you are neither the Christ or Elijah, nor the prophet John answered them, I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know you, even he who comes after me.

The strap of the sandal. I am not worthy to untie.

John three verse 29 3030. John says the one who has the bride is the bridegroom, the friend of the bridegroom, he stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase but I must decrease John's humility is one of the primary factors in his success didn't care what anybody else thought and when praise came his way. He always reflected it back to the Lord and humility done get a lot of good press in our society today. Does it, but I want you know the Bible says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble and he was humble, will be exalted. AW Pink was one of the great greatest authors of the last two centuries, Christian authors and I he was on his deathbed and his friends came to him and said a W what you want written on your tombstone and he said this just right.

This AW Pink 1886 to 1951 states and that's it said. Yep that's it. Chuck Colson was one of the men who went to prison because of his involvement in the Watergate scandal was Richard Nixon right before he went to prison the Christian friend of his gave him a book. That book as mere Christianity by CS Lewis. He started reading that book and he got to the eighth chapter 8 chapters a chapter called the great sin and is he begin reading that chapter, God broke his heart. The great sin was pride and God showed them the condition of his own heart and have desperately needed a Savior and Chuck Colson was broken by God and trusted Christ as his Lord and Savior is with the Lord today, but I want you know the rest of his life counted for Christ sake. He started prison ministries all over the world and God has used him as a as in in a mighty and powerful way only share with you. Just a few of the things that CS Lewis said that spoke to his heart so powerfully in chapter 8 of the book mere Christianity, Lewis said this, there is one vice of which no man in the world is free which everyone in the world lotus when he sees it in someone else in it which hardly any people except Christians ever imagine that there guilty themselves. I've heard people admit that they are bad tempered, or that they cannot keep their heads about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I've ever heard anyone who is not a Christian, accuse himself of this vice and at the same time I very seldom met anyone who is not a Christian to show the slightest mercy to it in others there is no fault which makes a man more unpopular and no fault which we are more unconscious than our sales and the more we have in our sales. The more we just like it in others device I'm talking of his pride or self conceit and the virtue opposite to it. Christian morals is called humility. According to Christian teachers.

The essential vice the utmost evil is pride, unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness and all that are mere flea bites in comparison. It was the pride that the devil became the devil pride leads to every other vice.

It is the car complete anti-God state of mind do not imagine that if you made a really humble man. He will be what most people call humble nowadays. They will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person who is always telling you that.

Of course he is. Nobody probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a very cheerful intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said doing. If you do dislike him. It will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility, he will not be thinking about himself at all.

If you think you are conceited, it means you if you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited.

Indeed, humility was a trademark of John the Baptist, and it didn't happen by accident. His dad helped develop that humility in him and we see it, even in this answer to the loop to the little crowd who have raised the question, what shall this child be and when Zechariah responds. The response given three force of the answer about Jesus and not about John. We ask you something.

When someone brings up your name and conversation. The people think about Jesus.

Chip Sloan led me to Christ was 21 years old.

Chip and I were pretty much raised up together.

He was a very dear friend. We played Little League ball together.

We went to school together.

We played football together.

He went on the clips on a golf scholarship very good in golf and we played tennis together at Clemson. We were good friends. But when I think about Chip. I don't think about Little League.

I don't think about baseball or football.

I don't think about his golf. I think about Jesus. Let me tell you why Chip came to Christ and about a year after he did, he'd been witnessing in may but one day he sat down with me, look me in the eye and he said Doug are you a Christian and I said yes. I think I am. I said I go to church every Sunday.

I said I believe that Jesus died on the cross for sinners. I believe that he was racing the data believe that Jesus was the son of God. I believe in the Bible is the God of his is the is God's word, yes.

I believe that I'm a Christian and chip look right back at me said I don't think so.

I think what you mean you don't think so.

You can't look into my heart.

He said Jesus said that those he he knows he would know those that are he is by their fruit. He said I don't see any fruit you pay should you drink like a fish, you curse like a sailor. He said I don't see any spiritual desire in your life whatsoever and he said Doug if you don't know Christ as your Lord and Savior. You will go to hell when you die for all of eternity. I can remember feeling this great burden and I went back home that night and I could not sleep. I was in my bed rolling around about 2 o'clock in the morning and I got up I went and got on my knees beside my couch and I begin to pray. Also, Lord. I don't know what I'm doing and I'm not sure I know even how to pray the best way I know how I'm asking you to forgive me my sins and be my Lord and Savior through opinion of this junk in my life that is displeasing to you, and I knew before I got off Mondays I would never be the same again. I knew that I belonged to the Lord, and he belong to me.

I knew where I was going. When I died brothers and sisters when I think of Chip Sloan, the first thing that hits my mind is not about what we used to do the first thing that hits my mind is Jesus you know that so important for us to understand that and that was true of John and Zechariah, his dad planted the seeds of humility into him. We see it right here.

So when we read this passage of Scripture. This call, Zechariah, song, or the Benedict to use when we read this.

The first thing that Zechariah talks about is the Davidic covenant and he tells us that Jesus is the fulfillment of that covenant now got five points that I will share with you today. As we look at this passage. The first one is the power behind the prophecy giver 67 and his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, what was the source for Zechariah's prophecy. It was the Holy Spirit of God. What is the Holy Spirit of God used. He uses the word of God in this prophecy of Zechariah, there are 33 Old Testament references so the Holy Spirit is using the word of God and any takes it and he inspires Zechariah to write these words so that Zechariah can help us to understand who John the Baptist is and he says to us you cannot understand John the Baptist without his connection to Jesus Christ. John is the forerunner Jesus is the Messiah.

John is the prophet Jesus is the Lord. John is a storyteller. But Jesus is the story John 16 verse 13 through 14 Jesus explained to us.

One of the miracles of the Holy Spirit. He said this when the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all truth for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. The Holy Spirit works in tandem with God's holy word I said this to you last week. I'm saying it again today but we need to quit getting our guidance from our feelings and we need to get our guidance from the word of God .2. The purpose of the prophecy, verse 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, the word visited in the great can be translated as looked after in Matthew chapter 25 in verse 36 Jesus said this, I was sick and you came to visit me another word came to visit me doesn't mean just us a little visit. It means the look to be looked after to be cared after as if you'd care after sick person and that's what that word means how important that is so limitless, look at it this way of your it up in the hospital in a buddy comes by the city of any brings you a funny card to read any patch on the back so hope you get well soon and he walks out but your wife comes in and she sits down beside your bed. She takes a coal rag puts it on your head help lower the fever and she calls the nurse anytime you say that you're in pain and she brings chicken soup up there that she is made in order that you might have something that you can get down that you can eat. That's the word visit here it means to look after it means to take care of and that's the word that is used.

God has visited his people and for what purpose will verse 68 tells us we don't have to guess for the purpose of redemption. The brothers and sisters. What kind of redemption.

Is this it is this political redemption has God sent Jesus to this earth in order that he might be a political Redeemer in order that he might be a political Savior in order that he might calm and break the yoke of Roman oppression in order that he might come in and make Israel the strongest, toughest nation on the face of the earth so that they can put their greatest enemy greatest enemy Ruby and run.

I want you to know that Israel's greatest enemy was not run Israel's greatest enemy is our greatest enemies and their the world the flesh and the devil. Yes, redemption was needed, but it was not political redemption. What was needed was redemption of the soul. How does the Bible describe a lost person.

The Bible says a lost person is dead. A lost person is totally unresponsive.

A lost person is a person who is by nature a child of wrath. He is a person who is controlled by the world the flesh and the devil.

He is a person who is in the a is a slave and is a slave to sin.

In John chapter 8 Jesus said and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. And if the sun set you free. You will be free indeed. Folks redemption means be involved out of the slave market.

It means be involved purchased by Christ out of the slave market of sin is a great verse in Psalm 107 verse two it says let the redeemed of the Lord say so what will what are they supposed to say they're supposed to say this, I am redeemed, the blood of Christ has redeemed me and purchased me out of the slave market of sin for all of eternity. Remember all this news is told to a little group of the neighbors that are living in a remote village up in the mountains of Judea. Little did they know that 2025 years later that that here we would be at Grace Church in Harrisburg, North Carolina, and we would be praising God over the same prophecy that they were hearing by the old prophet Zechariah and while we praising God because we have redemption and we need redemption, just like they needed redemption people God intended for us to utilize this passage for our lives. We hear about redemption what is redemption mean the definition is this to purchase a slave out of the slave market like that's the definition, but I want to give you more than that, I will give you a picture I want you to remember this. Here's a picture of a Hebrew slave he's living under a jet of Egyptian tyranny and this is during the time where they were building the pyramids and so this slave is that with a number of the other Hebrew slaves and they were having to push one of these huge blocks of stone and his hot 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the sun is just beaming down on the hundred and 10° and they haven't had water in a while and is becoming terribly dehydrated and their strength is lessening. And so they're pushing that that the hard block that huge block of stone and the taskmaster is screaming at them to hurry up to do it faster and his mouth is just tongue is just swollen up in his mouth because of all the dehydration. Finally, the, the taskmaster takes his way up and brings it down across his back and he winces and shivers in the pain, but he knows that nothing's going to change anything until finally the sun goes down and he gets to lay down for a little bit and get some rest knowing that the next morning he's going to get up to the very same thing I want you to feel that pain. I want you to feel that hopelessness. I want you to feel that frustration because folks that's a picture of us before knowing Christ.

We were slaves to sin. We had addictions and habits in our lives that had us in bondage. We had desires that were sorted and wrong. We had consciences that were filled with guilt and shame and we looked into our future. All we could see was a destination in an eternal hail and then came Jesus and then came Jesus in his precious blood washed away our sin, and he impeded his righteousness to us. He appease the wrath of God against us. He reconciled us to a holy God.

And then he took the addictions in the air and the habits in our lives that had us in bondage and broke the power of those habits. No longer is the world the flesh and the devil. No longer are they are taskmasters. Now Christ is our master, and he's kind and his glory.

Glorious in his compassionate folks. These are not just words. This is not just a sermon. This is reality and this is the most glorious truth in the world. The old song says it will go. How well do I remember how I doubt it day by day. For I did not know for certain that my sins were washed away when the preacher tried to tell me I would not the truth. Receive but I endeavor to be happy and to make myself believe when the truth came close in searching all my joys would disappear front did not have the witness of the Spirit bright and clear. If at times the coming judgment would appear before my mind that the fever for my mind, it may be slow and easy for the Lord smile I could not find so I prayed I prayed to God and earn his not caring what folks said I was hungry for the blessing. My poor soul, it must be fed last by grace.

He touched me like sparks from smitten steel, just a quick salvation reached me, and praise God.

Now I know it's real, it's real, it's real. Praise God.

The doubts are gone and now I know it's real. That's would Zechariah song audited every heart that's in this room today .3 is a person of the prophecy, verse 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David the word horn in this verse is used as a metaphor describe power and strength. A it's a picture of a big buck or a ram with these huge antlers or horns on his head and they lift them up and when they do every open person or animal around sees the power that slayer you might remember several years ago the RAM tough commercial and where there were two ramps up on the mountain. They looked at each other and that it was good to be a fight and they they lower their head down and then they they come flying at each other and and they crashed against each other and when they do you can hear that sound just echoing all across the mountain folks. That's a picture of our Lord Jesus is the horn of our salvation. He is the captain of our salvation. He is the Lord of host where will this horn of salvation really come from the Scripture leaves no doubt, it comes from David's bloodline the house of David for thousand years Israel had been waiting for the Messiah and they knew one thing they knew that the that David's bloodline would be the Messiah's heritage. Jeremiah 23 verse five says the holy days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. Isaiah 9627 front of us a child is born, unto us a son is given, the government shall be upon his shoulders, and I shall call his name wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, everlasting father, the Prince of peace and of the increase of his government.

There will be no in he will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from this time on and for ever. And the angel Gabriel came to Mary in Luke chapter 1 verse 33, 32, the Scripture says this and the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great only because some of the most high, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David here in this verse. Zechariah is alluding, alluding once again to the Davidic covenant. David was the greatest king that Israel had ever had.

He was a slayer of Jhansi was the apple of God's eye.

Hey, he was a man after God's own heart.

He was the, the mighty warrior. Hey, he was the writer of Psalms. He was a shepherd king of Israel.

He was a man that that that stopped every attack against Israel and defeated every enemy that Israel head the golden years of Israel's history with the 40 years quit where door David was raining as king. Israel's pride and glory, humanly speaking was David in the prophecy that Zechariah is heralding here is of the Messiah will come in his bloodline right .4 is the profits of the prophecy, verse 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old know we've already seen that Jeremiah and Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be a blood descendent of David, but where did it start well the first time we see it is in second Samuel chapter 7, David had built a beautiful palace for himself and for his family and it was probably less beautiful building in the entire world at that time and David is is looking out his window one day he looks up the highest elevation in Jerusalem which is Mount Zion and there's the tabernacle of David in that Tabernacles is Ark of the covenant that represents the very presence of God, and David looks up in there. The worshipers all around it. The priest and the singers and the dancers and the and the musicians they are, they are worshiping the Lord with all their heart that goes on for 24 hours a day seven days a week 365 days a year and David looks up they are and the ark of the covenant is in a tent, an animal skin tent is playing it simple is even dirty, and all of a sudden David gets under great conviction. He said wait a minute. This is not right.

This is not right. I'm living in this beautiful palace and be it's luxury it's easy it's exploring and here's the presence of God in the ark of the covenant, and it's in a it's an animal skin tent. He said this is not right. He said I know what I'm gonna do. I want to build a temple to the Lord.

I want to build a monument to God's glory.

I want to build a temple that's that will make so beautiful it will make my palace look like nothing but a shack and he runs and he tells Nathan his. His idea and Nathan. Here's what David has to say it Nathan, he's a prophet now. He says man that's a great idea David. I think that's exactly what we need to do did not consult the Lord, but he should have the Lord had to rebuke Nathan as I know Nathan, this is not God's will is is not my will, God said to Nathan for for David to build this temple is my will for David son to build the temple. That son was Solomon one even born yet. He said he will build the temple, but then he said this in verse 11, he said. From the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel, and I will give you rest from all your enemies.

Moreover, the Lord declares to you at the Lord will make you a house.

What did he say the Lord said to Nathan.

David will not build me a house I will build David house. What did he mean by that he meant that he threw David's bloodline would see the Messiah be born in that Messiah would set up an everlasting kingdom with an everlasting throne for us for all of eternity. The last point is the product of the prophecy.

Look at verse 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Our Davidic king, our Lord, our Messiah will save us from all of our enemies and all those who hate us. In the year 2010 Caliban terrorist killed 10 Christian missionaries in Afghanistan. They said that they killed because they were despising you, they weren't spies they kill them because they were Christians. Those 10 missionaries went immediately to be with the Lord to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. They are right now with Jesus in heaven, and will be with him forever as we speak. Right now they are they are but I want you to know there's coming a day of reckoning where every enemy of God and every enemy of God's people are going to be defeated. What kind of enemy, death, death, disease, depression, demons, and the devil himself and all those all those who hated God and hated God's people and where will we be we will be with the Lord and we will never know anything else ever again, but joy unspeakable and full of glory people. This will come to pass. God will not forget his covenant with David.

God will not forget his covenant with Jesus and God will not forget his covenant with us.

The spray heavenly father, your covenant keeping God, as Paul told us all your promises are yes and amen you will not forget about what you promised. Lord help us to remember your perfect integrity. When we consider your promises you can promise an easy life.

You didn't promise us no persecution. You didn't promise us a godly environment that you promised us eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord help us to be strong in a rapidly changing environment.

Help us to be loving but uncompromising help us to be more concerned about your glory than about our reputation help us each day to be more like Jesus puts in your precious and holy name that I pray, amen