Zechariah’s Song (Part 2 of 2)

What makes you saying some people sing with their happy others. With her sad some people never sing at all today. Untruthful like weekend Alastair beg considers what inspired John the Baptist father Zachariah this thing or in part two of last week's message from the series songs for a Savior much join Alastair beg is once again were in the book of Luke chapter 1 verses 67 through 75 when I grew up trying to understand the Old Testament in light of the new and vice versa. The people to try to help me did so by way of tying individual verses in the Old Testament individual verses in the New Testament now there is nothing wrong with that was helpful to me to a point.

What I discovered was that a bit like the challenges of algebra and geometry. For me once I got removed from my cheat sheet.

I do know where I was so once you got me away from to file our to whatever else you wanted to take me to. I was completely at sea because even to this day I can never remember which is the circumference in which is the area and in the same way I listen to people explaining the New Testament light of the Old Testament.

Some of you look at this verse and you look at that verse in verses 11 to make much sense to me as a person is pointing out says to themselves inside their heads ago finally did make much sense to me either and I we got a real problem on its because he see the issue is the comprehensive nature of things. It is having a large enough and big enough grasp of what God is doing throughout all of history as it involves both secular history and redemptive history and many points.

The two things are fused. Now I want to give you just an outline which will then be the basis for your further study.

If you even care to think these things out so that when you take your children and your grandchildren up on your lap.

You're not simply start with the with the trivialities of a sentimental Christmas know are you going to be so profoundly distressing to them that they say ground buying a clue what you're on about that you're able just simply to say listen honey this is do you realize all the things that God did in order to to make it possible for Jesus to come to realize how much God controlled in the whole universe to realize how wonderfully in charge.

He is of things and you know this God knows you and made you and made you for a relationship with himself and you know that in Jesus you can know him and meet him. Zachariah scenes out of the fullness not only of of of the spiritual filling which he enjoys. But out of the fullness of his grass of the comprehensive purposes of God.

No, I wrote down three words. The first board is redeemed and I put the next verses 69 to 71 so well what is what is that about well, it's about the fact that he is referencing in a way that is pointing forward. The wonder of God's work in the past. So in other words he has in mind the Exodus from Egypt. Now you say well how in the world are we supposed to understand that. Well remember what we said that in the epistles. Jesus is explained so we would look to the epistles to understand in part the work of the Exodus in the Old Testament, and that's exactly what we discover. So here we have Peter writing to the scattered believers of his day and he says to them, you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. Just as the people of God were redeemed from the enslavement of Egypt so it is the experience of those who have come to trust in Jesus, that they too have understood redemption in a way that is even far more fulfilling, that it is a redemption from the futility and meaninglessness of life without God, life is futile and meaningless without God nudges without any God, but without the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and so the picture that is here for is in Zachariah's song which points on the one hand back into the Old Testament and forward into the epistles.

Is there in order for us to grasp, and when he speaks of David and the house of his servant David. Once again he's doing the same. He's reaching back into the Old Testament where the promise of God is given to David in second Samuel seven if you get a concordance. You can do this as easily as I can and and the promises of God is given to David and second Samuel seven that you will have someone who comes through your lineage who will be a King who allowed King all the kings you will have someone who will establish a kingdom that will never end you will have someone who comes from your lineage who will reign on the throne of the defending dentist. He is aware and this will be the establishment of that which will never come to an end. And so the people look forward for and even when the disciples began to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together. They were getting it wrong as well. Wednesday at the end of day of Luke. We thought that he was the one I was going to redeem the people Israel. We thought he was going to establish the kingdom. We thought he would now finally put his palace in the middle of Jerusalem to Romans out and make sure that nationalistic lay politically and then every other way. We had nothing to worry about, but he had been listening to Jesus. Remember Jesus into my kingdom is not of this world. If it where my followers would fight these even they didn't want that kind of King anymore than you and I want that kind of King as the people talk here in America.

It want a king or not a king King because we don't do kings, but they want somebody will come and take care of everything to get on the politics take care of the justice take care of the all of the things that are unraveling before us. Let's have some great figure to do this well, what about you are unraveling life and mine. What about your rebellious heart and my don't you feel the need for a king to come and suppress your rebellion for a king who will commonly rule and deal with your futility and meaninglessness, so no that's not what I had in mind.

I really I don't want that kind of personal interference, but I am very happy for for for some kind of intervention.

I just don't. I am interested in redemption, but not in a personal way versus 72 and 73 around the world against them. The word remembered. Remember, dislike, mindful from last week. I understand to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. The oath he swore to our father Abraham, we don't have time to unpack this but this is again the recurring theme God's covenant with Abram in Genesis 12 and all of the covenant promises of God was run through the Old Testament finally find their fulfillment in Jesus and until we understand that until we come to terms with. Then the events which surround both the birth of John the Baptist and the coming of Jesus are inexplicable on just what is going to make of this is like coming into her is like coming into a house finding a coffee table with a whole bunch of pieces of jigsaw on it. No box with a picture on the front. No indication of what's going on.

None of the corners in place just bets everywhere you say well it must make sense somehow, but it sure doesn't make sense to me and the coming of John, the arrival of Jesus are inexplicable apart from God's eternal purpose the eternal purpose of God that is revealed in the history of Israel and the finds its fulfillment in the coming of Jesus. You see the work of God's mercy as it is referenced here to show mercy to our fathers is display of mercy throughout all of history, and ultimately in Jesus wasn't an afterthought. Because of sin, but the mercy of God was his eternal purpose.

I was the people again so and have this kind of view of this, I would go a lot of the planning started this plan off it went dreadfully wrong and so he started another plan.

The ultimate fulfillment of God's mercy in Jesus is not something that is supplied in time to correct the default in the system but it is something that is planned from all of eternity is that you can understand the promises of God, the covenant promises of God unless you understand what he is done in Jesus because all of these promises point forward to Jesus.

Here is his mercy in a person.

Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is the answer to your futility is the answer to your meaninglessness.

Here is the answer to your rebellion. You see, we can cite we can sidestep repairing sites their Christmas with us in a nativity scene and are you doing in a couple of gifts and on with you where you know that would be to make so little of it, you realize that it is God's kindness is nursing. That would bring you to repentance, since kindness that would bring you to repentance. How would God kindness bring you to repentance.

The way my dad used to make me cry really made me cry by his kindness when I knew what I deserved. And when he didn't give me what I deserved. Then I realized I didn't get what I deserved. That hurt me far more than I and the storming of the gospel is that on account of God's covenant mercy in Christ, we do not get what we deserve because what we deserve has been borne by Christ who did not deserve what we deserve, so that we might enjoy all the benefits and blessings that become ours in Jesus, which are expressions of his mercy and grace. Why is it the Jewish people don't get this. If there is so much of this Jewish part in in the Bible. Why is it but I'll tell you why it is not going to my last point in the movie through and this is from second Corinthians chapter 3 verse 12.

Therefore, since we have such a whole. We are very bold story about the hope of the new covenant were not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away, but their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is rat the same veil remains when the old covenant is read in other words, there is a scrim over their eyes. It is actually a scrimmage shadow over our hearts when the old covenant is read.

It is not removed and hasn't been removed because all only in Christ is it taken away only in Christ is taken away only in the Messiah to the Old Testament promises finally makes sense when anyone ever turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away brings me to my final word, which is the word revolutionize redeemed, remembered and revolutionized God's goal for his people in every generation is that, having rescued them, they might serve him with fear without fear and holiness and injustice so you back to the story of the Exodus and what you find our system. Moses get my people out of Egypt go to Pharaoh and say let my people go, in order that they might worship me. In other words, I'm not getting them out of Egypt so that I can just have a hullabaloo in the wilderness and getting them out of Egypt something arising all milk and honey is really good.

We enjoyed it. I am redeeming them in the bondage of Egypt in order that he might devote the totality of their existence to be in order that he might stand out in the midst of all of the generations as those who have been redeemed by an outstretched hand, if the epistles explain it were to recall Romans chapter 12, all who understood all of the Judaism now having given the story of the gospel's finally gets to the point of application and he says therefore, I beseech you, brothers and sisters by notes mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, for that is your only reasonable, sensible spiritual worship in the Lord. That's the whole reason the guard is done when he's not done this in order that our problems would be fixed. There is a sense in which the story of the Bible is the story of God fixing his problem, not fixing our problem for what is God's problem God's problem. If we might put it that way is how he and his absolute perfection and holiness can allow sinners and there is heaven. How can God allow sinners into heaven if using computerized to build equity. How can he do this while he's already figured it out if we might say so reverently the father and the son and the Holy Spirit in eternity entered into a covenant of redemption, which the father planned which the son procured and which the Holy Spirit applies and suddenly the lights go on for a person when they get this in the revolutionized but until then water on a corrugated roof rain on the roof. That's why some of you are.

You aren't the same position you're in. When one Sunday to go before the end of the year because there is a veil over your eyes is not self-evident to the if it was self-evident. You would've already believed in Jesus, you would be out evangelizing the world to be telling Jesus as it is the expression of God's mercy is the fulfillment of God's promises. He's the answer to my futility and my meaningless he dealt with the guilt of my sin is forgiven. He's made me a brand-new person. We are saying that the reason you're insane is because you don't believe that the reason you don't believe I'll tell you why it is that the only way you can ever say that the only way a man or woman can ever say that is the same way that that Zechariah said what he said that he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

In other words, it was an expression of the work of God within the life of Zachariah that enabled him to speak as he did so we today are hindered by our sin, go through the whole Bible again. But when you go back to the right to the garden of Eden Adam rejects God's word to him. The very word which explains human existence and which explains the world.

Adam rejects and we in the line of Adam sharing that wish and balk at the notion because we know ourselves to be rebels and we actually suppress the truth within us when our conscience rises and accuses us or commends things to us. We suppress the truth within us and we reject God's word that comes to us from outside of us and only God's grace in the saving work of Jesus can cause us to accept the truth. Only God's grace in the saving work of Jesus can cause us to accept the truth. You see through the gospel. We are made in God's children. God accepts us as his children through the gospel that he is provided in Christ. The only answer to our predicament and through the work of the Holy Spirit which the gospel wins for us, a man or woman is then enabled to accept Christ as his Savior, to know God as a father, but it is God's spirit who conquers our rebellious wills. It is God's spirit who lifts the self imposed hatred and rejection of God from our hearts, only because you see that salvation is all of God. If it were self evident. If you just say okay it isn't.

It's not hidden it's disclosed, but there is a veil and only in Christ is that veil taken away hymn writer says I know not how the spirit moves convincing man of sin, revealing Jesus through the word creating faith in him and I I could've written that verse as well because I don't know either, but when I take the letters of this past year that have come via Truth for Life and I listen as I read to the unheralded voice of the writers I am totally convinced of what I just said to you that God by his spirit has common to a life and done something for that life and in that life that that individual could never in a million years do for themselves and that is why the true believer always magnifies the grace of God. That's why the true Christian always says I'm amazing Grace house sweet the sound that saved like me I once was lost but now I'm found I was blind, now I can see twitch grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Today, if you hear God's voice do not harden your hearts. I went last evening to visit one of my friends on the west side. Actually, the manner provided.

All these poinsettias for us here.

I went to see him because I had a text message to say that one of his older brothers had been killed on Friday evening in North Carolina shepherding some people after his company party. On a four wheeler back to their cars, and as I drove home from Oberlin last night. I said to myself, you know, I know these people think that I'm sort of mono causal.

I'm sure though say when I'm dead golly. He kept saying the same thing all the time and you know what your dad right because life is short. Death is certain. Judgment is a reality and I hold before you the way of life in Christ today if you hear his voice take him at his word. All you have to do is believe to believe. Believe that is Alastair beg encouraging us to read the Bible to understand God's promises and recognize that each promise is fulfilled in Jesus listing to Truth for Life weekend.

Keep listening. Alastair will be back in just a minute to close in prayer, if you listen to Truth for Life. We can regularly you know we are very particular about the books we recommend to help you and your family grow in faith.

Today's book will help you fortify your prayer life in the year ahead book is titled piercing heaven prayers of the Puritans and it's a collection of hundreds of carefully selected prayers, written by 32 Puritan writers, people like John Bunyan who is the author of Pilgrim's progress. The Puritans are probably best known for their scripture-based worship.

They were devoted students of the Bible and their prayers reflect their understanding of God as he reveals himself to us in Scripture. Find out more about the book piercing heaven prayers of the Puritans when you visit our website at Truth for Life.org now here is Alastair to close with prayer. Gracious God, we want to hear your voice beyond the voice of a man we want to hear from you sweetie read our Bibles for ourselves to pray for your help, that we might be revolutionized by you as we realize that you remember us what a thought that the God of the universe remembers us. What a thought that the God of the universe redeems us in Christ will perfect redemption, purchase of blood to every believer.

The promise of God, the vilest offender who truly believe that moment from Jesus harden receives help was then God. We pray and may the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God our father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest upon and remain with all who believe. Today and forevermore about the team.

Thanks for listening.

When a new baby is born. People loved to make comments about the babies looks which parent the baby might resemble, but I doubt any of us have ever seen a newborn baby and explain that we seen the Lord's salvation. Join us next week and find out why a man named Simeon responded with highest praise when he met baby Jesus Bible teaching of Alastair beg is furnished by Truth for Life with the Learning is for Living