Luke 1:57-80

Luke 1:57-80

Greatest Story Ever—Scene IV

I. God’s tender mercy has sent the hope of salvation into the world; so we must praise Him joyfully and expectantly (Vv. 57-66)

a. As the time came for Elizabeth to give birth to her son, everyone rejoiced with her and knew that God blessed them, but they didn’t know the full magnitude of God’s mercy which the birth of their child signified. Being obedient Jews, Elizabeth and Zacharias took their baby boy to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, but they also waited until then to announce his name. Those in attendance at the celebration got a little carried away and tried to name the child after his father. In the joy of the occasion, they might’ve wanted to name him after Zacharias just because of how long he’d waited for a son. But Elizabeth set them straight, he’d be named John. Joy turned to confusion as the people tried to figure out why that name; it wasn’t a family name? So they turned to Zacharias for help, and to their astonishment, he emphatically confirmed the name John with his tablet. Zacharias and Elizabeth had obediently and faithfully carried the child, prepared for the child, followed God’s commands for setting him apart to Him, and faithfully and obediently followed God’s commands to name the child. There’s freedom in obedience to God, and at that exact moment, God lifted the restriction on Zacharias’ speech and hearing. What was Zacharias’ first response to his restored function? He lifted up unforgettable praise for who God is; praise that stuck with the people. They knew this child special, even if they didn’t know exactly how or why, they knew God was with him. True praise of God for what He’s doing in our lives testifies to hope fulfilled, and builds anticipation of what God will do next. The circumcision of John is pointing forward to the better and more effective circumcision that God has pointed to all along, the circumcision of our hearts. Humanity toils in difficulty and hardship; laboring to find purpose and peace, to realize true hope, but we toil in vain in our own strength. We can’t save ourselves or impress God and earn His favor. But God’s tender mercy has sent the hope of salvation into the world, solely because He’s good and He loves us. (Vv. 57-66; Gen. 15:6; 17:10-14; 21:4; Lev. 12:3; Deut. 10:15-16; 30:6; Prov. 3:11; Jer. 4:4; 17:9; Rom. 2:29; 4:3; Phil. 3:5; Heb. 12:5-15)

II. God’s tender mercy has sent the hope of salvation into the world; so we must trust, serve, and follow Him (Vv. 67-80)

a. Zacharias, filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with hope, filled with praise, and filled with expectation, began his own song of praise. His song begins by not just remembering God’s promises, but realizing His promises. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Scripture has come alive in Zacharias’ heart and mind, and he sees clearly God’s continual story in Scripture. God has kept His promises to Abraham and David, kept His word through His prophets, and He has kept His promises to redeem His creation, not because we deserve it, but because of His great mercy. God didn’t leave us in our sin to work our way back to Him, He’s mercifully come to us and visited us with redemption. He’s raised up His “horn”, and He Himself is our strength, rock, shield, fortress, deliverer, and salvation. The “tender mercy” of God speaks of His unmerited compassion for those in great misery. Humanity has cowered in fear, hoped in vain, and groped in the darkness since Adam and Eve tried to cover their iniquity in the garden; but now the Sunrise has come and Light is dawning; our enemies of sin and death are defeated, and peace has come to men! Zacharias has been enlightened to the story of hope lost through sin, and hope fulfilled through God’s mercy, grace, and love. His son John is to be the one who goes before the Messiah and prepares His way by preaching salvation through the repentance of sin. Zacharias has realized his place in God’s story of hope, a new hope, a real and eternal hope. God’s tender mercy has sent the hope of salvation into the world. By trusting in Him and not ourselves, repenting of our sin, serving His will in our lives and not our own, and obediently following His commands, we can be assured that we’ll walk in His light, no matter how dark the world grows. God’s story is still unfolding; by seeking Him with our whole hearts, and serving Him with our whole lives, we’ll see our role, live lives that rejoice in true hope, and create a spirit of expectancy in God around us. (Vv. 67-80; Gen. 3:7-13, 15; 12:1-3; 22:16-18; 26:3; 49:10-11; Numb. 24:17; Deut. 10:15-22; 1 Sam. 2:1, 10; 2 Sam. 22:3, 18, 29; 1 Kings 9:4-5; Ps. 18:2, 17, 28; 72:17; 84:11; 89:24; 106:10; 119:105; 130:7-8; 132:17; Isa. 4:2-6; 9:2, 6-7; 11:1-2; 40:3-5; 42:6-7, 16; Jer. 23:5; 33:15; Ezek. 36:22-27; Micah 7:7-10; Zech. 3:8; 6:12; Mal. 3:1; 4:2, 5-6; Matt. 4:15-16; 5:17-20; John 3:16-21; 8:12; 12:46; Rom. 8:18-39; 13:12; 2 Cor. 4:6; 5:14-17; 6:14; Eph. 5:8; Col. 1:13-14; 3:1-4; 1 Pet. 2:9-12; 1 John 1:5)