What Is God Doing? – Part 1
Luke 1:57-80 (57-71)
September 10, 2017
Well this morning we are moving forward in our study of Luke’s Gospel.
• At this point we’ve seen two birth announcements and one baby shower.
• Now it is time to look at the birth of these two babies who were supernaturally announced.
First we get the birth of John the Baptist and then the birth of Jesus.
We are calling our study of Luke’s gospel “The History of Redemption”
And that because it seems very important to Luke (who was a historian)
To make sure and connect the Old Testament with what he is writing here.
And this part of the story is no different.
So before we dive into our text this morning
I think it is important for you to understand some background.
Namely, you need to understand the MINDSET of the people
Who are participating in this part of the story.
TURN TO: Psalms 106
• Psalms 106 can read like a very frustrating Psalm.
• In fact, in my margin I have it titled as “Israel’s Sin Hall of Fame”
• What it really is however is a cry for salvation from the perspective of those who are truly poor in spirit.
We talk about the importance of this attitude in our lives.
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
That being of course the first beatitude listed in the Sermon on the Mount,
And a tremendous reminder that no one is ever saved
Until they first come to grips with their extreme spiritual poverty.
• Until you grasp how filthy you are…
• Until you grasp how little you have to offer God…
• Until you grasp how spiritually destitute you are…
• You are not ready to seek the salvation which lies only in the pure grace
of God.
Being “poor in spirit” is essential to being saved.
Now you also know that this attitude of “poor in spirit”
Has been the very attitude which Luke has seemed to be highlighting.
We’ve seen Zacharias… We’ve seen Elizabeth… We’ve seen Mary…
These all come from that same mold of being insignificant in the world,
But those who are humble for God, and thus useable by Him.
Luke has definitely been highlighting those who are “poor in spirit”
Well that is precisely the mindset behind Psalms 106.
You recognize immediately that this Psalm is indeed A Cry For Salvation.
(READ 1-5)
• The Psalmist is praising the mercy of God…
• The Psalmist is acknowledging the power of God…
• The Psalmist understands the necessity of pleasing God…
And then in verses 4-5 he actually asks for God’s salvation.
“Visit me with Your salvation”
WHY DOES HE WANT TO BE SAVED?
(5) “That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.”
And so next we see that fundamental attitude of being “poor in spirit”
Trust me when I tell you that THIS PSALMIST GETS IT.
For verses 6-43 chronicle the continual pattern of sin
That has existed throughout the history of Israel.
(That’s why you can call it Israel’s Sin Hall of Fame)
And you will notice that this Psalmist recognizes that
He is just as sinful as his fathers were.
(6) “We have sinned like our fathers, We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.”
This is isn’t some lament about how bad his ancestors were.
This is a lament because he recognizes that
He doesn’t deserve salvation any more than they did.
And then he carries us through a quick list of just how wicked they were.
FIRST – Israel’s rebellion during the Exodus and God’s mercy to save them anyway. (READ 6-12)
SECOND – Israel’s lack of contentment with manna in the wilderness and God’s plague upon them (READ 13-15)
THIRD – Israel’s rebellion against Moses and God’s judgment that followed. (READ 16-18)
FOURTH – Israel’s building of a golden calf and inciting God to anger.
(READ 19-23)
FIFTH – Israel’s refusal to enter the Promised Land and subsequent death in the wilderness (READ 24-27)
SIXTH – Israel’s treaty with the Moabites under the influence of Balaam and the plague that came with it (READ 28-31)
SEVENTH – Israel’s grumbling about having no water and how even Moses stuck the rock and brought punishment on himself (READ 32-33)
EIGHT – Israel’s refusal to totally purify the Promised Land of the Canaanites and how that negatively affected them (READ 34-39)
NINTH – Israel’s continual suffering during the period of the Judges because of their continual rebellion even after their deliverance. (READ 40-43)
And yet, despite all of their rebellion
The Psalmist understands one thing about God.
They could not out-sin God’s mercy.
His mercy was in fact “new every morning”.
(READ 44-46)
• So Israel was super sinful and yet God remained merciful.
• And the Psalmist now says, “And we are just as sinful as they were, but we also are asking for your mercy.”
(READ 47-48)
So hopefully now you understand that Psalm.
• Israel (having been scattered among the nations) is recognizing their wickedness and asking God to once again be merciful and to rescue them.
Now, why do I bring that Psalm up?
Because that Psalm is the exact mindset of the current faithful in Israel.
Certainly that is not the mindset of all Israel,
But it is the mindset of the faithful remnant.
Do you remember what we learned about Israel when we briefly looked at Malachi at the beginning of this study?
Malachi said the Messiah was coming,
But very few people would actually be able to handle His coming.
Malachi 4:1-3 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. “You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts.”
Most people were not going to be able to handle the coming of the Lord.
However, there would be a few; “you who fear My name”
Who would not be judged, but who would be saved.
We are talking about that small and yet faithful remnant.
People who fear God.
People who are poor in spirit.
People like Zacharias, Elizabeth, and Mary.
People who, like the Psalmist of Psalm 106,
Know their wretchedness before God
And are crying out for God to be merciful and save them.
This attitude will also be seen in:
Simeon
Luke 2:25 “And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”
Simeon was “looking for the consolation of Israel”;
Which is to say he was waiting for God’s deliverance of the nation.
We see this attitude again in Anna and those who were in the temple around her:
Luke 2:36-38 “And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
This was when the baby Jesus was brought into the temple, Anna and “all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” were rejoicing.
These were that small remnant who knew they were sinful.
These were that small remnant who knew they needed mercy.
These were that small remnant who cried out to God for deliverance.
These are the people Luke has been highlighting.
And I simply want you to understand their mood.
Their mood is that which is expressed in Psalms 106.
I know this because in a minute
THAT IS THE PSALM FROM WHICH ZACHARIAS IS GOING TO QUOTE.
There is a remnant of humble, poor in spirit, God-fearing Jews.
(They certainly are not the norm in Israel, but they exist)
And Luke is telling his gospel story through their eyes.
Understand their mood.
• They are humble…
• They are broken…
• They are crying out to God…
• They are longing for deliverance…
• They are longing for salvation…
They are patiently waiting for God to move on their behalf.
Now of course you and I know that God is already moving.
But they didn’t because Zacharias was mute and couldn’t tell them.
In our story this morning this faithful remnant is about to find out.
There are two main points to the text.
#1 THE QUESTION
Luke 1:57-66
This part of the story is given to help you
Understand the background to the question which they ask.
You can see the actual question down in verse 66, “What then will this child turn out to be?”
And of course they ask that “For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.”
That is what Luke is driving to.
First, he is simply giving you the back-story
So you’ll know why they asked that question.
And there are actually three reasons why they are asking that question.
1) A PECULIAR PREGNANCY (57-58)
“Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.”
Now of course none of that is surprising to use.
That exactly what Gabriel said would happen.
Luke 1:13-14 “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”
We should not be surprised that it is happening just like God said.
• Elizabeth did get pregnant…
• The baby in her womb was a boy…
• And everyone was rejoicing…
Of course you and I know why. IT IS BECAUSE:
“the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her;”
• She was past the age of child-bearing.
• She was barren.
• She had dealt with the scorn and the shame of this problem.
• But God intervened and made the impossible possible.
And now, that group of faithful and merciful and compassionate friends
Are right here with her to celebrate and rejoice at her big day.
HER SON IS BEING BORN.
The point being that because of the peculiar pregnancy,
You have to understand that curiosity has already been planted
In the minds of the people.
But that’s not all.
2) A PECULIAR NAME (59-63)
“And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished.”
Elizabeth had a group and intimate set of friends around her.
(they were the kind even willing to name your child for you)
“they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father.”
And this is not only normal and common, but a tremendous statement of respect and even vindication.
• For all those looks…
• For all those people who scorned them…
What better “last laugh” than to send young Zacharias off to school
So that everyone can see that they were wrong?
The plan of the friends here is certainly a positive one.
Beyond that Zacharias means “The Lord Remembers” and that seems like a super fitting name for a child of such remarkable origins.
But it is at this point that Elizabeth shocks them.
“But his mother answered and said, “Not indeed; but he shall be called John.”
Of course by now Zacharias had relayed to Elizabeth
All about the divine mandate and she was totally on board.
The humorous part of the story is the response of the crowd.
(61-62) “And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.”
It just wasn’t common that you would name a child outside of the family and it is obvious that the crowd thought Elizabeth was overstepping here a little.
So they all run to Zacharias.
• The fact that they had to make “signs” to him indicates that not only was Zacharias mute, but he was also deaf.
(63) “And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished.”
The point simply being that this was peculiar.
It was already strange that Elizabeth was pregnant
Even more peculiar that they would select a non-family name like John.
And then the final thing sealed the deal.
3) A PECULAR MIRACLE (64-66)
(64-66) “And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.”
This crowd might have remained in utter confusion
Were it not for what God did when Zacharias wrote “His name is John.”
“at once his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.”
• And remember, the state of muteness and deafness had been the norm now for 9+ months.
• By now people had just settled in with the fact that this was most likely permanent.
So when God opens his mouth the crowd sees a miracle.
The fact that God did it in response to the naming of this child
Caused the crowd to be even more awestruck.
In fact now “Fear came on all those living around them”
WHY? Because it was evident that God was personally involved in a way that they had not known in over 400 years.
And that was big news!
Those people instantly pulled out their smart phones…
And they started lighting up Facebook and twitter and Instagram!
“and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea.”
And all of these peculiarities coming together at once
Caused a common question to be asked among the people.
(66) “All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.”
• A old barren woman gets pregnant
• And gives birth to a child who is divinely named
• And all of this confirmed by a miracle
• …SURELY GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING.
And the question:
WHAT IS GOD DOING?
It is safe to see that the buzz had finally hit.
Everyone wanted to know what God was up to.
And at the peak of the people’s curiosity the Holy Spirit uses Zacharias to answer.
The Question
#2 THE ANSWER
Luke 1:67-80
Now as you read the answer of Zacharias you can see
THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF VERBS HERE
Indicating that there are a lot of things God is doing.
You also see the word “to” over and over
Nearly every time Zacharias says that God is doing something
• He tells us why God is doing it
• And then why God is doing that
• And then why God is doing that.
If you are an outline type person you could go nuts on these verses.
But let’s try to keep it simple.
First off you can plainly see that
Zacharias in effect gives TWO ANSWERS to the question.
• The people wanted to know “What is God doing?”
• More specifically, they wanted to know “What will this child turn out to be?”
So Zacharias gives a GENERAL ANSWER and a SPECIFIC ANSWER.
He will first tell us what God is doing in general
Then he will specifically answer how God is using this particular child.
What I want to look at first is the GENERAL ANSWER
You ask “What is God doing?”
And Zacharias answers:
(68-75) “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant — As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old — Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”
And as you can see, there is a ton there in regard to what God is doing.
Just look at all the verbs used.
• (68) “He has visited us”
• (68) “and accomplished redemption”
• (69) “raised up a horn of salvation”
• (71) “salvation from our enemies”
• (72) “show mercy”
• (72) “remember His holy covenant”
• (74) “grant us…rescue”
So one could ask what God is doing and WE COULD SAY:
He is visiting, and accomplishing and raising and saving
And showing mercy and remembering and granting rescue.
To put it mildly God is busily at work.
We can also help ourselves by recognizing THE TENSE of those verbs.
Some verbs are past tense, some are present.
So we can divide this out even further.
Let’s look at what Zacharias says GOD HAS DONE
(68-71) “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant — As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old — Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;”
He “has visited us”
And of course we saw that because of the two angelic announcements from Gabriel.
God had been silent for over 400 years.
• No vision…
• No angelic announcement…
• No prophetic dream…
• God was seemingly silent.
And now Zacharias says that God has broken that silence..
“He has visited us”
And His visit is for a purpose.
He has “accomplished redemption for His people,”
Now of course we understand that the redemption of God is not fully realized until the death of Christ, and even more so until His return,
But you understand that Zacharias is looking with eyes of faith.
The full plan may not yet be fulfilled but the plan has begun
And since Zacharias knows that God finishes what He begins
He can speak of it in past tense.
God has “accomplished redemption for His people”
“redemption” simply means “to buy back”
It carries the idea of those sold into bondage or slavery
And who must have a ransom paid on their behalf before they can be set free.
God’s people had incurred a debt and one which they could not pay off.
GOD WAS IN THE PROCESS OF SATISFYING THAT DEBT.
He had “accomplished redemption”
He was doing that through the sending of His Savior.
(69) “And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant”
“horn of salvation” is common Old Testament analogy.
A “horn” represented power,
Like that of an animal’s horn used to crush and scatter the enemy.
1 Samuel 2:10 “Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
To fully understand the Messianic implications here:
TURN TO: Psalms 132
It is called “A Song of Ascents” meaning it was a song they sang on their way up to Jerusalem and to the temple during the 3 main feasts of the year.
And you can see from this Psalm that
The cry was that God would meet them there.
They recount David’s love for God and his desire to build God a house. (1-5)
And in the middle of the Psalm they cry for God to join them.
(8) “Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.”
But this was more than just a symbolic song.
• It was meant to anticipate the coming of David’s descendant. (10-12)
• It was meant to anticipate that “horn” who would reign on David’s throne.
See (13-18)
• This is what Zacharias has in mind.
• God is sending David’s descendant.
• God is sending the “horn of salvation”
God is sending the One who will redeem us.
God is sending the One the prophets continually spoke of:
(70) “As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old – Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;”
And if you recognize it, that quote is taken from Psalms 106
Which we looked at to being. It is actually Psalms 106:10
Psalms 106:6-12 “We have sinned like our fathers, We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, That He might make His power known. Thus He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, And He led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness. So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their adversaries; Not one of them was left. Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.”
That statement was a reference to
God’s decision to save a people who did not deserve it.
• Israel had no sooner been delivered by God than they were already rebelling
against Him at the banks of the Red Sea.
• At that point God would have been more than just in simply letting the
Egyptians have them.
But instead God acted upon His great mercy and provided “Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;”
That is what God did in the past.
And Zacharias says that is what God is doing again!
HE IS COMING TO SAVE THOSE WHO ARE HUMBLE AND BROKEN.
So (at least in part) to answer your question.
WHAT IS GOD DOING?
• He is sending His “horn of salvation” to save us from our enemies and redeem us from our slavery!”
• He is sending the One from “the house of David His servant”
• He is sending to us the Savior!
That is what God is doing.
These were a people who were poor in spirit
As they waited and prayed for God to save them.
Zacharias gets the privilege of revealing
That God has begun the process!
Now, there is much more to see in what Zacharias has to say,
BUT THIS MORNING WE ALSO WANT TO COME AND CELEBRATE
The redemption which Zacharias spoke of.
He rejoiced because the Savior was coming.
We rejoice because He came.
• He rejoiced because this “horn of salvation” would crush their enemies.
• We rejoice because this “horn” already did!
Romans 8:1-4 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
In that verse Paul speaks of our redemption which is in Christ.
• We were slaves of sin, held captive by our own sinful flesh.
• We had the Law, but it did no good. In fact, it only added to our condemnation.
• But when Christ came, He came as one of us, and He conquered our foe.
• “He condemned sin in the flesh”
What does that mean?
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
He killed sin by breaking its power.
He took our sin upon Himself, bore the penalty, bore the wrath,
And then escaped the death that came with it.
Christ rendered sin and death powerless.
And the victory He won, He has now shares with us.
He took our sin, we take His righteousness.
• It is the very foundation of our faith.
• It is the center of the gospel.
• It is the most important event in the life of the church.
We glory in the cross.
We rest in the substitutionary death of Christ.
• It is there we find forgiveness.
• It is there we find mercy.
• It is there we find freedom.
• It is there we find hope.
And that is why we are told to return there.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
We “do this” because we are commanded to always remember the cross
And what Christ accomplished there.
We are also commanded to do this “in a worthy manner”
1 Corinthians 11:27-32 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”
That means that our attitude must be correct when we partake.
And I think Luke has been doing a phenomenal job
Revealing to us exactly what that attitude is.
• We are to be “poor in spirit” humble before God.
• We are to understand that there is nothing in us worthy of salvation
• But that we are all recipients of tremendous mercy.
And so, this morning (as we always do) I’m going to pray
And then we will have A TIME OF PREPARATION
For you to set your mind and your attitude right
As you focus on the victory that was won by our “horn of salvation”
