Dr. Ron Sumners
January 4, 2009
Luke 1:68-79 (The Song of Zechariah)
All the presents have been unwrapped and even some of the gifts have been exchanged. The leftover turkey is all but gone and we have let our belts out a notch or two. All seems well and we are happy as can be – or are we?
Many people find themselves depressed during the weeks following Christmas. We call it the “After Christmas Let Down.” For some, it is a brief pause; a time to catch our breath and reflect on the past year. But for others, it is a lingering feeling of being overwhelmed by life itself.
I wonder if Mary and Joseph didn’t feel some of that, too. What would it have been like for them? Jesus had been born, the shepherds had come and gone, the angels had gone back to heaven, and the Magi wouldn’t arrive for a few months. Mary and Joseph were left to raise a not-so-normal young boy.
We sometimes forget that they were people just like us. They had to live day-to-day life like we do. Joseph had to go out and earn a living and Mary had to do all the things a wife and mother does. They had to settle down to a daily routine – just like we do.
Sometimes, we feel overwhelmed by it all and tend to get depressed; we succumb to the discouragement of the enemy. He does all he can to take our focus off the Lord. We should understand what the word ‘discourage’ means. The Greek word for ‘discourage’ is hatat. It means – to beat down – to make fearful – to shatter – to destroy.
I see in Mary, one of the keys to coping with this problem. The scripture, she “treasured all these things quietly in her heart.” I think that as she got back into the swing of life, she kept all those feelings fresh in her mind. I don’t think she put the experiences on the back shelf as we tend to do.
Have you ever heard a tune that just keeps repeating over and over again in your mind? No matter what you do, it is in your thoughts all day long. I think Mary did that with the promises Gabriel gave her when he told her how she would conceive the Messiah.
Sometimes, we parents get overwhelmed with the everyday routine of raising a family. The activity seems endless. There are always things waiting to be done and we never seem to catch up.
We adults can relate a little with what Mary felt. Whenever the routine becomes overwhelming, we can sit back and picture in our minds how our children will be when they reach adulthood. We try to imagine what they will accomplish in their lives. I imagine that Mary thought of those things.
Every one of us had a storm in our life in the past year or so, and some of us are having one right now. We need to sit back and imagine our life after the storm. Will we just react to life situations or will we put the vision of faith in our lives? Will we actively seek God’s face in the storm, or will we put blinders on and just plod through life. The issue is: will we rely on God or will we rely on only ourselves?
As we descend from the high we felt at Christmas, we need to remember the promises of our Lord. This morning, I want to offer words that can help us adjust back into the real world of everyday life.
We can remember what God has done for us. Our passage is actually a Psalm of praise and focuses on a number of things that God has done for us. In verse 68, we see the first thing that God did: “He has come and has redeemed His people.”
The idea of redemption is buying back something, a rescuing at a great cost. It was a term of great significance to the Jews of that day, who were, once again, under severe oppression from Rome. Some say that Zechariah was looking for political redemption, but I feel that although he did not totally understand, he was looking at the spiritual redemption that he knew God would give.
In verse 69, it talks of a “horn of salvation.” Horn is used as a symbol of strength. To paraphrase it in today’s English; we could say that “He has provided us with a mighty Savior.” Zechariah begins prophesying over his son, John (later to be known as John the Baptist) but ends focusing on Jesus as the Messiah. He is telling us that God has furnished us with a mighty savior.
We could stop there when remembering the things God has given us. We could just sit back and do as Mary did. We could ponder these things quietly in our hearts. But God is not done yet.
In verse 70, he reminds us that God promised us a savior long ago. In verse 71, he again expresses the theme of salvation for his people. Verse 72 introduces to us one of the most motivating characteristics of God. It tells us of His mercy. Many people think that mercy means kindness. Mercy does have kindness, but that is not the theme of mercy. Mercy means: “to bestow great kindness or concern to someone in considerable need, who does not deserve it.”
That goes way beyond simple kindness.
We must always remember that God showed concern and loving kindness to us, an undeserving people, in our time of greatest need. God is still doing that, 2000 years after sending His Son to us as a sacrificial lamb for our sins.
In verses 72-75, Zechariah boldly brings up the promise that God gave to Abraham – to rescue the nation of Israel from the hands of their enemies.
And there is something very important for us to remember in verses 74-75. It tells us that God enables us to serve Him without fear! Fear is one of the most devastating things to a Christian. Fear of persecution is always there, and that persecution can range from rejection to physical threats or even death. Not only does it say that we can serve Him without fear, but it also says we can do so in holiness and righteousness for our entire lives.
I think that serving God is seen today as more of an obligation, or a chore if you will, than a privilege. It should be on the top of our priority list, but too often Christians do not do much serving. It becomes a duty, and is therefore seen as a negative rather than the positive that it really is.
That is the reason that many Christians don’t serve. They are much too entrenched in their daily lives to serve God or others. I know several people who have been going on with their lives like the rest of us. Then, out of the blue, with no warning, they lose everything they had. They lose their families, their homes, their jobs and pretty much their personal identity, because what we have is our identity, for many of us.
One man I knew long ago when I was Music and Youth Minister in a small church in Sylacauga, was in that situation. He lost his business, he lost his home and most of his possessions and his marriage was in peril. He saw himself as a total failure, not worth anything. He was found dead in his home by the pastor and me one Sunday afternoon. He had taken his own life. He forgot two very important things that he had left. He had a wonderful daughter who hasn’t had a dad to share her life with for the past forty-one years. And he forgot that God was there to take his hand.
Serving Jesus should be a joyful privilege. Giving was done joyfully in the New Testament church. People were overjoyed that they could have a part in the advancement of the Gospel. Today, we have to plead and almost beg church members to do what should be the joy of their lives!
Zechariah had the right outlook. God gave us a most beautiful gift. We should gladly grab onto the many opportunities we have to serve Him. We should joyfully give a tithe, 10% of our income is an opportunity to participate in eternal things.
Each week I am humbled by the great privilege that God has given me as pastor of Meadow Brook Baptist Church. There is not a day that goes by that I do not bow my head and admit to him that I am unworthy of His trust. I know that I am not qualified, on my own, to do anything for Him. All I can do is claim the truth of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”
That is an honor that I can only repay by serving Him to the best of my ability. By relying on Him; trusting Him, and loving Him with all my heart, soul and mind. I can only respond to God realizing that the things I do in my daily life that seem like drudgery are actually royal privileges enabled by God Himself. They are acts of serving the Lord. As you come down from the Christmas “high,” and get settled back into your normal routine, make sure that service to God is a part of that routine.
We can remember what God has promised us. In verse 76, Zechariah talks of how his son will be a prophet and will go before the Lord. We know that his child grew up to be John the Baptist, who came just prior to Jesus. In verse 77, Zechariah foretold how one day his son would proclaim the coming of the Messiah and how that Messiah would offer forgiveness from sin.
Look at the spiritual state of the world. Those same promises need to be proclaimed today. We need to hear, over and over again, about God’s desire to forgive us and the response to God’s grace is a life of service.
I don’t know what sin burden you brought with you this morning, but I know one thing for certain: Jesus Christ offers you the complete forgiveness of sin and the ability to change to be Christ like.
But along with forgiveness, we receive a duty. We have an obligation to God to point others in His direction.
As we wind down from Christmas, we can cling to the promise God gave us. God gave us the promise of eternal life, through His Son, who was born in a manger.
We can remember where God is going to take us. In the last part of verse 79, at the very end of Zechariah’s Psalm, he reminds us that God isn’t finished with us yet. He still has more to come. God’s desire is to guide us into the path of peace.
I am so grateful that the best is yet to come. I am so glad that we have not peaked spiritually, and that is a very important thing to remember as we enter into a new year. Let’s remember that God does have all kinds of good things in store for us. He has limitless new opportunities for us to serve Him.
After Christmas, as things get back to normal, we sometimes can wonder what it was all about. It was all about the Baby Jesus, born in Bethlehem. The baby grew up to be the Savior of all mankind. He is the one sent by God to offer us the way to heaven.
What do you think you will remember most about this Christmas as time goes by? It will not be the gifts you received. You will probably remember the gift to you that was hanging on the tree, the tree of Calvary.
It is time to step into a new year. Let’s evaluate where we stand with the Lord Jesus, so that as we go into 2009, we go with Him as our guide. The first Sunday of 2009 is your time to make a decision about whom and what you will be this year. Please choose the great privilege of serving Jesus.
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