Gtcotr/ss121723
Following along today with our Christmas Season Series we will continue in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke. So far in this series we have found that:
This morning we are going to add one more principle to our Christmas series as we review the prophecyZacharias spoke at the birth of his son, John.
Luke 1 NKJV
67 ¶ Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,
68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,
71 That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us,
71 That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
(I took some time this week to read the history of the Jewish people and to review how many times they have been attacked, enslaved, imprisoned, expelled, hunted down, banished, beaten, tortured, and murdered as a people group… not as individuals … but as a people group.
From the ancient Egyptians to the Syrians, the Babylonians to the Persians, from the Christians to the Muslims, the Romans to the Palestinians, (not to mention the Amalekites; Midianites; Moabites; Canaanites; & Philistines), and from Spain, Portugal, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, to Germany and the Nazi allies, the list of aggressorsgoes on and on and on. Jews will even be attacked againtoday, verbally and violently, as a people group in universities, capital cities, and even in their own borders.
Jews have been the most hated group in the history of the world. Now they are just one tiny nation with only 10 million people, living in less than one-half of the land God gave them more than more than 5000 years ago. Yet they are still being attacked. And they are perhaps the most legitimate landowners of all of the people groups on the earth today. It’s not just a claim, it’s a well-documented fact. Any simple independent research will reveal this truth. But … by and large … the world hates them. And for what? For protecting and defending their families from more attacks?
Psalm 69:4 says “They that hate me without a cause are more in number than the hairs on my head. They who would destroy me are my enemies wrongfully.”
No wonder God promised them a Messiah, a Savior, a Redeemer, a Deliverer, Who would save them from the hand of their enemies. And Zacharias was right. God saw the need and considered it done from before the world began. Why? Because God has set His love upon Israel. (Deuteronomy 7:7&8)
Zacharias prophesied the Children of God would be delivered from their enemies so that they might serve the Lord their God without fear and without compromise.
The world hates the Jews because the prince of this world hates the Jews. The prince of this world, satan, the devil, that serpent in the Garden of Eden who is the dragon we see in the book of Revelation, he hates God, and he hates the children of God. The devil is working non-stop, day and night, doing everything he can to keep the children of God afraid to serveGod. He tries his best to persuade people to ignore the truth and find fault with God and with those who serve Him.
It would be wrong to imagine the nation of Israel does not figure heavily into Biblical prophecy today. God is still intent on saving His chosen people from the hand of all who hate them.)
There is something very powerful about prophecy. Not only does it foretell the will of God, Prophecy models the faith we have in God to our children. John the Baptist grew up to be a prophet himself and he believed and said the same things his father Zacharias believed and spoke.
Wednesday night we discovered this same thing in the relationship Mary and Jesus enjoyed. Jesus grew up to say what His mother said when she faced a difficult decision. “Not My will, but Thine.” “Be it unto me … Thy will.”
I believe in Israel, and I believe in the Church. I believe we are both the chosen and special people of God. (1 Peter 2:9) I believe Israel is God’s choice as a nation. (Deuteronomy 7:7-8) The Bible often compares Israel to God’s wife, and The Church is the chosen Bride of Christ. God’s commitment is that we would be free from the hands of our enemies so that we might serve Him without fear and without compromise.
Although the devil uses people to do his bidding, we cannot afford to believe that we are wrestling against mere flesh and blood. There is an evil darkness driving the lost souls of men, demanding they hate and hurt both Israel and the Church. Satan wants to stop the worship of God in the earth. But we have been given a power … it is the power of the Holy Spirit … the power to prophesy.
The Christmas message is filled with prophecy.
The greatest thing about these people is that they all believed what God said. When you speak the Word of God it is prophecy.
Prophecy is the foretelling of God’s will. Prophecy models our faith.
2 Corinthians 4:13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.
Foretell the will of God by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ just like so many we read about in the Word of God. Speak the Good News by faith in the promises of God. He sees His plan for man already accomplished.
This morning I want to encourage you to make one commitment. It’s to:
This is the Christmas story.
