Grace Community Church
Winchester, VA
www.GraceCommunity.com
Rev. Bradford Reaves, Sr. Pastor
Watch This Message https://youtu.be/bkWj1VQbePg
Introduction
We are in a portion of Scripture that many people read through quickly. This is part of the coming of Jesus. We usually turn our attention to this at Christmas, but somehow this gets lost in the garland, nativities and, choirs of angels. The prophetic psalm uttered from Zechariah is astounding. His lips were muted by the angel Gabriel 9 months ago at the announcement of John’s conception. Now with John born, during his circumcision, Zechariah affirms his name as John in obedience to God, and his lips are opened.
In this psalm, we find 3 major sections. First Zechariah gives a pronouncement of God’s faithfulness to the Davidic Covenant. The Davidic Covenant is universal, meaning it applies to all through the Kingdom of God with Christ as eternal King. The Davidic Covenant can't come to pass until there is salvation. The Abrahamic Covenant is national, a blessing for all of Israel as a nation. The Abrahamic Covenant can't come to pass until there is salvation. And the New Covenant is a covenant of salvation, which affects all the rest because until you come to the salvation provided in the New Covenant, you can't receive the benefits of the Abrahamic or the Davidic covenants.
So the apex of redemptive history in all of these is the coming of the Messiah. He comes and provides a sacrifice by which righteousness can be granted to sinners. The Savior came to live a perfect life, came to die, came to rise again to provide the sacrifice for sin that would pay the penalty for the sins of all who would ever believe throughout the whole drama of redemption. Zechariah sees this and the fulfillment of these covenants with the coming of John followed by Jesus.
We have to understand this. Here we find the faithfulness of God, the fulfillment of Scripture, and the meaning of our relationship with God. If we don’t understand this then we will have difficulty understanding Christ the coming as an infant king, his death, resurrection, and return. If we don’t understand this then we’re more susceptible to false teachers.
1. The Abrahamic Covenant
Last week we concluded with the Davidic Covenant. This week we will look at the Abrahamic Covenant and the New Covenant and I will conclude with tying this all into where we are today.
that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. (Luke 1:71–75 ESV)
The first covenant we find in the Bible is actually between God and Adam. When Adam broke that covenant, all of humanity was sent away from God’s presence. That was not the end of man’s relationship with his Creator and God was not content to leave us in such a state. Through His grace, God began working through a series of covenants. The first covenant we find after the fall of man is the Noahic covenant where God pledged to preserve the stability of nature so that He can work out His redemptive plan. (https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/abrahamic-covenant-i)
When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:16–17 ESV)
After God’s promise to Noah, God establishes his covenant with Abraham. First God calls Abraham to move from his home in Ur (southern Iraq and move to Canaan.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1–3 ESV)
Here we see that even before a covenant is established, God’s grace is at work to bring Abram to a better land, make him a great nation, and bless his life. Because Abram trusted God and was obedient to God, God established a covenant with him
“Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. (Genesis 17:4–7 ESV)
Now we move forward through the centuries. The establishment of Israel and even though they were unfaithful to God, God remained faithful to his promise to Abraham. This is what Zechariah is praising God with the birth of his son John. Zechariah is witnessing and now a part of God’s faithfulness over generation after generation of Israel’s unfaithfulness. God’s grace abounds
to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us (Luke 1:72–73 ESV)
Without God and his intervention of grace, and Abraham’s faith in God, there would not be an Israel or salvation to the gentiles without God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham. This is the foundation of our faith and redemption. What I want you to understand the covenant God made with Abraham was unilateral. It was irrevocable and it is eternal. That's why there are still Israelites and aren't Hivites and Jebusites and Amorites. You can't have an eternal relationship with God, you can't have the eternal blessing from God unless you have forgiveness and salvation. Which brings me to the New Covenant.
2. The New Covenant
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:76–79 ESV)
There’s a third covenant Zacharias is returning to in verse 77: “to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.” This is the first time salvation is mentioned. The Davidic covenant doesn’t talk about forgiveness, it talks about the eternal reign of the messiah. The Abrahamic covenant doesn’t talk about forgiveness, it talks about the sovereignty of God. So where does the forgiveness of sins fit into God’s plan?
We find the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV)
This New Covenant, as we call it, is God continuing His plan of redemption and salvation for all who will put their faith in him. And so, the Law was not given to provide Salvation. We can’t save ourselves. God knew this. The Law was to reveal our sinfulness. It’s like a mirror. But if you saw your face was dirty, you wouldn’t take the mirror off the wall and try to clean yourself with it, would you? That’s the New Covenant.
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20–21 ESV)
That’s the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus happening before Zechariah’s eyes. Everything that was promised to David is going to be fulfilled in this Child. Everything that was promised to Abraham is going to be fulfilled in this Child. And that most glorious of all Old Testament promises called the new promise or the new covenant, the covenant of forgiveness is going to be fulfilled.
That’s why Zechariah says:
because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78–79 ESV)
3 The Message for Today
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, (2 Timothy 1:8–11 ESV)
The completion of all these things is the eternal establishment of the Kingdom of God with Christ on the throne.
The closer we come to this point the more we will see Satan and his minions will lead this world and even people professing to be Christians away from God’s grace:
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Timothy 3:1–5 ESV)
We are witnessing prophetic fulfillment of the end times at a rate that is accelerating exponentially. COVID-19 is being used to help usher in many of these events. Add to that the increased lawlessness, the apostate Church, the establishment of the New World Order, the increasing opposition to godly marriage and family values, and abortion rights and the writing is on the wall. Jesus is coming back for his bride.
A few weeks ago I shared with you the top 10 end times prophesies that are being fulfilled right now (Credit: Calvary Chapel Kaneohe).
10. The Mocking of Bible Prophesy and the Lord’s return
"They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:4 ESV)
9. Sudden Destruction of Damascus and Syria
An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins. (Isaiah 17:1 ESV)
8. An Invasion of Israel led by Russia, Turkey, and Iran (Ezek 38)
7. Increase of Massive Earthquakes (Matt 24:4-8)
6. Increase of Wickedness (Gen 6:5; Luke 17:26-29)
5. Increase of Lawlessness (2 Thess 2:1-12)
4. A Global Cry for Peace and Security
While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3 ESV)
3. Intoxicating obsession with dividing Jerusalem
On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. (Zechariah 12:3 ESV)
2. The 7 Year peace agreement (Dan 9:27)
1. The forming of a one-world religion, government, and economy (Rev 17, 18, 13:11-18)
Conclusion
Nothing is more wonderful for a sinner than to receive mercy. As Zechariah thought about how wonderful it was, he made a comparison. He imagined a group of pilgrims on a long journey. As they traveled through the wilderness, they were overtaken by darkness. Far from the safety of home, they were exposed to the terrors of the night: vicious animals and violent enemies. They sat “in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79). This was Israel’s situation during the dark days before Christ was born. It is the situation we are all in until we are saved. We are sitting in the darkness of our sin, waiting for death to devour us. (Phillip Ryken)
Zechariah saw what was happening. The birth of John. The coming of Jesus. He finally lifted up his head from his place of doubt and put his hope and faith in God. What he saw was his salvation and the salvation of all who receive in faith God’s plan. Today, I want to invite you to do the same.
Take it to the Cross.
