Luke 1:74 “To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,”

   Do not frustrate the timing and purpose of the Lord. The promise to Abraham does indeed involve freedom from the fear of man. To serve without fear is the great desire of our hearts. During this age of grace, however, that is not yet a reality in its fullest sense. We are free from fear in that it has no power over us because we are spiritually alive in Christ. But, persecution is still going on. There will come a day when the Lord Jesus will free us of even that.
   It is very important in this present age to remind people that God has physical plans for planet earth. Many Christians these days seem to preach a ‘spiritual only’ gospel that denies the plans of Christ for His world. The separation of the timing in the fulfillment of the spiritual versus the physical kingdom of Christ is a merciful step that God planned in His wisdom. The good news is that God’s people will not have to make the physical kingdom a reality. The Lord Himself will do it and simply bring us along for the ride!

Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful time in Your plan. Your mercy and grace are so obvious and wonderful. Thank You for calling a people for Your Name out of this mass of Gentile darkness. How wise You are! I praise You and extol Your Name! You are the song of my heart! Grant that we may be servants in this Your great cause. I want to bring others to You. Thank You for the opportunities! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:73 “The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:”

   What exactly does it mean that the Lord ‘swore’ an oath? Swearing is bad. We call it cussing or cursing. That’s not the kind of swearing meant here obviously. But what is being said? Well, an oath, which in this case refers to the promises made to Abraham, is ‘taken’, that is the proper terminology. The oath is taken. How can it be said to be taken, and not given. The promise is given. What is promised gives to Abraham. So what is taken?
   The answer lies in the meaning of the word oath. An oath is like a fence. It is a restraint. The greater blesses the lesser, as we see in the Epistle to the Hebrews (7:7). So, the greater, in this case God, has blessed the lesser by setting a restraint, a limit. Because of the nature of this limit, the lesser, in this case Abraham, is blessed. So, the oath is taken because it ‘takes’ from the greater to give to the lesser.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving to us! We are so far below You yet You care fro us. We will never fully understand it all. But, may we never forget the oaths You have taken to establish Your eternal purpose, our salvation. We praise You for Your great wisdom and unending love. I love you so much! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

I am going to take a sabbatical from posting for a few weeks. My wife and I are having our fourth child, and I am much busier than usual as a result. I will resume when I can, the Lord willing.

Luke 1:72 “To perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,”

   Our God is indeed a God of mercy! What He has said He will do. The covenant He made with Abraham is what is meant here. He refers not to the covenant with the Jewish people at the time of the giving of the law. That was broken by their disobedience. The covenant with Abraham, however, is contingent upon God Himself. And it is a Holy and True promise.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being a God of mercy! You have done all You have promised to do. You have a relationship with all who will worship You, and that is so special. You have made a way for our disobedience to be forgiven. We praise You for the love You have for us. We know You are always faithful, no matter what. All glory to You in Your Holiness! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:71 “That we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,”

   Zacharias wasn’t confused. The Lord will save His people from their enemies. Indeed, all of the people of the Lord, Jew and Gentile alike, will be delivered.
   Jesus secured a spiritual victory at Calvary. But He also accomplished a physical victory. He has the right to take possession of this globe any time He sees fit. But He has told us He will do it according to the Father’s timing.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your deliverance! You have saved me from sin and shame. You have given us a hope and a future. We praise You Almighty God! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:70 “As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began,”

   Though there is a certain time of Jewish history that we would refer to as the time of the prophets, the prophets were not limited to this era. Nor were the prophets all Jewish. Just as there was a non-Jewish preisthood (Melchizedek), there was a non-Jewish line of prophets. For example, Enoch the seventh from Adam was one of the earliest non-Jewish prophets.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your wisdom. Knowing Your truth is tremendously helpful to our daily steps. We can’t know or future, but knowing Your Word is the best method for advanced planning. I love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:69 “And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,”

   It has always been amazing to me that the Jews do not try to set up a king again. However, there are many reasons why they do not. One is that the religious and political condition of Israel is integral to God’s eschatological plans. Just as the setting up of the temple again has certain implications, so does the regency.
   Never forget that Jesus is Jewish. And he is the Heir to the throne of David. And he will do what kings do. He will rule and reign.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the Jewish Messiah. He is my hope, being a Gentile. Give us the freedom to worship and work for You. Thank You for America! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:68 ““Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people,”

   Notice that the focus is not on John. Zacharias is focused on the Redeemer. This is because of the Holy Spirit Who was speaking to him, giving him the words to say.
   This is always the way of the Spirit, keeping the focus upon Christ. He is the hope of every man.

Heavenly Father, thank You for hope in Christ! Thank You for keeping the message clear. We need the Second Adam every second. He keeps us alive. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:67 “Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:”

   Notice the highlights of the activity of the Holy Spirit. This is little wonder for the author of the Acts of the Apostles. Were it not for Luke’s gospel and it’s sequel, we would have a much less clear picture of the role of the Spirit. This is very significant. The role of the Holy Spirit in this present age must be clearly understood. His work in our hearts is vital, and completely Christ-centered.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Spirit! It is amazing that You have chosen to use us to preach the gospel to the world. May we always bring to bear upon the world the love of Christ, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of the Father. I love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:66 “And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.”

   The hand of the Lord was certainly with John. But what exactly did that mean? The people didn’t know the specifics, but they knew it would be something special. Before the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost, the Spirit was given to certain individuals at certain times. In the case of John, he had the Spirit from birth.

Heavenly Father, thank You for how You have blessed us with Your Spirit. We will praise You for Your plan for us. You know what is best. Your leading is such a comfort to us! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.