Luke 1:68-79

Date:  Sunday, December 6, 2009
Winter Week 1:  Zechariah Prophesies About Jesus (Luke 1:68-79)
Bible Point:  the world needs Jesus.

Background Who Was Zacharias ?

Zacharias was a priest in Jerusalem. His name meant, "The Lord (Yah) remembered." He was married to Elizabeth and the father of John the Baptist. A monumental moment for Zechariah came when he was serving in his priestly role at the Jerusalem temple. While burning incense, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. The angel promised a child to Zechariah, who was quite old at the time. Knowing that his wife was past the childbearing years, Zachariah asked for a sign. The angel responded to his lack of faith by taking away his capacity to speak until the day of his son's birth. Once Zechariah's son was born and named John, his voice returned. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, Zechariah then prophesied about the greater meaning of John's birth, namely the coming of Jesus.

Read Luke 1 : 68-79

v69 --  horn of salvation — a glorious and mighty Savior.
v70 --  who have been since the world began — there were prophets from the beginning.
v74 --  serve him without fear — Without any slavish fear. Here is the substance of the great promise. That we shall be always holy, always happy: that being delivered from Satan and sin, we shall joyfully love and serve God, in every thought, word, and deed.
v76 --  And thou, child — he speaks of John; not as a parent, but as a prophet.
v77 --  give knowledge of salvation by the remission of sins — The knowledge of the remission of our sins being the grand instrument of present and eternal salvation, Hebrews 8:11,12. But the immediate sense of the words seems to be, to preach to them the Gospel doctrine of salvation by the remission of their sins.
v78 -- The day spring — Or the rising sun; that is, Christ.

Zacharias told of the kingdom and salvation of the Messiah.
The gospel brings light with it
In John the Baptist it began
The gospel is discovering;
it shows us where we are in the dark
it gives light to those that sit in darkness
It is reviving; it brings light to those that sit in the shadow of death
It is directing … it guides our feet in the way of peace, love, and happiness
let us diligently seek to grow strong in the grace of Jesus Christ.



Luke  11:33-36 . . . 33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

John  1:4-9 .. 8:12 . . .  1 : 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
8 : 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”


Acts  26:13-18 . . .   13 at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

2 Corinthians  4:6 . . .  6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter  2:9 . . . 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

1 John  1:5-7 .. 2:9-10 . . . 5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
2 : 9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.




Over the span of your life, think about the ways Jesus has been described to you. Has he been described as someone you "need" in your life, or someone you might "want" in your life?

How would a sense of "needing" Jesus differ from "wanting" Jesus?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you feel like you depend on Jesus in your everyday routine?