These two diametrically opposing portraits speak volumes
about the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The law repels, but the greater glory of the
One who is said to be “full of grace and truth” attracts. Though Jesus is holy and just, there is so
much grace that sinners run to Him, amazed by His goodness, and fascinated by
His love.
Spurgeon writes, “Reader, it may be that just now you are
blinded by the dazzling brightness of the law of God. You feel its claims on your conscience, but
you cannot keep it in your life. Not
that you find fault with the law, on the contrary, it commands your profoundest
esteem, still you are in nowise drawn by it to God; you are rather hardened in
heart, and are verging toward desperation.
Ah, poor heart! Turn your eyes
from Moses, with all his repelling splendor, and look to Jesus, resplendent
with milder glories. Behold His flowing
wounds and thorn-crowned head! He is the
Son of God, and therein He is greater than Moses, but He is the Lord of love,
and therein more tender than the lawgiver.
He bore the wrath of God, and in His death revealed more of God’s
justice than Sinai on a blaze, but that justice is now vindicated, and
henceforth it is the guardian of believers in Jesus…”
This week we will examine Luke 1:67-80, a pivotal text in Luke’s
account of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It’s been described by many over the years as the last prophecy of the
Old Covenant and the first prophecy of the New Covenant. It is uttered by the 32nd
Zechariah mentioned in the Bible and is one of the greatest transitional
declarations of God in all the Scriptures.
While many who read it think only of John the Baptist and his role as
the forerunner of the Messiah, there is much more happening here than that. Indeed, what we find here is a concise
description of the biblical foundation of every Christian’s engagement in the
world.
If you haven’t already guessed it, this preaching series is
moving inexorably toward our great BEYOND month of October. The month of October will be the time when
everyone at Hebron will be given the opportunity to go beyond themselves and
impact the world around them with the tangible fruits of the Gospel. Our goal is clear – to see everyone
experiencing the exhilaration of being used by the Holy Spirit to impact the
lives of others for Jesus’ sake.
Last week we began in Acts 26. There we saw clear evidence of how Jesus
interrupts our life and brings us to the point where we recognize that
everything that’s happened up until that point, is prelude, or preparation, for
what He intends to do with us these days to impact others with His grace. This week we’re in Luke 1 to find the
foundation for engaging the world with the Gospel.
In preparation for this Sunday’s message, you may wish to
consider the following:
1. What
does the name Zechariah mean?
2. How
relevant is that meaning to what Zechariah does?
3. What
is the significance of Zechariah’s declaration in Luke 1:63? (Note the meaning of the name “John”.)
4. Who
is Calvin Miller?
5. Note
the difference between the description of John the Baptist’s early years and
Jesus’. (See Luke 1:80 and Luke
2:39-40).
6. How
accurate is it to say that before Jesus, the Hebrews were well-acquainted with
mercy, but not grace?
7. What
do the differences found in question 5 tell us about engaging the world with
the Gospel of grace?
8. How
is mercy the heart of the sacrificial system in the Old Testament?
9. How
is grace the heart of the sacrifice in the New Testament?
10. What is the
significance of equating Jesus to the “sunrise” or “rising Sun” in v. 78? (See Mal. 4:2; II Pet. 1:19; Rev.
22:16.)
See you Sunday!
