Jesus Who Has Come to Us (2)
(Luke 1:68-75)

According to God’s predestined will before time began, He sent Jesus to this earth to save us from sins. Through the coming of Jesus Christ, we who used to live under the power of sin and death are now able to live to serve the Lord throughout our lives. Today’s passage is about Zechariah’s song, who was the father of John the Baptist, praising and giving thanks to God for His great grace of sending Jesus Christ. I hope these thanksgiving and praise of Zechariah will be the confession of our lips.

1. To save us from sin and death
Zechariah praised the Lord, saying “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (Luke 1:68-69). Jesus came to us to redeem us. Redemption means “paying ransom and getting back”, which means setting slaves free by paying the ransom for them. We used to be living as slaves of sin. However Jesus Christ came to the world and paid our ransom by the precious blood He shed on the cross, setting us free from the power of sin and death.

2. To deliver us from all our enemies
Zechariah praised, “as he said through his holy prophets of long ago, salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us” (Luke 1:70-71). Jesus came to us to save us from our enemy the devil. When Jesus came to the earth and was crucified on the cross, our enemy the devil was defeated and He won. Jesus, the Victor is still with us now. Therefore, we don’t need to be afraid of any enemy. This is because God will bring an amazing victory to us in Jesus Christ.

3. To make us serve the Lord all our life
Zechariah said that through coming of Jesus Christ, we will “serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days." (Luke 1:74-75) We who are saved from sin and death and from the devil should live in holiness and righteousness without fear, serving the Lord throughout our lives. Holy life is to be distinct from the world. Righteous life is to live according to the will of God. Fearless life is to love and obey God who saved us from the bondage of the devil.

Give praise to God who saved us from sin and death by sending Jesus Christ to us. Give thanks to God who redeemed us from our enemy the devil. Furthermore live a blessed life by serving the Lord throughout your life. I bless you and pray that you will have the grace, love, and blessing of the Lord on this merry Christmas.