Luke 1:67-80
His father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited us and prepared redemption for his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, just as he said long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets. He raised up salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, in order to show mercy to our fathers by remembering his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to Abraham our father, to grant deliverance to us from the hand of our enemies, so that we are able to serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of God’s tender mercies, by which the Rising Sun from on high will visit us, to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. The child continued to grow and became strong in spirit. He lived in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Applying God’s Word for Today: Living in a Sin-Filled World, Our Savior Came to Save Us
As we observe the world, it seems to be constantly advancing; new technologies emerge, and medicine discovers new treatments for illnesses. However, the core problem remains unchanged—our issue is sin, just as it has been for thousands of years, dating back to Adam and Eve. Nothing we do can undo sin. Where do you see the effects of sin in your life? Is it in waking up grumpy at the world because you haven’t had your coffee? Or is it a breakdown in your life—family, job, and car? So, why does it seem like there is so much chaos? Sin—the devil, the world, and our flesh are enemies who despise us; they want to destroy us.
The problem is that all the science, technological advances, and medicine will never conquer sin. We cannot, on our own, undo sin; we can’t decide to be better people today, to be kinder today than yesterday, so our actions today undo yesterday’s mistakes. Comparing ourselves to others also doesn’t make us better people; we still carry our sin along with the guilt and shame of what we have done.
The answer is found in God’s Word. John the Baptist was sent as the forerunner of Christ, preparing the way for the Savior. It was Jesus who would come to redeem us from our sins. For every sin we commit, a death must occur, and Jesus’ death paid the eternal price for all our sins; He paid the ransom to save us with His holy, precious blood, removing the shadow of death from us. Through faith in Jesus, death is no longer the eternal ending but the eternal gateway into heaven. Heaven’s gate opens to each person through the forgiveness of their sins, which is available to all but received only through faith in Jesus. Jesus also promises to walk with us through all the struggles we face from the chaos of our sins. This Christmas, receive the gift that God has given you. Your gift was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger over 2000 years ago, bringing you salvation.
Dear Heavenly Father, You promised to send a Savior to Your people for thousands of years, and You fulfilled Your promise on that first Christmas. The promise was a call out of the darkness: You would overcome our enemies, especially the Devil. Forgive us all our sins, and grant us the peace of salvation, which we receive through faith in Jesus. Please let those who do not know You hear these words of Your gift of salvation; please let faith begin in them, and let Your joy and peace fill all our hearts. Thank You for sending us Your Son, who has saved us. Amen.
Salvation comes to us only through Jesus’ forgiveness, which He secured by His death on the cross. In His resurrection, we are certain that our sins are forgiven, and we are saved. Jesus is our Savior.