In this sermon, Pastor Matt explains how the blessing Zechariah pronounces is for every Christian. Why? 1. Because God’s Word is completely trustworthy; its prophecies foretold of Jesus 2. Because Christ forgives our sins 3. Because Christ will return to make everything right.
Okay. Two weeks ago, we finished the book of Hebrews with a sermon on benedictions—the blessings we pronounce as we go. We defined a benediction as a blessing that declares God’s continual presence with His people through the atoning work of Christ—a blessing we are called to share with the world.
Zechariah the priest’s dramatic song at the end of Luke 1 connects deeply with this theme. Before he delivers the song, Zechariah is serving in the temple when an angel appears and tells him that his wife Elizabeth will conceive and bear a son. Because he doesn’t believe the message, he is struck mute and unable to speak.
When he comes out of the temple, the people are waiting for him. They’re wondering why he’s delayed. They were expecting the priestly blessing—the benediction he would normally pronounce after burning incense. But he can’t speak. So he remains silent for nine months and eight days.
During that time, his wife becomes pregnant, the child is born, and on the eighth day—when the boy is to be circumcised and named—Zechariah finally gives his long-overdue benediction.
It begins with these words:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David.”
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, give light to Your word today. Fill us with Your grace so we can see something of You. Give us hope in our darkness and fill us with Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This is a hard world, under the curse—a land of darkness, literally. Until spring arrives, we especially feel the need for the promise in the song “Joy to the World”:
“No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.”
This week, like many weeks, I’ve seen what hopelessness looks like in people’s lives—joyless lives. The world desperately needs God’s blessing in Christ. That blessing is the antidote to the devil’s depression. In God’s blessing in Christ there is:
- Purpose for a life that can feel meaningless
- Peace even when the world rages and political winds howl
- Hope even on the hardest roads—because we know Christ walked those roads before us
Maybe you’re here with doubts. That’s okay—the Bible is full of doubting people. Zechariah himself, the very priest who pronounced this blessing, was a doubter. He was serving in the temple of God when he doubted.
If you’re going to give your life to serving God—to show up even when it’s hard—you should ask the honest question: “Is this true?” There are countless religions, new ones appearing all the time. Some in Silicon Valley are even exploring AI as a new kind of god.
But there are many reasons to say, “Yes, Christ is true.” Today I want to focus on one that’s prominent in this text—the one that changed Zechariah from skeptic to believer:
God fulfills His word.
God fulfills His prophetic word in ways that go far beyond what many of us ever imagined.
Luke 1:68–70 says:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.”
Even the greatest skeptics acknowledge that the Old Testament was written centuries—often hundreds or a thousand years—before Christ. And in those ancient texts are dozens of promises and prophecies that Jesus fulfills.
Here are just a few examples:
- Born of a virgin — Isaiah 7:14
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
→ And so it happened. - Born in Bethlehem — Micah 5:2
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah… from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
Jesus was born exactly there—and the prophecy goes deeper, pointing to His eternal nature. - Called out of Egypt — Hosea 11:1
“Out of Egypt I called my son.”
→ Jesus’ family flees to Egypt, then returns.
And these are just three that Matthew explicitly highlights. Skeptics sometimes claim the Gospel writers “added” these details to make Jesus fit the prophecies. But the fulfillments go much deeper than surface-level “checking boxes.”
Jesus is the promised Prophet, Priest, and King—all at once, in breathtaking detail.
- King — 2 Samuel 7: David is promised an offspring whose throne will be established forever. Not just Solomon—Jesus reigns eternally.
- Prophet like Moses — Deuteronomy 18:15. The parallels are stunning: both rescued from infant-killing kings, both pass through water, both give bread, both ascend mountains to give God’s word, both are rejected by their people.
- Priest forever — Psalm 110:4 (order of Melchizedek). Jesus intercedes for us eternally in heaven.
Then there are the prophecies of His work: healing, justice for the poor, and above all, the suffering Servant who is “wounded for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5).
What I once found intimidating about Old Testament prophecy turned out to be the opposite: the more I looked, the stronger the case became. The verses quoted in the New Testament are like the tips of icebergs—invitations to dive deeper into thousands of converging lines of prophecy, all pointing to one person: Jesus Christ.
So first: Yes, it is true.
But the second, and often harder, question is: Is it for me?
Luke 1:76–79 answers with breathtaking tenderness:
“…because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
God is not harsh like this broken world. He is tender mercy itself. He forgives sins—even the worst ones. He forgave the woman at the well drowning in sexual sin, Peter after denial, Zacchaeus after a lifetime of greed. And He forgives you.
And third: What about all the evil?
Yes, the world is dark—drug addiction, suicide, abuse, brokenness everywhere. I can’t answer every “where was God when…?” question. But I can tell you this: God is coming again to set everything right.
Luke 1:71–75 promises we will be saved from our enemies, delivered to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness all our days.
One day the last tear will fall. The last abuse will occur. No more divorce, no more suicide. God will judge evil, vindicate His children, and wipe away every wrong. The sufferings of this present time will seem light and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory.
So here’s the invitation:
- It is true—the prophets foretold Him in astonishing detail.
- It is for you—no matter how far you feel, His tender mercy reaches you.
- There is an answer for evil—God will return in justice and make all things new.
If your heart is struggling to believe today, I pray the Spirit gives you light. May you see past the pain to a gentle Father who runs toward every heart that turns to Him. May you know forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, adoption as His child, and a place being prepared for you.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, for every heart that cannot quite believe today, send Your Spirit. Give light to see past abusers, pain, and darkness. Show them Your tender mercy—that You forgive, that You call them Your own, that You are preparing a place for all who turn to Christ. Build up those who believe with faith, joy, and courage to share this good news far as the curse is found.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Amen.