Has Jesus Visited You? – Luke 1:77-80

The dominant theme of Zacharias’ prophecy is God’s God’s salvation. Even though man is a sinner in a hopeless pit, by God’s mercy, there is hope of forgiveness.

The role and purpose of Jesus Christ to rescue and guide sinners to salvation. In this world of chaos and turmoil, men seek harmful and wicked methods to try to escape, such as drugs or alcohol, but Jesus guides the lost to peace. True peace can only be found in Jesus.

To correctly enjoy our salvation, we must know the basis of our salvation. First, we are not saved by our works. Man is unable to save himself and instead must repent. We repent and are saved because of the tender mercy of God. It is God’s mercy that brings Christ to the sinner. Without the mercy of God, men cannot be saved. It is mercy which brings joy, thankfulness, faith, humility and hope. By God’s mercy, we surrender to Christ and live.

Examine yourself. By the Holy Spirit, you will realize that you are a traitor and murderer of Christ (Acts 2:46). This is an important step which many skip and eventually apostate. You must realize your hopelessness as a sinner to know God’s mercy.

Tender mercy
This mercy is shown by bearing our sins on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). He died in our place so that we might also die to sin. We are given grace instead of the just punishment we deserve. Not just on the cross, but God is showing His great kindness and compassion continually (Jer 25:22).

Why don’t we experience His mercy abundantly? Why does Christ seem inactive in our lives? Wherever God’s mercy is, Christ is so we should be different. Jeremiah helps us understand that even through difficult times and unfruitful ministry surrounded by wicked people, God’s mercy never fails (Lam 3:22-23). To experience God’s mercy we must fear Him (Luke 1:50). Like Mary who was in danger as a woman with a child out of wedlock, or the tax collector beating his breast and bowing his head, we must fear God and be humble, to be forgiven and exalted (Mt 21:31-32).

Here it says, not just mercy, but tender mercy. The word tender has to do with the bowels, from the inside. It’s like saying, ‘from the bottom of my heart’, which emphasizes the genuineness and affection of God’s mercy (Phil 1:8). God’s mercy is tender because sin is harsh and brutal. To overcome the astounding power of sin, God’s mercy must be deeper and greater, it must be tender. Our sin is extremely wicked, we are not better than rapists or sex traffickers. Apostle Paul understood his sin (1 Cor 15:9-10). Not only is our sin great, but continuous. Until we die, we sin. God’s mercy even outworks our sin. In addition to our forgiveness, God’s mercy also disciplines and helps our sanctification (Phil 1:6). His mercy is truly tender, complete in it’s reconciling us to Him.

The sunrise from on high will visit us
Jesus is the sunrise who visited. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus (John 1:27). Jeremiah told of Jesus’ coming. Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah (Lk 4:18-21).

He is the sunrise from on high, from heaven. Jesus is the preexistent, second person of the Trinity, who was with the Father, and Creator. There is no one else like Jesus who came from on high. He came to solve our greatest problem of sin. If Christ had not come, then the angel of death would have come, bringing judgement and hell. Instead, Jesus came to save and to bestow God’s amazing mercy.

To visit means to examine with your eye. Visiting means God came in person to save the world. (Jn 3:17). It is a close and personal visitation, not carried out from a distance, but directly. This is our only chance to be saved. The next time Jesus comes it will be in judgement. But right now, by the mercy of God, Jesus has visited you. Have you born fruit? Are you like the church in Antioch, where they were first called Christians? They are an example of how people change when God visits them (Acts 11:24-26). Today, we must bear the fruit of God’s mercy. This is an urgent charge. To not change is dangerous. Steve Lawson puts it, ‘If Jesus has not changed your life, the Jesus you met was another Jesus’. It is a matter of genuine salvation

How to change
Jesus says in Matthew 18:1-4, that to enter the kingdom of heaven, one must become like a child. You must depend on God’s mercy like a child. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep (John 10:27-28). He visits His sheep, shows mercy to them. The sheep hear his voice and follow Him. By God’s mercy, we hear God’s message of salvation, and we follow Him.