When God looks for a person to use, He doesn’t look at their gifts or special talents. Even the man blind from birth is used for His glory (Jn 9:31-33). The Apostles were fishermen, uneducated and unskilled (Ac 4:13). We sometimes confuse men’s giftedness versus their qualification. God wants to use someone who is qualified rather than gifted. He wants to use someone who is transformed rather than informed.

Strong in spirit
To be strong in spirit means your inside life is getting stronger. John the Baptist was the last prophet and lived the life a Nazirite. The text says he was strong in spirit. We too, must be like him. To be strong in spirit, we must have some traits, some evidence of spiritual growth. The following are eight characteristics demonstrated by John the Baptist.

1. Honest: nothing to hide before God. While John the Baptist was gain popularity in His ministry, and people were confused, he clarifies He is not the Christ. (John 2:19-20). Like Daniel’s friends who were truthful before the furnace (Dan 3:16-18), God uses honest men. Believers have the call to be honest (Eph 4:15)

2. Humble: submitting to God and His will. John the Baptist knew his baptism was of water, but Christ’s was the true and greater baptism. God loves the humble because they are willing to be molded, like clay. God humbles His children through suffering and hardship, preparing them for their service before Him. It was the humbleness of Jesus by which God accomplished our salvation (Phil 2:3-5). A humble person trusts in God and understands that hardship is God’s beginning to use them.

3. Courageous: Though it was dangerous and against those in power, John the Baptist called the Pharisees a brood of vipers (Lk 3:7-9). They were the elite and they could have easily found reason to stone him. Jesus did the same thing and they tried to kill him (Lk 4:28-29). God tells Joshua as the new leader of the Israelites to be strong and courageous (Dt 31:23). We have no need to fear, for God is with us. We do not even fear death because Jesus has paid the price for all our sins. Many in the early church, like Prisca and Aquila, risked their lives for the Lord. It’s hard to find Christians who are courageous. We must remember we are at war and Jesus is our Commander in Chief.

4. Faithful: meaning God can depend on you. Even though you’re not perfect, you can be dependable. Jesus depending on John the Baptist to baptize Him (Mt 3:13). You can be faithful by having conviction, commitment and confidence in the truth. Abraham believed God and God reckoned it to him as righteousness. When Abrahams was called to offer his precious son, he was faithful and God used him (Gen 22:10-11). The Lord doesn’t about your ability but your availability.

5. Has faith. John the Baptist believed the message he declared (Mt 3:1-2). Faith is refusal to panic and faith is defined by the object. For the believer, Jesus is the object of faith. We must practice faith in all circumstances. Our church needs biblical faith. If you have faith then you will never fear anything. Instead, we must be like Joshua and Caleb who had faith in what God said concerning the promised land. Everyone else was fearful and fell away. Without faith it is impossible to please God, meaning we cannot be used. It doesn’t matter how much faith you have but that you practice it (Lk 17:6).

6. Pure sexual life. In Luke 7:33 it says John did come eating bread or drinking wine, which shows the John the Baptist refrained from the earthly pleasures. John the Baptist had great influence and popularity, sure there were women who were attracted to him, yet he remained pure. Nowadays, the temptation is pornography and even some pastors and women get hooked. The Bible gives severe warning that the sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom (1 Cor 6:9-10). Sexual sin is more serious than other sins, it is a crime against our union with Christ.

7. Patient: slow to anger. In Luke 3:1-3, John the Baptist waits until the appropriate time to begin preaching and speaking out against the sins of Israel. In Jesus’ ministry, it’s hard to find times when He is angry. It’s also hard to see Apostle Paul get angry. Christians must also be patient. The Lord commands us to be patient.

8. Full of joy. John the Baptist exclaims his complete joy from knowing Jesus (Jn 3:29-30). John compared Jesus to the groom and himself as a joyful bride. We too, the church, are the bride of Christ. Our joy is complete in Jesus.

These are the characteristics of John the Baptist, who was strong in spirit and used by God. This is our purpose as a Christian. We can either be used by God or be used by Satan.

There’s a wonderful hymn ‘Since Jesus Came Into My Heart’ which sings of the change Jesus brings into a life. Jesus is God who visits you, and when He visits, He changes your heart and continues to change you. Just look at Apostle Paul, how he changed. Even today, Jesus is the same and doing the same thing (Heb 13:8). So where is the change? We fail to change because we add on to Jesus. We have Jesus and our old desires in our heart as well.

Jesus is the sunrise and came to shine light into the darkness and death which men live. To live in the light of Christ means seeing things through the lens of God (2 Cor 12:9-10). Sometimes our heart struggles and unbelief takes over God’s word (Mark 9:23-24). Jesus visits you individually, and the full power of the gospel is given when Jesus comes into your heart.

To guide our feet into the path of peace
Jesus also came to guide. Augustine once said God made us for Himself and our hearts are restless until it finds rest in God. Jesus is the one who guides our hearts to peace. Since the fall of man in Adam’s sin, man has lost his God given attributes such as love, joy and peace. Men even fight in the womb (Gen 25:22-23). There’s no peace between man and because of sin men do not have peace with God. Jesus came to lead us into peace with God.

In Psalm 42:5 the psalmist laments his soul and finds no peace within. As sinners, man cannot have peace with God. In fact, as said in Romans 5:2 without faith, there is no access to God. Access to God is crucial. Martyn Lloyd Jones explains that without access, our prayers cannot be answered (John 9:31).But God is merciful, and in Jesus we obtain peace with God and by His grace and mercy, access to Him (Heb 4:12).

Without peace with God we cannot have any peace of God. Peace with God is the cause, the peace of God is the result (Ro 8:31-34, Phil 4:5-7). With the peace of God, even when times are hard, whatever happens, you can be joyful and confident because you have peace with God. That is true peace of God.

We need peace but we cannot obtain it. Romans 8:7 says we are hostile towards God. Hostility is not atheism or persecuting Christians. Hostility usually takes the form of indifference. When people don’t care at all is when people are hostile, it is unbelief (John 3:18). It is an improper relationship with Jesus the Son of God, where they do not know Him. Those who do know God, God knew them, going back to the beginning, they are His elect. How amazing.

True peace looks like the father embracing his prodigal son and placing the robe, the ring and sandals on him. The father doesn’t hold back but brings forth everything good. In the same way, God gives His son Jesus to those who repent. He doesn’t make us wash up first. Though we are dirty and sinful, if we humble ourselves and repent, God embraces us.

It is Jesus alone who brings down peace with God for us. Man is unable to create peace. How can they, when they are full of self. Any attempt at peace is temporary. History is full of failed attempts at lasting peace. Man has no fear of God and no peace with God. Jesus came to bring true peace (Lk 2:14). God has visited his people and brings peace wherever He visits (Luke 7:16).

Do not resist Jesus Christ in your heart. He must be your Lord for there to be peace. Follow the example of Daniel’s three friends, who had the peace of God when faced with trial, no matter the outcome (Dan 3:17-18). Recognize that God is the Creator and the Lord of everything.

Peace with God is reconciliation, meaning God has forgiven you. Propitiation precedes reconciliation. It is the work of Christ on the cross which propitiated God’s holy wrath, so that we might be reconciled to God (Rom 5:1,9-10, 2 Cor 5:21). The love of God forgives our sins through the propitiation of Jesus Christ, bring peace and reconciling God and man.

How does Jesus guide? He calls His sheep by name, like He called out to Saul on the road to Damascus (John 10:3, Acts 9:4) Jesus calls you by the gospel, which comes in power and the Holy Spirit (1 Thess 1:5). Those whom He calls, must turn from their idols and turn to the true and loving God. This is the response of those who have peace with God. (1 Thess 1:9).

Signs of Peace
There are some signs of a false peace with God. A self-reliance, a skewed focus on forgiveness (antinomian), a light view of sin, and a lack of conviction from God’s word. There are true signs of peace with God. Serious about life because it is a new life in Christ, a humility giving glory to God and growing in faith.

Conclusion
To sustain our peace with God, to continue to walk in the light, there is one thing we must do. Preach the gospel to yourself. Jerry Bridges reminds us to face our sinfulness and then flee to Jesus in faith for the forgiveness of our sins. We must deal with our sin and it is through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we obtain peace with God. Practice the gospel in your life, and there will be peace.

• You have a different authority. Your authority is no longer your emotions or Satan. It is God and His Word alone.
• You love God above anything else, therefore you obey Him. Obedience is the hallmark of salvation. You also love others because of the love of God in your heart.
• You have no addictions or enslavement to sin. You are free to serve Christ alone.

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.

Not all knowledge is equal. During the “Dark Ages”, which was not actually a time of ignorance, theology was the highest study and the study of theology led to the advancements in society such as grammar and writing. The Bible was the source of all truth and influenced every aspect of life. Then history moved away from God’s word. The point is that not all knowledge is equal, and there is a certain knowledge that is most necessary and most significant, the knowledge of salvation. Without the knowledge of salvation a man is doomed. (Mt 16:26)

The knowledge of found is found in Jesus Christ and has three attributes.

1. Personal meaning it is a relational knowledge of Jesus Christ, intimate and specific.

2. Experiential which means salvation is experienced and practical, leading to the sharing with others (Jn 15:21,24; 1 Peter 1:8)

3. Privileged because Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords, the Most High, the Righteous One dwells in every single Christian. (Jn 17:23, Gal 2:20) We carry treasure in clay jars. What a privilege!

The necessity of the knowledge of salvation
In Hebrews 9:27 it says that the fate of every person is to die and face judgement. One day, you and I will face judgement and so we must know the gospel of Jesus Christ, the free gift of God (Rom 6:23). We mistakenly associate free with cheap. Salvation is not cheap, it is priceless and unattainable outside the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way one to escape judgement and most necessary.

If you don’t have the realization of your need of Christ and have not yet truly experienced the grace of salvation, then you must pray! This is your most urgent and dire need! Do not casually pass by the words of God in these verses without being convicted. Jesus must be Lord in your life, which is the receiving and evidence of salvation. (Col 2:6-7)

How can you obtain the knowledge of salvation? We learn this from John the Baptist, who is the herald of Jesus the Messiah. This was John’s purpose in life, to prepare the way and give the knowledge of salvation. (Lk 1:76-77, Mt 3:11) The knowledge of salvation is in John’s message. First, you are a sinner in need of saving (Lk 3:4-9), therefore repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mt 3:2)

Repentance
There is no salvation without repentance. However, the act of repentance itself is not important. Many people repent, that is to say they do the actions of repentance, but repentance itself is not salvation. What turns repentance into salvation is the recognition and receiving by God. Many people claim to repent but their lives have not changed. True repentance is God’s gift.

Our filthiness (Is 64:6) is the reason we should fervently repent. Yet we see no change of life, no transformation, no newness because we fail to repent as God intended. The king of Nineveh forsook his royal robes and repented in sackcloth and ashes (Jonah 3:5-6). He gave up his lofty title to become as nothing. True repentance is ready to be humiliated, to be despised, to rid yourself of self (Is 1:16). The wicked king of Israel, Manasseh, humbled himself and repented and his prayers reached the Lord. The Lord received Manasseh’s repentance and Manasseh was changed (2 Chr 33:12-16).

Repentance is complete change of mind, a conversion in understanding. Sin that was once desired is now hated. Pride becomes humility. There might be happiness or victory everyday, but repentance means we know how to turn back to Jesus our salvation. This is what repentance looks like, receiving the Lord’s correction and being humbled.

Conclusion
By God’s supernatural power repentance results in saving faith. A person is changed when God shows pours His loving grace upon a repenting sinner. In Acts 2, the apostle Peter accuses the people of intentionally murdering Jesus the Son of God. God’s word pierced their hearts and they responded, “What shall we do?” The people asked this question, because they were hopeless. They realized everything that they had put their faith had led them to their doom. Their religion had failed, they were doomed. “Repent and be baptized” is the solution given by Peter. In other words, turn away from your sin, humble yourself before the Lord and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior for eternal life.  Agreeing with the Bible does not mean salvation! To repent and believe is not mere words, but to trust and depend on God.

Luke wrote his account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in order to strengthen Theophilus’s- and by extension all believers’- faith in Jesus Christ. Within the framework of Luke’s overarching purpose for his inspired writings, Zacharias’ prophecy of his son John the Baptist shows us what it means to have the knowledge of salvation.

…to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins…”

Salvation is the most important thing to know. The knowledge of God and salvation keeps believers steadfast through persecution and suffering, and it causes them to proclaim the gospel to the world. The book of Hosea is God’s warning to His people of the consequences of rejecting the knowledge of God. Due to their lack of knowledge, Israel was destroyed as they incurred God’s curse after abandoning God and pursuing idol. (Hos 4:6,12)

The knowledge of salvation is to know Christ. John the Baptist had one purpose from God- to tell the world that the Messiah is coming. Between Malachi and the coming of Jesus, there was 400 years of no prophecy. God broke His silence through John the Baptist, as he came to be a herald for the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Jesus commended John to be the greatest of men because John fully understood what Jesus came to do, and his ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus to be received. John knew Jesus was God, and that He came as the Lamb of God. John’s mission was to prepare men with repentance in order to receive the coming Savior and Lord.

Whoever knows Christ with a saving knowledge sees His surpassing worth beyond all things. In their repentance, they know Jesus is supreme in their lives, and the knowledge of their salvation becomes their anchor and source of joy through all circumstances. (Phil 3:7-8) They see Jesus as Yahweh, the Creator of all things, the One who hold eternal salvation in His hands. Salvation is through faith in Christ alone. No amount of improvement and changing your ways can remove your guilt before God- you must become a new creature in Christ. (2Cor 5:17) The knowledge of salvation is about the New Covenant. In the Old Testament, God’s people were required to continually provide sacrifices. In the New Covenant, Jesus died for sin once for all. It doesn’t take expansive knowledge, because at conversion, every believer knows that Jesus is Lord by God’s work in his regeneration.

The knowledge of salvation has three dimensions- personal, experiential, and possessive.

Personal
Man is controlled by what he loves most. Salvation is having a personal relationship with Christ. Christian life is not dully, but it is full of passion and excitement for Jesus. When saving knowledge is personal, there is satisfaction and love for Christ. The believer’s walk with Christ makes him welcome suffering, because if the Lord suffered, he will also. Those who have a personal relationship with Jesus are not ignorant, because they are no longer in darkness, but in truth and light. They consider themselves as foreigners in the world, and has their sights set on their heavenly home where Christ is.

Experiential
The knowledge of salvation is experiential through the forgiveness of sin. Sin is not an idea or perception- it is real, and it brings death and every problem in our lives. Therefore, forgiveness must be experienced. To be forgiven is to have your eternal debt cancelled out because of Jesus’s crucifixion on our behalf. There is no more guilt for those who are in Christ.

A believer is not just reformed or changed, but a new creature by the power of God’s salvation. (2 Cor 5: 17) Before God, the Christian has nothing to fear because out of nothing, God has made them perfect. So far we have learned, God’s mercy is behind our salvation, He is faithful to keep His promise of salvation, He is powerful to accomplish salvation and His grace grants the believer their salvation. The salvation of sinners is His grand project and primary focus in all creation.

What’s the purpose? (Luke 1:74)
The reason God so wondrously saves is so that we may serve Him. He is our new good and loving Master. Previously we served only ourselves, but now we serve the living God, not begrudgingly or unfairly, but with love and thanks. To serve God does not just mean a ministry or a position at church. Serving is worship to God and to live in obedience to His word. In Exodus, God brought the Israelites out of Egypt to serve him, to worship Him and to celebrate His salvation. (Exodus 5:1, Exodus 9:1)

How do you know you are serving God properly?
Examine your heart for division. A divided heart is dangerous while serving the Lord because it deceives and blinds the person from their true condition. This blindness will lead to unfaithfulness God’s word, like the Israelites who failed to serve the Lord wholeheartedly in the wilderness (Deut 1:34-36, 40). Naturally our hearts will falter and fail, but that’s the process of sanctification. We must not remain stuck at justification, but progress on to wholehearted obedience (Heb 5:11-13, 1 Cor 3:1-3). In Jesus, we have to reason to fear God even if we do fail at times. He is our High priest who advocates for us and intercedes on our behalf (Heb 4:14-16). This confidence should launch us into prayer at all times as we serve Him.

How to serve God?
To serve God properly, we need the righteousness of Christ which is given as took on our sin and bore the punishment on our behalf. This exchange at the center of the gospel is the foundation for acceptable service unto God.

We must serve God in holiness and righteousness. These are two sides of the same coin, holiness is internal while righteousness is acts externally. To act righteously without holiness is hypocrisy, like the Pharisees which were condemned. Your act of service is an attempt to deceive the Lord.

Holiness is a righteous character at all times. It is your character conforming to the character of God. Jesus is our example, who showed true service through word and deed (Lk 24:19). A zealous heart is not enough, but like Christ, we desire a holiness driven by God’s truth and love. The Pharisees are our warning, they failed to be holy and God judged their deeds as lawlessness (Mt 7:23, Rom 10:1-4). However, a holy heart produces righteousness. A holy heart acts on the Word of God, places its trust in the word of God and goes through life in the Word of God.

Salvation is the actualization of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Through salvation, God equips us with holiness and righteousness. We serve in the presence of God, `before Him all our days`.  A Chistian is saved to be the light of God in the world, to serve in holiness and righteousness, so that others may also be saved.

Before knowing the ultimate purpose of salvation, it is necessary to understand the nature of salvation. Salvation is planned and accomplished by God. In the previous weeks, we have learned about God’s mercy and faithfulness behind every believer’s salvation. Every one of us was dead in sin, with no desire or ability to know God, but because of God’s mercy and grace, He pulled us out from the pit and gave us life in Christ. God promised this salvation, and by His faithfulness, He has never betrayed us in His covenant to be our redeeming God.

Salvation is motivated by God’s mercy, promised by God’s faithfulness, and accomplished by God’s power. Nothing is impossible with God. He granted (v.74) us this salvation because it pleased Him to do so and it was in His power to do it. Just as God created all of creation out of nothing, God made believers new creatures in Christ, removing our permanent stain of sin by Jesus’ blood. What peace is there to know that all things are under God’s sovereign power, and even more so, that God’s power always works according to His good nature!

How is God’s power delivered to us? God’s power comes through His decreed Will and His descriptive Will. God’s decree speaks of what He has planned and will accomplish. For example, every believer’s salvation is accomplished and kept not because of his effort, but because God has decreed it. God’s descriptive Will refers to His preferences and favor- if we violate God’s descriptive Will, we are sinning. For instance, God commands believers to not be unequally yoked to unbelievers. If a Christian marries an unbeliever, he is violating God’s descriptive Will. Under both types of Will, God’s power is seen in His providence.

Although God’s power is working in all the ordinary and extraordinary things in our lives every day, many Christians are not aware of it. Though we are in reality co-heirs with Christ, we have no experiences to tell of God’s amazing works in our lives. In order to experience God’s power, we must practice faith. We have the truth of God in His Word. We must trust it, depend on it, and live by it to experience its power in our lives. We can not expect to experience God’s power without faith. Faith invites the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and it works with love towards God and fellow believers.

Believers must understand biblical salvation. Our salvation is by God’s mercy, faithfulness, and power. It is steadfast and more amazing than anything else in our lives. The Kingdom of God in us, so we must continually seek His Kingdom and His righteousness by following the way of Jesus. As we do this, we will have much to share in the work of God in our lives.