Luke 1:68-79 – The Benedictus

A. 68 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
B. 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
C. 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
D. 71 That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
E. 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
F. And to remember His holy covenant,
E’. 73 The oath which He swore to our father
Abraham:
D.’ 74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our
enemies, might serve Him without fear, 75 in holiness and
righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
C.’ 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
B.’ 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins,
A.’ 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has
visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; To
guide our feet into the way of peace.
I. Context and Summary
A. Context – The circumcision of John:
Gabriel who spoke God’s promise ! Zacharias who spoke unbelief ! Zacharias who could not speak !
Zacharias who spoke praises to God ! John, the child of promise who will speak
B. Summary – A-B-C-D-E-F-E’-D’-C’-B’-A’
II. The Benedictus
Greater context – The Holy Spirit – Luke 1:67,80
F. Luke 1:72b – God who has kept covenant with us = the heart of the matter – Ge 12:1-3
E./E.’ Luke 1: 72a, 73 – ...by means of His mercy and oath – By His Word, promise and merciful character!
A. Luke 1:68 – God who has visited His people – Not exactly a social call!
B./B.’ Luke 1:69,77 – God who has saved us - Ps 18, 2 Sam 7 – This salvation is by remission of sins!
C./C.’ Luke 1:70,76 – God who has spoken to us - Ps 80:4-7 – You are now His prophets in the world!
D./D.’ Luke 1:71,74-75 – God who has delivered us – Ex 23:22, Jn 12:31, Is 48:22, Da 7:13-14, Mk 1:4, Ac 13:24, Mt
3:7-12, He 2:14-18, He 2:8, 1 Jn 4:18 – Will you be an enemy of God in 2019?

A.’ Luke 1:78-79 – God who has visited the world – Ex 9:17, Ps 47, Is 49:6, Ps 23:4, Is 9:1-2, Ha 2:6-7, Ac 15:14-17,
Lk 3:3-6, Ro 8:21 – How should you spend your time, money and creative energy in 2019?

Test The Spirits — 1 John 4:1-6
3:23-24And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love
one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He
in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
A. 1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God;
B. because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of
God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3and
every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.
And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the
world.
C. 4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you
is greater than he who is in the world.
B’ 5They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6We
are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us.
A’ By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

I. Knowing & Abiding In Him
To “know” (i.e. to be assured of, or experiencing fully): 2:3, 4, 5, 11, 18, 20, 21, 29; 3:1, 2, 5, 14, 15, 16,
19, 20, 24; 4:2, 6, 7, 8, 13; 5:2, 13, 18, 19, 20.
To “abide” (i.e. remain in place – intimate fellowship with God, communion “shared life”): 2:6, 10, 14,
17, 24, 27, 28; 3:6, 14, 15, 17, 24; 4:12, 13, 15, 16.
The Holy Spirit: 3:24; 4:1, 2, 6, 13; 5:6, 7, 8; Jn. 14:15-17; 26; 15:26; 16:13
II. False Prophets (v. 1)
Matt. 7:15-23; 24:9-13; 1 Jn. 2:18-23; 2 Pet. 2:1-2
III. Testing/Discerning the Spirits (vv. 2-3 & 5-6)
The Truth & Faithfulness Test: Deut. 18:20-22; 13:1-5
The Theological Test (vv. 2-3): 2:18, 22; 1 Cor. 12:3; 1 Thes. 5:19-22; Mk. 1:24; 3:11; 5:7-8; Jn. 15:26;
16:13-15
The Hearing test (vv. 5-6):
IV. Overcoming Them (v. 4)