All right, let's read from Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1, I hope you read it. It was a great blessing to me to read it and read part of it again, much of it. Luke chapter 1, I particularly like, well, I like all of it, but the first four verses begins this way.

For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which were from the beginning were eyewitnesses, ministers of the word. It seemed good to me, Luke said, having had perfect understanding of all of these things from the very first, to write unto thee an order, most excellent Theophilus, or his church, his people, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. Sure things, certain things.

Read on, let's read down to verse 19 there. In the days of Herod, a king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the course of Abiah, His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless. They had no child because Elizabeth was barren. They both were now well stricken in years.

It came to pass that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. The whole multitude of the people were praying without the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard. Thy wife, Elizabeth, shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord, their God, and he shall go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Now go down to verse 57. Now, Elizabeth's full time came that she should be delivered, and she brought forth a son. Her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her, and they rejoiced with her.

It came to pass that on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child. They called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. His mother answered and said, not so. but he shall be called John. That's what the angel told her to call him. They said unto her, there's none of thy kindredness called by this name. And they made signs to his father. He was mute, as you know. They made signs to his father, Zacharias, how he would have him called. And Zacharias asked for a writing table and wrote saying his name is John. And they marveled all. And Zechariah's mouth was opened immediately and his tongue loosed. He spake, he praised God.

Fear came on all that dwelt around about them. And all these sayings were noised abroad, spread everywhere throughout all the hill country of Judea. All they that heard them laid them up in their hearts saying, what manner of child shall this be? Hand of the Lord was with him, John that is.

His father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied saying, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. And as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies, from the hand of all that hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by or for the remission of their sin through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day spring from on high hath visited him. to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit and was in the deserts to the day of his showing unto Israel.

Pray with me again. Our Lord, thank you again for your precious word. What a blessing, what a gift that speaks of the unspeakable gift, Christ our Lord, the Redeemer, the Deliverer, the one who came to save us from our enemy. Oh Lord, we pray that you would right now open these things to our understanding for your glory. Father, glorify thy name. Glorify thy son, enable us to honor the son as we honor the father this day. Be with us, be with us, we pray for Christ's sake and be with all who attempt to preach your word today. Bless your church this day, your kingdom. We love and thank you for your blessed kingdom. In Christ's name, amen.

The subject title is found in verse 78. Tender mercy of our God. Tender mercy of our God. Psalm 145, David said, I will speak of the greatness of our God, his goodness, his greatness. And he said his tender mercies, plural, are over all his works. And throughout the Psalms, especially, he talks about how the Lord feeds and provides and giveth life and breath and all things to all creatures. So his tender mercies are over all his work.

But here through Zachariah, John's father, he talks about the Lord's tender mercy, singular. And the greatest mercy, The tenderest of all mercies is that Christ came. Verse 78, the day spring from on high hath visited us. That's the greatest mercy of God, that Christ visited this earth and came to save his people. Scripture says, a people that walked in darkness has seen a great light. The day spring, the son of righteousness has arisen with healing in his wing. This is the greatest mercy. that God confers upon a human being. It's to know and believe and see the glory and hear the voice of the Son of God. It really is the greatest mercy.

Now this is the longest chapter in the New Testament. The longest chapter, and there are many stories of God's tender mercy, or mercies, is to his dear little children, people just like us. We just read of a man and his wife, verse five and six, look back there. We just read of a man and his wife named Zacharias and Elizabeth, look at verse five. In the days of Herod, the king of Judea, pagan king, Gentile king, a godless king, they lived there, but the Lord took care of them, didn't he? No matter who's on the throne, God put them there. And there was a certain priest named Zacharias of the course of Abbi, and his wife was the daughters of Aaron, her name was Elizabeth. She was of the tribe of the priests and Levi. So what a blessing, a husband and wife, Zachariah and Elizabeth, both believers. Both of them. And God has made his people kings and priests like he did this man and his wife. And they're old now. And it says they were faithful. Verse six, they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless.

You know how we're righteous before God, don't you? You know how we're blameless before God, don't you? Our Lord Jesus Christ is our righteousness. He's the one that presents us faultless, holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in God's sight. He's our righteousness. You know that, don't you? How blessed you are if you know that. Zachariah and Elizabeth knew that. They sure did.

But what mercy that the Lord would give you faith and make you faithful to your old age. What mercy? Listen to David in the psalm. I love this psalm, Psalm 71. I read this one time, one of the elderly people in the church in Ashland passed away, went to be with the Lord, and it was one of the first times I ever stood up to read. My dad asked me to. And I chose this, Psalm 71. It says in verse 11, verse nine, cast me not off in the time of old age. Forsake me not when my strength faileth. He will not. He will not. Verse 18 says, now also when I'm old and gray headed, oh God, forsake me not. until I've showed thy strength unto this generation, thy power to everyone that is to come." And he goes on to talk about his righteousness and the great things God has done.

What a blessing for the Lord to reveal himself to you, make you one of his own, and to give you faith, and to make you faithful even to old age. My, my. The salvations of the Lord who saves us and keeps us, listen to Psalm 92. Those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God, they shall still bring forth fruit in old age. They shall be fat and flourish. To show that the Lord is upright, he is my rock, there's no unrighteousness in him.

What tender mercy that the Lord gave this man and his wife, each other, and gave them both to our Lord, to the Lord and made them faithful. Isn't that wonderful? And they're old and childless though. It says they were stricken in years. They were at least in their sixties or seventies, but they didn't have any children. But look at verse 11. There appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar. Zacharias, that is. And Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. And the angel said unto him, fear not, Zacharias, thy prayer is heard. And thy wife, Elizabeth, shall bear thee a son. Thou shalt call his name John.

I don't believe that Zacharias was praying for a son. Do you? He's old. He and his wife are old. They don't have children. They're past childbearing. What is he praying for? He doesn't need a son, does he? There's one thing needful. That's what he's praying for. Isn't it true? Whether the Lord gives you children or not, whatever the Lord does for you, you're the one thing needful. And that's our prayer in it, that the Lord would redeem us, save us by his grace. But the Lord did give Zacharias and Elizabeth a son. He did, and what a son he gave them. What mercy, what mercy. Look at chapter 2. Chapter 2 is glorious like chapter 1. This is the story of Simeon and Anna who were in the temple, both of them old people. Simeon And Anna, they're both old. Chapter two, verse 25. Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. The same was a just and devout man waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

Here we have another old believer. What a blessing. He's in the house of the Lord. He's faithful. He's right there. Anna, the prophetess. Verse 37, a widow of four years after her husband died. She's in her hundreds. She was a widow for 80 some years, but she's right there in the house of God serving God with fastings and prayer day and night.

Well, these two people who prayed and called on the name of the Lord and served him in worship and praise and prayer, the Lord again sent the Lord Jesus Christ, like Zachariah, to them. And look at verse 26. It was revealed unto Simeon by the Holy Ghost he should not see death before he'd seen the Lord's Christ. And it's true with every child of God. You're not gonna die if you see crime. And he came, verse 27, by the Spirit into the temple.

Why are you here? Why does anyone come to Christ, come to worship God? It's by the Spirit of God. And the parents brought in the child, Joseph and Mary brought in the child to do for him after the custom of the law. And Simeon took him up in his arm and blessed God, took that child. Our Lord Jesus cried as a babe. A child is given, is born, a son is given. And he took him up and he said, verse 29, now let us thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. His salvation is seen in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So go back to chapter one. What I'm trying to show us is, it's a much greater mercy than having a physical son or family. A much greater mercy is seeing the Son of having Christ. He that hath the Son hath life. You can be childless, but you can't go without Christ in that life. So the Lord gave them this son.

Now, there's another story. Joseph and Mary, another young couple. Look at verse 26 and 27. The sixth month, angel Gabriel was sent from God under a city of Galilee and named Nazareth to a virgin, a spouse to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.

This is a young couple, unlike Zachariah and Elizabeth, who were already married for many years, old and faithful. This is a very young couple. They're just engaged. They're betrothed to one another. It's the tender of mercy to make two sinners fall in love and love each other and unite and stay together. That's the mercy of God. Marriage is honorable and all. It's a gift of God if it lasts at all. It's a miracle if it does. But to bring two people together is a blessing, a mercy, but it's the greatest blessing, once again.

These two are of the house of David. Joseph and Mary are both of the house of David. The lineage of Christ in Matthew 1 and Luke 1 and 2 is of Mary and Joseph. They're both believers. They're a son and a daughter. of Abraham, but more importantly, of God. That's the blessing. What I'm trying to show us is a tender mercy of God in making us his people. And how he does that is through Christ, the firstborn of many brethren, by seeing him and hearing him.

And look at verse 28, verse 28, so the angel, and I'm an angel, I'm preaching the same thing to you. The angel came to her and the angel of his mercy, the gospel through the preacher comes to all of God's chosen people and says, hail, hold there. Thou art highly favored. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women. That's what the gospel says to every chosen sinner, everyone whom God has chosen to reveal his son in.

What did he say to Mary? He said, that holy thing in you is of God. The son of God is gonna be in you. And this is our hope of glory, Christ in you is our hope of glory. Hail. Thou art highly favored among women. How many women do you know out there in the world have been favored with this blessed truth, with salvation itself, huh? And yet you are? Isn't this the greatest favor of all? The greatest mercy of all? Oh my.

You know, whatever else happens after that, after the Lord reveals himself to you, puts Christ in you, Whatever else happens after that, it's the tender mercy of God. We looked not long ago about how that in Mark chapter 2, this poor young couple had to leave their house and travel on foot. all the way to Bethlehem. She's nine months pregnant when she gets there. What a hardship. What a difficulty. And this cruel king taxed them. They had to leave their house. They're poor. He needs every dime he earns in that carpenter shop, doesn't he? Did they make it? Oh, did they? What was this all about? It's all about Christ. And everything concerning us is all about his kingdom. We need not worry about him providing all these things for us. Because he that spared not his only son and delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all? Don't you know Joseph and Mary were thinking, why is the Lord sending us all the way to Bethlehem? We need Joseph's money. We can't afford, we're going to lose our house. We're gonna lose our livelihood. Oh no, you know what happened when they got there? Men came and gave them gold and silver. Oh, what I'm saying, what the Lord is saying is you're so blessed, you're highly favored among men and women of this earth. If he's revealed his son to you and in you and whatever else happens, it's the greatest mercy of God. It's the tender mercy of our God. to reveal his son to you through the preaching of the gospel.

Look at verse 57 in our text, look at verse 57. Now Elizabeth's full time came, she should be delivered. She brought forth a son, a son, and her neighbors Verse 58, heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her and they rejoiced with her. What mercy, what grace to have a child, to have a living child, to have a healthy child. Many women have travailed in birth only to lose that child. And that's a terrible heartache, terrible heartache. but it's the tender mercy of God upon that child. Spared that child from a life of sin and heartache and trouble and sorrow and sent that child straight to glory. Isn't that tender mercy? Tender mercy. So what a mercy. What that God gives you a child, a healthy child, and his boy grew up to be a believer. What a child, John.

Now, understand this. Everyone who listens understand it's the Lord who gives life and it's the Lord who takes it. If he gives you a child, it's mercy. If he takes that child, it's mercy. Yes, it is. It's mercy to that child. It's all about his kingdom. Everything has to do with God's kingdom. Everything. The tender mercies, the trials are tender mercies of our God. Ask Job. The Lord gave him 10 sons and daughters, didn't he? 10. And it gave him everything he had. He was rich and increased with goods, wasn't he? But he had the one thing needful and he knew it. So that's when the Lord took it all away. He had the one thing needful. He's not gonna take that away himself from his people. So.

And when it's all over, brother, when it's all over, the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. They're not going to be relationships in heaven, not going to be marriage and given in marriage. They're not, our children are not going to be our children. The only way they're going to be there is if they're God's children. So you see how that this is the one thing they've come. And bless God, he gave Zachariah and Elizabeth and Joseph and Mary. That's a believer, oh my. But he gave Zachariah and Elizabeth a son.

And verse 59, I love this, you're gonna like this. The eighth day, he came to circumcise him. They called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. That's an honor. You know that, to call your son after the father's name or the grandfather's name or call your daughter after your mother or grandmother. That's a great honor, isn't it, to confer upon that child? But look at verse 59, verse 60. His mother answered because the angel told her, name him John. His mother answered and said, no, his name's not going to be Zacharias, his father's name, son of Adam. He's going to be called John. And they said unto her, none of your kindred are called by that name. Do you know what the name John means? John, are you listening to that? You know what this means. It means Jehovah favored. It means favored of Jehovah.

Now, who do you want your son to bear the name of? John, they asked him, verse 62, they made signs to his father, how would you have him called? What do you want him to be named? Do you want him to take your name? Do you want him to be just a son of Adam, Zechariah? No, he said, I want him to be named Jehovah favored. That's what I want. I want him to be a son of God. Better not to be born if he's not a son of God. There are many sons of Adam, and they all die, but in Christ, they're all made alive. Oh, name him. May God name our sons and daughters Jehovah-favored. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. I was blessed to have a believing father. Some of you weren't. that, oh my, if God is your father, if Christ is your elder brother, if Christ is in you, you're highly favored. Your name is John, Jehovah favored. Is that what you want for your children?

Look at verse 64. Verse 64. Well, after they asked John what He wanted his son to be named. See, his name is John. Verse 64. After that, his mouth was opened immediately and his tongue loosed and he spake and praised God. What mercy. What mercy it is if the Lord loosens these tongues. We sing that song. Our loosened tongues employ. To do what? You know, we come forth from the womb speaking lies, don't we? Loving ourselves, promoting ourselves, hating God. That's how we come forth from the womb, isn't it? Our mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Poison of asbestos under our lips. That's what the scripture said about all mankind. That's all the sons of Adam. But the sons of God, when they're born again, born of God, when he sends his angels through the preaching of the gospel to show them Christ crucified, he makes a new creature in Christ. The first thing he does, like Zachariah, the first thing he does is shut your mouth. Stops your mouth. When Job heard from the Lord, he said, I'm gonna put my hand over my mouth. Didn't it? That's the first thing the Lord does to every son of Adam when he saves them. What mercy it is for the Lord to stop our mouth, to shut our mouth, to break our heart, to kill self. All this talk about I, me, and mine. Stop our mouth, to hear his voice. You can't hear his voice when you're talking, especially about yourself.

and to see his glory and to hear his voice. And then what he does when you hear and see of the glory and the work and the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, he's gonna loosen your tongue. And you know what you're gonna say? To God be the glory. Great things he had done. So loved he the world that he gave his son. You're gonna loosen your tongue and you're gonna praise God. You're gonna praise God for all things, from whom all blessings What a blessing. What a blessing.

And here's your testimony. Your testimony is the same as Zachariah, right here, verse 67. Here's what he said. He said in verse 67, the father of Zacharias filled with the Holy Ghost and he prophesied saying, blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people. That's our testimony of our Redeemer. We sing that song, I will sing of my Redeemer and his wondrous love to me on the cruel cross he suffered, paid the debt to make me free. Isn't that our testimony? The Lord hath saved us. What great things the Lord hath done. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, he hath visited and redeemed his people.

Listen to Psalm 103. I love it. Psalm 103. You can turn if you would like. He visited and redeemed his people. You know Psalm 8, it says, what is man that thou art mindful of him, with a son of man that you should visit him? Why would God come to this earth? Why did Christ come to this earth? What is man that thou art mindful of him who would visit his people with redemption for the purpose of redeeming them and buying them and ransoming them? It's for his glory. Look at Psalm 103, verse one. Bless the Lord, O my soul, all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Forget not all his benefits. Number one, who forgiveth all thy iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy life from destruction. and crown us thee with loving kindness and tender mercy."

All through the scriptures. This is the greatest mercy of God. The tenders of tender mercy. How God redeemed his people on Calvary's tree through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to Psalm 106. Turn over there. And here's David's prayer. And here's the prayer of every single believer. Zechariah said the Lord has visited to redeem his people and he remembered his covenant. Look at Psalm 106. Praise the Lord. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord. He's good. His mercy endureth forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can show forth all his praise? I'm trying right now and I'm miserably failing. but his word shall not fail. Oh, blessed are they that keep judgment, he that doeth righteousness, that's to believe Christ your righteousness at all times.

And David prays, verse four, remember me, oh Lord, with the favor thou bearest unto thy people. Oh, visit me with thy salvation that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy people. Oh, he went on to say, we've sinned with our fathers. We've committed iniquity. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt. Look at verse seven. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even the Red Sea. Nevertheless, he saved them for his name's sake, for Christ's sake, he saved them. So go back to our text in Luke one. That's the tender mercy of God. This is the tender mercy of God.

Visit his people. Christ came to this earth to visit his people, to take away their sin. You know, the Lord visited Sodom. The cry of Sodom came up into his ears. He said, I'm gonna go down and visit. I'm gonna go down and see if the cry is as great as it's coming all the way up into my ear. And Isaiah 3 says that in the last days, it'll be so bad that men like Sodom declare their sin, they hide it not. They shake their fist in God's face and God's coming again. And he came down to Sodom, visited that nation in destruction, in wrath, and he destroyed the whole nation of Sodom.

But one man found favor, and he asked the Lord. A man whom the Lord made vexed with the conversation of the wicked around him and that wicked man within him. A man who was vexed by sin. A man who was sorry he was in Sodom. A man who wanted out, was sitting in the gate. Oh, blessed are they that watch in the gates. Blessed. And the Lord came, sent an angel. And what did he do? Spared him. He laid hold of him. Oh, what mercy that the Lord laid hold of him and his daughters and brought them out. He wouldn't have come out if the Lord hadn't laid hold of him. And neither would we if the Lord through the gospel had not laid hold of us. This is the tender mercy, the greatest mercy of God.

My, my. He's going to visit this nation, this world again and destroy it by fire. But God's people are standing on burnt ground. He's visited us through Christ and Christ went to the cross and bore the wrath of God against our sin and put them away by the sacrifice of himself. And now we are holy and righteous before God. And he's going to come when he comes to this earth to visit it with fire. He's going to take us out like like a lot. And that's our prayer, verse 69. He says in verse 69, oh, the Lord has raised up a horn of salvation, the strength, the ram's horn, that lamb of the first of the flock, without spot or blemish, the lamb of God, in the house of the servant David as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophet since the world began.

This is the Christ that was promised. I started to preach from Romans 1 on the The gospel of God promised before, the seed of David, the King of kings, Lord of lords, promised throughout the scripture of him, him who Moses wrote, who Abraham saw his day and was glad. By the mouth of his prophets, a promise of the coming Messiah, the coming Christ. And his promise was fulfilled and he sent Christ down to this earth to save his people, verse 71, that he would save his people from our enemy in the hand of all that hate us. And that's exactly what Jesus Christ did.

The first thing he did was face our foe, face the adversary, our enemy who hates us, who hates God, who hates God's kingdom. But God, who's rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, visited us visit his people in salvation to destroy the works of him who had the power of death, even Satan himself. Isn't God good? This is the mercy of God. Amongst all his tender mercy, this is the mercy of mercy, the tenderest of all. I don't know if that's grammatically correct, but I like the sound of it, tenderest. It's just the tenderest. Oh, that's our prayer, isn't it? He would save us from our enemy, the enemy without and the enemy within, that old man. Verse 72, that God would perform the mercy, and Zacharias is saying he's done this. Did you notice that? He hath visited. He hath redeemed his people. He's already done it. But Zacharias, Christ hadn't lived and grown up yet. Oh, but he's the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Yes, he has. He's redeemed all his people. All his people were redeemed one way, by the Lamb, the Lamb of God. Even before he came, Christ was a redeemer of his people. He hath visited and hath redeemed his people. He hath, he doth, and he ever shall visit to redeem his people. Through the gospel, he'll visit them.

Verse 72, and he's performed the mercy promised to our fathers and remember his holy covenant. Performed mercy. Don't you like that? performed mercy. David said there's a performance of these things. Well, it was Elizabeth that said it. Look at verse 45. It was Elizabeth's prayer, verse 45. Blessed is she that believe, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

His people shall believe because he's chosen them, he's given them his faith, and they shall believe even unto the end. What shall they believe? That it's God that performeth all things for us. That salvation's of the Lord. That is what we, rather who we believe. We believe that salvation's of the Lord. As David said, it's the Lord who performeth all things for me. Aren't you glad? Without Him we can do nothing. in him, the whole thing. Kept the law. We've been made righteous. Oh my. He did it. He performed this. It's our Lord's greatest performance.

You remember that message on the great finale? Faith's finale? Surely when the Lord created the heavens and the earth, the angel stood and gave him an ovation. But there'll never be an ovation. And every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he's Lord to the glory of God the Father. But when all the saints are in heaven, when this old thing is gone, all the worlds and everything, universe destroyed, new heavens and new earth, our people are gonna stand before him robed in his blessed white righteousness, standing before the lamb that was slain, before his throne. We're all gonna stand and give him a standing ovation. What a performance. The Lord has performed. He's done this. He well deserves the praise, doesn't he?

That's why we don't thank anybody for coming to worship God. We don't thank people. I thank people for leading the singing. I thank people for playing the piano. But I don't thank you for coming to worship God. I thank God for bringing you to worship Him. I thank God that you know Him. We're bound to give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God, from the beginning, chosen you like Zachariah and like Elizabeth, like Mary and Joseph to reveal His Son in you through the preaching of the gospel. Blessed be His holy name. He's performed it. He's remembered the covenant.

Verse 73, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham. His oath, His covenant, His blood, that's what supports you in the overwhelming blood. His oath, His covenant, when He could swear by no greater. God gave an oath when he made that covenant, and he swore by his holy name, by his son's name, for Christ's sake, he swore that he would remember mercy, tender mercy for all those that came to him by Christ. He swore, you come unto God by Christ, he'll receive you. We're accepted in the beloved. I wish thousands were hearing this, but they're not. But you're blessed. This is tender mercy if you're hearing this. Mephibosheth, David said, I'm gonna do something for Jonathan's sake. Now fetch him. And he brought him. They brought him. His strong men brought him. He didn't come of his own free will. He couldn't. He's lame. And they fetched him and brought him and sat him down to do what? To do nothing. To hear. of the mercy of the covenant that the great king on the throne made concerning the one he loved.

For Jonathan's sake, I'm going to give you mercy. I'm going to show you tender mercy. How tender? You're going to sit at my table as one of the king's son, and everybody and everything is going to wait on you. It's all for Jonathan's sake, and you're the benefactor of it. Are you hearing this? This is wonderful, too wonderful, too wonderful for words.

And he says, verse 74, oh, that God would grant unto us that we be delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear. Don't you wish you really believed God? Like Joseph and Mary, they did, they believed God, they were worried. They were worried about being without the money he earned and how they're going to make that trip and worried about that child being born. Did they need to worry? No. No. Did Zach Elizabeth need to worry? She's an old woman. Oh, bad things had happened. The Lord gave, didn't He? He's going to take care of you the whole way, all your life. He's going to carry you to your hoary head. He carried you, He separated you from your mother's womb and He's gonna bring you all the way to glory and never separate you from Him. You understand that? There's gonna be a performance of this day. We're gonna be delivered and we're gonna serve Him someday without fear, I wish we did now, in holiness and righteousness, in His holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

And here's what Zechariah said about his son, In the spirit of God, he said, you're the prophet of the high. He's a prophet. If there's a prophet, that prophet is the prophet of the highest. If there's a prophet, a man sent by God, chosen by God, raised by God, like Moses, like Samuel, like Elijah, like Elisha, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, all of them, they're prophets of the most high. They're prophets of God. What's their story? Jesus Christ. If that's not their story, they're not the prophet of God. They're not been sent by God. And they go before the face of the Lord to prepare his way. It said back there, a people prepared, a chosen people. They all preach God's sovereign election. They all do. Every true prophet preaches the elect Christ and all his elect that are in him, redeemed by him, even before they were born. The children even, before they were, while they were not yet born, neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to the election might stand, it was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. Jacob have I loved. How long? Forever. Having loved his own, he loved him to the end. This is our message. It's the same. It hasn't changed.

The face of the Lord, what's that? That's this day spring. The Son of Righteousness, the glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 77, when He visits you, He's going to give you knowledge of salvation through the remission of their sin, by the remission of their sin. Or that is, you're going to know the living and true God. You're going to know the Christ that was sent. You're going to know God who is God. It's salvations of the Lord. It's His. God the Father chose a people, Christ the Son redeemed His people, and God the Holy Spirit regenerates those people. Salvation is of the Lord. You're going to know that.

The living and true God. The living and true God. You're going to know that God is God, the knowledge of Christ. You're going to know that Christ is your Redeemer, your righteousness, your wisdom, your sanctification, your redemption. You're going to know that your sins are remitted one way, and that's through Jesus Christ. You're going to know these things.

To give knowledge of salvation, and that knowledge will give you great peace. Yea, salvation has come. You've been showed tender mercy. You've been showed favor. Your name's John. You're highly favored of Jehovah to know the living and true God and the Christ who came to put away the sin, your sin.

Verse 78, you see why this is called the tender mercy of our God. You see that? Do you see that? This is the tender mercy. As Zachariah wrote, this is the blessing. Oh my, there shall be showers of blessing, one thing, the blessing of blessing. The mercy of our God is when the day spring from on high visits you. That makes me wanna just shut my mouth.

To give light, verse 79, those that sit in darkness. Oh, my, this world is such a dark place, isn't it? You look at it, Isaiah 8, all this anguish and vexation and darkness and dimness and anguish. Oh, but the people, by the mercy and electing grace of God, who sat in darkness and walked in darkness, as even as others, have seen a great light. Upon them hath the light shined. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the shadow of death, we're just under the shadow, we're no longer dead, we're living. To guide our feet, look at verse 79 in closing. To guide our feet into the way of peace. Romans 3 talks about a people that don't know the way, the way of peace had they not known. We do now, don't we? We know the way of peace. What is that? Christ our peace. Christ, God has made him to be our peace through the blood of his cross.

Oh my, has the Lord shown great favor to you? Has he through the tender mercy of God shown you the day spring from on high, redeemed you by his grace, the remission of your sins through the blood of Christ? If he has, your tongue gonna be loose. You're gonna praise him like Zachariah did of old. To him that performeth all things for us.

Stand with me and I'll dismiss.