The devil hated Adam and Eve and deceived them in the Garden of Eden and since then human beings have come under his authority and have struggled with sin. Although sacrifices were offered, sin could not be tamed nor could the devil be overcome. When the first children Abel and Cain offered sacrifices, sin caused Cain to murder his brother. When the country of Israel was formed, an elaborate set of sacrifices were given but sin still kept ruling in the hearts of the people. Therefore the author of the epistle to the Hebrews says in chapter 10 (KJV) “the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect” (v1) and “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (v4).
Finally the time arrived for God to reveal the perfect solution. In Luke 1:68,69a, 71 (ISV) Zechariah prophesied “”Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! He has taken care of his people and has set them free. He has raised up a mighty Savior for us …, that he would save us from our enemies and from the grip of all who hate us”. Most of those reading this post do not need a mighty savior to rescue us from a physical enemy or from someone who hates us. This prophecy has to be understood spiritually; the enemy is sin, the one who hates us is the devil and his demons and the Saviour is Jesus Christ. As old habits die hard, there had to be a transition from the old to the new. John the Baptist was to bring about this transition and Zechariah his father continues prophesying, saying about his son “you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way and to give his people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of their sins” Luke 1:76b,77 (ISV). As his father prophesied, “John went throughout the entire Jordan region, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins” Luke 3:3 (ISV). The focus was no longer on sacrifices because Jesus Christ had come to earth and in a few years He was going to become the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, dealing with sin and the devil. 1 John 2:2 (CCEV) show us how He dealt with sin “Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people” and Colossians 2:15 (ISV) shows us how He dealt with the devil “and when he had disarmed the rulers and the authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross”.
So this Christmas as you reminisce about the birth of Jesus and the surrounding events like the birth of John the Baptist remember that these incidents lead up to the cross where Jesus Christ hung to save us from sin and the grip of the devil. Zechariah also prophesied in Luke 1:74,75 (LEB) “we being rescued from the hand of our enemies, could serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days”. May this prophecy come alive in your life this Christmas, having been saved from sin and rescued from the devil, may you live in 2020 without fear and in holiness and righteousness.
Understand the truth 