THE TENDER MERCY OF OUR GOD

“Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79 NKJV).

Here we are given the purpose for the coming of the Lord Jesus. He was to give light to the people and to illuminate all who “sit in darkness and the shadow of death.” The dark, terrible, and dismal condition in which people had been wrought by sin was to be removed by the coming of Christ. His coming is like the day-dawn that comes to the weary and benighted traveler in the darkness of the most dismal night, and enables him to pursue his journey in paths of peace and safety.

The theme of God’s great mercy permeates Luke 1 (vv. 50, 54, 58, 72, 78). The “tender mercy of our God” is God’s compassion to lost, helpless, even God hating sinners! Amazing mercy indeed!

Mercy is the only reason anyone is ever forgiven of sin. We cannot earn forgiveness. We cannot demand forgiveness. We cannot swap forgiveness with a trade. There would be no peace in salvation if we had to earn, demand, or buy forgiveness. We would only worry if we had done enough, if we were strong enough, or if we had paid enough. Forgiveness comes only by mercy. Which means forgiveness is free and undeserved. All we need to do is accept the forgiveness that God offers.

Through the mercy of our God we receive light. This light is Christ himself. He is the “Dayspring” (sunrise). In our sin we sat in darkness like a prisoner locked in an underground dungeon. But when Christ comes into our hearts, He brings light. All of a sudden everything shines. Darkness flees. Death is defeated and we get a life of peace. Salvation brings peace: peace with God, peace with man, and peace within ourselves.

It is the dawn of a new day because of the tender mercies of God. Do you have this peace? Has the sunrise dawned in your soul yet?

(Adapted from Barnes' Notes on the New Testament)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The birth of Christ brought God to man, but it took the cross of Christ to bring man to God!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Dayspring

In Luke 1:78 we read, “Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us!” (NKJV).

Dayspring is the Greek word anatolē (ἀνατολή = an-at-ol-ay'). It is made up of two words: “ana” which up, again, and “tello” which means to make to rise. Thus, the word means rising (as of a star or the sun). In some context anatolē refers to the rising of the sun or breaking of the dawn which means East or Orient. Literally, the word means a rising from or out of the heights. Here Luke is using anatolē to refer to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the breaking of the dawn, the Sunrise for mankind. He is pictured as a saving Light Who shows the way out of the spiritual darkness of this world. He is the Rising One that brought light into the world. The world has never been the same since the birth of the Dayspring in Bethlehem two-thousand years ago.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would visit the second temple (Hag. 2:6-9).

New Testament Fulfillment – Luke 2:27-32

Did You Know…

In the Bible it states that the Lord Jesus came to give life (John 10:10, 28).

Bible Quiz

According to Matthew, did the Wise Men visit the Lord Jesus as a baby or a young child?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What two rituals did the Lord Jesus undergo when He was eight days old? He was circumcised and He was named (Luke 2:21).

Names For God Found in the Bible

“Yahweh Sabaoth”

"This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there” (1 Sam. 1:3).

1. Meaning – Yahweh Sabaoth means “The Lord of hosts or Lord of armies.” The name is first used here in the Old Testament in the Shiloh sanctuary. “Lord of Hosts” describes God as the sovereign Lord of the hosts of the stars (Isa. 40:26), the angelic hosts (Psalm 103:20-21), and the armies of Israel (Ex. 12:41; Psalm 46:7, 11).

2. Insights – In context, while Elkanah worshipped the Lord, the object of highest worship for the gentiles were the sun, moon, planets, and stars. However, since all the heavenly bodies (called the host of heaven) have Jehovah as their Maker and Creator, He alone should be the object of worship

Stories of Favorite Christmas Carols

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing

During his lifetime, Charles Wesley wrote over 600 songs. One of his most famous lyrics is Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, which many theologians say is the entire Gospel of Christ in one song. The melody for this familiar carol was composed by the famous Felix Mendelssohn almost a hundred years after Wesley wrote the text. The little-known fact is that neither Charles Wesley nor Felix Mendelssohn would have wanted this music to be joined with these words. Felix Mendelssohn, a Jew, had made it very clear that he wanted his music only to be used for secular purposes. Charles Wesley, on the other hand, had requested that only slow and solemn religious music be coupled with his words. However, in the mid Nineteenth Century, long after both Mendelssohn and Wesley were dead, an organist named Dr. William Cummings, joined the joyous Mendelssohn music with Wesley’s profound words to create the carol we know and love today!

A Little Humor

A little girl was learning about the Bible from her grandmother and was becoming quite know knowledgeable. Then, one day, she floored her grandmother by asking. “Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? The Virgin Man or the King James Virgin?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“As this world grows darker, the promised return of the Son grows brighter!”