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LUKE 1:74-75

"SERVING GOD"

Intro: Zacharias was a priest from the family of Abia. He was quite old, his wife was  barren. 
       His duty was to burn incense in the Temple. An angel appeared on  right side of altar,
       "Thy prayer is heard..."  The promised child is now born,  friends have gathered to
       celebrate.

I. ZACHARIAS BEGAN TO PROPHESY CONCERNING JESUS.
        A. The Lord God has visited His people.
                1. Prophesy of Isaiah, "A virgin shall conceive..."
                2. Word of angel to Mary, "He shall be great..."
                3. "In the beginning was the Word.."
                4. The purpose of the visit, "To redeem them."
                        a. The world was lost and corrupted by sin.
                        b. He well might have come to judge and condemn.
                        c. "He has raised up a horn of salvation."
        B. The Lord God has kept His promises.
                1. Salvation from their enemies.
                        a. Greatest enemy is Satan.
                        b. He held us captive. II Timothy 2:6, "That they may recover 
                           themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by
                           him at his will."
                2. Salvation is more than saved from, it is saved for...

II. THE POSITIVE SIDE, "THAT WE MIGHT SERVE HIM WITHOUT FEAR."
        A. We are saved to serve God.
                1. Every man serves some master.
                2. No man can serve two masters
                3. Paul encourages in Romans 6, "Even as you at one time were yielding your
                   bodies to serve uncleanness and iniquity, now yield them to serve
                   righteousness and holiness."
        B. How are we to serve God?  Verse 75, "In holiness and righteousness."
                1. Someone says, "Oh, I don't like this talk about holiness."  That's a shame,
                   "For without holiness..."
                2. There is a difference between the two, yet you cannot have one without the
                   other.
                        a. Holiness is right in my attitude.
                        b. Righteousness is being right in my actions.
                        c. Therefore, righteousness springs from holiness.
                                1. The whole problem with phariseeism was an attempt at
                                   righteousness with holiness.
                                2. Holiness must be the root from which the fruit of 
                                   righteousness springs.
                        d. Holiness has to do with character, righteousness with my conduct.
                3. There is no motive for right conduct sufficiently strong enough to maintain
                   it other than holiness. All other motives will break down.
                        a. Doing right from self-respect will break down.
                        b. Right as a matter of policy will fail.
                                1. "Honesty is the best policy."
                                2. The relativistic philosophers have shown where in some cases
                                   to lie is the best policy.
                4. Both words suggest a standard.
                        a. This has been the quest of philosophy, to discover the base or
                           standard for right.
                                1. Might is right.
                                2. Pleasure is right.
                                3. Nothing is right except in given situations when everything
                                   becomes right.
                        b. What is the standard for holiness or righteousness.
                                1. God is our standard.
                                        a. "He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself
                                           even as He is pure."
                                        b. "Righteous even as He is righteous."
                5. How can we attain to this standard?
                        a. This is why Jesus came, so we could serve Him in holiness and
                           righteousness.
                        b. Many have become discouraged because of constant failure. Cart
                           before horse.
                                1. They tried to be righteous before they were holy.
                                2. The Lord begins His work within.