A New Dawn

Luke 1:78-79 “…because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Like a melody in a musical overture, Zechariah’s prophecy hints at things to come, while reflecting refrains from long before. The prophecy previews several claims of this Gospel:

• God remains faithful to His promises;

• God’s way is salvation; and

• God’s path is peace.

As was true for Sarah and Abraham before them: Zechariah and Elizabeth were old and well past the age of childbearing (Luke 1:7). Nevertheless, God gave them a son, John, whose life is caught up in the designs of God. John “will be great in the sight of the Lord…and he will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God” (1:15-16). On the eighth day after John’s birth, his parents bring him to the Temple for naming and circumcision, and Zechariah answers the question that is on everyone’s hearts: “What then will this child become?” (Luke 1:65-66).

God remains faithful to His promises

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Zechariah’s song begins with words of praise from the psalms (“Blessed be the Lord,” Psalms 41:14; 72:18; 106:48). It continues by pointing back to God’s long-established covenant with His people. This is the “Lord God of Israel” (Luke 1:68), who has raised up a Savior “in the house of his servant David” (1:69). God’s promises have come “from of old” through the prophets (1:70), given first to “our ancestors” (1:72) in an oath sworn to “our ancestor Abraham.” Whatever else might be happening that day at the Temple–or later, through the life of this child–it is in line with God’s holy covenant with the people (1:72).

This is no distant God, content to set the world in motion and then to leave it alone. This is the God who comes “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79), the God who has raised up a Savior for us. The promise given long ago through the birth, naming, and circumcision of John is the same as the promise given today: God is active among God’s people, here and now.

God’s way is salvation

Just as Mary praises God as Savior (Luke 1:47) and Simeon rejoices at seeing God’s salvation in the infant Jesus (2:30), Zechariah blesses the one who has “raised up a horn of salvation for us” (NRSV: Mighty Savior, 1:69). Before long, the day will come when his own son will prepare the way for God’s son, participating in God’s mission of salvation by calling people to repentance for the forgiveness of sins (1:77; 3:3,6). It is a mighty task to be prophet of the Most High (1:76; see also 7:28), and the rulers of the age will not go easy on him-John will eventually be thrown into prison and beheaded by the king (9:9).

But on this day, when John is barely a week old, his father is filled with the hope that accompanies new life. It is the hope of salvation for all people: Jews and Gentiles, insiders and outsiders, rich and poor, blind and lame, tax collectors and sinners, women and men, old and young, fishermen and farmers, Samaritans and soldiers, lepers and lawyers, and many others. As Zechariah waits, as we all wait, for the unfolding of God’s purposes in John, we look ahead to the one who is more powerful than he (3:16), the one who is to come, whose own name portends that all flesh shall see the salvation of God (3:6).

God’s path is peace (the opposite of this is stress, anxiety, worry, and chaos)

Long before Zechariah, Isaiah spoke words that resonate today as much as they did for those who awaited a Messiah: “[T]he way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths. Their roads they have made crooked; no one who walks in them knows peace.“(Isaiah 59:8-9). As if in response, Zechariah sings a declaration of God’s purpose as a message of hope to a world in danger of losing hope: “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon 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). The heavenly host gives divine affirmation to this purpose when the angels sing at Jesus’ birth, “Glory to God…and on earth peace among those whom he favors” (Luke 2:14; cf. 19:38). Simeon does, too, as he holds the infant Jesus in his arms (2:29).

By the time of Luke’s Gospel, the Romans have destroyed the Jerusalem Temple, and news about Jesus has begun to spread beyond Palestine to pockets around the Roman Empire. In that context, no less than in the decades earlier when Elizabeth and Mary were preparing to give birth to their sons, the message of God’s peace comes to a world more practiced at the art of warfare than it is at the craft of reconciliation (cf. Luke 19:42). God’s peace stands in striking contrast to the peace of the Roman Caesars, during whose reign John and Jesus are both born and executed.

In the end, Zechariah’s song is not simply a way to announce the birth of John the Baptist, but rather to proclaim God’s faithfulness, God’s salvation, and God’s peace.

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HOW TO STEP INTO THE WORLD OF NEW DAWN?

We serve the God of new dawn, who has the characteristics of constantly doing new things Isaiah 42:8-9; 43:18-19.; Heb. 11:3. Our God hates standing still and stagnation in life Deuteronomy 2:3; 1:6. While Jesus was on the earth, He showed us that new dawn is the life that God ordained for the believer on the earth Luke 5:26; Matthew 9:32-33. Naturally, light signals a new dawn, and light means spiritual understanding of scriptures Psalm 119:105,130; Isaiah 60:1-2. Hence, we need understanding of scriptures to gain access to the world of new dawn.

What is the New Dawn?

It is the experience of a new chapter or a new beginning that comes with total departure from what used to be.

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV) “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Get rid of:

1. Old mindsets

2. Old attitudes

3. Old ways of operating

4. Old approaches and methods

5. Old lifestyles and ways of speaking, doing, and being

6. Old circles, if need be

7. Stop riding on yesterday’s manna, grace, miracles, etc.

Joseph in Egypt had total change of experience from slavery to royalty, when king sent for him and made him his Prime Minister; this is new dawn Psalm 105:17-22. When in every year, month, week and day, new things become the experience of an individual; this is new dawn – see Lamentations 3:22-23.

It is the experience where the strange works and strange acts of God become the order of the day in an individual’s life. When things that eye have not seen, ear never heard, and men’s heart have not conceived become the normal experience in the believer’s life – see Isaiah 28:21-22; 1 Corinthians 2:9.

It is the experience of dramatic turnaround, which makes the believer to sing new songs. It is when we continue to experience change of story, a brighter shining life until Jesus returns. This is when life just keeps getting better, become more glorious, and continuously advancing Proverbs 4:18; 2 Corinthians 3:18.

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Covenant Forces to Make a New Dawn: The Believer’s Experience

• Become born again

God’s kingdom is a new dawn kingdom, where new things never cease to happen Ephesians 2:19; Proverbs 4:18. One must become a genuine member of God’s kingdom to be entitled for new dawn experience, and this is by being born again John 3:3-5; 2 Corinthians 5:17. Baptism in Jesus name Acts 2:38.

• Remain in the faith

It is not enough to be saved; we must abide in God to keep having new dawn experience Luke 15:12-17; Philippians 2:12. This is by the decision to be committed to the life of God and to pursue the interests of His kingdom.

Philippians 2:12 | So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].

• Baptism in the Holy Ghost

The Holy Spirit is the kingdom agent of new things, when He steps in anywhere new things become the order of the day Isaiah 32:15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10,12-13. The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of Christ and made them apostles out of them; they were turned into new personalities Acts 2:1-6; 4:31-33. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the experience of the believer having the Holy Spirit fills His life, and it ushers his life into a new dawn.

• Be committed to live by the God’s word.

God’s word is the tool for making new things to happen Hebrew 11:3; 2 Corinthians 3:18. Therefore, new dawn will be experienced only by the believer that is committed to live by God’s word.

• Be committed to fellowship

Every creature in its divinely appointed place is a wonder in life Proverbs 30:18-19. In the same way, the appointed place for the believer is fellowship, not just anywhere but the place that God has put His name Hebrew 10:25; 2 Samuel 7:10; Deuteronomy 12:5-6. This commission is the place for you, because it is ordained as a center of new dawn for men.

• Remain in love with God

Love for God is the believer’s access to the world of new dawn 1 Corinthians 2:9; Romans 8:28. Love for God is simply  love for what God loves, which include His word Psalm 138:2; His house Psalm 87:1-2; salvation of the unsaved John 3:16. When the love of God is registered in a believer, wonders become the normal thing in his life.

• Be committed to kingdom advancement endeavor

Kingdom advancement engagement makes God to move the believer to a new level all the time Luke 19:13,17-19; 10:1,17-19. Therefore, advancing God’s kingdom as a lifestyle will position the believer for new dawn experience always Psalm 102:13-15.

• Be committed to praise lifestyle

Praise will always stir God into manifestation Psalm 22:3. Every time God is at work, new things happen Habakkuk 3:17-19. So a new dawn simply means a new year or chapter or era pregnant with many possibilities. Though God lives in eternity and not constrained by time, He allows delineation of timelines and chronology for humans for the purpose of evaluation. The Psalmist said: “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). To harness the possibilities that the new dawn will bring, here are a few more keys of strategy for you:

• A new/renewed vision: Because we are made in God’s image, we have the ability to envision the future. A goal is defined as the end towards which effort is directed. A new year requires vision from us in order for it to deliver. A vision can be sourced from within oneself (Proverbs 20:5), from God (Jeremiah 33:3), or from observing people we admire or aspire to be like. To renew something is to refresh it and make it new again. An old, unfulfilled dream can be renewed or refreshed again. It’s time to pick up old dreams that has been abandoned or buried again.

• A new approach: The main question to ask is what should I do differently this year? Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Hannah tried a different approach in the yearly Shiloh program which she attended with her family for many years with no result.  She had been barren for many years and was desperate for a child. She went to the altar at Shiloh where the high priest Eli was sitting, prayed to God, and made a vow to give the child back to God, if the LORD granted her request. The high priest prophesied over her and God granted her request. Hannah changed her course of action and heaven responded (Scripture reference: 1 Samuel 1:8-18).

• A new perspective: The way we see things in life is mainly shaped by the information we take in and the association we keep. Twelve leaders were asked by Moses to check out the promised land of Canaan, and to report their findings. Two of them (Joshua and Caleb) saw opportunity in difficulty, whereas the remaining ten (majority) saw difficulty in opportunity. Don’t allow majority report to influence your perspective; rather, let God and His word influence your worldview and perspective. The justified ones in Christ are required to live their lives in a manner consistent with their confident belief in God’s promises (2 Corinthians 5:7, AMP).

• A new spirit: Apostle Paul stated that he was able to do everything he purposed to do through Christ who strengthened him (Philippians 4:13). He had a can-do and fired up spirit. When an astute prophet relayed to him the peril he was going to suffer if he traveled to Jerusalem, Paul was unperturbed. He determined against the prophecy to go to Jerusalem. A can-do spirit will brave all odds to accomplish what he set out to do.

• A new diligence: A wise man once said the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. In real life it isn’t so. We all have comfort zones we are unwilling to relinquish. However, to enter a new dawn, some great deal of effort is required on our part. To make the most out of a new dawn, there will always be need for diligence and favor. God is committed to blessing the work of our hands. Diligence is work directed to the proper channel. Diligence is the wise man’s precious possession.

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THE PROMISE AT THE NEW DEDICATION

Matthew 28:18- 20 | And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in >heaven and on earth. Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Here God assures his children of an unending promise with authority and power, in heaven and on earth.

In Haggai 2:5 | ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

There is an assurance that God's promises abides with us.

John 14:16 | Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Zachariah 8:11-13 | But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts. For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

Haggai 2: 23 | ‘In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.

Daniel 6:17 | ”And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel”

We have authority in the name of Jesus because the name of Jesus alone is a signature to cure illness and to move mountain and all it takes is to call his name and claim the advantages and blessing and also deliverance that comes with it, Christians however have not really understood that they're God's people, they are the apple of God's eyes and they can tap into the name of Jesus and do exploits just Iike Daniel.

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OUR PRAYER IN THE NEW DISPENSATION

2 Chronicles 6:19-21 | “Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee: That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place. Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.”

The temple built by king Solomon was a new dispensation, that is such a temple has never been built in the history of Israel, when Jesus also came to free man from the sin and death, it was also a new dispensation that Israel has not seen, the children of Israel haven't seen first hand deliverance and miracles, it was new to them however in Jesus short time on earth, they witnessed first hand miracles and the raw power of God. But because of their lack of belief and faith, they could not tap into God's dispensation and the new dawn of Grace.

There is answer to your prayer. Note God's new dispensation is upon us, and when we are steadfastly believing in faith, then his blessings and promises will be fulfilled in our lives.

THE POWER OF RENEWED DEVOTION

Haggai 2:4 | But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

Our devotion to the word of God is paramount if we are to receive the blessings of God, that's why we must believe that we are capable. Negativity and lack of belief and faith limits God's power in our lives

Conclusion

Receive new grace in this year of perfection in Jesus’ name. May Jesus, the Morning Star, arise anew in our hearts and birth a new dawn for us all (2 Peter 1:19). We have to believe that we can, even if there are mountains and soldiers or seas confronting us, we must change our vocabulary OUR VERBS FROM I CAN'T TO I CAN.

It was as a result of the faith of Elisha that made him inherit the mantle of Elijah, normally he could have just given up, but he continued steadfastly and even the rivers and sea couldn't stop him.

God has given us authority to do and undo, see Mark 13:40. We mustn't be scared or afraid of the adversities of life, because God's promises have covered all the ramifications.

A new dawn has come and a new day has come in the lives of the children of God who have been set free by the numerous blessings and promises of God. Now walk by faith and obedience – as this is key to God's numerous promises for your life.

Eph. 3:16 | “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.”

Prayer

“Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you today. Forgive me my sins; wash me with your blood. I believe you died for me, on the third day you rose again that I may be justified. Right now, I believe that my sins are forgiven; I’m justified by your blood; I’m born-again; I’m saved; I’m a child of God; I’m free from the power of sin to serve the living God. Thank you Jesus for receiving me; thank you Jesus for restoring me. Father in the name of Jesus, make new dawn my experience from today as you empower me by your Spirit to walk in the truth of the word you have shown me today.