Delivered first, then serve !
Lk 1:74
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
This is yet an accomplishment of the death of Christ for all whom He died, jew and or Gentile, that by His death alone they are delivered from all their spiritual enemies, that they may serve God !
That word delivered in Vs 74 is the greek word rhyomai and means:
I.
to draw to one's self, to rescue, to deliver
II.
the deliverer
It also means to be saved "[that] without fear out of [the] hand of our enemies having been saved to serve him"
When Christ's says that He will draw all to Himself in Jn 12:32
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Then He is saying that because of His Death or being lifted up, He will rescue / deliver/ save all men to Himself. To serve Him !
So to be drawn by Christ is to be delivered , rescued, saved from all enemies, especially spiritual enemies, such as spiritual death and unbelief, and the devil, and the flesh, all the enemies of the soul that prevent one from serving God in Faith, in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of their lives !
Its the same word and the same thing Paul writes of here to the Colossian Church Col 1:13
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
You see, that's an spiritual enemy, the power of darkness ! We must be rescued from that Power before we can serve. The word serve in Lk 1:74
is the greek word latreuō:
I.
to serve for hire
II.
to serve, minister to, either to the gods or men and used alike of slaves and freemen
A.
in the NT, to render religious service or homage, to worship
B.
to perform sacred services, to offer gifts, to worship God in the observance of the rites instituted for his worship
i.
of priests, to officiate, to discharge the sacred office
We are by Christ's delivering death, enabled to serve and worship God as described here Jn 4:23-24
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
After being delivered, then we offer up spiritual sacrifices unto God through Jesus Christ 1 Pet 2:5
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
By His death alone we are made Sovereignly Priests unto Our God, for thats how we offer spiritual sacrices, again 1 Pet 2:5
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
We became this not by our will, but by the Blood of Christ, which says so here Rev 1:5-6
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
But before we can serve as such, we must first be delivered/rescued from our enemies Lk 1:74
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
False religion says their freewill delivered them to first serve God, then God saves them, they put duty before deliverance, whereas deliverance is before duty ! We do duty not to get delivered, but because we are delivered we do duty, such as Faith and Repentance !
Gal 1:4-5
4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver/rescue us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Another spiritual enemies, the world ! Paul says by Christ giving His Life for Our sins, it was for the Purpose of effecting deliverance, according tothe Will of God !
In fact, Paul here is saying the very same thing Zacharias stated here Lk 1:74
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
The world is our enemie James 4:4
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
And guess what ? We are all by nature, in friendship with the world, we cannot help but be Eph 2:2-3
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Thank God that through Jesus Christ, all for whom He died have been delivered from the world, to serve God in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of their Life !