On the Brink of a Miracle

Pastor Melinda Song

The very first Christmas occurred during a very dark time in the life of Israel. God has been silent for 400 years since God had spoken to His people through the prophet Malachi. God is still at work although the people still felt like God had abandoned them. But now, God is going to announce the source of a new hope in quite an unexpected way – by sending his angel to an old priest who had experienced his own sorrow in life because he and his wife were childless.

I have entitled today’s message “On the Brink of a Miracle” and the text is taken from…

Luke 1:5-25, NIV

1 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

8 Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

18 Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."

19 The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

Of the four Gospel writers, Luke gives us the most detailed account of Jesus’ birth, childhood and development. He begins his Christmas story by introducing us to two people, the parents of John the Baptist, who are “On the Brink of a Miracle”. 

1.     A godly couple (v. 5-6)

1 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.

Zechariah was one of about 20,000 priests serving the temple who were divided by King David into 24 divisions (1 Chron. 23-24) due to their large number. Each division would serve in the temple one week at a time, twice a year. Thus a priest could only serve once in his lifetime.

Unlike the religious leaders whom Jesus called hypocrites, Zechariah and Elizabeth were a godly couple who pleased God with lives of outward compliance with inward obedience.

2.     BUT (v. 7)

7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

Having children was seen as a blessing from God in the Jewish culture – an indication of divine favour. So being childless was a great disappointment to them and a disgrace for Elizabeth (v. 21)

There was little hope of things changing as they were old. The possibility of a touch from God was remote. Do you ever feel that it’s just time to give up? Yet childlessness was a theme repeated throughout the Old Testament, as with Sarah, Rebekah, Manoah’s wife, and Hannah. God can turn around the situation.

TRUST GOD WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND

Some of you, despite being faithful, are disappointed because of unanswered prayers. You don’t understand why things are happening against you and that is where you need faith to trust God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

You may be facing a dead-end situation right now—financial, emotional, or relational, but if you will trust God He will make a way for you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. This is what a walk of faith is about: you trust God even when you do not seem to understand.

A WORD OF CAUTION! Barrenness was considered a sign of God¡¦s disfavour and punishment so this couple lived with shame because there are some who probably suspected them of serious secret sin. Often we look at people and their difficult situation and blame or condemn them. We look at a couple who haven’t had children and wonder what is wrong? We look at families whose children are turning away from God and people condemn them for not being good parents. We look at couples who have separated or divorced and wonder what they’ve done wrong.

It is all too easy to lay blame on people and condemn them, but here is a couple who were God fearing, who were right with God, yet they didn’t have all the “blessings” we think they should have. The lesson? Even righteous people live with disappointments and hurt and instead of making that greater, we need to empathize with them and support them in their pain.

Zacharias could also have gotten rid of Elizabeth and married a younger woman to have children but he didn’t. Instead he honoured the covenant of marriage and committed the situation to God, the one person who could do something about it.

3.    A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (vv. 8-10)

8 Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Each morning lots were cast to decide on the priest who would enter the holy place, bearing burning coals from the bronze altar in the temple court, to burn incense which symbolised the prayers of God’s people rising toward heaven. That day the lot fell to Zechariah

HAVE THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE

In spite of uncertainties, in spite shame in the society; Zechariah not only believed God but he faithfully went to the temple to perform his duties as a priest.

It is important to have the right perspective/attitude when waiting for your promise. The problem with many of us is that when things don’t work out as we plan, we get discouraged, lose our joy and our spiritual life goes downhill. Such people are no more seen at church.

Zechariah DID NOT GIVE UP. We have to keep doing good despite the bad happening in your life.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”

God is looking for people like this today. You may be facing a hopeless situation, an unanswered prayer but can you praise God in spite of the problem?

God has a set time for your breakthrough, but if you want that victory in God’s time, you need to have the right perspective.

Remember the 12 spies? Just because the majority had the wrong perspective, out of the 2 million people who were camped next door to the Promised Land, only 2 made it to the Promised Land just because of the right perspective. Many times it is our perspective that stops our breakthrough.

You show up (that is faith) and God (your faithful God) will show up!

That day was Zechariah’s day! God was ready to make His move. Had Zechariah given up he would have lost his appointment with God.

4.     An Angel shows up! (vv. 11-13)

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

WAIT FOR GOD

Maybe you are waiting for a breakthrough. God is telling you, “Fear not, your prayers have been answered. Today is the day of your deliverance.” Zechariah trusted God in the impossible, kept the right perspective, continued with his devotions and worship, and God decided to step in.

Some of you are discouraged because your prayers are not answered but what if God showed you His side of the story?

Maybe you are praying for your marriage and God is telling that on January 12, 2018, at 3.00 pm you are going to meet the person of your dreams. You will not be discouraged. You will be all excited and relaxed. Why? You know the big day is coming.

God promises that there are set times in our future, but he does not tell us when they will be. There is a set time for the problem to turn around, a set time for your healing, for your promotion, for your breakthrough.

It maybe tomorrow, next week, or a year from now, but when you understand the time has already been set it takes all the pressure off. Do you trust God when you do not understand. Will you continue to do worship God like Zechariah? That is when God works, so don’t give up. You are on the brink of a miracle!

5.     The Angel’s Prophecy (vv. 14-17)

14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Elijah, like John the Baptist, was known for his bold, uncompromising stand for the Word of God—even in the face of a ruthless monarch. The final two verses of the Old Testament (Mal. 4:5-6) had promised the return of Elijah before the Day of the Lord.

GOD HAS A GREATER PURPOSE FOR THE DELAY

John’s birth is not merely a nice story of an old couple having a baby. It is about the fulfillment of prophecy; it is about the special role the child is going to play in the unfolding of God’s eternal plan of redemption for his people and the whole world. God had a greater purpose for Zechariah’s delay.

It would be good for us in the Christmas season to grasp the big picture that our lives fit in to. When we raise the issue of why certain things happen to us – whether good or bad – we fall back on Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” We then look for the good thing in the situation.

6.     Zechariah’s lack of faith (v. 18)

18 Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."

Zechariah was questioning God’s ability to fulfill His own Word! He totally dismissed the idea that God can enable an old couple to have a baby even though there is certainly precedent for that in the account of what God did for Abraham and Sarah (Gen 18:9-15).

Unbelief is the reason that some prayers are not answered. But let this encourage us also: Even blameless people slip up. God is a God of patience and continues to work with us and often despite us.

7.     The result of unbelief (vv. 19-22)

19 "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

Zechariah doubted God and a sign of silence was given. When Zechariah came out dumb the people outside realised that something extraordinary had happened to him.

8.    Elizabeth became pregnant (v. 23-25)

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

God is faithful. His promises never fail! The Lord is your glory and the lifter of your head and He shall take away your disgrace.

Conclusion

Advent begins with Zechariah – God remembers.

It begins with Elizabeth – God is my oath, and

it begins with the birth of John – God has been gracious.

They remind us that from the beginning God has been the author of a story that results in bringing hope into the midst of a dark world to those who will call upon the name of our coming Savior – Jesus.

When it might seem like God has forgotten His people, God remembers.

It reminds us that God is faithful to carry out His oath that He made with Adam and Abraham and every generation of His people throughout history to send a Savior, the Messiah, who would bring hope to all.

And it reminds us that God delights in extending His grace to us.

Whatever your disappointment is at the moment, God has a set time for your situation and when He answers, He not only takes care of your need but it will be for a greater purpose.

Are you in the same situation as Zechariah and Elizabeth - literally they had given up the hope? Don’t give up! Nothing is impossible for God.

He can reach down and touch you at the most unexpected time in your life. God’s touch always comes in God’s perfect time. Don’t give up! Today you are standing on the brink of a miracle. Come and we shall stand in prayer with you.