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.
