Hope in the Impossible – Luke 1:27-38

Posted on December 16, 2025 by dkoop

When God shows up in unexpected places, changes our plans and asks us to do something difficult, what do we do?  Here’s three truths to remember:

  1. God’s Plans for Us are Greater than our own.

28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ”29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!

When Gabriel appeared to Mary, he called her a favored woman. The Latin Vulgate translate this, as “Hail Mary, full of Grace.”  No problems in this translation unless you begin to say that she has so much grace that she gives it to you when you pray to her.  Mary is blessed, she has God’s favor but she is not our mediator; nor is she co-redemptory with her divine Son. Paul tells Timothy, “There is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus” (2:5)  We shouldn’t pray to Mary, but she is worthy of honor, and we should not take her willingness to serve God lightly.

Now think about this, wouldn’t it be great to have an angel bearing a message from God come and visit you and give a message similar to v.28? Here you are confirmation, that there is a God, all questions about God answered, as you have the attention of an angel. After all, you have just being notified that you are specially chosen by God, and not just favored but “highly favored” isn’t that awesome?

  • This word “favored” or “grace” is used only twice in the New Testament, here and in Ephesians 1:6.  “We praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.
  • The same favor or grace that God showed Mary is the same favor or grace He has freely given us.
  • In order to face life’s unexpected turns, we must know we have God’s favor

Perhaps this Christmas, like Mary, you too find it surprising to believe you are favored of God. Perhaps you have endured some tremendous losses, this year, you had a rough year, and you say how can God understand my world. Perhaps you feel misled, misguided by God, let down in a big way, betrayed, how can I be favored by God, loved by Him with so much that’s wrong with my life, there isn’t much hope on the horizon?

God’s favor does not automatically bring instant success or fame. His blessing on Mary, the honor of being the mother of the Messiah, would lead to much pain: her peers would ridicule her; her fiancé would consider leaving her; her son would be rejected and murdered. But through her son would come the world’s only hope, and this is why Mary has been praised by countless generations as the young girl who “found favor with God.” Mary’s submission was part of God’s plan to bring about salvation. If sorrow weighs you down and dims your hope, think of Mary and wait patiently for God to finish working out his plan.

The central figure in our story is not Mary and not even the angel Gabriel. The central figure in our story is the gracious and loving God who gave us his Son, Jesus, whose birth is the promise of God’s redeeming love – Emmanuel – “God With Us.” And Mary was favored, chosen by God, to play a role in this redemption process.
So are we! God favors us, to tell the impossible story that God loves the world that He gave His Son to be born of a woman. Remember this as we live in this difficult world.

  1. God’s Plan is greater than we can imagine. 

31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35 The angel replied…. 37 “For nothing is impossible with God. ”

 Mary was young, poor, female—all characteristics that, to the people of her day, would make her seem unusable by God for any major task. But God chose Mary for one of the most important acts of obedience he has ever demanded of anyone. You may feel that your ability, experience, or education makes you an unlikely candidate for God’s service. Don’t limit God’s choices. He can use you if you trust him. Take him at his word.

  • God has great things to do in us and for us. The question is never, “Can He do it?” but “Will we believe and cooperate with Him?”

3. God’s Plan calls for a Response. 

A young unmarried girl who became pregnant risked disaster. Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life. If her own father rejected her, she could be forced into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living. She risked losing Joseph, her family, and her reputation. And her story about being made pregnant by the Holy Spirit risked her being considered crazy as well.   When Mary said, “Ok, God, I’m going to cooperate with your plan.  Use me.”  Do you think that was easy?”  No.  It wasn’t easy for Mary to say, “Ok, I will be an unwed mother.”  Can you imagine the gossip that went on in those days?  And whose going to believe her story?  “It’s God!”  Would you believe that?  Try having this one put on your shoulders.  Try it as an uneducated 15 year old girl betrothed to another man, knowing full well that the consequences of agreeing to this is almost certain death.  This is anything but a happy holiday for Mary.  Still Mary said, despite the risks, ”Let it be with me according to your word.” When Mary said that, she didn’t know about the tremendous opportunity she would have. She took the risk of faith; she didn’t consult with anyone else; she didn’t take time to weigh the pros and cons. She only knew that God was asking her to serve him, and she willingly obeyed. Believers need Mary’s kind of trust and responsiveness. Too many wait to see the bottom line before offering themselves to God. God wants willing servants.

 38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

  • Human nature is to take the easy way, to slide through life, to take the course of least resistance. Mary’s life reminds us that choosing to serve God is not the easiest way.  Serving God is difficult.  I may have to wait for the rewards.

In the last post I asked you to imagine yourself at fifteen. Who were you? What were you doing? What did your life look like?  Now imagine this angel standing before you asking you to bring the Hope of the entire earth into the world.  You know that the consequences will certainly mean being ostracized from your family, perhaps even bring about your death… How would you answer?

Would you find yourself questioning if this was possible? Would you find yourself asking why God would choose you to be the instrument of salvation for the world?

If God were to tell you that the eternity of others hung in the balance of your willingness to carry Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and share him with others, how would you answer?

This is exactly the question that God is asking us today.

It was just asked of a fifteen year old Hebrew girl first, and her task was much more difficult than any of us are likely to experience.  But the question he asks remains the same.  God has been asking people to share his Son for 2000 years now.  It started with Mary.  But the question is still the same… Are you willing to share Jesus with the world?

That hope rests today on us – will we be like her?  Will we give birth to Christ in our actions and thoughts, and deeds?  Will we obey the Lord, and walk in his ways?  Will we care enough about our neighbors to pray for them?

Will we share Christ with the world?  A survey was taken that asked the question,
“What is your greatest hindrance to sharing your faith?”  The largest groups were the 51 percent whose biggest problem was the fear of how others would react.

Why? Because no one likes to be rejected, ridiculed, or regarded as an oddball.  Sure there is some risk… But, the stakes we gamble in sharing our faith, our hope, our salvation is nothing compared to what God asked of Mary.

In bringing Christ to the world, Mary risked being shunned, an object of scorn even a public stoning.  In sharing Christ, we risk upsetting someone or being embarrassed.  They may take the invite card in your bulletin and throw it away, think you are a religious fanatic. So what?

I thank God that there was someone willing to take this risk for my sake. Thank God for my parents who set and example for me… the church I went to, taking time to teach and model for me.  Thank God there were people who thought it was worth the risk of being rejected for the sake of my salvation.  I could be dead, addicted to drugs or in jail.

I was no altar boy, but somebody cared enough to share the Gospel with me anyway.
And, it changed my life.  How about you?  Who was willing to take that risk for you?

For the last 2000 years, that is how the Gospel has been shared. One person, to another, starting with a fifteen-year-old girl on the other side of the world who spoke the words…I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”  People of God, God is relying on you to continue the invitation to his table.  It is up to us now to share with others the Good News.

You know, there are a 1001 reasons each and every one of us can come up with on how someone else is better qualified, and maybe that is “reasonable,” but look who God chose to be the example, an uneducated, 15 year old girl 2000 years ago.  Those are some pretty slim qualifications if you ask me. But look what God accomplished through her just because she was willing.

Our call to share Christ is the same.  Will we trust Christ to use unlikely people from unlikely places to have unbelievable impact on the world?

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

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Hope in Unexpected Places – Luke 1:26

Posted on December 16, 2025 by dkoop

Can you remember what it was like to be fifteen? Fifteen. It’s an awkward time. Your body is somewhere between childhood and adulthood, Hormones are doing all sorts of weird things to your body and to your voice. And there is this great race to grow up.

Still, at fifteen you are not old enough to drive a car, vote, stay out late, or live on your own. At fifteen, there are a lot of things that you are not allowed to do. You are in High School, interested in things fifteen year olds are interested in. You are still a child living in your parent’s home.

Then, one night, there is a disturbance in another room of your house. You get up to investigate and there, In the middle of your living room stands this supernatural, and absolutely terrifying angelic presence that speaks these words to you…“You will bring the son of God into this world!” What would you do? What would be going through your mind? Would you also be wondering how fast you could get out the back door and down the street?  Would you say, “sure, no problem, I am ready for that!”

Keep this thought in mind as we examine the text today (Luke 1:26-38)

Scholars tell us that the betrothal age was between 13 and 15.  Mary was about this age.

Beginning in verse 26, we have the familiar story of the Annunciation.  The angel announces to Mary that she’s going to have a baby.

Look at verse 26, “Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth.” Stop there. Nazareth was Mary’s hometown, Joseph’s hometown. Some would call it a hick town. Some would call it a dump. It was a nothing town. It was an insignificant town. It was the place where your kids would get bored and say to you, when I grow up, I’m leaving this town!  Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament, the writings of Josephus, the Apocrypha, not mentioned in the Talmud, not mentioned in the Midrash. It’s only mentioned in the New Testament. You would have never heard of it were it not for this story.

In fact, when Nazareth is mentioned in the New Testament, it is mentioned with scorn. The classic text is in John chapter 1, when Philip tells Nathaniel, we have found the Messiah, the one that Moses and the prophets wrote about, Jesus of Nazareth. Nathaniel shot back and said, can anything good come out of Nazareth? In other words, look, that’s an unremarkable place. Surely, God’s Messiah couldn’t come from there.

Nazareth was overshadowed by another town close to it, the town of Sepphoris. Sepphoris was the Roman capital of Galilee under Herod Antipas. Sepphoris was larger. It was the business hub for the north.  Nazareth was really a bedroom community for Sepphoris.  People who lived in Nazareth would travel to Sepphoris  for work. Most scholars believe Joseph, the tekton, the carpenter or stonemason principally worked there.
In addition, most down south in Jerusalem looked down their nose at Galilee. It’s where the unsophisticated lived. It’s where the Gentiles lived. It was a mixed population base. And because of that, those down in Jerusalem regarded it as unclean.

Nazareth was an insignificant place that became Jesus’ hometown for 30 years. In fact, the title he is most known by in the New Testament, mentioned 17 times, is he is Jesus of Nazareth.

I’m guessing that some of us here harbor a kind of contempt for our own Nazareth, the place we live in, the job we’re involved in, the circumstances that are going on in our life, all of which make us think that it’s all keeping me from my real potential. What I want to suggest to us is that God might be doing his best work in places like that.  What is your Nazareth?

For some of us, our Nazareth is our job. You don’t particularly like your job. You think you’re better than that. You should have a different job. For some of you, your Nazareth is a physical disability that you have struggled with. For others of you, your Nazareth is here, your city, your state. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? For some of you, your Nazareth is your lack of education. For some of you, your Nazareth is your marriage. For others of you, your Nazareth is your singleness. It’s whatever causes you to say, can anything good come out of this? Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

I know something good that came out of Nazareth, a virgin named Mary, her young husband, and a miraculous insemination in her womb all happened in Nazareth. Insignificant town. Holy ground.  God may show up in our Nazareth as well!

Luke 1:26  tells us an angel of the Lord appeared to Mary.  *(This image is the Church of the Annunciation and a well where people think the angel appeared to Mary)

Mary was not a prophet or a priest; she was not in God’s temple performing acts of service. Instead, she was simply a young woman who was living at home and planning her wedding, for she was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. In ancient Jewish marriages, the word “engaged” (or “betrothed”) had a different meaning than today. First, the two families would agree to the union and negotiate the betrothal, including a price for the bride that would be paid to the bride’s father. Next, a public announcement would be made. At this point, the couple was “pledged.” This is similar to engagement today, except that it was much more binding. At this point, even though the couple was not officially married, their relationship could be broken only through death or divorce. Sexual relations were not yet permitted. This second step lasted for a year. During that time, the couple would live separately, with their parents.

This waiting period would demonstrate the bride’s purity. If she were found to be pregnant during that time, the marriage could be annulled. After this waiting time, the couple would be married and begin living together. What Mary was about to hear from the angel would have significant impact on her engagement.

Here’s Mary, perhaps thinking of marriage, preparing for the big day, already pledged to be married to a man named Joe, dreaming of driving the family SUV, with kids arguing about who gets to sit in front of the camel, and being the perfect patient mom. Then an angel appeared.
 6 …God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph

 Mary and Joseph were an average young couple planning to get married.  During their engagement God showed up and announced they were to have a child together before they have even had sex.  Many times things don’t go the way we plan.

Sometimes God providentially, God sovereignty changes circumstances around because He’s got another idea in mind.  And that’s obviously what happened at Christmas time about 2000 years ago.

Mary showed how a believer reacts to God’s interruptions of our plans.   Life’s unexpected curves do not have to be catastrophic to the Christian.  I hope you will use Mary’s approach to faith when life takes an unexpected turn.  How do you approach life when it turns out different than what you planned?

We will see how Mary responds in the next post.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

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Hope in the Darkness – Luke 1:1-18 – Part 2

Posted on December 9, 2025 by dkoop

Does God hear our prayers? That’s a question we have all asked. Does God really hear me? After many years Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth probably questioned if God heard their prayers for a child. But God had great plans for their child who was still on the way -John the Baptist.

Zechariah served in the priestly division of Abijah. Priests were divided into 24 divisions, which we can read about in 1 Chronicles 24.   Each day 56 of the 300 Priests in their division were chosen by a lottery who would serve in the temple. It was an honor to be selected to have duty over the altar of incense (Exodus 30:7-8). This burning of the incense was the place representing the prayers of the people.   How long had the people been praying, “Send the Messiah, work in our nation?”  How much do we pray for our nation, for revival?

Today was Zechariah’s turn. I’m sure he was overjoyed telling his wife Elizabeth the good news. Many priests go their whole life without the honor. At the appointed time, Zechariah would enter into the Most Holy Place of the temple, just outside the Holy of Holies. The Golden Candlestick would be to his right. The Table of Showbread was to His left. Before him was the Altar of Incense with the veil to the Holy of Holies just beyond the Altar. This was a reverent time of worship.

Incidentally, it was here that Nadab and Abihu were struck down for offering “strange fire” before God (Lev 10:1-3). Spiritual leadership truly is life or death. Zechariah was up for the task while a multitude was outside praying.

And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. (Luke 1:11-12)

What happens next is unexpected and amazing. The man without a child met an angel with a gospel. Even without the appearance of the Angel, Zechariah’s ministry in the Temple would have been a once in a lifetime experience. Now to the right of the Altar stands the Angel Gabriel (Luke 1:19) It is worth noting that it was Gabriel who appeared to Daniel to reveal the 70 weeks of years prophesy (Dan 9:20-21). This prophecy provided Daniel with an exact date of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem as Messiah. It will also be Gabriel who appears to Mary shortly.

Angels are vital to our relationship with God. They minister to us and help us and they are all around us. We hear stories of angels helping people in trouble. Sometimes they take human form as Hebrews 13:2 says:  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2)

We hear reports of I cannot overemphasize the importance of the setting this encounter takes place. This is a holy place Angels are messengers from God. They play a significant role in assuring God’s plan and will is carried out and they were pivotal in announcing the coming of Christ. They will play an active role in the final days of the end times. They have created beings, eternal in nature, and mighty. Angels are not cute cupids floating on clouds, but they are warriors and powerful. So Zechariah’s response to the appearance of Gabriel is to be expected. “Fear fell upon him.” (v.12)

When we encounter the Holy or Divine, we will naturally respond in fear. In every instance, the angels provide assurance of peace and calm. “Do not be afraid.” For we know there are also fallen angels. These are the angels who followed the arch-angel Lucifer in a revolt against God (Revelation 12:4).

We should also know that there is a constant spiritual battle happening all around us that we are entwined in daily. Our prayers are effective against the evil forces and engage us in the spiritual war.   Ephesians 6:12-13.”For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.  Luke 1:13

Gabriel is bringing to Zechariah a grand message announcing the coming of the forerunner of the Messiah. There are some important pieces of Gabriel’s message that we want to look at:

First, after assuring Zechariah not to be afraid, Gabriel tells Zechariah that God has heard his prayer. Because, Gabriel is making the annunciation of John, some believe that Gabriel is talking about Zechariah’s prayer for a son. This could be, but given the context of where John is, it is unlikely John’s prayer was self-focused. Rather, it seems more likely that Zechariah may have been praying for the redemption of Israel. Prayer for the nation was the point of the evening offering

Nevertheless, God hears our prayers. There may be times when it seems like our prayers go nowhere but just waft into the air. This is not the case. God hears our prayers. His answers will sometimes come at surprising times, in a surprising place, in a surprising way. Watch for the answer!

Secondly, Gabriel tells John they are going to have a baby and the baby’s name will be John. Yohanan means “God has been gracious.” God knows us. He forms us and shapes us in our mother’s womb. He even gives us our name. God knows your name. Your life begins before you take your first breath. That’s why every life, including life in the womb, is sacred and holy.

Luke 1:14-17

There are some key characteristics Gabriel shares with Zechariah about John’s life:

First, His life will bring joy to Zechariah & Elizabeth, along with many others. The joy rooted in John’s ministry was pointing people to Jesus as the forerunner of the messiah.

Second, John was set apart for God. The reference to not drinking beer or wine would be clear to Zechariah that John was to be a Nazarite. Nazarites were set apart for special service for God (Numbers 6:1-21). A Nazarite was to avoid strong drink, not to cut his hair, and not to touch a dead body. The real contrast here is that John’s filling of the Holy Spirit. This is something common in Luke’s gospel as well as Acts

The most important thing is that from the very first John was to be filled with the Holy Spirit, without whose help God’s work cannot be done effectively. John is the only person who said in the New Testament to be filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb; this emphasizes the fact that God chose him and equipped him from the very beginning.

He will be a great prophet. Jesus said that John was the greatest of all prophets in Matthew 11:11

Months from now, when Elizabeth, is visited by Mary who is carrying Jesus in her womb, it will be John who leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb. (Luke 1:44). This reminds us that the Holy Spirit was with John from the day of his conception. Even in the womb, John is It also serves as a Scriptural basis for the sanctity of life in the womb. This was not a glob of flesh.

The last thing of John’s life Gabriel shares is the theocentric ministry of John. His ministry is not self-serving. He will turn people to the Lord with the “spirit and the power of Elijah.” Elijah spent most of his ministry opposing apostasy and turn people away from Baal.

Baal was the name of the supreme god worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. The practice of Baal worship infiltrated Jewish religious life during the time of the Judges (Judges 3:7), became widespread in Israel during the reign of Ahab (1 Kings 16:31-33), and also affected Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1-2).

Baal was a fertility god and was commonly associated with child sacrifice and sexual immorality. In this way, God’s incredible gift of sexuality was perverted to the most obscene public prostitution. No wonder God’s anger burned against his people and their leaders.

The worship of Baal (which means “lord”) worship is evidenced by the out war on anything biblical and Christian. The glorification of sexual deviance, violence, abortion (child sacrifice), pornography and prostitution is evidence of Baal worship in our culture. Incidentally, Jesus In Matthew 12:26, calls Satan “Beelzebub,” linking the devil to Baal-Zebub, (2 Kings 1:2). The Baal of the Old Testament were nothing more than demons masquerading as gods (1 Corinthians 10:20).

One last interesting aspect of this is Gabriel’s words “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just” (v.17). The idea of family and the spiritual leadership of fathers cannot be overlooked here. A major part of Israel’s reconciliation was the reconciliation of the family with the role of the father leading the family spiritually. All of this was vital to the first coming of Jesus. Will He find us any more ready when he comes again?

Will Christ find us upright, righteous, praying, leading our family, turning away from idolatry, and toward God’s grace and goodness? Are we a church committed to strengthening the family? Are we more interested in what is popular or what is holy?  There is hope in the darkness.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

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Hope in the Darkness – Luke 1:1-13 – Part 1

Posted on December 9, 2025 by dkoop

Could you use some hope today?  This year has been challenging.  We are living in the rise of AI, social and political unrest and economic uncertainty.  They’re real and they’re affecting all of us.

When life is uncertain and difficult, what do we do? How do you respond? Maybe you have found yourself needing hope when you weren’t hearing the Lord speak to your heart and mind. Have you ever felt like your prayers were not getting through, or that God was not very close or has forgotten you?

God is working, be faithful.

Lots of people breeze past the first 8 words of verse 5, but Luke includes these words for an important reason that we should stop and understand why. Nearly 400 years have passed “400 Silent Years,” since Malachi wrote his final words and the Old Testament was shut.

Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5-7)

The words of Malachi are both ominous and promising. It’s a reminder that God is preparing the way for our salvation and redemption. We will see next week how important John’s ministry really is as he prepares for the arrival of the Christ

And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.” (Luke 1:17)

But God was also at work in the world to make way. God does not waste any time. The 400 years or “Silent Years” and the Kingship of Herod the Great were critical to the Gospel.

I don’t want to spend too much time on this, but there were some critical events that needed to take place:

  1. After the closing of the Old Testament, an influential leader conquered the land in 323 BC. His name was Alexander the Great, his kingdom ushered in a common language – Koine Greek (in which the New Testament is written)
  2. When Alexander died in 323 BC his kingdom was divided into 4 parts. Israel will fall into the hands of Ptolemy’s and be ruled from Alexandria, Egypt
  3. Eventually, the Jews fight for deliverance. During the Maccabean revolt, temple worship is restored in what would come to be known as the Feast of Dedication – Hanukkah
  4. The instability of the area will eventually lead to further conquest as General Pompey enters Israel and establishes Roman Rule in 63 BC.
  5. In 44 BC Julius Caesar is assassinated
  6. In 40 BC Herod the Great is named King of Judea by the Roman Senate.

The history within all of these events is rich and active. God was moving the events of the world toward fulfilling His plan of Salvation for you. So when Luke writes, “In the days of Herod…” He is bringing his readers back to a difficult time. Can you imagine opening a book, “In the Days of Adolf Hitler”? That’s what Luke wants his audience to know.

There are a couple of things we need to know about Herod.

  1. He was a brilliant, shrewd, and gifted leader. He had an amazing ability to take risk and land on his feet. His brilliance was also in the building. You can go to Israel today and see much of his work still standing. Aqueducts over 2000 years old still present, Caesarea, Masada, The Herodian and the Temple in Jerusalem where we still see the Wailing Wall.
  2. The other side of Herod is a cruel and brutal man. Herod sought to immortalize himself as a s god. Caesar Augustus reportedly said that it is better to be a pig than to be one of Herod’s sons. The slaughtering of children after the birth of Christ in Matthew 2:16-17 underscores this sentiment.

Does the condition of the world concern you? If so, you’re in good company. These days seem to be reminiscent of “the days of Herod.”

With everything going on, it can be difficult to have a clear perspective. Add the tensions of this day and the strains of life. It was to Zachariah and Elizabeth. In the winter of their life, childless, and looking around to the situation of their world, thinking they had a part in God’s plan was probably the last thing on their mind.

Hope with Righteous Living.  (Luke 1:5-8)

Luke introduces to us an older couple. A quiet, godly couple named Zachariah and Elizabeth. I can imagine that they were revered by their community. Zechariah was a priest and Luke describes them as righteous before God and blameless.

Names are in the Bible are important and this is certainly one of those times where the names of the people involved in the story foreshadow what God is about to do in their lives.

Zechariah means “God remembers.” We will see that God remembers Zechariah and He remembers His people.

Elizabeth means “God is my oath.” And God is indeed about to make an oath, a promise, that is going to bring great light that will dispel both the darkness that Zechariah and Elizabeth have lived under and the darkness that Israel has experienced as a people.

Zechariah and Elizabeth both come from priestly families. They were highly esteemed. They were righteous before God and kept His commands. Obviously that doesn’t mean they never sinned, But that description of their lives does indicate that they desired to live in a way that pleased God.

Zechariah and Elizabeth didn’t merely go through the motions in following God’s laws; they backed up their outward compliance with inward obedience. Unlike the religious leaders whom Jesus called hypocrites, Zechariah and Elizabeth did not stop with the letter of the law. Their obedience was from the heart, and that is why God viewed them as righteous. Does your life reflect careful obedience and high regard for God’s will? As your life shows your love for God, others will be drawn to him.

And yet, in spite of their life of service to God, there was a deep sadness in their lives because they had not been able to have children. This is just one of many places in the Bible where we discover that devotion to God does not guarantee that we won’t experience heartache and difficulties in life.

But God is about to intervene in their lives in a miraculous way that would overcome the darkness and hopelessness they had lived under for so long.

Let me ask you a question:  Are you carrying a burden? Like Zacharias and Elizabeth, has your burden eclipsed your blessings in your mind?

What is your burden today?

  • Is it a physical infirmity?
  • Do you have a broken heart?
  • Is there a broken relationship?
  • Are you experiencing loneliness?
  • Are you defeated?
  • Have you experienced a great financial setback or a disappointment?
  • Have you lost a loved one, or perhaps a precious little one in your womb?

If you have a burden today, then take heart, for Zacharias and Elizabeth, and many other good people in the Bible, have walked in your shoes. In Elizabeth’s day, it would be a common belief that her barrenness was because of some kind of punishment for her sin. This was not only bad manners but also bad theology. Our sins are not always the source of our suffering. Sometimes they are but not always.

Sometimes Christians suffer for the exact opposite of sin – for the sake of righteousness. Sometimes we suffer because of the sins of others and sometimes God allows us to go through difficult times to bring us to a place of worship and glorifying him. We may not always know the why, but we do know God does hear our prayers. (Philip Graham Ryken)

Hope by Waiting and Praying (Luke 1:10-13)

Part of the Christian perspective on suffering is that even in suffering, there is a way for us to glorify God.

There are several wonderful examples of this among barren women in the Bible. I think about Sarah in Genesis 18 or Rebekah (Gen 25:21) or Hannah (1 Sam 1-2). All of these women suffered tremendously.

Suffering can heighten our spiritual sensitivity to draw us closer in our relationship with God. We have the choice and ability to become bitter or say, “How can I glorify God in this?” How can God use this situation to help others know him?

Dr. Karl Menninger, a world-famous psychiatrist, was answering questions after giving a lecture on mental health when one person asked, “What would you advice someone to do if he felt a nervous breakdown coming on?” Most people expected the doctor to say, “Consult a psychiatrist.” Instead, he said, “Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone in need, and do something to help that person.”

God has a plan. He answered their prayer at just the right time.  They needed to keep serving others and keep praying.   In the next post we will see how God answered their prayer and how he answers ours.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

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Read Along Daily Bible Reading: You Version

Source:  Bruce B. Barton, Dave Veerman, Linda K. Taylor, Life Application Bible Commentary – Luke, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1997), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 6.

 

 

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