December 10, 2019
Believing God's Impossible Sounding Promises
Luke 1:5–25
Luke Friesen
Central Truth
We can be sure of God's promises, because God does not lie (Hebrews 6:18), because nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37), and because all of God's promises are "yes" in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). We would also do well to apply God's promises to ourselves accurately (2 Timothy 2:15).
Key Verse | Luke 1:13, 18
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 Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
Luke 1:5–25
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, 1 1:5 Greek Zacharias of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 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. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
Dive Deeper | Luke 1:5–25
God's promise to Zechariah sounded too good to be true—Zechariah and his wife would have a son. It didn't matter that they were both old. God was going to do it! There was only one real problem here: unbelief. What's that, Zech? Can't hear you!
Before my wife and I got engaged, we processed some medical history that would make it potentially impossible to have biological kids. We chose to trust God and marry, believing that His plan would be for His glory and our good. When we got pregnant, we were shocked and overjoyed, and when we got to hold our daughter, our hearts overflowed with grateful praise.
We also have people in our lives whom we love dearly—all of them sincere Christ-followers—who have struggled for years with infertility, who have had multiple miscarriages, and who have lost eagerly anticipated little ones in childbirth. They have not yet experienced our joy, and maybe never will this side of heaven.
What gives, God? What happened to that promise of a child? If all of God's promises are "yes" in Christ, shouldn't that mean that every one of the 3,500+ (by some counts) promises in Scripture applies directly to every Christian?
When considering how promises apply, it's important to not overlook context (e.g., if a promise was made to a specific person, as was Zechariah's), or conditions (e.g., if obedience is required for a promise to be fulfilled, as in James 1:5-6). We also shouldn't choose promises selectively or limit them to our own understanding of how or when they might be fulfilled.
What then is ours in Christ? Every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). When you meet God in Christ, what you hear is "Yes!" Does God love me? "Yes!" Will God forgive me? "Yes!" Will God accept me? "Yes!" Will God help me change? "Yes!" Will I get to enjoy heaven with God forever? "Yes!"
Be encouraged, friends, by the many promises of God that are yours in Christ. With Him all things are possible! Walk in His promises wisely, as one who accurately handles the Word of Truth.
Discussion Questions
1. What promises of God do you rely on most often? How, specifically, do they encourage you? Share at least one of them with someone today.
2. Are you at risk of mishandling or misapplying any of God's promises? Can you confidently say that you are able to accurately handle the Word of Truth? Discuss a few promises with your community group to receive wise counsel on them.
3. Do you consistently thank God for the many blessings and promises that are yours in Christ? Carve out some time today (and ideally every day) to express your gratitude to God.