Broken Situations and Imperfect People

Introduction

“Prepare Him Room”

In the gospel of Luke, we are given a prologue or an introduction to Jesus’ coming . In this introduction, we see the birth story of John the Baptist AND Jesus.

While Zechariah and Elizabeth and Mary and Joseph were preparing their lives to make room for little ones, what we also see in this passages is God preparing their hearts for something magnificent that He is about to do.

Joy to the World // “Let every heart prepare Him room.”

While we read of those who God helped “prepare room” for Jesus, may we prepare room for Him in our hearts.

While Christmas involves so many wonderful festivities, traditions, and experiences, may we not forget that ultimately, Christmas is a time to worship - and prepare our hearts - for the one who has come - Jesus.

READ // Luke 1:5-25

There are two types of people in the world. Those who listen to music normally, excited when a song they like comes on the radio or their spotify playlist, and the rest of us who listen to a new song that we like 794 times until we don’t like it anymore. I am DEFINITELY the second. I have two songs on repeat right now - “Joy to the World” and “O Come, All Ye Unfaithful.”

You heard correctly. “O Come, All Ye UNfaithful.”

While I love the traditional, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and its message of the faithfulness of the wise men and shepherds to come and see Jesus, I have a question for you. ‘

What do we do when we are unfaithful to the Lord?

What do we do when this holiday season is filled with doubt or struggle or hurt?

There are days that we struggle when we come to God. “God, what are you doing?” “God, I don’t understand?”

We often see the lights and presents and food and festivities and fun of Christmas, and everyone is smiles and Christmas sweaters and family traditions.

And we wonder if something is wrong with us, because we just don’t feel that way.

It could have been a bad year at work.

Maybe the loss of someone in your family.

It could be a family member who has made hurtful choices.

Or life hasn’t gone the way you thought it would.

Or maybe, you have made some poor decisions that have altered your life.

But the greatest reality of Christmas is that God met us in our brokenness. Christ’s coming into the world tells us that God, knowing that we couldn’t come to Him faithfully, came down to be with us.

CIT: God uses imperfect people in broken situations to carry out His perfect plan.

Explanation

God uses imperfect people.

Zechariah loved the Lord deeply, but His faith had certain, reasonable limits.

He loved God, but he had accepted his lot in life.

He and His wife, Elizabeth, were not to have children.

Year after year, Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, prayed that God would allow them to have a child.

As they advanced in years (v7), I’m sure they eventually resigned to the belief that God had other plans for their lives.

An angel comes to Zechariah while he is offering and tells him (in v. 13) “You will have a child.” While Zechariah should have believed the angel, He didn’t.

Zechariah had much time to prepare spiritually for the moment he gave this sacrifice.

18,000 priests and drawn by lots.

Because of this, the odd are that this is the only time Zechariah would have given this specific offering in his life.

Much spiritual preparation went into that moment.

The angel was an overwhelming and awe-inspiring experience.

“Z was troubled and fear fell upon Him.”

Angel, “Do not be afraid.”

Priests had the responsibility to teach the word of God to the people. We tend to think that was the roll of the prophet, but the more pastoral equivalent is the priest. He consistently taught the Word of God to the people.

Surely, he remembered the story of Father Abraham. Zechariah must have studied and taught on Hannah and Rachel.

What his head believed, his heart could not grasp.

So he uttered a word of doubt. “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

As a result, he was unable to speak until the day all of these things take place.

He was instantly unable to speak, because the angel had shut his mouth.

We may think that Zechariah’s punishment was harsh, but I want to suggest a few things to you.

God could have used someone else. “You have no faith! Fine! See you later.”

Zechariah’s chastening was a gift. The Lord, lovingly, does not leave us in our faithlessness.

What would have been the greater evil?

That Zechariah’s mouth was closed for a season so that every time he tried to open it he remember that God’s messenger had closed it.

OR that the God would have allowed Zechariah to remain in his faithlessness.

APPLICATION

Your faith doesn’t have to be perfect for God to move! Your faith just has to be in him. So bring your broken, struggling, and worn out faith to Him, and let Him fix it.

Where you lack the faith to believe that God can move, may God increase your faith. Pray and watch and wait.

May our faith not have reasonable limits. Might we just say, “If the Lord wills, He will do it!”

God uses broken situations.

Elizabeth had lived with infertility for many years at this point. They were past the age of having a child.

I want to take a moment to step aside from this text and address the issue of Elizabeth’s infertility.

You may have stepped into this room today having struggled with infertility in your life and marriage. Maybe it was for a season or maybe you are still facing it.

God is not mad at you. God isn’t disappointed at you. God isn’t holding children from you because of something you have done.

We live in a world that is broken because of sin. God told Adam and Eve their situation after the fall. Man would work the field by the sweat of his brow, and woman’s pain would be magnified in childbearing.

So, while your pain in infertility is real and tangible, know that:

God isn’t punishing you. In fact, the most hopeless situations often display the greatest of his glory.

God loves you, and He hasn’t forgotten you.

Maybe infertility isn’t your struggle, but something else big stands in your way. And you feel helpless and hopeless.

This weekend is a hard one for me. Thursday, December 1, would have been my mother’s 62 birthday.

I still remember her birthday when she was sick, it was joyful because we loved her, but it was painful, because I know she wasn’t getting better.

I remember feeling so hopeless. And even today, her absence is one of the most difficult parts of my life. I don’t have answers. And for your heartache, I don’t have answers either.

Paul David Tripp // Christmas is a sufferers holiday.

I know one thing for certain. There will come a day where we will know with all certainty, as we stand before Him, that He has never failed us.

Solomon’s building the temple was one of the marking moments of Israelite history and a point of their triumph. After praying that God would bless His people, the Bible says that he turned to the people and said,:

1 Kings 8:56 ““Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.”

God carries out His perfect plan.

Sinful man nor hopeless situations can destroy the plans of God.

When we think that we aren’t good enough to serve in His Kingdom, we aren’t exhibiting humility. We are exhibiting pride.

Pride says, “God’s plans hinge on my performance.”

Humility says, “It’s not about me! God can do through me what I cannot do for myself.”

Darrell Bock, “This promised child answers two prayers at the same time: for the house of Zechariah AND for God’s work of redemption in the nation.

Invitation

Come to the Lord. In all of your mess and brokenness. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to come to Him.