Expecting a Miracle

Introduction

This morning we are going to take little break from our study of Hebrews, as we begin to celebrate the Christmas Season.

The series that we are beginning today I’ve entitled “A Different Kind of Christmas.” I think it is important that we enter this season we begin looking for a different kind of Christmas.

For most people in America today Christmas is all about the gifts—hurrying here and there to find the perfect gift. Or making a long list all the things we want. For some Christmas is all about the parties or the various get-togethers.

This year, I want us to celebrate a different kind of Christmas. So over the next three weeks we are going to look at Three things we need to expect. First we need to expect a miracle. Then we need to learn to expect the unexpected. Thirdly, we need to expect the promise.

Expect a miracle! It seems like no one expects miracles today. Now if you watch TV you will see all kinds of miracles—Santa delivering billions of packages on Christmas Eve. Or even a Miracle On 42nd Street. But we don’t expect a miracle from God—who is the creator of miracles.

Expect a miracle!

It seems like no one expects miracles today. Now if you watch TV you will see all kinds of miracles—Santa delivering billions of packages on Christmas Eve. Or even a Miracle On 42nd Street. But we don’t expect a miracle from God—who is the creator of miracles.

Well, if I’ve learned on thing through this year is that God is the miracle-working God. For my family and I have experienced His miracles in our lives!

So today I want us to look at the first miracle of the Christmas Season. If you have your Bibles, I want to encourage you to turn with me to Luke the first chapter. We’ll begin reading with verse 5.

“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. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.”

There are several things that we need to notice in this passage. First Luke, who is really a historian, wants to make sure that we know the exact time of this incident. So he tells us that Herod was king—so we know it was between 37 to 4 B.C.

John’s Parents

a. Dad was Zechariah and his mom was Elizabeth.

b. At the time of our story, they had no children. And they were past child bearing age—“. . .they were both well along in years.”

c. Zechariah was a descendent of Aaron, so he was a priest.

d. Perhaps the biggest thing that we need to know is that both of them “were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.”

NOTE: If we want to see God do a miracle in our lives we need to live upright in the sight of God. We can do that by observing all the Lord’s commands.

Now let’s see what happens. Look at verse 8.

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

Zechariah’s job

a. He was part of the priests that rotated the role of serving before the Lord.

b. When it was his division’s time server he was chosen to burn incense in the temple before the Lord.

c. While he was inside, I want you to notice what the people were doing—they were outside praying!

NOTE: God always has a plan for us. tells us that God knows the plans He has for us. The question is will we live out God’s plan? In order for us to know God’s will for our lives and in order for us to receive a miracle we need other people to pray for us!

Let’s continue the story! Look at verse 11.

“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 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 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 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. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 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.”

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

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. 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’s Miracle!

a. The angel of the Lord appeared to him—the angel Gabriel. Zechariah was shocked and scared by the appearance of an angel.

b. Elizabeth will bear a son:

i. They will call him, John.

ii. He will bring great joy to Zechariah and Elizabeth. He will bring others great joy too.

iii. John will be great in the sight of the Lord.

iv. John was to keep a Nazirite vow—which prohibited from drinking wine.

v. John will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

vi. He would draw many in Israel back to the Lord God. John would go before the Lord—in the spirit of Elijah—all in order to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children—making the people ready to receive the Lord.

c. This was hard for Zechariah to understand and accept because he and Elizabeth were old—well past the child bearing age.

d. Gabriel was not happy at Zechariah’s response—so there was a consequence for his disbelief. Zechariah would not be able to speak until the baby John was born.

NOTE: God’s miracles are always a product of the work of God’s Holy Spirit! Like John we are great in the sight of the Lord! Think about that for a minute—you are great in the view of God! God wants to use us to turn the hearts of people back to Himself! Sometimes it is difficult to really believe that God can and will do what He says He will do.

Now Zechariah can’t speak—because the angel made him mute. Look at how Elizabeth reacted. Look at verse 21.

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 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.

When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “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.”

4. Elizabeth’s response along with all the people waiting.

a. First of all, all those people who were outside the temple were wondering why Zechariah was taking so long.

i. They were shocked that when he came out he could not speak.

ii. He kept making wild gestures trying to get them to understand what had happened.

iii. They finally realized that he had seen a vision.

b. When his time of service was done, he went home to Elizabeth!

i. She became pregnant.

ii. She keep hidden for 5 months. She was obviously overjoyed with being pregnant. So why did she keep herself secluded? Perhaps she was afraid that it was not real.

iii. The Lord had done this for me—taken away my disgrace!

NOTE: To see a miracle of God we need to accept and trust that God can do what He says He will do!

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

FINAL NOTE: To see God’s miracle we have to follow all that He wants us to do—“His name is JOHN!”

Conclusion: This Christmas Season, God wants to do a miracle in each of our lives! Are you expecting Him to do a miracle in you? Are you expecting Him to do a miracle through you? Are you expecting Him to do a miracle for you?

In a Different Kind Of Christmas we need to Expect God to do a Miracle in our lives! This morning I want to encourage you to prepare for God to do a miracle in your life.

1. Live upright before the Lord obeying all of His commands.

2. We need to live out God’s plan in our lives—trusting in God’s plan for our lives, EVEN when we don’t or can’t understand it.

3. When you are longing for God to do a miracle—then we need to be praying for it! And we need to have godly people praying with us.

4. We need to experience the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

5. To God we are wonderful! Accept God’s love for you!

6. One miracle that God wants to do through our lives is to bring people to Himself. It is amazing that God wants to use us to bring people to Himself.

7. We need to believe that God can do what He says He is going to do!

8. Finally we need to carry out God's plan—just like Zechariah, “His name is John!”