Ayman al-Zawahiri’s Christmas Message on Al-Jazeera (ScrappleFace.com)

If only this were true — and it can be!  Let us pray this becomes a reality!

(HT: Ken Mahanes, PBA)

Ayman al-Zawahiri’s Christmas Message on Al-Jazeera (ScrappleFace.com)

If only this were true — and it can be!  Let us pray this becomes a reality!

(HT: Ken Mahanes, PBA)

It’s a Question of Unbelief, Part I: Knowing God’s Promises Does Not Equal Believing Them

In Luke 1:5-7, we read:

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the divisionn 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.

As we get to know Zechariah and Elizabeth, we will find what special and God-honoring people they are! First, you notice their family background. The division of Abijah: one of the 24 divisions of the priesthood which served the Temple and provided its needs for a week at a time, twice per year. Yet during the religious festivals, all the divisions served.

Zechariah had a wife named Elizabeth, descended from the daughters of Aaron. Aaron was Moses’ brother and a priest, so both Zechariah and Elizabeth come from priestly lineage. Yet, they did not simply count on their lineage to score points with God. . They loved God and did all that God commanded to the best of their ability. When they sinned, they offered the proper sacrifices so their guilt would be lifted. According to the law, they were blameless.

All was well and blessed in their home, except for one thing — Elizabeth was barren. She was not able to have a child. In our culture, we know how difficult this issue is for those who cannot conceive. In fact, for many with this issue, Mother’s Day is the most difficult day on the calendar and skip it all together. Add to all of this that she was “advanced in years.” She was past the age of childbearing. Yet, in the Hebrew culture, this was a disgrace and for many it was seen as proof of disobedience in their spiritual life. In fact, since we’ve read through this passage and know the end of the story, notice how Elizabeth reflected on this: “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people” (Luke 1:25, ESV). She was in a long line of barren women whom God looked upon: Sarah, Leah, and Hannah.

I mention all of this to hopefully paint a picture. Zechariah and Elizabeth come from a long lineage of people whose sole purpose was to protect the faith and administer the Word of God. They not only knew the Word of God, they lived that Word out. But throughout their marriage, I see how they just seemed to have come to terms with the fact that they would never have children.

Do you have areas in your life where you have just given up? I would say that this is clearly the case with even the most obedient and faithful of believers. You love the Bible and believe what’s written — you just don’t think that what God did in them, he can do in you. You know they knew backwards and forwards the story of the reproach of Sarah who could not conceive and how she was mocked by her handmaiden who well could (Genesis 18) — and yet God allowed Sarah at a ripe old age to have a child of a promise. Hannah was another who could not bear children — and in 1 Samuel 1:6-7 we read:

And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.

These are two great examples, especially Sarah, who showed herself to be the mother of a child of a great promise — a role that Elizabeth would soon find out she is filling. Yet, knowing the Scriptures does not equate believing them — and what is believing them? Trusting that God can do now what he did then.

It’s a Question of Unbelief, Part I: Knowing God’s Promises Does Not Equal Believing Them

In Luke 1:5-7, we read:

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the divisionn 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.

As we get to know Zechariah and Elizabeth, we will find what special and God-honoring people they are! First, you notice their family background. The division of Abijah: one of the 24 divisions of the priesthood which served the Temple and provided its needs for a week at a time, twice per year. Yet during the religious festivals, all the divisions served.

Zechariah had a wife named Elizabeth, descended from the daughters of Aaron. Aaron was Moses’ brother and a priest, so both Zechariah and Elizabeth come from priestly lineage. Yet, they did not simply count on their lineage to score points with God. . They loved God and did all that God commanded to the best of their ability. When they sinned, they offered the proper sacrifices so their guilt would be lifted. According to the law, they were blameless.

All was well and blessed in their home, except for one thing — Elizabeth was barren. She was not able to have a child. In our culture, we know how difficult this issue is for those who cannot conceive. In fact, for many with this issue, Mother’s Day is the most difficult day on the calendar and skip it all together. Add to all of this that she was “advanced in years.” She was past the age of childbearing. Yet, in the Hebrew culture, this was a disgrace and for many it was seen as proof of disobedience in their spiritual life. In fact, since we’ve read through this passage and know the end of the story, notice how Elizabeth reflected on this: “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people” (Luke 1:25, ESV). She was in a long line of barren women whom God looked upon: Sarah, Leah, and Hannah.

I mention all of this to hopefully paint a picture. Zechariah and Elizabeth come from a long lineage of people whose sole purpose was to protect the faith and administer the Word of God. They not only knew the Word of God, they lived that Word out. But throughout their marriage, I see how they just seemed to have come to terms with the fact that they would never have children.

Do you have areas in your life where you have just given up? I would say that this is clearly the case with even the most obedient and faithful of believers. You love the Bible and believe what’s written — you just don’t think that what God did in them, he can do in you. You know they knew backwards and forwards the story of the reproach of Sarah who could not conceive and how she was mocked by her handmaiden who well could (Genesis 18) — and yet God allowed Sarah at a ripe old age to have a child of a promise. Hannah was another who could not bear children — and in 1 Samuel 1:6-7 we read:

And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.

These are two great examples, especially Sarah, who showed herself to be the mother of a child of a great promise — a role that Elizabeth would soon find out she is filling. Yet, knowing the Scriptures does not equate believing them — and what is believing them? Trusting that God can do now what he did then.

It’s a Question of Unbelief, Introduction: How Do We Most Accurately Measure our Belief in God?

I was driving to the church on Friday morning when I heard this ad come across the radio. The setting was a customer service representative answering the phone. She says, “Buckley’s Cough Mixture Customer Service … how may I help you?” An elderly gentleman responds, “Yeah, I’ve been using this cough mixture, and wow does it ever work. But I have a question — is it supposed to taste like the sweater off a monkey’s back? This tastes terrible!” To which the rep responds, “Why yes … and thank you!” Another customer calls, telling the representative how much the cough mixture is working … but wonders if it’s supposed to taste like trash bag leakage! The ad ends by saying, “Buckley’s Cough Mixture — It Tastes Awful … and It Works!” (

This morning, we look a monumental event that not only happened in the Scriptures around 2,000 years ago — this event was cataclysmic in nature because of who would enter onto the world’s stage: John the Baptist. It’s found in Luke 1:5-25. He would come into the world the way everyone else would come into the world — through a father and mother. We shall look at John the Baptist for sure, but let’s take a look at John’s dad, Zechariah. And we shall look at his question of unbelief: “How shall I know this?”

And just to be clear, when we talk about unbelief, we mean trusting in the promises of anything else over the promises of God. And do you know the best way to find out if you truly trust the promises of God? You know in a number of ways: when tragedy and trials hit that you didn’t see coming. It’s when we have our guard down where our trust in God is most accurately measured.

Zechariah found himself in just such a position. His guard was down and revealed his unbelief at a time when utmost belief should have won the day. In truth, for many Christians, there is a gap between understand God’s grace given to us in the past and the future hope that we will receive when we get to heaven — but what about the gap of today?2 Our saving faith is for all of life, not just in the by-and-by.

(Tomorrow, Part I: Knowing the Promises of God Does Not Equal Believing Them)

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It’s a Question of Unbelief, Introduction: How Do We Most Accurately Measure our Belief in God?

I was driving to the church on Friday morning when I heard this ad come across the radio. The setting was a customer service representative answering the phone. She says, “Buckley’s Cough Mixture Customer Service … how may I help you?” An elderly gentleman responds, “Yeah, I’ve been using this cough mixture, and wow does it ever work. But I have a question — is it supposed to taste like the sweater off a monkey’s back? This tastes terrible!” To which the rep responds, “Why yes … and thank you!” Another customer calls, telling the representative how much the cough mixture is working … but wonders if it’s supposed to taste like trash bag leakage! The ad ends by saying, “Buckley’s Cough Mixture — It Tastes Awful … and It Works!” (

This morning, we look a monumental event that not only happened in the Scriptures around 2,000 years ago — this event was cataclysmic in nature because of who would enter onto the world’s stage: John the Baptist. It’s found in Luke 1:5-25. He would come into the world the way everyone else would come into the world — through a father and mother. We shall look at John the Baptist for sure, but let’s take a look at John’s dad, Zechariah. And we shall look at his question of unbelief: “How shall I know this?”

And just to be clear, when we talk about unbelief, we mean trusting in the promises of anything else over the promises of God. And do you know the best way to find out if you truly trust the promises of God? You know in a number of ways: when tragedy and trials hit that you didn’t see coming. It’s when we have our guard down where our trust in God is most accurately measured.

Zechariah found himself in just such a position. His guard was down and revealed his unbelief at a time when utmost belief should have won the day. In truth, for many Christians, there is a gap between understand God’s grace given to us in the past and the future hope that we will receive when we get to heaven — but what about the gap of today?2 Our saving faith is for all of life, not just in the by-and-by.

(Tomorrow, Part I: Knowing the Promises of God Does Not Equal Believing Them)

Powered by ScribeFire.