We are continuing today in our study of Chapter 1 of Luke. In verses 18-25, it reads, “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.”
Look at what happened to Zechariah. He doubted and questioned what Gabriel told him. He could not believe that Elizabeth, his wife would conceive and give birth to a baby boy. The angel Gabriel silenced Zechariah by making him mute until the birth of John the Baptist.
One would think that Zechariah, being a priest and a man of faith knew the previous miracles that God had performed in the Old Testament. But Zechariah doubted in his mind and in his heart that God would be able to give them a child. What Zechariah should have thought was what God has done before, He could do again. There is nothing impossible for God.
Unbelief is a sin and God is provoked by it. According to JC Ryle, Unbelief in what God can do is a “practical denial of God’s almighty power to doubt whether He can do a thing when He undertakes it. It is giving the lie to God to doubt whether He means to do a thing when He plainly promised that it would be done.”[1]
Do not let concessions to unbelief rob you of inward peace or destroy your hopes and dreams. According to Ryle, “Unbelief is the true cause of a thousand spiritual diseases. In all that respects the pardon of our sins and acceptance of our souls, the duties and trials of our daily lives, let it be a settled maxim in our religion, to trust every word of God implicitly, and to beware of unbelief.”[2]
Do you suffer from the sin of unbelief? If you do, you need to repent of that sin. Pray and ask God to forgive you. One should believe all aspects of the Bible as opposed to just parts of it. The Bible is the Holy Word of God, breathed into the men that wrote it by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the inerrant Word of God.
Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior? If not, would you like to know Him? If so, please pray this prayer out loud in your own privacy.
Dear Jesus, I am a sinner. I believe that you are the Son of God and that you came into the world to save it. I believe you died on the cross to save me of my sins. I believe that you rose from the grave on the third day. I ask you to come into my heart and forgive me from all the sins and trespasses I have ever committed. Thank you, Jesus, for saving my soul. I pray this in Jesus Name! Amen!
If you have prayed that prayer, please write to me and tell me that you did. You can write us at Marketplace Evangelism Ministries Inc., PO Box 1778, Ashland, VA 23005. I would like to send you a Bible so that you can develop your relationship with the Lord. The best way to grow in Christianity is to read the Bible and get involved in a local church.
References:
Reverend JC Ryle, Daily Readings, January 4th, 2020.
[1] JC Ryle, Daily Readings (Welwyn Garden City: EP Books, 2020) January 4, Morning.
[2] Ibid., January 4, Morning.
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