FBC Morning Light – March 3, 2023

Faith Baptist Church

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Well, a good Friday morning to you. Here we come to the close of another week, at least close of our work week, and looking forward to the

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Lord's Day on Sunday. I hope you can gather together with God's people on Sunday, listen to the

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Word, and grow. Thereby, worship the Lord, serve him with your song, with your attendance, with your presence, with your attention, with your obedience, an obedient response to the

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Word, just to have a good day in the Lord on the

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Lord's Day. I hope you'll do that. Well, today we're reading in Numbers chapters 5 and 6, the first chapter of the

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Gospel of Luke, and then Psalm 45. I want to focus on Luke chapter 1.

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There's two huge events in Luke 1 that lead us to one very, very important conclusion.

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Here are those two events. The first of them is this announcement to Zechariah, as Zechariah is carrying out his priestly responsibilities in the temple, at the time of the offering of incense, which was, by the way, a prayer time.

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This is the process. The priest is offering incense in the temple, and while he's doing that, people are outside the temple doors and temple gate, and they're praying.

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This is a time of prayer. During that time of prayer, the angel of the Lord comes and visits

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Zechariah and says to him, your prayer is answered. You're going to have a child.

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If Zechariah were in his early 30s and his wife was in her late 20s, he'd say, praise the

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Lord. Great. That's not how he responds. He responds with, whoa, wait a minute, how is this even possible?

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Because Zechariah was an elderly man, well, he's an older man, and his wife was, well, as we would say today, she was postmenopausal.

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There's no way she's going to have any children. How is this possible? The angel says, it's going to happen.

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It's going to happen, and until it does, you're going to be mute.

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You're not going to be able to talk. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. Nine months later, very shortly thereafter,

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Elizabeth, his wife, is pregnant. The prayer is answered. Here's the thing

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I want us to catch. When was that prayer offered? Think about that.

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I'm sure you've read this before, but when was that prayer offered? Here's a bigger question.

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When did that praying cease? I think it's pretty reasonable to expect that when it was very clear that Elizabeth was past childbearing years, that they pretty much stopped praying for a son, praying for a child.

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I mean, wouldn't you? Of course. Yet the

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Lord answered the prayer. The Lord heard the prayer when it was offered, but he was saving up the answer so that it would be given at just the right time.

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Hang on to that thought. Those of you who are praying and have been praying for a long, long time, maybe for a loved one to come to Christ, maybe for a child that has gone astray or something, but you've been praying for a long, long time and haven't had an answer to that prayer.

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Maybe the Lord is doing the same thing, saving it up, the answer that you're asking for, for just the right time.

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The other significant event is dealing with a young woman on the other end of the childbearing years spectrum, and of course

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I'm talking about Mary. Angel comes to Mary and says to her, Mary, you're going to have a baby.

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Wait a minute. I'm betrothed, but that's it.

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I haven't gotten married yet. What do you mean I'm going to have a baby? You're going to have a baby. How is that possible?

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The Holy Spirit is going to overshadow you, and you as a virgin are going to give birth to a child, and that child will be

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Emmanuel, and be God with us. Mary humbly accepts that.

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But here's the thing, in the process of these two situations, the two revelations of these very miraculous events, there's the question, how can this be?

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How can this be? The answer to that question is found in verse 37.

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With God, nothing shall be impossible. Nothing shall be impossible.

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So hang on to that in your praying, and in your hearing of the promises of God, and your questioning, is that really going to be possible?

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Is that really going to happen? Yes, I know God has said it, but will it really take place?

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It seems impossible. Yes, it certainly does. But with God, nothing will be impossible.

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So don't give up on your praying. Don't give up on your God. With Him, nothing will be impossible.

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So our Father, we are grateful for this truth today, that you are the all -powerful,

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Almighty God, and that with you, nothing is impossible. Father, I pray if we're praying for things that are inordinate, inappropriate, things that are out of line for us, that you would help us to come to that understanding.

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Those things that we're praying for that are certainly consistent with your Word, we're longing for a loved one to come to Christ, we're longing for a wayward child to return to you, maybe to be converted.

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But Lord, I pray that you would help us to be faithful and keep on keeping on in our praying, trusting you for the timing of that answer, and for your will to be done.

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Lord, especially encourage us today with the truth that with you, nothing is impossible.

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This we pray in Jesus' name. All right, well listen, have a good Friday and a wonderful weekend, especially on the