Expect the Unexpected

Luke 1:5-25

How many of you had all of your expectations met for Christmas this year?  Did anyone get an unexpected gift this year? In this case you were expecting to receive something but the gift itself was unexpected. Or perhaps there was an unexpected dish at your family gathering.  The goal of this sermon is to learn to expect God to do that which is extraordinary. The Unexpected!

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,[a] of the division 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.

One thing that stands out in this passage is that they walked blameless before God yet they were barren. Or phrased another way, they were barren but still walked blameless before God.
For a Jewish couple to be childless was thought to be a sign of God's displeasure.  There is often the misunderstanding that when a person gets saved that all of their problems magically go away.  However we live in a world where bad things happen to good people, and vice versa.

Zechariah was a priest. He was a descendant of Aaron. It is said of him and his wife that they were both righteous before God.  To be righteous means to be just, to be in a right relationship with God. God declared them righteous by faith. They were committed to living out and expressing their faith.

Their being righteous before God was evidenced by the way they showed it, not by their talk, but by their works; by the way they walked.  Even though they were righteous they were barren.
We can be sure they tried to have children for many years. It was probably always on their minds. It was a desire of their hearts. It was their constant prayer request. They tried, they longed for, and they prayed, but all they heard was silence.

Perhaps some of you have found yourself in the same place. Praying. Waiting. But only hearing silence.  What do you do when God is silent? How do you respond to God's silence? Do you lose your faith and expectation?  Do you still believe that God is able to heal if He has not answered your prayer for a healing?  Do you still believe and have expectation that God is able to save your loved ones if you have not seen it yet?  What do you do when your dream dies? What do you do when tragedy strikes? What do you do when you stand on God's word and nothing happens? Did not God say that He would give us the desires of our heart? What do you do when He does not? You can get angry, bitter and jealous. You can even give up on God.

Do you know what Zechariah and Elizabeth did?

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

Zechariah and Elizabeth could have reacted in anger and bitterness. However, they continued serving God even in the silence.

Expectation Serves in Silence
To be honest this is hard to do at times.
One of the highest honors for a priest was to offer incense (Luke 1:9). This was done twice a day, when morning and evening sacrifices were made. This represented the prayers of the people. The priest who was to offer the incense was chosen by lot. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Being selected for this honor would be about as likely as winning the power ball this week! However, when God wants to speak and act He opens doors that no man can shut.
Perhaps we should long for a faith that will keep praying and keep expecting even when we can't see the answer.

The truth is that the godly do suffer. Christians are not immune from life's difficulties and heartbreaks. We serve Him in the tragedies and disappointments of life. We serve Him in our suffering, our sickness and in the silence. Why? Because He is our God! There is a purpose in the silence and the silence won't last forever.

Expectation Anticipates His Voice
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him,

A heart of expectation knows that silence doesn't last forever. "While he was serving" (Luke 1:8). Don't miss what is happening. Zechariah is getting ready to hear from God. What if he had quit? What if he had given up? What if he had said, "God, there is nothing happening." It was while he was serving that God spoke to him. God broke the silence.

Perhaps our dullness of hearing is due to the fact that we are not in a position where we can hear from God? God speaks in the suffering and the serving.  How often do we miss out on hearing God because in our trial we quit serving and worshipping God? We quit believing and expecting.
Trials are not the time to drop out. They are times to press in even closer to Christ.

Zechariah and Elizabeth did not let their personal tragedy keep them from loving and serving God.  When was the last time you came to God’s house expecting something to happen?
When was the last time you said I am going to God’s house expecting my healing, expecting my miracle, expecting my deliverance? Anticipating God’s voice.

The encouragement that we can draw from today is this: Silence will not last forever.  “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.  Silence has been broken, the word of the Lord which has been silent for 450 years has now been spoken through the angel Gabriel to Zechariah.
He tells Zechariah that his prayers have been heard

Now Zechariah was a priest he had prayed many prayers. The angel tells him that he will have a son. But something tells me that he may have given up on the idea of having a child. Something tells me, that was one prayer that he may have let go of. Month after month, year after year of not receiving what he had hoped for, began to affect his expectations. What the angel had said and his reaction tells me that Zechariah had lost his expectation regarding having a child.
Let’s look at it. The angel continues.

14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Zechariah had believed God for a child back when he was a young stallion but look what he says in verse

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.”
Notice Zechariah was wise not to say his wife was old, just advanced in years. However, he was foolish not to believe the promises of God.  It is interesting that he was chosen by lot to offer incense in the temple for the prayers of the saints but yet he could not believe God was wanting to answer his own prayer. A prayer that was so dear to his heart.  It is easy to believe God to answer the prayers of everyone else, but do you believe that He cares about your prayers.

Expectation Believes God Hears Our Prayers
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.”

Notice God shuts the mouth of doubt. He knows that doubt kills expectation. God takes doubt seriously.  Before we are quick to judge Zechariah, how many times do we do the same thing? Perhaps there is a prayer that you gave up on, or maybe you have a hard time believing that God is the healer because He has not healed.  Perhaps you have lost your expectation, you don’t think God can answer your prayer.

James 1:6-7  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord

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.”

For Zechariah, he was expecting God to hear the prayers of the saints yet he himself receives an unexpected gift.  Later on (vs 57-66) It wasn’t till the birth of John that Zechariah was able to speak.

Pete Rose the famous baseball player (1963-1986) was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb's all-time hits record (4,189) or (MLB 4191). One reporter blurted out, "Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats do you think you'll need to get the 78 hits?" Without hesitation, Pete just stared at the reporter and very matter-of-factly said, "78." The reporter yelled back, "Ah, come on Pete, you don't expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats do you?"

Mr. Rose calmly shared his philosophy with the throngs of reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply to this seemingly boastful claim. "Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! If I don't expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter's box in the first place!" "If I go up hoping to get a hit," he continued, "then I probably don't have a prayer to get a hit. It is a positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place." (4256 hits)

What about your life? Do you step up to the plate with expectation believing that every one of your prayers are being heard?  What are you expecting God to do in your life, in your family, your workplace, your community, your church in 2016? Do you have a heart of expectation?

What are some lost expectations that you may have?
Is doubt preventing you from obtaining the promises of God?
Expectation: Serves in Silence, Anticipates His Voice, Believes that God Hears.  Expect the Unexpected.