Miracles in the Making: The Choice (Part 2, Notes)

God is always looking for somebody who is obedient. When you’re willing to be obedient to what God is speaking, you don’t have to calculate or understand by logic what God is calling you to do. You only need to understand that where opportunity meets obedience, miracles happen. 

Stephen Furtick

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. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 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 call him John.

He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 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 before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel 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 parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 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 said to him, “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. 20 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 appointed time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 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. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “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.”

Luke 1:5-25

Elizabeth – “My God is an oath/My God is abundance.”

Fruitfulness of the older generation.

Prophetic insight.

‘This is what I will do in the last days—I will pour out my Spirit on everybody and cause your sons and daughters to prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will experience dreams from God. 18 The Holy Spirit will come upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they will prophesy.

Acts 2:17-18 (TPT)

“Blessed among women are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

Luke 1:42, 43

“The Lord says to my Lord….”

Psalm 110:1

• Elizabeth chose fruitfulness.
• Elizabeth chose prophetic insight.
• Elizabeth chose to remain a dreamer.
• Elizabeth chose a humble attitude.

“And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God!”

“Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.”

Luke 1:36, 37, 38

Mary – bitter/beloved

Bigger blessing, bigger burden. Greater glory, greater weight. Greater opportunity, greater responsibility. It’s both.

Stephen Furtick

Zechariah – “The Lord has remembered”

“How shall I know this for certain? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years” 

Luke 1:18

“And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which shall be fulfilled in their proper time”

Luke 1:20

Will you allow fear, reputation, the cost, age (youth or old age) impossibility stop you from participating in the miracle God wants to birth through YOU?

Every decision has momentum. The decision to follow Jesus will lead to so much more than you know in this moment.  Stephen Furtick

The church is moving from begging to believing!

Jim Baker