You know, Zacharias, the priest. He was an old man.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, were advanced in age and the time came.
His role—because in those days they go by a cycle of service in
the ministry, in the temple.
And it is said that the most coveted service in the temple
was to burn incense.
This lot fell on Zacharias and he was burning the incense
during this time when the angel Gabriel appeared on the right side
of the altar of incense. And Gabriel said this to him.
“When Zacharias saw him, he was troubled and fear fell upon him.”
“But the angel said to him:”
“‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard.’”
“‘And your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall’”
“call his name John.’”
“‘And you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth.’”
“‘For he will be great in the sight of the Lord.’”
Amen.
Now, this was what the angel said. Is it good news?
It is good news! But notice how Zacharias responds.
Zacharias says: “How shall I know this?”
“How shall I know this?”
“For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
Do you know what he said?
“How shall I know this?”
“How do I know that what you're saying is true?”
“How can I know it for sure?”
This is what the NLT says: “How can I be sure this will happen?”
He said that to angel Gabriel.
“How do I know that what you're saying is true?”
Now, you don't say to the angel of God:
“How do I know that what you're saying is true?”
“I'm an old man!” he says.
So was Abraham, wasn't he? Right?
And the angel says: “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God,”
“and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.”
“But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day”
“these things take place, because you did not believe my words which”
“will be fulfilled in their own time.”
“Because you don't believe, you’ll be dumb.”
Now, there's a wisdom of God to this.
Because if his wife is pregnant and he's always speaking unbelief,
he can actually offset what God is doing.
There's power in your words!
“The power of life and death is in the tongue.”
So when Joshua had the men of Jericho go around the walls,
he made them all shut up.
He says: “No one will speak anything under the hot sun, wherever it is.”
God says: “Just go around and keep quiet.”
They learnt their lesson.
Much earlier, 40 years earlier, they learnt their lesson,
how their fathers of the tribes, the spies that went in,
came out and spoke murmurings, complaints and unbelief,
expressing their bad opinion of God. And they fell dead in the wilderness.
So Zacharias was a mute.
Until John the Baptist was born and his mouth was loose.
When they asked for his name, for the baby's name, he wrote that
his name will be the grace of God!
Literally, “Yohanan”, the grace of God, John.
His mouth was loose and he went into a prophecy, a beautiful prophecy.
A beautiful doxology. Hallelujah. Amen.
Now we go to the same chapter. Drop down.
Now we go to the story of Mary.
“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God”
“to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man”
“whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.”
“The virgin's name was Mary.”
So Gabriel was sent to Mary and Gabriel said to her:
“Rejoice, highly favored one. The Lord is with you.”
“Blessed are you among women.”
You know, the Lord said this to me.
When the Lord first gave me this message, it was from this verse.
The Lord said to tell all of you that every morning when you wake up,
every night before you sleep and during the day, here and there,
when the Lord reminds you, call out your name and say
you are highly favored.
“Blessed are you among men or blessed are you among women.”
Say that! Amen.
You know why?
This word “highly favored” is the same word used
for all of us in Ephesians 1:6.
“Highly favored” is “charitoo” in the Greek.
“To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which God made us accepted”
Or “highly favored.” Same Greek word!
“in the Beloved.” That is in Jesus.
Amen. God has made us highly favored in the Beloved.
Highly favored in the Beloved.
It is used only twice in the entire New Testament.
For Mary and for all of us here in this verse in Ephesians 1:6.
“Charitoo” in the Greek, from the word “charis”, which is grace.
Highly graced. Highly favored.
Every morning, when you wake up, look at yourself and say:
“You are highly favored. You are blessed among men.”
Not above!
Notice that Mary is not blessed above women.
She's blessed among women. That means that she stands out.
Others may not have the blessing, but you have the blessing.
You are blessed among men and among women. Amen.
And you are highly favored.
Highly favored!
Not just favored, but highly favored.
Hallelujah.
“When she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered”
“what manner of greeting this was.”
“Then the angel said to her: ‘Do not be afraid.’”
Have you noticed that when heavenly beings come to us,
the first thing they tell us is always: “Don’t be afraid.”
Angels or even the Lord: “Don't be afraid.”
In the Hebrew, “Al-tirah.”
“Don't be afraid.”
Have a good opinion of God.
God doesn't want you to even entertain fear for one moment.
He's not like some people who are insecure and when they appear,
people are afraid of them and they feel good.
They feel like: “I'm being recognized.”
“I'm being respected. I'm being adored.”
No, no, no.
God has no need for all these ego trips.
Amen. Praise God.
The first thing He says is: “Don't be afraid.”
“You have found favor with God.”
Again, emphasizing you have found favor with God.
Remind yourself always: “Don't be afraid.”
If you hear some bad news: “Don't be afraid. You have found favor with God.”
If the doctors gave you a bad prognosis, just say: “Don't be afraid.”
“You have found favor with God. These things are going to turn around.”
Health is in your future, not disease.
You won’t grow worse. You're going to get better.
Amen. Praise the Lord.
Because you have found favor with God, you are blessed among women.
You are blessed among men. You are highly favored.
Praise the Lord.
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son,”
“and shall call His name Jesus.”
“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest;”
“and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.”
“And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and”
“of His kingdom there will be no end.”
“Then Mary said to the angel:”
“‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
Now she did not say: “How do I know this for certain?”
Or “How do I know what you're saying is true?”
Which is what Zacharias said.
She asked: “How can this be?” in terms of the method.
“Seeing I know not a man. I'm not married.”
“And the normal way of having children is to be with a man.”
Right?
“But I'm not married.”
So she's asking for the methodology, not questioning the angel.
Therein lies the difference.
“How can this be?”
“And the angel answered and said to her: ‘The Holy Spirit.”
Now she asked for “how” and the angel said:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you.”
“And the power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore,”
“also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
“Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in an old age.”
“And this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.”
“For with God, nothing will be impossible.”
“Then Mary said: ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord!’”
“‘Let it be to me according to your word.’” “And the angel departed from her.”
Notice: “Let it be to me according to your word.”
That is the response God wants from all of us.
When you hear preaching of God's Word, when you hear that God
wants to heal you of your diseases, what do you say?
“Let it be to me according to Your Word.”
When you hear that God wants your family to come together
and to be in peace and harmony, that God has wellbeing for your family,
how do you respond?
You say: “Amen.”
Amen is actually the Hebrew word for faith.
The word for “faith” in the New Testament in Greek is “pistis.”
In the Old Testament in Hebrew, it is the word “amen.” Literally!
When it says in Genesis 15:6,
“Abraham believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
The word “believed” is “amen.”
It is the word “amen” in Hebrew. That's why we say “amen.”
Do you know that “Amen” is also Jesus' name?
Jesus' name is “Amen.” In Revelations 3, it says this:
“These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness.”
“These things says the Amen.” Amen is a person!
And “amen” means “so be it.”
If you don't know how to respond, respond like Mary!
When God promises you something, or if you hear something being
promised in God’s Word, don't just sit down there at home and say:
“Well, if it happens, it happens. You know, if it doesn't happen…”
No, God works by faith. Don't forget.
Faith is having a good opinion of God.
Faith does not deal with suppositions or uncertainties.
Faith deals with certainties, verities, sureties.
It does not deal with speculation and “perhaps” and “maybes.”
No, faith is “amen!” Praise the Lord.
When we preach like this, it's like 2 Corinthians 1:17-20.
Paul says this: “Therefore, when I was planning this, do I do it lightly?”
“Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh?”
What is planning according to the flesh?
“that with me there should be Yes, Yes and No, No?”
Doing things in the flesh is when it is “Yes, Yes and No, No.”
“Yes, Yes and No, No. God is good but sometimes…”
It's like you don't see the end.
God is always good, friend!
And even when bad things happen, He's not the source of it,
but He'll make it work for your good!
So God is faithful. “Our word to you is not Yes and No.”
Look at this!
“Our preaching to you was not Yes and No.”
“Sometimes God heals, sometimes He doesn't. Yes and No.”
No, Paul says: “My preaching is not like that.”
Look, friend, are you listening to New Testament preaching?
This is what Paul says: “For the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, who was preached among you”
“by us—by me, Silvanus and Timothy— was not Yes and No,”
“but in him was Yes.” Certain Yes!
“For all the promises of God”
People ask me: “Pastor Prince, can I claim promises in the Old Testament?”
Why not?
“All the promises of God in Him are Yes.” Including all the Old Testament.
In fact, most of it is from the Old Testament.
When Paul says “all”, it is all!
“All the promises of God in Christ, In Him are Yes and in Him are Amen,”
“to the glory of God through us.”
What does “through us” mean?
It's like this.
God says: “Blessed are you among women.” What do you say?
You say: “Amen.” And God gets the glory through you.
There's another promise that comes. God says: “By His stripes, we are healed.”
Actually, it's an accomplishment, not a promise anymore. Amen.
What do you say? You say: “Amen!”
And God gets the glory.
And you get the fulfillment of it in your body.
Praise God, praise God!
God wants us to respond in faith, having a good opinion of God.
You know, like Mary.
“Let it be to me according to your word.”
Again, it's not incumbent on you to produce the faith.
It is the Lord.
“Let it be to me according to Your Word.”
“Everything rests on Your Word. Lord, I'm resting on Your Word.”
“My little faith is hooked onto Your Word. It is incumbent on God to fulfill His Word.”
Like Sarah, she judged Him faithful. Amen. It's not my faith.
He is faithful. Hallelujah.
When you have that perspective, God sees you in your faith.
You're someone like David. Even before the giant fell,
he said: “The Lord who delivered me from the paws of the bear,”
“from the lion, He will deliver you into my hand.”
Even before Goliath fell, he had a good opinion of God.
And God did not let him down.
The Bible says whoever has a good opinion of God,
whoever believes in God, that’s having a good opinion of God,
will not be put to shame. Amen.