THURSDAY December 8, 2022

Glad Tidings

And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “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.”
Luke 1:18-20

Even though Zacharias was righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless (Luke 1:6), he struggled with the possibility of having a child in his old age. He served and loved God, but had unbelief in his heart. He could not believe that Elizabeth could conceive a child. Before God, unbelief is a sin.

The angel Gabriel rebuked him for his unbelief. In doing so, we have a glimpse into the heavenly realm. Gabriel revealed that he stood before the very presence of God. Believed to be an archangel, Gabriel was sent by God to deliver glad tidings to Zacharias. He had left the presence of the heavenly monarch’s throne room to give a message to an earthly priest.

Sadly, Zacharias’ unbelief had consequences––he would be unable to speak until the miracle of John’s birth took place. That was a long time! An angel of the Lord, believed to be Gabriel, declared Christ’s birth to shepherds, saying, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). Once again, the angel came from the very presence of God with good tidings––a Savior for all people. Do you believe the angel’s message?

Sadly, for many people, unbelief becomes the hindrance to accepting the Gospel message. John Stott explains why the sin of unbelief is to be deplored. “Unbelief is not a misfortune to be pitied; it is a sin to be deplored. Its sinfulness lies in the fact that it contradicts the word of the one true God and thus attributes falsehood to Him.” I plead with you, repent of your unbelief!

…the gate of salvation is open to all. There is nothing else to hinder us from entering, but our own unbelief.
~John Calvin~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!