DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room LUKE 1:5-33

GENESIS 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (ESV)  

For thousands of years, children in Jewish homes were taught that one day God would send a Messiah, a Deliverer, Someone who would rule, not just over them, but over the entire world. For thousands of years the Jewish people had been in the waiting room, but still no baby. One of the hardest places to be in life is in the waiting room not knowing…

Just wait. God is never late. When we find ourselves in the waiting room, either now, or some day in the future, this is what we must remember: Just wait. God is never late.

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room Keep Waiting – God Is Moving DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room LUKE 1:5 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. NIV DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room Words of high praise are recorded about this precious couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth. LUKE 1:6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly.'' (NIV) DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room They both held out hope that God was not finished, at least with the nation. There is more to their story: LUKE 1:7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. (NIV) DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room We go on to read that Zechariah was faithfully fulfilling his duties as a priest, and was given the duty twice a year to go into the temple and burn incense. LUKE 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. (NIV) DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room The last thing that anybody expected to happen, especially Zechariah, was for an angel of God to show up and not just speak, but to tell him of something that was about to happen that Zechariah and Elizabeth had long ago felt was absolutely impossible, from a physical and human viewpoint. LUKE 1:12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. (NIV) DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room Keep Working – God Is Listening DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room LUKE 1:14-17 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. 14 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.“ DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room LUKE 1:16-17 16 “He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 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.” (NIV) DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room Elizabeth and Zechariah had been praying for a child for a long time. LUKE1:13 Then the angel says this, ''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.'' (NIV) You may give up on God, but God never gives up on you. DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room How does Zechariah respond? LUKE 1:18 Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." (NIV) Here is an angel of God telling him he is going to have a baby, and he still doesn't believe it. DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room Listen to the angel's response, ''...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. 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.” (Luke 1:19-20, NIV) DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room God closes the mouth of Zechariah. When we are in the waiting room we can accelerate or stop what God is doing with our words. Is it possible God would not have been able to perform this miracle if Zechariah had talked? One of the hardest disciplines is “silence.” DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room Listen to the last words he said, “which will come true at their appointed time.” God had this day marked on his calendar, before Elizabeth and Zechariah were even born. DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room I want you to learn this and never forget it. God does not always do what we want Him to do, when we want Him to do it, but when He does what He wants to do, when He wants to do it, it is what we would have wanted all along. DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room Keep Watching – God Is Coming DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room LUKE 1:21-25 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. DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room LUKE 1:21-25 23 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." DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room God remembers every promise He ever makes, AND God keeps every promise he makes. DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room

DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room APPLY & MOBILIZE Remember, God is at work while we are waiting, and He needs us to continue to pray, work, and be obedient to bring to pass His plan for our lives and His Kingdom. DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF CHRISTMAS In the Waiting Room