Listen Here

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple or Spotify. When you rate and review the show, you help Jaime reach more people.

How God Works Through Faithfulness, Barrenness, and Grace

When we think about Christmas, our minds usually go straight to the manger, the angels, and the birth of Jesus. But Scripture reveals that God was already moving long before Bethlehem.

In Luke chapter 1, we find what can be called the miracle before the miracle of Christmas. It is the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, and it carries a powerful message for anyone who has ever waited on God, served faithfully, or felt overlooked in a season of barrenness.

This story reminds us that God’s grace works quietly, patiently, and faithfully, even when prayers feel unanswered and time seems to have passed us by.

Understanding God’s Kingdom and the Priesthood

To understand Luke 1, we must first understand how God’s kingdom is ordered. God is King, and His kingdom is not only about rule and authority but also about worship, service, and obedience.

In the Old Testament, God established the priesthood to care for the tabernacle and to minister before Him. Surprisingly, God chose the tribe of Levi for this role, even though Levi’s lineage carried a history of violence, anger, and spoken curses. This choice alone reveals a foundational truth about God’s character.

God’s grace does not ignore the past, but it is not limited by it.

From Exodus through 1 Chronicles, Scripture shows how God faithfully maintained the priesthood through generations. Despite human failure, God did not revoke His calling. What He establishes, He sustains.

Grace That Rewrites History

The story of Levi is a picture of grace at work. Jacob’s sons Levi and Simeon committed terrible acts that brought shame upon their family. Yet God chose Levi to become His holy priesthood.

This teaches us something crucial for our own lives. Many people believe they are disqualified because of family history, personal failure, or past sin. Scripture shows us that grace is not earned and calling is not canceled by history.

God does not look at outward disqualifiers the way people do. He looks at the heart.

Zacharias and Elizabeth: Faithful Yet Waiting

Luke chapter 1 introduces us to Zacharias and Elizabeth, both descendants of the priestly line. Scripture describes them as righteous, blameless, and faithful in their service to God. They obeyed God’s commands and honored His ordinances.

Yet there was one painful reality in their lives. Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

This tension is deeply relatable. Many people serve God faithfully while carrying unanswered prayers. They obey, they worship, they remain faithful, yet something still feels missing. Luke 1 acknowledges this tension without judgment.

Faithfulness does not guarantee immediate answers, but it does matter deeply to God.

When Faithfulness Meets Barrenness

Barrenness in Scripture is not limited to the inability to have children. It represents seasons of unfruitfulness, waiting, loss, or delay. Elizabeth carried the social stigma of barrenness, while Zacharias quietly carried prayers he no longer believed could be answered.

This reveals two important truths. First, God sees barrenness even when others misunderstand it. Second, God’s grace is present even when faith feels weak.

Zacharias prayed for a child, but when the angel Gabriel appeared and announced the answer, he struggled to believe. His doubt did not cancel God’s plan. The miracle still came.

The Angel’s Announcement and God’s Timing

While Zacharias was serving in the temple, an angel appeared and declared that Elizabeth would bear a son. This moment happened during ordinary obedience. Zacharias was simply fulfilling his priestly duties.

God often speaks in seasons of routine faithfulness, not dramatic striving.

Reminder: God’s answers arrive in His time, not ours. Even prayers we have quietly set aside are not forgotten by Him.

The Birth of John the Baptist: Reproach Removed

When Elizabeth gave birth, Scripture says the Lord removed her reproach. The shame she carried was replaced with rejoicing. God not only fulfilled a promise but also restored dignity.

Naming the child John was significant. It symbolized a new identity and a break from past patterns. God often gives new names to signify new purposes.

John’s birth prepared the way for Jesus. This is why his story is the miracle before the miracle of Christmas.

The New Covenant and the Royal Priesthood

This story does not stop in Luke 1. The New Testament reveals that believers today are part of a royal priesthood. Through Jesus’ blood, a new covenant was established.

Scriptures in Galatians, 1 Peter, and Revelation affirm that believers are kings and priests, called to serve God through faith, not works. Grace covers our past and empowers righteous living.

This means that God’s faithfulness to Zacharias and Elizabeth extends to us today.

God Is Faithful Even When We Forget

One of the most powerful truths in this message is that God remains faithful even when we stop believing. Zacharias doubted. Elizabeth waited quietly. Yet God fulfilled His word.

God does miracles even when we think it is too late. He remembers prayers we have put on the shelf. He is not limited by time, age, or human expectation.

The miracle before the miracle of Christmas reminds us that God was already at work before we ever saw the answer.

Encouragement for Those Waiting

If you are in a season of waiting, barrenness, or quiet faithfulness, this story offers hope. God sees your obedience. He honors faithfulness. He removes reproach. He keeps His promises.

Christmas is not only about what God did in Bethlehem. It is about what God is still doing in hidden places today.

Stay faithful. God is faithful.

Chapters

00:00 The Christmas Spirit and Its Relevance
03:05 Exploring God’s Kingdom and the Priesthood
08:51 The Role of the Levites and Their Significance
14:55 The Miracle of John the Baptist’s Birth
20:52 Faithfulness Amidst Barrenness
27:01 The Power of Prayer and God’s Faithfulness
36:09 The Role of Faithfulness in God’s Plan
45:04 The Prophetic Words of Zacharias
57:11 The Christmas Miracle: Hope and Redemption

Full Transcript

This transcript is auto-generated and not perfect. We hope it blesses you.

Jaime Luce (00:00.11)
you

Jaime Luce (00:13.922)
Welcome to the Jaime Luce podcast. Merry Christmas. If you’re watching this or listening to this when it’s actually going out for the first time, this is just a couple of days before Christmas. And I did want to bring something to you that I felt matched the Christmas spirit, but it’s not a message that is only for Christmas. So if you’re listening to this or watching this,

And it’s not Christmas, no worries. You’re still going to hear something that is relevant for your life today. so I’m gonna give you a lot of scripture today. We will be talking mainly about the story. I like to call it the miracle before the miracle of Christmas, which is found in Luke chapter one versus Luke chapter two. But.

I want to give you some really, we’re going to take you from Old Testament to New Testament and give you some really good background. And I think this will be really encouraging for you today. I have a lot of scripture for you. So if you want to reference this, I would suggest you get something to write with and take some notes. We will be talking about the parents of John the Baptist.

And we’re also gonna be talking about the priesthood and how that relates to our lives today. So not just that, but the grace of God. The grace of God calls us. The grace of God empowers us, but it calls us and empowers us to do the things that God has for us so that we can receive all the benefits that grace can afford us.

and the price that Jesus had paid by the shedding of his blood. if you will go with me, first, let me have you first turn to probably Exodus 32. I think that’s where we’re at to start with. If not, you can go to Luke one, but we’ll be in both and other places as well. So.

Jaime Luce (02:34.74)
God’s kingdom, let me give you some background. Let me paint you a picture. God’s kingdom, how we live our lives in the kingdom of God. Right now, God is King. He’s God and King alone. There is no other. And this kingdom is not flawed like an earthly system, but it is also a kingdom that is set up for

Not just ruling and reigning governmentally as far as how that affects the people, but it is also set up and governed in a way that we are to worship and honor the Lord. So that is the religious, so to speak, I don’t like that term, but the religious, the spiritual part of the kingdom. So you have aspects that affect order and laws and how you live amongst one another.

but then you also have the spiritual aspect on how we are to live our lives in honor and service to the Lord. So in God’s kingdom, he has established an order of the priesthood. Now we see this clear back in Exodus and I’ll get there in just a second, but the job of the priests was to care for, to operate,

and to conduct the offices of the tabernacle. So this is before the temple. We’re talking about the tabernacle in the Old Testament. And God chose the tribe of Levi to do this, which was a surprise choice. And the reason this was a surprise choice is because it is Levi who what you had Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Jacob had the twelve sons who are the twelve tribes of Israel the tribe Levi was chosen as the priesthood. This is a surprise because during the actual lives of the sons Levi and Simeon Jacob had spoken over them a curse basically on his deathbed over their lineage which I’ll get to in just a second, but it’s because Levi and Simeon

Jaime Luce (05:00.546)
had tricked and then slaughtered the men of Shechem under false pretenses because they were retaliating against the rape of their sister Dinah. their actions and the way that they went about this very much displeased Jacob. On his deathbed, he said, in their dwellings are

instruments of cruelty and let not my soul enter their counsel. He continued with cursed be their anger and that they would be divided and scattered. So that is not the picture of the priesthood. So this is a big wow moment.

This is a huge moment where we see the grace of God even in the Old Testament. And I want, this is a beautiful picture. I hope you can get this. I want you to picture the kind of men that these were. Yes, they wanted justice for their sister. There’s nothing wrong with wanting justice for their sister. It was the way that they chose to take that vengeance. There were other things in their life that proved out that these boys

had an issue with bitter anger and it was a curse. And it would bring, well, in fact, Jacob said, you have marred my name basically because I will be a stench in the nostrils of people because of what you’ve done. So their actions are greatly looked down on. And this was a great distress to Jacob.

how this is a picture of grace is that it shows that even though this was in their past, that this was the origins of Levi and Simeon, okay? Now Simeon wasn’t chosen, but Levi was. But I want you to see this. There is a tendency that we have to think.

Jaime Luce (07:25.036)
that we are still tethered to whatever is shameful or distasteful or painful from our past or our histories or those who are attached to us. And we tend to look at those things as barriers to the things that God calls us to.

So I want you to see this beautiful picture of grace that even in the knowledge of where Levi began and the curse that was set to be upon them as a people group that they would be scattered and divided. Now they were divided in the sense that Simeon and Levi were no longer together. That’s a good thing because you don’t want

unity where there is trouble, right? For those who instigate trouble, you don’t want unity amongst those who do wrong. You want there to be division there. So that did come about. But this is of such a picture of grace by God because he chose this tribe of Levi to be his holy priesthood, a holy priesthood, not just chose them to use them, but chose them as a holy priesthood.

And for those who would care very specifically for his tapernika, where his name would be known, where he would choose to establish a place to meet him. Okay. This is a big deal. And then every service related to it, whether that was, you know, carrying bowls or tearing down.

the curtains of the tabernacle or someone who carried a table, you know, no matter what it meant or whether you were the one who was actually receiving and preparing the sacrifices for the Lord. Both Moses and Aaron came from the clan of Kohath of the tribe of Levi. So Moses, who not only had his

Jaime Luce (09:46.002)
origins in this kind of anger and trouble, it was still in his lineage. Moses murdered the Egyptian and then ran for his life and was in the desert in the wilderness for 40 years serving another man instead of in the palace serving Vero. Now we know that God chose Moses anyway. He called him out. He chose him and he chose Aaron and Miriam and these were of the tribe of Levi.

Kohath was of the tribe of Levi. After the debacle, so you see in Aaron’s life some debacle here, going along with things he shouldn’t go along with, still in the family line, still present, not just old, not just origins, present, okay, dealing with presently. We see the debacle of Aaron and the golden calf with the children of Israel.

And during that incident when Moses comes down with the 10 commandments, it says Moses says in Exodus 32 verse 26, whoever is on the Lord’s side, he was making them decide right now, you can’t go serve an idol. We are here because I brought you out to serve God. Every single time that Moses appeared to Pharaoh, it was let my people go that they might serve me, that they might offer sacrifices to me.

The whole thing was to pull them out and to set them free from slavery so that they could worship and serve the Lord. This was their purpose, to serve the Lord, because that’s what Levites do. After the debacle of Aaron and the golden calf, and Moses says, who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me. He was literally drawing a line in the sand and saying, okay, I need those to step forward away from their brethren.

and to show this entire group, if you are on the Lord’s side, you come over here with me. Those who don’t stay on the other side. And the sons of Levi, according to the scripture, gathered themselves together to Moses. The tribe of Levi, the sons of Levi all said, we choose the Lord. Though we struggle,

Jaime Luce (12:05.784)
though this is in our bloodline, though this is a problem and we’re dealing with it, though we need help in this area, we choose the Lord. And the sons of Levi then executed justice by Moses’ command throughout the camp of Israel. So from that moment they chose, they chose, it didn’t matter what they were dealing with, they chose.

Verse 28 says, so the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. Now we know that the word of Moses was to them, the word of God. Moses would go to the mountaintop, hear from God, come down and deliver the message. So they were choosing the Lord and they were obeying the word that came through Moses, which was the Lord’s. From this time on, we can see the plan for the priesthood through

the tribe of Levi all throughout scripture. We see it explained again in 1st Chronicles 24 and in verse 19 it says that this was where King David who was setting up in preparation to turn things over to Solomon his son was getting ready to then build a temple and was setting a schedule by clan for the service of the house of the Lord according to the ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father.

the Lord of Israel had commanded him since changes were made due to the fact that Solomon was now king and acting I Lost my place. Sorry and Acting now as king and an actual temple would be built and they would no longer need to move the tabernacle from place to place So it was changing the needs that were necessary in the Old Testament

Well, this is the Biblical testament, but before King David, before the times of the Kings and in Moses’s day, before going into the promised land and in the promised land, there were certain things that they’d need to do that required the service of and schedule for the men of Levi because they had to literally dismantle, pack up and move the tabernacle. That’s all changing now. So a new ordinance.

Jaime Luce (14:26.926)
was going forth, still the children of Levi who are still taking place in the priesthood, but they were setting the schedule. So we see that happening in first Chronicles. Then now fast forward a thousand years, okay? Fast forward a thousand years. I love this because that amount of time shows that for a thousand years, these ordinances were operated in and

operated by when the children of Israel were doing what they were supposed to be doing. The tribe of Levi would be doing these things. And it also shows the character of God, the faithfulness of God, that through generations, His word is the same. It never changes. He doesn’t change. He doesn’t change his mind. He doesn’t say, chose you and now I don’t choose you. If He’s chose you, He’s chosen you.

That’s just the way it is. So fast forward to Luke chapter one, verse five. And I’ll read you most of the story, but I’m gonna give it to you sort of in pieces. So Luke one, verse five says, there was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the division of Abijah. Now that’s a…

from the tribe of Levi. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinance of the Lord blameless. Now, don’t let the word blameless scare you because we can think I’m not blameless. But I want you to hear what this word means.

The word blameless in the Greek is daikaios, which means blameless, righteous, conforming to God’s laws and man’s law abiding citizens, but following God’s laws. It was originally used to describe people who lived in accordance with

Jaime Luce (16:50.67)
the word daike, which is the daikeos or rule is what that means, in custom. And when I read that, it brought to mind how Jesus beautifully, we’re in Luke one, but once we get into Jesus’s life, if we go all the way over to Luke chapter 22, and you see this also in Matthew 26,

In fact, let me turn there with you. I want you to see this. Luke 22.

Jaime Luce (17:31.052)
this is still the way that God operates. So it was this way in the establishment of the priesthood, it was this way at Jesus is coming, but look what Jesus does, okay? So that we can understand as Christians, what was instituted that it is still what God chooses. So this word of this custom that Jesus

was following and living under as a Jewish man and then what he did with that because this affects our lives today. verse 14, chapter 22, verse 14 through 20, and you’ll understand this right away. This is the institution or when Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper and it says, when the hour had come, he sat down and the 12 apostles with him.

Then he said to them, with fervent desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Then he took the cup and gave thanks and said, take this and divide it amongst yourselves. For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.

and he took bread and gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them saying, this is my body, which is given for you. Listen to this. Do this in remembrance of me. He was instituting a new custom. They already would partake in Passover, but he was instituting a new custom.

because that’s the way that this operated, the whole system operated. Verse 20, likewise, he also took the cup after supper saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you. Matthew 26 basically says the same thing.

Jaime Luce (19:53.032)
very quickly it says, as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, take, eat. This is my body. Then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying, drink from it. All of you for this is my blood for the new covenant. I’m sorry. Of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

So Jesus was letting them know His blood, the shedding of blood, the institution of priesthood and sacrifice is converging here. And Jesus is saying, there is a new covenant, there is a new ordinance, a new custom that I want you to regularly partake in. And when you do, I want you to remember my sacrifice.

So this custom is for us to remember that when we partake, no matter what has stained us, no matter what has been with us, no matter what we carry, no matter where we come from, no matter what we’ve done, the blood of Jesus, this custom, this covenant, covers us that we go through an exchange of righteousness.

that we take on His righteousness. He took on our sin, but we take on His righteousness. Okay, so I want you to take that picture and we’re going back into Luke 1 and we understand that the word blameless and righteous, we get to partake in no matter if we think we’re righteous or not, if we have partaken of the blood of Jesus.

If we have accepted him by faith as savior and accepted his sacrifice in his blood, then we are covered and we walk in righteousness. Okay. That’s just kind of a side side note. So in the new Testament, this word, this blameless word was primarily used of persons who correspond to the divine standard of right made possible.

Jaime Luce (22:19.086)
So doing right that is made possible through justification, what we talked about what Jesus did, and sanctification, the work that he’s doing in us as Christians. That is a picture of the Lord’s Supper. So here we have this couple. We have Zacharias and Elizabeth. They are both from the lineage of Levi, and they are both faithfully making sure that they

are serving faithfully according to their times, according to, as David had put it, the schedule by clan, they were faithful to the service of God, okay? And God had counted them righteous according to his commands and his laws. Blameless. They did exactly what he asked them to do over and over.

and over. Every time they were called upon to serve, they served faithfully to the Lord, faithful always to the duties and the requirements of their service to the Lord. But we read in verse seven, so go back to Luke one, verse seven. In fact, let me read you. I’m just going to read from verse five through verse seven.

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren and they were both well advanced in years. There’s a lot.

in that verse that she was barren and they were both advanced in years. I bet that some of you today can relate that

Jaime Luce (24:33.622)
You have obeyed a call that you feel the Lord has placed on your life. And in that call, you have served faithfully. You have honored the call of God on your life. You’ve done your best leaning on the Lord and on the blood of Jesus that you have done your best to serve the Lord the best way that you know how.

to be faithful to the things that he’s called you to the best way you know how. And you’ve been faithful. You’ve done, you’ve said, Lord, I’ve done that. You asked me to do that. I’ve done that.

But I haven’t had an answer to my prayer. Something’s still missing for me. Something that I thought, I thought that you would help me with.

So I think that we can all, at some point in our lives, relate to this couple who must have felt like, you, you know, I wanted something, I have a need, there is barrenness in my life, there’s no fruitfulness in certain areas in my life, and time is gone. I’m older now. I feel like I’ve missed my time.

but I’ve been faithful. And the trouble, the trouble with that is that we tend to think about the service of God and what we do for the Lord as a works-based mentality that we think we have worked for His hand to open to us and answer our prayers instead of knowing that we have

Jaime Luce (26:31.342)
come to salvation by nothing less than the blood of Jesus Christ. There was no act I could have done. There was no amount of faithfulness I could have shown. My righteousness, the Bible says, is as filthy rags that I could not ever have deserved or earned the love of Christ, nor the sacrifice that was made for me to bring me to salvation. It cost the perfect one, the sinless one, his blood.

to pay for my sin that I could not pay for. But because we are saved and because we have faith and because we know that our God is the God of the impossible, we ask. We ask because we know that he hears and answers prayer. So we can get into a position where we’re either confused or disappointed or not sure what to believe for and

And yet we still carry these needs. And along with those needs, we carry the stigma sometimes of whatever that whatever that barrenness is in our life. For Elizabeth, the barrenness was the stigma of being barren, which in ancient times was a very harsh, you were looked down on. Something was wrong with you. You were less than.

Second always you and so yes the grace of God was so beautifully present in her life because regardless of what people thought regardless of what How others looked on them or may have? ridiculed or brought shame on their name or or or their character or something about them at the same time the grace of God was present because they were serving faithfully by God’s call

because they were Levites, that the grace of God was present. The grace of God was present. And we can be living in that tension, saved, living and serving under the grace of God. And yet feeling like I’m missing something. There’s barrenness in my life. I don’t have the thing yet that I have been praying for.

Jaime Luce (28:58.712)
But in God’s kingdom, faithfulness matters. Faithfulness matters. God sees. God knows. Faithfulness matters. Obeying God’s commands matters. In fact, Jesus said over and over that those who actually love him are those who are obedient to his commands.

which points to the fact that both Zacharias and Elizabeth truly did love God, not for what he would give them because they weren’t getting, but for who he was, honoring his ways, loving his statutes and commands, and faithfully serving in them, faithful to him through not seeing a change in their natural circumstance of life, living

faithful through the stigma of barrenness.

So let me ask you, do you feel plagued by barrenness in your life in some place? Maybe it’s in a relationship. It could be with a spouse, it could be with children, it could be with parents, it could be with friends, it could be a problem at work, it could be people who are gone. And you carry this unsettledness.

no closure because of people you can no longer get to. Yet that barrenness, whatever you’re feeling, that barrenness, in fact, that barrenness could be an actual barrenness that you’re asking the Lord for a child. That barrenness could be in your finances that you have just struggled to get through, to get by, and you’re doing all you know to do, remaining faithful.

Jaime Luce (31:03.178)
This is, you know, in nature, we can see this so many times where in Proverbs we’re taught to watch the ant because the ant is just diligent and faithful, constantly going and getting so that they can have what they have need of. You see, like for instance, the chipmunks and squirrels and they gather and they go hide away all their treasure so that they have what they need during winter. There is a process of being

faithful in something and sometimes that faithfulness unless there is a true change of events keeps us in a pattern of provided for but not necessarily abounding, right? Though we need to remember that Paul told us that we are to because he learned this he was also teaching this lesson to us.

that whether he is abounding or he is abased, he has learned to be content. And sometimes the Lord will allow us to walk through a season so that we can learn the beautiful lessons that bring us peace for our life. That whether I’m abounding or I am abased, I am cared for. My needs are met. He will meet my needs according to his riches and glory.

During those times he is teaching me to not rely on myself to be content to actually grow in faith because sometimes you you won’t see faith until Faith is necessary sometimes like you might have a great need and you don’t have what you need during that time and You are believing truly in faith that God is going to come through for you and he does and he shows you how faithful he is

These times, even though they may feel fruitless, even though they may feel barren, you can remember that God is still showing grace. There is something that I can be learning. There’s something that I can be gleaning from. During this season, I could be Ruth, and I could be the one going behind those who are reaping, but I am gleaning from their reapings.

Jaime Luce (33:24.918)
and I am learning what I need to know for the next season that’s coming. Ruth wasn’t always in a gleaning position. Then she became the wife of Boaz and went from that gleaning person to the abounding. So she was faithful and worked diligently during that season where she was abased. And yet God had an abound for her.

We just never know exactly when that suddenly moment’s going to come. So while we wait for those suddenly moments, I empathize. I know what that can feel like. When you are in a season of barrenness, it is very difficult. But the way to remind yourself of who God is, is to stay faithful. Stay faithful to Him. Stay faithful to His service. Because it is in that faithfulness that

You keep your connection to God and you are in the place to receive what he has for you, that place of faith. I’ve often heard people say, and I’m sure you have too, this phrase, God chooses the most unlikely. I’ve probably even said it myself over the years, like when we think of Moses, why did God choose Moses when he was on the backside of the desert for 40 years after murdering a man? know, so, but he was a Levi. It’s the grace of God, right?

So I actually think maybe that Elizabeth and Zacharias were the exact most likely instead of the most unlikely. I think actually they might’ve been the most likely because of their unwavering faithfulness and service to the Lord. Maybe we think that because we look at the outward things that we see what we think are disqualifiers, we judge.

And we look at the outward appearance as the Bible says, but God looks at the heart. He looks at the inward. That’s really good news. That’s really good news because I can look at my own life and think, these are all disqualifiers. I’m not qualified and how will I ever receive from God? I’m just disqualified. This barrenness, this disqualifies me.

Jaime Luce (35:48.654)
These old original family curses, they follow me around, they disqualify me. These old urges, this family line of anger, this to qualify. No, the grace of God is what qualifies us. The grace of God is what qualifies us.

Let’s look at verse eight through 25, Luke one eight through 25. So it was that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of the division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. So this is a big deal.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And 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 this birth at his birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink he will also be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb and then we know this was fulfilled because when Mary visited her he leapt in her womb and that moment he was filled with the Holy Spirit we see that later

and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will also 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 a people prepared for the Lord. Do you need any of those things? Do you need the heart?

Jaime Luce (38:07.094)
of the fathers turn to the children? Do you need the hearts of the disobedient turn to wisdom or to justice? Do they need to be made ready for the Lord? Verse 18, 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. Hi, my name is Jaime Luce. I wanted to share with you some information about a brand new book entitled, Don’t Need Money, You Just Need God. It’s a playbook for miraculous provision. And I want to share it with you because it solves the problem we are all facing right now.

The economy is going crazy, gas prices are soaring, there’s wars and rumors of wars. We’ve got everything hitting us all at once with interest rates rising. You need to know what to do. And so many times we think we need the money, but you don’t need money. I’m telling you the answer is you need God. And that’s exactly what we want to teach you through this book. We’ll give you practical ways to know what to do and how to do it so that you get answers now. You can find my book on Amazon.

You can also go to jamylouc.com. You can also find this book at YouDon’tNeedMoneyYouJustNeedGod.com. This book is available today.

But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until…

Jaime Luce (39:53.324)
the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their own time. And the people waited for Zacharias and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak to them. And they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple.

for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. So it was as soon as the days of his service were completed that he departed to his own house. You see that faithful service according to God’s ordinances. Now after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived and she hid herself five months saying, thus the Lord has dealt with me.

in the days when he looked on me to take away my reproach among people.” that’s so beautiful. That’s just so beautiful. Now the next several verses are about when Mary comes and announces Jesus’s conception. Mary visits, the angel meets Mary and then Mary visits Elizabeth. But I want us to jump

to verse 57. I want you to see yourself in this story. I want you to see yourself as either Zacharias or Elizabeth. They dealt with this differently. She dealt with shame and ridicule and being looked down on from the people. She carried a reproach. And yet Zacharias prayed for this

but didn’t really believe God was going to do it. Remained faithful, steady, doing what God called him to do. And yet when God answers, he doesn’t believe. He didn’t have faith. It was a, could that really be? Surely that can’t be. Just doubt, total doubt. Okay, let’s go to verse 57. Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered.

Jaime Luce (42:21.762)
and she brought forth a son, the Christmas miracle before the Christmas miracle. When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. You know, it’s interesting that she hid herself and she wanted to make sure and follow the commands. The angel spoke that he was going to follow the Levites, not the Levites, the…

come on, Jaime.

Nazarite vow there it is the Nazarite vow which was no wine no grapes even and They couldn’t cut their hair There were there were ordinances they followed to keep themselves very strictly holy and She obviously pulled aside to to not ask have to answer all the questions and the ridicule of and people speaking doubt over her life

over what God was doing inside of her at an old age at a time when it shouldn’t even take place. But it says verse 59, so it was on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the child and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. His mother answered and said, no, he shall be called John. But they said to her, there is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.

Now I want you to see the grace of God here, because if you feel that somehow your lineage that was passed to you, something that you’ve been carrying has been a mark against you, God says, I have a new name for you. There’s an old, old hymn that says there’s a new name written down in glory and it’s mine. Well, for me, that new name written down in glory means I’ve been given a new name. In fact,

Jaime Luce (44:23.714)
The scripture tells us that there’s a name that God will give us when we get to heaven and only he knows it. Only he and I will know what that name is. He gave him the name John.

So they made signs to his father what he would have called him. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote saying his name is John. So they all marveled. Verse 64, immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he spoke praising God. Then fear came on all who dwelt around them.

And all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts saying, what kind of child will this be? And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Now his father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied saying, blessed is the Lord God of Israel for he has visited and redeemed his people. And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been since the world began that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father Abraham to grant us that we being delivered from the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. As you child will be called the prophet of the highest, sorry, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare

Jaime Luce (46:22.562)
prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins. We talked about the blood through the tender mercy of our God with which the day spring from on high has visited us to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet in the way of peace. So the child grew.

and became strong in spirit and was in the deserts till the days of his manifestation to Israel.

Jaime Luce (47:01.868)
I want to read you now some verses because I want you to see that this beautiful promise given to these precious, faithful people who didn’t deserve it necessarily, but because of the grace of God, because of the mercy of God said, I still have a plan for you. I still have answers for you. want you to go to Galatians three seven because this Christmas miracle before the Christmas miracle.

relates to each one of our lives. We, according to scripture, are kings and priests. Now in the New Testament, not just the old, even though we don’t go and serve in the same way, we serve our local church, we serve one another, we serve our families, we serve the call that God has called us to. There are pastors, teachers, evangelists, there’s a

We have the fivefold ministry, so to speak, the things that we serve, how God has called us. If you look, there are so many places of service in scripture, and I’m not going to take the time to read them all. Some of them are hospitality and just what we do for one another. So there are so many places. There’s a place that God has called us to serve. Some of us it’s in the marketplace. You need to know what the call that God is putting out to your heart. You are called.

And this same promise is to us, this same grace, the same place where we can receive answered prayer. The beautiful promise and prophetic word that was spoken by Zacharias on all the things that we can receive because of Jesus Christ. I want you to see all of this in the New Testament. This is us. This is us, the Christians. Galatians 3,7.

know therefore that they which are of faith are the same, the same are the children of Abraham. Let me read that again. I’m sorry, you guys, I’m getting over being really sick and I’m having to work real hard with my brain here and seeing straight with my eyes. anyway, Galatians 3, 7, know therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Jaime Luce (49:29.996)
And then Galatians 3, 9, so then they which be of faith are blessed with father Abraham. Galatians 3, 28 and 29. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3, 29. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring heirs

according to the promise. Okay, now I want us to go to 1st Peter chapter 2. I’m going to read you verses 1 to 10. 1st Peter 2 verses 1 to 10. We’re almost finished. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,

as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Okay, so this is to us who have received this grace. This is us, we are to take on the qualities of a newborn babe as Christians, laying aside all of these things, malice.

Jaime Luce (50:59.918)
Deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking. Go to verse four. Coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. You also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood.

to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. That’s us, a royal, a holy priesthood who offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God. Verse six, therefore it is also contained in the scripture, behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on him

will by no means be put to shame. Therefore, to you who believe, he is precious. But to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble being disobedient to the word, to which they also

were appointed. But you, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not

obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Praise God. Laying aside all malice. That word malice means the quality or state of wickedness, baseness, depravity, wickedness. It also means a mean-spirited or vicious attitude or disposition.

Jaime Luce (53:25.624)
Folks, we all need to take a good look. In essence, this is what Jacob was referring to when he was speaking his deathbed words to his son Levi and Simeon. But that is the good news. It doesn’t matter what was in our past, whether indeed or attitude.

The grace of God that was given to us at the moment that we believed in faith and were saved, covers us and at the same time empowers us to live righteous. That’s why as a reminder, we partake in the Lord’s Supper. So that like Zacharias and Elizabeth, we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you.

out of darkness and into his marvelous light. So let me read you two final passages. Let’s go to the book of Revelation and go to chapter one. The first set is verses four through six. John, this is John the disciple, to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace to you. Now these churches, this was an actual time, these were actual churches.

But this message went out to the churches, meaning the body of Christ. So we receive this message. Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come. And from the seven spirits who are before his throne and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler over the kings of the earth to him who loved us.

and washed us from our sins in his own blood and has made us kings and priests to his God and father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. We are kings and priests, the chosen ones, called to his service. Now go to Revelation 5 verses 8 through 10.

Jaime Luce (55:46.454)
Now when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. I want you to picture the prayers going up of incense at John’s coming and Zacharias was making prayers. And they sang a new song saying, you are worthy to take the scroll and to

open its seals for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and have made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth. So there you have it. We are now those who faithfully serve knowing that service does not go unseen.

or undervalued. We remain faithful and serve because of who He is and the price that He paid to save us. And since God is no respecter of persons, we know that He sees our barrenness just as He saw Elizabeth’s barrenness and He removes our reproach. He hears and answers our prayers. Stay faithful. Stay firm in your faith for our God does hear.

and answer prayers. And here’s the best part. God is always faithful. He is so faithful that he remembers and does a miracle even when we have forgotten about it or let it go. Even if we are like Zacharias, we truly think it’s past our time. And though we offer prayers, we’ve let it go. Or maybe you’re like the Shunammite woman.

who made a place for the prophet, but said, don’t tell me about giving me a son. She had long put that dream on the shelf. She had long put that prayer away. And yet God answered it.

Jaime Luce (57:59.778)
Zacharias had just assumed that it was impossible. He just really thought it was impossible. So much so that when the angel came, he didn’t believe him. And the consequence was that he was made mute until the answer actually manifested. God was faithful. God is faithful.

God will be faithful to you. Let him do whatever the work is. Let him cover whatever shame you think you might be carrying. Let his grace come and wash over you. Remain faithful to his service because I can guarantee you God will remain faithful to you. So that is the Christmas miracle before the Christmas miracle.

I do pray that you receive every good gift from God, that you receive Him and receive His peace today, what the beauty of Christmas means to us, that Emmanuel has come, God, with us, and that we now have a Savior. Let me pray for you. Father, I thank you so much for your presence. Boy, if that’s all we had was your presence, that would be enough, your salvation, your presence.

You’re so good to us and you carry us through the most difficult times. Lord, I lift up every single one today who is feeling a barrenness, feeling that they have been forgotten, feeling Lord that it’s just impossible. May your grace this Christmas, O God, and your peace, your love and your provision, shower them and cover them, O God, just as we want to be covered by your precious blood.

All things are possible to him that believes. So today we give you the glory honored that is due your name. And we ask that you would help us by your grace to remain faithful servants to your service. And it is in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Thank you so much and have a very blessed Merry Christmas. I hope to see you next week. Bye bye for today.