Have you ever come to a wall in your life that you finally said, “Impossible, it cannot be done?” Many inventors said man will never fly in what we know today as an airplane – but it happened on December 17, 1903, and then again at greater length on September 9, 1908, by Orville Wright for 1 hour 2 minutes and 15 seconds.

We will often determine what is impossible by our level of experience. However, God is calling us to realms of impossibilities based on our faith in Him and His Word!

It is vital that we trust God to do what He has said even when it seems impossible!

As we approach Luke 1:5-37, we need to quickly remind ourselves of the cultural and theological context of this passage. Here are 8 contextual issues to keep in mind:

Israel is under Roman rule with Herod the Great ruling Judea
There has been 400 years of prophetic silence
Priests served in the temple only a few weeks a year.
Offering incense in the Holy Place was a once-in-a-lifetime honor for most priests.
The sin nature is passed on to all through the seed of man (Rom. 5:12, 19), thus making the virgin birth crucial. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Ghost, so he was born and lived without sin.
The virgin birth was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 (centuries before Luke 1).
To be “espoused” meant a strong binding marriage engagement. To be found unfaithful allowed for death by stoning (Deut. 22:22-24).

These contextual issues reveal that Luke 1 is overflowing with impossibilities! Let’s look at God’s miraculous work of impossibilities.

A Thrilling Prophecy (Luke 1:13, 30-31)

Impossibility: Conceiving!

There are two women in Luke 1 to whom the Lord gives incredible prophecies: Mary and her cousin Elizabeth!

I remember when my wife and I set out to plan the beginning of deputation. We had a car that was not paid off and was in need of repairs. We also had a small credit card bill, and we needed a computer as well as other office supplies. We had decided that we needed to resign my position as an Assistant Pastor, so we could jump into deputation travels. However, that also meant no more regular income. We believed the Lord was leading in this direction; however, we needed to pay off all our bills and acquire the necessary tools to be able to start deputation. We began to pray and ask the Lord to meet these impossibilities. In a short period of time the Lord had supplied the means to pay off the car loan, the credit cards, and He also gave us a computer! He even supplied a better vehicle at no cost to us – two months after we started full time deputation! God did the impossible!!

Read the account of Elizabeth and Zacharias in Lk. 1:5-25. They were old, without children, and righteous. In verse 13, Gabriel tells Zacharias that his prayer has been heard. This would have been the first angelic revelation in centuries!!

This signals the end of God’s silence and the renewal of God’s redemptive plan.

Gabriel tells Zacharias two things:

1. A blessing. His wife will bear a son! Her lack of any children would have been a social stigma that was often viewed as Divine disfavor. God is overturning cultural assumptions about His blessing and shame.

2. A vision. His son will be greatly used of God, echoing Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6.

Another woman that is given a prophecy is Mary (1:30-31). The angel comes to her as well and reveals much the same thing – she’s going to have a baby. In Elizabeth’s case she was a married woman “well stricken in years.” However, Mary is the opposite extreme! She is not married but engaged and quite young.

The angel tells Mary:

1. A blessing – She will bear the Messiah. God chooses the humble and unseen!

2. A vision – Her son will be the God-man!

A Willing Obedience (Luke 1:24-25; 34-36, 38, 45)

Impossibility: Believing!

When God does impossible things, He calls His people to believe the impossible. More specifically, God calls His people to believe Him! Let’s look at the response of those involved.

Luke 1:25 – Elizabeth gives praise to God
Luke 1:38 – Mary submits to God’s plan and believes
Luke 1:45 – Elizabeth declares Mary’s belief in God’s plan.
Matthew 1:20-24 – Joseph demonstrates belief in God’s plan.

There is one more person in these two families that the Lord allows us to see his reaction. Zacharias. Zacharias doubted this prophecy -- this impossibility. How do we know this? Look at verse 20.

The comparison between Zacharias and Mary reveals the outcomes of belief and unbelief.

1. Both receive a prophecy that seems impossible (Luke 1:13, 31)

2. Both question God’s plan (Luke 1:18; 34)

3. Both question God’s plan with different motives (Luke 1:20, 35, 45)

Can you imagine calling 911, but telling the operator, “You probably won’t come though!”

You dial because you know help is needed but our doubt undercuts our trust. Prayer can be the same way. We ask God to act, but deep down we’ve already decided He probably won’t.

Aren’t you glad that God isn’t limited by the strength of our confidence? He responds to faith in who He is, not to perfect certainty in ourselves…and our “call” still goes through!

Like we began studying last week, notice that each person’s faith is marked by his or her obedience to God’s plan. Elizabeth rejoices (Lk. 1: 24-25)…Mary submits (Luke 1: 38)…and Joseph marries Mary (Matt. 1:24). Our faith is seen in our obedience (John 14:21; I John 2:3-4).

To apply this truth, consider these 4 examples of how my faith in God is seen:

1. Tithing (Malachi 3:8-10; Matt. 23:23; II Cor. 9:6-7)

2. Rejoicing in various trials (James 1:2)

3. Loving my enemies (Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27)

4. Choosing kindness and forgiveness (Eph. 4:32)

An Amazing Truth (Luke 1:37)

Here is the amazing truth amid all these thrilling prophecies and willing displays of obedience, “For with God nothing shall be impossible!”

God did the Impossible:

When the Israelites were slaves and Pharaoh wouldn’t let them go
When Moses and the children of Israel came up to the red sea and the Egyptians were closing in on them
When Joshua came to the great walls of Jericho
When the sea looked as though it would take the apostles in a great storm
When a widow had no more food, or even oil with which to cook
When sin had separated creation from the creator

What is “the impossible” for you? Is it…

Loving your neighbor?
Loving your wife or submitting to your husband?
Obeying your parents?
Forgiveness?
Tithing…witnessing…baptism?
Financial or health pressures?
Victory over fleshly sinful desires and addictions?

Imagine standing at the edge of a river that looks impossible to cross. You measure the current, calculate the depth, and conclude, “There’s no way.” Then the bridge engineer says, “The bridge is already built. Step on the bridge!”

Faith isn’t pretending the river isn’t deep. Faith is trusting the one who built the bridge. God, in His omniscience, has already accounted for every obstacle we see and everyone we don’t. When He says, “Nothing shall be impossible,” He’s not asking us to ignore logic…He’s asking us to stop trusting our logic more than His wisdom.

Mary didn’t understand how, but she trusted who. And she stepped forward in willing obedience. Trust God today, and step forward in obedience!