The Real Question
Scripture: Luke 1:5-38; Hebrews 11:1-19; Genesis 15:4-6
At the close of my message last week I told you that when we choose to walk with God we make the decision to come into agreement with Him versus asking Him to come into agreement with us. With that decision we no longer need to know “how” and “when” God is going to do what He does. I also played the song “Victory” by Brenda Waters. The song says, “I don’t know how God’s gonna do it and I don’t know when He’s gonna fix it. I only know, God’s gonna to make a way for me, I know He’s gonna do it, victory! He never told me, how He’s gonna do it. He never tells me just how He’s gonna fix it…..I know He’s gonna make a way for me out of know way…” This song tells the story of our walking with God. So if we are walking with God and we are struggling in our belief that He is going to do exactly what He promised, then there is a reason for our struggle. The title of my message this morning is “The Real Question.”
A big part of every conversation is the question. The actual word itself has several definitions, but the two that I want to focus on in this message pertains to how they display (show) our faith to the world. The first definition of question is “a request for information.” This definition generally involves our seeking more information or to clarify something that was said. The second definition is “a doubt or uncertainty about somebody or something.” This definition speaks directly to belief – or lack thereof. In this definition is the understanding that something stated as truth is not believed. Finally, another consideration of asking questions pertains to what is being asked. You can ask one question but that question might not be the “real” question, or what some call, the question behind the question. The question behind the question is the real question being asked because that answer contains the information the person truly wants to know.
I attended a seminar years ago on this subject that was led by John Miller, the author of the book, “The Question behind the Question”. The seminar focused on how to ask real questions of yourself as a means of becoming more accountable. If you read his book you will gain the understanding that there is a well-established legal principle which states there is a difference between the “letter of the law” and “spirit of the law”. The letter of the law refers to “the specific words used in the law itself”, while the spirit of the law refers to “the underlying concepts and intentions behind the law.” So in applying this concept to the questions behind the questions relating to personal accountability, there are three guiding principles to asking questions according to Mr. Miller. First, a question should begin with “what or how”, not “why, when, or who”. Second, a question should contain an “I,” not “they, them, we or you.” And third, a question should focus on action. If we ask questions utilizing this format we increase our personal accountability involving three things: (1) Eliminating victim thinking, procrastinating, or blaming; (2) Recognizing I can only change me; and, (3) Taking action. Keep this in mind as we examine some situations where questions were and were not asked. We will attempt to answer the question “why” the question was or was not asked based on the individual and situation. Turn with me to the first chapter of the book of Luke.
Let’s begin at verse five of Luke chapter one. “(5) In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. (6) They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.” (7) But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years. (8) Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, (9) according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.” Zacharias was a priest and he married Elizabeth from the priestly household of Aaron. Both Zacharias and Elizabeth walked with God as noted in how they blamelessly kept the commandments of requirement of the Lord. Zacharias and Elizabeth were advanced in years and did not have a child although they had “prayed” for a child previously when they were of child-bearing age. Verse seven says Elizabeth was barren and advanced in years meaning that she had no children and now she was too old to have them. Let’s continue.
(11) And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. (12) Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. (13) But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. (14) You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. (15) For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb. (16) And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. (17) It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ (18) Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.’”
There are several things the Spirit wants us to see before we get to the real question. While Zacharias was burning the incense offering, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him that he and Elizabeth would have a son. But notice what the angel Gabriel told him in verse thirteen. He said, “….for your petition has been heard…” The Greek word translated for “has been heard” carries the meaning of something that has been prayed for but is no longer being prayed for. Gabriel told Zacharias that the prayer he had prayed and was no longer praying had been heard by God and God was now answering the prayer. He tells him that they will have a son and his name was to be John. After hearing all of this great news that his prayer was being answered, Zacharias asked a question. Look at what was recorded in verse eighteen.
Verse eighteen records the following: (18) Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.’” Zacharias asked the angel “How will I know this for certain?” The feeling behind this question was doubt! Zacharias and Elizabeth were no longer praying for a son, they had moved on to other things. We know that they had stopped praying about a son because Zacharias gave the reason for his question when he said, “For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” Because they had “aged out” of child bearing age according to their understanding of their bodies, Zacharias wanted to know “how” God could do it. But notice, he did not ask the angel “How God would do it?” He asked the angel, “How will he know…” You would think that he would know that answer when they got renewed energy to come together as married couples do. You would think he would know when she actually started showing signs of being pregnant in a few months. But again, this is not what he was wanting. Zacharias, because of his age and everything he understood with his mind about how the body functions, did not believe it could happen because they were too old. They had long lost all hope of God answering that prayer as they continued to age. He had forgotten about Abraham and Sarah! So the real question Zacharias was asking God was “How could it happen – we are too old?” Zacharias doubted and needed something to help him believe.
How many times have we doubted God? How many times have we discarded what we have prayed for because the answer did not come in our timeline? How many prayers have we walked away from because we did not know the how and the when of the answer? How many times have we gone to God asking Him “How will I get through this? Or “What do You want me to do?” when we are really asking Him the real question of “Why me?” or “When are you going to deliver me?” And here is the important point: when we ask God the “why” and sometimes even the “how” questions, we are expressing the same disbelief that Zacharias expressed in his question. Zacharias had walked away from believing God “would and could” answer his prayer when he and Elizabeth reached a certain age. I believe that Zacharias believed God could do any and all things, but in His situation he had reached the conclusion that God would not answer his prayer. Now stay with me, once Zacharias reached the conclusion that God “would not” answer his prayer as they aged out of child bearing age, he needed proof. When he was younger and his body full of life, he did not require proof that God could and would do it. As he got older and accepted (believed) that God “would not” do it, now doubt set in at the very thought that God “could and would” do it. We often go to God believing that He can and will, but as time goes by, we choose to believe that He decided not to for whatever reason, and then we stop believing. Once we let our faith die and we stop believing and praying about a situation, it is very hard to resurrect that faith and start believing again for that situation. This is where Zacharias was at. Now jump down to verse thirty-four.
The angel Gabriel also visited Mary. He told Mary that she was going to have a baby who would be the Savior of mankind. Mary also asked a question with the first word being “how”. Luke 1:34 records, “Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’” When Mary asked her question, Gabriel answered her. Why did he answer Mary but rebuke Zacharias? Because hers was the real question! She did not ask because she doubted God; she was curious about how it would happen since she was a virgin. Do you see the difference? Zacharias was member of the Levitical priesthood. In addition to carrying out his priestly duties, he taught the people about God and His ways. And yet, he asked a question that was filled with doubt about what God could do. He did not ask the angel “how” God would do it for understanding; he asked believing it was not possible. And because he doubted, the angel told him he would not speak his doubt again until the baby was born. Sometimes in order for us to see and understand what God is doing we have to shut our mouths so as not to speak against it in doubt so that we don’t stand in the way of God’s blessing. Zacharias asked “how” with doubt. When Gabriel appeared to Mary, she asked “how” for understanding. Now let’s read a few verses from Hebrew chapter eleven.
Hebrews 11:1-2 says, “(1) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (2) For by it the men of old gained approval.” I want to remind you once again of how the Amplified Bible translation reads. It says, “(1) Now faith is the assurance, (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen (the conviction of their reality) faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses. (2) For by this kind of faith the men of old gained divine approval.” We know that faith brings to reality those things we hope for. We see those things as real before we ever possess them. This is the faith that we must have in order to please God. Hebrews 11:6 says again, “(6) And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” I wanted to remind you of these three verses because when you see the names of the people listed in this chapter, they walked by faith even though in some cases they too had questions. You see, it’s not that we can’t have questions; it’s the question behind the question that can get us into trouble. Remember what I said that sometimes in order for us to see and understand what God is doing we need to keep our mouths shut? Before I close I want focus your attention on what was recorded about Abraham. Specifically I want you to see what is not recorded.
Hebrews 11:8-10, 17-19 says, “(8) By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. (9) By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; (10) for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.….(17) By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; (18) it was he to whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your descendants shall be called.’ (19) He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.” You are all very familiar with the story of Abraham. A couple of weeks ago I reminded you of the conversation that Abraham had with the Lord concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham knew the God he served and he was not ashamed or afraid to have a conversation with Him. In his questioning of God about Sodom and Gomorrah, he was pleading with God on behalf of others because he knew that God could do exactly what He was planning to do. He never questioned or doubted God and that leads me to this: when God told Abraham to act, the Bible does not record Abraham asking any of what we would consider to be very important questions. With Zacharias and Mary, when the angel appeared to them one asked a question doubting God while the other, believing that God could do exactly what the angel said He would do, asked a question out of curiosity. And, once she had that answer, she was good to go. But Abraham was different. When God was directing Abraham, Abraham didn’t ask one question.
Hebrews 11:8 says, “(8) By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” This is referencing Genesis 12:1-4 where the following is recorded; “(1) Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you. (2) And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing. (3) And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ (4) So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him.…” God called Abraham out of the land in which he was living with his father – with his entire family. He told Abraham to leave to journey to a place where He would show him. Here is the question that Abraham did not ask God: “Where are you sending me?” If that had been many of us, we would have needed to know where God was sending us and, because we would be very comfortable where we were, we probably would want to know “why”. Why do I have to leave? Why me? Abraham journeyed nearly a thousand miles under the constant threat of danger and yet he did not question God. And, he was 75 years old!!! Now, New Light, I don’t want you to miss this: the very first step that Abraham took was the first step of faith into what God had promised him. Turn to Genesis chapter fifteen.
Genesis 15:4-6 says, “(4) Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir. (5) And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ (6) Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Abraham had asked God would his servant be his heir since he had no children and God responded to him with the promise of Isaac. Now let’s jump ahead approximately 24 years to Genesis 18. Genesis 18:11-14 says “(11) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. (12) Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ (13) And the LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’’ (14) Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” When Abraham was 75 years old, God gave him a promise that he would have heirs. Twenty-four years later God returned to fulfill that promise and Abraham’s son was born when he was 100 years old, 25 years after he was first told he would have heirs. Now when God told Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son, Sarah laughed. Think about it, they were way past child bearing age. She laughed, but Abraham never said a word. Unlike Zacharias, Abraham did not ask “God, how is this possible?” He did not ask God how it would happen and he did not remind God of his age. Abraham was in his mid-seventies when God told him this and it would be twenty-five years before it happened. But get this; there is another question that Abraham did not ask God: when? During those twenty-four years of waiting on God to fulfill His promise, Abraham never asked God “When are You going to do it?” Can you imagine waiting twenty-five years on God to fulfill a promise to you? Can you imagine waiting without questioning God? And then the story gets even better. After Isaac was born, God asked Abraham to sacrifice him to Him.
Genesis 22:1-3 records the following, “(1) Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ (2) He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’ (3) So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” Now Abraham had waited twenty-five years for his son and now God is asking him to sacrifice his only son to Him. But notice what Abraham didn’t ask. He did not ask, “God, why do you want me to do this?” He did not ask, “Why my son God, I have only had him a few years?” He did not ask, “What about Your promise to me?” No, Abraham did not ask God one question! And do you want to know why? Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us when it records, “(17) By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; (18) it was he to whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your descendants shall be called.’ (19) He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.” By faith Abraham knew that God could raise Isaac from the dead so he did not have to ask God any questions pertaining to His request! When God called upon Abraham to act, Abraham never asked God: where, how, when or why. He just walked with God in faith.
Zacharias asked the angel Gabriel “How will I know this for certain?” when Gabriel told him he would have a son. It was hard for Zacharias to believe that God could do this now that he was old. When Gabriel told Mary that she would have a son, she asked “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” She was just curious about how it would be done knowing that God could definitely do it. Abraham, when God told him to leave his home, his comfort zone, never asked God a question about where He was taking Him. When God told him he would have a son, even after waiting twenty-four years for it to come to past, he never asked God how or when it would happen. Even after waiting twenty-four years. After he had his son and God asked him to sacrifice Isaac to Him, Abraham never asked why. Whatever God told Abraham to do he believed God and did it.
Are you asking God questions today about what He is doing in your life? Are you questioning God when you should be questioning yourself? When you question God, are you seeking clarity or asking in unbelief because you’re doubting Him? What is your real question? Is it a question of faith? Is it a question of Love? Is it a question of hope? Is it a question of doubt? What is your real question? Until you recognize and understand your real question as it relates to your walk with God, you will never recognize or understand the answer. We can only understand the answer when we ask ourselves the real question. Or we can just choose to be like Abraham – believe God without question!
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
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