Series: When God Breaks His Silence
Title: Unexpectedly expecting
Theme: Christmas
Introduction :
There is a game my parents used to play when we were on road long road trips in the car. The rules of the game went something like this. “The first one to talk loses.” We called it the silence game. Have you ever played the game? I would bet that just about every parent has made up a game similar to this. When traveling in a vehicle and arguing continues, or complaining erupts, or the eternal question, “how much further” is asked for the 100th time, we want silence. So we play the silence game. Sometimes, silence is golden.
Sometimes, though, silence is not golden. If you have ever felt the awkward pause in the conversation; if you have ever had an angry spouse or parent give you the silent treatment then you know what I’m talking about. (Whisper) Sometimes silence can be deafening.
Introducing Series:
As we look at Christmas, we begin a new series of Sermons entitled, “When God Breaks the Silence.” The most deafening silence I can imagine is when God is silent.
Context:
Is God ever silent? Today, before we look at our text, look at the table of contents in your bible. What Old Testament book comes after Malachi? (Pause)
There is no O.T book after Malachi. The O.T. ends there and the N.T. starts with Matthew. I know that’s not an earth shattering revelation. But folks, don’t miss this. In the space between Malachi and Matthew, is a period of 400 years. And in this period, God is silent. If you write in your bible, I want to encourage you to write 400 years of silence between Malachi and Matthew. Imagine it! That’s 20 generations of families who had never heard directly from God. 4 entire centuries pass. God’s voice had vanished.
Now if the O.T. is correct (and I believe that it is), the Jews were used to hearing from God. Whether it was through prophets, or judges, or even kings, God spoke to them. He would provide them encouragement, direction, correction, and promises.
But when the Jews are in the midst of one of the most troubling parts of their history, swallowed up by foreign powers and under the thumb of other nations, God is silent. They do not hear a word from Him. And they must have wondered if God has forgotten them. They wonder what they have to do to get God’s attention again. They wonder if they will ever be their own people again; wonder if God will remember the promises He made.
Common Ground:
Have you been there? Maybe you are in that space between Malachi and Matthew in your own life. Have you ever wished to hear God speak; have you ever wondered if God hears you; have you ever asked, “God give me direction”; “God give me some assurance”; “God give me a sign.” Has it ever felt to you like God’s silence indicates his promises are forgotten?
Turn with me to the book of Luke 1:5-38 and listen to what happens when God finally speaks?
Luke 1:5-6 (NIV)
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. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.
Context:
They were both elderly and were not capable of having children. This would have been a disgrace to Elizabeth and Zechariah because children in their time were a visual symbol of God’s provision and God’s blessing. This childless couple would have looked upon as cursed by God.
If you have ever tried unsuccessfully to have children, you might understand their plight. Having children is something that is supposed to happen. Most married couples want a family. That’s Elizabeth and Zechariah. And when they can’t have children, I imagine that their questions would have been real. Why is God ignoring us; you look around and see others who have children and you wonder why can’t I have children. Listen to what happens.
Luke 1:8-13a
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.
Did you catch it? God had HEARD Zechariah’s prayers. 400 years of silence and yet God heard the prayers of Zechariah and Elizabeth.
Key Observation: (Truths to understand)
It seems that even when God stays silent, he is still listening.
He still hears us. Silence does not mean that God is ignoring us or that God has gone away. God still hears. God heard Zechariah and Elizabeth’s prayer and He breaks the silence to answer them. The angel delivers the news they had been longing to hear.
Luke 1:13b-17
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name 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 from birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back 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 fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
This child would play a special role in God’s plans. Not only would he bring joy to Elizabeth and Zechariah, he would bring joy to MANY others. I don’t know if Zechariah believes what he is hearing, because he says to the angel in verse 18….
Luke 1:18
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."
Zechariah’s attitude reflects complete doubt. That’s impossible; we are beyond childbearing age; there’s no way this can happen. He hears a special message from God and Zechariah wants assurances. How can I be sure this will happen? Zechariah’s doubt is on full display.
So the angel says to him vs. 19
Luke 1:19
19 The angel answered, "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.
The angelic messenger is perturbed at this response. Gabriel had gotten the news directly from God. He was speaking God’s very words and Zechariah scoffs at the message. We might think that’s the end of that. No trust; no promise. But that’s not the way God works in this story. The power of God’s word has an immediate impact on Zechariah’s life.
Luke 1:20
20 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 proper time."
God’s power proves that this isn’t some con. When God speaks, he will fulfill the promises he makes. Have no doubt about that. And to display his power to fulfill his promise, he gives Zechariah a sign. You will be mute until the promise is fulfilled. The story continues… vs. 21.
Luke 21-22
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.
Do you see how God’s power to act on His word is put on display for others to see as well? The people outside the temple did not hear the delivery of God’s message; but because Zechariah was struck mute, they knew God had spoken.
Observation Two: The power of God’s word can be evident in the lives of others who have not heard him.
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."
God breaks 400 years of silence. He sends an angelic message to a disgraced, childless couple and promises them a son. It was good news. New life is soon conceived in Elizabeth and she becomes pregnant. Elizabeth voices her joy in verse 25 by stating that God had moved her from a state of disgrace to a state of favor (grace). I love Elizabeth’s perspective. She realizes that it was God’s grace that allowed her to bear a child in her old age. She was unexpectedly expecting.
That’s scene one. Scene two now unfolds. Another message is delivered from the throne room of God.
Luke 1:26-29 (NIV)
26 In the sixth month (of Elizabeth’s pregnancy), God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
Nazareth was a Podunk town in an out of the way region of Israel. The name of the town brought scorn and derision to the more cultured southern Jews of the day. Yet an angel appears there to share a message from God.
28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
Mary wonders if this is a good news situation or a bad news situation. The angel reassures her that the news he bears today is good news.
Luke 1:30 (NIV)
30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
Understand that it is God who places the favor on Mary – it was not favor that Mary earned in and of herself. God had CHOSEN Mary for this special role. The only two noteworthy things that Luke brings to attention is that Mary was still a virgin and that she was pledged to be married to a man who was also a descendant of King David.
Luke 1:31-33
31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
I want to stop right here. This is the promise of a King who will sit on the throne of David. It’s a promise 1000 years in the making. When David was serving as King of Israel, he wanted to build a temple for God. God told David that the temple was not David’s to build, but that his son would accomplish that. Instead, God gives David a promise….
2 Samuel 7:16 (NIV)
16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’"
It’s a promise that every good Jew knew by heart. Along with a host of other O.T. passages, these words instantly brought to their minds "The Messiah." A King in the line of David. An heir who would sit on David’s throne. And as we read, the angel has just repeated the promise to Mary. He will reign over the people of Jacob, eternally. This child you are going to bear will be the ONE! His kingdom will never end. The promise is coming to fruition in you, Mary. You will be the mother of the Messiah.
When the angel shares the news with Mary, she is shocked, Why? Because she knows she isn’t yet pregnant. Listen to hear words in verse 34.
Luke 1:34 (NIV)
34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
Now stop for a moment and consider the difference in attitude compared to Zechariah earlier. Zechariah’s response was, “That’s impossible.” Mary’s attitude is, “Tell me how this is going to take place.” Mary seems to consider the idea a possibility.
Luke 1:35
35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
It will be based on the power of God; a virgin giving birth to a child. God’s power will be displayed when he speaks. Gabrial assures her of this because he tells her vs. 36
Luke 1:36
36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.
What I have promised to Elizabeth and Zechariah has been fulfilled – and just like your relative Elizabeth, you too will be unexpectedly expecting. Then Gabrial adds the tagline. This is the passage to underline.
Luke 1:37
37 For nothing is impossible with God."
Does this verse have punch? It does to me. Consider the silence. Consider the gap of 400 years. God has broken his silence now on two different occasions to reaffirm his promise. And the angel reassures Mary that it is indeed possible because God has said.
When God speaks, he will fulfill his promises because nothing is impossible for God (even if we have to endure a period of silence before we hear.)
God’s silence should build our antipipation and patience; it should not lead us to doubt and fear. If God is silent, we expetently wait. Lean on the promises. Trust Him that he will bring about what he has promised one day. God does not forget his promises.
Even if he does so quiety to barely be a whisper. I think we have different expectations for God’s voice. I think that when we are looking for God to speak, we expect it to be grand. But look at the narrative today.
I. God often speaks through the ordinary rather than grand.
Two less than extraordinary people (a old man who has no children and a young woman in an out of the way village) are the first to hear a real message from God in 400 years. The skies don’t open up over Jerusalem. There is no angelic chorus for these birth announcements. They come in the course of everyday life to two ordinary people who are listening.
We want God to speak to us through the grand. Give me a vision. Give me a dream. Make it grand God. Help me to hear. We want God to shout out and break the silence. And more times than not, God is whispering rather than shouting.
* Whispering a message to our hearts from the pulpit
* Whispering application from a Sunday school class
* Whispering words of service
* Giving us simple images of people we can encourage.
If we listen, we can hear the whisper. What is God whispering to you today? If we listen to God’s voice, He will take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.
But that’s not all. A secondary aspect that is related is this….
II. When God speaks its often through the unexpected
Zechariah and Mary were both going about the daily business of life. And God leaps into their lives and breaks the silence. It was unexpected for both. Neither Zechariah nor Mary had an angelic visit in their planner for the day. And then God further surprises them with unexpected news. You are going to have a child.
Do you resonate with the unexpected? Has God ever spoken to you in a way that is unexpected?
* You go on a mission trip to impact others and it winds up impacting you more than you dreamed.
* You are driving down the interstate and pass a stranded motorist on the side of the road and you feel a tug to turn around and go back.
* You receive a refund check and there is enough money to help out with someone else’s need at the time. And there is a gentle whisper, “Do you really need to spend it all on yourself?”
* Your child goes through an unexpected event that could be life shattering and he/she escapes virtually unharmed; and God impresses on you the importance of your children.
* You get news about your health you don’t want to hear, but you have an uncanny sense of peace about it. And it is almost like God is speaking. Maybe he is.
When God speaks it’s often in the unexpected.
III. When God speaks its often to guide the fulfillment of his promises
God’s words in Scripture are NEVER empty. They always lead to the greater plan.
The angelic message is clear to both recipients that their sons would be special and would serve special roles in the fulfillment of God’s promise. Zechariah’s son would be to bring people back to God; to turn the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous; and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. John would prepare the way for the Messiah.
Mary’s child would take the throne of David and make it an eternal throne. Jesus would BE the Messiah that had been promised to King David himself. There was a purpose and plan and direction for both promised children.
When God speaks it will often bring purpose and direction to those who are listening because it is based on his promises. Have you heard God speaking? God will break the silence. He will step into the Malachi to Matthew gap in your life.
IV. When God speaks it reveals His power to fulfill his words through us.
Vs. 37. For nothing is impossible with God.
God chooses us as ordinary people and he uses us in unexpected and extraodrinary ways. That’s one way we could describe the church. He then empowers us to accomplish his will, purpose, and direction often in ways that we would never be able to accomplish on our own. I firmly believe it has the point of helping us to trust God to accomplish what we cannot so that he receives the glory.
Without God, there was no way for Elizabeth to become pregnant in her old age. Without God, there was not way that Mary, while still a virgin, could conceive a child. But with God, nothing is impossible. God’s voice, when heard will often reveal his miraculous power.
If you are waiting to hear God speak, look at the ordinary. If you haven’t heard God, wait a little longer. Often times, he will speak to you when you least expect it. If you are waiting for God to give you direction, how far are you willing to go to let him demonstrate his power? Do you really believe that nothing is impossible for God?
I read this story and I am left with a question. What if after 400 years of silence, Mary had not been listening? One could almost justify Mary stepping aside, rubbing her eyes, and going to see a psychiatrist about hallucinations. But listen to her reply.
38 "I am the Lord’s servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
God speaks after 400 years of silence. And when God speaks he unfurls the plan he has put into place since Genesis 3 when sin enters the world. It’s the Christmas story. It’s Christ in Christmas. It’s an announcement of the King. And Mary’s heart is open to message. Mary is a willing vessel. Listen to the reply. It’s a reply we should copy.
“I am the Lord’s servant.” “May it be to me, today, as you have said it will be.”
God’s silence might seem like it is deafening; but when he speaks, and we are listening and ready to act, it is always golden.
