Breaking the Silence

Living in the Silence

Devoted to the Faith

Luke 1:5–7 ESV

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Luke 1:7 (JPCS Lk): Among the Jews, “the commencement of old age” occurred when a person became sixty-five. At seventy, he was said to have reached “hoary-headed age.” After eighty, he was said to be “well stricken in years.” John Phillips

A People of Prayer

Luke 1:8–10 ESV

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

God Breaks the Silence in His Time

Luke 1:11–15 ESV

11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

God always speaks with clear instruction

God is not required to give you detail when he gives instruction.

Trust the instruction and watch for the detail.

The time of Elijah had come

Luke 1:16–17 ESV

And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will 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 for the Lord a people prepared.”

This was the last thing God said to the children of Israel at the close of the Old Testament.

Malachi 4:5–6 ESV

5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

400 years later God picks up where he left off.

Trusting the Word of the Lord

Luke 1:18–23 ESV

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

Trusting a miracle-working God is not normal.

Trust comes through experience and there had been no experience for generations.

You have to start trusting God somewhere.

Trust the written word and be ready for the spoken word.

Living in expectation of the prophecy’s fulfillment.

Luke 1:57–66 ESV

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

Behold God’s Word come to pass

Zechariah becomes the herald

Luke 1:67 ESV

67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

Luke 1:76–79 ESV

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

How to Break the Silence:

1. Be Faithful to the house of the Lord. Go where God is.

Hebrews 10:25 KJV 1900

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

We assemble at the house of the Lord in expectation of his presence.

2. Be obedient with what God has already spoken.

Be devout in your faith

Pray as one body with one mind.

Luke 1:10 ESV

And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

3. Listen to what the Spirit is saying to you.

When God shows up don’t question what he says.

Don’t ask for a sign when the sign shows up.

4. Become the herald of the good news.

God’s message become your message

Be faithful to preach it.