WHEN GOD IS SILENT
Notes
Transcript
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A DARK SEASON?
GRAND CANYON EXAMPLE
EVER BEEN IN THAT PLACE?
THEY KNEW HOW THEY GOT IN THAT PLACE
THEY CHOOSE TO HEAD DOWN IN A CANYON AT MIDNIGHT,
BUT THERE ARE OTHER TIMES IN LIFE THAT WE DON’T KNOW HOW WE GOT IN THE DARKNESS
HOW DID WE ARRIVE IN THIS PLACE AND, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU CAN’T FEEL GOD, YOU CAN’T HEAR GOD, AND YOU CAN’T SEE GOD. AND YOUR CONVINCED GOD CAN’T SEE YOU AND YOU KNOW HE DON'T HEAR YOU AND YOU START TO WONDER IF GOD THERE AND IF HE IS THERE, DOES HE EVEN CARE.
ANYONE EVER BEEN THERE,, BEEN IN A DARK SEASON LIKE THAT IN YOUR LIFE
THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS MORNING, I WANT TO SPEAK TODAY ON THIS IDEA OF WHEN GOD IS SILENT OR WHEN HE SEEMS LIKE HE IS SILENT AND WHERE DO WE TURN AND WHAT DO WE DO WHEN HE SEEMS TO BE SILENT.
THERE IS A TIME IN OUR HISTORY OF OUR FAITH WHEN THIS HAPPEN AND IT HAPPENS AT THE END OF THE BOOK OF MICAH UNTIL THE START OF THE BOOK OF MATTHEW, A PERIOD OF 400 YEARS, FROM 430 AD TO 3 TO 5 BC. IN A TURN OF A PAGE. FROM MALACHI TO MATTHEW THERE IS NO RECORDED WORD FROM GOD. THERE IS NO RECORDED PROMISES... THERE IS NO RECORDED MIRACLES, NO RECORDED PROPHET,, NO RECORDED VOICE OF GOD. NO RECORD OF GOD TALKING TO HIS PEOPLE. RADIO SILENCE…..
AND THAT’S NOT LIKE GOD BECAUSE WHEN YOU READ INTO GENESIS YOUR SEE 9 TIMES
WHERE IT SAYS AND GOD SAID. AND GOD SAID, AND GOD SAID GOD SAYS,,
IN THE VERY BEGINNING GOD WAS SPEAKING BECAUSE GOD IS A SPEAKING GOD. ALL THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT WE SEE WHERE GOD SPOKE TO HIS PEOPLE,, HE SPOKE TO MOSSES,, HE SPOKE TO HIS PROPHETS TO BRING HIS WORD TO HIS PEOPLE,, HE SPEAKING,, HE IS SPEAKING,, HE IS SPEAKING,, THEN SALIENCE FROM HEAVEN.
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MAYBE YOUR IN THAT PLACE TODAY.
THIS MESSAGE IS FOR US ALL BECAUSE THERE MAYBE TIMES WHERE YOU FEEL GOD HAS NOTHING TO SAY TO US OR MAYBE YOUR IN THAT SEASON RIGHT NOW.
I’M NOT SURE HOW YOU GOT THERE OR WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO GET YOU THERE. I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MAKE GOD STOP TALKING FOR 400 YEARS BUT I KNOW A FEW THINGS THAT CAN FACTOR INTO IT.
1. MAYBE YOU JUST SLOWLY MOVED AWAY FROM GOD. MAYBE LIKE THE SHEEP YOU MOVED AWAY FROM THE SHEPARD AND IT FOUND IT SELF AWAY FROM THE FLOCK.. I DON'T BELIEVE ANYONE MADE A BIG TWEET THAT TODAY I’M MOVING AWAY FROM GOD BUT MAYBE SLIGHTLY AND SLOWLY YOU HAVE MOVED AWAY FROM GOD OVER TIME AND YOU FOUND YOUR SELF IN A DARK PLACE.
2. MAYBE GOD HAS ALLOWED YOU TO MOVE AWAY BECAUSE HE IS TESTING YOU, TO SEE IF YOUR FAITH IS STRONG ENOUGH THAT WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THIS PLACE THAT YOU WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO LEAN BACK TO HIM AND SEEK HIM EVEN WHEN YOU CAN’T FEEL HIM OR SEE HIM.
3. OR MAYBE YOU GOT IN THE DARKNESS BECAUSE YOU JUST TUNED GOD OUT AND HE JUST QUIT TALKING. LIKE MARRIED PEOPLE WHEN ONE PERSON IS NOT SPEAKING SO THE OTHER PERSON JUST SAYS OK, I WONT TALK RIGHT NOW.
I’M NOT LOOKING OVER AT LORI RIGHT NOW AS I’M SURE HE IS SHAKING HER HEAD.
AND MAYBE WE DID THAT AND GOD JUST QUIT TALKING AND HE SAID OK I WILL JUST WAIT UNTIL I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION.
4. OR MAYBE THIS IS THE CASE BETWEEN MALACHI AND MATTHEW, MAYBE YOU JUST TOTALLY DISOBEYED WHAT GOD ASK YOU TO DO SO HE STOP TALKING OR THE DISOBEDIENCE MADE YOUR HEART CALLUS AN GOD STOPPED TALKING BECAUSE YOU JUST CAN’T HEAR HIM ANYONE AND THAT CAN BE A SCARY PLACE TO BE IN LIFE
IN EHPAINS 4:19 IT TELLS HOW THE PEOPLE HAD THEIR HEART HARDEN BECAUSE THEY HAVE GIVEN THEMSELVES OVER TO OTHER THINGS THAT THEY HAD BECOME GREEDY AND THEY COULD NOT HEAR GOD ANYMORE.
IF YOU READ THE END OF MALACHI, YOU SEE GOD IS AT HIS TIPPING POINT WITH HIS PEOPLE. HE IS POINT THEM TO A PLACE IN LIFE,, HE HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING THEM IN LIFE, AND REMINDINED THEM THEY ARE THE PEOPLE OF GOD BUT THEY ARE JUST NOT HAVING IT. THEY ARE GOING IT THEIR OWN WAY. AND GOD IS SAYING OK,, IF YOU GOING TO LIVE LIKE THAT, THEN I’M GOING TO LET YOU LIVE LIKE THAT.. DO IT YOUR WAY, FINE I GOING TO LET YOU DO IT YOUR WAY AND FOR THE NEXT 400 YEARS WE WILL SEE HOW THAT WORKS OUT.
SOMETIMES WE ARE IN THE DARKNESS BECAUSE WE GOT DISTRACTED BUT SOMETIMES, WE ARE IN THE DARKNESS BECAUSE OF LOSE. SOMETHING HAPPEN THAT CAUSE PAIN OR LOSE OF SOMETHING OR THE DEATH OF SOMEONE.
WE WONDER HOW IS GOD NOT IN THIS OR WHERE IS GOD IN THIS, AND IT CAUSES GREIF WHERE SOMETIMES WE HAVE JUST WALKED AWAY , WE STOPPED TALKING OR LISTENING AND WE FIND OUR SELF IN A DARK PLACE AND IT FEELS LIKE THE 400 YEARS OF SILENCE.
AND WE ASK, HAS GOD GIVEN UP ON US. MAYBE SOMEONE ASKED THAT BACK IN THAT TIME. MAYBE YOU’RE ASKING TODAY HAS GOD GIVEN UP ON ME…
THE ANSWER IS NO, GOD HAS NOT GIVEN UP ON YOU, HE HAS NOT GIVEN UP ON US.
AND I CAN SAY THAT BECAUSE I HAVE THE STORY OF THAT RIGHT HERE IN LUKE.
There was in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
I’M NOT GOING TO STOP A LOT LIKE MOST PREACHERS DO IN A READING BUT,,
NOTICE THERE HAS BEEN NO WORD FROM GOD IN 400 YEARS BUT ZECHARIAH AND ELIZABETH WHERE BOTH UP RIGHT AND RIGHTEOUS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD,, BOTH OBEYING HIS COMMANDMENTS.
One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long.
When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”
When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.
When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”
“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.
Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.
Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
WHEN THE 400 YEARS OF SILENCE WAS BROKE THE ANGEL GABRIEL APPEARED AND SPOKE TO ZACHARIAH AND FULL-FILLED WHAT MALACHI HAD FORETOLD.
SO, WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOUR IN THE SILENCE? HERE ARE A FEW THINGS.
1. WALK BY FAITH NOT BY FEELINGS
2 CORINTHIANS 5: 7 7 For we live by faith, not by sight
SO, IF YOU CAN’T SEE AND YOU CAN’T FEEL AND YOU DON’T KNOW IF GOD IS EVEN IN THE EQUATION. THAT IS WHEN YOU HAVE TO WALK BY FAITH.
WHEN THE ANGEL APPEARED HE FOUND THAT ZECHARIAH AND ELIZABETH BOTH WERE UP RIGHT WITH GOD. EVEN WHEN THEY HAD NOT HEARD ANYTHING THEY WERE WALKING BY FAITH.
SADLY, WE ARE PEOPLE WHO WALK BY FEELINGS NOT BY FAITH. WE GET OUR CLUES FROM HOW WE FEEL, WE GET OUR CLUES FROM WHAT WE GOOGLE, WE GET OUR CLUES FROM THE VIBES AND THEN TRY TO FIGURE OUT OUR CONFIDENCE IN GOD IN STEAD OF JUST WALKING A BY FAITH. INSTEAD, WE SHOULD BE TRUSTING HIS WORD AND GETTING OUR CONFIDENCE FROM HIS PROMISES. THERE IS NOTHING IN THE PASSAGE THAT SAID OUR FAITH HAS TO BE SUPPORTED BY OUR FEELING BUT…. WHAT IT DOES SAY THAT OUR FEELING WILL BE SUPPORTED BY OUR FAITH.
2. FOR US TO REDIRECT OUR SELF. HOW DO WE REDIRECT OUR SELF WHEN WE ARE IN THE DARKNESS?
SPACE CRAFT HAS SYSTEMS THAT ALLOWS IT TO REDIRECT IT WHEN ITS IN THE DARKNESS SO THAT IT KNOW WHEN IT UP RIGHT OR UPSIDE DOWN AND RIGHT NOW SOME OF US DON’T KNOW IF WE ARE UPSIDE DOWN OR NOT. SOMEONE OF YOU DON’T KNOW IF YOUR IN THE POSITION THAT GOD WANTS YOU TO BE .. LISTEN,, GOD WORD IS THAT SYSTEM AND,TO YOU ALLOWS YOU TO REDIRECT YOURSELF WHEN YOU CAN’T SEE WHERE YOUR GOING.
3. STAY CONNECT TO BELIEVING PEOPLE.
IN THESE DARK TIMES IN YOUR LIFE, IT SO IMPORTANT TO STAY AROUND BELIEVERS. ALLOW THEM TO ENCOURAGE YOU. ALLOW THEM TO LIFT YOU. IT ALLOWS YOU STAY ENCOURAGE AS YOU SEE GOD IS WORKING IN THEM. MAYBE YOU WILL BE IN A ROW WITH SOMEONE WHO IS IN A HIGH PLACE,, MAYBE YOU BE IN A ROW WITH SOMEONE WHO IS DOWN…
WE ALL GOES THROUGH UP AND DOWNS AND MAYBE THE SUPPORT OF OTHERS IS JUST WHAT YOU NEED.
THAT IS HARD FOR ME. I DON’T LIKE OTHERS TO SEE ME DOWN… I DON’T WANT TO FEEL LIKE MY HARD TIMES IS BRING SOMEONE ELSE DOWN. I TEND TO WANT TO JUST WORK OUT ON MY OWN.
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
WHEN ZECHARIAH WAS HAVING A DARK TIME, HE WAS STILL DOING IS JOB IN THE CHURCH. BECAUSE HIS PEOPLE WERE IN CHURCH. KEEP SHOWING UP WHEN YOUR FEELING IT AND WHEN YOUR NOT FEELING IT. BECAUSE MAYBE JUST MAYBE SOMEONE HERE IS LOOKING FOR YOUR SMILE.
4. WORSHIP GOD IN THE DARK SEASON OF SILENCE
LISTEN ZECHARIAH DID NOT WAIT TO WORSHIP GOD AFTER HIS TONGUE HAD BEEN LET LOOSE BUT INSTEAD HE WAS WORSHIPING GOD IN THE SILENCE.
WHEN THE 400 YEARS OF SILENCE WAS BROKEN, GOD FOUND ZACHARIAH IN THE TEMPLE WORSHIPING AND BURNING INCENSE TO GOD. HE WAS WORSHIP-PING IN THE 400 YEARS OF SILENCE. IN THE WONDERING HE WAS WORSHIPING GOD.
THE NAME OF ZACHARIAH MEANS “THE LORD REMEMBERS” GOD WANTS YOU TO KNOW TODAY,THAT HE REMEMBERS YOU,, HE REMEMBERS THE PLANS HE AS FOR YOU AND IN THOSE SILENT DAYS ZECHARIAH REMEMBERED GOD.
DO YOU REMEMBER GOD TODAY?
DO YOU REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE A GOD IN THE GOOD TIMES AND A GOD IN THE BAD TIMES,
DO YOU REMEMBER YOU HAVE A GOOD WHEN YOUR ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP OR IN THE VALLEY..
DO YOU REMEMBER YOU HAVE A GOOD AT LIFE AND AT DEATH.
DO YOU REMEMBER YOU HAVE A GOD THAT CARES AND LOVES YOU.
WORSHIP YOUR GOD TODAY IN THE SILENCE AND ITS IN THAT MOMENT WHEN THE WHEN GOD CAN BREAK THE SILENCE.
NOW THE QUIET CAN BE BROKEN
TO BELIEVE IN HOPE, IS TO BELIEVE IN “ WHAT GOD SAID HE WILL DO.”
HOW MANY OF YOU BELIEVE THAT …LOOK OVER IN MALACHI 3:1
3 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
AND THE LAST VERSE BEFORE 400 YEARS OF SILENCE
5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents;
WE TURN THE PAGE, AND GABRIEL SHOWS UP IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD..
WHAT THE ASSIGNMENT,, GO TO ZACHARIAH,, WHERE DO I FIND I’M,, IN THE TEMPLE,,
WHAT WILL HE BE DOING WORSHIPING AND BURNING INCENSE,, WHATS THE MESSAGE,, YOU HEARD HIS PRAYERS AND YOU WILL GIVE HIM A SON,,,
WOW THAT’S A LOT HOPE HE CAN HANDLE IT,,,,
HEY ZACHARIAH,, I’M GABRIEL AND I WAS JUST IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND YOUR GOING TO HAVE A SON,, I GOT A WORD FOR YOU.
IF GOD BRINGS YOU A WORD LIKE THAT TODAY,, JUST SAY THANK YOU,, DON’T GET CAUGHT UP IN THE HOW,, WHERE AND WHY, JUST LET IT HAPPEN. OR YOU WILL BE LIKE MALACHI AND FOR 9 MONTHS WALK AROUND GIVING HAND SIGNALS.
JUST SAY THANK YOU.
GOD IS GOING TO DO WHAT HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO DO….
AND IN YOUR DARKNESS YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO SAY,,,”I TRUST YOU WILL DO WHAT WILL SAID YOU WILL DO.”
AND WHEN GOD DOES WHAT HE SAID HE WILL DO… TRUST ME YOU WILL RECEIVE MORE THAN YOU EVER IMAGINE.
WHEN YOUR IN THAT DARKNESS LEAN INTO GOD. INSTEAD OF WALKING AROUND WITH YOUR HEAD DOWN,, LOOK UP.
WHEN THOSE GUYS GOT TO THE BOTTOM OF THAT CANYON THEY FINALLY LOOKED UP TO SEE THE PRETTIEST STARS THEY HAD SEEN.
TODAY IS THE DAY YOU NEED TO LOOK UP IN THAT DARKNESS AND JUST SAY WOW…THERE ARE YOU GOD.. I’M HERE TO WORSHIP,, I’M HERE TO BREAK MY SILENCE TO YOU.. I’M HERE TO TRUST YOU WILL DO WHAT YOU SAID YOU WILL DO.