Advent - Hope: Breaking the Silence

We are in the Season of Advent, which is the time of anticipation before the coming of Christ at Christmas.

So for the next few weeks I want to look at the people in the Bible in their anticipation of the Coming of Christ, and see what happens as we await his return as well.

The first people to become aware of the Coming of Jesus was not Joseph and Mary, but rather Mary’s cousin elizabeth, and her husband Zechariah.

Now before we get into the Scripture I would like to point a few things out.

What we are reading about today takes place around 4 or 5 BC,

Which although BC stands for Before Christ the guy who made our calendar got the year wrong, Jesus was probabaly born around 3 - 5 BC.

The Last book of Prophecy from the Old Testament is the book of Malachi which was written by Malachi around 430 BC.

So for over 400 years there was no prophecy, no messages from God, in Judea.

Thats not to say that nothing happened in those 400 years, a lot happened, but God was silent through most of it.

The only potential act of God recorded during those 400 years was during the maccabean wars when they had enough oil to light the temple Menorah for one night, but it lasted 8 nights,

thats where Hannukah come from.

But besides that there was no spoken word from God during this time.

and 400 years is a long time to go without hearing from God.

then In Luke chapter 1 we read about an event where suddenly God starts speaking again.

Luke 1:5–7 ESV

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. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Now if you are familiar with any stries of the Old testament you should imediately see a childless couple and think - Oh Something is going to happen

Abraham and Sarah were barren until their old age, when they had Isaac.

Isaac and Rebekah were barren until Isaac prayed, then she had twins - Jacob and Esau

Jacob and Rachel were barren until Jacob had 10 other sons, then God had mercy on Her and she gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin

Joseph would save much of the area by becoming a ruler of Egypt

THen there is a couple who is barren in the book of Judges, they meet an angel and give birth to Samson

Who has supernatural strength, and saves Israel

Then we learn of another barren couple

The husband has 2 wives one has children the other, Hannah does not,

Hannah prays and gives birth to Samuel The last of the judges and the first Official prophet of Israel

Samuel can hear the voice of God.

So now its been a while and we see an elderly couple with no children, the bible is pointing out that fact and we know that God is about to do something.

Luke 1:7–17 ESV

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 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. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 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. 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.”

Zechariah is chosen to burn incense in the holy Place, priests can only enter the temple on certian occasions, so this is an honor, and hes there, standing just before the viel of the temple to the holy of Holies - where God’s presence is said to dwell,

and an Angel, a messanger from God starts speaking to him.

There has not been a Message from God in Over 400 years, and now an Angel tells Zechariah that he and his wife will have a son, and not just any son but one who walks in the spirit of Elijah - argueably the greatest prophet of ISrael,

And the Ange quotes to him from the prophecies of the last Prophet, Malachai, the last words of Malachi

Malachi 4:1–6 ESV

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 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.”

This new Elijah is going to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers or their parents and their parents to their children, He’s going to bring families back together again, and it is the unification of families that is going to stem the wrath of God.

THis is exciting news! and the arrival of a new Elijah will harold in the Coming of the Messiah who will save ISrael.

Isaiah 40:1–5 ESV

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Zechariah’s son will be the voice calling prepare the way of the Lord, prepare for the coming of our God.

This is exciting stuff!

and what does Zechariah do???

he doubts.

Luke 1:18–23 ESV

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 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. 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.” And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 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. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

God has spoken for the first time in 500 years, to Tell Zechariah that his is going to be the father of the Harold of the Messiah, the second elijah, and instead of hoping he doubts.

He dare not hope that it is true.

And because he doubts he is silenced.

Think about that! for the first time in 400 years God speaks, and the guy he speaks to is unable to tell anyone else, because he has been silenced, because of his doubt.

This makes me think of one of my favoritie Bible verses

Amos 3:8 ESV

The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

When a lion roars, people are naturally afraid, when God speaks, whoever he speaks to is natually going to proclaim that word, that is what a prophet does.

But Zechariah hears God Speak through Gabriel

and instead of Prophecying he doubts and in silenced.

Luke 1:24–25 ESV

After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Despite his Doubt, Zechariah and his Wife Concive, even in their old age, Like Abraham and Sarah,

Luke 1:57–66 ESV

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

Tradition was to name a child after their parent or an anscestor.

But God had told Zechariah that this Child would be called John,

Elizabeth knew this, and Zechariah even made sure to write it out because he was still silent.

and once he wrote out “His name is John,” he is able to speak again.

Now most of their neighbors are good jewish people who know their old testament stories, and they can recognize that Something special is going on.

And they are not hopeful, but rather afriad.

Why is it that when people encounter something that God is doing their first response is always fear???

But Now Zechariah can speak, and boy does he speak.

in fact he doesnt just speak, he prophesies,

Becuase when God speaks who can but prophecy?

and Zechariah has been forced to be silent for 9 months so now he has 9 months worth of prophecy aching to be released.

Luke 1:67–80 ESV

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

This entire prophecy is one of Hope

The Coming Horn of Salvation from the House of David

This is Jesus - as predicted by all the old prophets.

Who will deliever us from our enemies

he doesn’r say who our enemies are but it becomes clear later

But John will be his prophet

going before to perpare the way

preparing the way for God himself to arrive

who will bring salvation through the forgiveness of sins.

our enemies are not our physical oppressors,

they are sin and Death.

the spiritual forces of Darkness.

bringing light to those in darkness.

With Zechariah and elizabeth something incredible happened God broke 400 years of silence to tell them that the Messiah was on the way, the hope of their salvation, and the child they spend their entire lives hoping for, would be born and he would be the herald - the prophet of Jesus Christ the Messiah.

When God speaks, hope is reawakened.

So church has God been speaking?

I would argue yes, God still speaks today, it might not be as prevalent as in the Bible, but I know i have heard God speak, and I know some of you have heard God speak.

and So God is speaking so what is coming?

The NEXT big thing that we wait and hope for is the second coming of Jesus.

Titus 2:11–15 ESV

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

As we await the coming of Christmas the celebration of Christ’s first appearence, we now anticipate his return

We are waiting for the coming of Christ, let us not be silent about it!

Let us declare what God has told us.

God has spoken who can but declare his word.

When you talk with people about Christmas this year, remind them of the hope Jesus brought, and the Hope that he will bring again.