BREAKING THE SILENCE -- AN ADVENT SERMON
Naylor
Community Christian Church
I. Introduction
--
turn in Bibles to Luke 1:5-7 [read Luke 1:5-7]
--
on April 11th, 1970, Apollo 13 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center
in Florida -- this was to be the United State’s third mission to the moon, and
the space capsule was piloted by three veteran astronauts -- by this time,
space missions were routine and generated little interest in the news or by the
public
--
but when the spacecraft was 200,000 miles from earth, a hydrogen tank exploded,
which led to the astronauts’ famous message back to earth, “Houston, we have a
problem”
--
for the next six days, all the people of earth held their breath as they
watched the drama of Apollo 13 play out before them -- the question on everyone’s
mind was “will they survive?”
--
abandoning their original mission, Apollo 13 circled the moon and headed back
to earth -- communication was spotty, but NASA was aware that the astronauts
were in danger as the spacecraft was leaking fuel and the electrical and life
support systems were failing -- no one knew if the three men would be able to
make it safely back to earth or not
--
as the spacecraft began reentry into earth’s atmosphere, everyone knew there would
be a blackout -- a period of silence as all communications would be blocked by
the reentry -- this was normal -- this was expected -- and everyone in Houston
waited as the blackout commenced and Apollo 13 made its way back into earth’s
atmosphere
--
the normal time for such a communications blackout was a little over three
minutes -- at that point, Houston began calling, “Apollo 13, are you there? Apollo 13, this is Houston, do you read
me?" -- nothing -- no response -- only silence
--
the silence persisted for several more minutes -- no one knew whether the
spacecraft had exploded or whether the men had perished during the reentry -- Houston
continued to call out to the spacecraft, “Apollo 13, this is Houston -- are you
there?” -- but still, there was no response
-- finally,
after six minutes, a voice was heard calling from Apollo 13 to Houston -- the
men were alive and the capsule splashed down safely as planned
--
the silence from Apollo 13 only lasted a few minutes, but those few minutes
were filled with anxiety and fear -- now, just imagine what it was like for the
400 years after the end of the prophet Malachi’s ministry when God was silent
and did not speak to anyone
--
for 400 years, God’s voice was not heard -- God’s presence was not felt -- and
all the people on earth -- especially His chosen people -- the Jews -- suffered
in the silence
--
the people would cry out, “God, are you there?” -- but there was no response --
only silence
--
but here in Luke Chapter 1, after 400 years of silence, we read that the time
has come -- a voice is heard in the darkness -- God speaks again -- and the
silence is broken
--
as we begin this Advent Season together -- this time of preparation until we
celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus on Christmas Day -- I
wanted us to take a moment to look at the lives of those who lived through this
silence and how God used them as His messengers to this world, bringing the
good news of salvation and redemption and deliverance to all creation
--
we’re going to begin by looking at the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the
parents of John the Baptist, from here in Luke Chapter 1
II. What then is this child
going to be?
-- look back at verse
5 [read Luke 1:5-7]
--
here we are introduced to Zechariah and Elizabeth
-- some
translations may have this as Zacharias -- but it’s the same person --
Zacharias is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Zechariah -- his name means, “the
one whom the Lord remembers” or “the one whom Jehovah remembers”
-- I think it’s
fitting that the 400 years of silence was broken when God spoke to Zechariah,
because it is a reminder that even in the times of silence in our lives, the
Lord still remembers us -- as His words says, “He will never leave us nor
forsake us” -- and He loves us and He remembers us, even when all is still and
silent
-- Zechariah
was a priest -- Luke tells us that he belonged to the course of Abijah -- this
is referring back to the practice that King David initiated when he ruled over
Israel -- he divided all the priests into twenty-four courses -- twenty-four
divisions -- and each division was appointed to come to Jerusalem twice a year
to minister in the temple on the Sabbath
-- so,
Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, who was also descended from the priestly line
of Aaron, lived in a town in the hill country of Judea -- and twice a year, he
would make the trek to Jerusalem to fulfill his priestly duties
-- Zechariah
and Elizabeth are described here as being righteous in the eyes of God -- they
observed all the commandments of the Lord and followed His regulations
blamelessly -- but, even though they were faithful to the Lord, they were
childless -- which was a shame to the couple and would have been regarded as
evidence of the displeasure of God on the couple by the Jewish society in which
they lived -- those around them would look at them and assume they had sinned
against God in some way, and that their lack of children was evidence of His
displeasure and judgment
--
so, to sum up who Zechariah and Elizabeth were in terms we can understand, what
we see described here is a country preacher and his wife, who love the Lord and
who are serving Him in their lives and in the church to the best of their
ability -- even though they may feel they have fallen short because God has not
blessed them with a child
--
this just goes to show why we should never try to judge another person's
relationship with the Lord until we have walked a mile in their shoes -- what
we take as being out of favor with God may just be a delayed blessing, as is
the case with Zechariah and Elizabeth
-- they may be
godly -- they may be serving God with their whole hearts -- but God may be
withholding a blessing or a healing or a touch in their life at this moment in
order to bring greater glory to Himself at a later time -- such was the case
with Zechariah and Elizabeth
--
verse 8 [read Luke 1:8-10]
--
so, Luke tells us that the time had come for Zechariah’s division to minister
in the temple as prescribed in the law -- the priests would have all gathered
together in the court of priests and would cast lots to determine which priest
would do which ministry
-- the first
lot went to the priest who would gather the coals from the altar into a silver
pan -- the second lot would go to the priest who would clean the altar of incense
and prepare it for the offering -- the third lot would be for the highest
service -- the actual burning of the incense in the Holy Place, a once in a
lifetime privilege -- and Luke tells us that the lot fell to Zechariah -- the
lowly country priest from the backwoods of Judea
-- so,
Zechariah and his assistants began their service -- the first assistant scooped
up live coals from the altar of sacrifice -- and then the three of them entered
into the Holy Place -- on one side was the menorah -- the golden lampstand that
was always kept burning -- on the other side would have been the table of
showbread -- and in front of them would have been the veil that separated the
Holy of Holies from the Holy Place -- in front of that veil stood the golden
altar of incense -- it was about 18 inches square and three feet in height
-- as soon as
they entered the Holy Place, the second assistant would remove the old coals
from the altar of incense and clean it -- the other assistant would then
carefully and evenly place the burning live coals from the altar of the burnt
sacrifice on the altar of incense -- then, the two of them would bow in the
direction of the Most Holy Place and the Ark of the Covenant, and leave the
room -- leaving Zechariah alone in the Holy Place to burn incense in the
presence of the Lord
-- Zechariah
would have with him a golden bowl full of sweet incense, that he was to offer
up before the Lord as he prayed on behalf of the nation of Israel and the
Jewish people -- he would scatter the incense on the burning coals, and as the
smoke from the burning of the incense was lifted up, it represented the prayers
of the people of Israel ascending to God -- a fragrant offering to the Lord
given every Sabbath throughout the year -- but this time, something marvelous
happened
--
verse 11 [read Luke 1:11-17]
-- as Zechariah
offered up the incense, just like all the other priests before him had done in
this very same place, all of a sudden -- in the haze of the smoke from the
burning incense -- an angel of the Lord appeared, standing at the right side of
the altar and announcing that the prayers of Zechariah and Elizabeth had been
heard -- they were going to have a son -- and they were to name him John
-- not only was
this child going to be a joy and a delight to Zechariah and Elizabeth --
erasing the pain and the sorrow and loneliness from their lives -- but, more
importantly, he would cause great rejoicing in the land of Israel -- he would
be great in the sight of the Lord and would minister to the nation --
proclaiming the good news of the coming of the Messiah and preparing the hearts
of the people to receive their Lord
--
verse 18 [read Luke 1:18-20]
-- God always
rewards those who serve Him and who are upright and just in His sight -- the
rewards may be long in coming -- they may not even come in this lifetime --
they may not be what we expect, and we might not recognize them when they come
-- but, the message of the Bible is clear, serving God with a whole heart
results in God's blessings
--
however, God does not reward a lack of faith -- James tells us in James 1:6-7
that when we ask of God in prayer, "we must believe and not doubt, because
he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive
anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he
does."
--
when the angel of the Lord appears to Zechariah and the word of God is heard
for the first time in 400 years -- announcing the birth of a son and the coming
of the Messiah -- Zechariah is filled with doubt
-- he is still
righteous -- he is still upright in the eyes of the Lord -- he is still
blameless in his character -- but, when the long-sought answer to his and
Elizabeth’s prayer final comes, he responds in doubt and not faith
--
how often that happens to us -- we go through life trying to serve God as best
we can -- walking humbly and upright in His sight -- trusting in His hand and
in His mighty power to move and act in us -- but, as time goes by, and the
child doesn't come -- or the sickness lingers -- or our prodigal children don't
return -- or we are faced with financial troubles -- or any of a hundred other
things -- we begin to doubt in our hearts
--
we still murmur the prayers -- we still seek God's face -- we still go through
the routines -- but we begin to doubt that God will work -- we know He can
-- but we start to believe that He won't
--
think about the story of Lazarus -- as Mary and Martha stood by the grave of
their dead brother Lazarus, they doubted that Jesus would do anything -- they
knew He could -- and they knew that if He had come earlier, Lazarus wouldn't
have died -- but now, they doubted that He would do anything to relieve their
grief
--
or consider Elijah -- after the tremendous victory over the pagan priests at
Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah fled to a cave and had a pity party -- despite
seeing God act in such a decisive way for the nation of Israel, Elijah doubted
that God would work in his own life
--
in all of these cases, we see the same theme -- godly, righteous people --
people who trusted in the Lord and in His mighty power -- began to give up hope
-- not in the power of God -- but in God's willingness to work in their lives
--
how many miracles are detoured in our lives because we refuse to believe? --
how many blessings don't come our way because we become double-minded in our
prayers?
--
Romans 8:28 says, "We know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" -- this
verse says, "don't doubt -- trust God" -- even though the blessing
has been delayed -- even though the healing hasn't come -- even though the
thing we most desire and most earnestly seek in our lives hasn't happened,
doesn't mean that God isn't going to meet it -- standing at the grave of their
dead brother Lazarus, Jesus told Mary and Martha, "Did I not tell you that
if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
--
God will always answer prayers -- He will always work for the good of those who
love Him -- if answers to your prayers are not coming, then one of three things
is going on -- either you are asking for the wrong thing -- or it is just not
God's timing -- or He is using your situation to mold you and make you into a
better Christian
-- when God
answers prayers, you can be sure that it will be in a way that brings glory to
Himself -- our task is to pray fervently and to trust that God not only can,
but will, work in our lives to bring good out of all situations
--
maybe it had been too long for Zechariah and Elizabeth -- Luke tells us that they
were both “well along in years” -- they’re old -- Elizabeth's womb had closed
-- so, when the angel of the Lord announced that his prayers had been heard and
that he would have a son, Zechariah spoke from doubt and not from faith --
"How can I be sure of this?"
-- basically,
Zechariah is asking Gabriel for a sign -- for proof -- that this is going to
happen -- there is no belief -- no faith -- no certainty in the promise from
God -- remember, Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed this prayer for years with
no answer -- for years, they had walked in righteousness and observed all the
Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly, but their prayer had remained
unanswered, God remained silent, and the cradle remained empty
--
in a sense, Zechariah and Elizabeth represented the entire nation of Israel,
who had suffered under their oppression by Rome and who longed for the promise
of a Messiah -- of a deliverer who would free them again -- but as the years
went by and God remained silent, their hearts and faith began to fail and they
were left only with empty religious practices and no real hope of the Savior
who was to come
--
when Zechariah heard the good news from Gabriel, his response was, “How can I
be sure this will happen, after all this time?”
--
as a priest in God's service, Zechariah should have known the answer in his
heart before the angel spoke again -- “You can be sure of this because 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 -- but now, because you have doubted, your lips will
be sealed and you will be silent -- unable to speak -- until this promise from
God has come to pass”
--
verse 21 [read Luke 1:21-25]
-- Zechariah left the Holy Place in a state
of shock -- according to the religion tradition of the Jews, he was supposed to
come out of the temple and speak over the waiting worshipers the benediction
from Numbers 6:24-26 -- but as Zechariah tried to speak, he couldn’t -- he had
been stricken silent as the angel Gabriel had said
-- the priests realized he had seen a vision,
but Zechariah could not share the message with them -- after his time of
service had ended, he went home -- and Elizabeth became pregnant as
Gabriel had promised -- and the couple celebrated in joy and praise to God --
Elizabeth proclaimed, “The Lord has done this for me -- He has shown His favor
and taken away my disgrace among the people”
-- skip down to
verse 57, and we’ll finish up there [read Luke 1:57-66]
-- it all came to pass as the angel Gabriel
had said -- Zechariah and Elizabeth celebrated the birth of a miracle -- and as
the day of circumcision and naming came, Elizabeth insisted that the baby be named
John -- obviously, Zechariah had been able to share with her the good news that
the angel had given
-- the people argued
with her -- so, they went to Zechariah to see what he wanted done -- every time
I read verse 62, I chuckle -- it says that the people went to Zechariah and
made signs to him to find out what he would like to name the child -- he was
mute, not deaf -- he could hear -- but the people are playing charades with him
-- I can imagine how frustrating that must have been to him
-- finally, they brought
him a tablet and he wrote on the tablet, “His name is John” -- and immediately,
his mouth was opened -- he tongue was loosed -- and his period of silence was
broken -- he began to speak praising God and prophesying about his son, who
would be John the Baptist, and about the Messiah and the promise of God that
was going to be fulfilled soon
-- I’m not going to read
Zechariah’s prophecy because of time, but I want to encourage you to go home
and finish reading this first chapter of Luke, reading Luke 1:67-80 as we
celebrate the beginning of this Advent Season together
III. Closing
-- let’s wrap this up -- In an episode of
"The X-Files," agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are discussing a
prison chaplain who claims that God speaks directly to him. When Mulder
expresses skepticism that such a thing could ever happen, Scully asks,
"Don't you think God can talk with people?"
-- Mulder replies, "God is just a
spectator. He only reads the box scores."
-- this story from the gospel of Luke would
say otherwise -- God is more than just a spectator -- and even in periods of
silence, God is still there -- His love never ends -- His promises never fails
-- and His presence goes on forever
-- sometimes, God allows periods of silence
into our lives -- just as He did with the nation of Israel -- just as He
imposed on Zechariah, when Zechariah doubted the promise given through Gabriel
-- but God’s silences do not mean that He is
absent or uncaring -- times of silence are times when we should draw near to
God -- to seek Him with our whole hearts -- to listen for His voice -- to
desire His presence
-- for when the time is right -- when the
moment is at hand -- God will speak -- answers will be given -- and He will be
praised
-- at just the right
time, Zechariah was chosen to offer incense in the Holy Place -- at just the
right time, his prayers for a child were answered -- at just the right time,
John the Baptist was born -- and at just the right time, God’s silence was
broken with the cries of baby Jesus -- our Savior and our Redeemer
-- whatever you may be
going through right now -- whether you’re enjoying God’s fellowship and
communion or whether you’re walking through a period of silence -- know this --
God is with you -- He has not left you -- He has not forsaken you -- and He is
constantly active in your life -- preparing you for what is to come
-- so, as we close now
on this first Advent Sunday, let us remember to listen for His voice and to
prepare our hearts for what He has in store for us -- trusting in His promises
and in His Son Christ Jesus
--
let us pray
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