Don’t Miss God’s Voice
Missing Christmas • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro
Intro
Too much silence. Although sometimes it is convenient to remain silent because many problems and difficulties are avoided (silence is golden), too much silence can become a serious problem.
Indeed, when the topics in a conversation have ended, every second of silence seems like an eternity and embarrassment increases among those who experience such silence.
Now, if a few seconds of silence can feel like an eternity, how endless can be 400 years of silence?
In fact, the last prophet to speak from God was the prophet Malachi.
After Malachi, total silence on God's part until this first chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
God sent His angel Gabriel to announce the birth of the Messiah to an elderly priest and a young Virgin.
God, with his Word, broke a 400-year-long silence and, since that first Christmas, God hasn't stopped continuing to speak to humanity.
A Lots of sounds! This time of year we hear many Christmas songs everywhere.
Yet amidst all these songs, there is a serious danger to the church of Jesus of not hearing the Word of God, the Voice of God.
When was the last time the Word of God broke the silence in our life?
All the most beautiful music in the world, the best Christmas melodies, will never break the silence of your heart, only the Voice of God can.
Sermon's Outline. Through these first verses of chapter 1 of Luke we do not want to lose the Word of God this Christmas and, to ensure that this does not happen, I would like to emphasize some aspects of this Voice that breaks the silence:
The places;
The characteristics;
The reasons.
N. 1 - The Places
N. 1 - The Places
Where God Spoke?
Luke 1:5-9; 1:26-28
God has spoken in 2 Places. The Lord has decided to send His angel Gabriel to break the long silence.
Instead of starting another endless theological discussion about angels, let's take note of the places where Gabriel went to proclaim God's message.
His House. In Luke 1:5-9, we read of this elderly couple, Elizabeth and Zechariah, who walk faithfully in the ways of the Lord.
Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.
Mark Galli; Ted Olsen; William Ashley Sunday
Just as Zechariah was carrying out his service before the Lord, in the Temple of Jerusalem, in the House of God, the Lord with His angel interrupts 400 years of silence.
God's favorite place for his people to hear His voice is in the "House of the Lord."
Thank God for Zoom and Youtube, but bless the Name of the Lord for his House.
When we are in the same place to receive from above, God will manifest himself breaking the silence with the sound of heaven:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
If you don't want to miss Christmas, then you mustn't miss the Church of Jesus.
Illustration: A certain parishioner who had previously been attending services regularly, suddenly stopped coming to church. After some weeks, the minister decided to visit the absent member. It was a chilly evening, and the minister found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair by the fireplace, and waited.
The minister made himself comfortable and said nothing. In grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, he took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination. As the lone ember’s flame diminished, there was a momentary glow, but then its fire was no more and it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greetings. But as the minister rose to leave, the host said, “Thank you so much for your visit—and especially for your fiery sermon. I shall be at church next Sunday.”
A humble house. The second place visited by the angel Gabriel to bring God's message is the small village of Nazareth, in a modest and humble house in which lived a young virgin named Maria.
We have to be thankful to God because He doesn't just speak to us in big cathedrals, or mega worship services, but God also delights in revealing Himself to us in our car or in our living room.
1477 Some of us can only hear God in the thunder of revivals or in public worship; we have to learn to listen to God’s voice in the ordinary circumstances of life.
Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)
We must ask ourselves today whether, when we are in church, at home, or at work, are our ears sensitive to the voice of the Lord?
N. 2 - The Characteristics
N. 2 - The Characteristics
What God spoke?
Luke 1:13, 19
The contents are important. The fact that for 400 years God remains silent does not mean that the Lord has nothing important to say.
Indeed, in the Voice of God we can notice 2 important characteristics:
God sent a specific message. Zacharias and Elizabeth had a problem: they had no children.
Gabriel will announce the birth of John to Zechariah (Luke 1:13).
For Zacharias and Elizabeth, their son John represented God's answer to their personal problem, the answer to their desire.
Whenever God interrupts the silence of our lives it is because He wishes to communicate a specific and personal message to each one of us.
When we read the Bible we must not have the "Shepherd syndrome" (reading the Bible for the sake of the others).
We read the Holy Scriptures and wait for the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts personally: While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2 - NIV).
God sent a salvation message. The messages that Gabriel proclaims speak of salvation.
To be specific, Gabriel announces "good things" to Zechariah and Mary:
The angel said to him, “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.
We can be sure that when God speaks to us, His words convey love, joy, forgiveness, refreshment, encouragement, correction…always!
After so many years of silence and pain, God gives His message of salvation.
Please, don't miss God's Voice!
N. 3 - The Reasons
N. 3 - The Reasons
Why God spoke?
Luke 1:13-17; 1:30-33
2 messages in 6 months. For 400 years God has not uttered a single word to His people.
But now, in just 6 months God sent the angel Gabriel to speak 2 times.
For what reason?
God has spoken for 2 important reasons:
God wants involve you in His plan. The angel Gabriel told Elizabeth and Zechariah that their baby John would be a great prophet (Luke 1:16-17) and told Mary that her baby would be the promised Messiah (Luke 1:32-33).
God involves these people in His plan of salvation.
Even today God speaks to us to involve us in His plan of salvation for humanity.
The Lord does not speak to His church only to inform her, but He desires that, after knowing His intentions, His church actively participates in the plan of redemption and salvation.
The story of Abraham interceding for Sodom demonstrates once again how much God wants to involve us in His plan:
Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
God wants prepare you for His Son. The main reason that moved God to break the long silence was the coming of His Son.
A full 9 months in the womb and 33 years on the earth that He created, the God of Heaven and earth would finally come.
For this reason God has spoken: to prepare the people for Him.
Why is God still speaking today? 'Cause His Son is coming!
Not as a little boy, but as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
There are 1527 verses in the Old Testament and 319 verses in the New Testament that proclaim the return of Jesus Christ.
In this season we want to prepare ourselves for the return of Jesus:
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
The silence is broken. Among all the Christmas gifts and songs, during these days we want to receive the Word of God, we don't want miss God's voice!
We want to allow the Holy Spirit to interrupt the silence in our heart and, like little Samuel, we want to exclaim:
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
