Have you ever heard the expression silence is golden? I can relate to that expression when after a long time of activity and noise in our house there is silence. In those times I relate to the expression silence is golden. But now I want to focus on times when silence is not golden. The Old Testament ended with the book of Malachi. He talked about the forerunner of the messiah coming in the spirit of Elijah.
After the book of Malachi closed there was silence. People waited for the Messiah without hearing from God. There is no recorded word from God for four centuries. That time in history is referred to as the silent period. No one was saying, God has not spoken for 400 years, isn’t this golden?
Would you say silence is golden if you were waiting for an answer to prayer and you haven’t heard from God? Of course, you would not say isn’t this silence from God golden. There was silence from God for 400 years.
Christmas broke 400 years of silence from God, big time. Now suddenly at Christmas God was speaking abundantly. God spoke through angels, he spoke through dreams, he spoke though the Holy Spirit, He spoke through a star. He spoke to Joseph, Zechariah, Mary, Simeon, shepherds, and the wise men.
Christmas is something that was anticipated for generations. The pressure built from the centuries of silence and suddenly that first Christmas God spoke abundantly. The unanimous response to God speaking was praise. It’s Christmas praise God! When we focus on Jesus, and we look at the real meaning of Christmas we must Praise God.
There seems to be a common theme of praise that first Christmas when Jesus was born, whether it was:
Mary,
Simeon,
The Angels,
The Shepherds,
Joseph,
Elizabeth,
Anna,
Zechariah, who praised God after 9 months and 8 days of his own silence.
The Wise Men,
John the Baptist, who was jumping and leaping and praising God in the womb.
They all break out in praise to God. It was like a volcanic explosion of praise after God spoke again after 400 years.
Let’s look at those involved in the first Christmas and see how they praised God. We need to remember what we are celebrating at Christmas and why we’re celebrating Christmas. We have certain expressions at Christmas: Jesus is the reason for the season or Keep Christ in Christmas.
Praise God for Who He Is.
There are so many aspects of Christmas to enjoy, but we need to keep before us who should be the focus of our celebration. Christmas is a time to focus on Jesus. We remember his birth, his coming to earth. There should be a response in us. That first Christmas morning they praised God for his attributes.
One Christmas Eve the telephone rang in the office of the pastor of the church in Washington, D.C. that President Franklin Roosevelt attended. "Tell me Reverend," the voice inquired, "are you holding a Christmas Eve service tonight?" When advised that there would certainly be a service that evening, the caller asked, "And do you expect President Roosevelt to attend your church tonight?" "That," explained the Pastor patiently, "I can’t promise. I’m not sure about the President’s plans for this evening. But I can say that we fully expect God to be in our church tonight.
Angels.
What an angelic choir of praise that first Christmas morning. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men. It was a great company of angels.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:13-14)
Mary.
In Mary’s praise she focuses on her humility and the greatness of God. At Christmas we should humble ourselves and exalt God. Mary’s song highlights the attributes of God:
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. (Luke 1:46-56)
We see praise to God for His Power.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. What a great God who brings down the mighty rulers and lifts up the humble.
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate. (Luke 1:52)
Mary definitely felt she was one of the humble ones that God lifted up. She said in Vs 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me.
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name. (Luke 1:49)
We see praise to God for Mercy.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation. (Luke 1:50)
We see praise to God for His Holiness
Holy is his name. (Luke 1:49b)
After the Angel Gabriel announced that the forerunner to Jesus, the one who would come in the spirit of Elijah this same one that Malachi talked about 400 years when four centuries of silence fell, would be born to him, the father of that forerunner Zechariah became silent. He could not talk for 9 months and eight days. I am sure he never thought isn’t this silence golden.
The silence made for bottled up praise. As soon as Zechariah’s tongue was loosed there was nothing but praise.
Immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. (Luke 1:64)
Joseph along with Mary marveled at what was said about Jesus. He was in awe of God.
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. (Luke 2:33)
Praise God for His Sovereign Plan.
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, (Galatians 4:4)
Christmas is about God sending His Son to earth. Christmas is God’s plan in God’s perfect time. Christmas is his initiative, and our response is to praise God. God orchestrated events from the fall of man in Genesis. The genealogy of Jesus is wild. Rehab the prostitute, Uriah’s wife and many who are unlikely candidates to part of God orchestrating His plan for the coming Messiah. God never lost control.
The Mathematical Odds of Jesus Fulfilling Prophecy
To show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Peter Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, ’we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. "That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that that if you were to take many silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas, they will cover all of the state two feet deep.
"Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man."
Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, "we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10 to the 157. The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 10 to the 79th power. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident." (From Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell).
God ordered his plan. The city was foretold, Bethlehem and known by the Bible scholars. Of Israel’s 12 sons Judah was chosen. Born of a virgin and on and on to have 48 prophesies that Jesus fulfills.
His Mighty Salvation
We need a savior. We need Jesus. We need Christmas.
Simeon
Simeon has been waiting faithfully for God to break through in history and show his salvation. This is an amazing faith given the fact that for four hundred silent years people waited for this, never seeing the savior they waited and hoped for.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. (Luke 2:25)
But God broke the silence speaking to Simeon.
And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. (Luke 2:26)
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people (Luke 2:30-31)
Simeon took the tiny baby Jesus in his arms and started praising God. Simeon can go in peace. He has seen his savior. Not only has he seen Jesus, his savior, but the savior of Israel and the good news of great joy for all people, the savior for all.
Anna
There was also an 84-year-old widow named Anna at the Temple when baby Jesus was presented at the temple. Anna praised God when she saw Jesus because everyone who was looking for redemption has found this salvation, the savior has come, praise God.
Zechariah
Zechariah praised God for the salvation in Jesus.
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David, (Luke 1:68-69)
This Christmas season let us praise God. He died that we might live.
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (John 5:24-25)
Praise the Lord: Song by the Imperials
Praise the Lord
He can work with those who praise Him,
Praise the Lord
For our God inhabits praise,
Praise the Lord
For the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you,
When you praise him
Wise Men
The wise men came from afar to praise God and worship Jesus.
saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2)
Shepherds
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. (Luke 2:9)
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! (Luke 2:13-14)
The Shepherds did two things that first Christmas morning that we should do also. They acted right away on what they heard and went right away to see Jesus. The second thing is after they came to Christ, they spread the news about Jesus.
And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. (Luke 2:16-17)
For many there is still silence. We must spread the news. Praise God Jesus the savior is born. This is the good news of exceeding great joy for all people.
