The Silence Is Broken Part 2 " Joy" Series

The silence is broken

Christmas 2018

Part 2

“Joy”

Last week we began a series on the silence of God

Or better yet the breaking of the silence

We studied how in the centuries before the Birth of Christ

God spoke in many ways to his people

But in the last days of what we know as the Old Testament period

He gave his final word

Through the prophet Malachi

And for the next 400 years he was silent

No prophets

No appearances of God

No miracles are recorded

No Angels

No burning bushes

Listen to me

A lot happened in the life of God’s people in those 400 years

I n God’s silence

Most moved farther from God

Relationship with God

Transformed into religion

And the hope that God’s people had

Faded just a bit

They still expected deliverance

They still were waiting on a Messiah

But

It appeared that God had left them

As I said last week

God never left

He was unfolding his plan all along

In the 400 years of silence

Hard times for the people

God made a path for the coming of Jesus Christ

As I said last week

I could preach for weeks on the silent times

But we must move on for now

Last week the silence was broken by the Angel Gabriel

To an Old priest named Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth

And in the breaking of the silence

Hope was restored

Hope for the future parents of John the Baptist

Who thought being parents was long gone

Hope for the world though the coming of the Savior

The Messiah

Jesus Christ

The last and final sacrifice needed

And hope for us

Individually

As we

Saw the plan of God in our own lives

Deliverance from the penalty of our sins

Restoration into a right relationship with God

And hope for our future eternity

Today we are going to look at the next words of God

Also spoken though the Angel Gabriel

Please open your bibles to Luke 1:26-37

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings,[a] favored woman! The Lord is with you![b]”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[c] forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.[d

In this passage of scripture

God breaks his silence to Mary

If we look in Matthews account, we also see that the same Angel spoke to Joseph as well

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[h] quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[i] for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel,[j]

which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.