“Silent Years” part 14400 BC… Mal 4:5-6 (Page 677) & Selected

Pastor Dave Martin, Cross Creek Community Church, Nov 30, 2014

The future is foretold in Biblical Prophecy

•Malachi challenges the Jewish people with 23 questions…

•Malachi challenges the Jewish people with 23 questions…• Israel’s people and

priests once again spiritually backslides

•Malachi challenges the Jewish people with 23 questions…• Israel’s people and

priests once again spiritually backslides• Faith & worship became

routine, marriage splits, tithing weak…

•Malachi challenges the Jewish people with 23 questions…• Israel’s people and

priests once again spiritually backslides• Faith & worship became

routine, marriage splits, tithing weak… • Judgment is coming,

BUT God will keep His promises with the nation of Israel…

Malachi 3:6 6 "I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

I. Malachi, God’s Final O.T. Prophet Predicts the Messiah

Malachi 3:1-2 1 "See, I will send my messenger [John the Baptist], who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant [Jesus the Christ], whom you desire, will come," says the Lord Almighty. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap.

(See Mt 11:7-10, Isa 40:3, Jn 1:23)

John the Baptist will prepare the way of the long awaited Jewish Messiah…

Malachi 4:5-6 5 "See, I will send you the prophet

Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the

Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers

to their children, and the hearts of the children to

their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land

with a curse."

(See Lu 1:16-17, Jn 1:19-27, Mt 11:11-15)

II. “400 Silent Years” in God’s Preparation for His Son’s Mission

• O.T. completed, now God is “silent” in speaking through His prophets

• O.T. completed, now God is “silent” in speaking through prophets• Winds of Time & Change blows

across the earth… The Ten Commandments & the O.T. teachings spreads throughout world… •

• O.T. completed, now God is “silent” in speaking through prophets• Winds of Time & Change blows

across the earth… The Ten Commandments & the O.T. teachings spreads throughout world… • Alexander the Great’s Grecian

Empire emerges…

• Great wall of China, Pompey, Julius Caesar, Herod the Great, Temple

• Jewish Ideological split into two major parties: The Pharisees were conservative/law while the Sadducees were liberal/relative…

• Jewish Ideological split into two major parties: The Pharisees were conservative/law while the Sadducees were liberal/relative… • Judaism: Sanhedrin, Herodian’s,

Sadducee’s, Pharisee’s and Scribes

• Jewish Ideological split into two major parties: The Pharisees were conservative/law while the Sadducees were liberal/relative… • Judaism: Sanhedrin, Herodian’s,

Sadducee’s, Pharisee’s and Scribes• Roman Empire gains control of

Palestine in 63BC…Merging of cultures and languages, sports, activities, infrastructure, roads, rulers and kings, connections being made politically & religiously…

400 years working behind the scenes…

Preparing the world for the grand entrance of God’s Son from heaven and His sacrificial mission of redemption at Calvary… God was also getting the infrastructure in place for spreading the Gospel message of Salvation to the world…

Galatians 4:4a 4 But when the time had fully come…

III. God sends His Angel Gabriel to Zechariah the priest, Lu 1:5-80

Specially chosen: Zechariah (God remembers) & Elizabeth (His own)

Luke 1:5-10 5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah,

who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a

descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the

Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.

Specially chosen: Zechariah (God remembers) & Elizabeth (His own)

7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in

years. 8 Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9

he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the

Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled

worshipers were praying outside.

God hears and answers the prayers of His saints, vs 11-19

Luke 1:11-13 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of

the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with

fear. 13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.

Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

Zechariah prophesied about his son John’s ministry, vs 23-25, 57-80

Luke 1:67-80 67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he

has come and has redeemed his people…70 as he said through his holy prophets… 70

remembered his holy covenant… 73 oath he swore to father Abraham…

Zechariah prophesied about his son John’s ministry, vs 23-25, 57-80

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the

Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the

forgiveness of their sins… 80 And the child grew and became strong in

spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.

“The world’s stage is perfectly set for the coming of the Christ – called Jesus”

Personal Application…

Be living beyond the routines of life!

Personal Application…

Be living beyond the routines of life!

Be trusting as God works behind the scenes!

Personal Application…

Be living beyond the routines of life!

Be trusting as God works behind the scenes!

Be anticipating as God works in your circumstances!

Next Week: “HIS story – OUR story”Christmas Stories

Join us Wednesday’s at 6:30 for “Digging Deeper” Bible study!