Week 2 – Jeff Maness – December 10th, 2017
Just because God is silent in your life does not mean that He is absent from your life. We all face seasons where it feels like God is silent. What do we do in those times?
Silent Night: God’s Silence
Just because God is silent in your life does not mean that He is absent from your life.
Big Question: What do I do when I feel like God is silent?
Main Scripture: Luke 2:25-38
Luke 2:25a 25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel.
Malachi 4:2-3 2 But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Luke 2:25b-28 The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. (preach)27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there.
1. Stay sensitive
Luke 2:28b-35 He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. 30 I have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared for all people. 32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” 33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
2. Keep seeing
Isaiah 25:1 O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.
Faith is not believing God can do something. Faith is not hoping he will do something. Faith is thanking God in advance. If you thank God after you’ve got it, that’s gratitude. When you thank him in advance, that’s called faith. — Rick Warren
3. Continue Seeking
Luke 2:36-38 36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.
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