Quiet, 4of4

 ~ Quiet Can Be Good—Jesus Our Example ~

Principle  ~  “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven  …  A time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7b). 

Jesus At Birth  ~  When Jesus Christ was born there was no fanfare, blaring trumpets to announce the King’s arrival!  Even today if we look carefully we can see that many times the most effective leaders are quiet—rather than the boisterous leader which our society sometimes portrays as the leader type.  Instead of great fanfare He was visited by a few humble shepherds from nearby fields.  Interestingly enough the Jews were anticipating and watching for their Messiah—but when He came they did not recognize Him.

Jesus Living Among Us  ~  During His earthly ministry Jesus never sought to bring attention to Himself.  By word-of-mouth crowds followed Him as they heard about His teachings and the miracles He performed. 

Jesus At Death  ~  “The place in the Scripture which he read was this: ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth.  In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation?  For His life is taken from the earth.’  So the eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?’  Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:32-35). 

Summary  ~  Sometimes it is best to be silent.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Quiet, 3of4

 ~ Quiet Can Be Good—There Are Times To Be Quiet ~

Principle  ~  “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven  …  A time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7b). 

New Testament Examples  ~  Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6).

“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia.  But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing” (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12).

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

“Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.  Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:1-4).

“For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.  Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread” (2 Thessalonians 3:11-12).

“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). 

Old Testament Examples  ~  “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’  But you would not, and you said, ‘No, for we will flee on horses.’—Therefore you shall flee!  And, ‘We will ride on swift horses.’—Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!” (Isaiah 30:15-16). 

“The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Isaiah 32:17).

“Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more.  And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon” (Judges 8:26). 

Summary  ~  Sometimes it is best to be silent.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Quiet, 2of4

 ~ A Time To Not Be Quiet: Jesus Our Example ~  

Principle  ~  “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven  …  A time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7b). 

A Time To Preach (the truth of God)  ~  “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God’” (John 3:10-21).

A Time To Speak Up (call upon God)  ~  “Jesus went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.  And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will’” (Mark 14:35-36).

A Time To Witness (what you know firsthand)  ~  Jesus said, “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:46-51). 

“Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, ‘You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me’” (John 7:28-29). 

A Time To Defend (the truth)  ~  “So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst” (John 8:7-9).

Jesus said, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation” (Matthew 23:13-14, continue reading the rest of this chapter). 

“Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you have made it a “den of thieves”’” (Matthew 21:12-13, also see Mark 11:15-17 and Luke 19:45-46). 

Summary  ~  Sometimes it is wrong to be silent.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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