Amidst the rise and fall of empires throughout the Old Testament and the intertestamental period, our series The Coming King highlights the sovereignty, grace, and power of God to fulfill His promises of a Messiah. In this week’s message, Patrick Blocker reveals the active outworking of God’s will during the Silence Period and how to learn from Israel’s mistakes, in order to trust the presence and promises of our coming King.

Patrick’s Main Point

• Even when God is silent, He is never silent— He is always working.

Key Takeaways

• The book of Daniel foretells the rise and fall of human kingdoms, followed by God establishing an everlasting kingdom under His perfect rule.
  

• Although God was “silent” for 400 years in a canonical sense, He was actively working in ways that would prepare the way for Jesus and the subsequent spread of the Gospel. Under Alexander the Great a common language was established, the Romans advanced an elaborate roadway system, and the Roman government was largely permissive towards Judaism and ultimately Christianity in its infancy.
  

• Just like the Silence Period, we are a group of people that struggle to wait on the Lord.
  

• In learning from the Silence Period, we must remember the promises of God and our mission, remember the prophecy of the events to come, and be patient for the coming King.
  

• No matter how much we feel God is silent in our world, He is always there with us and pursuing  us.
  

• As Charles Spurgeon discerned, “When we can not trace God’s hand, we can trust His heart.”
  

• According to Patrick, three mistakes from the Silence Period are:
  1) They worshipped the things of God instead of God.
  2) They forgot the key ingredient of every believer in God… humility.
  3) They forgot God’s greatest gift, not a change in circumstance, but a changed heart.
  

• In light of these mistakes, we must put effort to intimacy, seek humility, and become experts in waiting on the Lord.

• Dallas Willard declares, “Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earnings.”

• As suggested by Patrick, “Pride seeks to use God, humility seeks to know Him.”

• Oftentimes, our prayers and focus are on God changing our circumstances rather than Him changing our heart. The call of the Christian is to endure our circumstances by His strength and grace through faith.

Discussion Questions/Application

Personal application:

• How will you intentionally put forth effort to intimately know God this week?

• What biblical promises most rekindle your faith and longing for the coming King?

Discuss with your community group:

• What current circumstances in your life are most in need of prayers for God to change your heart? Spend time encouraging and praying for one another.

• If humility is the goal, how can you encourage one another to gaze upon the humility of Christ this week?

Passages Referenced 
Luke 24:27; Daniel – Chapters 2, 5, 7, 8, 11; Daniel 7:13-14; Galatians 4:4-5; Psalms 37:25; Romans 1:25; John 5:39-47; Proverbs 2:1-5; Matthew 23:1-5, 10-12; 1 Samuel 4; 2 Samuel 15; Luke 14:11; John 6:14-15; Isaiah 40:31.

Worship Set List

God So Loved, His Mercy is More, Beautiful, In Christ Alone, Faithful