* When God goes silent, be quiet and listen - when He speaks again, it will be good!

* Before John was born his dad was mute.

* His inability to talk was a visible sign that he had seen a vision.

* PAUSE - up to this point God had been silent for over 400 years.

* No prophets and no prophecy from anyone.

* The last prophecy came from Malachi and it predicted someone coming who would clear the way for the Messiah.

* Everyone was waiting for a word from God.

* Now, everyone was waiting for a word from Zechariah!

* When he named the boy John, his tongue was loosed, and so was God’s!

* Vs 67-80 - the first words out of his mouth were a prophecy!!!!!

* Is there any wonder why God raised John the Baptist in the wilderness?

* Everyone was probably watching him to see how he turned out, so God had to get him away from the crowds.

* And when John entered the scene, the world hasn’t been the same since!