SERMON: CHOOSING TO BE GRATEFUL

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Romans 1:18-23

 

Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

 

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

 

            -- in my office, I have two coworkers who both had babies over the last year – and listening to them talk to each other about their babies and their experiences with them, it seems like there is one thing they both agree on – babies complain a lot

            -- we all know that – when things aren’t good for a baby – when they’re hungry or tired or have a wet diaper – when they get too cold or too hot – when their needs or their wants are not getting met the way they think they should, they cry – that’s how babies complain – it’s how babies say, “I’m not happy with this – something is wrong in my life, and I am going to complain until it gets better”

            -- this is normal for a baby – they can’t take care of themselves – they can’t do anything on their own to improve their situations or meet their needs – and so, they cry and complain until their parents or someone else does something to take care of their problems

            -- but in listening to these two young parents talk about their shared experiences with their babies, it occurred to me that I have the same thing going on at work, too – except my complainers are not babies – they’re adults

 

            -- I spend a good amount of time every day listening to people complain – they complain about their work -- this project is stupid – why are we doing this – why do we have to tell the boss the same thing over and over

            -- they complain about their work conditions – my internet is too slow – my email is not working – my office is too cold – the lights are too bright – someone heated up fish in the microwave again

            -- and they complain about each other – this person keeps talking too much – this person won’t return my calls – this person isn’t doing their part – my boss doesn’t listen to me

            -- it just goes on and on and on

 

– a couple of months ago, I called a meeting because we had a project that wasn’t getting done – it required two people from two different offices to work together to make sure their data was correct and that we were ready for an audit – so, I brought them in – showed them the discrepancies in the data – and told them they needed to get together and get this corrected and I gave them two weeks to get it done

            -- fifteen minutes after the meeting, I had one of them come to my office, close the door, and complain about the other person for thirty minutes – about how they were the problem and they’re the reason everything is wrong

            -- they left – and it wasn’t a few minutes later, the other person came to my office, closed the door, and complained about the first guy – for thirty minutes, they pointed out why they were the problem and weren’t doing their job correctly

 

            -- and I bring this up – not to complain – but to make a point – we have turned into a people who are acting like babies and who spend all our time complaining and murmuring and grumbling about everything in life

            -- I’m not telling you anything that you don’t know – everyone in here uses some type of social media or follows the news – and you see it every single day – post after post after post filled with negativity and grumbling and complaining – it is rare to see any good news or to hear anyone say anything good anymore

            -- and we experience it when talk to each other, too -- Research shows that most people complain once a minute during a typical conversation¹

            -- does that describe you? – I think it certainly describes me – I’m just as guilty of this as my coworkers are and my friends on social media – this has gotten out of hand – and I think it’s time for us to take a hard look at ourselves and see if we, too, aren’t people who are living like this – because the Bible tells us that this is not the way we should be

 

– I wanted to read this passage from Romans to get us started this morning to just point out how God feels about people who are negative and complain and never are grateful in their lives

            -- in this passage where Paul is talking about sinful humanity – about the godless and wicked people in this world who have rejected God and the word of God – he makes a point here about their attitude towards life and towards the things they have in their lives

            -- look at verse 21 again

 

Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

 

– out of all their sins – out of all their wicked behavior – Paul points out a particular one that was a big problem – although they knew God, they didn’t glorify Him or give thanks to Him

            -- instead, the implication here is that they did the opposite – they ignored God – they ignored His blessings – and complained about their lot in life – and that led to futile thinking and darkened, foolish hearts

 

            -- when you spend all your time complaining, it affects who you are and how you think and what you do – science agrees with the Bible on this

            -- I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this, but I do want to point out what scientists and psychologists and social workers are saying about the negative effects of complaining and what happens to us when we absorb so much negativity in our lives

-- research says that complaining affects our health – people who complain and who have a negative outlook on life are more likely to suffer sickness and death than those who are optimists – it affects our mental and emotional health – it makes us negative and cynical people – and research from Stanford University shows that the habit of complaining can also affect the physical structure of your brain – complaining shrinks the hippocampus and causes changes in your brain similar to those we see in people with Alzheimer’s Disease

-- and if that’s not enough to be worried about, studies have shown that complaining rewires the synapses in our brains – it literally rewires our brains to make future complaining more likely – over time, we find out it’s easier to be negative all the time rather than to be positive, regardless of what’s happening around us¹

– complaining becomes our default behavior – it becomes who we are – and that affects us physically – emotionally – behaviorally – and spiritually

 

-- so, what can we do about it? – first, we need to realize that gratitude is not a reaction – it’s a decision – it’s something that we choose to do – all of us can become people of thanksgiving and gratitude by choice and through the power of the Holy Spirit within us

-- and, over time, we will learn how to give God the thanks and glory He deserves – whether we are experiencing blessings in our lives or whether we are in the midst of a storm

-- to become truly grateful and thankful people, we need to learn the Four As of Gratitude:  Appreciation – Approval – Admiration – and Attention

-- and to help you learn them and see how to apply them in your lives, I want us to turn over to Exodus 15 and look at how the Israelites expressed all four of them in their response to God following their deliverance from Egypt

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Exodus 15:1-22)

-- if you would, please turn over to Exodus 15:1, and we’ll start there

-- while you’re turning over there, let me briefly give you the context and background of this passage – Exodus 15 occurs immediately after the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army by God

-- this comes after God has sent Moses to Egypt to free His people – and Moses and Aaron had appeared before Pharaoh and his court multiple times telling them what God had commanded – that Pharaoh was to let the Israelites go – to free them from their captivity and slavery – but, as you know, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he refused, even after suffering through the 10 plagues that God sent

-- it was after the last plague – the death of the firstborn throughout the land – that Pharaoh initially relented and let the Israelites leave and begin their journey to the Promised Land – but he changed his mind and sent his army after them – with armed men and warriors in chariots too numerous to count

-- they pinned the Israelites against the shore of the Red Sea – and with no way out – with no hope for survival – they cried out to God – and He parted the Red Sea – allowing the Israelites to walk across on dry land – when the Egyptians tried to follow, the sea crashed over them – drowning the army and destroying the chariots at the bottom of the sea

-- Exodus 15 is the story of the nation of Israel standing on the distant shore of the Red Sea – watching as the water has covered the dry land once again and as the army of Egypt has been destroyed – and realizing that they were indeed saved from the hand of Pharoah

 

-- so, look now at verse 1, and let’s start our journey towards understanding thanksgiving and gratitude there

-- Exodus 15:1-2

 

Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

 

“I will sing to the Lord,

    for he is highly exalted.

Both horse and driver

    he has hurled into the sea.

 

2 “The Lord is my strength and my defense;

    he has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him,

    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

 

            -- here we see the first A of Gratitude – Appreciation

            -- Moses and the Israelites all join together in a spontaneous song inspired through the Holy Spirit, giving thanks and praise to God for what He has done

            -- they recognize God’s hand in their deliverance – and even though the text doesn’t say this, I can picture the nation on their knees on the sand there by the Red Sea as they dropped down in relief because they are still alive and in praise and worship to God

            -- they sing out to God for He is highly exalted – He is worthy of all praise – in appreciation, they declare God to be their strength and their defense – they acknowledge they are saved solely because of Him and not because of anything they had done

            -- on their own, they faced sure and certain defeat – on their own, they faced death and destruction – but through God, they were delivered from the hand of Pharaoh and his army

            -- the nation comes together as one and affirms that God is their God – and proclaims that they will exalt Him in appreciation for His blessings and deliverance and salvation

 

            -- verse 3-12

 

Exodus 15:3 The Lord is a warrior;

    the Lord is his name.

4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army

    he has hurled into the sea.

The best of Pharaoh’s officers

    are drowned in the Red Sea.[b]

5 The deep waters have covered them;

    they sank to the depths like a stone.

6 Your right hand, Lord,

    was majestic in power.

Your right hand, Lord,

    shattered the enemy.

 

7 “In the greatness of your majesty

    you threw down those who opposed you.

You unleashed your burning anger;

    it consumed them like stubble.

8 By the blast of your nostrils

    the waters piled up.

The surging waters stood up like a wall;

    the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.

9 The enemy boasted,

    ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them.

I will divide the spoils;

    I will gorge myself on them.

I will draw my sword

    and my hand will destroy them.’

10 But you blew with your breath,

    and the sea covered them.

They sank like lead

    in the mighty waters.

11 Who among the gods

    is like you, Lord?

Who is like you—

    majestic in holiness,

awesome in glory,

    working wonders?

 

12 “You stretch out your right hand,

    and the earth swallows your enemies.

 

            -- in these verses, we see the second A of gratitude – Approval – and here the people remember and recount the mighty deeds of God on their behalf

            -- they speak of God as the mighty warrior who hurled Pharoah’s chariots and army into the sea and drowned his best officers

            -- they proclaim God’s majesty and power – of His mighty right hand that shattered the enemy before them

            -- they speak of God’s burning and righteous anger – how He moved against the Egyptians because of their injustice and unrighteousness and pride

            -- at the time of the exodus, Egypt was the unparalleled world power – it was the world’s greatest government – it controlled trade – it exerted its demands on other nations – Pharaoh ruled the world through the power of his armies and Egypt’s economic might

            -- so, when the nation of Israel fled Egypt, the people of Egypt boasted and proclaimed that they would pursue them and overtake them and destroy them – but just like the people we read about in Romans 1, they forgot about the Lord – and God moved in a mighty way that defined the people of Israel forever

            -- He parted the Red Sea with His breath to allow the Israelites to escape, and then covered the Egyptian army with it once again – His power was shown to be greater than the most powerful nation on earth – and so, the people of Israel sing out in praise and worship and thanksgiving in verse 11, “Who is like you, O God? – Who among the gods – meaning the idols and the manmade powers and governments of the world – who compares to the Lord God Almighty? – You are awesome in glory, working wonders for Your people – you stretch out Your right hand, and the earth swallows all your enemies”

            -- so, the Israelites sing in approval of who God is and what He has done – and then they move to the next phase of gratefulness

            -- the Third A of Gratitude – Admiration

 

            -- verse 13-18

 

Exodus 15:13 In your unfailing love you will lead

    the people you have redeemed.

In your strength you will guide them

    to your holy dwelling.

14 The nations will hear and tremble;

    anguish will grip the people of Philistia.

15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,

    the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,

the people[c] of Canaan will melt away;

16     terror and dread will fall on them.

By the power of your arm

    they will be as still as a stone—

until your people pass by, Lord,

    until the people you bought[d] pass by.

17 You will bring them in and plant them

    on the mountain of your inheritance—

the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,

    the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.

 

18 “The Lord reigns

    for ever and ever.”

 

 

            -- when we turn our eyes upon Jesus – when we look at Him and remember what He has done – when we lift up our eyes to Heaven and see the glory of God on His throne – we can’t help but be filled with admiration and honor and praise for God

            -- the people sang out to God about His unfailing love and submit to His Lordship and Leadership – in verse 13, they say that He will lead the people He has redeemed – that His strength will guide them to His holy dwelling – as they admire His power and goodness and might

            -- they proclaim that others will see Him and know Him because of His great and mighty acts – that the other nations around them will hear and tremble – they will be filled with fear and anguish – that terror and dread will fall on them as they come to realize how good and great and powerful the Lord God Almighty is

            -- no one will be able to move against the Israelites again because God is with them – He is their God and they are His people – they will stand as still as a stone as the people of God pass by until God brings them into the Promised Land and plants them on Mount Zion – the mountain of His inheritance – the place He has made for His dwelling and sanctuary on earth forever

           

            -- even though God has not yet given the nation of Israel the Tabernacle or the Ark of the Covenant, they still know in their hearts that God is doing something special with His people – that He will always be with them and will never leave them or forsake them – and just as the Tabernacle and the Temple were the places where God’s presence interacted with earth, it pointed towards His final kingdom and the moment when God’s presence would reside with us forever

            -- and the people sang out in praise and joy and worship to God, as they admired who He was and that He was with them and would be with them forever

 

            -- verse 19-22

 

Exodus 15:19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen[e] went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. 20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them:

 

“Sing to the Lord,

    for he is highly exalted.

Both horse and driver

    he has hurled into the sea.”

 

22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.

 

            -- the final A of Gratitude is Attention – and the message from these verses is for how we should act in light of who God is and what He has done – we should pay attention to Him – we should set our mind on Him – we should fix our eyes on Him – we should turn our hearts towards Him

            -- Miriam, Aaron and Moses’ sister, took up a timbrel – a tambourine – and led the women of Israel in dancing and jubilation as she sang praises to the Lord and called on the nation to remember the Lord God Almighty – to sing to Him for He is highly exalted – to remember what He has done – and to trust in His mighty acts in the future

 

III.  Closing

            -- Appreciation – Approval – Admiration – and Attention – these are the foundation that we must build in our lives if we are to change from being people who are negative and complain to people who are positive and who live lives of gratefulness and thanksgiving to God for all that He is and for all that He will do

 

            -- it is just so easy for us to fall into a lifestyle where we do nothing but complain and grumble and murmur about everything – and I’m speaking for myself, if not for you

            -- so, I want to encourage you this morning to really consider the harmful effects of complaining and negativity – complaining is not harmless – it’s like planting weeds in your own garden that grow up and choke out the good things and the blessings you have been given

            -- complaining all the time weakens relationships and how you are viewed – there are people on Facebook that I just hate to see their posts because I know they’re going to be negative – I know that they’re going to complain about something – and when I read them, it doesn’t make me a better person – which should make me wonder what effect I’m having on people through my posts and conversations, too

            -- and like I pointed out earlier, complaining compounds – as the physical structure and the synapses in our brains change through constant complaining – we start to see everything in life from a negative standpoint – we see everything as something to complain about

 

            -- it reminds me of the old joke about the prank that some kids played on their grandfather when he came to visit -- he had fallen asleep in the guest room, and they went and got some limburger cheese and smeared it right under his nose -- now, limburger is a really stinky cheese

            -- wasn’t very long before their grandfather woke up, and looked around and said to himself, “This bedroom stinks” -- he got up and walked into the living room, looked around, and said, “This whole house stinks” -- he opened the door and walked out to get some fresh air -- he stood in the sunshine, took a deep breath, and said, “The whole world stinks”

            -- that’s what happens to us when our lives are only filled with negative thoughts and complaints – it makes us think the whole world stinks and we can’t see the goodness and the blessings of God in our lives

 

            -- but when we start living lives of gratitude – when we choose to stop complaining and stop being negative and focus our attention on God and on giving Him thankfulness and praise on a regular basis, our lives will be transformed

            -- the focus shifts from problems to solutions – when we start to focus on the blessings instead of the problems, we naturally find ways to improve things that aren’t going well

            -- it strengthens relationships – grateful people are more pleasant to be around – no one want to have Debbie Downer as a friend – but we’d all like to have a Barnabas in our life --  someone that the Bible describes as a son of encouragement – a positive person that everyone wanted to be around -- and just like complaining compounds negativity in our lives, when we start to live lives of positivity and gratitude and thankfulness, our eyes are opened and we start to see the many blessings that God has given us – blessings that we just took for granted or ignored in the past

            -- the more positive you are, the better your life becomes – the more positive you are, the more you are grateful for the presence of God and for His blessings

 

            -- so, I have homework for you today – this is Thanksgiving week – this is the time in the US when we stop and take a day to give thanks to God for all the blessings He has given

            -- and, to be honest, a lot of us still find time to complain even as we get ready for the holiday – we’re too busy – groceries are too high – we’re tired from staying up and making dishes for Thanksgiving – there’s too much – too many people – and we have to sit next to that person whose opinion we don’t like

            -- so, here’s your homework – this week, make a special effort to think about what you are feeling and saying – and when you find yourself having a negative thought or find yourself complaining about something you are doing or someone else in the room with you, find the good in it

            -- turn your eyes towards the heavens – remember the blessings of God – and try to find something good in what would normally cause you to complain

            -- we may be busy this week, but be thankful that we are looking forward to a time to celebrate with family and friends

            -- grocery prices may be too high this year, but be thankful that you have enough money to make a good dinner regardless and that you’re getting to enjoy dishes you might not get on a regular basis – like pecan pie and deviled eggs

            -- you may be tired from all the work, but thank God that He has given you the ability to do what needs to be done and to strengthen you during the chore – it could be you need to let someone else help this year, and be thankful for that blessing

            -- there may be too many people at the table to be comfortable and you might have to sit next to that extremely opinionated relative you just can’t agree with, but thank God that the table is full and that your family member is still there

            -- find the good – turn away from the negative and spread joy and gratefulness and thanksgiving this year

            -- this is your homework for this week – and for all the weeks to come – and I’m going to try to join you in this and hopefully, God can turn us all into encouraging and positive people that are grateful for God’s blessings and who pour out God’s love to everyone we meet

            -- so, with that homework, let’s pray and get ready to celebrate a great week with family and friends

            -- Let us pray

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1 [How Complaining Rewires Your Brain for Negativity by Travis Bradberry, https://www.talentsmarteq.com/how-complaining-rewires-your-brain-for-negativity/]

 

SERMON: ANTICIPATING HOPE

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Zephaniah 3:14-17

 

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, Daughter Zion;

    shout aloud, Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

    Daughter Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,

    he has turned back your enemy.

The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;

    never again will you fear any harm.

16 On that day

    they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not fear, Zion;

    do not let your hands hang limp.

17 The Lord your God is with you,

    the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

 

            -- Dorothy Sayers wrote a series of detective novels based on the adventures of her fictional character Lord Peter Wimsey – in her books, Wimsey is an aristocrat in England in the 1920s – the younger son of a duke who is trying to find his purpose and meaning in English society – as the younger son, he does not have the ability to help with the estate or enter into politics – and he eventually finds himself in the Great War as an intelligence officer, but is unfortunately wounded and sent back home

            -- finally, while searching for something to do with his life, Wimsey is thrust into the middle of a mystery and proves adept at solving the crime and helping the police apprehend the criminal – his adventures continue through several novels and short stories, which were moderately successful for Sayers

            -- despite his success in solving crime, Wimsey remains an unhappy person as he cannot find someone to love him for who he is – and Sayers portrays him as an unhappy, broken bachelor, constantly looking for companionship and more to life than just solving crimes

            -- about halfway through the eleven book series, a new character appears – a woman – Harriet Vane – a female mystery writer and one of the first women to attend and graduate from Oxford University – in the books, Harriet and Wimsey fall in love and his life takes a turn for the better – Harriet’s love heals his broken spirit and restores his faith in humanity – and together they continue to solve mysteries as they go through life hand-in-hand

            -- people wondered at the appearance of this new character in the series after Sayers had had such success with Lord Peter Wimsey as the main character in her books – who was she? – why was she introduced?

            -- in reviewing the backstory of Harriet Vane, there are interesting parallels between this fictional character and Sayers herself – like Sayers, Harriet is a graduate of Oxford University – like Sayers, Harriet is a writer of mystery novels – like Sayers, Harriet was an enthusiastic believer in the power of love to heal hearts and souls – and, comparing the two, it became obvious what Sayers had done

            -- looking at the life of the character she had created – Lord Peter Wimsey – and at his unhappiness and distress, Sayers heart was broken – she fell in love with her chief character, and didn’t want to see him in this condition – but it was too late to change his personality or his story, so she did something remarkable – she put herself in the story in the character of Harriet Vane so that she could save him through her love¹

 

            -- this is exactly what God did with us – when God created this world, He placed us in it to enjoy this world and to enjoy our relationship with Him – but when sin and death entered the world through the fall of man in the garden of Eden, that relationship was broken and mankind and all creation was damaged – things began to go wrong

            -- rather than being the people of joy and love and hope that He called us to be, mankind continually turned away from God and followed a path of heartbreak and despair, with our sins leading to injustice and violence and evil

            -- time after time, God sent His messengers to us to turn us back to Him – to call out to us to come back to our true love – but we wouldn’t hear – we couldn’t hear – and mankind continued down its destructive path that destined us for hell and eternal separation from God

            -- finally, God did the unthinkable – He did the only thing that He could do that might possibly make a difference in our lives – just like Sayers wrote herself into the Lord Peter Wimsey stories in the character of Harriet Vane, God wrote Himself into our story in the person of Jesus Christ

            -- He loved us so much that He came on His own, to show us His love and to show us the way to redemption and deliverance from sin and the path to eternal life through Him

            -- and now, because of Jesus – because of His death and resurrection – because of His love – we look forward with hope to the day that He returns and takes us to be with Him forever as His bride and His church

            -- we see the promise of that day and the love of God for us clearly in this passage from Zephaniah – and I wanted us to take a moment and to consider this passage today as we look forward to the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons and rejoice again in the Savior who came into our story to redeem us from the path that we were on

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Zephaniah 3:14-17)

            -- Zephaniah is a book that we rarely turn to in the church, but it is a book that answers life’s most perplexing questions – Zephaniah is one of the twelve minor prophets in the Old Testament -- the minor prophets is the term used for the last twelve prophetic books of the Old Testament -- they are called “minor,” not in terms of their importance, but because of the length of the book -- these are all small books with few chapters, but it includes such notable authors as Jonah, Habakkuk, Zechariah, and Micah -- Zephaniah is one of these authors

            -- Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah in the nation of Judah – Josiah was the last godly king in the nation, and it is after his reign that things start to take a definite negative turn in the kingdom, eventually leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple by Nebuchadnezzar, Emperor of Babylon

            -- looking ahead to the trials and tribulations that are to come on the nation of Judah because of their idolatry and turning away from God, Zephaniah answers the questions that we all ask during times of trouble and heartbreak – sickness and death – why is this happening? – and will this ever end?

            -- so, the majority of the Book of Zephaniah – from Zephaniah 1 through the eighth verse of Chapter 3 – we read about the judgment of God on the nation of Israel and the world as God ordains the exile of the people of the people of Judah as a consequence of their sins and proclaims God’s wrath on the nations surrounding Judah during these final days of the nation

            -- this time of trials and tribulations also foreshadow the coming Great Tribulation that we see prophesied in the Book of Revelation -- when God’s wrath will be poured out against all the nations because of their sin and their rejection of His Son Jesus Christ

            -- the basic premise and warning of the Book of Zephaniah is that judgment is coming -- that the wrath of God is coming to purge the earth of sin and evil in order to cleanse and purify the earth in preparation for the second coming of Jesus

            -- but after his dire prophetic pronouncement of God’s wrath and tribulation coming against the earth, Zephaniah answers that question, “When will it end?”, with this final section pointing to the restoration of God’s people and our lives with Him in eternity

 

            -- if you would, look back with at the Book of Zephaniah – Zephaniah 3:14 – and let’s consider the end of tribulation – the end of heartbreak and violence – the end of injustice – when the love of God is made manifest in our lives and in this world and all of creation is redeemed forever

 

            -- verse 14-16

 

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, Daughter Zion;

    shout aloud, Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

    Daughter Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,

    he has turned back your enemy.

The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;

    never again will you fear any harm.

16 On that day

    they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not fear, Zion;

    do not let your hands hang limp.

 

            -- speaking through the prophet Zephaniah, God calls out to the people of Israel and tells them to sing and be glad – to rejoice with their whole hearts – because He has taken away their punishment – He has turned back their enemy

            -- keep in mind, this is written to a people who are about to go into exile in Babylon – their entire world is about to be destroyed as Jerusalem and Judah are going to be conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar and as their whole way of life – economic – social – and religious – is about to be turned on its head

            -- in the future, the people of Israel will weep in the land of their captivity as they suffer for their sins – as they serve as slaves and servants for Babylon – as they are far from their homeland

 

            -- we see this pictured for us in Psalm 137:1-4 – let me read that to you now

 

Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept

    when we remembered Zion.

2 There on the poplars

    we hung our harps,

3 for there our captors asked us for songs,

    our tormentors demanded songs of joy;

    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

 

4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord

    while in a foreign land?

 

            -- this was the state of the people of God when they were in exile in Babylon – they wept because of the judgment that had come upon them – their hearts were broken – and hope was far away – they lived lives of misery and trial and tribulation – it felt like nothing would ever be right again

 

            -- we get that – we feel that – because we live in a fallen world that is still touched by the ravages of sin and death – all around us we see the misery that continues since the garden of Eden – we see and feel and experience the pain and the grief of living in this place

            -- our lives are filled with trouble – with trials and tribulations – with natural disasters and violence – with crime and war – with hatred and injustice and evil

            -- how do we sing in the midst of a life like this? – how can we find joy living in this world today?

 

            -- here in verse 14, God calls out to His people – to the faithful remnant of the nation of Israel – and tells them to shout and be glad – to rejoice with all their hearts – to sing once again because of His great victory over their enemies – because He has taken away their punishment

            -- this verse speaks of the redeeming grace we have through Jesus Christ – for it was because of His death on the cross in our place – it was because of His body which was broken for us and His blood which was shed for us – that the penalty for our sins was paid – our punishment was taken away – and with the resurrection, Jesus emerged from the grave the victor over sin and death – our eternal enemies who have stalked us since the fall in the garden of Eden were defeated and turned back – and we stand in victory with Christ

            -- and so, God tells us to be glad and to rejoice in the victory with our whole hearts – to lift Him up in honor and glory and worship – to praise His name for what He had done for us – and to stand on the promise He gives us here that He is with us – never again will we fear any harm because He is our King and Savior and Redeemer

 

            -- and not only has our punishment been taken away and our enemies of sin and death turned back, but our relationship with God has been restored – notice here that God calls the people of Israel, “Daughter Zion” and “Daughter Jerusalem” – pointing to their place in the family of God

            -- gone are their sins – gone are their enemies – and gone is their separation from their Creator and God and King – they are once again part of His family – restored through the saving grace of Jesus Christ Himself

 

            -- the scene we are given in this passage is one of joy and love and exultation and happiness -- we will finally experience the true meaning of the emotions expressed in the song, “Oh, Happy Day”: 

 

“Oh, happy day

Oh, happy day

Oh, happy day

 

When Jesus washed

Oh, when He washed

When Jesus washed

My sins away, yeah

 

He taught me how, how to watch

How to fight and pray, fight and pray

And living rejoicing everyday

 

Oh, happy day

Oh, happy day”²

 

            -- keep in mind, this is a Jewish prophet speaking to the Jewish people -- this passage is, first and foremost, concerning the return of the Jewish people to the true Messiah -- it speaks of the joy they will experience as they come to know Jesus and see the long-awaited for redemption of Israel

            -- however, this passage also speaks to us, because our joy will be made complete when we are finally joined with our Lord and Savior in the heavenly kingdom -- what Zephaniah says the Jews will experience and do in these verses can certainly be extended to us, although we can never share the joy they will feel as they see Jerusalem and Israel redeemed and restored as promised by God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to the remnant that experienced the exile into Assyria and Babylon

 

            -- the scene around the throne proclaimed to us here will be one of exultant praise -- Zephaniah tells us we will sing and rejoice at our salvation made whole -- eternity with Christ will be a time of “unsurpassed joy”³ -- as J.B. Phillip wrote: “only a redeemed people can truly sing” -- Zephaniah tells us that the Lord, the King of Israel, would be with us -- we will live with Him and in Him -- we will truly experience Jesus’ words where He told us He would never leave us nor forsake us -- and we will truly know Him as Immanuel -- God with us forever

 

            -- so, when will this happen? – Zephaniah tells us right here in verse 16 – “On that day” – what day? – the Day of the Lord

            -- the Day of the Lord is a prophetic term that we see in the Bible – in both the Old and the New Testaments – referring to the day that Christ will return again – the time when heaven and earth will be recreated and God will dwell with us and live with us forever as our King and our God

            -- this will be the time when the prophecy of Philippians 2:9-11 will come to pass:  “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name -- that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth -- and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”

            -- this will be the time that we read about in Revelation 21, when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth will have passed away – and the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, will come down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband – this will be the time when God’s dwelling place will now be among His people and He will dwell with them – they will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God – He will wipe every tear from their eyes – there will be no more death or mourning – crying or pain – for the old order of things will have passed away

            -- this is our hope -- this is our dream -- this is what the prophets in the Bible looked for at the coming of the Day of the Lord -- and this is what we look for when we pray for the return of Christ and pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”

 

            -- limp hands here in verse 16 refers to hopelessness – it refers to surrender in the face of an enemy – and God promises once again here that we will no longer have to fear any harm – our hands will not have to hang limp – because everything will be new and our relationship will be fully restored on that day – the Day of the Lord

            -- these verses are verses of joy and hope for those caught in the midst of the storms of life -- it is light for those in the darkness -- it is salvation and redemption from the trials and tribulations of earth

 

            -- as someone once wrote: “You may be downcast, despairing, depressed, or disillusioned this day, but look up dear one, for a new day is dawning -- a day of righteousness and truth and justice in the presence of the Righteous One Himself, the long awaited and longed for Messiah -- Hasten that glorious day, Lord God, when our mourning is turned into dancing!”⁴

 

            -- verse 17

 

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you,

    the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

 

            -- on that day – the Day of the Lord – the Day of our redemption and restoration as the people of God – we will know God as He is in our midst as our God and King and as the Mighty Warrior who saves – Paradise will be restored – and the Lord’s prayer will be fulfilled, as God’s Kingdom and will are done on earth as they are in heaven

 

            -- hidden here in this verse in the Book of Zephaniah is one of the greatest thoughts in all the Bible – we read here that God takes great delight in us – He loves us and He likes us – He is filled with love for us – and God will rejoice over us with singing

            -- don’t miss what that verse is saying – we always talk in the church about how we should be giving God all the honor and glory and praise – how we should sing in joy to God for who He is and what He has done – but have you ever thought that God is so in love with you – He so desires your presence – He so longs to be with you – that He takes great delight in us and sings over us?

            -- on that day, when we live with God in eternity, He will sing love songs to us – His love will overflow and fill us with His presence – and we will enjoy His goodness and His love forever

 

            -- one final thing I want you to see in this passage -- there is a parallel between verses 14 and 17 -- look at the similarities between the two:

-- in verse 14, we rejoice in God and sing to Him – in verse 17, He rejoices in us and sings over us

-- in verse 14, we are glad and rejoice with all our hearts – in verse 17, God delights in us and rejoices in our presence

-- and together with God, we join a heavenly chorus of love and experience true love and belonging for all eternity – singing a duet with God as we enjoy the perfect relationship that we were created for in the beginning – God with us and us with God, forever

 

III.  CLOSING

            -- in 1 Corinthians 13:12, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face – now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known”

            -- that is where we are living at this time – in a world that is darkened with sin – seeing only reflections and glimmers of the hope that await us while still surrounded by darkness and trials and tribulations

-- the thought of this reminds me of the story of Fanny Crosby -- Fanny was the author of over 9,000 hymns in her life – and even though her sight was taken from her as a child as the result of a medical error, she was able to look past her condition and the darkness of her world to visualize the light to come and the beauty of Christ’s blessings – often with more clarity than those around her who could actually see

            -- in her hymns, Fanny wrote of visions of rapture that burst on her sight – and how she watched and waited, looking above, for the sight of her Lord and Savior – and she reminded us in her hymn, “To God Be the Glory,” “[that] purer and higher and greater will be, our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.”

 

            -- the message for us in this passage from Zephaniah is that even though things may be bad right now – even though we may walk through a dark and troubling world – there is hope on the horizon – and we need to keep our eyes firmly fixed on the promise that awaits – the blessed hope we have in Christ – the redemption and restoration and salvation that He has given us

-- the vision that Zephaniah gives us here in verses 14-17 is a glimpse of our future – a glimpse of the joy that awaits us on the Day of the Lord, when Christ shall return and all will be made right again

            -- so, take heart in the Lord – put your faith and trust in Him – and know that – no matter what trials and troubles you are walking through – no matter what season you may be in in your life – that God is with you – He takes great delight in you – He loves you and is rejoicing over you with singing

            -- and one day, we will be in His presence and all will be made right -- and we will join in the heavenly chorus around His throne as we sing and praise His holy name with His angels and all creation                      

-- let us pray

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1 Adapted from Tim Keller, "Dorothy Sayers Illustration," (8-17-15)

2 http://www.metrolyrics.com/oh-happy-days-lyrics-aretha-franklin.html

3 NIV Study Bible

4 Precept Austin website:  http://www.preceptaustin.org/zephaniah_3_commentary