It’s Not Over Until The LORD God Sings

Advent 2023  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Introduction- It ain't over till the fat lady sings…

Zephaniah 1:1–4 ESV
1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. 2 “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 3 “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
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Did I show up on the wrong Sabbath day?
Did the prophet get up on the wrong side of the bed?l today?
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Chapter 1- Complacent people

Zephaniah 1:12 ESV
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.’
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Chapter 2- Shameless nation (people)

Zephaniah 2:1 ESV
1 Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation,
1 Peter 2:4 ESV
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
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Chapter 3- Fickle people (foolish)

Zephaniah 3:3–4 ESV
3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. 4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law.

be insolent, be arrogant, i.e., pertaining to a person that has a false confidence in oneself or one’s abilities, and so have a false, morally repugnant haughtiness

in some contexts, this foolish person may exhibit reckless behavior based in his excessive confidence and so exhibit characteristics of a fool

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Chapter 4- Haughty people (exalts oneself)

Zephaniah 3:11–12 ESV
11 “On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. 12 But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,

be proud, haughty, arrogant, i.e., exaltation of self, as a moral failure

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"It ain't over till (or until) the fat lady sings" is a colloquialism which is often used as a proverb. It means that one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. More specifically, the phrase is used when a situation is (or appears to be) nearing its conclusion. It cautions against assuming that the current state of an event is irreversible and clearly determines how or when the event will end.
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Transition To Body- Sing & Shout, O People of God! Rejoice

Exalting Jesus in Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi God Will Protect His People (Zephaniah 3:14–15)

They had earned God’s wrath, and rightly were in the crosshairs of His judgment. However, because of His grace they were now freed from that impending punishment.

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Exalting Jesus in Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi God Will Protect His People (Zephaniah 3:14–15)

What has predominantly been a book that is both painful and low on hope has dramatically turned a corner. The appropriate response to the redemptive work of God among His people is to throw a party. This is precisely what God is communicating. What’s more, this is not just a momentary celebration. The understanding here is that this is their new way of life. This is not just a fleeting, volitional choice to “sing for joy” or “shout loudly.” This is a transformation of the heart. Israel was heading toward certain judgment and death, but instead they have inherited the grace of God. There is much to be excited about!

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Sing Aloud O daughter & Shout O Israel

Zephaniah 3:14 ESV
14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
What do I have to sing aloud about?
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Rejoice- attitude leading to outward expression of joy

rejoice, be glad, delight in, be elated, i.e., have a feeling or attitude of joy and happiness, with a possible focus of making an outward expression of that joy

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Exult- Great joy & happiness by acts of & words sowing joy

rejoice, be jubilant, i.e., be in a reveling state of great joy and happiness

often with an act of or word showing joy

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People of God Have Reasons to Sing & Shout

Zephaniah 3:15 ESV
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.
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The LORD has taken away the judgements against you

The LORD has cleared away your enemies

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst (Our LORD wants us Reconciled with him)

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We Are To Praise the LORD God!

Psalmist Sang
Psalm 113:1–9 ESV
1 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! 3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! 4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! 5 Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, 6 who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, 8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. 9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!
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Prophets Worship God
Isaiah 6:1 ESV
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
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Apostles Sang
Philippians 2:9–10 ESV
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
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Gospel Writer Proclaimed
Matthew 1:23 ESV
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
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In Praise of the Lamb
Revelation 17:14 ESV
14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
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The People of God are Weak (Unable to Respond) to their hopeless looking situation

Zephaniah 3:16 ESV
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.
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Our Hands Can Grow Weak

hang limp, be feeble, i.e., be in a state of lacking power or force, with a focus that the muscles have lost their muscle tone to flex and so respond to a situation

this may have an associative meaning of fear, dread, or lack of courage

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Jesus Said: “In the World you will have tribulation…”

John 16:33 ESV
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
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We are More than Conquerors……

Romans 8:37–39 ESV
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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But preacher how can I truly be joyful in difficult times?
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The LORD sends a word through His prophet to strengthen the LORD’S people when they loose strength and are about to give up when facing seemingly insurmountable problems and issues-

Body- We Can Be Joyful Because It’s Not Over Until the LORD God Sings

Our Mighty LORD God Will Restore (You)

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV
17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:18–20 ESV
I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.
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Not only is he the King of Israel, but He’s the LORD God

rescued, delivered, saved, i.e., be in a situation safe and free from danger

Psalm 24:1 ESV
1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
Psalm 24:7–8 ESV
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!

We Got God’s Power in Us

2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
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The LORD God’s Power to Finish

Philippians 1:6 ESV
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
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Holy Spirit Power

2 Timothy 1:6–7 ESV
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
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Our Glad LORD God Will Rejoice (Over You)

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV
17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
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The People of God’s Attitude Towards The LORD God

rejoice, be glad, delight in, be elated, i.e., have a feeling or attitude of joy and happiness, with a possible focus of making an outward expression of that joy

The LORD Your God’s Attitude Towards His People

be pleased, be delighted, be glad, i.e., have a feeling or attitude of fondness and enjoyment in an object, implying a love or relationship to the object of delight

The LORD Takes Pleasure in His People

Psalm 149:1–5 ESV
1 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! 2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! 3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! 4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. 5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.
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The LORD God is Glad To Save

Luke 15:1–2 ESV
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Luke 15:7 ESV
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:10 ESV
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:32 ESV
It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”
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Our Loving LORD God Will Restrain (You)

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV
17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
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Quiet

engraving tool, formally, engraving, i.e., that implement made of metal used for scraping, cutting, plowing

a human being is the subject of the action, with the meaning “hold back, restrain.”

“be quiet,” “keep quiet,” etc., by the RSV. The root denotes a state of tranquillity that is free from trouble and strife

Proverbs 15:18 ESV
18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
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Keep you in Perfect Peace (LORD Hold my mind together)

Isaiah 26:3 ESV
3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
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The LORD is My Shepherd
Psalm 23:1–3 ESV
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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Love

love, i.e., a state or condition of strong affection for another based on relationship

this relationship can be familial, as a friend, properly romantic, or based in covenant

Just consider the fact that the LORD God loves you!

When I think of the goodness of Jesus, and what he has done for me, my soul cries out, "Hallelujah!" Praise God for saving me.
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Our Joyous LORD God Will Revel (Over Your Restoration)

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV
17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
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Our Joyousness Over What the LORD God Does For Us!

Sing aloud (Us)-

become waking-sober, awake from a drunken-stupor, i.e., be in a state which is slow moving and slow to respond after too much alcohol the night before

rejoice, be jubilant, i.e., be in a reveling state of great joy and happiness

often with an act of or word showing joy

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The LORD Our God’s Joyousness Over What He Does For Us
Loud Singing

rejoicing, shout of joy, an expression of a joyful state

shout, i.e., a loud communication of a message

singing, i.e., the making of joyful music with the voice and words

pride, i.e., a legitimate reason for rejoicing in a particular state or object (Isa 43:14)

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Exult

rejoice, be glad, be joyful, i.e., be in a state of an attitude or feeling of favorable circumstance

this joy may be expressed in song, shouts, or even joyous shrieks and calls

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God Saw Everything He Made- Behold it Was Very Good

Genesis 1:27–28 ESV
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:31 ESV
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
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The LORD Searches & Knows You

Psalm 139:1 ESV
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

The LORD is Everywhere

Psalm 139:7–8 ESV
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

Psalm 139:13–14 ESV
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
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Transition To Close- When You Consider All The LORD Has Done To Comprehensively Save You From Enemies as well as yourself-

Why do you say……? Have not known?

Isaiah 40:27–31 ESV
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
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Psalm 30:4–5 ESV
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
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Make a Joyful Noise

Psalm 100:1–5 ESV
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
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Rejoice in the LORD Always

Philippians 4:4–7 ESV
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom

Luke 12:22–34 ESV
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
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The Father’s Gracious Will

Matthew 11:25–30 ESV
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
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God Through Christ Reconciled Us

2 Corinthians 5:16–21 ESV
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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Close- Look to Christ

They Shall Call His Name Immanuel

Matthew 1:23 ESV
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
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Let Us Run with Endurance……

Hebrews 12:1–4 ESV
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
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