Summit: Hab/Joel/Zeph/Obad/Mic

Intro

Context: the Hobbit and Mirkwood forest.

Hobbit Video (until 0:58, after he says “we’re almost there!”)

Do you want to know why people are so depressed? Because they think this is as good as it gets.

Followup illust: winters to summer in Alaska.

Most of the time, life will feel like Mirkwood, confusing, despairing, pointless, lost, everything is out to hurt me. People try to figure out why they feel that way, they blame their upbringings, they blame their bodies, the blame whatever they want and usually they settle for saying the issue has to do with something called mental health and they just continue like that.

You know exactly what I’m talking about. Your friend groups all feel it, your schools, online, movies, they bring up problem after problem but they never have been able to pin down a solution.

Where can we find our treetops? Where can we find our breath of fresh air? Our hope and our reason to continue in life with purpose and direction?

The prophets are going to introduce a word to you tonight. It is one of the most important words of the Bible. It is a word that when you bring it to your mind it will give you that breath of fresh air above the treetops, cast away the doubt of the forest, and set you back on where you were going.

The word, is Zion.

“Sunny, warm, mountain.” (root is shining)

This is a word that is easy to be confused with in the Bible. Because there are two places talked about when Zion is mentioned at times.

On one hand, Zion is an actual place on earth that was pretty important to the Old Testament Story. It is a city God picked where he would dwell in Israel. It is a name for the city of Jerusalem. Go

On the other, God says He is making a second Zion. It is like the first, an important city where God will live with man, but the second city is perfect.

God is judging the earthly zion, but he is making a new zion for the new heavens and new earth.

So when it is God judging zion, he’s talking about the earthly city.

When he is promising a perfect zion, he is talking about the heavenly city.

So many times when I meet with youth, I ask them about their lives. They have thoughts, insecurities,

Life on earth most of the time feels like Mirkwood

Opening Illust: Nostalgia and the longing for home.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 (ESV) Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

How Thinking About “Zion” Will Give You Daily Purpose:

Joel: You will rejoice in loss as reminders of your heavenly home.

Context: The land of Israel is his by a giant wave of locusts. They destroy everything. Let’s read.

Read Joel 1:1-4, then read Joel 1:13-20.

The land is destroyed by locusts, but then God moves on to taking about this thing called “The Day of the Lord”

The “Day of the Lord” shows up a ton in the prophets. It is a day that God has appointed where everything will be destroyed and upheaved.

What do these two things have in common? In both events, you lose the things of this earth. Locusts or not, the Day of the Lord is coming, you can gather up all the treasure you want but either you will die and meet God meaning it meant nothing or you Christ will return and it will mean nothing.

The most dangerous thing is when we slip into forgetting that, which is often. We think things here are as good as it gets. Maybe God sends things like locusts, or bad grades, or lost friendships, to remind you that you don’t want to get to comfy.

Thinking of Zion turns those losses around. It turns tragedy into opportunity.

Application: Things that seem to threaten your joy and future all of a sudden become reminders of your joy and future.

Obad: You will relinquish the pursuit of a perfect earthly home.

Context: Ends the story of Esau. Esau’s children become a nation called Edom who go on to make their own Zion.

Read Obadiah 1-4, then read Obadiah 21.

Have you considered that you love entertainment, you love distraction, because thinking of heaven and zion makes you scared?

It’s scary letting your hands go of the direction your life is going. Unless that person you trust your life to is the perfect king.

God will expose your mountain in the Day of the Lord.

Application: Repent of the ways you have desired to build your own Zion.

Micah: You will reach a longing for your heavenly home over your earthly one.

Context: Micah is a mini prophet all focused on the mountain. It’s written to the poor people who are oppressed under bad leaders, and they see no way out.

Read Micah 3:1-8, then Micah 4:1-5.

The leaders, the prophets, those who are wicked now and getting away with it, God sees them. But he says he deals with them.

I always knew I needed to look forward to heaven, but I wanted to look forward to earth instead.

The prophet Micah is really trying to convince you that earth is Mirkwood, and that Zion is perfect.

Application: You won’t be so upset with how imperfect your earthly home and leaders are and instead be excited for your future king.

Hab: You will rest in God’s dealing with the evils of your earthly home.

Context: the entire book is a conversation between God and the Prophet Habakkuk, who is struggling with why God isn’t punishing these people now.

Read Habakkuk 1:1-4, then 1:5-7, then 1:12-13, then 2:2-4.

Habakkuk is confused with God’s plan, why he is letting them prosper.

Gd gives us answers, but those answers have more questions.

God wants you to do one thing, trust him with your soul, with your future. He could give you all the answers in the world, it wouldn’t be enough. You will only find rest when you also find faith in him.

Application: God has a plan and a reason for the people he is letting do evil works now.

Zeph: You will realize your God delights in you in your heavenly home.

Context: The people who all these prophets were written to didn’t listen any of those times. So God sends Zephaniah, someone with royal blood to get the point across. Dark side and light side of the day.

Read Zephaniah 1:1-3, then Read Zephaniah 3:15-17.

Your home won’t last, your friends won’t last, your family won’t last. But your God will last.

Your God delights in you and he will change your heart to delight fully in him.

Application: You don’t need people to love you right now. You need to remember your God loves you forever.

Conclusion

The whole reason Jesus came was to adopt you and give you a new home. He paid the price of His life to ensure you get there.

Remember that home and remember His love to endure this world.

He sees you as an orphan lost in this world, and said that you need to live with him.

His resurrection sealed the deal of letting you into his mountain.

John 14:1–3 ESV

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.