12-16-2018 - When the Joy Arrives (2)

12-16-2018 -

Joy comes after Judgment

We are made to serve

There are a few times in life where we are not just told what to do

Most of the time, we are not given many options

One of the more challenging parts of life is being more faithful than your superiors

Work

Social Life

Family

The Old Testament Commands, especially those from the prophets assume that the readers and hearers will find their place in the community and live obediently within that place.

For example, judges are supposed to rule justly, merchants are supposed to trade fairly, workers are supposed to work diligently, and the poor are supposed to not steal.

All of those things could be filed under the law “Thou shall not steal.” but the law is lived out in different sectors of life.

Zephaniah calls all classes to be ready to rejoice.

Zephaniah 3:14–15 NLT

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster.

Sing and shout for Joy

Sing and shout for Joy

A Political Program

Zephaniah part of the Courtly family

Saw his relatives rule unfaithfully

Admonishing Josiah to be a Godly King

Josiah took his time making the reforms that needed to be made.

Judgment will be lifted

Relationship between Judgment and enemies

Then God comes to live with Israel/us

Zephaniah 3:16 NLT

On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!

A sad Judah

A sad Judah

A divided Israel

A nation that needs cheering up

Why?

Judgment has come upon them

They have been punished

Falling and failing as consequences of their own actions

Zephaniah 3:17–20 NLT

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” “I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals; you will be disgraced no more. And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones; I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and fame to my former exiles, wherever they have been mocked and shamed. On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again. I will give you a good name, a name of distinction, among all the nations of the earth, as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

He IS a Mighty Savior

He will (Love) - take delight in you, calm you, rejoice over you, remove shame

He will (Rescue) - gather together those who mourn, judge the oppressors, save the weak, gather those scattered and in exile

He will (Restore honor) - gather together/restore fortunes

We cannot do this on our own

"Just wait til your Father gets home!"

Made to fill us with fear

But it also implies that things will not be set right until He returns

Our world won't get fixed until He does get back

Many popular songs and sayings point out that our joy does not get stolen, we choose to give it up.

However, Joy won't come to us while shame still lives with us

We deal with lies about our worth and rejection every day

It becomes shame when we start to believe it.

Real joy can't fit inside us while shame is there taking up space

Listen again to the things God promises to do when He gets here:

He will love you

He will rescue you

He will restore your honor

Here is the

Shame is a hurt that demands to be hidden.

Consider Mary and Joseph

The world’s most famous couple

Yet, because they were pregnant out of wedlock, they kept it a secret

Even the honor of bringing Christ into the world was turned into a kind of shame on them

No family to care for them, except for Elizabeth and Zechariah

What happened to them in that pregnant pause, in between the announcement and the birth of Jesus?

God visited them through angels and dreams

God gave them fellowship with those who could listen, comfort, and understand them in Elizabeth and Zechariah

The poor person may think that being saved looks like winning the lottery.

A wealthy person going through financial ruin may think the same thing… fortune restored.

But God begins by loving us, delighting in us, teaching us what it is to have joy in Him, not our circumstances.

His plan for rescue starts when he crawls into the pit with us and telling us He loves us even there in the pit, in the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.

Every prisoner, whether they are imprisoned justly or under false evidence, think rescue means being released from prison.

God, through Jesus Christ, enters that prison with them, reminding them of His love for them, and then meets out true justice before setting anyone free.

Falsified justice is made right.

True guilt is exposed.

Because if you are set free physically, but still carry the guilt and shame, you will carry that prison with you wherever you go.

When God removes our shame and restores our fortunes, Zephaniah says those who mourn (those who have lost - all of us) will be gathered for the appointed festivals.

These were community gatherings where everyone was expected to bring an offering to God.

It was the society God created among the freed Hebrew slaves in Exodus that taught them how to live in holy love with God and one another.

It involved recognition that the “fortunes” we received were gifts that belonged to God and that we were given stewardship over.

The minute you believe that lottery money is yours, it will trip you up and suck the joy right out of your life.

However, those who receive blessings and recognize that those blessings ultimately belong to God, and that we are called to use to bless one another, will never lose their joy.

Mary found joy when she shared Jesus with Elizabeth, during their pregnancies.

Mary found joy when she shared Jesus with the shepherds and wise men.

Mary lost her joy, when Jesus grew up, and she tried to keep Jesus to herself.

But she would regain that joy in His resurrection, when she discovered she could share her own beloved son with the entire world.

Do you want to experience the true Joy of the Lord?

Invite Him into the mess of your life.

Trust Him to bring true justice to set things right, dealing with the guilt of those around you, but starting with you yourself.

Open your hands to receive the blessings God wants you to have, not just the things you want to receive, and let those blessing flow through you like a fountain, not locked away like a treasure chest.

Then you will be able to experience the Joy of the Lord, even as we wait on His return to love us, rescue us, and bless us forevermore.