Sylvania Wesleyan Church 1
Sunday Morning 12/15

      • Isaiah 12:2–6NIV2011

  • Good Morning. I am so glad that we can be here together.
    Today is the day we Rejoice. Today is the day that we recognize that we have so much to be thankful for and celebrate. It is the moment when our heart overflows with joy and wonder at the holiday season.
    Today we were blessed with a Baby dedication. It is a moment that we celebrate because it is new life and it is a life that the church is going to walk along side and help in their faith.
    It is always wonderful to do these kinds of things this time of year because it reminds me that we get to celebrate the birth of another child in just a week and a half.
    IT is this joy of the future that fills our heart this time of year.
    It had me thinking about this mornings passage. We Sing songs like Joy to the world and Joyful Joyful but do we really fully grasp what we are singing about in them.
    Zephaniah helps us understand that joy in the end of his book.
    Zephaniah may not be a book that is regularly on our reading lists as we engage the word of God but it is one that helps point us to the promise of the day of the Lord.
    Zephaniah if the whole book was to be summarized as the announcement of the Day of the Lord as a great judgement upon God’s People.
    Now wait a minute that doesn’t sound very joyful right?
    I don’t know about you but judgement doesn’t sound like something we want to rejoice.

    The Truth about Judgement

    When we think about Judgement we often think about punishment.
    In fact, it wouldn’t be uncommon to hear statements like this one.
    The Judgement of the wicked is God’s final and everlasting punishment of unrepentant sinners.
    This is a true statement.
    It doesn’t strike anyone as a moment of joy though.
    I have to answer for all the things that I have done?
    Why doesn’t he tell me before hand?
    What if I didn’t know about something I did that was wrong?
    How is he going to punish me?
    We have fear and worry and anziety around the idea of judgement because we are consumed by the brokenness of sin in our lives.
    We face the reality but there is hope here and Joy if you can see it.
    The truth is that the repentant sinner has no reason to fear judgement. Not because we are somehow better but because of what he does for us.
    Turn with me to Zephaniah chapter 3 as we read together.
    Zephaniah 3:14–17 NIV
    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.”

    Sing and Shout

    Sing Daughter Zion, Shout Aloud.
    These don’t sound like moments of Judgement do they. There is a part of the summary I left out of Zephaniah. Yes the book is about the day of Judgement but it is also about the restoration of the remenant of Israel. It is the finding joy in the day of Judgement because of who he is and what he does on that day for his People.
    Daughter Zion Sing and shout. Be glad and Rejoice with all your heart.
    Jubilation and celebration comes because of the promise that we have in God. This isn’t supposed to be just a little bit of.
    Yeah woo hoo God saved us (very monotone)
    It is more like WOOO HOOO! God has saved us. I am so excitied and I just can’t hide it.
    Do we show that in our faith?
    Do we forget that sometimes?
    That God has saved us from our punishment?
    That We are no longer bound to pain and death of sin?
    That we are made whole through his Son Jesus?
    When we read words like this we should be ecstatic
    Zephaniah 3:15 NIV
    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.
    No punishment, no enemies we have no reason to fear harm again because we know that he is faithful and has taken away our punishment.

    The Advocate

    Jesus came so that we could have the confidence to no longer fear the pain of death and the weight of sin in our lives. He came to begin the process of restoration before God for us.
    It is the reason that Judgement is not something we fear.
    Imagine for a moment if you had to stand before a judge and give account of why you did something. Alone you might be afraid or worried that the Judge may not hear you or that you might say something wrong. That if you mess up you could end up in Jail and or punished beyond what you think you can handle. Yet, today we have a thing called Lawyers who know the law and stand up for us and help us to present our case to the judge.
    We are all trained to not really like lawyers until we need one because it is then we realize that they have our back and are there to help.
    Now imagine the same situation. Except this time you are entering the court of God. You have to stand before that almighty to give account of who you are and what you have done in this world.
    Do you want to do that alone or do you want someone on your side?
    Not only can you have someone on your side but you could have the greatest lawyer or advocate possible in all the universe.
    You can have Jesus ready to stand there with you.
    Suddenly Judgement isn’t so scary because Jesus is fighting for you. Jesus is arguing for you. Jesus is standing there in the inbetween on your behalf so that the weight of God’s judgement gives us no reason to fear.
    It is here that we find that his holiness has made us whole and has restored us and it is here that we can stand in confidence.

    Joy in a Stable

    The joy of Christmas is it reminds us of the coming of that advocate. That Jesus is coming so that we can be freed. We look to this time of year and to this stable so that we can have joy in our heart. To be restored by the words of hope that he has for us. WE don’t have to fear any longer. After all...
    Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
    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.”
    Not only do we have the promise that he will save us and we have no reason to fear rebuke but we also have the promise that one day in the future that he will...
    Zephaniah 3:20 NIV
    20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.
    We look to the future and have no reason to fear because we have the promise that he will return. Yet, while we wait we can rejoice and we can sing and shout praises of Joy. We can have a heart that is filled with happiness and peace because of who he is and that he is faithful.

    Communion

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      • Zephaniah 3:14–17NIV2011

      • Zephaniah 3:15NIV2011

      • Zephaniah 3:17NIV2011

      • Zephaniah 3:20NIV2011

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