For the past 3 weeks, we have been talking about having a reverent fear of God, about feeling secure from fear in the arms of God, and replacing our fear with courage. Today, we are going to talk about bringing it all together and turning our fears into joy. If we think about it, if we go through a fearful time in our life, when all turns out okay and is settled, we tend to be joyful. I'll tell about a time when my fear turned to joy.
When I was a teenager, my dad, my brother, and I went on a fishing trip in Seadrift, Texas. My dad had an old boat with an old motor but it ran most of the time. We were going to set trot lines out in the bay so we cut across the intercoastal canal out into the bay and went up the coast about 5 mi. We anchored in water that was about 3 ft deep. We spent some time setting all of the trot lines.
It was about 6:00 in the evening and we were ready to head back to the fishing camp. Wouldn't you know it, the motor would not start. We didn't have a radio and there were no cell phones back then. So here we are 5 mi down a coastline about 300 yards from the shore of the long island that separated the bay from the intercoastal canal and the main shore. We decided to walk back as best we could.
The mud was deeper than the water but with poles we were able to test the depth as we took each step. It took us about 2 hours to make it through the mud from the boat to the shore. This was the outer shore of the intercoastal canal. So now we had a 5-mile walk on a rattlesnake-ridden island.
We finally made it to the point of being across from the fishing camp. It was about 1:00 a.m. Luckily, or by the grace of God, a fisherman had come out to check on his boat and we were able to holler at him and he came across and took us across the intercoastal canal to the camp. When we finally got to our bed that early morning, we needed a lot of rest, but our fears were replaced with the joy of finally being back on dry ground.
We all have days when we want to give up. But we have a reason to hope because one day we will rest and enjoy a table prepared for us by Jesus. In our text today, we will be using the book of Zephaniah. The prophet Zephaniah reminds us that fear will be a thing of the past in the eternal kingdom of God. Yes, as the psalmist wrote, there will be joy in the morning. Let's pray. Prayer.
I think that we are all beginning to realize that despite the best efforts of medicine, science, and technology, the world is not becoming a better place. As long as self and sin rule this world, it will only get worse. We can wonder and be afraid of what the future might bring, but we can rest confident in this; this sinful world does not have the final say. For those who trust in Christ, an eternal Kingdom is coming that is free of the things that cause us to be afraid.
During the 7th century BC, when Josiah was King over Judah, Zephaniah came on the scene as a prophet. King Josiah's father and grandfather were evil kings. They encouraged the people to chase after idols and false gods. Yet when Josiah took the throne, he wanted to turn the people's hearts back to the one true God. Let's look now at what God is telling us through the prophet Zephaniah. As the people of God began to turn back to God, God speaks through Zephaniah and says:
Zephaniah 3:9-13 – “For I will then restore pure speech to the peoples so that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with a single purpose. 10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my supplicants, my dispersed people, will bring an offering to me.
******** 11 On that day you will not be put to shame because of everything you have done in rebelling against me. For then I will remove from among you your jubilant, arrogant people, and you will never again be haughty on my holy mountain.”
********12 I will leave a meek and humble people among you, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord. 13 The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or tell lies; a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will pasture and lie down, with nothing to make them afraid.”
In the first eight verses of this chapter, Zephaniah's message had been a call to repentance to turn from other gods and to worship the Lord alone. So, Zephaniah tells us beginning in verse 9 that one day God will gather, refine, and dwell with those who are faithful to Him. These verses give us a glimpse of what that refinement of God will yield.
He tells us that as we turn from wickedness and turn to God, we will be humbled and not be a proud people. God's people will be established as a people who understand Who's on the throne. They will not tell lies nor have a deceitful tongue, for they will live with and serve the God of truth. Verse 13 is stressing that as God's sheep, we will be content and be able to rest from our fears.
We can do this because we're resting in the presence of our Shepherd. When I read this, I think about the picture that David painted in Psalm 23 when he said: "He makes me to lie down and green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." God's people will know they have nothing to fear because God is still on the throne.
My prayer is that through these past few messages concerning fear, that God has comforted us all and gotten rid of any anxiety that may have formed while we wonder who God will be sending us as the new pastor.
Yes, we are in need of finding a new pastor and recognizing that should draw us to God, who will, as Paul wrote, "supply all our needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." So, in this process, God will remove fear from those who humble themselves before Him. You see, when we bow to the right One, we don't need to fear the lesser things. God sits on His throne and all fear will ultimately be removed. So far, we have been talking about the general fear or anxiety that some may have over calling a new pastor to this church.
Now I'm going to stay under the same subject of fear but I'm going to change gears and make this personal now. Let’s talk about personal fears that you may have. Has there ever been, or maybe that time is right now, when you feel so self-reliant that you no longer have need of God's guidance? When are we ever no longer in need of God's guidance? There is no telling where we would be or where this church or any other church would be without the guidance of God. We need to recognize what God has done and what He will do.
Zephaniah 3:14 – “Sing for joy, Daughter Zion; shout loudly, Israel! Be glad and celebrate with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!”
Do you want to get rid of any fears in your life? Zephaniah calls us to worship God and our fears will dwindle away. In this worship, he highlights three things that we are to do.
Sing for joy. Throughout history, people have been drawn to songs as a way to express their emotions from love to sadness. And the joy we receive because of what God has done for us certainly calls for a joyful expression in song. That's why music is a vital part of our worship.
Shout loudly. If you are an avid sports fan you can probably relate to this. When your team is winning, you probably get excited and shout. A game is just a game, though, but when we win in life because Christ has won the victory for us, we certainly have cause to shout.
Be glad and celebrate. In the original Hebrew writing this phrase reflects extreme happiness that we express in some outward form, and we are to do this as verse 14 says, “with all your heart.” The Hebrew word for heart can refer to our will, our mind and intellect, or our emotions. Zephaniah is telling us that we are to be glad and celebrate with all three: mind, will, and emotions. We are to celebrate God, because remember, we are to "Love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind." Our love and celebration of the One who loves us consumes every part of our being. NOW THAT’S WORSHIP!
So try this. You go through or are going through a stressful and fearful time right now and don't really know the outcome. But think of what good can come out of the situation or maybe remember some of the good things that you've seen God do, and worship Him. Praise Him for these things. And you'll find that your fear begins to vanish. Then, as we get rid of any fear that might consume us, we need to acknowledge God's provision and care for us. Then God gives us more assurance:
Zephaniah 3:15 – “The Lord has removed your punishment; he has turned back your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is among you; you need no longer fear harm.”
We are fearful of something but Zephaniah tells us why we should be joyous.
Our punishment is removed. Jesus lived a perfect life, yet He surrendered His life on a cross to pay a debt for us that we were unable to pay because of our sinfulness.
Our enemy is turned back. It's not clear which enemy Israel was facing in this historical moment of Zephaniah's day, but now because of Christ, no enemy will stand.
The Lord is with us. Sin keeps us from a relationship with God. But, since Christ has dealt with our sin problem, we can stand before God free, forgiven, and unashamed. And in all of this, shouldn't we be joyful?
Zephaniah 3:16-17 – “On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, do not let your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing.”
So as Zephaniah is stressing the goodness of God, he recounts God's character and His deeds with specific details. God will "remove their punishment", and "has turned back their enemy". He is a "warrior who saves", and " rejoices over His people", with gladness. And, like a loving parent with a beloved child, He will delight in you with singing.
God is a mighty warrior, but He delights in us. He created us and He loves us. To think that Almighty God would sing over a people who rejected Him is mind-boggling. Yet, that's precisely what He does. Let me paint an image.
A mother sings over her kids and rocks them to sleep. What an incredible picture and expression of love. In the process of her singing, each child enters a fully relaxed state. They fall asleep and are at rest. That is what happens when we entirely rest in the strength of our God. He delights over us with singing, and we can rest confidently in His love and provision. And as we rest, our fear fades away.
As our fear begins to fade, keep the end in mind; God will one day make all things new.
Zephaniah 3:20 – “At that time I will bring you back, yes, at the time I will gather you. I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes. The Lord has spoken.”
God will make all things new. That reminds me of what we have come to refer to as the flood of 2000 here at our church. Most of you were not here at that time. The building that is now our youth and children's building at one time had a flat roof that was leaking all the time. We decided to have the gabled roof constructed over it. But the structural engineer said we needed to remove a lot of the tar and gravel from the old roof because of the weight.
So the contractor framed out the gabled roof and his men stripped the old flat roof down to bare wood. That night we had about a 7 inch rain. When I came in the next morning that entire building was about 3 in underwater on the inside.
So the entire interior of that building had to be stripped down to nothing but the studs to allow it to dry out and prevent mold. It wasn't much to look at. When I first looked at it, it didn't have much appeal, but I didn't base my opinion on what I saw at that time. I based my opinion on what it was going to be. Each week, as the construction continued, I began to see more and more of what the interior of that building looks like now. Then the day came when it was finally restored, and we moved in.
I use that illustration to help us understand what Zephaniah was saying. He spoke to his hearers of a far greater restoration, one that will come with God's eternal kingdom. God wanted his people then, and us now, to see that the future would find relief.
We can get frustrated with all of the hassles of life that we face, and fears and frustrations might come up many times. During the restoration of our youth and children's building, I had that same feeling "if it would ever look like anything", but I knew not to give up. One day it would be completed and we could move into the building.
We need to have the same mindset as followers of Christ. Regardless of whatever fears and frustrations we face now or in the future, we can endure. We can know that one day it will all be over and behind us. God has a bright future in store for this church. In the meantime, let's not lose heart on the journey. We will experience eternal restoration in God's kingdom to come.
In verse 20, God spoke through Zephaniah and notice He is speaking in the first person, to remind us that He is faithful to complete what He has begun. We don't have to fear because God keeps His promises. He always has and He always will. We will be fully restored, but there will be no more fear because of the goodness of our God.
So whatever fear you might be facing right now, give it to God. Once you hand that fear to God, you'll begin to experience the relief and the joy that only He can bring. That is when you turn your fear into joy.
Do you know the joy that only God can bring? If not, you can experience that joy by becoming a child of His. To become a child of God, you simply need to accept His Son Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. We give you that opportunity to do that during our response time. Won't you come? Come and share with me your desire to know Jesus in a personal way, and I’ll show you how easy it is to become a child of God.
