Aurlette Driver was playing Christmas carols on the piano for her 4-year-old great-granddaughter, Natalie. When Aurlette played “Away in a Manger,” she thought Natalie would enjoy hearing the words, so she started to sing as she played. After just a few words, Aurlette felt Natalie’s hand on her arm, and as she looked down at her, Natalie said, “Just let the piano sing it, Grandma.” (Aurlette Driver, Christian Reader, November/ December 2003, p. 11; www.PreachingToday.com)
Natalie didn’t appreciate her great-grandmother’s singing; although, she enjoyed the song.
This is the season for singing, but sometimes you don’t feel like singing. So what do you do in those times? What do you do when life overwhelms you? What do you do when you’re too afraid or too ashamed to sing? Well, you do what Zephaniah did.
He was a prophet during Josiah’s reign in Jerusalem. Josiah had instituted some spiritual reforms, but they were too little too late. Zephaniah had to pronounce judgment on his own nation, because many of his own people refused to turn from their idols and trust in the Living God. He foresaw “a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom” (Zephaniah 1:15).
Even so, he finds a way to sing, and he encourages all of God’s people to sing with him. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Zephaniah 3, Zephaniah 3, where we find reason to sing even when the future looks bleak.
Zephaniah 3:14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! (ESV)
Zephaniah piles one word for praise upon another – sing, shout, rejoice, and exult. Why? Because despite the bleak future, there are still many reasons to praise God! So sing and rejoice! Shout out loud His praise. Don’t keep silent. Instead, boast as loud as you can about God’s grace and goodness.
Gordon MacDonald talks about the day he and his wife took their grandson (age 3 at the time) to Chuck E. Cheese's for pizza and noisy rides. When the evening ended, his grandmother buckled him into his car seat and said, “Now be sure you say thank you to your Papa.”
Silence. No reaction. She said again, “Did you hear me? Be sure you say thank you to Papa.” Again, silence.
At first grandpa ignored this backseat conversation. But then he changed my mind and said, “You know, Papa enjoys doing nice things for his grandchildren, especially when they say thank you.” More silence.
“Did you hear Papa?” he asked, now just a little irritated.
“Uh huh,” his little grandson replied.
But there was still no thank you. And now grandpa was getting more upset. “Are you ignoring me?” the volume of his voice amped up.
Then this response: “I'm thankful, Papa; I just don't want to say it.” (Gordon MacDonald, "The Thankful Exchange," Leadership Journal, Fall 2013; www.PreachingToday.com)
Well, if you don’t want to say it, you must not be very thankful. God’s goodness and grace demands that you shout His praise.
Why? Because among other things He is with you! The Lord is in your midst.
Verse 15: The King of Israel, the LORD is in your midst. And verse 17: The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save – a warrior, a hero, a champion – who will deliver you from all your enemies. You see…
The coming day of distress and anguish is not the end of the story. Israel’s King is coming, the LORD Himself, and He will save His people from their sins and from all those who oppose.
That’s what Christmas is all about. It’s the story of Immanuel, the story of “God with us.” The great Champion from Heaven has come, and that gives us a tremendous reason to shout His praise. So, despite your distress…
SING AND REJOICE IN GOD’S PRESENCE.
Shout and praise Him with all your heart.
Dorothy Sayers, a famous British novelist, wrote a series of detective stories in the 1930’s focused on an aristocratic detective, who solved all kinds of crimes. She named him Lord Peter Wimsey and described him as an unhappy, broken bachelor. Then about halfway through the series, a woman shows up in his life. Her name is Harriet Vane, who is a mystery writer and one of the very first women to graduate from Oxford. Harriet and Peter fall in love and his broken soul starts to heal.
Dorothy Sayers herself was a mystery writer and one of the first women to graduate from Oxford. What happened? She fell in love with Lord Peter Wimsey, her chief character, and wrote herself into her own story so she could heal his broken heart. (Tim Keller, Dorothy Sayers Story, 2011 Advance Conference; www. youtube.com/watch?v=iq2YCU3tONY; www.PreachingToday.com)
In a similar way, God wrote Himself into HIS story. God looked upon the characters He had created, unhappy and broken because of sin, and He fell in love with them. So he writes Himself in! He puts himself into His own story as Jesus Christ, who comes and heals the broken people He created. They fall in love and become His bride!
That’s the story of Christmas. It’s the story of God with us – Immanuel! So sing and rejoice; shout and boast about Him. And…
DON’T BE AFRAID OF JUDGMENT any longer.
Don’t fear punishment for your sin. Don’t worry about God’s condemnation anymore.
Zephaniah 3:15 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. (ESV)
When the King comes, judgment goes. He will conquer Judah’s enemies, which God was using to punish them.
Zephaniah 3:16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. (ESV)
Weak hands are the picture of extreme fear and despair; but on the day Jerusalem’s King comes, her people no longer need to be afraid.
They don’t need to be afraid of God’s judgment, and neither do you! “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” John 3:17 says. Jesus, your King, did not come to condemn you; He came to save you from your sins.
A couple of years ago (October 10, 2016), four buildings collapsed in Wenzhou, eastern China, killing 22 people with five surviving. After working more than 12 hours, rescue workers discovered the final survivor in the rubble: a three year-old girl, wrapped tightly in the arms of her dead father. Wu Ningxi was found buried deep in a massive pile of crumbled cement, where the old, poorly constructed, overcrowded, and rain-soaked buildings once stood. The structures had been home to a large number of migrant workers. They were among the hundreds of millions that moved from the Chinese countryside to find work in the urban areas. However, most of the workers remain poor with the government placing restrictions on where they can live.
Rescue workers discovered Wu alive when they removed a thick cement pillar to find her father's body draped over her. He had shielded her from the crushing weight of the building. He was 26 years old. She sustained only minor injuries. One worker told reporters, “The child was able to survive entirely thanks to the fact that her dad used his own flesh and blood to prop up a life-saving space for his daughter.” (“Father's last embrace saves girl in China building collapse,” Yahoo News, 10-11-16; www.PreachingToday. com)
That’s what Jesus did for you and me! He came to be crushed on our behalf, to die on a cross for our sins so we could live forever with Him. God’s judgment came crashing down on Jesus, who used his own flesh and blood to prop up a life-saving space for you! Now, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
All you need to do is trust Him with your life. All you need to do is depend on the Lord, who died for you and rose again. Please, if you haven’t done it already, call on the name of the Lord and ask Him to save you from punishment for your sins. Then you won’t ever need to be afraid of God’s judgment again!
Instead, you will experience God’s delight in you. Now, because of the cross, instead of condemning you; God sings over you.
Zephaniah 3:17 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. (ESV)
I love the picture this verse portrays. God is a mighty warrior, a champion, who soothes His people like a mother soothes her crying child until it becomes quiet. Then God sings over His people, not with a quiet lullaby, but with “loud singing.”
I think we catch a glimpse of what that might look like in the last scene of the move I Am Sam. The movie tells the story of a mentally delayed father (Sean Penn) and his custody battle over his seven-year-old daughter, Lucy. In the course of the movie it's clear that Sam's love for his daughter is far healthier and more powerful than most parents could ever dream of, even though he needs assistance raising her.
The very last scene of the movie shows Sam dressed in a black and white striped shirt with a whistle roped around his neck. He is refereeing one of Lucy's soccer games. Father and daughter laugh together during warm ups as he leads the kids in their stretches. The whole team is caught up in the fun they have together. Take a look (show I Am Sam Soccer video)
When Sam blows the whistle for the game to start, he runs around the field cheering on the kids instead of refereeing. The parents on the sideline, riveted by the game, root both for the kids and the referee!
Lucy scores a goal and pandemonium breaks out. Sam is simply beside himself. He runs to Lucy, gathers her in his arms laughing and parades her around the field, followed by cheering kids and wild applause. As the movie starts to fade, the final image captures Lucy smiling, her arms clasped around her father's neck, and Sam, head thrown back, beaming heavenward. (I Am Sam, Warner Bros., 2001, rated PG-13, written by Kristine Johnson and Jessie Nelson, directed by Jessie Nelson; DVD scene 21, 02:03:30 to 02:05:05; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s how your Heavenly Father feels about you! In verse 14, Zephaniah calls you to rejoice and exult over the Lord. But here in verse 17, the Lord rejoices and exults over you! So this Christmas, and all year round, sing and rejoice in God’s presence, and don’t be afraid of judgment any longer. Furthermore…
DON’T BE ASHAMED ANYMORE, as well.
Please, let go of the humiliation of your past, and don’t let anything you’ve done or experienced embarrass you any longer.
Zephaniah 3:18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. (ESV)
When the nation of Judah goes into exile, as Zephaniah predicted (Zephaniah 1:4-6), the people won’t be able to celebrate their festivals, and their enemies will taunt them. But when God gathers them back into the land, they will celebrate again and no longer experience disgrace.
Zephaniah 3:19-20 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. (ESV)
God declares over and over again what He will do for His people. Six times in these three verses, He says “I will” do something: Verse 18 – “I will gather…” Verse 19 – “I will deal with all your oppressors…” “I will save the lame…” And “I will change their shame into praise…” Verse 20 – “I will bring you in…” And “I will make you renowned and praised…” You can be absolutely certain that God will do what He says.
He will take away Judah’s shame when her King comes, and He will take away your shame as well as you allow the King to enter into your own heart.
1 Peter 2 says, “As you come to [Jesus], a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house… For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ So the honor is for you who believe…” (1 Peter 2:4-7).
For you who believe in Jesus, God replaces the shame of your past with the honor of His presence. So, dear believer, don’t be ashamed anymore.
When Marion Duckworth was in first grade, the Depression had just ended, and talking about anything related to sex—especially sexual abuse—was taboo. So when an older man coaxed her away from her paper dolls one afternoon and fondled her, Marion felt she had to keep her dirty secret to herself. And she did.
Marion didn't tell anyone about the incident until she was 21 and engaged. Her fiancé, John, was furious. He wanted to hunt the perpetrator down, but she pled with him to let it go. She insisted the man was too old to hurt anyone else.
What Marion couldn't tell John, though, was that she had suffered from flashbacks ever since the day of the abuse. She had no visual memory of the incident, but she could feel—vividly—the man's repulsive touch. Any lurid or sleazy image would trigger these sickening flashbacks.
One afternoon, as Marion and John shopped in a drug store, John showed her a steamy magazine cover, disgusted by what children were regularly exposed to. Experiencing a flashback, Marion quickly agreed with him, then hurried to another part of the store to be alone. She writes in Today's Christian:
While I pretended to contemplate Noxema, the Holy Spirit spoke shocking words to my mind. "You'll never relive these feelings again." The message rang with authority; I didn't doubt it was God's voice. I decided I'd know for sure this was a genuine miracle if the feelings never returned. They never did.
Not once through the years had I asked God to heal that memory. It hadn't occurred to me that He would do such a thing. I was too ashamed to talk about it to a Christian counselor—much less to a holy God. So I simply tried—unsuccessfully—to suppress it.
From that day forward, whenever I was exposed to some image of sleaze, I reminded myself with profound gratitude of what didn't happen. There was no flashback. Just sorrow over sin and a prayer for God's intercession in our broken world. (Marion Duckworth, “Stolen Innocence,” Today's Christian, May/June 2006; www.PreachingToday.com)
God can heal your memories too! He can turn your pain into praise! Please, trust Him to do it for you as you lay it all out before Him. He won’t reject you. No! He’ll just remove the shame as He rejoices over you.
Here’s the good news of Christmas: God is with us! So sing this Christmas! And don’t be afraid or ashamed anymore.
God rest ye merry gentleman, let nothing you dismay.
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power when we had gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!
O tidings of comfort and joy!
