1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,569 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast 2 00:00:03,697 --> 00:00:06,593 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,689 --> 00:00:09,657 My name is Pastor Josh and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,681 --> 00:00:10,685 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,985 --> 00:00:14,625 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,665 --> 00:00:16,245 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,745 --> 00:00:20,145 Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,185 --> 00:00:21,765 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,465 --> 00:00:26,609 For these are the people that believe that they are the good ones, 10 00:00:26,657 --> 00:00:28,337 they are the religious ones. 11 00:00:28,521 --> 00:00:31,345 And he talks about their double minded ways, he talks about 12 00:00:31,385 --> 00:00:34,097 their hypocrisy, he talks about the false teaching within their 13 00:00:34,121 --> 00:00:34,649 midst. 14 00:00:34,777 --> 00:00:38,601 He talks about folks that were trusting in their riches, they were 15 00:00:38,633 --> 00:00:42,457 trusting in their material blessings and not in the power of 16 00:00:42,481 --> 00:00:44,265 God, not in the hand of God. 17 00:00:44,305 --> 00:00:47,057 And so therefore he's challenging them on this. 18 00:00:47,161 --> 00:00:48,793 He's speaking the truth to them. 19 00:00:48,929 --> 00:00:53,097 And so he's using Zephaniah as his mouthpiece to preach forth the 20 00:00:53,121 --> 00:00:53,649 word of God. 21 00:00:53,697 --> 00:00:57,167 And so there's this judgment in the area of sin. 22 00:00:57,351 --> 00:01:01,567 Now the good news is, is that even in the Old Testament, as God 23 00:01:01,631 --> 00:01:04,823 presents his condemnation, he also presents grace. 24 00:01:04,879 --> 00:01:08,823 He also presents a path to restoration with him. 25 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:13,111 And so we're going to see here in the book of Zephaniah that God 26 00:01:13,183 --> 00:01:18,351 extends a path for the nation of Israel to have that restoration. 27 00:01:18,543 --> 00:01:21,431 Now what I believe that chapter three is talking about is 28 00:01:21,463 --> 00:01:24,991 the complete restoration that will happen in the future that is 29 00:01:25,023 --> 00:01:25,759 to come. 30 00:01:25,927 --> 00:01:28,415 But still, I think that there are some principles that we can learn 31 00:01:28,455 --> 00:01:32,375 here about restoration with the Lord here, even in our own lives. 32 00:01:32,415 --> 00:01:35,479 When it comes to our salvation, the Bible very clearly 33 00:01:35,527 --> 00:01:39,631 teaches that before we come to Christ, we are what we would call 34 00:01:39,703 --> 00:01:40,231 unsaved. 35 00:01:40,263 --> 00:01:41,607 Now what does that mean, to be unsaved? 36 00:01:41,631 --> 00:01:44,615 That means to be at enmity with God, enemies of God. 37 00:01:44,655 --> 00:01:46,207 Therefore we deserve. 38 00:01:46,231 --> 00:01:46,855 What do we deserve? 39 00:01:46,895 --> 00:01:50,507 Romans, chapter 6, verse 23 says, for the wages or the payment 40 00:01:50,531 --> 00:01:51,651 of sin is death. 41 00:01:51,763 --> 00:01:52,371 Right? 42 00:01:52,523 --> 00:01:55,347 And so theologically speaking, you could say it a couple different 43 00:01:55,371 --> 00:01:55,531 ways. 44 00:01:55,563 --> 00:01:58,667 You could say, number one, we don't deserve anything except for 45 00:01:58,811 --> 00:01:59,499 death. 46 00:01:59,667 --> 00:02:03,795 And so the only thing that we actually do deserve within our own 47 00:02:03,835 --> 00:02:08,375 selves is death, punishment, condemnation, separation from God. 48 00:02:08,915 --> 00:02:13,619 But the second part of that verse, but the gift of God is eternal 49 00:02:13,667 --> 00:02:16,111 life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 50 00:02:16,283 --> 00:02:21,047 And so there's this extension of grace, there's this extension 51 00:02:21,111 --> 00:02:25,719 of restoration to those who believe in Jesus Christ, to those 52 00:02:25,767 --> 00:02:28,927 that humble themselves and come to the Lord in faith. 53 00:02:29,111 --> 00:02:32,871 That's exactly what's happening here in the idea of the 54 00:02:32,903 --> 00:02:36,791 nation of Israel, specifically Jerusalem, Judea, God saying, come 55 00:02:36,823 --> 00:02:41,415 back to me in humility, come back to me in faith, and I will restore 56 00:02:41,455 --> 00:02:41,703 you. 57 00:02:41,759 --> 00:02:43,973 I will forgive you, I will embrace you. 58 00:02:44,079 --> 00:02:50,329 If you go back to Zephaniah, chapter one and two, he's. 59 00:02:50,377 --> 00:02:52,489 He's specifically talking about their pride. 60 00:02:52,537 --> 00:02:55,145 And he says, it's because of your pride that you have separated 61 00:02:55,185 --> 00:02:55,845 yourselves. 62 00:02:56,185 --> 00:03:00,537 Chapter two, verse three says, seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of 63 00:03:00,561 --> 00:03:03,285 the earth which hath wrought his judgment. 64 00:03:03,665 --> 00:03:06,325 Seek righteousness, seek meekness. 65 00:03:07,065 --> 00:03:10,153 It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. 66 00:03:10,209 --> 00:03:12,085 Meaning you want forgiveness. 67 00:03:12,125 --> 00:03:14,533 You must come to God in humility. 68 00:03:14,669 --> 00:03:16,261 And in that humility comes our faith. 69 00:03:16,293 --> 00:03:17,437 We're not going to trust in God. 70 00:03:17,461 --> 00:03:20,197 We're not going to believe that he is a rewarder of those that 71 00:03:20,221 --> 00:03:22,781 diligently seek him, if we're coming to him in pride. 72 00:03:22,973 --> 00:03:25,645 And so therefore, it is that humility that brings us. 73 00:03:25,685 --> 00:03:28,397 It's that godly sorrow that brings us to repentance, that brings 74 00:03:28,421 --> 00:03:29,325 us to faith. 75 00:03:29,485 --> 00:03:32,293 And so that's what we're seeing here as Zephaniah is explaining 76 00:03:32,349 --> 00:03:32,877 this. 77 00:03:33,021 --> 00:03:36,381 And so we get to chapter three, and most of chapter two was 78 00:03:36,413 --> 00:03:42,347 about the judgment of the nations around Judah, around Jerusalem. 79 00:03:42,451 --> 00:03:45,315 But then we see verse one in chapter three. 80 00:03:45,355 --> 00:03:46,651 This is where we left off last time. 81 00:03:46,683 --> 00:03:50,915 We went from three, verse one to verse eight. 82 00:03:51,075 --> 00:03:56,347 But verse one, he says, woe to her that is filthy and polluted to 83 00:03:56,371 --> 00:03:57,643 the oppressing city. 84 00:03:57,739 --> 00:04:02,107 Now, if you just read that and you didn't know the context of who 85 00:04:02,131 --> 00:04:05,917 he's talking to, most of us would say, if you had any grip of 86 00:04:05,981 --> 00:04:08,597 the culture of that day, you would say he's talking about Nineveh, 87 00:04:08,741 --> 00:04:11,305 or he's talking about those Philistine cities. 88 00:04:11,725 --> 00:04:14,085 No, God is speaking of Jerusalem here. 89 00:04:14,125 --> 00:04:15,709 He's speaking of the capital city. 90 00:04:15,757 --> 00:04:19,461 He's speaking of the centerpiece of their worship to him. 91 00:04:19,613 --> 00:04:23,509 And so he goes on to explain, she obeyed not the voice, she received 92 00:04:23,597 --> 00:04:24,629 not correction. 93 00:04:24,757 --> 00:04:26,285 She trusted not in the Lord. 94 00:04:26,325 --> 00:04:30,665 She drew not near to her God. 95 00:04:31,165 --> 00:04:34,437 And so his condemnation really boils down to what verse number two 96 00:04:34,461 --> 00:04:34,885 says. 97 00:04:35,005 --> 00:04:36,469 He says they're filthy. 98 00:04:36,557 --> 00:04:38,109 He says that they're polluted. 99 00:04:38,197 --> 00:04:39,677 He says that they're oppressing. 100 00:04:39,741 --> 00:04:40,525 But why? 101 00:04:40,605 --> 00:04:44,565 Well, because they didn't receive correction. 102 00:04:44,725 --> 00:04:47,269 They didn't obey the voice of God. 103 00:04:47,397 --> 00:04:50,945 They didn't trust in the Lord, they didn't draw near to God. 104 00:04:51,725 --> 00:04:54,933 And so therefore what we can see is the condemnation is not, hey, 105 00:04:54,949 --> 00:04:55,989 you're just evil people. 106 00:04:56,037 --> 00:04:59,407 He's saying, this is how you got to this place of evil in your 107 00:04:59,471 --> 00:05:00,075 nation. 108 00:05:00,575 --> 00:05:01,487 And so he goes down. 109 00:05:01,511 --> 00:05:04,047 And he talks about all those different elements of that. 110 00:05:04,151 --> 00:05:06,215 And then in verse 8 is where we left off. 111 00:05:06,255 --> 00:05:07,795 He says, therefore. 112 00:05:08,495 --> 00:05:11,635 And so the condemnation all the way up to verse number seven. 113 00:05:12,495 --> 00:05:16,635 And then you see verse eight, he says, therefore wait ye upon me, 114 00:05:17,215 --> 00:05:21,007 saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey. 115 00:05:21,151 --> 00:05:26,437 For my determination is to gather the nations that I may assemble 116 00:05:26,501 --> 00:05:31,661 the kingdoms to pour upon them mine indignation, even as all my 117 00:05:31,693 --> 00:05:32,745 fierce anger. 118 00:05:33,085 --> 00:05:38,221 And so this shows that God does exercise and will exercise his 119 00:05:38,253 --> 00:05:41,757 righteous anger, his righteous indignation against those that are 120 00:05:41,781 --> 00:05:43,025 rebelling against him. 121 00:05:43,365 --> 00:05:46,285 And so he says, for all the earth shall be devoured with the 122 00:05:46,325 --> 00:05:47,985 fire of my jealousy. 123 00:05:48,605 --> 00:05:55,227 And so we see that in light of the repeated sin of the nations of 124 00:05:55,251 --> 00:06:00,083 the world and God's own people, God would bring judgment. 125 00:06:00,139 --> 00:06:02,135 So there's this promise of judgment. 126 00:06:03,035 --> 00:06:07,419 And so I think a lot of times we leave that out of the message 127 00:06:07,507 --> 00:06:09,095 of the truth of God. 128 00:06:09,715 --> 00:06:12,187 And the reason why sometimes we want to leave out judgment, because 129 00:06:12,211 --> 00:06:13,295 that's kind of scary. 130 00:06:14,115 --> 00:06:18,391 And that seems to some people, hey, that that's not fair that God 131 00:06:18,423 --> 00:06:21,111 would judge those who, you know, they're, they're, they're good 132 00:06:21,143 --> 00:06:21,359 people. 133 00:06:21,407 --> 00:06:22,975 They're trying to do well in their life. 134 00:06:23,015 --> 00:06:24,687 They're trying to do the right things. 135 00:06:24,831 --> 00:06:27,559 So why would God judge those that are in sin? 136 00:06:27,607 --> 00:06:30,847 Well, the Bible says that he does this out of his holiness. 137 00:06:30,991 --> 00:06:34,751 And so there's this righteous indignation that he has against those 138 00:06:34,783 --> 00:06:35,875 that are in sin. 139 00:06:36,295 --> 00:06:38,623 And it says God would bring judgment. 140 00:06:38,719 --> 00:06:42,355 But we also know that verse number nine. 141 00:06:42,745 --> 00:06:46,201 For then will I turn to the people of a pure language that they 142 00:06:46,233 --> 00:06:49,825 may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent 143 00:06:49,865 --> 00:06:51,125 or with one accord. 144 00:06:51,745 --> 00:06:55,169 And so, yes, there is the promise of judgment, but there also 145 00:06:55,217 --> 00:06:57,005 is the promise of restoration. 146 00:06:57,305 --> 00:07:01,369 There is the extension of that restoration that he does. 147 00:07:01,497 --> 00:07:05,369 And we can even see that in many of the New Testament passages 148 00:07:05,417 --> 00:07:08,073 that we talk about with salvation, therefore, by grace, are 149 00:07:08,089 --> 00:07:10,589 you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. 150 00:07:10,677 --> 00:07:12,933 It is the gift of God, not of works of. 151 00:07:13,109 --> 00:07:16,557 So a lot of times we think about our salvation, our restoration, 152 00:07:16,621 --> 00:07:17,501 our forgiveness. 153 00:07:17,613 --> 00:07:21,677 It's all based in what we do, and it's not based in what we do 154 00:07:21,701 --> 00:07:23,221 as much as in what we believe in. 155 00:07:23,253 --> 00:07:26,341 And we're believing in the good work of God and the gift of 156 00:07:26,373 --> 00:07:28,149 grace that he's extending to us. 157 00:07:28,317 --> 00:07:31,045 And so, like, say, for example, tonight, I say, okay, everybody 158 00:07:31,125 --> 00:07:34,397 that goes out tonight, there's a gift out there in the lobby for 159 00:07:34,421 --> 00:07:34,827 you. 160 00:07:34,941 --> 00:07:36,239 It's it's given to you. 161 00:07:36,287 --> 00:07:37,679 You didn't do anything for it. 162 00:07:37,807 --> 00:07:38,695 You didn't earn it. 163 00:07:38,735 --> 00:07:40,863 Maybe even some of you might have said some mean things to me 164 00:07:40,879 --> 00:07:41,495 when you came in. 165 00:07:41,535 --> 00:07:42,263 None of you did. 166 00:07:42,359 --> 00:07:43,831 Okay, but let's say you did. 167 00:07:43,943 --> 00:07:45,383 I said, I don't care if you're mean to me. 168 00:07:45,399 --> 00:07:46,431 I don't care if you like me. 169 00:07:46,463 --> 00:07:47,575 I don't care anything. 170 00:07:47,615 --> 00:07:49,551 I don't care if you're a member of Middletown Baptist Church. 171 00:07:49,663 --> 00:07:51,671 If you walk out tonight, there's a gift out there waiting 172 00:07:51,703 --> 00:07:51,991 for you. 173 00:07:52,023 --> 00:07:53,607 All you have to do is receive it. 174 00:07:53,751 --> 00:07:56,463 Now, most of us would say, okay, well, that's great. 175 00:07:56,479 --> 00:07:57,751 I'm gonna go get that gift, right? 176 00:07:57,823 --> 00:07:58,135 I didn't. 177 00:07:58,175 --> 00:07:59,063 I don't pay for it. 178 00:07:59,159 --> 00:08:01,917 What if you got back there and we said, okay, well, this is a gift, 179 00:08:01,941 --> 00:08:02,941 but there's a small price. 180 00:08:02,973 --> 00:08:05,389 You have to pay $5 and you can get the gift. 181 00:08:05,437 --> 00:08:06,821 Well, then you would say, wait, wait, that's not a gift. 182 00:08:06,853 --> 00:08:07,989 I'm buying this for $5. 183 00:08:08,037 --> 00:08:11,237 Even if it's at a discounted rate, I'm still buying it. 184 00:08:11,421 --> 00:08:11,717 So. 185 00:08:11,741 --> 00:08:12,189 Okay, well. 186 00:08:12,237 --> 00:08:14,413 Well, you don't have to buy it, but all you have to do is come 187 00:08:14,429 --> 00:08:17,757 up to Middletown Baptist Church, and all you got to do is 188 00:08:17,781 --> 00:08:21,277 serve five hours in some type of service project, and then you 189 00:08:21,301 --> 00:08:21,861 can get this gift. 190 00:08:21,893 --> 00:08:22,189 You're. 191 00:08:22,237 --> 00:08:22,717 Wait, wait, wait. 192 00:08:22,741 --> 00:08:24,541 That's not a gift that I'm. 193 00:08:24,573 --> 00:08:26,783 I'm earning, that I'm working for that. 194 00:08:26,949 --> 00:08:27,715 And so. 195 00:08:27,755 --> 00:08:29,603 And then some of us might walk out and say, you know what? 196 00:08:29,659 --> 00:08:30,955 Not interested in the gift. 197 00:08:31,075 --> 00:08:31,915 I don't need it. 198 00:08:31,995 --> 00:08:32,587 I don't want it. 199 00:08:32,611 --> 00:08:34,107 I got everything that I need at home. 200 00:08:34,251 --> 00:08:34,507 Right? 201 00:08:34,531 --> 00:08:37,531 You see, all of those things are wrong ways to deal with the gift 202 00:08:37,563 --> 00:08:38,075 of God. 203 00:08:38,155 --> 00:08:40,875 We have to understand that it's freely extended to us. 204 00:08:40,915 --> 00:08:42,947 But then, yes, we have to receive it in faith. 205 00:08:43,011 --> 00:08:44,019 We have to believe it. 206 00:08:44,107 --> 00:08:46,619 And so that comes down to the restoration process. 207 00:08:46,667 --> 00:08:48,419 We have to trust in God's word. 208 00:08:48,467 --> 00:08:49,971 It's not a work of our own. 209 00:08:50,083 --> 00:08:51,139 It's the work of God. 210 00:08:51,187 --> 00:08:53,375 And so this restoration is a work of God. 211 00:08:54,065 --> 00:08:58,793 And so I love that in verse number eight, really, starting from 212 00:08:58,809 --> 00:09:02,737 verse number eight down, he says that they all will call upon 213 00:09:02,761 --> 00:09:05,849 the name of the Lord, that they may all call upon the name of 214 00:09:05,857 --> 00:09:09,405 the Lord, all the nations of the world to serve him with one consent. 215 00:09:10,345 --> 00:09:13,721 And so in this ultimate restoration, even in verse nine, 216 00:09:13,753 --> 00:09:17,125 we see, for then will I turn to the people of pure language. 217 00:09:17,625 --> 00:09:21,695 Now, a lot of people have some arguments about what this pure Language 218 00:09:21,735 --> 00:09:24,143 is, but ultimately we see is there's this unification. 219 00:09:24,279 --> 00:09:26,583 They're all speaking one language, praising God. 220 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:30,103 So that's why I believe that really, ultimately Zephaniah3 is 221 00:09:30,119 --> 00:09:32,831 talking about that, that end, that millennial kingdom, that time 222 00:09:32,863 --> 00:09:36,519 in which we are all praising God in one language, in one unit. 223 00:09:36,567 --> 00:09:40,335 And the entire world will worship the Lord, not just Israel 224 00:09:40,375 --> 00:09:41,343 at that point. 225 00:09:41,519 --> 00:09:44,487 And so, like I said, most biblical scholars believe that this 226 00:09:44,511 --> 00:09:46,567 is going to be completely fulfilled in the millennium when 227 00:09:46,591 --> 00:09:48,955 Jesus reigns for a thousand years over the earth. 228 00:09:49,635 --> 00:09:52,587 But, but ultimately we can see that there's still principles here 229 00:09:52,611 --> 00:09:53,771 that we can glean. 230 00:09:53,963 --> 00:09:57,347 So literally when it says, there I was, I was reading up what 231 00:09:57,371 --> 00:10:01,299 that means there to serve him with one consent or with one accord, 232 00:10:01,387 --> 00:10:04,355 that that literally means it's. 233 00:10:04,395 --> 00:10:06,255 It's done with one shoulder. 234 00:10:06,675 --> 00:10:10,331 The idea here is that we would be shoulder to shoulder, working 235 00:10:10,403 --> 00:10:14,459 together as one, as we bear the load of this. 236 00:10:14,547 --> 00:10:15,651 This opportunity. 237 00:10:15,803 --> 00:10:19,851 And so we're seeing that there in verse nine, to serve him with 238 00:10:19,883 --> 00:10:20,403 one accord. 239 00:10:20,459 --> 00:10:24,659 Now, ultimately, we know that that's God's will for us right now, 240 00:10:24,707 --> 00:10:24,891 right? 241 00:10:24,923 --> 00:10:27,283 The Bible speaks of in the New Testament, in the Book of Acts and 242 00:10:27,299 --> 00:10:29,735 other places that we are to serve God with one accord. 243 00:10:30,155 --> 00:10:33,387 And that's literally yoking up together, that's linking together 244 00:10:33,451 --> 00:10:35,195 and going shoulder to shoulder and serving God. 245 00:10:35,235 --> 00:10:38,059 So we see that in this restoration, there's blessings. 246 00:10:38,107 --> 00:10:41,347 There's blessings of being able to be used by God, but there's 247 00:10:41,371 --> 00:10:44,095 also blessings of working together with other believers. 248 00:10:44,615 --> 00:10:45,919 And he goes on further. 249 00:10:45,967 --> 00:10:47,631 He says, verse 10. 250 00:10:47,663 --> 00:10:51,487 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my suppliants, even the 251 00:10:51,511 --> 00:10:52,247 daughter of my. 252 00:10:52,311 --> 00:10:54,951 My dispersal shall bring mine offering in that day. 253 00:10:54,983 --> 00:10:58,315 Shalt thou not be ashamed for all of thy doings. 254 00:10:59,215 --> 00:10:59,551 He. 255 00:10:59,583 --> 00:11:02,399 He goes on to speak more about this idea of pride. 256 00:11:02,567 --> 00:11:04,647 He says, thou has transgressed against me. 257 00:11:04,671 --> 00:11:05,087 So He. 258 00:11:05,151 --> 00:11:06,835 He acknowledges the sin. 259 00:11:07,335 --> 00:11:12,319 For then I will take away out of the midst of Thee them that rejoice 260 00:11:12,407 --> 00:11:17,327 in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my 261 00:11:17,391 --> 00:11:18,835 holy mountain. 262 00:11:19,255 --> 00:11:22,635 And so he's speaking of this ultimate restoration. 263 00:11:23,135 --> 00:11:26,863 And what we can see here is that there isn't pride in this. 264 00:11:26,919 --> 00:11:27,895 There's no pride in this. 265 00:11:27,935 --> 00:11:32,271 Under the leadership of God, specifically the Lord Jesus and his 266 00:11:32,303 --> 00:11:37,055 redeemed people, the believers here will know what our standing 267 00:11:37,095 --> 00:11:37,855 is before God. 268 00:11:37,895 --> 00:11:38,551 Meaning this. 269 00:11:38,663 --> 00:11:41,727 None of us at that point will ever be tempted to think that it 270 00:11:41,751 --> 00:11:43,277 was because of us. 271 00:11:43,471 --> 00:11:47,713 When this restoration happens, when, when we're ultimately reunited 272 00:11:47,769 --> 00:11:50,633 with our Savior and we're all standing there with all the saints 273 00:11:50,689 --> 00:11:53,313 in glory, there's not going to be a time where we go, you know what? 274 00:11:53,329 --> 00:11:55,625 I was a really, really good Christian. 275 00:11:55,665 --> 00:11:56,449 I earned this. 276 00:11:56,537 --> 00:11:57,057 No, we're. 277 00:11:57,121 --> 00:12:01,529 We're going to be so in awe of the power of God that our haughty 278 00:12:01,617 --> 00:12:04,097 spirit, our prideful spirit will be erased. 279 00:12:04,201 --> 00:12:08,193 Now we know that when we're in glory, there's no longer sin nature. 280 00:12:08,249 --> 00:12:09,569 And I've often thought about that a lot. 281 00:12:09,617 --> 00:12:11,173 I've often thought about how. 282 00:12:11,329 --> 00:12:15,533 How I will live my life without that draw to go towards something 283 00:12:15,589 --> 00:12:17,765 negative, that draw to go back to pride. 284 00:12:17,805 --> 00:12:20,285 Because none of us, hopefully, we don't want to live in pride. 285 00:12:20,325 --> 00:12:21,677 But that's all we do know. 286 00:12:21,781 --> 00:12:24,333 All we do know is falling back into that flesh. 287 00:12:24,469 --> 00:12:26,885 And so at this point, you see, he says, I'm going to remove that 288 00:12:26,925 --> 00:12:31,285 pride, and then there's not going to be a haughty spirit there. 289 00:12:31,325 --> 00:12:33,505 There's not going to be a prideful spirit. 290 00:12:34,725 --> 00:12:37,861 And so I think that the challenge for us is not to wait to 291 00:12:37,893 --> 00:12:40,085 that point to get to that place of, hey, you know what? 292 00:12:40,125 --> 00:12:41,743 This is nothing that I did. 293 00:12:41,909 --> 00:12:42,315 This is. 294 00:12:42,355 --> 00:12:43,531 This is, you know, if. 295 00:12:43,563 --> 00:12:48,371 If we need to try to bring forth our credentials to other Christians 296 00:12:48,403 --> 00:12:52,931 and say, well, look how much I have grown, look how much I have 297 00:12:52,963 --> 00:12:56,307 done, look how great I am as a Christian, that's the point where 298 00:12:56,331 --> 00:12:59,323 we've missed the point because all of us are beggars. 299 00:12:59,499 --> 00:13:02,215 All of us really don't deserve a seat at the table. 300 00:13:02,515 --> 00:13:06,331 There's this wonderful story in, In. 301 00:13:06,403 --> 00:13:11,737 In the Old Testament with David and Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth. 302 00:13:11,761 --> 00:13:12,993 That's a hard word to say. 303 00:13:13,129 --> 00:13:18,313 And David brings Mephibosheth into the table and says, you can 304 00:13:18,329 --> 00:13:23,433 be a part of this, even though Mephibosheth was not really rightful 305 00:13:23,489 --> 00:13:24,209 to be there. 306 00:13:24,297 --> 00:13:26,753 He says, hey, you can come in because of my love for you. 307 00:13:26,889 --> 00:13:28,081 And that's exactly what it is. 308 00:13:28,113 --> 00:13:29,273 I mean, you could picture a table. 309 00:13:29,329 --> 00:13:33,525 And I remember growing up, we always had the kids table. 310 00:13:34,425 --> 00:13:35,897 Thanksgiving, we would. 311 00:13:35,961 --> 00:13:37,641 There would be the adult table, and that would. 312 00:13:37,713 --> 00:13:40,121 That would look like the fun table, right? 313 00:13:40,233 --> 00:13:41,361 And then there was the kids table. 314 00:13:41,393 --> 00:13:42,545 I had to sit at the kids table. 315 00:13:42,585 --> 00:13:43,945 And as I got older, I. 316 00:13:43,985 --> 00:13:47,217 I always wanted to move up and graduate to the adult table. 317 00:13:47,401 --> 00:13:50,033 And I think it was somewhere in my teens. 318 00:13:50,089 --> 00:13:52,473 They said, okay, you come sit at the table and move away from the. 319 00:13:52,529 --> 00:13:53,265 The little ones. 320 00:13:53,305 --> 00:13:56,057 And then once I got to the adult table, I started realizing 321 00:13:56,081 --> 00:13:57,849 that these conversations aren't that impressive. 322 00:13:57,897 --> 00:14:00,329 They're talking about their Retirement, they're talking about 323 00:14:00,377 --> 00:14:02,633 the doctor's appointments and I'm like, I want to go back to the 324 00:14:02,649 --> 00:14:03,105 kids table. 325 00:14:03,145 --> 00:14:03,993 That was more fun. 326 00:14:04,089 --> 00:14:07,649 But, but the point is, is like there, there's a seat at the table 327 00:14:07,777 --> 00:14:08,337 for us. 328 00:14:08,401 --> 00:14:11,225 And the only reason that we're able to come to the table is because 329 00:14:11,345 --> 00:14:12,897 of the grace that's been extended to us. 330 00:14:12,921 --> 00:14:16,089 And so God is offering us that, but we don't deserve it. 331 00:14:16,257 --> 00:14:20,073 And so when we think about it from that perspective and the Philippians 332 00:14:20,129 --> 00:14:25,161 2 perspective, right, Jesus is the one who has every right to live 333 00:14:25,233 --> 00:14:25,817 in pride. 334 00:14:25,881 --> 00:14:29,321 If anyone could live in a prideful way, it was Jesus, right? 335 00:14:29,353 --> 00:14:32,217 He was sinless, could have done whatever he wanted to do, but 336 00:14:32,241 --> 00:14:34,177 yet the Bible says in Philippians chapter two, he took 337 00:14:34,201 --> 00:14:36,593 the form of a servant, right? 338 00:14:36,689 --> 00:14:39,205 We know that he humbled himself. 339 00:14:39,825 --> 00:14:45,017 And we even know that that was manifested at John 3, John 13, when 340 00:14:45,081 --> 00:14:47,605 Jesus washes the disciples feet. 341 00:14:48,025 --> 00:14:50,041 And you all know that story. 342 00:14:50,233 --> 00:14:53,865 And so what we can see here is that there will be no reason to exercise 343 00:14:53,945 --> 00:14:57,261 any prideful thoughts, any prideful actions, because it will 344 00:14:57,293 --> 00:14:59,613 be so clear why we are there. 345 00:14:59,749 --> 00:15:02,613 And I believe that's why that when we receive those crowns and 346 00:15:02,629 --> 00:15:04,661 when we receive those blessings, that we'll turn it back 347 00:15:04,693 --> 00:15:07,525 and say, well, the only reason that I was able to have any of this 348 00:15:07,565 --> 00:15:10,573 is because of what Jesus Christ did for me. 349 00:15:10,749 --> 00:15:13,517 And that, that's hard thing to think about, but really we're gonna 350 00:15:13,541 --> 00:15:15,093 see it from that perspective one day. 351 00:15:15,149 --> 00:15:16,965 And so we'll see more here. 352 00:15:17,005 --> 00:15:20,985 We, we see that there is this destruction of pride. 353 00:15:21,845 --> 00:15:25,869 But then we'll move a little bit further to the element of building 354 00:15:25,957 --> 00:15:26,571 peace. 355 00:15:26,733 --> 00:15:31,503 Verse 12 I will also leave in the midst of the afflicted and poor 356 00:15:31,559 --> 00:15:31,799 people. 357 00:15:31,847 --> 00:15:34,687 And they shall trust in the name of the Lord, the remnant of 358 00:15:34,711 --> 00:15:37,207 Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies. 359 00:15:37,311 --> 00:15:39,919 Neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth. 360 00:15:40,007 --> 00:15:44,155 For they shall feed and lie down and none shall make them afraid. 361 00:15:44,615 --> 00:15:49,191 And so this speaks of peace, speaks of prosperity. 362 00:15:49,343 --> 00:15:54,801 And so in the restoration, ultimately there's a destruction 363 00:15:54,833 --> 00:15:59,165 of pride and an elevation of peace and prosperity. 364 00:15:59,465 --> 00:16:01,857 Now, not false peace and prosperity, right? 365 00:16:01,921 --> 00:16:04,273 There's a way that we can manufacture things to make things 366 00:16:04,329 --> 00:16:06,257 look prosperous and peaceful. 367 00:16:06,321 --> 00:16:09,273 But the Bible says very clearly that that peace cannot come 368 00:16:09,289 --> 00:16:10,801 from any wisdom of man. 369 00:16:10,953 --> 00:16:15,393 And a lot of people, you'll hear this phrase a lot prosperity 370 00:16:15,449 --> 00:16:16,585 gospel, right? 371 00:16:16,625 --> 00:16:18,265 Maybe you've heard that before, maybe you've heard people 372 00:16:18,305 --> 00:16:20,553 say prosperity gospel, maybe you have different viewpoints of 373 00:16:20,569 --> 00:16:21,685 what that even is. 374 00:16:22,785 --> 00:16:27,137 Prosperity gospel as it is in this world today is a false teaching. 375 00:16:27,161 --> 00:16:30,617 I just want to tell you that prosperity gospel is, hey, you know 376 00:16:30,641 --> 00:16:31,089 what? 377 00:16:31,217 --> 00:16:33,961 If you keep pouring into God, he's going to keep pouring to you 378 00:16:33,993 --> 00:16:35,817 materially, and you're just going to have every blessing that 379 00:16:35,841 --> 00:16:36,345 you ever want. 380 00:16:36,385 --> 00:16:37,249 All you got to do is just. 381 00:16:37,297 --> 00:16:40,841 It's word of faith, just speak it out into existence and it'll happen. 382 00:16:40,953 --> 00:16:42,713 The problem with that is that's nothing. 383 00:16:42,849 --> 00:16:45,085 Nothing in scripture speaks of that. 384 00:16:45,425 --> 00:16:49,319 The Bible does, though, speak of a prosperity gospel. 385 00:16:49,367 --> 00:16:51,183 You're like, whoa, what? 386 00:16:51,359 --> 00:16:55,271 Well, it's biblical spiritual prosperity that God brings to us. 387 00:16:55,383 --> 00:16:57,079 You don't believe that. 388 00:16:57,247 --> 00:16:58,887 Read the book of Ephesians. 389 00:16:59,071 --> 00:17:01,847 And the book of Ephesians is all about the spiritual riches that 390 00:17:01,871 --> 00:17:03,035 you have in Christ. 391 00:17:03,415 --> 00:17:07,835 I remember growing up, I would ask my parents, are we rich? 392 00:17:08,695 --> 00:17:12,367 I and my mom and dad would always look at me and they would 393 00:17:12,391 --> 00:17:13,031 go, yeah, we're rich. 394 00:17:13,063 --> 00:17:14,099 And I'm like, really? 395 00:17:14,247 --> 00:17:15,891 Because my friends at school said, they're rich. 396 00:17:15,923 --> 00:17:17,355 And like, how are we rich? 397 00:17:17,395 --> 00:17:19,227 Because, I mean, I don't know. 398 00:17:19,291 --> 00:17:21,059 And they're like, well, we're not rich in money. 399 00:17:21,107 --> 00:17:22,027 We're rich in love. 400 00:17:22,091 --> 00:17:24,075 We're rich in blessings from God. 401 00:17:24,115 --> 00:17:26,099 And I was like, what are they talking about? 402 00:17:26,147 --> 00:17:27,135 That's not rich. 403 00:17:27,635 --> 00:17:29,851 But as I got older, I start to understand that. 404 00:17:29,963 --> 00:17:33,187 And I remember it wasn't too long ago one of our kids asked, hey, 405 00:17:33,211 --> 00:17:33,811 dad, are we rich? 406 00:17:33,843 --> 00:17:35,971 And I'm like, yes, I can use the line, I'm ready to do it. 407 00:17:36,003 --> 00:17:37,299 I was prepared for that. 408 00:17:37,427 --> 00:17:38,615 It was a Christian. 409 00:17:39,685 --> 00:17:44,429 Prosperity is not defined by material blessings. 410 00:17:44,517 --> 00:17:46,413 Now we can't have material blessings. 411 00:17:46,469 --> 00:17:48,773 God materially blesses us. 412 00:17:48,909 --> 00:17:49,565 Every good gift. 413 00:17:49,605 --> 00:17:50,861 James 1:17. 414 00:17:50,933 --> 00:17:52,917 Every good gift comes down from God, right? 415 00:17:53,061 --> 00:17:56,461 So yes, he can bless us, and he will bless us in certain areas 416 00:17:56,493 --> 00:17:58,317 of our material blessings. 417 00:17:58,421 --> 00:18:00,305 But that's not the end all be all. 418 00:18:00,765 --> 00:18:02,061 It's the spiritual prosperity. 419 00:18:02,093 --> 00:18:06,947 So that every Christian in this world can literally, biblically 420 00:18:07,011 --> 00:18:08,507 say, yes, I am rich. 421 00:18:08,691 --> 00:18:11,387 I am prosperous in the blessings of God. 422 00:18:11,451 --> 00:18:15,123 No matter if you have a mansion or a shack, the Bible says, 423 00:18:15,219 --> 00:18:17,495 spiritually speaking, we are prosperous. 424 00:18:17,915 --> 00:18:21,323 And there's a whole study that you can do in the book of Joshua, 425 00:18:21,379 --> 00:18:22,419 Joshua, chapter one. 426 00:18:22,467 --> 00:18:25,411 It speaks of what scriptural success really is. 427 00:18:25,443 --> 00:18:27,027 What is scriptural prosperity? 428 00:18:27,091 --> 00:18:31,571 And that is to obey God's word, to follow him, to love him, 429 00:18:31,603 --> 00:18:33,475 and to grow in that understanding of it. 430 00:18:33,595 --> 00:18:36,299 And so what I would encourage you to do is think about those many 431 00:18:36,347 --> 00:18:39,403 blessings and the peace and the prosperity that can come from 432 00:18:39,539 --> 00:18:41,235 having a relationship with God. 433 00:18:41,275 --> 00:18:45,411 And so we see that there in verse number 13, it says, the remnant 434 00:18:45,443 --> 00:18:47,455 of Israel shall not do iniquity. 435 00:18:48,115 --> 00:18:49,115 I mean, that's beautiful. 436 00:18:49,155 --> 00:18:53,915 There's no more sin nor speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue 437 00:18:53,955 --> 00:18:57,067 be found in their mouth, for they shall feed and lie down, and 438 00:18:57,091 --> 00:18:58,695 none shall make them afraid. 439 00:18:59,245 --> 00:19:02,589 So again, this speaks of the peace and prosperity Israel specifically 440 00:19:02,637 --> 00:19:06,501 will know in the millennial kingdom, but also for all of us to 441 00:19:06,533 --> 00:19:10,301 understand one day that that is the ultimate goal of God, to remove 442 00:19:10,373 --> 00:19:12,825 all of these things from our life and give us that peace. 443 00:19:13,165 --> 00:19:15,405 And so I think that that's something that we should long for 444 00:19:15,445 --> 00:19:16,557 even now, because, right. 445 00:19:16,621 --> 00:19:17,557 Heaven is. 446 00:19:17,741 --> 00:19:19,725 Heaven is just perfection. 447 00:19:19,885 --> 00:19:22,973 But we know that God has challenged us to live Christ like 448 00:19:23,029 --> 00:19:25,325 now, to live with the heavenly perspective. 449 00:19:25,365 --> 00:19:29,663 Now, if you have not read this book, it's called, I think it's just 450 00:19:29,679 --> 00:19:32,639 called Heaven by Randy Alcorn, I would. 451 00:19:32,767 --> 00:19:35,839 If you like to read, I'm sure it's in some audio form that you 452 00:19:35,847 --> 00:19:36,927 can do an audio book. 453 00:19:37,071 --> 00:19:38,831 I would encourage you to read that book. 454 00:19:38,863 --> 00:19:41,007 I'm not going to say that I agree with every little thing that 455 00:19:41,031 --> 00:19:44,263 Randy Alcorn says, but what I will say is that it's a wonderful 456 00:19:44,319 --> 00:19:48,063 book that specifically speaks of all the blessings that scripture 457 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:49,711 says about heaven. 458 00:19:49,903 --> 00:19:52,215 And a lot of times as Christians, all you know about heaven, 459 00:19:52,255 --> 00:19:53,741 all I know about heaven as well. 460 00:19:53,863 --> 00:19:56,609 I know we're going to be there forever, and I know that we're going 461 00:19:56,617 --> 00:19:58,121 to be worshiping God forever. 462 00:19:58,273 --> 00:20:00,673 And does that mean I'm just sitting on a cloud and playing a 463 00:20:00,689 --> 00:20:03,193 harp and singing the same song over and over again? 464 00:20:03,329 --> 00:20:08,857 It's such, we as Christians have such a minute view of what the 465 00:20:08,881 --> 00:20:10,513 Bible actually says about heaven. 466 00:20:10,609 --> 00:20:14,409 And I think it was probably four or five years ago I did a whole 467 00:20:14,537 --> 00:20:16,441 Sunday night series on that book. 468 00:20:16,553 --> 00:20:18,561 So I would encourage you, if you have time, read through that 469 00:20:18,593 --> 00:20:18,881 book. 470 00:20:18,953 --> 00:20:21,745 But it'll give you that heavenly perspective that you can 471 00:20:21,785 --> 00:20:25,601 long for and that actually now you can live with in your own life 472 00:20:25,633 --> 00:20:30,321 to think that way, to direct your mind to that ultimate restoration 473 00:20:30,353 --> 00:20:33,201 that we have with Christ, because we know that Romans chapter 474 00:20:33,233 --> 00:20:35,845 8, verse 1, says, there's therefore now no condemnation. 475 00:20:36,825 --> 00:20:40,105 So if you were a believer in Jesus Christ, that step of restoration 476 00:20:40,225 --> 00:20:43,465 has already happened in the concept of your salvation. 477 00:20:43,545 --> 00:20:46,393 Positionally, there's no more condemnation in your life. 478 00:20:46,569 --> 00:20:48,785 God doesn't come back to you and say, well, you know what? 479 00:20:48,825 --> 00:20:50,817 Now that you've sinned, I'm going to take back that deal. 480 00:20:50,881 --> 00:20:51,279 Right? 481 00:20:51,377 --> 00:20:52,875 The gifts at the door and you guys leave. 482 00:20:52,915 --> 00:20:55,491 But then, you know, maybe you guys say something on the Internet 483 00:20:55,523 --> 00:20:56,739 and I go, hey, you know what? 484 00:20:56,787 --> 00:20:59,083 As a Middletown Baptist person, you can't be doing that. 485 00:20:59,099 --> 00:21:00,507 So we're going to take your gift back. 486 00:21:00,611 --> 00:21:01,855 God doesn't do that. 487 00:21:02,195 --> 00:21:04,219 That's an extension of grace. 488 00:21:04,267 --> 00:21:05,579 There's that eternal security. 489 00:21:05,667 --> 00:21:09,019 But we do know that not. 490 00:21:09,187 --> 00:21:13,107 Not losing our salvation, but we do know that we can lose that 491 00:21:13,171 --> 00:21:15,539 fellowship with God if we are living in sin. 492 00:21:15,587 --> 00:21:16,179 Right? 493 00:21:16,347 --> 00:21:18,891 And I've given you that analogy over and over again about 494 00:21:18,923 --> 00:21:20,555 that concept that God doesn't leave us. 495 00:21:20,595 --> 00:21:23,953 But when we are in sin and therefore not walking in fellowship 496 00:21:23,969 --> 00:21:25,057 with him, we have. 497 00:21:25,161 --> 00:21:27,529 We have turned our backs against the Lord. 498 00:21:27,577 --> 00:21:29,361 We have turned our eyes away from Him. 499 00:21:29,433 --> 00:21:32,113 And if you go back, what Does Zephaniah chapter 2 say? 500 00:21:32,249 --> 00:21:33,697 Seek ye the Lord. 501 00:21:33,801 --> 00:21:36,369 When you're seeking the other things, you're not seeking after 502 00:21:36,417 --> 00:21:36,601 him. 503 00:21:36,633 --> 00:21:39,729 And so therefore you've turned your eyes away from him. 504 00:21:39,777 --> 00:21:43,305 Even I believe it's Colossians, chapter three, Seek ye 505 00:21:43,345 --> 00:21:44,737 the things which are above. 506 00:21:44,881 --> 00:21:45,233 Right? 507 00:21:45,289 --> 00:21:45,553 So it's. 508 00:21:45,569 --> 00:21:48,005 That does God always wants our heart. 509 00:21:48,935 --> 00:21:50,795 I used to think that. 510 00:21:51,295 --> 00:21:53,075 Well, it's all about my actions. 511 00:21:53,535 --> 00:21:56,879 If I do my devotions every day, if I read my Bible, if I pray 512 00:21:56,927 --> 00:21:58,719 every day, everything's going to be okay. 513 00:21:58,767 --> 00:22:00,303 But I have in my life. 514 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:02,167 I don't know about you, I'm not going to judge you. 515 00:22:02,271 --> 00:22:03,327 I will judge myself. 516 00:22:03,391 --> 00:22:04,983 Though I have been. 517 00:22:05,079 --> 00:22:05,375 I've. 518 00:22:05,415 --> 00:22:08,807 I've gotten up in the morning, read my Bible, I've prayed my prayers, 519 00:22:08,951 --> 00:22:12,967 I've gone to church, I've done everything that I should do on paper, 520 00:22:13,031 --> 00:22:17,477 but yet my heart is a million miles away from walking in fellowship 521 00:22:17,501 --> 00:22:18,325 with the Lord. 522 00:22:18,485 --> 00:22:22,185 Because it's a disassociation of the actions to the heart. 523 00:22:22,485 --> 00:22:25,709 If our heart is where it needs to be, our actions will be there. 524 00:22:25,877 --> 00:22:28,493 But what we all know is that we can go through the motions. 525 00:22:28,549 --> 00:22:33,709 And so Israel, no doubt at this point in time, was worshiping 526 00:22:33,877 --> 00:22:37,413 God in their way that they wanted to worship him, but there 527 00:22:37,429 --> 00:22:38,525 was empty worship. 528 00:22:38,685 --> 00:22:40,865 God always desires our heart. 529 00:22:41,505 --> 00:22:44,965 And so God wants them to seek after him. 530 00:22:45,345 --> 00:22:49,009 And so going forward here, you know, you can go from verse 14 all 531 00:22:49,017 --> 00:22:51,685 the way down to the end of the chapter. 532 00:22:52,385 --> 00:22:56,865 And we see that that restoration brings something to them. 533 00:22:56,945 --> 00:22:57,449 It so. 534 00:22:57,497 --> 00:23:00,337 So the restoration produces something in their life. 535 00:23:00,481 --> 00:23:01,385 Says verse 14. 536 00:23:01,465 --> 00:23:02,969 Sing, O daughter of Zion. 537 00:23:03,057 --> 00:23:08,049 Shout, O Israel, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter 538 00:23:08,097 --> 00:23:09,167 of Jerusalem. 539 00:23:09,321 --> 00:23:13,099 So the outpouring of this blessing of restoration is what? 540 00:23:13,147 --> 00:23:18,363 Well, they Sing, they shout, they're glad, and they rejoice with 541 00:23:18,419 --> 00:23:19,575 all of their heart. 542 00:23:20,315 --> 00:23:20,699 So. 543 00:23:20,747 --> 00:23:25,675 So this is a product of knowing and believing and really 544 00:23:25,755 --> 00:23:28,495 living in that hope of restoration. 545 00:23:30,115 --> 00:23:33,251 I hope that you don't become a believer. 546 00:23:33,283 --> 00:23:33,923 Who says, you know what? 547 00:23:33,939 --> 00:23:36,067 I don't have a reason to be happy today. 548 00:23:36,211 --> 00:23:38,215 I don't have a reason to rejoice. 549 00:23:39,835 --> 00:23:42,211 I love that the Bible says, make a joyful noise. 550 00:23:42,283 --> 00:23:46,323 It doesn't say, make a noise that's in tune and perfectly in key. 551 00:23:46,379 --> 00:23:47,427 It says, make a joyful noise. 552 00:23:47,451 --> 00:23:49,803 Now, if you can sing in key, do your best for God. 553 00:23:49,979 --> 00:23:52,603 But the Bible does say that we have an opportunity to sing, and 554 00:23:52,619 --> 00:23:53,975 we have a reason to sing. 555 00:23:54,475 --> 00:23:57,795 One of the things that I try sometimes it's a little bit annoying 556 00:23:57,835 --> 00:24:01,307 in the mornings with my kids and the rest of my family, I like 557 00:24:01,331 --> 00:24:04,309 to sing Christian songs when we're waking up in the morning. 558 00:24:04,357 --> 00:24:06,525 So, like, kids are getting ready for school, and they're, like, 559 00:24:06,565 --> 00:24:07,605 walking around like zombies. 560 00:24:07,645 --> 00:24:09,245 And I'm singing songs, right? 561 00:24:09,365 --> 00:24:11,597 And, you know, maybe there's days where I don't feel like singing 562 00:24:11,621 --> 00:24:14,029 either, but I want my children to see that there's joy in my heart. 563 00:24:14,077 --> 00:24:16,029 Like, I have a reason to sing today. 564 00:24:16,197 --> 00:24:17,701 And I'm not in tune. 565 00:24:17,853 --> 00:24:18,893 I'm probably annoying to them. 566 00:24:18,909 --> 00:24:19,917 But the idea is for. 567 00:24:19,981 --> 00:24:20,205 For. 568 00:24:20,245 --> 00:24:21,069 For me is I. 569 00:24:21,117 --> 00:24:24,989 I want people to know that I have a reason to be joyful. 570 00:24:25,037 --> 00:24:26,253 I have a reason to sing. 571 00:24:26,389 --> 00:24:29,957 Now, there are days where I don't always feel that, but what 572 00:24:29,981 --> 00:24:32,453 I will say is that as a Christian, when we have set our heart 573 00:24:32,509 --> 00:24:35,213 on the things of God, we have a reason to rejoice. 574 00:24:35,269 --> 00:24:36,725 We have a reason to be glad. 575 00:24:36,805 --> 00:24:37,309 Verse 15. 576 00:24:37,357 --> 00:24:39,505 The Lord hath taken away thy judgments. 577 00:24:40,085 --> 00:24:41,037 There it is. 578 00:24:41,181 --> 00:24:42,981 That's your reason to rejoice, right? 579 00:24:43,093 --> 00:24:46,333 He's taken away your judgments, and he have cast out thine 580 00:24:46,389 --> 00:24:47,105 enemy. 581 00:24:47,925 --> 00:24:49,385 The enemy is defeated. 582 00:24:49,685 --> 00:24:50,045 Like. 583 00:24:50,085 --> 00:24:53,933 Like we sometimes think, and none of us probably ever want to 584 00:24:53,949 --> 00:24:56,603 admit this, but there's probably times in your life where 585 00:24:56,619 --> 00:24:58,935 you feel, hey, it looks like the enemy's winning. 586 00:24:59,795 --> 00:25:03,051 And ultimately, we know that our ultimate enemy is Satan. 587 00:25:03,083 --> 00:25:05,587 But even sometimes, we think, like another person in our life might 588 00:25:05,611 --> 00:25:06,555 be our enemy. 589 00:25:06,715 --> 00:25:10,095 But the Bible says that that enemy is already defeated. 590 00:25:11,155 --> 00:25:13,915 Jesus defeated the enemy when he died on the cross and conquered 591 00:25:13,955 --> 00:25:15,323 death through the resurrection. 592 00:25:15,499 --> 00:25:20,161 Now the enemy is fighting his best to try to thwart that plan. 593 00:25:20,323 --> 00:25:23,109 But we know that ultimately God is victorious. 594 00:25:23,157 --> 00:25:25,101 And so our judgments have been taken away. 595 00:25:25,133 --> 00:25:26,141 We've been forgiven. 596 00:25:26,293 --> 00:25:29,301 He has cast out thine enemy, and the king of Israel, even the 597 00:25:29,333 --> 00:25:30,821 Lord is in the midst of thee. 598 00:25:30,973 --> 00:25:31,709 So it's. 599 00:25:31,837 --> 00:25:32,349 So here's. 600 00:25:32,397 --> 00:25:33,637 Here's your reasons to be thankful. 601 00:25:33,701 --> 00:25:34,865 You've been forgiven. 602 00:25:35,805 --> 00:25:38,157 The enemy's been defeated, and then what? 603 00:25:38,341 --> 00:25:42,025 The king of Israel, even the Lord is in the midst of the. 604 00:25:42,485 --> 00:25:45,825 The presence of God, your Savior. 605 00:25:46,655 --> 00:25:48,335 You are one with your Savior. 606 00:25:48,375 --> 00:25:49,515 That's what he's saying here. 607 00:25:50,335 --> 00:25:54,367 Thou shalt not see evil anymore in that day. 608 00:25:54,391 --> 00:25:58,511 It shall be said to Jerusalem, fear thou not, and to Zion, let not 609 00:25:58,543 --> 00:25:59,607 thine hands be slack. 610 00:25:59,671 --> 00:26:03,835 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty. 611 00:26:04,855 --> 00:26:06,311 He will save. 612 00:26:06,503 --> 00:26:09,143 He will rejoice over thee with joy. 613 00:26:09,239 --> 00:26:09,967 You see that? 614 00:26:10,071 --> 00:26:13,529 Not that they would rejoice over him, which they will, but what 615 00:26:13,537 --> 00:26:13,993 does it say there? 616 00:26:14,009 --> 00:26:17,725 It says that he will rejoice over thee with joy. 617 00:26:18,105 --> 00:26:21,345 So not only are we rejoicing, but he's rejoicing in this. 618 00:26:21,425 --> 00:26:23,165 This is a beautiful picture here. 619 00:26:23,585 --> 00:26:24,089 This is. 620 00:26:24,137 --> 00:26:26,457 This is the consummation of everything. 621 00:26:26,561 --> 00:26:30,777 This is the conclusion of all of the struggles of this world. 622 00:26:30,841 --> 00:26:35,129 This is all of the redemptive plan being played out from the very 623 00:26:35,177 --> 00:26:36,745 beginning, all the way to the very end. 624 00:26:36,785 --> 00:26:37,857 This is it. 625 00:26:38,041 --> 00:26:40,275 He says there's going to be rejoicing. 626 00:26:40,615 --> 00:26:42,755 He will rest in his love. 627 00:26:43,695 --> 00:26:46,355 He will joy over thee with singing. 628 00:26:46,975 --> 00:26:50,079 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly 629 00:26:50,127 --> 00:26:53,119 who are of thee to whom the reproach of it was burdened. 630 00:26:53,207 --> 00:26:56,231 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflicted. 631 00:26:56,263 --> 00:26:59,559 I will save her that halteth and gather her that was driven out. 632 00:26:59,647 --> 00:27:02,599 I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have 633 00:27:02,607 --> 00:27:03,559 been put to shame. 634 00:27:03,687 --> 00:27:07,579 At that time I will bring you again, even in the time that I gather 635 00:27:07,627 --> 00:27:08,099 you. 636 00:27:08,227 --> 00:27:11,723 For I will make you a name and a praise among all the people of 637 00:27:11,739 --> 00:27:14,803 the earth when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, 638 00:27:14,899 --> 00:27:17,851 saith the Lord, a lot of beautiful things there. 639 00:27:17,883 --> 00:27:21,371 There's a lot to talk about, but this passage gives us definite 640 00:27:21,443 --> 00:27:23,179 steps for this constellation. 641 00:27:23,227 --> 00:27:24,139 As we understand it. 642 00:27:24,187 --> 00:27:25,611 God is in our midst. 643 00:27:25,803 --> 00:27:28,135 The Lord is in our midst, and he's saving. 644 00:27:28,715 --> 00:27:30,739 God gives us joy. 645 00:27:30,827 --> 00:27:33,701 God is joyful in that relationship. 646 00:27:33,813 --> 00:27:35,181 He gives us rest. 647 00:27:35,333 --> 00:27:36,945 He sings over us. 648 00:27:37,445 --> 00:27:38,013 And we. 649 00:27:38,069 --> 00:27:38,945 We often. 650 00:27:39,285 --> 00:27:40,797 I, I, at least for me, I don't. 651 00:27:40,821 --> 00:27:43,285 I don't want to put this on you, but I'm talking for myself. 652 00:27:43,445 --> 00:27:49,585 We often underestimate the joy that God has in his people. 653 00:27:51,405 --> 00:27:54,493 Sometimes I, you know, you know the theological truth that, 654 00:27:54,509 --> 00:27:58,003 hey, you know, when someone's saved, you know, all of heaven rejoices. 655 00:27:58,189 --> 00:28:01,119 But you ever thought that, like as you please, the Lord. 656 00:28:01,247 --> 00:28:03,743 He's actually joyful in what we do for Him. 657 00:28:03,879 --> 00:28:04,151 That's. 658 00:28:04,183 --> 00:28:04,487 That's a. 659 00:28:04,511 --> 00:28:06,915 That's a very interesting concept to think about. 660 00:28:07,735 --> 00:28:11,655 I used to think that God would sit up in heaven and just be irritated 661 00:28:11,695 --> 00:28:12,439 with me. 662 00:28:12,607 --> 00:28:16,835 Again, this is the hundredth time you've messed up. 663 00:28:17,135 --> 00:28:20,167 And though I certainly know that we can grieve the Holy Spirit 664 00:28:20,231 --> 00:28:23,895 by the way that we live, I think all the more God is so joyful 665 00:28:23,975 --> 00:28:28,863 as, as our loving Father is when his child does something for 666 00:28:28,919 --> 00:28:30,591 the good that, that obeys Him. 667 00:28:30,623 --> 00:28:34,635 You know, like, I will love my children no matter what. 668 00:28:35,055 --> 00:28:36,047 I will never. 669 00:28:36,191 --> 00:28:38,487 I will not agree with everything that they do, but I will 670 00:28:38,511 --> 00:28:39,807 always love my children. 671 00:28:39,991 --> 00:28:43,495 But all of you that are parents understand that joy and that 672 00:28:43,535 --> 00:28:47,639 blessing when your child does something in obedience or does something 673 00:28:47,727 --> 00:28:50,687 out of kindness, and you're like, wow, that's an amazing thing 674 00:28:50,711 --> 00:28:51,373 to see. 675 00:28:51,519 --> 00:28:54,889 Um, that's the emotion that God has when we obey him, that we. 676 00:28:54,937 --> 00:28:57,485 When we serve him, when we are restored to Him. 677 00:28:57,905 --> 00:29:01,565 And so we often don't think about it from that perspective. 678 00:29:02,265 --> 00:29:05,201 And so we know that God has a tender love for us. 679 00:29:05,393 --> 00:29:10,313 We know that although he's all powerful, he's all knowing, he's 680 00:29:10,369 --> 00:29:12,845 all present, he's also personal. 681 00:29:13,465 --> 00:29:17,489 And that's something that I find so unique and so beautiful. 682 00:29:17,537 --> 00:29:19,337 When it comes to this understanding that we have a God, 683 00:29:19,361 --> 00:29:19,537 there's. 684 00:29:19,561 --> 00:29:21,789 I'm going to tell you two words here tonight. 685 00:29:21,877 --> 00:29:25,293 We have a God who is transcendent, meaning he's not bound 686 00:29:25,349 --> 00:29:26,437 by our world. 687 00:29:26,581 --> 00:29:27,893 He's not bound by time. 688 00:29:27,949 --> 00:29:29,585 He's not bound by space. 689 00:29:30,325 --> 00:29:32,145 Like we are right? 690 00:29:32,685 --> 00:29:36,965 Time goes by and we can't slow it down or we can't speed it up. 691 00:29:37,045 --> 00:29:42,117 Growing up, when I was in school, a day at school felt like 692 00:29:42,141 --> 00:29:43,133 an eternity. 693 00:29:43,269 --> 00:29:45,679 I was like, I want to speed this up to get home. 694 00:29:45,797 --> 00:29:48,371 And I would sit there and it was just like, when is this ever 695 00:29:48,403 --> 00:29:49,339 going to stop? 696 00:29:49,507 --> 00:29:50,219 And. 697 00:29:50,387 --> 00:29:54,115 And now it's like, it's already Friday. 698 00:29:54,195 --> 00:29:55,571 I just feel like the week started. 699 00:29:55,683 --> 00:29:59,035 And so either way, we cannot do that. 700 00:29:59,075 --> 00:30:01,027 We can't adjust the time that's around us. 701 00:30:01,091 --> 00:30:02,875 But God is transcendence, meaning He's. 702 00:30:02,915 --> 00:30:04,187 He's not bound by that. 703 00:30:04,331 --> 00:30:07,403 But we also know that God is imminent in the concept that he is 704 00:30:07,459 --> 00:30:09,211 personal, that he's with us. 705 00:30:09,243 --> 00:30:13,235 He's not a clock maker that steps aside and says, okay, you guys 706 00:30:13,275 --> 00:30:14,179 figured out, I'll. 707 00:30:14,227 --> 00:30:16,203 I'll pop in every few thousand years just to help. 708 00:30:16,219 --> 00:30:19,651 You know, we have a God who wants that personal relationship 709 00:30:19,683 --> 00:30:20,451 with us. 710 00:30:20,643 --> 00:30:21,587 And that's a. 711 00:30:21,651 --> 00:30:24,243 That's a wonderful thing to know what we have when it comes to 712 00:30:24,259 --> 00:30:25,683 our relationship with God. 713 00:30:25,859 --> 00:30:30,175 So God promised to encourage those that were discouraged. 714 00:30:31,275 --> 00:30:34,495 I don't know about you, but that's something that helps me understand. 715 00:30:34,915 --> 00:30:38,451 The love of God is that he encourages us in the midst of our 716 00:30:38,483 --> 00:30:39,137 discouragement. 717 00:30:39,211 --> 00:30:43,509 I don't know what discourages you, but it doesn't matter what discourages 718 00:30:43,557 --> 00:30:43,765 you. 719 00:30:43,805 --> 00:30:45,665 God is the One who's the encourager. 720 00:30:46,685 --> 00:30:49,125 He's the One who fights our battles for us. 721 00:30:49,285 --> 00:30:51,225 He's the One that heals the sick. 722 00:30:51,605 --> 00:30:54,865 He's the One who gathers those that have gone astray. 723 00:30:56,245 --> 00:30:57,341 All of this. 724 00:30:57,493 --> 00:31:00,357 All of this for his glory. 725 00:31:00,541 --> 00:31:02,625 And we are the beneficiaries of that. 726 00:31:04,125 --> 00:31:06,645 And the reason why we're the beneficiaries of that is because 727 00:31:06,685 --> 00:31:09,465 of our faith in him and our trust in what he has done. 728 00:31:09,865 --> 00:31:11,433 And so, yes, there's that judgment. 729 00:31:11,489 --> 00:31:12,985 The book of Zephaniah is all about that. 730 00:31:13,025 --> 00:31:16,401 Calling out sin for sin, changing our path. 731 00:31:16,473 --> 00:31:16,889 Repentance. 732 00:31:16,937 --> 00:31:19,945 We talked about biblical repentance, but there's also that 733 00:31:19,985 --> 00:31:20,777 restoration. 734 00:31:20,921 --> 00:31:23,925 There's the restoration of Israel right here. 735 00:31:24,425 --> 00:31:28,489 But I believe, too, also, and in a more personal way, that God 736 00:31:28,537 --> 00:31:32,441 is extending that gift of restoration to all of us in this 737 00:31:32,473 --> 00:31:32,977 world. 738 00:31:33,121 --> 00:31:34,481 And we only have so much time. 739 00:31:34,513 --> 00:31:35,033 We don't know. 740 00:31:35,089 --> 00:31:36,845 The Bible does say redeem the time. 741 00:31:37,635 --> 00:31:40,243 We don't know when God is going to say, okay, that's enough. 742 00:31:40,339 --> 00:31:41,535 Judgment is coming. 743 00:31:41,915 --> 00:31:46,415 But all we can do is do our part in the time that we have. 744 00:31:47,075 --> 00:31:48,775 Tomorrow is not guaranteed. 745 00:31:49,315 --> 00:31:51,931 And I'm not just talking about, you know, the end of the world, 746 00:31:51,963 --> 00:31:53,443 but tomorrow's not guaranteed for me. 747 00:31:53,539 --> 00:31:53,963 Right? 748 00:31:54,059 --> 00:31:57,467 And I know that life is but a vapor, and therefore I should be 749 00:31:57,491 --> 00:31:59,587 doing what I can to honor and glorify Him. 750 00:31:59,611 --> 00:32:02,243 And so one of the things that I have struggled with in my own life 751 00:32:02,299 --> 00:32:06,335 has been having that perspective of the eternal. 752 00:32:06,755 --> 00:32:10,651 Like, I'm so stuck in my problems of the day that I don't 753 00:32:10,683 --> 00:32:14,403 see the bigger picture in the goodness of God in His victory. 754 00:32:14,539 --> 00:32:18,707 And I'll tell you, it actually sometimes takes a situation in your 755 00:32:18,731 --> 00:32:22,083 life to kind of put you into a different framework of mine. 756 00:32:22,179 --> 00:32:26,147 So I will tell you, actually, two events that happened last year 757 00:32:26,251 --> 00:32:27,535 really helped me with that. 758 00:32:29,045 --> 00:32:31,077 So I don't know how many of you were here. 759 00:32:31,101 --> 00:32:34,997 I think it was actually two summers ago, but we had a car accident. 760 00:32:35,181 --> 00:32:38,901 And I, you know, I'm not saying that God works this way with 761 00:32:38,933 --> 00:32:39,549 everybody, okay? 762 00:32:39,597 --> 00:32:42,301 But I do believe that God uses circumstances to get our attention. 763 00:32:42,453 --> 00:32:43,597 So we had a car accident. 764 00:32:43,661 --> 00:32:48,349 And I remember in that moment realizing all those things that I 765 00:32:48,357 --> 00:32:48,709 was str. 766 00:32:48,757 --> 00:32:52,533 It was a Sunday night, and I don't know if you guys know this 767 00:32:52,549 --> 00:32:52,821 or not. 768 00:32:52,853 --> 00:32:54,361 Sundays are pretty stressful for pastors. 769 00:32:54,453 --> 00:32:54,737 Okay? 770 00:32:54,761 --> 00:32:56,641 We wake up in the morning thinking about all the things that 771 00:32:56,713 --> 00:32:59,217 should go right and then all the things that could go wrong. 772 00:32:59,361 --> 00:33:00,881 Sundays are difficult, right? 773 00:33:00,953 --> 00:33:01,465 And it's. 774 00:33:01,505 --> 00:33:01,889 It's our. 775 00:33:01,937 --> 00:33:02,793 It's our work day. 776 00:33:02,849 --> 00:33:05,137 Um, and some people say it's your only day of the week. 777 00:33:05,161 --> 00:33:06,057 Like, you work an hour a week. 778 00:33:06,081 --> 00:33:06,721 Come on, what's going on? 779 00:33:06,753 --> 00:33:09,153 No, but Sundays are the culmination of everything in the 780 00:33:09,169 --> 00:33:09,681 week. 781 00:33:09,833 --> 00:33:12,697 Um, and so after a stressful day, I had a lot on my mind. 782 00:33:12,841 --> 00:33:15,265 And we're driving, and all of a sudden, when that We. 783 00:33:15,305 --> 00:33:19,329 We flipped the car, and I remember thinking, none of that matters. 784 00:33:19,417 --> 00:33:22,529 Like, all that stuff I was stressed about today, about whether 785 00:33:22,577 --> 00:33:25,089 this is going to run right or this is going to go well, that. 786 00:33:25,137 --> 00:33:27,009 That silly stuff didn't even matter. 787 00:33:27,137 --> 00:33:29,521 The only thing that mattered in that moment, obviously, was my 788 00:33:29,553 --> 00:33:30,033 life. 789 00:33:30,169 --> 00:33:32,785 And my life was in the hands of the Lord at that point and my 790 00:33:32,825 --> 00:33:33,793 children's lives. 791 00:33:33,969 --> 00:33:35,561 And so there was that. 792 00:33:35,753 --> 00:33:37,697 And, you know, you would think that that would be enough to wake 793 00:33:37,721 --> 00:33:41,001 you up, but of course, you know, you get back into that pitfall 794 00:33:41,033 --> 00:33:42,737 of like, oh, man, there's so much stress going on. 795 00:33:42,761 --> 00:33:43,841 I got to make sure this. 796 00:33:43,953 --> 00:33:45,345 And then many. 797 00:33:45,425 --> 00:33:49,525 Most of you know, in January of last year, Silas was born. 798 00:33:49,565 --> 00:33:49,741 And. 799 00:33:49,773 --> 00:33:54,109 And I do remember in that moment, and I'll try not to go too 800 00:33:54,157 --> 00:33:55,581 personal here tonight, but when. 801 00:33:55,693 --> 00:33:58,965 When I was driving from one hospital to the other hospital, I. 802 00:33:59,005 --> 00:33:59,981 I had a. 803 00:34:00,093 --> 00:34:00,945 The first. 804 00:34:01,325 --> 00:34:02,629 I'm not gonna say the first. 805 00:34:02,757 --> 00:34:03,333 The. 806 00:34:03,469 --> 00:34:07,461 The first conversation in a long time with God that was so authentically 807 00:34:07,533 --> 00:34:08,005 real. 808 00:34:08,125 --> 00:34:10,309 I can tell you, a lot of my prayers are like, okay, I gotta make 809 00:34:10,317 --> 00:34:10,413 sure. 810 00:34:10,429 --> 00:34:11,861 I have to word this just right. 811 00:34:11,973 --> 00:34:13,805 I have to make sure I do all the sayings. 812 00:34:13,845 --> 00:34:16,149 And then there was that moment when I was driving from one hospital 813 00:34:16,197 --> 00:34:19,745 to the other, and Silas was taken away from us, and we were. 814 00:34:19,865 --> 00:34:20,921 Didn't know what was going to happen. 815 00:34:20,953 --> 00:34:21,681 There was surgery coming. 816 00:34:21,713 --> 00:34:24,769 I remember having a real conversation with the Lord, and it 817 00:34:24,777 --> 00:34:24,969 was. 818 00:34:25,017 --> 00:34:27,777 It wasn't disrespectful, but it was like, lord, I need you. 819 00:34:27,841 --> 00:34:29,817 I can't do anything without you. 820 00:34:29,961 --> 00:34:33,017 And in that process of waiting, in that process of seeing 821 00:34:33,081 --> 00:34:36,065 that go through, I remember really that that put things into 822 00:34:36,105 --> 00:34:37,205 perspective for me. 823 00:34:37,505 --> 00:34:40,929 And so there's things in our life that I think God allows to happen 824 00:34:41,057 --> 00:34:43,657 so that we can see the perspective of the eternal, like 825 00:34:43,681 --> 00:34:45,445 what really matters in this world. 826 00:34:45,875 --> 00:34:48,811 And so many times we get caught up with things that don't 827 00:34:48,843 --> 00:34:49,395 matter. 828 00:34:49,555 --> 00:34:52,827 So many times we get caught up with things that really, though they 829 00:34:52,851 --> 00:34:56,531 might be significant in that moment, are not eternally significant. 830 00:34:56,603 --> 00:34:59,499 So therefore, what we have to do is we have to allow ourselves 831 00:34:59,547 --> 00:35:03,179 to come to the word of God and allow ourselves to see what really 832 00:35:03,227 --> 00:35:03,899 truly matters. 833 00:35:03,947 --> 00:35:07,435 And what I can tell you that matters is the eternal perspective 834 00:35:07,475 --> 00:35:12,375 is all about the Great Commission winning souls to Christ, 835 00:35:12,795 --> 00:35:15,043 discipling folks, creating disciples. 836 00:35:15,139 --> 00:35:16,155 And I will tell you this. 837 00:35:16,195 --> 00:35:17,139 If there. 838 00:35:17,187 --> 00:35:19,123 There's really three things I want you to think about here this 839 00:35:19,139 --> 00:35:20,335 evening, and then we're going to close. 840 00:35:20,675 --> 00:35:22,771 One is you have to be a believer. 841 00:35:22,963 --> 00:35:23,747 That's the. 842 00:35:23,851 --> 00:35:26,267 You can't have any of his hope without faith in Jesus Christ, right? 843 00:35:26,291 --> 00:35:27,123 We understand that. 844 00:35:27,219 --> 00:35:30,283 But secondarily, to be a believer that's growing, we have 845 00:35:30,299 --> 00:35:32,459 to be what the Bible calls as a disciple. 846 00:35:32,587 --> 00:35:35,747 A disciple is someone who is a dedicated learner of Christ. 847 00:35:35,811 --> 00:35:39,277 That that not is not just a casual Christian, but someone who 848 00:35:39,301 --> 00:35:41,829 is committed to the cause of the Gospel. 849 00:35:41,917 --> 00:35:45,653 But then also the Bible says it's not just enough to be a disciple, 850 00:35:45,709 --> 00:35:49,997 but naturally, or let me say it this way, supernaturally, disciples 851 00:35:50,101 --> 00:35:51,797 make disciples, right? 852 00:35:51,941 --> 00:35:54,237 Look at all the examples in the New Testament. 853 00:35:54,341 --> 00:35:58,205 Those that were the disciples of Christ, they were commissioned 854 00:35:58,245 --> 00:36:00,773 to make disciples for Christ. 855 00:36:00,949 --> 00:36:03,749 Now, it's not the power of the disciple that makes another person 856 00:36:03,797 --> 00:36:05,261 a disciple, but we teach them. 857 00:36:05,293 --> 00:36:07,787 That's what the Great Commission says, to teach them what 858 00:36:07,811 --> 00:36:10,395 it means to observe those things which God has commanded us. 859 00:36:10,555 --> 00:36:13,219 So I say all that to say that's what matters. 860 00:36:13,267 --> 00:36:19,515 Eternally coming to Christ, growing in our spiritual walk, leading 861 00:36:19,555 --> 00:36:22,115 other people to that same spiritual walk, and being able to 862 00:36:22,155 --> 00:36:25,123 live for that kingdom, live for the eternal. 863 00:36:25,179 --> 00:36:26,131 And that's what matters. 864 00:36:26,163 --> 00:36:28,139 And there's a lot of things that fall under that. 865 00:36:28,307 --> 00:36:30,295 There's a lot of things that fall under that. 866 00:36:30,595 --> 00:36:36,015 But are we those people that are described there in Zephaniah, 867 00:36:36,055 --> 00:36:43,367 Chapter one, false teachers, hypocrites, focused on the material, 868 00:36:43,511 --> 00:36:46,287 focused on their money, focused on their position. 869 00:36:46,431 --> 00:36:49,015 Are we ones that are seeking after the Lord? 870 00:36:49,055 --> 00:36:52,495 So I would say, if you were going to take one verse in Zephaniah, 871 00:36:52,535 --> 00:36:56,175 I would say, take Zephaniah, chapter two, verse three. 872 00:36:56,335 --> 00:37:00,305 Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth which have wrought his 873 00:37:00,345 --> 00:37:00,673 judgment. 874 00:37:00,729 --> 00:37:04,601 Seek righteousness, seek meekness, it may be ye shall be hid 875 00:37:04,633 --> 00:37:06,125 in the day of the Lord's anger. 876 00:37:06,505 --> 00:37:11,125 And so that's the idea, I think, of the Book of Zephaniah. 877 00:37:11,825 --> 00:37:14,817 So there is reproof, but there also is restoration. 878 00:37:14,961 --> 00:37:16,993 And I pray that that's something that you can come to in 879 00:37:17,009 --> 00:37:20,105 your life when it comes to that idea of evaluation. 880 00:37:20,265 --> 00:37:22,005 Where am I standing before God? 881 00:37:23,225 --> 00:37:24,809 Is God reproving me? 882 00:37:24,857 --> 00:37:26,725 Is he condemning me for what I'm doing? 883 00:37:27,225 --> 00:37:30,505 Well, there's not condemnation anymore, so you can answer that question 884 00:37:30,665 --> 00:37:35,265 with a definitive yes, he's not condemning me for my sin. 885 00:37:35,425 --> 00:37:39,737 But we do know 2 Timothy 3:16 says that Scripture is there to not 886 00:37:39,761 --> 00:37:44,625 only show us what to believe, but also to reprove us, to correct 887 00:37:44,665 --> 00:37:45,297 us. 888 00:37:45,481 --> 00:37:49,445 And so there is that time where God, where a loving Father 889 00:37:50,425 --> 00:37:53,625 corrects us and changes us, hopefully for the good. 890 00:37:53,665 --> 00:37:56,619 So, anyway, I'll go ahead and conclude there that Zephaniah, the 891 00:37:56,627 --> 00:37:59,515 Book of Zephaniah, three chapters, short book of the Bible, 892 00:37:59,635 --> 00:38:00,763 not often talked about. 893 00:38:00,859 --> 00:38:03,523 But I would say that it's been an enjoyable study for me and I hope 894 00:38:03,539 --> 00:38:06,335 that in some ways it's helped you in your spiritual walk. 895 00:38:06,795 --> 00:38:09,867 I know that some people were wondering what our next study is 896 00:38:09,891 --> 00:38:10,635 going to be. 897 00:38:10,795 --> 00:38:13,379 For the next few Wednesday nights. 898 00:38:13,547 --> 00:38:15,875 We are going to be at least till the end of the year and maybe 899 00:38:15,915 --> 00:38:18,419 even a little bit into the new year, we're going to be just going 900 00:38:18,467 --> 00:38:22,171 through a study on biblical words. 901 00:38:22,363 --> 00:38:26,707 And if for some of you that do follow our podcast, we do a word 902 00:38:26,731 --> 00:38:27,779 of the week every week. 903 00:38:27,867 --> 00:38:30,387 And so it's going to be like an extended version of that. 904 00:38:30,491 --> 00:38:32,851 And we're going to talk about different biblical words that you 905 00:38:32,883 --> 00:38:35,435 may be familiar with or maybe you're not so familiar with. 906 00:38:35,555 --> 00:38:38,475 Maybe you've heard, but maybe you haven't completely understood 907 00:38:38,515 --> 00:38:41,547 or maybe not completely seen what it's talked about in scripture 908 00:38:41,571 --> 00:38:42,251 about that word. 909 00:38:42,323 --> 00:38:43,427 And we'll talk about that. 910 00:38:43,451 --> 00:38:44,675 So encourage you to come back. 911 00:38:44,755 --> 00:38:47,873 I will do probably, I would say probably four or five of those. 912 00:38:47,929 --> 00:38:52,097 And then we'll get back into a book study coming up here in the 913 00:38:52,121 --> 00:38:52,529 new year. 914 00:38:52,577 --> 00:38:56,161 So appreciate your faithfulness and these studies together. 915 00:38:56,313 --> 00:38:58,441 Let's go ahead and transition to our prayer time. 916 00:38:58,553 --> 00:39:00,585 If you have a prayer sheet, go ahead and get those out. 917 00:39:00,625 --> 00:39:05,153 If you need one, we'll have some of those being distributed for 918 00:39:05,169 --> 00:39:05,297 you. 919 00:39:05,321 --> 00:39:07,605 Just slip your hand up in there and we'll get that to you. 920 00:39:11,345 --> 00:39:14,873 Pastor's prayer for 2024 can you believe that? 921 00:39:14,889 --> 00:39:16,081 We're almost done with 2024. 922 00:39:16,113 --> 00:39:19,805 I felt like 2024 just started and now we're getting to the end. 923 00:39:20,345 --> 00:39:23,137 And so I encourage you to look through that and be praying. 924 00:39:23,201 --> 00:39:27,685 We'd be praying this year in 25 for a couple of different things. 925 00:39:28,105 --> 00:39:33,569 We're going to be really, really trying to launch some interesting 926 00:39:33,617 --> 00:39:36,385 things at the church when it comes to the area of reaching our 927 00:39:36,425 --> 00:39:42,481 community, reaching our state, reaching our nation, and reaching 928 00:39:42,513 --> 00:39:43,201 our world. 929 00:39:43,353 --> 00:39:44,889 And you might say, well, what's that all about? 930 00:39:44,937 --> 00:39:48,873 Well, Acts chapter 1, verse 8 tells us very clearly to go to Jerusalem, 931 00:39:48,929 --> 00:39:51,805 Judea, Sumeria, into the outermost part of the earth. 932 00:39:52,265 --> 00:39:56,073 Next year we're going to be sharing with you different ways that 933 00:39:56,089 --> 00:39:57,565 you can be a part of all of those. 934 00:39:57,985 --> 00:40:01,233 Not literally Jerusalem, unless that's laid upon your heart, 935 00:40:01,289 --> 00:40:06,121 but our local area, our surrounding areas, to difficult areas 936 00:40:06,193 --> 00:40:08,073 and to the uttermost part of the earth. 937 00:40:08,209 --> 00:40:09,481 And so I'm excited for that. 938 00:40:09,513 --> 00:40:10,121 Just be praying. 939 00:40:10,153 --> 00:40:12,025 I know that's kind of cryptic, but we're trying. 940 00:40:12,065 --> 00:40:15,921 We're going to, we're going to get there in January on praises. 941 00:40:16,033 --> 00:40:18,241 We're just thankful for all the things that God's doing at our 942 00:40:18,273 --> 00:40:21,545 church, thankful for the blessings that he's been sending 943 00:40:21,585 --> 00:40:26,725 our way, and thankful for what he's doing spiritually in our midst. 944 00:40:27,985 --> 00:40:30,609 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 945 00:40:30,657 --> 00:40:31,401 podcast. 946 00:40:31,553 --> 00:40:32,913 I hope that this sermon has been. 947 00:40:32,929 --> 00:40:33,559 A blessing for you. 948 00:40:33,597 --> 00:40:34,175 You. 949 00:40:34,475 --> 00:40:35,587 If you would like to find out. 950 00:40:35,611 --> 00:40:37,923 More information about our church or this sermon, you can find 951 00:40:37,939 --> 00:40:41,435 us at middletownbaptistchurch.org or find 952 00:40:41,475 --> 00:40:43,335 us on Facebook or YouTube. 953 00:40:43,795 --> 00:40:48,259 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch 954 00:40:48,307 --> 00:40:52,779 dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 955 00:40:52,827 --> 00:40:55,855 along for future podcast and updates. 956 00:40:56,195 --> 00:40:57,331 Thank you so much. 957 00:40:57,483 --> 00:40:58,283 God bless. 958 00:40:58,419 --> 00:40:59,435 Have a wonderful day.