Sermon on Zephaniah 3:14-20, Joy to the World

We are in our second week of advent, the time in our Christian Church calendar year that we look forward to the coming of Messiah Jesus.  Of course, Jesus has already come.  Come, and gone ahead of us into heaven, from where he will come again, soon we hope.  We have chosen to mark his first coming as December 25, though no one really knows when he was born.  We try to imagine what the world was like then, before Jesus came, and how those who believed the Scriptures anticipated the coming of Messiah and discovered it was Jesus.  Joseph and Mary were the first to know that the son to be born to them was the Messiah.  Then, when he was born, God used an angel to announce it to a band of humble shepherds,

“Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: ¹¹ Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12)

There were others who found out, when Joseph and Mary took their newborn son to Jerusalem, to the temple, to make Mary’s offering or sacrifice for her purification and to dedicate Jesus to God.  Two older people, Simeon and Anna, saw him and with great joy declared his role as Messiah.  They had been hoping to see the Messiah before they died, and God granted their request.

Of course, when Jesus began his ministry after being baptized by John, his disciples and then many others discovered he was the Messiah.  Messiah means anointed one, the one chosen by God, Yahweh Elohim, as He revealed Himself to His people Israel.  Many prophecies referred to the coming of this chosen and anointed one, Messiah.  Interestingly, many of them referred more to his second coming than his first, and in fact, that there would be two comings was not as clear in the Old Testament.  As it turns out, it served Yahweh’s purposes to have Messiah come in two stages, the first of which occurred at Christmas, the second of which we are still highly anticipating.

Let’s look at one of these prophecies today, one which beautifully speaks to the joy-filled nature of Jesus’ coming.  Are you feeling any joy yet.  This passage gives us three reasons why we should have joy as we anticipate the coming of Messiah, and the reasons might surprise you.

I’m going to read the passage to you, Zephaniah chapter 3, to give us context, and then we’re going to focus on verses 14-20.

¹ Woe to the city that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressive city! ² She has not obeyed; she has not accepted discipline. She has not trusted in Yahweh; she has not drawn near to her God. ³ The princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are wolves of the night, which leave nothing for the morning. ⁴ Her prophets are reckless— treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to instruction. ⁵ The righteous Lord is in her; he does no wrong. He applies his justice morning by morning; he does not fail at dawn, yet the one who does wrong knows no shame.

⁶ I have cut off nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have laid waste their streets, with no one to pass through. Their cities lie devastated, without a person, without an inhabitant. ⁷ I said: You will certainly fear me and accept correction. Then her dwelling place would not be cut off based on all that I had allocated to her. However, they became more corrupt in all their actions. ⁸ Therefore, wait for me— this is Yahweh’s declaration—until the day I rise up for plunder. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, in order to pour out my indignation on them, all my burning anger; for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of my jealousy.

⁹ For I will then restore pure speech to the peoples so that all of them may call on the name of Yahweh 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 Yahweh. 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.

¹⁴ Sing for joy, Daughter Zion; shout loudly, Israel! Be glad and celebrate with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! ¹⁵ Yahweh has removed your punishment; he has turned back your enemy. The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you; you need no longer fear harm. ¹⁶ On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, do not let your hands grow weak. ¹⁷ Yahweh 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.”

¹⁸ I will gather those who have been driven from the appointed festivals; they will be a tribute from you and a reproach on her. ¹⁹ Yes, at that time I will deal with all who oppress you. I will save the lame and gather the outcasts; I will make those who were disgraced throughout the earth receive praise and fame. 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. Yahweh has spoken.

How could we summarize this passage?  Here is perhaps a rather dry, though accurate way to summarize it:

The basis for Israel’s joy is the promise that when God finishes judging those in Israel who are arrogant, He will cease her punishment, make the humble holy, and, with His presence, restore the nation to glory.

Another way to summarize it is:

Rejoice, Israel, for after God has finished punishing the arrogant among you, He will take up His residence among you, transform you into a humble and godly people, and return you to the glory that was once yours.

Mary Ann and I attended church with our youngest daughter last Sunday because our grandson was being baptized.  Of course, the baptism, what we came for, was at the end of the service, so we sat through, and enjoyed, the message from the pastor.  He is preaching through the book of Acts, and he was pointing out that the very first part of Acts has a very Jewish feel to it, whereas the last part of Acts has come to a more Gentile-centered perspective, though, also, it ends with Paul speaking to a Jewish audience.  What has happened is that the gospel has moved from being preached only to Jewish people to being preached to non-Jewish people, and the non-Jewish people have begun embracing the gospel and Jesus as their Messiah and their Savior, too.

Well, our passage is also very Israel-centric.  God’s promise here is to Israel.  But notice that He also includes the Gentiles.  Though Yahweh is angry with Israel and will judge them, He is also judging the nations, using that judgment as a warning to Israel that she too can be judged, a warning that they do not heed.  When He judges all the earth, He will not only restore Israel, but He will “restore pure speech to [all] the peoples so that all of them may call on the name of Yahweh and serve him with a single purpose.”

So, though this passage is focused on Israel’s redemption, it includes redemption for all the world, for all who believe, Gentiles as well as Jews.  Yahweh has not left anyone out of His plan for salvation.  But we need to note that the Scriptures and God’s plan for the world is very Israel-centric.  They are still His chosen people.  As Paul tells us, in Romans 11, if Israel has stumbled over Jesus the Messiah, if they have become darkened in their understanding, their fall is not permanent.  As Paul says, “On the contrary, by their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous. Now if their transgression brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness bring!” (11:11,12).

May I just say here, something I shouldn’t have to say, that Christians dare not be antisemitic.  We are not allowed by Jesus to hate the Jews.  Though many in the name of Christianity have persecuted the Jews, it is a shame to us that the church has been involved in that.  Jesus is a Jew.  All the first Christians were Jewish.  Paul is telling us that the nation will one day come to their senses and repent concerning Jesus and become his followers.  And in the meantime, though the numbers are not staggering, there are Jews who are coming to Christ.  We love the Jews as we must love all peoples.  We must stand against antisemitism, as we must stand against all prejudice.  Jesus does not hate whites, blacks, Asians, gays, poor people, rich people, transgender people, any people.  Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight, and all their parents are as well.

Now, this is a prophecy about joy, and the reason Israel should rejoice.  And there are three reasons given here why Israel should rejoice.  And the first is this…

I. Joy Comes Because Our Punishment Has Been Removed

And our passage shows us that God is very much in love with His people and yearns to bring them joy.  Yahweh encourages them to be joyful now.  And the basis for that joy is that their punishment has been removed.

¹⁴ Sing for joy, Daughter Zion; shout loudly, Israel! Be glad and celebrate with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! ¹⁵ Yahweh has removed your punishment; he has turned back your enemy.

I don’t know if she shouted for joy when she was released from a Russian prison and sent back to America, but can you imagine the joy Brittany Griner experienced when her punishment was removed?  She probably waited until she was on the plane to do that.  Can you imagine the joy Israel felt when the Nazis were defeated, and the death camps were shut down?  And though it doesn’t compare, do you remember the joy you felt when your parents’ discipline of you was over, and everything was right again?

This prophecy is yet to be fulfilled for Israel.  She is still being disciplined by God and has yet to embrace His rule over her and His love for her.  Israel, as Paul said, has stumbled and lives darkened to the truth of Jesus her Messiah.  Her punishment is not yet ended.  But that day is coming.

Believers, on the other hand, have experienced the removal of our punishment.  Jesus, in his first advent, gave his life as a sacrifice for our sin.  His death was a substitute for our death.  He paid the penalty we deserved for us.  Because he took our punishment, we no longer will be or can be punished.  There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.  As Paul argued in Romans 5, “since we have now been justified by his blood, we will be saved through him from wrath.”  As we approach Christmas day, the celebration of the birth of our Savior, our joy is magnified by the fact that he ended our punishment.

This is why we sing:

Then let us all with one accord, Sing praises to our heavenly Lord, That hath made heaven and earth of nought, And with his blood mankind has bought.  Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

God rest ye merry, gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay. Remember, Christ, our Saviour Was born on Christmas day To save us all from Satan’s power When we were gone astray. O tidings of comfort and joy

Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn king. Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”

A Christian can never experience the wrath of God.  There is no way, if you have trusted in Jesus, that you can be excluded from heaven or the kingdom.  He will never hold any of your transgressions against you.  You and I will forever be His chosen people, sharing in His joy and peace forever.  You can never lose your salvation.

We can and will be disciplined by our loving Father if we stray from Him.  He loves us too much to just let us ruin our lives with sinful living.  But discipline is not punishment.  Punishment is payment with deserved consequences for disobedience.  Discipline is a restorative application of pain to steer us back to the right course.  Punishment is justice applied.  Discipline is love applied.

And not only can we be individually disciplined because God loves us so much.  He can discipline His church, too, if as a body we move away from Him.  Do you think you have ever seen a church, or the church of Jesus Christ, being disciplined as a whole in your lifetime?  What would that discipline look like?  What does He do with churches that become lukewarm?  What does it mean that he spews them out of his mouth?  Though Zephaniah 3 is not directly applicable to the church, we may see indirectly an application.  When God disciplines those around us for their failures, that may be a signal to the church that we too are guilty of the same failure and need to repent.  Perhaps this is a truth to be explored for another day.

So, the first reason God tells us we can have joy is that our punishment has been removed.  The second reason in our passage is…

II. Joy Comes Because Our Savior Is Among Us

The second reason God encourages us to rejoice is that God our savior is among us.  Look again at verses 14-17:

¹⁴ Sing for joy, Daughter Zion; shout loudly, Israel! Be glad and celebrate with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! ¹⁵ Yahweh has removed your punishment; he has turned back your enemy. The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you; you need no longer fear harm. ¹⁶ On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, do not let your hands grow weak. ¹⁷ Yahweh 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.”

There is an oft repeated concept in the Old Testament describing God’s relationship with Israel:  He will be their God, they will be His people, and He will dwell among them.  Leviticus 26:12 puts it this way, “I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.”  Do you remember what happened right after Adam and Eve sinned?  They heard the sound of Yahweh Elohim walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze.  Of course, that sound struck fear in them because of their guilt.  They had violated God’s direct command not to eat of the tree.  But it does not sound as if God was walking in the garden at this time of day just because they had sinned. It sounds like this was a regular thing.  As their day of work was ending God would come and fellowship with them.  God dwelled among them.  In the book of Revelation, it mentions Jesus walking among the candlesticks, a representation of him walking among his churches.

That has always been God’s desire, God’s plan, to live among us.  He has not wanted to be distant from us, but to have deep fellowship and sharing with us.  He wants to love us and live with us.  And here He is saying to Israel that this will happen after her punishment is finished.  He will be among them as their King, their benevolent Ruler, and a Warrior, their protector and guardian.  That is what it is going to be like in the kingdom.  God will be there, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in direct contact with us at all times.  We will live in perfect safety and joy with His presence among us.  Like the psalmist said, we will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever.

But what about now?  For those of us in Christ, our punishment has been removed.  Does God dwell among us?  Well certainly not in the way He will dwell among us in the kingdom.  But we derive great joy from His spiritual presence among us.  Before He left earth Jesus told us that he would be with us always until the end of the age.  He told his disciples that he would not leave them orphans, but would send the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.  We are each like a holy temple in which the Spirit of God dwells.

Do you sense His presence?  Too often we do not, and when we don’t, we feel unprotected and unsafe.  But when we know His presence, we find assurance and a sense of security and freedom.  He is our mighty warrior who defends us.  He is our host who provides for us all we need.  He is our shepherd who leads us beside still waters.  Even in the shadow of death we fear no evil.  We feel joy because of His presence.

Thus we sing:

O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear.  Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny; From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory o’er the grave.  Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.

And we should feel joy because our punishment has been taken by Jesus, and because God dwells among us as our warrior/protector.  But the third reason we should feel joy is because God feels joy over us, and that joy is infectious.

III. Joy Comes Because God’s Joy for Us Is Infectious

I love how verse 17 puts it, “He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing.”  God not only calls us to joy, God Himself is full of joy over us.  He rejoices over us.

When our grandkids were young, I would occasionally be caring for them as they were going to sleep or needing a nap, and I would sing to them, you know, a lullaby.  I was particularly fond of singing that Beatles’ lullaby, Golden Slumbers.  Did you know the Beatles had a lullaby?

Golden slumbers fill your eyes, Smiles await you when you rise Sleep pretty darling, do not cry, And I will sing a lullaby

What do you feel when you are singing to your child or your grandchild like this?  How full is your heart, how great is your joy?  That is what God feels for us.  He quiets us in His love, He sings over us with delight.  God’s joy over us is out the roof, and if we are in fellowship with Him, we cannot help but feel that joy as well.  Maybe that is one of the things we should do in preparation for advent, listen to God sing us a lullaby.  That is not only good for preparing for advent, that is good all year long.

Tis the season to be jolly, and the jolliness of God is our pattern for joy.  You know, only followers of Jesus can logically be jolly.  Yes, all people are capable of feeling joy and have experienced joy, but only believers have a legitimate reason for joy.  Our sins have been covered by Jesus, our punishment is at an end.  Our savior has taken up residence in our lives and in our churches.  And our God is full of joy over us, a joy He readily shares with us.

Today, as we take communion, let’s try listening to God’s joyful refrains in our spiritual ears.  Get your elements, if you don’t already have them.  And I’m going to refrain from talking so we can better listen for God while we re-enact the gospel in communion, Christ’s body and blood sacrificed for us.  Rather than talk, just follow my actions, and open yourself to God’s joy.

As we sing the songs of the season, let’s hear them being sung to us by God, and let’s participate in His joy.  As we once again enter the mission field of our world, let’s be sensitive to God’s joy as we share about Jesus and all he has done for us.  As we celebrate with our families, let us give testimony to the joy we have in Jesus Christ.  Joy to the world, the Lord is come.