September 6, 2009
Morning Worship
Text: Zephaniah 3:14-17
Subject: God’s Might
Title: God is Mighty to Save
Last week I shared with you about how God is ready to take us to the next level. He is calling the church to a higher place and is preparing us for something great. The work of God is not to be taken lightly. It is not something that just happens – it requires work. And when the church goes about the task of being involved in God’s work, the enemy of your souls begins to get nervous. He will do everything within his limited power as the god of this world to bring God’s work to a halt. Just in the last few weeks there have been family blow-ups, financial struggles, and sickness that has invaded this church. And yet we keep moving forward in the power of God and the will of God doing the work of God because we know without a doubt that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands (now called Vanuatu). One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men with you there?" Paton knew no men were present--but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.
Today in the Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 18.
We all know that we are involved in spiritual warfare. That warfare intensifies as believers become more effective for the cause of Christ, and that is where the church is headed. I’m reminded of how Elisha prayed for the eyes of his servant to be opened when he saw that they were surrounded by the enemy. 2 Kings 6:16-17, 16“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
The God who watched over the prophet and the nation of Israel then is still watching over His people today.
Read Zephaniah 3:14-17
Lord I thank you for your word and I ask that you would anoint my lips to speak, and that you would anoint the ears and eyes and hearts and minds of those who are here today to receive from your word today.
I. A REASON TO REJOICE 14Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The first thing we need to look at in this passage is what is taking place in Jerusalem. Zephaniah prophesied to Judah of the pending disaster that awaited them because of their sin. He told of the judgment on those who had worship false gods (1:4-6) Read He told of the punishment to come. He spoke of the “Day of the Lord”, in this case he was referring to the immediate judgment to come upon them. He also gave them instructions in chapter 2 about how they could avoid the judgment to come. 3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’S anger. This message could have been for right now and he could have been speaking to America. This is the America I am talking about that has elected a president who has absolutely no Christian values, who is more concerned about his own image than the welfare of the nation. This is the president who is on the verge of declaring martial law. A congressman from the south has predicted that the coming “swine flu” pandemic will be the trigger for martial law, when the military will take over the government under the direction of the president. In such a scenario it would likely become illegal for any type of public meetings to take place (churches would be included) under the guise as a protective measure for the health of the community. We have become a vile nation that has turned its back on the God who established us, protected us, and exalted us on the world stage. We would only be receiving what the nation has asked for – a non - Christian government. We are placing ourselves under the same judgment that fell upon Israel. In spite of all that lurks on the horizon, the Lord has a message of hope for Christians. As a matter of fact we are to look past what appears to be happening in the world and look to who God is. 14Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! God is constantly giving us a reminder that who He is always trumps what is going on in the world. Psalm 3,
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”
Selah 3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. 7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
That is reason to rejoice.
II. A SAVIOR WHO SAVES This is the ultimate message of hope. 15 The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. This one verse tells us just about everything that we will ever need to know about a relationship with God. 1) The LORD has taken away your punishment… Isaiah 53:4-6,
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Do you think you are a good person? Have you ever told a lie? What does that make you? Have you ever stolen anything? What would you be called? You see, we have lived our lives breaking the commandments and are deserving of judgment. The bible says that those who have done those things are guilty and God will by no means clear the guilty. But someone has come to our defense and paid the penalty for our sin and His name is Jesus. He has taken away your punishment … if you repent of your sin and trust Him and Him alone for your salvation. “God I know I can’t be good enough on my own. Would you make me clean?” 2) he has turned back your enemy. Psalm 91:1-10, 1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. Hallelujah! 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge— 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. Paul said in Romans 5 that sin came into the world through one man and death through sin. That’s not just talking about spiritual death but physical death as well, but look what he wrote in verse 17 in Romans 5, 17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 3) The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you… If He is the king, then that makes you of royal heritage. You have everything you need for life. If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and have turned from your sin, you have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. That is for eternal life. If you have the power of the Holy Spirit in you that comes with the wonderful baptism in the Holy Spirit you have everything you need for victory in this present life. Salvation is for eternity. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is for now. And He is with you always even to the end of the age… 4) never again will you fear any harm… Jesus has given you authority to trample and serpents and scorpions and to over come all the power of the enemy. Holy Ghost believers are never to cower before the enemy. You may stand in the midst of the storm and know that regardless of how the circumstances appear, you have the victory.
III. A CHURCH WITH NO FEAR
A mother passed by her son’s bedroom and was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then she saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed to "Mom." With the worst premonition she opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter.
Dear Mom:
It is with great regret and sorrow that I’m writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Dad and you.
I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice. But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercing, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it’s not only the passion...Mom she’s pregnant.
Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children. Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn’t really hurt anyone.
We’ll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy. In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better. She deserves it.
Don’t worry Mom. I’m 15 and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I’m sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren.
Love Your Son,
John
PS. Mom, none of the above is true. I’m over at Tommy’s house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the report card that’s in my center desk drawer.
I love you.
Call me when it’s safe to come home.
That is kind of what the church of today has become –maybe not you but the church in general. We look at our situations and picture how bad it must be without taking into consideration the fact that God has already done everything He is going to do to deliver us from that very situation. He is God. He is Spirit. Jesus is His Son and they are both seated on the thrones of authority in Heaven. But the third person of the trinity is here dwelling in believers and operating in power through Spirit -filled churches everywhere. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. Romans 8:15, For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. There is no reason to fear. There is no reason to let your hands hang down in a state of hopelessness. But lift up our voices and shout to the Lord, the King of all creation. Lift your hands up to Him in surrender and receive the victory. Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Finally, the prophet brings everything to a conclusion with one statement.
17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. The Hebrew word translated “save” means, to be open, wide or free, that is, to be safe; causatively to set free: avenging, defend, deliver, help, preserve, rescue, be safe, bring (having) salvation, save (-iour), get victory.
When scientists study to find the answers to the mysteries of the universe their study is flawed, because their foundation is flawed. Many scientists have closed their eyes to the fact that God has set a standard in motion that has given them the very basis on which they can perform experiments and expect certain results. They know the standard is there, but they don’t recognize the source. In essence, they believe in God, but don’t even know that they do. They have relegated God, if there is one, to heaven or wherever He lives, and have given no consideration to His involvement in all things. They create a God who fits their need.
The church, on the other hand, knows that there is a God who has created and has saved us. They know that He is active in history and science and every aspect of life. But what happens in many cases, is that we in the church, relegate God to a position of inability. I know God heals, but in my case He hasn’t, so it must not be God’s will. I believe God saves, but my children aren’t saved so it must not be the right time. I believe God delivers me from the power and hand of the enemy, but I’m still bound by tobacco, pornography, alcohol, gossip, overeating, and God hasn’t set me free from it yet. If that is you, then you have created a God who fits your circumstances. It is time for the church to stand up in faith and worship the God of the bible who is mighty to save!!!!!
He is mighty to bring salvation.
He is mighty to deliver.
He is mighty to provide.
He is mighty to rescue.
He is mighty to defend.
He is mighty to bring victory. God is mighty to save!!!!!!
