Today we begin the week in our Anticipate Devotion looking at Zephaniah, whose name means "the Lord hides" or "the Lord protects" who prophesied during the 640-600 BC times. He is a contemporary of the Prophet Jeremiah and is called upon to proclaim judgement on the unfaithful people in leadership of Judah and those reigning in Jerusalem. It is important to note even though his first two chapters of prophecy are spent in condemnation he does not hear from the Lord only hopelessness. He ends his prophecy with a declaration for all of us to hear as people who belong to God in Christ Jesus and know the redemption and promise of the King who came in Bethlehem and will come again to take us home.
We hear in the lesson from Zephaniah chapter 3:
12 But I will leave within you
the meek and humble,
who trust in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will speak no lies,
nor will deceit be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
and no one will make them afraid.”
the meek and humble,
who trust in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will speak no lies,
nor will deceit be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
and no one will make them afraid.”
14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!
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.
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!
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.
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”
18 “The sorrows for the appointed feasts
I will remove from you;
they are a burden and a reproach to you.[c]
19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you;
I will rescue the lame
and gather those who have been scattered.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes[d]
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.
I will remove from you;
they are a burden and a reproach to you.[c]
19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you;
I will rescue the lame
and gather those who have been scattered.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes[d]
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.
May this season of Advent remind us that the way to change the society, the culture, our world and the nation is to have a change of heart. This comes because the KING came in Bethlehem and HE alone can forgive, bind up the brokenhearted and heal! HE alone can give us the vision of HIS KINGDOM! May we see not only the prophecies fulfilled in HIS Birth, Death and Resurrection but HIS promise to be REAL HOPE and bring REAL CHANGE now and in the future. Today we light the Shepherds candle, the pink one, the Candle of JOY. This HOPE in the promise knowing the incarnation of LOVE in Bethlehem leads us to be filled with JOY even in this Dark world. We like John's disciples who were sent to Jesus to ask him if he was the one, need to see and experience what our Lord is doing in order that we may know HE is still in control.
Listen to the response He gives to these seekers in Luke 7
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’”
21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy[b] are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 23 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”
This is a list of what the MESSIAH was prophesied to do in Isaiah 29, 35 and 61. He is fulfilling scripture and prophecy. HE just wanted John to know HE does what the prophecy says. This is why we ANTICIPATE the PROPHECY!
Let us pray fervently for all the families of those who lost loved ones in CT and that the KINGDOM of God will come quickly as we pray in HIS prayer "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!"
Let us anticipate the prophecy so that no matter what we will know that the Lord is with us and the HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE!
Love in Christ our victorious Risen Lord and Savior,
Pastor Bryan
No comments:
Post a Comment