Title: Zion, Don't Let Your Hands Hang Down
Contents
Title: Zion, don't let your hands hang down
Bible: Zephaniah 3:14-20
Starting Point of the Word>>
This time, the sermon is entitled “Zion, do not let your hands hang down.”
As people go through life, there are times when it becomes difficult and difficult for nothing.
In other words, there are times when you lose energy and lose strength.
As you read 1 Kings 19, you meet a prophet who is in despair and despair.
He is the most valiant prophet of his time.
He was a man who boldly cried out to God in front of King Ahab, who was practicing idolatry at the top of Mount Carmel, and the 850 idol prophets of Baal and Asherah who followed him, and received an answer from fire to testify of the power of the living God.
He is such a prophet who ignited the fire of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the foolish people who were hesitating between God and Baal, and brought 850 idolatrous prophets to the brook Cherith and killed them, thereby refreshing the heart of God.
But after that, rather than singing a song full of victory, he shows a tired and depressed look.
According to 1 Kings 19:4,
“He went into the wilderness by himself and traveled about a day’s journey, and sat under a broom tree, begging him to die, saying, “It is enough, O LORD; take my life now, for I am no better than my fathers.”
I did.
Even the great prophets who brought fire down from heaven, like Elijah, were discouraged.
Without any more courage, they are sinking into the depths of frustration and despair.
At such times, we must listen to the voice of God.
If we look at verse 16 of the text,
“In that day no man shall say to Jerusalem, Fear not, O Zion, do not let your hand hang down.”
I did.
In the text, “Do not let your hands hang down” means to be strong.
what do you mean?
It means to stand up with strength, rather than being weak with your shoulders and arms drooping.
The background of the times when these words were given through the prophet Zephaniah happened during the time of King Josiah, the 16th king of Judea.
Josiah became king at the age of 8 and reigned for 32 years.
Josiah's grandfather, Manasseh, and his father, King Amon, had evil politics, both religiously and morally.
In the temple in Jerusalem, the holy house of God, idols of the sun god and Baal were set up.
As a result, each of the people fell into despair and bankruptcy due to poverty and spiritual confusion.
Under these circumstances, when Josiah, who was only eight years old, succeeded to the throne, the willing people began to worry about what the nation would become.
The people were anxious and weary, worried about how they could entrust the fate of their country to a young king who had no experience and no political power.
At this time, God called the prophet Zephaniah and gave him a message of hope and encouragement.
Don't let your hands hang down, that is, be strong.
Go to Word>>
Then, what is the basis for giving us strength through the Word of God?
First, because God forgives us who are sinful.
If you look at verse 15,
“The LORD has taken away your punishment, and you have cast out your enemies; the LORD King of Israel is in your midst; you will never fear woe again.”
I did.
The word “taken away” means that God forgave the sins of Israel.
This means that judgment has been lifted, and it is God's proclamation that He will no longer punish.
Our strength lies in God's forgiveness.
God's forgiveness gives us strength.
According to Isaiah 43:25,
“I, I, am the one who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
You said.
God forgives our transgressions and does not remember our sins.
Therefore, we can find strength when we believe in God's infinite forgiveness.
Second, the factor that gives us strength is that God is with us.
If you look at the middle of verse 15,
“The LORD King of Israel is in your midst, and you will not fear any more woe to you.”
Said.
And in verse 16,
“The Lord your God is in your midst, the Almighty who will save.”
Said.
As I said yesterday early in the morning, our “drawing close to God” is a great strength, power, and grace.
God is still with us as our King.
Example>>
It was when Livingston first boarded a ship to go to Africa.
Many friends came to the pier to wish him a safe trip.
Some friends reminded him of the dangers he might face in the black continent he would travel to and warned him to be careful.
But a friend was seriously encouraging Livingston to stay in England.
Then Livingston opened the Bible and read aloud the last words of the Lord recorded in Matthew 28.
"Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world."
Then to the friend blocking the way, he said:
"Honey, this is the promise the Lord has given me. So let me and the Lord go."
Because I believed that the Lord would be everywhere I went, I told him to let me and the Lord go.
And Livingston also confessed:
“Do you know what comforted me without losing courage in the days of captivity among those who did not understand me and sometimes showed a hostile attitude?
It is, 'Son, I will always be with you, even to the end of the world.' was the word of the Lord.
When the Lord is with us like this, we can be comforted, have courage, and be strengthened.
Third, we can gain strength because the Lord's love is with us.
Looking at the second half of verse 17,
“He will not rejoice over you; he will quietly love you; he will rejoice over you with singing and rejoicing.”
I did.
We are empowered by this love.
It is something that can give you strength no matter how difficult or difficult it is.
Example>>
A middle school girl contracted leukemia and was receiving chemotherapy, and she lost all her hair.
The girl wore a wig to school.
But my classmates, if not all, made fun of me by taking off their wigs.
When I put on a wig, I take it off, and then again, and the jokes of my friends are endless.
The girl refused to go to school, always thought about suicide, and the disease only got worse.
However, a boy from the same school had a brain tumor.
The student also lost all of her hair due to radiation and chemotherapy.
The student didn't want to be seen by other friends without hair.
I hated going to school.
However, one of his friends wanted to share the pain of his sick friend, but there was no way to do it.
So he shaved his head completely.
Then one, two, three students in the class started to shave their heads, and a few days later, all the boys in the class who had brain tumors had their hair cut.
The student with a brain tumor recovered so quickly that doctors were astonished.
This is love.
To be together is love, and to share pain and share pain is love.
There was someone who loved us very much.
He took pleasure in being reviled, being spit on, or even being framed, arrested, whipped, and crucified for the sake of those you love.
You couldn't see our sickness and weakness, so you took it all on your back.
see the text
His love now is recorded in verse 17 of the text.
“He will not rejoice over you; he will quietly love you; he will rejoice over you with singing and rejoicing.”
His love gives us strength.
It is in response to His love that we must be strong.
Because we must be strong to love Him.
At the end of the speech>>
Seeing Israel's hardships and difficulties, God wanted them to realize God's grace again and to get up again with strength. The word that God said to them was, "Do not let your hands hang down."
We too will experience a life of faith, but we will experience that there are many things that will cause us to lose strength, become weary, and become discouraged.
However, I hope you will gain strength through the Word you are giving us today.
God still wants me and you to gain strength through His grace.
In the name of the Lord, I pray in the name of the Lord that you and all of our members will be able to overcome the difficult and difficult things in our lives with faith, and to overcome with the new power that God provides every day.