I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Zephaniah. If
you find Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, just turn
back about three books or something like that, and you'll come to
Zephaniah. Zephaniah chapter 3. Zephaniah 3. I'd like to look at verses 14
to 17, Zephaniah chapter 3. Our passage this morning starts
with an exhortation to God's people, to God's elect, to those
that He's everlastingly loved. And this is what the scripture
says, verse 14, O daughter of Zion, shout, O
Israel, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of
Jerusalem. Now, sing. Just a few minutes after this
message, Lord willing, Brother Gary will come and lead us in
a song or two. We'll sing. We'll verbalize. But the singing that the Lord
exhorts His people to is not merely an outward verbal singing,
but it's a song of the heart. It's that which you and I can't
see, but God Almighty, listen to Psalm 77 6, I call to remembrance
my song in the night. I commune with mine own heart
and my spirit, made diligent search. Have you had those times
when you wake up in the middle of the night, you just, I don't
know if I'm awake, I don't know if I'm asleep, but I'm just,
the Lord in his infinite mercy and grace would cause my heart
to be mindful of his presence. And in the heart, I've said things
are always worse at night. I try to tell myself that when
something happens. But then, with the presence of
the Lord and the realization of His goodness and mercy, David
said, I call to remember. It's my song. Crying unto Him. Now obviously here the Lord is
speaking to the church. to the bride, to the elect, to
those that have been given reason to rejoice with all of her heart. She's exhorted to sing a song
of praise to the God of all grace, God that has shown her distinguishing
grace. That's what Moses said, Lord
show me your glory. Here's the glory of the Lord.
I'm going to have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. I'll have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion. Not of him that willeth, him
that runneth. What's the issue? It's God that
shows mercy. God Almighty. And she's exhorted
to sing that song that she sings right now by faith, and we do. We sing in our hearts unto the
God of all grace, but do we not sing in our hearts through a
glass darkly? Oh, but there's coming a time
that we're going to sing a song with perfect sight. I remember
the words of a believer, one God called out of darkness, I'm
convinced, and they said this. They were dying. They were dying. And told me, he said, I want
you to know something. I wouldn't trade places with
you. for anything. In just a little bit, I'm going
to see perfectly. This song that the saints will
sing. Listen to Revelation 5, 9. And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
open the seals thereof, for Thou wast slain and hast redeemed
us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and
people and nation. They sung a new song. You said,
I thought you said that we were going to sing the same song.
It is the same song, but it's new every time we sing it. I've heard the message of God's
sovereign grace. The message of God's electing,
Christ's particular redeeming, the Holy Spirit's irresistible,
distinguishing, calling grace. I've heard it, and heard it,
and heard it, and every time I hear it, by the grace of God,
it's new every time. Tell me one more time how the
Lord put away my guilt. Tell me how He's had mercy on
me. And what reason has the Lord given His people to sing this
song? Look at verse 15. Here's the
reason. The Lord hath taken away thy
judgments. He hath cast out thine enemy.
The King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee,
and thou shalt not see evil anymore. Now I tell you, a believer's
got something to sing about in his heart. Isaiah 44, 23, Sing,
O ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it. Sing, ye lower parts
of the earth. Break forth into singing, ye
mountains, O forest, and every tree therein. For the Lord hath
redeemed Jacob and glorified Himself in Israel. We sing with
all creation praises the Lord, in subjection to the Lord. The
earth is the Lord's, the fullness. But here's what all the earth
sings. God Almighty has had mercy to
Jacob. Who was Jacob? That's one the
Lord loved. Jacob have I loved. What about
Esau? God was pleased to leave him
to himself. What are we going to say to these things? Let God
be true and every man is a liar. That's what it is. Does God have
the right to pass by one and show mercy to another? Does He
have that right? He's God. He's God. Four reasons given right here
for God's people to sing from the heart. Here's the first one.
He hath taken away thy judgments. Judgments. God's people, now listen, have
never been under the wrath of God. I've heard people say, well,
we were under the wrath of God at one time, but then after He
called us out of darkness. Really? Really? How is it that Almighty God can
say through the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5, 9, For
God hath not appointed us, His people, His elect, His beloved,
those that He chose before the foundation of the world and entrusted
to the surety, His Son. God hath not appointed us to
wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. If Almighty God has ever shown
mercy to one person, He's eternally shown mercy to that person in
Christ. God doesn't change. I change
not. God's people are blessed people.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Won't charge him with it. Why? because he eternally saw the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. You say, well,
that happened in time. I agree with you. But Almighty
God eternally saw it, showed mercy. So the bride sings the
song of praise in her heart unto the Lord. Why? Because the Lord
has taken away her judgments. How many times have we sinned
against God? How many times have we deserved
in ourselves the judgments for those sins? And Almighty God
has taken them away. Here's the second thing, He hath
cast out thine enemy. He has as our conquering surety. I look this word up, cast out,
cast out. You know what that means, cast
out. Well, I thought I meant, I knew what it meant too. Let
me tell you what it means. He's faced it. He faced it. He dealt with it. It wasn't swept under the rug. Almighty God has cast out thine
enemy. How? The scripture says, He,
the Father, has made him sin for us, he who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. It's like when
Almighty God cast out the enemies that were in possession of the
land of promise before God's people went in. God Almighty,
the conquering God, dealt with them. I tell you what He's done
for His church. He's overthrown everything that
opposes the church. Sin, Satan, the world, death,
hell, the flesh. He hath cast out thine enemy. Here's the third thing, verse
15. Sing, O daughter of Jerusalem, because the King of Israel, even
the Lord, is in the midst of thee. The Lord Jesus Christ, God's
Messiah, the King of Israel, God's spiritual Israel, Jews
and Gentiles, Those in whose hearts He rules by grace and
power and mercy, true Jews in Christ. He is in her midst. We know that the scripture declares
where two or three are gathered together in my name. I am in
the midst of you. There is a special blessing.
when God's people, God's sheep, assemble themselves together
to hear the gospel of God's sovereign grace. I'm in the midst of you. But I'll tell you this, knowing
that He never leaves nor forsakes His own, knowing that He is her
present, precious King who rules over and reigns protecting them,
defending them, and delivering them out of the hands of their
enemies. And therefore, number four out
of verse 15, here's a reason we sing in our hearts to the
Lord, thou shalt not see evil anymore. What do you mean? You're not
going to experience the penalty of it. You're not going to bear
the bulk, the brunt, the weight, the judgment of that which we
deserve in ourselves. You're not going to see it. Almighty
God, the Lord Jesus Christ, has put it away. God's redeemed. God's people. They're secure. They're happy. They're safe in
the Lord. And even if the Lord is pleased
to send chastisement and afflictions, even the tribes of God's elect
are messengers of love from Him. What if I get sick? Doesn't change
God's love for me. What if I'm broke? Doesn't change anything. Whom
the Lord loveth. He chasteneth. Oh, by divine
wisdom, God Almighty's gonna teach and mature His people.
Sing, blessed church, you who are the bride, the one He's everlastingly
loved and purposed to show mercy. Because verse 16 says, in that
day, It shall be said to Jerusalem, spiritual Jerusalem, the heavenly
Jerusalem, fear thou not, and to Zion, let not thine hands
be slack. Now here the Lord, through the
prophet Zephaniah, speaks of that day. And you know, often
when we hear that term, that day, it's talking about the day
of judgment. But in the context of this scripture,
it's not the day of judgment. But I'll tell you what day it
is. In the context, it's the day in which our enemies, the
ones that the Lord has faced and cast out and dethroned, it's
those enemies from which we need continual deliverance every day. They'll raise up their ugly head
in temptation and come and try God's people. The Lord says, in that day, it'll
be said to Jerusalem, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Let not thine hands be slack. This day is the day. Yesterday
was the day, and I'll tell you by the grace of God, if the Lord
leaves us here, tomorrow will be that day that I need to be
delivered. Remember verse 15, He hath cast
out thine enemy. The Lord is in the midst of thee,
and thou shalt not see evil anymore. Therefore, verse 16, don't be
afraid of the enemies. Let not thine hands be slack. Don't let your hands be weak
or fearful. Don't faint in spirit. Be of
good courage. My heart was drawn as I was preparing
this, that statement that the Lord told Peter. He said, Simon,
Simon, Satan has desired to have you. He wants to come after you. What he wants to do is he wants
to sift you as wheat. But he said, you listen to me,
Simon. I prayed for you. I want you to pray for me. But
that the Lord would pray for his people, for his sheep, for
the flock of his pasture, for those that the Father has given
him, eternally in electing grace, that He would pray, I've prayed
for you, that thy faith fail not. And when thou art converted,
when you're revived, when you're restored, strengthen the brethren. In that day, it'll be said to
Jerusalem, fear thou not, and to Zion, let not thine hands
be slack. And where does the assurance
come? Where does the strength come from this precious exhortation? Listen to Ephesians 6, 10. Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His
might. Last verse for this morning,
this first message of verse 17, concerning let not thy hands
be slack. Verse 17, the Lord thy God in
the midst of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice
over thee with joy. He will rest in His love. He
will joy over thee with singing. May we realize, as I look at
this last verse just for a moment, the precious truths that are
revealed in this scripture. They belong to God's people right
now. Listen to this. The Lord thy
God. Jehovah, the one in whom all
the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth, is our Lord Jesus Christ. Jehovah
Jesus. In all of God's covenant mercy,
before the foundation of the world, Almighty God covenanted
with Himself on behalf of a people that he
purposed to show mercy. That's what David said, this
is all my salvation, this is all my hope. He made with me
an everlasting covenant, ordering all things in sure. This is all
my salvation, that's all of it. God chose to show mercy to me,
the Lord thy God. He has set up His throne in Zion. He lives and reigns and governs
in the hearts of His people. Listen to the Lord's word, John
14, 23. Jesus answered and said unto
him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words, and My Father
will love him, and We will come unto him and make Our abode with
him. You know where the Lord He is,
well one of the places I know He is, is in the midst of His
people in their hearts. Christ in you. The hope of glory. The Lord that dwells in the hearts
of the people. Here's what He said in verse
17. He mighty. He mighty. He is all mighty. Concerning the power of the Lord
Jesus Christ, how much does He have? Listen to this. All power in heaven and earth is given
unto the Son, that He should give eternal life to who? To as many as the Father has
given Him. You know what he's going to do
concerning his elect? He's going to save them. That's
what he's going to do. When he laid down his life, John
10, 15 says, I laid down my life for the sheep. He died for the
sheep. He died for God's elect. He is
mighty. If God be for us, who can be
against us? Scripture says, concerning the
mighty God, He will save. He will save. I heard brother Henry Mahan say
one time, I can't remember if Henry told me or I just heard
him say it, doesn't matter. He said, I've heard people and
they believe that God has done all He can do, and He's just
waiting on man to exercise His free will. He said, well let
me ask you this, if the Lord's done all He can do, if He's done
all He can do, and He's waiting on man to exercise His free will,
why pray to the Lord? The Lord's already done all He
can do, if that's the case, which it's not. He said, why don't
you just start praying to the person and try to convince them
to do it. My friend, listen to the one
that the saints sing in their heart unto. The God that will. Save. He will save. The Lord has saved us. Listen to this, 2 Timothy 1.9.
Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. When was salvation given to God's
elect? Before the world began. Are you
sure about that Marvin? Absolutely. God said it. Which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began. To who? To His people. to His elect. So He hath saved
us. And I'll tell you this, He is
saving us right now. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead to an inheritance that's incorruptible, undefiled,
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept. by the power of God through faith
unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. God's people
are being saved right now. Right now. 2 Corinthians 2.15,
For we are unto God a sweet saver of Christ in them that are saved. Look this up and tell me if I'm
not right here. Where it says them that are saved, those that
are being saved. Look up the literal. Those that
are being saved right now. And in them that perish, that
are saved, And I tell you this, he will
save us. That's the very truth that the angel of the Lord said
concerning the birth of the Messiah. She shall bring forth a son,
thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people
from their sins. He will rejoice over thee with
joy. Imagine It is the joy of the
Lord to rejoice over His people. Jeremiah 32, 41, Yea, I will
rejoice over them to do them good. I will plant them in this
land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. He says, He will rest in His
love. He's going to be silent in His
love. What does that mean? That means
that He will continue in His love without any variation, without
any disturbance, without any change. We will never be separated,
not God's people, from His love. I said a while ago, when He said,
I've loved you with an everlasting love, if Almighty God has ever
loved a man with an everlasting love, He don't change. He does
not change. If He's ever loved him, He'll
always love him. He's never moving from the love
that He has for His people. And then the last statement is,
He will joy over thee with singing. My heart, though by faith I know
that that's true. Right there. I cannot contain
the truthfulness of this last statement. It's true. It's true.
But I just cannot contain the fullness of it. He will joy over
thee with singing. I remember one scripture that
was talking about the Lord singing. It says that after the Lord had
eaten his supper with his disciples, the scripture says, and when
they had sung a hymn, They went out into the Mount of Olives. The great God of mercy not only
loves His saints, but He loves to love them. He joys. He joys over them. He will joy
over them with singing. John Calvin made this statement
in closing. I'm going to have to paraphrase
it because of some of the big words he used. I had to look
him up to find out what he was talking about. But I'll read
you what he said. He made this observation concerning
joying over his people with singing. He said, it may not appear to
us that God should be described as a husband who burns with love
for his wife, that is, with singing. But we must fully learn how great
is God's favor toward His people who has humbled Himself in the
person of His precious Son for our sake And we must observe
that whatever is calculated in these Scriptures to set forth
the love of God does not deviate from His glory. For His chief
glory is that vast and inexpressible goodness by which He has embraced
us and which He will show us His love to the end. Someone
says, well, I just don't understand how it could be said that God
will joy over thee with singing. I don't understand the fullness
of it either, but that doesn't mean it's not so. If God says
that He joys over His people with singing, let me tell you
what He does. He joys over His people with singing. Remember the verse of Scripture
in Psalm or Solomon 4 and 9 when the Lord was speaking to His
bride, the one that He has loved, cherished,
betrothed himself to. He said, thou hast ravished my
heart, my sister, my spouse, with one of thine eyes. Here's what he said. With one
look from you to me, by faith, you've stolen my heart. May the Lord add His blessing
upon the reading and preaching of His gospel, for Christ's sake.
Amen.