Mother's Dream

Happy Mother's Day! Godly Mothers want their children to know God’s plan and purposes for their lives. “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Joel 2:28

Do you have a vision for your life?

Life is way too short and you are way too important to God and the plans He has for your life for you to not have a vision for your life.

4 things to help develop a vision for your life:

1. Know yourself.

2. Develop your strengths

3. Learn from other people

4. Benefit others

What vision does God have for you?

Respond

Every person must make a response to whom Jesus is. C. S. Lewis was right, in his classic book Mere Christianity, when he wrote, Either [Jesus] was, and is, the Son of God: or else a mad man or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

… God sent his Son, born of a woman … —Galatians 4:4

… yet was without sin. —Hebrews 4:15

… bore our sins in his body on the [cross] … —1 Peter 2:24

… to bring you to God. —1 Peter 3:18

These [accounts] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. —John 20:31

Every skeptic or seeker has a choice ... God leaves it up to you. There is one question that may confirm your choice. You know Him as Lord—you call Him Lord, but are you doing the things He says?

If

If Jesus really died and rose again two thousand years ago, there was a purpose to it. We see a response to this in Romans 10:9 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Do you believe in Jesus? Have you personally invited him to take away you sin and change your life? Knowledge of God is not good enough. The chief priests knew more about the Bible and what it taught of God, yet their hearts were hardened to the truth. We celebrate a risen Christ, a returning King who will one day soon come back to rule this earth. Have you received his forgiveness and gone on to serve him?

Are you accepting him as Savior, or choosing your own way in life?

Confession Cleansed

The Bible tells us that if we confess our sins we will be forgiven of our sin and cleansed from all unrighteousness. This is the state of cleansing that God desires for us to be in. That's what Zechariah 1:3-6 is talking about - God’s people will be cleansed by their confession.

Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.  Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.  Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever?  But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors?

“Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’”

We see two things here:

1. Repent (Don’t be like your ancestors) - Don't repeat the history of turning from God like we've studied in the Minor Prophets! Turn to God instead!

2. Remember God’s Word is forever (apply it, Joshua 1:7-9) “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 
Do life God's way not your own way. Realize who is the true power source. So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." Zechariah 4:6

Amen?

A Day of Glory

The third special day in Zephaniah is called the Glorious Day – A proclamation of justice. God gives us perfect instruction on how we are to live…turn to Zephaniah 3:9-13 and let’s look at His directions.

To the Gentiles (3:9) – their many languages will be unified and purified allowing them to worship God together with one voice. Then to the Jews (3:10-20) – Their re-gathering, restoring, refining, and rejoicing (3:14-17)

We see a call to Godliness here. Purify your heart and your speech will follow. Verses 3:9-17 (call it restoration) invite us to review our lives and the purifying work God desires to continue within us. Read God’s directions for us to have:

A pure language (9) ⁹ “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

Offerings (10), ¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings

Humility (11), ¹¹ On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill.

Trust (12), ¹² But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord.

Righteousness (13), ¹³ They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies.

 Truth (13). A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.”

 God will join in their happy song.

Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter 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, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. ¹⁷ The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you,  but will rejoice over you with singing.”

When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Amen?

Be Ready Always

We learn from the Minor Prophets and throughout the Bible that God gives perfect direction. One of these prophet’s is Zephaniah whose name means, God has concealed or hidden. This is good news for Judah because there are hard times coming. The prophet describes three special “days” two of which are grievous, while the third is glorious.

1. The first grievous day: Historical in scope, it includes Judah and her surrounding neighbors and is fulfilled by the Babylonians.

A. For Judah (1:1-13; 2:1-3; 3:1-5) We see her sins.. But Zephaniah tells  Judah to repent and escape God’s wrath. 

Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation, before the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you. 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. (2:1-3)

B. The Gentiles (2:4-15) This is a list of Judah’s enemies who will also face Babylonian destruction.

2. The second grievous day: Prophecy that will include all nations and is yet to be fulfilled by the King of heaven. The day of the Lord probably refers to the Great (1:14) Tribulation. Divine wrath will occur to all the earth (1:15-18; 3:6-8)

That’s why we all must be ready for the Lord’s return. ⁶ Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. ¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:6-11

The Question

I love the conservation that takes place at the beginning of the “Lazarus” story. We usually miss it because we want to get to the part where a man who had been dead four days hops out of his tomb! Okay that’s pretty spectacular, but the truth found earlier in Jesus’ discussion with Martha is life-changing for all of us. Jesus said in John 11:25, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." Then He asks her if she believes.

Every person is asked that same question. Do you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Your answer chooses your eternal destiny.

The choice is yours. To be born once and die twice, or be born twice die once.

Just give me Jesus. Amen?