Zephaniah 3:19
Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the lame and gather those who were driven out;
I will appoint them for praise and fame
In every land where they were put to shame.
I have a word for somebody! Actually, four words.
SING
SHOUT
BE GLAD
REJOICE
Why? And what for?
The CROSS!
The cruel, bloody cross is the place your enemy was defeated.
Not just defeated but CRUSHED!
Not just defeated but CAST OUT!
Zephaniah 3:15
The Lord has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall see disaster no more.
What should have judged you was taken away.
Your enemy was CAST OUT!
The King of kings is in your midst and there will be NO more DISASTER.
O’ Church, what the enemy thought was your demise was really his.
So on that cross was an exchange.
Our sinfulness for His righteousness.
Our shame for His glory.
Our curse for His blessing.
Our brokenness for His healing.
Our poverty for His abundance.
Our rejection for His acceptance.
Our death for His life.
You shall see disaster no more. This thing is about to end. This pain is about to leave.
This is THAT DAY! DO NOT fear!
Now let me stop here and jump ahead, then come back.
God said, “I will deal with all who afflict you.”
So what is AFFLICTION?
Affliction is a condition of suffering, pain, distress and calamity imposed by illness.
Affliction is anything causing pain or suffering.
Affliction is a spirit.
It’s tribulation etc.
“SING, SHOUT, BE GLAD, REJOICE!”
The Bible is full of people who were afflicted.
Hannah called her barrenness an affliction and she cried out to God and He heard her.
In Psalms 25:16 David cried out for mercy because he was afflicted.
Jonah 2:2 (KJV)
And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
Then there was Job and Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 15:11
The Lord said:
“Surely it will be well with your remnant;
Surely I will cause the enemy to intercede with you
In the time of adversity and in the time of affliction.
Jeremiah 16:19
O Lord, my strength and my fortress,
My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.”
Afflictions have power.
It has cords in which it ties people down.
Job 36:8
And if they are bound in fetters,
Held in the cords of affliction,
When you’re in a battle and refuse to step up to confront it, affliction will hold you down.
In 2 Chronicles 28 and Isaiah 30 it talks about the bread and water of affliction.
It means human beings used by the devil to afflict you like firing you for no reason.
Hates you for no reason. It’s affliction.
Affliction binds.
Job was bound by affliction.
“BUT Jesus.”
Affliction tries to bring you low like it did Job.
Lamentations 1:3
Judah has gone into captivity,
Under affliction and hard servitude;
She dwells among the nations,
She finds no rest;
All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.
The enemy wants to take your praise.
If you stay in affliction you will never get out.
You have to protect your PRAISE.
Lamentations 1:4
The roads to Zion mourn
Because no one comes to the set feasts.
All her gates are desolate;
Her priests sigh,
Her virgins are afflicted,
And she is in bitterness.
All because of affliction and lack of praise.
“HE’S NOT GETTING MY PRAISE!”
God’s promise “I will deal with all who afflict YOU!”
That’s what the cross did.
Yours for revival,
Pastor Francis Armstrong
