God Rejoices Over Us | Francis Chan

what a fascinating symbol this is Oneness with Christ the Creator we are one with the Creator I hope that news has not gotten old to you it is amazing what we get to do you know this last week we finished reading uh Second Chronicles and we read about all the the different Kings and they're the different things that they did good and bad mainly bad sound just horribly Wicked um and just you know because I know some of you are newer to the scriptures or you're reading about all these Kings and might not understand how it flows then you have these these prophets who lived at the same time as some of these Kings and they would be preaching to the people so they weren't the rulers they were just kind of the preachers it's kind of like uh Biden is President and I'm preaching during that time well here are the guys that are the prophets or the people that were preaching during the times of those kings and we read about King Josiah who was that awesome King right who started when he was like eight years old and just reformed everything after a few years um but right before him was a guy that only lasted like two years he was terrible before that was a Manasseh who spent like 50 years as a horrible horrible person and horrible King Wicked evil but then repents at the end of his life you know it's so interesting you got all these guys that had you know like did really well and then blew it at the end and then you have Manasseh who was a terrible person but then pulled it together at the end and meanwhile during that time there was a guy that was preaching named Zephaniah Zephaniah preached during the time of you know probably towards the end of Manassas time and during the beginning um of of Josiah's time and I was just reading through zechar Zephaniah and studying it this week because there was a passage that uh oh my God I want to believe this even during worship and we believe this I might believe this with all my heart because if I believe this it changes everything it should change everything and I believe it you know like I believe it in here but my whole heart I want it uh Zephaniah chapter three some of you are familiar with this starting in verse 14 okay this this verse 14 he says he give some commands sing aloud o Daughter of Zion shout o Israel rejoice and exult with all your heart oh daughter of Jerusalem now honestly we're not very good at this okay um sing aloud we're not good at singing loud um I'm just saying in our church in our nation you go to Brazil you go to Africa you go you know some of these places and it is just they are screaming I mean it is just it's it's amazing you see the Joy on their face when it says a rejoice and exult with all your heart okay what would it look like if you rejoiced and exalted with all of your heart okay I get it this is out it's some of it is just our culture right in America we want to be cool we want to be reserved we don't want people looking at us we're very self-conscious and so everyone's kind of the safe thing to do is to sit back if you just kind of sit back you don't make a fool of yourself you don't make a spectacle of yourself so we just feel like that's the safe thing to do is I'm not going to look like a fool so you just kind of sit there and don't show too much this is just our culture this is the way we are raised but this is not the scriptures and I'm telling you I've had to fight this there have been time I remember the first time I preached in Australia okay and I'm telling you everyone in the room is just out of control jumping to the music you know screaming and I'm just like I just couldn't do it you know I was raised real conservative Chinese you know on doing my homework you know it's just jumping up and down screaming and I was the only one in the room and I'm like oh it's just so awkward this is so not me you know I mean certain countries it's like they've got this down and it was interesting you know there have been a few times lately where I'm just saying God what you I just want to be humble I want to be humble because you say humble yourself and in the sight of the Lord and he'll exalt you it says he gives grace to the humble and I'm going God I want to bless these people I want to see your grace in this room so I'm just going to try to be as humble as possible and by the end of the night I was on the stage with the worship team on jumping up and down screaming you know and realizing wow God you did it this is the most humble thing I could do to just forget about myself how I appear and just worship you with all of my heart exalt You In Worship and as I was jumping down and screaming and you know dancing around the stage I'm going wow this is the most humiliating thing I could I didn't even realize it God you answered my prayer you humbled me and you we don't normally think of a guideline you know as as being humble but that's exactly it because it's it's just God I don't care I am so crazy about you I am so blown away by everything you've done in my life I'm gonna celebrate you and that's what he's saying here he goes I want you to exalt I want you to scream I want you to shout o Israel o daughter of Jerusalem why because the next verse verse 15 the Lord has taken away the judgments against you man okay if we really understood that we were by nature objects of Wrath if you knew how to dissect that passage and go I was by very nature and object for God to pour His wrath upon me because I've done some disgusting things I've said some horrible things I've thought some just perverted evil just cruel things murderous thoughts I deserve the wrath of God I am by Nature an object of Wrath but God being rich because I have a God who is rich in Mercy because of this great love with which he loved me that when I was a sinner he made us alive together with Christ by Grace we've been saved I mean if I understood that and he's just removed all that judgment from me then I would sing aloud I would shout I would Rejoice I would exalt with all my heart the Lord has taken away the judgments against you and he is cleared away your enemies the king of Israel the Lord is in your midst you shall never again fear evil now this is um It's tricky because when you read the prophets you often go is he talking about the period of time he lived in is he talking about the period of time I'm living in is he talking about some future event and usually the answer is yes okay usually there is a fulfillment in the sense of this is remember Josiah is kind of reforming this thing and even though you know he may have preached this definite preaches during the time of Manasseh when everything was horrible he said no this time is coming and he talks about this Remnant you know in in verses I think 11 and 12 that are going to survive and they're going to be pure and he could have been talking about Josiah's date and saying look there's going to be this time of Peace where he's going to forgive you of all this garbage you've been doing for the last 50 years and we're going to have this time but I also believe that what prophets would do as they're speaking into the future as well of what Christ was going to do on the cross and I believe you know it is my best understand that he's also talking about our future when Christ is going to return and Reign and we don't have to worry anymore it means to be so nice to see him you know I'm reading today about you know is Russia you know about to do a nuclear strike is Ukraine going to do this who's China with who's you know like like Marcus was saying you can just go uh what's gonna and and it's like don't worry about it really don't worry about it we know the king is coming back and I can't wait for that we don't have to worry again he says where he's cleared away all your enemies the king of Israel the Lord is in your midst right we read about that in Revelation about how Christ actually walks with us like it's back like the garden again where where God walked with Adam and Eve he says God is in your midst you shall never again fear evil which is true now right through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit God is in our midst right now and I don't have to fear sin I don't fear wickedness that's why he says when everything's falling apart he tells the Believers at that time lift up your heads because your Redemption is near when everything looks like it's falling apart we're okay we've got this because the Lord is in our midst and we don't have to fear evil on that day it shall be said to Jerusalem fear not o Zion let not your hands grow weak the Lord your God is in your midst a mighty one who will save he will rejoice over you with gladness he will quiet you by his love he will exalt over you with loud singing okay this is wrong with God I gotta believe this I gotta believe this this is so awesome the Lord your God is in your midst if you believe the god of the universe is in our midst right now is the king he's the only Immortal one he's the one that's keeping the Earth spinning and flying around the sun and the universe doing whatever it does everything happening and he's in our midst a mighty one who will save he will rejoice over you with gladness you know we're saying come on let's have joy today you know it's like the God is rejoicing over us in gladness he will quiet you by his love they will exalt over you with loud singing about this I just saw myself like Google God I want to exalt over you with loud singing I want to let myself go and sing to you a dance for you and jump for you and Shout for you but the thought of God saying I exalt over you with loud singing do you ever picture your God rejoicing over you with gladness and him celebrating exalting over us rejoicing with loud singing that that verse Psalm 100 I'm so glad Marcus chose that again it's not planned he just chose It Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord that is the same word that is used in this passage of God making a Joyful Noise over us that's insane who am I to have the god of the universe making a Joyful Noise over me are you kidding me right now and I'm looking at these words and I'm going okay what what is this like I mean it's God in our midst and he's the one rejoicing over me he's the one quieting Me by his love and he's the one exalting over me with loud singing oh my God I don't get that I don't get that and then God brought to mind Anna dice I this is what I thought we called her dice because her head looks like a dice it's very square and but this isn't what this isn't it like you just want to roll it um but we um I've remembered like after she was born like you know Lisa was there at the birth you know Mercy was there too and uh but she just came home like you're just so excited and every time she would see that she would uh she would just speak oh gosh I'm just so attached to her just I'm so happy you just you know she would just talk about this and then seeing Peter and mercy like what what everyone's just like oh yeah you know like you just are crazy about her right and then when she's sad it's like oh no no no no no no no no no don't cry it's just that picture hey [Music] how's it she used to cry she used to not like me then I like them more Wonder too so I'm not that much of a baby guy but the idea is it's like that you're making such a fuss over me exalting over me you were making a Joyful Noise you're you have this loud singing it's amazing I'm just picturing the god of the universe sing loudly over Jarrell and chest you know like where the ant just like ah that type of emotion that type of feeling God's doing that with Rey just singing over him exalting over him rejoicing God's doing that with Sarah just quieting her with his love it's a powerful thought and if we really believed that he not only read us from this judgment but the god of the universe is screaming over Melissa right now creaming over us what is it even like for God to sing loudly and to make a Joyful Noise can't even imagine but it's in the scriptures so we got to believe it and we know in our heads but it's like God I know if I really believe this I would dance I would scream I would shout I'd be okay even though I'm American so this is our our last Friday night that we're going to do for a while here all together and it happens to be our biggest one with all the energy we're like oh maybe we shouldn't you know but but here's the thing is like we're in half this amount where it's like I don't think people from San Francisco can come and and a lot of the San Francisco people can't make it and and we kind of stop the midweek prayer meetings and you know so everyone could be together for a season but then it was like too hard for them to get here and throw like gosh and we kind of canceled their prayer Gathering so let's let's go back let's do you know Fremont can do their own thing EPA will do their own thing San Francisco do their own thing and then we'll get together occasionally and do this but let's have three different worship sets or let's see what Fremont does is you know we'll just figure it out but give some leadership um but part of it too is we always wanted to be a church that was living by faith where we're doing things um because we believe in God but even as your pastor like I um as a pastor I should say because I'm not all of your pastor but uh the idea is I get so much pleasure when I am doing what I know I was made to do and it's actually helping people it's actually blessing them and changing their lives there's nothing like it it's when you go God is actually using me to bless other people this is insane I love it and the Bible says our job as Leaders is to equip you to do the work of the service and there's just something about when all of us are living by faith in fact in fact Ephesians says it's when every part is working properly then the body actually grows not when a few people are working then will the body truly grow spiritually in every way and mature but it's when every part is working properly and so we just feel like okay some of you need to start some new things that scare you to take a chance at something believing that the holy spirit is in you I mean I want you to find whatever that is this is not just about all of us coming together and gathering in one place we want to do that occasionally but then there's times when we go we scatter and we try things in faith and we do what we were created to do and that's why we prayed last week for the Holy Spirit to fall upon you in a way where you start to get vision for what you were made for otherwise what happens in church is people start sitting around and then they just start criticizing what's going on up front and that's happening everywhere I'm like well I don't really like it I'm gonna go somewhere else that's like that was ever what the church was supposed to be everyone was supposed to be filled with the spirit and and understand their god-given calling and I want to share this passage that really helped me um gosh this was probably 25 years ago went away in the woods opened my Bible and you know just see where it would fall and it fell on Jeremiah 1. and interestingly Jeremiah was also preaching during the time of Josiah and Jeremiah says some things I can Jeremiah chapter 1 starting in verse 4 it says the word of the Lord came to me saying before I formed you in the womb I knew you and before you were born I consecrated you I appointed you a prophet to the Nations I've shared this with some of you before that God said to Jeremiah look before I even formed you I knew you remember sitting in the woods I was actually right next to a little stream and I read that and I'm like what that doesn't make sense before you formed me you knew me I just sat there meditating on that before you formed me you knew me I ended up being out in the woods for like four days straight with not seeing another human being just one human being ran away from it I just wanted to be alone with God and I end up meditating on this passage for four days and it was life-changing because I thought wait God are you telling me you knew me before you made me was this Jeremiah or is this me also and I thought no Ephesians 2 10 says we're his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which he determined beforehand that we should walk in them I was like oh this squares with the New Testament that he knew before I was born what he wanted me to do that's crazy and he says Jeremiah I knew you before I made you that's that's like this someone thought ahead of time in his head what was needed was a microphone stand so you clip it right here it can go up and down it's got three legs collapses does it all you can fit in your pocket you know it's just but he had it in his head ahead of time like this is what the world needs so then he gets all the materials and he manufactures this and I know there's more to it but you know what I mean it was I knew it before I made it so in other words God was telling Jeremiah I knew what was going to happen during the reign of Josiah I knew what was going to happen after that and I needed someone and so I made you I knew what I was making before I made you that's awesome isn't that incredible and when I've read I'll just go and wait some human because he says he goes and before you were born I consecrated you I had pointed you a prophet to the Nations so you're telling me God before I came out my mother's womb you already knew what I was going to be and you already had plans for me and then I and maybe this means more to me because my mother died while she was giving birth to me so I'm thinking God you knew my mom was going to die but you wanted me on the earth because there was something I was going to do I was made for this I was designed for this you knew me before you made me it's not like this just showed up one day and we go what do we do with it no someone had a design for it and it's like it's the same thing with me it's not like I was born and God goes Chinese baby six billion and four what do we do with it it's not it's not like this after thought he says no before I even made you I knew what I was making and before you came out of your mother's womb I knew you were going to be standing on that stage in San Mateo in 2023 I knew you're going to be in Asia during covet I knew you're going to do this big old church Southern California I knew you I knew you were gonna marry this hot Miss Teen California Eddie macaron um seven kids four grandkids a little dice I knew all of that ahead of time and then that's all planned out and you just go fast and proud of them all because how many days of my childhood did I look in the mirror and just think I am so weird I am so different than everyone else no one cares if I live or die I am so strange parents didn't want me family didn't want me failed at so many things then you open up God's word and he says I knew you you are no accident even if your parents said yeah you were an accident kind of goes no you weren't an accident I knew you and I pointed you as a prophet before you were even born I knew what I wanted you to do on this Earth that's what Ephesians 2 10 says where's workmanship his craftsmanship but Jeremiah's response is I said ah Lord God behold I don't know how to speak I'm only a child but the Lord said to me do not say I am only a youth for use for to All To whom I send you you shall go in whatever I command you shall speak do not be afraid of them for I am with you to deliver you declares the Lord see Jeremiah played the little insecure game and like well I'm just a kid and God says don't you say that don't you say your same thing these are the Moses remember when he called Moses and Moses says send here and send her and say hi I stutter my speech not good and he goes and what did he say to Moses oh you're so humble no he said who made your mouth where you're saying your mouth doesn't work right did you create your own mouth see it's one thing if you made your own mouths I know some people injecting but it it's I I get it if you you know then you're being humble I said that's right in there but uh no offense if you did it and the the whole idea is you didn't make your mouths look I've played this game I've been in rooms with Biblical Scholars and I was a village idiot and I walk away just going gosh I'm so dumb why did you make me smarter I'm in rooms with powerful leaders I just know what to do without they just seem in control and like why didn't you make me a better leader my house is filled with worship leaders have you ever heard me saying I mean it's just brutal and and then you just go why couldn't why why why why why why and then you read this and go never mind my brain is exactly as smart as it's supposed to be I like it I'm good with it you know my voice I actually like my voice it's kind of raspy but it's you know like it's just more The Rocker feel you know I but there have been times where I'm like why am I not as intelligent as that guy why is all I am is sexy you know like why no excuse me the whole thing is like what am I what is my gift I I'm not this I'm not that we all play this game and at some point you just go no I'll make exactly the way God Made Me and he has an exact plan for me and he knew that before I even came out of my mother's womb and he thought about it ahead of time it'd be like if if this music stand it's what we do in the church I wish I could hold a microphone and it's like that's not what you're supposed to do look what you can do he can't do that it's just this whole idea of We compare We compare you know and I I'm like man why can't I be fish yourself it's like I just want to be bad you know like I want to be this I want to be that and it just no I made you for this purpose that person's gonna do that thing that I designed him for but when you and your soul at the core of your being believe these words and you're like I was made by God he knew what he was making before he made me and he designed me for a specific task and here I am you just wake up and go what are you gonna do with me today why don't you design me for today and you couple that with what we talked about last week and the Holy Spirit of God being inside of us that type of power so I'm made for this I've got God inside of me this is why we want you to go and figure out what is it what am I made for yeah there'll be times when we gather but we're designed to go do something create something make something and this is that season in my life you know where I'm just going man I just want to cheer you on the leaders in our church I'm just like gosh I want to support you I want to see what you guys become and that's what the elders want to do right now is just say go take some steps of Faith try it just see what happens I know at Stanford you guys are trying some things it's like man just keep going for it I know the the Kims and Matt Chand have been walking around knocking doors on every every single block in a in in San Mateo and just trying to you know in the hardest neighborhoods just going let me just try and pray and see what happens you just go I know some of you guys are at Berkeley or just like where is it going to Berkeley and just try to start talking to people see what happens you know some people are like okay we're going to open this Cafe and just just try to get Christian discussion going on there and and well great go for it like just think how has God Made You and then go out and do those things that scare you that your God unless you come through this is just going to be Dom nothing's gonna happen but I knew it was made for something and the interesting thing about this is if you skip down um a verses that I'd give you at the end okay um 17. okay but you dress yourself for the work arise and say to them everything that I command you I love this verse do not be dismayed by them lest I dismay you before them hey NIV says do not be terrified by them lest I terrify you in front of them it's like you're gonna be afraid I'll give you something to be afraid of it's like wow okay hey I will not be afraid and he says next verse and I behold I make you this day a fortified City an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land against the kings of Judah it's officials its priests and the people of the land they will fight against you but they will not Prevail against you for I Am with You declares the Lord to deliver you cake answers it's not about you he says I'm gonna be with you and put words in your mouth don't be afraid you just say it I'm with you the interesting thing about this story though and this is what we've got to catch what does he tell Jeremiah who's going to be against him clungs officials priests and all the people because but don't worry about it I'm with you and if you know about Jeremiah's whole life there were no converts and this is where I think we can get screwy as the church in America we assume if we don't see Revival we are failures well join the crowd this book then is full of failures no these are people who were faithful to God's word there are times of Revival and there's other times of just survival and we don't know where when what what we're in there's no guarantee like when I say go do what you're that doesn't mean like tons of people are going to follow you that may not be true no one followed Jeremiah he got this gave him that whole speech so what was he made for to declare a sermon that no one was going to listen to yep we get all fired up Isaiah 6 8 here I am send me remember Isaiah send me and God goes okay you but no one's going to listen to you it's like what yeah go I am sending you but no one's going to listen to you there's no guarantee of American success in fact Paul told Timothy in the last days they won't put up with sound Doctrine in fact people will go and they'll search for teachers who will tell them what their itching ears want to hear so he's telling me Timothy look a guaranteeing Revival here he goes but you got to keep preaching and they'll probably leave you because they won't put up with sound Doctrine they'll go to the church down the street where they're like hey divorce is fine go ahead divorce your wife I'd leave her you know go you know I'll sleep with him and her who care you know they'll find someone to tell them what they want to hear but they won't put up with sound Doctrine they won't put up with it that doesn't sound like Revival to me it's just different when Jesus and his disciples that's why in Luke 10 verse 20 in Luke 10 when he sends out his disciples and they're like healing people they're casting demons out they're like Jesus oh my gosh even the demons even the spirit submit to us and Jesus hey don't rejoice that the demons submit to you rejoice at your name is written in heaven this is why you rejoiced because there may come days when you're out doing Ministry and you're just rejected rejected rejected and you're not seeing that power manifest in the same way so if your joy is based upon that you're you're going to be discouraged you'll quit that's why you rejoice that your name is written in heaven that's why the Bible says rejoice in the lord always rejoice in what Ministry grows Revival of course we'll have some joy in that but he goes rejoice in the Lord Rejoice that God is singing over me right now that he's looking down you know like like Lisa holding her grandkid like like Peter holding his baby like you know that's what should be causing rejoicing always and people go but you don't understand my life is hard you guys Paul wrote that from prison rejoice in the lord always I'll say it again rejoice probably the most joyful person I know is is uh my friend Johnny Johnny Erickson Tada she has been a quadriplegic for like 60 years now and every days you know someone's picking her out of the bed cleaning her off put her in the chair you know feeding her most joyful worshipful eyes to remember the time she and then she got cancer and then she had all these body aches and then she got pneumonia all at once as a quadriplegic and I get a letter from her encouraging me and I'm like you're kidding me I don't encourage people when I've got a cold I mean it's just we're just so this is not oh Rejoice because everything's going great no wouldn't I like I shared at the school consider all joy when you're surrounded by trials that's what James says see we're supposed to the people who rejoice not because Ministry is going well life's going well but because we're we've got a god who's singing loudly over us and he rejoices over us that's such a weird one-way relationship right when God is rejoicing and singing over us and we're now reciprocating that is the weirdest thing to me when I saw that I'm like that is crazy but that's what leads us to rejoice so we go out we try these things maybe we fail you know in our own minds or we don't see the Revival that we wanted God's celebrating us we're doing what we're called to do and we rejoice in that you guys we just aren't you just attracted to people who have a life you know and then there's others that just bum you out right and the Bible says the fruit of the spirit is love Joy peace I mean that's number two is joy and I know I've heard people say hey don't be so hard on you know on people they're depressed they're already depressed and every time they shouldn't be get that okay there may be seasons in our lives but if that's just the countenance of your life man out of love for you I'm saying something is wrong inside something in your mind is off and I want you delivered from that because when you understand these things that I'm talking about it trumps a lot of the stuff and the pain and the difficulties you've gone through and you can suddenly be in prison saying rejoice in the lord always now say it again rejoice you can be a quadriplegic for 50 60 years and I mean we can't spend five minutes with her without her just bursting into song worshiping God why because something happened inside that is just this Joy it's the Fruit of the Spirit and again we're we're a church that I think we're good at uh sometimes even confronting sin and people are repenting and everything else but it's interesting you know that verse the joy of the Lord is our strength it's in general my eight and the context of that is very interesting because the people were confronted with their sin and their crying and they're and and and he's saying no no don't weep don't we you know it is a time to celebrate this is a this is a holy day it was also the the Feast of trumpets at that time but he but that's when he makes a statement the joy of the Lord is our strength like there is a time once you've mourned over your sin don't stay there okay God is celebrating you there is a time Paul says there's a Godly sorrow that leads to repentance that sorrow should lead you to repentance but once you confess that sin he says he's faithful and just to forgive you of that sin and cleanse your mom once there's that moment of repentance it's like stop celebrate now the joy of the Lord is our strength how do we stay strong and survive everything's going on in the world the joy of the Lord rejoicing in the lord always knowing that he's exalting over me and rejoicing over me I'm going to Rejoice right back at him and go wow you're celebrating me right now I'm celebrating you I mean just look at that picture God's like this is so so good we are one like if guys we have a lot to celebrate and I get it we live in a negative world where everyone's critical and everyone's canceling each other but in the church that's not us we have a god who's celebrating us as when we come together we celebrate him and we rejoice in him always and I'll say it again great choice somewhere the worship team come up and man it has been a great season here on Friday nights I can't stand a lot these last few months and we as elders just believe now this is a season where we go out in the power of the spirit we're created for these things and but you know we we started as saying this is for him when we want him to look down and see us celebrating him worshiping him with reverence and awe at the same time understanding we're coming before his holy throne of grace where we receive mercy and find Grace in our time of need and last week we talked about the spirit of God indwelling us that amazing miracle and now it's like we celebrate you were made by him designed for something and we believe in this next season as we leave here he's going to reveal gifts you didn't even know you had to benefit the body and give you visions to reach your schools your neighborhoods your workplace your friends strangers we're just going to go around in faith and granola's made for something I'm not a failure let's just kick out all those demonic thoughts they may have been spoken to you by people who call themselves Christians or maybe even your own parents it's like that's not of the Lord we've all had things said about us that we know our lies that the word of God cleanse that he were made by him and for him and he doesn't mess up when he creates someone he has a purpose may look different from mine we may look completely different but he had a purpose just go after it go after this so fine this is what life is about yeah

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Length: 49min 2sec (2942 seconds)

Published: Thu May 04 2023