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I begin by making a short crossing from the previous theme, Worship Matters Bob Kauflin, reminding that we worship

p what we love, and we love the One that loved us first Then I confer importance to the theme of Gods love by reminding what the great theologian Karl Barth quoted when asked which is the greatest thing he ever found about God: Jesus loves me! This I Know! (sing the whole song with the class) Then I read the passage from Zephaniah 3:17 and preach it expository, line by line: I. The LORD your God is in your midst, a. It implies closeness, the fact of God being there for you. It is not presented as the God of the remnant of Israel, the nation, the Church by extrapolation, its about you.

II.

A victorious warrior. a. This statement declares the power of the one who stands in your midst, evokes the great Jehowah, the mighty God, victorious in battle: Remember Exodus 7-11, God against the great nation of Egypt. Three statements about God close to you: a. He will exult over you with joy, i. To exult means to feel a deep joy, the manifestasion of happines; ii. He covers you with His manifestation of His love, He is showing His goodness over you practically: today is paying for your school, feeding you, tomorow He gives you a place to lay tour head, a wife, chlidren but not only this... one day, because of His love he might give you cancer to remember you, and everybody around you the important things in life. iii. This verse is not about prosperity seen from this world point of view, its about prosperity seen from heavens point of view. b. He will be quiet in His love, i. The mark of true friendship is not the capacity to speak without ceasing in the fellowship of another, but the beauty of being quiet with the other, and not be embarrassed about it; ii. Learn the art of shutting up in the presence of the Lord, listen to the quietness that comes from the holly throne of God; c. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

III.

i. This is something that we cant speak about. Its too much. Its a perspective of God that we dont hear often enough, this is God. ii. We are used to hear King David asking us to praise God with a shout of joy (Psalm 66) but do we believe in a God that rejoices over us, over me with shouts of joy? What is this? Where is the religious behavior? Where is the respectability? The prophet goes too far now. iii. The greatest shout of joy of God in history is Jesus Christ, our Savior. Love is extravagant. The incarnation of God to save the mankind, is the finest expression of love.

Read verse 17 again with the whole class. Final question: Do you really believe this? No prayer, just ask everybody to go home and be quiet before the Lord, trying to understand the deepness of His love for us.

Rzvan Rete Anul III, teologie

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