"Rebound from Your Rebellion", Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley

0:00 Greetings, Alfred Street Baptist Church. It is an honor to stand here today. Thank you to my pastor, Pastor Howard-John Wesley, for this opportunity to serve behind this very sacred desk. Friends, I want you to join me in Zephaniah chapter 3. Zephaniah chapter 3. And the verses read as follows. Ah, soil-defiled, oppressing city. It has listened to no voice. It has accepted no correction. It has not trusted in the Lord. It has not drawn near to its God. The officials within it are roaring lions. Its judges are evening wolves that leave nothing until the morning. Its prophets are reckless, faithless persons. Its priests have profaned that which is sacred. They have done violence to the law. The Lord within it is righteous. He does no wrong. And every morning he renders his judgment each dawn without fail. But the unjust, they know no shame. Come to verse 7. I said, surely the city will fear me. It will accept correction. It will not lose sight of all that I have brought upon it.

1:14 but they were the more eager to make all their deeds corrupt. Therefore, wait for me, says the Lord, for the day when I arise as a witness, for my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation and the heat of my anger. For in the fire of my passion, all the earth shall be consumed. And at that time, I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him in one accord. Verse 11 says, on that day you shall not be put to shame because of all the deeds by which you have rebelled against me for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exalted ones and you shall no longer be haughty in my mountain. Come down to verse 14. Sing aloud, O daughter Zion, O Israel, rejoice and exalt with all your heart. O daughter Jerusalem, the Lord has taken away judgments against you.

2:16 He has turned away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord is in your midst. You shall fear disaster no more. Down to 19, I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast. And I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. And at that time, I will bring you home. At the time when I gather you, for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes, saith the Lord. And just for a few moments in our web-based service today, I want to preach from the subject, rebound from your rebellion. Rebound from your rebellion. As we face unprecedented times in our country, I, like many of you, have been longing for solace from this madness. Between the social unrest, marches, presentations and demonstrations, the political strife in our country, where we are fighting against principalities that would call marchers, terrorists, and mask wearing a hoax. Solace from the uphill battle we have forged in the public health community trying to save life after life. But the truth is, with the loss of over 150,000 Americans, is that this virus has hit Black, Indigenous, and communities of color harder than others. The pandemics of racism and COVID are much to bear. And like many of you, For these last few months, I have been hungry for an outlet.

3:58 And as much as Disney Plus and Netflix has blessed my soul, as for me and my house, there is nothing like ESPN. ESPN. And over the last few weeks, instead of watching reruns of Michael Jordan's The Last Dance, we were able to watch for the first time the National Basketball Association. Hallelujah for the NBA. Yes, the sight and sound of screeching sneakers across the floor. It's a welcome distraction. And as I watched the game, I was struck by something that I barely noticed before because I'm a student of the game of basketball. So beyond the dunks, beyond the steals, the free throws and those masterful jump shots, there's one aspect of the game that many fans unconsciously overlook, but it serves to be a turning point for every possession for both teams.

4:53 That one thing is the rebound. Yeah, the rebound. The rebound makes the difference for both the defense and the offense. A rebound can change the course of a game because when a player rebounds, at that point, not only is the ball in their possession, but they now have the opportunity to redefine their current position in the game. And the one thing about the rebound is that it only takes one to change the game's trajectory. In that very moment, for a team, things can go from good to great or from bad to worse. And this very sentiment reminds me of a book of prophetic poems penned by a man that we know very little about. His name is Zephaniah, a minor prophet speaking to the major consequences associated with the choices made and the character of many nations, namely Judah and other foreign lands that willingly rebelled against the will of God.

5:55 Now, I know you had this question because I did. who in the world is Zephaniah? Not a book we land in often, but Zephaniah offers the reader insights into a kingdom with corrupt government affairs and sacrilegious expressions of faith where idol worship, embezzlement, and other questionable and unethical practices in the White House, I mean in the government house, and in the church, I mean by the priest, were a common place. Unethical practices. Many theologians have come to the conclusion that Zephaniah's book of prophecies were referencing the kingdom of Judah under King Josiah's rule. Now, if you get a chance, go back to 2 Kings 22 to read this. Josiah worked to make the kingdom-wide changes to actually abide by the law, rebuild the temple, and restore the covenant with God, which was lost under his father's rule. However, the ratchetness of the people stood as a barrier to the hand of mercy from Yahweh. The kind of religious, political, and economic strife in the land not only grieved God, but according to Zephaniah, would ultimately yield the wrath of God. Now, what makes these words so provocative is that the opening chapter of Zephaniah reveals his lineage and bloodline, which was believed to be associated with King Hezekiah, a previously celebrated ruler of Judah who fought tirelessly to keep the law and to keep God's commandments. So in essence, Zephaniah, based on some biblical conclusions, is not only a prophet, but a man who was the product of the hierarchy of the land. He was associated with royalty and this paints the picture of why Zephaniah's words are so powerful and prudent for such a time as this because he, Zephaniah, had the ability to articulate accountability like no other. In other words, this man of God

8:05 was speaking truth to power to his own people, choosing the power of God over the politics of the day and separating himself from the scandalous behavior and served as a voice of reason to convince leaders in power to turn from their wicked ways and end their active rebellion against God. And as I study more, I found myself reliving our world today. In the land of the free and the home of the brave, the verses became a living testament of our present-day trials. You have become an oppressive city, listening to only certain voices, when the voices of the oppressed call upon you to take heed and turn from marginalizing those communities you have done so historically, taking no correction and not trusting in the Lord and using the name of God to advance your own thwarted political agenda. Your officials are a roaring lion when there's a question to be asked about whose life really matters. Your judges are evening wolves when the executive leaders would consider calling on the Supreme Court to remove the health care law in the middle of a global pandemic. Its prophets are reckless, faithless persons, faithless people who would have you believe that Jesus was silent on social issues and not honor his turntable way of handling those who would use the temple for wickedness. And all the while, especially for the church, when the call of God on our lives and the model that even Jesus left for us himself, there seems to be a consistent rebellion to this consciousness that has permeated the pews and are steeped in racism, classism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia. But Just as soon as Zephaniah speaks of God's destruction when the end of a nation was said to be near,

10:10 what struck me was the immediate glimmer of hope where the prophet gives us a glimpse of the inevitability of rebounding from a long-lived rebellion. The prophet's word speaks to God's decision to change the trajectory of that tragedy into triumph. enough. And as the book of Zephaniah comes to a close in chapter three, where some argue was later added to this book, the words begin to shed light on restoration and redemption for a lost people. Helping us all understand the true measure of the sovereignty of a God who can rain down wrath and fury and simultaneously unleash everlasting love and favor over our lives. That's an exciting moment for me, and that's early in the preaching moment, but it bears to commit a moment of praise. You can be a nation and even an individual naysayer who is completely operating outside of the will of God. Yet and still, God's intentions are for his people and the nations, not only to prosper, but to walk justly in his sight. And that's an early shout today, is that you can mess up, You can lose your way. You can even rebel against God and still be the beneficiary of the compassion and mercy bestowed by the very same God who loves us enough to offer a rebound from our rebellion.

11:37 Now that we deserve, not that we deserve it, but more so that God desires it. And it begs for us to ask a question of the text today. And that is, how does God help a nation and the body of Christ rebound from their rebellion? I'll ask that again. How does God help a nation and the body of Christ rebound from their rebellion? First, God can help a nation and its people rebound from their rebellion by redirecting the language of the leaders and the laypersons. Verse 8b says, For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour upon them my indignation. But then go to verse 9. At that time, I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. Now, Zephaniah lays out the Lord's intentions to personally gather nations and to pour out anger.

12:35 And the Bible says in verse nine that at the same time, the Lord will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech that all of them will call on the name of the Lord and serve in one accord. Now, this for some, it may seem contradictory, but for me, it was evidence of rebounding from rebellion. It's clear that the actions and the words of the nations have put them in jeopardy with God. You see, the first chapter of Zephaniah paints the picture of the wrath. The prophet is saying aloud the sentiments of a god at its wit's end, witnessing the chosen people choosing a path that would contradict the glory of God. How the appointed leaders in government would govern outside of the will of God. The political climate then was entrenched with bad leadership and self-righteous appointments that erred on the side of nepotism and greed. And to make matters worse, the religious leaders, you know, the church folk, those responsible for the practices for pleasing God, would allow the worship of Baal and idolatrous priests and priestess to infiltrate the holy temple, making a mockery of the Lord.

13:50 Now, those in power not only took advantage of God's mercy, but they had done a great disservice to their followers because the followers modeled those that were in leadership. And this angered Yahweh so much so that God decides to personally arise as a witness and reveal a plan to smite them. But almost immediately in the text, God redirects this justifiable anger and acknowledges that at the same time, he will change their speech to a pure speech so that they may call on God in one accord. And in the scripture, we see these words, all of them calling on the name of the Lord. And so I thought it'd be safe to say today that this word is not only relevant for those in power, but also those who are not in power. And that blesses me to know that everyone has to rescind their rhetoric and utter a pure speech, language that is no longer corrupt and divisive, language that does not pit one community against another, language that is not solely partisan for the sake of politics. and when God redirects the language of the leaders and the lay person, they will sing praises on one accord, meaning they will have to utter words that matter, words that are driven by what thus saith the Lord and not a lust for power. And as we think about our own lives and even what we have witnessed in our country today, Zephaniah's words resonate because we can all attest to God changing the way some of our leaders have spoken. You don't believe me? I'll let you know something.

15:24 I can think of a state of affairs in the middle of a pandemic where scientists who have been gifted by God to practice medicine and track a pandemic when government and even religious leaders touted irresponsible rhetoric from their lips. Things like we will gather regardless of what the government and public health officials say. We will send children to school without a plan and that wearing mask is unconstitutional and the government is overstepping their boundaries. Irresponsible rhetoric from their lips. When a governor will file suit not against a city, but against the black woman who runs the city because of his personal disdain, jealousy, personal disdain with someone who had the audacity to speak truth to power and order the protection of her citizens But then those very same leaders saw surges in their communities.

16:25 They saw mocking of sheltering in places and seriously had to decide, was this really a hoax? Because the people I love, the people that called this thing out, have lost their battle to this pandemic. And then all of a sudden, that very language has now been redirected. Somehow now masks have become patriotic. Uh-huh. Mass mandates have now been added to the rolls. And somehow those same religious leaders who use false narrative about blocking their constitutional rights are hosting services on YouTube and Facebook right now. So I stopped by to tell you that God can redirect language of the leaders and the layperson and make things right for you and for me. I know I've got a witness today that God can redirect language to lift a stronghold. God can redirect language and keep a marriage together.

17:21 God can redirect language and break an addiction habit. God can redirect language and open the door for a job opportunity you didn't even see in sight. And God can redirect language and change the course of a nation. And when it's all said and done, we will all call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. Not only will God redirect the language of the leader and the lay person, but in order to help a nation and the body of Christ to rebound from their rebellion, God will remove toxicity from your midst.

17:58 Verse 11 says, On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me. For then I will remove from your midst your proudly exalted ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. I might shout right here because this got me through something. You see, throughout the book of Zephaniah, the prophet speaks of God's judgment that will be brought against those who have dishonored his commandments. And when you get to chapter 3, verse 11, Zephaniah writes about a promise that speaks to the goodness of God. The promise is not only to offer grace and forgiveness to a kingdom that deserves the wrath, But the Lord also says that those who were haughty in my holy mountain, and let me break it down with the way the Message Bible says it, the arrogant leaders, the arrogant fools, no more pious strutting on my holy hill. You no longer can inhabit my land.

18:55 And what does that mean? Well, there are different interpretations of what God is really saying. But after I considered the works of the pompous priests and rulers of Judah who never humbled themselves, I offer this to you today, Alpha Street, that this word is speaking to us as a nation. I would suggest to you that we have witnessed some leaders serving as major sources of toxicity in our land, openly using their governing power and even their religious titles in a manner contradictory to what the Lord requires of us, toting toxic culture, spewing venom of separation and rhetoric of us against them while showing public pride, showing arrogance in their position and assignment, wreaking havoc in society and even in the sanctuary, using partisanship as a guiding principle instead of compassion and clarity and even a balanced approach to our country's challenges,

20:04 catering to one side of one base interested only in divisive narrative, Faying the flame of fear with talking points that continue to polarize a nation engulfed in the raging flames of racism, classism in a pandemic, pouring gasoline on those same flames, allowing unemployment benefits to expire in the midst of a global crisis, toxicity in our midst. Even in the sanctuary, even in the church when we talk about social injustices, some of the church is still deathly silent, complicit and covering leaders who either have intentionally ignored or boldly antagonized the movement of advancing the lives of our country's most vulnerable as if we don't serve the almighty one who has all power in their hands. Alpha Street, our society has experienced a shift and as Zephaniah prophesied, I believe that the Lord our God will honor our righteous indignation and removed the exalted ones.

21:09 I'm going to say that again. I believe that the Lord, our God, will honor our righteous indignations and remove the exalted ones. And this church is where we can take heed to the words in the minor prophets estimation that the God, much like the God at the time in Judah, our God is not only heartbroken by our division, but has allowed this season in our lives for us to redefine our commitments to the calling of God on our own lives. We were created to worship God, to expand the kingdom of God, and then to set examples for the world to see so that all will have a chance to praise the name of the Lord in one accord. And if I could be Baptist for a moment, at that name, every knee will have to bow And every tongue will have to confess that, Jesus, you are Lord over all.

22:06 Lord over the White House. Lord over the State House. Lord over the Church House. And sure enough, Lord over my house. And I believe that Zephaniah could interpret the text to us this very moment. He would get on YouTube because it is a pandemic. Zephaniah would tell the world, church, the God you serve wants you to rebound from your rebellion. but because we have leaders in our midst, in our government, have chosen to be haughty on a holy mountain, that God is not pleased. But because the Lord our God is merciful and is willing to remove the toxicity from our midst, as he honored the call of our ancestors, I believe he will honor our attempt to do the same today. God will remove toxicity just like the sin of slavery was removed. God will remove toxicity just like Jim Crow was slashed and named unconstitutional.

23:03 God will remove toxicity just like the end of segregated schools and open the door for civil rights and voting rights. And I pray, pray that we don't stop there, church. That the body of Christ will rally behind what this Jesus we preach is really all about. Then as the remnants of the hearty are removed, then those of us that proclaim his name will master Jesus's commandments. Loving your neighbor as yourself, interceding for others, fighting for justice and changing systems that would oppress those that would be marginalized for centuries. And teaching the next generation to love and to learn from each other. Because when we all get to heaven, what a glorious day it will be. And my brothers and sisters, don't get discouraged. This is not just about institutions. This word applies to your life and mine. You see, you may think that you have dug yourself into a hole because of the deeds you have done, but I stop by to tell you that your trials and your triumphs and even your mistakes are not in vain.

24:04 You see, God sees you and will say to you, no shame, daughter, no shame, son, and will help you rebound from rebellion by removing toxic people and toxic principalities. I'm going to say that again. God sees you and will say to you, no shame, child. And I will help you rebound from your rebellion by removing toxic people and toxic principalities from around you. So your painful past, consider it removed. Your bitter divorce, consider it removed. Your crazy co-workers, consider them removed. Your fair weather friends, consider them removed. And false prophets, who you know that God didn't tell them to tell you anything because you know all about them, consider them removed too. and when they are gone from your midst, you will be free of shame and released of fear. So you can rightfully call on the name of the Lord and live in the liberation that is offered to all of God's children.

25:02 I got to go. I got to get out of here. Not only will God redirect the language of the leaders and laypersons, and not only will God remove toxicity from your midst, but in order to help a nation and the body of Christ rebound from rebellion, God will restore that which has been lost right in front of your eyes. Oh, that's a shout today. Come to verse 19b, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. Verse 20 says, and at that time, I will bring you home. At the time when I gather you, for I will make you renowned and praised among all the people of the earth. when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, saith the Lord. Now this closing verse, these two closing verses of the book of Zephaniah in many biblical translations are titled the restoration of Israel's remnant. And when you see remnant, particularly in the Old Testament, it most often refers to what is left of a community after a catastrophe. The fall of Judah and its corrupt leaders in faith and in government spilled over into society. And because of this, they will find themselves on the opposite end of God's favor. But the beauty of this word is that it expresses the kindness of a God who is faithful above everything. So when the chosen people fail, God is still faithful. When the priority is no longer God to the people of God, that same God is still faithful. When the crowd turns their back on what they know is right, God is still faithful. Now walk with me. I'm almost done. In the last two verses of this text, inside of Yahweh's promise are two distinct restoration experiences. First, saving the lame and the outcast and changing their shame to praise. And then the second one is the restoration of Israel's fortune before their eyes. Now, we can't move forward without understanding what they were restored from and were able to gain access to until we understand the biblical

27:09 translation of the text. So saving the lame and outcast from their shame to praise requires another look at what shame really was. Shame is translated as bosheth, which was short for the name Ish-bosheth, who was the son of King Saul. Now another name for Ish-bosheth was Ish-bael, which means a man of Baal. Now, Baal at that time could mean master, which was once a title of dignity. But over time, listen, the name became associated with the Canaanite fertility gods. And based on the research, Hebrew editors decided to use bosheth to mean shame for worshiping Baal. And if you remember the story, that's the same false idol that was prophesied in Zephaniah. So when you consider Boschia and the shame that comes with putting idols before God, the magnitude of a restored relationship with a God that we know to be jealous, it speaks volumes in the text.

28:10 And if we as a nation and as a body of Christ are going to rebound from rebellion, it takes a gracious God of a restoration to salvage a relationship that none of us on our own had the capacity to sustain. and it gives me hope and even a shout in my spirit just thinking about the process and the journey of our nation and even the body of Christ of salvaging a relationship with our God. Preacher, are you saying that we don't have a relationship? Let me tell you what I'm saying and tweet this out. I'm saying that true relationship with God means knowing God, hearing from God, and then keeping God's commandments. I'll say it again. True relationship with God means knowing God, hearing from God, and then keeping God's commandments. And I would suggest to you today that the preaching moment is calling on our government, calling on the body of Christ, and even calling on us individually to reconsider our bochef. That in order for God to restore that which we have lost, we've got to get rid of the idols.

29:12 Yeah, I said it. We've got to get rid of the idols. We got to remove those things and those people that we consciously and unconsciously put in front of God. Government leaders, stop worrying about reelection instead of ethical practices and caring for the well-being of your citizens. Church leaders, stop worrying about meeting in the sanctuary instead of serving the personal health care needs of the people and teaching what thus saith the Lord. brother and sister in Christ, stop worrying about people's opinion of you and your family and the possessions you have instead of pleasing the one God who gave you everything you got. I gotta go, but before I do, I must tap into the final distinct restorative experience. And that is the restoration of Israel's name and fortune before their eyes. Verse 20, it says, for I will make you renowned and praise among all the people of the earth. And when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.

30:08 Now bear with me. if we look at the prophet's accounts of the word of God, this restorative experience should sustain all of us as we go through life's trials. You see, there's going to be times when you feel like all hope is gone and that your past is indicative of how your future will be and that we're going to go through this new divine destination. There are times in our nation and even in our churches that we believe our stagnant position in a season is a spiritual reprimand. But Zephaniah's account of the word of the Lord brings great news. Your fortunes will be restored. In the text it says, when I restore your fortunes, in Hebrew it means shuv shavus or shuv shavith, which is translated as to bring back to and restore one's former welfare and bring happiness. That should make you shout, listen, meaning that not only will you return to having access to the necessities of life, but the God you serve will supply your needs and then bring happiness back into your life in front of your very eyes.

31:13 America, yes, there's a pandemic. Yes, millions have lost their job. Yes, our country has been divided. But in an instant, Zephaniah's account of restoration gives us hope that not only will food, shelter, jobs and health care come back, But happiness in our society is possible. Racial justice and real bipartisanship and collegial citizens from all backgrounds can happen right before your eyes. Body of Christ, yeah, we've been outside of the sanctuary. Yes, it's been a challenge not having access to our brothers and sisters. Yes, we have, as a body, been guilty of complicit silence to those social issues that plague society. But in an instant, Zephaniah's account of God's restoration, it gives us hope again. that not only will we be back in operations one day, but happiness in the sanctuary is possible. We will praise and worship without ceasing. No more denominational fights and no more racial divisiveness in the body of Christ that serves the master of all and children of God. Yeah, we've all made mistakes. The consequences have been a reality. And yes, these experiences have taken a toll on you and me. But in an instant, Zephaniah's account of God's restoration gives us hope that this too shall pass, that God will supply every need, but happiness is possible.

32:35 No more depression and no more doubt and no more despair. Alpha Street, the deeds that we've done will not change God's divine destiny for you and me. Hear it again. The deeds that you have done in your past will not change God's divine destiny for you. If you decide today to commit to God's plan for your life, America, if you revisit your original intent of liberty and justice for all, people of God, hold yourselves accountable to the realities of society and sanctuary. And brothers and sisters, be steadfast. Don't get weary in well-doing. Your shame will be no longer and your God will return you back to your welfare and your happiness. God is faithful and continues to keep us even when we can't keep ourselves. And in the end, God will redefine the language of our leaders and laypersons. God will remove toxicity from our midst.

33:32 God will restore all that has been lost in front of our very eyes so that our nation and the body of Christ can rebound from our rebellion.