The Christ Quarter
The Christ Quarter discusses God's Words through scripture, what those means and how they apply to our lives. I hope that God will speak to you through His Words and that my discussion of those words and will help to bring you closer to Him.
I am blessed to have this opportunity to share God's word with you and I thank you so much for listening.
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Thank you very much!
- Kirk
- TheChristQuarter@GMail.com
The Christ Quarter
God Loves You, Even When You’re The Problem
What if joy isn’t naïve, but a sane response to God’s nearness? We open Zephaniah 3:14–20 and follow a compelling thread: God disciplines, God restores, God sings over His people, and He calls us to a unity that outlives our labels. The text meets us where we live; sorting through division, wrestling with shame, and trying to serve without losing heart.
We start with the remnant returning from judgment and hear why “the Lord has taken away your judgments” does not mean a problem-free life. It means a Presence-filled one. From there, we push back on the easy comfort of siloed faith - Baptist versus Methodist versus “my tribe” - and ask what it looks like to study Scripture in a way that produces love instead of walls. “That day” becomes our anchor: a concrete promise of God’s action. While we wait, we should refuse slackness. We work in the family business, using the gifts we have and trusting God to do the saving.
Along the way, we name the heaviness many carry; the burdens of past failures and the shame that sticks even after circumstances change. Zephaniah’s vision shows God gathering the sorrowful and restoring a name where there was reproach. We connect that to Romans 8 and the fierce assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
If you’ve ever asked, “How could God love me after all I’ve done?” this conversation offers steady ground; a joy that survives storms, a unity that heals fractures, and a calling that makes hope practical.
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What promise are you holding onto right now?
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Zephaniah 3:14-20
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15 The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
18 I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Welcome to the Christ Quarter. I'm so glad you're here with me to take 15 minutes of this day to enjoy the presence of Christ and the words of Christ. Today we will read a section of Scripture and discuss what it means and how it applies to our lives. It is my hope that God will speak to you through these words and bring you closer to Him. I am blessed to have this opportunity to speak with you, and I thank you so much for being with me here today. Today's scripture selection is Zephaniah chapter three, verses fourteen through twenty. The King James Version reads as follows. O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy. The King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee. Thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not, and to Zion, let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy. He will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee, and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out, and I will give them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you, for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth. When I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the freedom and the ability to discuss your word and enjoy your presence. Help us to understand your word and your will for our daily lives more fully. We ask that you bless this discussion of your word, that it will speak to someone who needs to hear from you. We ask that you will use these words to bring someone closer to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The verses for today are reminders that we Christians are not to gather together with other like-minded Christians and pat ourselves on the back as we celebrate how great we are. And by like-minded I mean Baptists versus Methodist versus Protestants and so on. First of all, we should realize how great we are not, but further we are not to divide ourselves up and get into separate boats, ignoring that we are hopefully all on the same river and going to the same place. While it is good to discuss scriptures and study to find understanding and have fellowship with God, this understanding will fall far short of God's intent if we use it to divide ourselves and alienate the world around us. We should study God's word, but we should then work together as Christians to show and share God's love to the world and with the world. We are to sow our seeds as best we can and leave the saving to God. We have God within us, so we should allow Him to strengthen us as we go about doing our Father's will and the family business. Let's get right to it. The first section of today's text, verses 14 and 15, reads, Sing, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy, the king of Israel. Even the Lord is in the midst of thee. Thou shalt not see evil anymore. Here in Zephaniah is encouraging those who have survived their captivity and return home to celebrate their restoration. The Judeans have previously disobeyed God and had turned their backs on him. Now that the group has been disciplined, God's anger is subsiding. God used Babylon to discipline those disobedient people, but he did not allow them to be completely destroyed. Like any good parent who disciplines his children, God disciplines us. But also like a good parent, God knows us and knows how to discipline us. He knows for how long and to what extent. The people in the scripture here, the remaining remnant of the disobedient group, suffered with their overall group. But God was with them throughout and with them in their restoration. Verse 15 refers to God being with us. The people in the scripture today did not experience the presence of God in the way that we Christians do today. Today we have the Holy Spirit within us. Hopefully, when we go through issues and we keep our faith firmly in hand and come through to the other side of the issue, then we'll feel the presence of God in our lives even more so. When we have been tested, we should celebrate and share our testimony with others. Verse 15 also states, Thou shalt not see evil anymore. This does not mean that the people in the verse here or we today will live cushy lives at ease with no problems. We are not of this world, but we are in this world, and we will have problems. We will especially have problems that we ourselves cause. When I look back over my life, many of my biggest problems and my biggest issues have been the results of my doing what I thought was best at the time. This is another reminder that we should always seek guidance from God before making any decisions, especially before making any big decisions. The second section of today's text, verses sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen, reads In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not, and to Zion, let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. This section starts out with a reference to that day. This is an encouraging statement of assurance. That day is a definite statement of a future occurrence, not a someday maybe, but that day, that specific day. Zephaniah does not specify the amount of time until that day, but he is very clear that it will happen. In the meantime, while they are waiting for that day, the people are not to be slack. I believe this means that they are to be busy doing the work of the family business, God's work. God is with us, guiding us and strengthening us daily to do our work. Regardless of what our individual gifts and abilities are, God is happy when we use them to further His kingdom. When we use them to bring happiness, joy, and incredible peace to those around us. The last verse in this section shows God going to those remnants who are holding on to their identities of shame and are not rejoicing. It seems here that they are not able to rejoice because they have not let go of their burdens of shame. They are physically free, but remain mentally enslaved. They are carrying the pain and the shame of what happened to them, even though they had nothing to do with it. This verse shows God going to them and helping them to see their true identities, and with this clear acknowledgement and understanding of who they really and truly are, they regain their joy and their peace. The last section of today's text, verses nineteen and twenty, reads Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee, and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out, and I will give them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you, for I'll make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth. When I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord. The last section here to me is a reminder that we live in a sin ravaged world, and therefore our full deliverance is still to come. In the meantime, let us all work in the family business, holding on to God's hand, enjoying the present, and joyously looking forward to that day. As Romans eight verses thirty eight and nine state, for I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This further assurance should provide peace to many of us who look in the mirror and ask, how can God love me with all that I have done and with how far short I have fallen? I myself have been guilty of this and will likely, despite all my best efforts, be guilty of it again. When these worries plague us, let us remember this verse, and remember that God loves us and that nothing can change that. That concludes our scripture discussion for today. Thank you for spending this time with me talking about, learning about, and enjoying Christ. It is my hope that God has used my words to touch you today and has brought you closer to Him. Let us pray. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debt to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.