WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.240 Thanks, Nikki. We are in Hidden Treasures, a 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:05.960 journey in Zephaniah. Prior to me announcing 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:08.259 this a couple weeks ago in the seven of you that 00:00:08.259 --> 00:00:10.560 probably went back to A double check, Zephaniah 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:12.880 was a book of the Bible and maybe read it. How 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:15.740 many people have ever really spent time in the 00:00:15.740 --> 00:00:19.579 Minor Prophet Zephaniah prior to 45 days ago? 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:24.460 That's about right. Because it is a these minor 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:27.500 prophets don't get a whole lot of play if you 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:31.899 will outside of maybe Advent Because there's 00:00:31.899 --> 00:00:35.320 usually one or two very specific Specific verses 00:00:35.320 --> 00:00:37.939 and on these little minor prophets that because 00:00:37.939 --> 00:00:40.200 all of it is pointing toward Jesus right good 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:44.079 reformed theology We see Jesus in every jot and 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:48.259 tittle of the book Every chapter can be pointed 00:00:48.259 --> 00:00:51.460 toward the person of Christ. Every book speaks, 00:00:51.740 --> 00:00:56.560 whether in upcoming messianic texts or gospels 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:59.840 and post -resurrection and ascension. But what 00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:02.000 we have to understand about Zephaniah is that 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:05.840 he is an urgent prophet. Now I would kind of 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:08.540 think most prophets had a sense of urgency because 00:01:08.540 --> 00:01:11.859 prophets were called. That's the big thing about 00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:14.790 prophets. Prophets were called for a specific 00:01:14.790 --> 00:01:19.569 reason in a specific season for the life of Israel 00:01:19.569 --> 00:01:23.090 life of the church of God's people if you will 00:01:23.090 --> 00:01:27.370 and So we hear this prophet saying very specific 00:01:27.370 --> 00:01:30.530 things now all of the prophets even the last 00:01:30.530 --> 00:01:34.349 prophet who would be deemed who? The last prophet 00:01:34.349 --> 00:01:36.269 for a cup of coffee in a conversation with Pastor 00:01:36.269 --> 00:01:39.109 Jim would be most theologians believe it is to 00:01:39.109 --> 00:01:49.140 be No Gotcha. No? This could go a very long time. 00:01:49.579 --> 00:01:52.180 John the Baptist, that he is the prophet, the 00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:55.239 voice in the wilderness pointing towards the 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:58.060 Lord. We go prophet, we go Old Testament. There 00:01:58.060 --> 00:02:00.319 was a prophet in the New Testament. It was John 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:03.920 the Baptist, cousin of Jesus. I will enjoy that 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:07.659 coffee by myself. But understand that prophets 00:02:07.659 --> 00:02:11.520 had a job to do. Prophets in the Old Testament 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:16.259 was someone sent by God to remind people of the 00:02:16.259 --> 00:02:20.219 truth. That was their job. We see it done in 00:02:20.219 --> 00:02:23.300 a variety of different ways. You think of the 00:02:23.300 --> 00:02:27.560 prophet Nathan having to call out the adultery 00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:31.860 in David and the repentance and the relentness 00:02:31.860 --> 00:02:35.259 that took place as far as David keeping his calling. 00:02:36.659 --> 00:02:41.539 You see the prophet Daniel. helping Nebuchadnezzar 00:02:41.539 --> 00:02:45.379 with dreams, only to have kind of a hit put out 00:02:45.379 --> 00:02:47.939 on his life. He ends up in a lion's den, yet 00:02:47.939 --> 00:02:50.759 doesn't get eaten. So prophets' journeys were 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:54.360 not all that easy. You have prophets like Jeremiah 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:58.840 and Isaiah, known as the weeping prophets. And 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:01.560 they weren't always tears of joy. They were running 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:05.319 for their life. They were heartbroken to, oh 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:07.659 man, heartbroken doesn't even do, they are devastated 00:03:07.659 --> 00:03:12.039 by the fickleness of the people of Israel. That 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:14.659 the prophets were seen as seers but not in any 00:03:14.659 --> 00:03:17.719 kind of like black magic way. You think of Eli 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:21.580 and Samuel. You think of the jobs they had to 00:03:21.580 --> 00:03:26.259 do with the kings of Israel. That part of the 00:03:26.259 --> 00:03:28.740 prophet's job was to call back, to call the people 00:03:28.740 --> 00:03:31.620 back to the covenant that God made with them 00:03:31.620 --> 00:03:34.280 that we see through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:03:35.030 --> 00:03:38.189 Call people back to obedience. Call people back 00:03:38.189 --> 00:03:41.909 to God's heart. They pointed people again and 00:03:41.909 --> 00:03:45.469 again to God's commands, Old Testament. Follow 00:03:45.469 --> 00:03:50.490 the law. And we see now, in some ways, we are 00:03:50.490 --> 00:03:53.990 all prophets of the resurrected Jesus, calling 00:03:53.990 --> 00:03:57.069 people to love God and to love their neighbor. 00:03:59.610 --> 00:04:02.710 That part, kind of the main part of a prophet's 00:04:02.710 --> 00:04:05.500 job. was showing God's people their sin, not 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:09.199 to shame them, but to lead them to repentance. 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:11.680 And then when Israel didn't want to do that, 00:04:11.699 --> 00:04:14.780 they had to get kind of urgent, if you will, 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:18.740 with them. So we have Zephaniah, a prophet that 00:04:18.740 --> 00:04:24.639 I deemed on the edge of collapse. Zephaniah needed 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:28.300 a counselor. Zephaniah needed some mental health 00:04:28.300 --> 00:04:32.779 in this season of his life because He feels like 00:04:32.779 --> 00:04:35.800 the world around him, the church, you and I are 00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:39.120 failing him, disappointing him, and so to understand 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:42.660 the force and the urgency of Zephaniah's message, 00:04:44.060 --> 00:04:48.600 I have imagined him kind of looking back on this 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:53.379 great kingdom that was Israel, now corrupt and 00:04:53.379 --> 00:04:56.660 crumbling. So I put Zephaniah, a prophet, at 00:04:56.660 --> 00:04:59.259 the edge of collapse. But real quick, who was 00:04:59.259 --> 00:05:02.149 Zephaniah? Zephaniah was a prophet during the 00:05:02.149 --> 00:05:05.050 reign of King Josiah of Judah. Zephaniah 1 .1, 00:05:05.050 --> 00:05:08.209 we'll get there. Likely in the early part of 00:05:08.209 --> 00:05:10.649 Josiah's reign. One of the ways that you actually 00:05:10.649 --> 00:05:13.410 can read the prophets is by reading the historical 00:05:13.410 --> 00:05:16.410 books that go along with it. There's a thing 00:05:16.410 --> 00:05:18.470 called the internet that you can actually look 00:05:18.470 --> 00:05:21.610 up and find some of that. But reading, reading 00:05:21.610 --> 00:05:24.240 Isaiah by itself is awesome. Though you're going 00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:26.040 to be like, what are all these trees? He must 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:27.939 have been a tree lover. Like, he talks about 00:05:27.939 --> 00:05:30.019 trees all the time. No, that actually meant something. 00:05:30.220 --> 00:05:33.180 And you can actually find that in 1 and 2 Samuel. 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:36.220 You can find some of those prophets in the historical 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:40.500 books. They do combine in the Good Book. But 00:05:40.500 --> 00:05:43.220 this is before King Josiah. It's during the early 00:05:43.220 --> 00:05:46.519 part of Josiah's reign, before Josiah has the 00:05:46.519 --> 00:05:50.589 great reformation of his heart. Zephaniah's genealogy 00:05:50.589 --> 00:05:53.649 is traced back four generations, possibly, as 00:05:53.649 --> 00:05:57.009 I found, which I didn't even know, even to King 00:05:57.009 --> 00:06:00.029 Hezekiah himself, which would make Zephaniah 00:06:00.029 --> 00:06:04.529 of royal blood. That if he was the lineage of 00:06:04.529 --> 00:06:07.670 Hezekiah, who was a king and a priest, then he 00:06:07.670 --> 00:06:10.470 would have been in the line of Aaron that he 00:06:10.470 --> 00:06:14.389 would have had kind of royal Davidic blood. This 00:06:14.389 --> 00:06:17.509 gave him both access and credibility to speak 00:06:17.509 --> 00:06:21.550 boldly to the religious and political elite. 00:06:23.129 --> 00:06:25.410 Not all the prophets could say that. Not all 00:06:25.410 --> 00:06:28.470 the prophets had that ability. So what's going 00:06:28.470 --> 00:06:30.110 on? What is kind of the who, what, when, where, 00:06:30.250 --> 00:06:34.050 why, how of Judah? So Zephaniah prophesied during 00:06:34.050 --> 00:06:37.850 a time of spiritual confusion and social corruption. 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:42.759 I could probably say that, that he was prophesying 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:46.920 in 2025. King Manasseh's long reign before Josiah, 00:06:47.060 --> 00:06:51.540 55 years, had plunged Judah into idolatry, child 00:06:51.540 --> 00:06:55.360 sacrifice, and injustice. The temple had been 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.000 desecrated, pagan altars were even built within 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:02.740 the courts, 2 Kings 21. Though Josiah would later 00:07:02.740 --> 00:07:05.500 begin reforms and kind of get back on the straight 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:08.370 and narrow, if you will. He had not done that 00:07:08.370 --> 00:07:11.329 yet. That had not been taken a hold. It was surface 00:07:11.329 --> 00:07:15.490 level at best. And how do you know kind of the 00:07:15.490 --> 00:07:18.209 mental health of a prophet is look at what the 00:07:18.209 --> 00:07:20.970 king is doing. Because more times than not, these 00:07:20.970 --> 00:07:23.910 prophets were called to come alongside the king 00:07:23.910 --> 00:07:27.410 as some kind of spiritual advisor. I mean, more 00:07:27.410 --> 00:07:30.410 than that, it was a prophet of God. People were 00:07:30.410 --> 00:07:33.290 religiously apathetic. They were kind of trying 00:07:33.290 --> 00:07:35.589 to find what all religions had to do with each 00:07:35.589 --> 00:07:37.990 other and tried to live that kind of universalist 00:07:37.990 --> 00:07:42.649 line, offering lip service to Yahweh while worshiping 00:07:42.649 --> 00:07:46.949 Baal, Molech, and the stars. There was kind of 00:07:46.949 --> 00:07:50.790 a newfound sub -religion of just worshiping nature 00:07:50.790 --> 00:07:57.189 for nature's sake. Socially, what was going on? 00:07:57.230 --> 00:08:00.689 The poor were being oppressed. The courts were 00:08:00.689 --> 00:08:06.480 corrupted. and violence run rampant. Not a fun 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:09.420 time to be a prophet of God. That call would 00:08:09.420 --> 00:08:11.540 have easily been like, God, can you please go 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:15.319 find somebody else? But unfortunately, Judah 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:18.160 is ripe for judgment, and Zephaniah was sent 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:24.060 to declare that God's patience had a limit. Let's 00:08:24.060 --> 00:08:27.379 pause there for a minute. Some of you might be 00:08:27.379 --> 00:08:29.579 going, I didn't know God's patience had limits. 00:08:29.949 --> 00:08:32.110 Every good parent's patience has limits, even 00:08:32.110 --> 00:08:36.429 the holy one, that is God. But one of the things 00:08:36.429 --> 00:08:38.629 we see in the Old Testament time and time again 00:08:38.629 --> 00:08:42.029 is the anger side, the justified, righteous anger 00:08:42.029 --> 00:08:47.149 of God who audaciously loves us. Excuse me, I 00:08:47.149 --> 00:08:53.730 have a tickle in the back of my throat. That 00:08:53.730 --> 00:08:57.370 sometimes, as a parent, you need to discipline 00:08:57.370 --> 00:09:00.059 your kids. to try to get them back on the straight 00:09:00.059 --> 00:09:02.500 and narrow. And time and time again in the Old 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:05.580 Testament we see this. One of the things I think 00:09:05.580 --> 00:09:07.080 we have to understand if we're going to really 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:09.700 dive in the next five weeks to Zephaniah is what's 00:09:09.700 --> 00:09:11.980 going on in the world. So we have what's going 00:09:11.980 --> 00:09:14.840 on in Judah with God's people, but the Assyrian 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:18.000 Empire dominated the region and destroyed the 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:20.000 northern kingdom of Israel. This was roughly 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:24.549 722 BC. But that was starting on the decline. 00:09:24.750 --> 00:09:27.070 We see some opportunities for God's people to 00:09:27.070 --> 00:09:30.610 rise up. But Babylon was rising. It had not fully 00:09:30.610 --> 00:09:33.610 taken power yet. And Josiah's Judah found itself 00:09:33.610 --> 00:09:37.809 in a brief window of opportunity. Kind of a pause 00:09:37.809 --> 00:09:41.629 between the two empires. This was a strategic 00:09:41.629 --> 00:09:45.009 moment to repent, to reform, and to return to 00:09:45.009 --> 00:09:47.269 God. That would have made a good sermon. That 00:09:47.269 --> 00:09:49.889 we need to repent, reform, and return to God. 00:09:50.049 --> 00:09:53.240 So there's an urgency here. We see This window 00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:56.360 of time that God calls Zephaniah, he brings in 00:09:56.360 --> 00:09:59.320 the righty to try to bring the people of God 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:04.340 to a good place. But there's urgency because 00:10:04.340 --> 00:10:06.960 of that short period of time. What I love about 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:08.659 these minor prophets is they kind of get in, 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:11.220 do their job, and get out. That seemed to be 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:14.840 their role. Zephaniah's message is one of impending 00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:17.100 judgment. That's why the urgency, not just for 00:10:17.100 --> 00:10:19.460 the pagan nations, but for God's own people. 00:10:20.029 --> 00:10:24.429 Prophets weren't just prophesying so the Israelites 00:10:24.429 --> 00:10:26.850 could understand, but they wanted, as kind of 00:10:26.850 --> 00:10:29.549 evangelism of the Old Testament, to let all the 00:10:29.549 --> 00:10:31.750 other world religions know that, hey, this Yahweh's 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:36.009 coming down, and he is gonna take over. He is 00:10:36.009 --> 00:10:39.110 not vague. Zephaniah speaks of a day that is 00:10:39.110 --> 00:10:42.529 near, total, and inescapable, the day of the 00:10:42.529 --> 00:10:44.649 Lord, and we'll get to that in the coming weeks. 00:10:45.649 --> 00:10:48.049 This wasn't just about foreign enemies, but it 00:10:48.049 --> 00:10:50.639 was about the moral collapse that was going on 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:53.740 within the people of God, and I think what we 00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:55.860 could say is the moral failings of ourselves. 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:58.559 Zephaniah speaks into a world not unlike our 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:02.379 own. Religious compromise, injustice, corrupt 00:11:02.379 --> 00:11:06.259 leadership, global instability. The call then 00:11:06.259 --> 00:11:09.620 is the same call now, friends. Wake up, return 00:11:09.620 --> 00:11:13.720 to the Lord, prepare for that day. So let's jump 00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:17.549 in. Let's jump in with what we call it what I'm 00:11:17.549 --> 00:11:19.710 kind of calling the anatomy of judgment that 00:11:19.710 --> 00:11:21.370 if we're gonna understand a prophet you got to 00:11:21.370 --> 00:11:23.450 understand the judgment they're bringing much 00:11:23.450 --> 00:11:26.330 like you're not gonna understand the Israelites 00:11:26.330 --> 00:11:28.590 time in Egypt without understanding the judgments 00:11:28.590 --> 00:11:32.909 of the plagues why judgments Why can't God just 00:11:32.909 --> 00:11:35.789 kind of snap his fingers and everybody and start 00:11:35.789 --> 00:11:38.830 over? Well, he did that once he does that with 00:11:38.830 --> 00:11:42.090 the angel of death the last the last plague in 00:11:42.090 --> 00:11:45.690 Egypt I liken it to God doesn't want to go to 00:11:45.690 --> 00:11:48.389 death first. He wants to give opportunities, 00:11:48.809 --> 00:11:51.610 signs, wonders to wake people up to go, wow, 00:11:51.690 --> 00:11:54.250 God is God, he is bigger than me, and that's 00:11:54.250 --> 00:11:57.070 okay, and I'm gonna live for him. So let's start 00:11:57.070 --> 00:12:00.830 in verse two. God's sweeping judgment will purify 00:12:00.830 --> 00:12:05.169 creation. I will utterly sweep away everything 00:12:05.169 --> 00:12:07.730 from the face of the earth declares the Lord. 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:12.659 I will sweep away man and beast. I will sweep 00:12:12.659 --> 00:12:15.100 away the birds of the heavens and the fish of 00:12:15.100 --> 00:12:17.700 the sea and the rubble of the wicked. I will 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:20.620 cut off mankind from the face of the earth, declares 00:12:20.620 --> 00:12:23.460 the Lord. I will stretch out my hand against 00:12:23.460 --> 00:12:25.940 Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:29.000 I will cut off from this place the remnant of 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:33.360 Baal and the name of the idolatrous, someone 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:36.600 else say it for me. Thank you. Priests along 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:41.360 with the priests. declares the Lord. Prophets 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:45.259 got to say this. That was part of their role. 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:48.039 That was something they got to use. A card they 00:12:48.039 --> 00:12:50.659 could play. We have to be very careful with it. 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:54.139 I liken that to the kid, one of the kids in my 00:12:54.139 --> 00:12:57.059 very first youth group, who came to me and said, 00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:01.379 Jim, I feel the Lord is calling me to not only 00:13:01.379 --> 00:13:04.200 ask out this girl, but that one day I'm gonna 00:13:04.200 --> 00:13:07.210 marry her. I go, do you know her last name? He 00:13:07.210 --> 00:13:10.389 says, no, it doesn't matter. I said, have you 00:13:10.389 --> 00:13:15.090 talked to her? No. Okay, do you think God told 00:13:15.090 --> 00:13:18.669 her this? It doesn't matter, he told me. I said, 00:13:18.690 --> 00:13:21.490 I wouldn't lead with that. Okay, sometimes as 00:13:21.490 --> 00:13:23.330 youth pastor you have to coach relationships, 00:13:23.669 --> 00:13:26.909 right? He did, didn't go well, never talked to 00:13:26.909 --> 00:13:30.860 her again. Understand that when we have those 00:13:30.860 --> 00:13:33.740 kind of thoughts and unfortunately you may have 00:13:33.740 --> 00:13:36.379 been the victim of or have caused kind of that 00:13:36.379 --> 00:13:38.600 spiritual abuse to another person where you say, 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:42.519 the Lord is telling me to tell you this. Oh friend, 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:46.440 that is such a dangerous place to be in. That's 00:13:46.440 --> 00:13:47.940 that whole understanding. If you're gonna throw 00:13:47.940 --> 00:13:51.139 stones, you better make sure that you're clean. 00:13:51.539 --> 00:13:53.220 You better make sure your nose is clean before 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:56.600 you call it out on somebody else. didn't have 00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:58.899 to worry about that because they were called 00:13:58.899 --> 00:14:04.899 by God. They were called to bring a message and 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:07.340 normally it was a message of judgment and destruction. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:12.500 One of the things we see here, we see in what 00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:15.759 Zephaniah is saying is that God has a plan to 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:19.029 wipe everybody out. It's not a fun saying. Don't 00:14:19.029 --> 00:14:21.049 know anyone that wants to just ring a bell and 00:14:21.049 --> 00:14:24.269 go down Ridge Road or go down 41 and say believe 00:14:24.269 --> 00:14:26.470 or you're all gonna burn Believe or you're all 00:14:26.470 --> 00:14:29.929 gonna burn if you enjoy the evangelism like that 00:14:29.929 --> 00:14:32.169 Let's have a conversation because I don't think 00:14:32.169 --> 00:14:36.649 that's the best way to do it But the thing is 00:14:36.649 --> 00:14:39.350 prophets minor or major and again The only reason 00:14:39.350 --> 00:14:41.409 why they got those titles is the size of the 00:14:41.409 --> 00:14:43.950 book that they wrote Minor prophets had small 00:14:43.950 --> 00:14:46.230 books major prophets had major books. That was 00:14:46.230 --> 00:14:48.070 pretty much it. Don't go too far else with it 00:14:48.350 --> 00:14:55.730 That complacency is the danger. You fall complacent, 00:14:56.330 --> 00:14:59.289 the next step according to Zephaniah is just 00:14:59.289 --> 00:15:04.490 flat out open rebellion against God. For those 00:15:04.490 --> 00:15:07.009 that are parents or aunts or uncles or grandparents 00:15:07.009 --> 00:15:10.610 and you're babysitting and the kid knows that 00:15:10.610 --> 00:15:14.980 you're the babysitter. There's some deep understanding 00:15:14.980 --> 00:15:18.259 of what it means that you're not my mom and dad. 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:21.740 And they think they can actually say that. I 00:15:21.740 --> 00:15:25.059 hope to be the kind of grandparent one day that 00:15:25.059 --> 00:15:28.220 my grandkids will know not to say that to me. 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:32.799 Because the easy comeback is what? I created 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:35.899 your mom and dad. That is that trump card that 00:15:35.899 --> 00:15:38.899 you get to play. But understand that if there's 00:15:38.899 --> 00:15:43.720 that complacency, If that's not checked, it turns 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:46.799 to open rebellion very quickly. And we see that. 00:15:47.159 --> 00:15:49.679 And think about it. Think about being the people 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:52.440 of Israel in this time. You could just turn one 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:54.799 degree right, or one degree left, and you could 00:15:54.799 --> 00:15:56.399 be a part of that world of religion. You could 00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:58.100 be a part of that world of religion. I don't 00:15:58.100 --> 00:16:00.460 think it's too different than today. That if 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:03.220 you say, ah, Christianity, not for me. Ah, this 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:05.600 God, this Yahweh, mm, I'm not gonna do it. You 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:08.620 could turn tomorrow and be endowed because of 00:16:08.620 --> 00:16:11.500 the internet. with all kinds of information of 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:14.500 a new way to live your life. Friend, that's open 00:16:14.500 --> 00:16:17.919 rebellion against God. It starts with a complacent 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:21.779 moment, hour, day, week, year, season of your 00:16:21.779 --> 00:16:25.899 life. Complacency is just as dangerous as open 00:16:25.899 --> 00:16:29.740 rebellion because judgment begins at the house 00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:33.820 of the Lord. We're gonna see him use the word 00:16:33.820 --> 00:16:39.500 woe, W -O -E. Now, people say the word woe, My 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:42.440 mind goes to Uncle Jesse in Fuller House. That 00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:45.600 just shows a little bit of my age. But understand, 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:47.620 little ones, you don't understand that. He doesn't 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:50.639 say it in Fuller House. What a joke. But anyway, 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:57.440 that's not what this is. W -O -E, never a good 00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:00.440 thing. Woe to you if, blah, blah, blah, blah, 00:17:00.440 --> 00:17:04.059 blah, we'll get there. But judgment, the first 00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:06.759 and foremost job of a prophet was to bring judgment 00:17:06.759 --> 00:17:10.240 to the house of the Lord, to the people of Judah. 00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:14.440 So verse seven. Verse seven, be silent before 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:17.619 the Lord God. For the day of the Lord is near. 00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:21.059 The Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:24.079 His guests. And on the day of the Lord's sacrifice, 00:17:24.380 --> 00:17:27.240 I will punish the officials and the king's son 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:30.599 and all who array themselves in foreign attire. 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:33.519 On that day, I will punish everyone who leaps 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:36.599 over the threshold and those who fill their master's 00:17:36.599 --> 00:17:41.109 house with violence and fraud. On that day, declares 00:17:41.109 --> 00:17:44.069 the Lord, a cry will be heard from the fish gate, 00:17:44.410 --> 00:17:47.150 the whale from the second quarter, a loud crash 00:17:47.150 --> 00:17:50.490 from the hill. Whale, O inhabitants of the mortar, 00:17:51.049 --> 00:17:54.490 for all the traders are of no more. All who weigh 00:17:54.490 --> 00:17:59.029 out silver are cut off. At that time I will search 00:17:59.029 --> 00:18:02.170 Jerusalem with lambs. I will punish the men who 00:18:02.170 --> 00:18:05.109 are complacent. Those who say in their heart, 00:18:05.309 --> 00:18:09.170 the Lord will not do good, nor will He do ill. 00:18:09.490 --> 00:18:12.369 Their goods shall be plundered and their houses 00:18:12.369 --> 00:18:15.430 laid rest. Though they build houses, they shall 00:18:15.430 --> 00:18:17.829 not inhabit them. Though they plant vineyards, 00:18:17.930 --> 00:18:23.150 they shall not drink wine from them. Not fun 00:18:23.150 --> 00:18:27.569 things, but judgment begins at the house of the 00:18:27.569 --> 00:18:30.769 Lord. This passage resonates with one of our 00:18:30.769 --> 00:18:33.390 confessions. It's Belgian Confession Article 00:18:33.390 --> 00:18:36.410 29, which reminds us that the true church is 00:18:36.410 --> 00:18:39.950 marked not by a mere outward appearance, but 00:18:39.950 --> 00:18:43.470 by a life of faith and repentance. What Zephaniah 00:18:43.470 --> 00:18:46.990 is saying, you may be religious, but are you 00:18:46.990 --> 00:18:51.230 righteous? And that's the first record, right? 00:18:51.369 --> 00:18:53.609 That is the weak record for all of us. You may 00:18:53.609 --> 00:18:58.240 be religious, but are you righteous? Because 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:00.720 all of the symbolism that was just said it would 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:03.680 take hours to go dive through it But these people 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:05.819 fell in love with their commerce they fell in 00:19:05.819 --> 00:19:07.900 love with making money. They fell in love with 00:19:07.900 --> 00:19:10.599 trade They fell in love with building their houses 00:19:10.599 --> 00:19:14.480 in certain ways mob families all of these things 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:18.500 None of it got honoring all of it open rebellion 00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:23.839 against God Though you may be religious are you 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:28.309 righteous but as you see He's pointing to a day. 00:19:28.970 --> 00:19:31.569 He's pointing to a day. Not a glorious day that 00:19:31.569 --> 00:19:35.829 we sung about. A day of terrible judgment. He's 00:19:35.829 --> 00:19:39.130 pointing toward it. Sense the urgency. Lean in 00:19:39.130 --> 00:19:43.089 to what he is trying to get across. And he kind 00:19:43.089 --> 00:19:47.150 of finishes this thought in verse 14. The great 00:19:47.150 --> 00:19:50.529 day of the Lord is near. Near and hasting fast. 00:19:50.630 --> 00:19:53.430 The sound of the day of the Lord is bitter. The 00:19:53.430 --> 00:19:57.190 mighty man cries aloud there. The day of wrath 00:19:57.190 --> 00:20:00.950 is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a 00:20:00.950 --> 00:20:03.990 day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness 00:20:03.990 --> 00:20:06.710 and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 00:20:07.009 --> 00:20:09.549 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against 00:20:09.549 --> 00:20:12.150 the fortified cities and against the lawfully 00:20:12.150 --> 00:20:15.329 battlements. I will bring distress on mankind 00:20:15.329 --> 00:20:18.089 so that they shall walk like the blind because 00:20:18.089 --> 00:20:20.430 they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood 00:20:20.430 --> 00:20:23.029 shall be poured out like dust and their flesh 00:20:23.029 --> 00:20:26.029 like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold 00:20:26.029 --> 00:20:29.170 shall be able to deliver them on the day of the 00:20:29.170 --> 00:20:33.329 wrath of the Lord. In the fire of his jealousy 00:20:33.329 --> 00:20:36.750 all the earth shall be consumed. For a full and 00:20:36.750 --> 00:20:39.809 sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants 00:20:39.809 --> 00:20:48.670 of the earth." There's a lot there. Notice that 00:20:48.670 --> 00:20:51.089 jealousy word? It goes back to the Ten Commandments. 00:20:51.899 --> 00:20:54.740 In one of the most vivid descriptions in scripture, 00:20:55.259 --> 00:20:58.079 the day of the Lord's judgment is described. 00:20:58.539 --> 00:21:01.039 Now, all of us at Munster Church, and if you're 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:03.700 new, and you didn't journey with us last year 00:21:03.700 --> 00:21:05.619 in the journey of Revelation, some of that, you're 00:21:05.619 --> 00:21:08.420 like, oh no, we got that. We did a whole sermon 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:10.779 series about that day in the book of Revelation. 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:13.700 This is just a very shortened version of it. 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:16.460 But it's just as terrible, and it's just as great. 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:19.640 Not great as in woo -hoo, give me another, but 00:21:19.640 --> 00:21:23.630 great as in This is it. The great and terrible 00:21:23.630 --> 00:21:27.309 day of the Lord. But three things that we need 00:21:27.309 --> 00:21:31.630 to pull out of this today. A Lord that gives 00:21:31.630 --> 00:21:36.410 a message like this is a Lord that's near. I 00:21:36.410 --> 00:21:39.450 liken that to just disciplining somebody. Right? 00:21:39.450 --> 00:21:42.769 If you have to discipline someone over speakerphone, 00:21:43.210 --> 00:21:45.329 Will Schenkel, when you have to do that to your 00:21:45.329 --> 00:21:49.460 kids or Bethany, when you... Is it mean as much 00:21:49.460 --> 00:21:51.380 if you do it over speakerphone as to face -to 00:21:51.380 --> 00:22:01.019 -face? Why? Why? Yeah, and I could just turn 00:22:01.019 --> 00:22:05.519 you off, right? End. Mid -sentence. No, when 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:08.740 it's face -to -face. If I have to call, if I 00:22:08.740 --> 00:22:11.259 have to text my boys, you know, you better be 00:22:11.259 --> 00:22:13.140 ready when I get home. That's very different 00:22:13.140 --> 00:22:15.980 than if it's my voice or they see it in my face. 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:20.119 What the prophets job was was to be the voice 00:22:20.119 --> 00:22:24.539 and face of the Lord a God that is near bringing 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:29.059 a message because he loves them Discipline rooted 00:22:29.059 --> 00:22:32.380 in love is the discipline or chiding of the Bible. 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:37.740 It's the discipline of our Lord. He is near Being 00:22:37.740 --> 00:22:40.599 an absentee parent and trying to absentee discipline 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:43.640 doesn't work and really all that does it frustrates 00:22:43.640 --> 00:22:46.519 your kid probably makes him sarcastic and discourages 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:52.250 them But a God that is near loves near and also 00:22:52.250 --> 00:22:55.329 disciplines near One of the things we need to 00:22:55.329 --> 00:22:59.029 pull out there is a bitter and full crying aloud 00:22:59.029 --> 00:23:02.970 This meant something to God's people then it 00:23:02.970 --> 00:23:09.089 should mean something to us now Clean the household 00:23:09.089 --> 00:23:12.230 get your life right because you don't want to 00:23:12.230 --> 00:23:16.150 be on the other end of this The third thing is 00:23:16.150 --> 00:23:19.359 that the day of wrath Distress, anguish, ruin, 00:23:19.900 --> 00:23:22.640 darkness, gloom, trumpet blasts, battle cries 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:27.640 is not a good day. But if you are in the Lord, 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:33.019 though your temporary may be affected, your eternal 00:23:33.019 --> 00:23:39.799 day is secure. There is a purpose and an ending 00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:44.839 to this kind of suffering. Oh, but pastor, I 00:23:44.839 --> 00:23:48.339 don't really wanna, I don't like suffering. I 00:23:48.339 --> 00:23:50.339 don't really wanna have to worry about suffering. 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:53.240 Friend, then Christianity is something you don't 00:23:53.240 --> 00:23:56.500 understand. That as believers, we are going to 00:23:56.500 --> 00:23:58.640 suffer in this life, whether from doing things 00:23:58.640 --> 00:24:01.079 to ourselves, having other people do things to 00:24:01.079 --> 00:24:03.579 us, or us do stuff to other people. Suffering 00:24:03.579 --> 00:24:06.539 is part of that, but there will be an end. See, 00:24:06.579 --> 00:24:10.119 Zephaniah's not holding back. Because this is 00:24:10.119 --> 00:24:15.380 a warning of mercy. If there's a warning of mercy, 00:24:15.460 --> 00:24:19.400 that means there's a reason for mercy. He ends 00:24:19.400 --> 00:24:22.380 with this truth, neither their silver nor their 00:24:22.380 --> 00:24:25.720 gold shall be able to deliver them from the wrath 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:31.380 of God. What does that mean for us? What are 00:24:31.380 --> 00:24:34.079 you relying on for your security? Is it a love 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:37.480 of money? Comfort? Religious habit? Friends, 00:24:37.559 --> 00:24:40.339 these cannot save, Zephaniah is reminding you 00:24:40.339 --> 00:24:42.079 and giving you a pretty grand description of 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:44.859 how they're gonna get taken away. Only God's 00:24:44.859 --> 00:24:52.200 mercy can save. So I think that points us to, 00:24:52.339 --> 00:24:55.599 then what is our need? Okay, if I can't put my 00:24:55.599 --> 00:24:58.000 comfort in all of these things, why do I put 00:24:58.000 --> 00:25:00.119 my comfort in? Well, the person that is your 00:25:00.119 --> 00:25:03.940 comfort, the person of Jesus. You see, he, in 00:25:03.940 --> 00:25:06.539 this scripture, in what we can pull out, Jesus 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:09.700 is the justice, the purification, and the mercy 00:25:09.700 --> 00:25:13.319 in Zephaniah's words. Zephaniah points forward 00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:18.400 to a fuller day of the Lord in Christ. Jesus 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:21.880 bears the fullness of God's wrath on the cross, 00:25:22.299 --> 00:25:25.359 taking the judgment we deserve. That Jesus is 00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:27.980 the true remnant, the faithful one who stood 00:25:27.980 --> 00:25:33.940 in our place. He will return again to judge the 00:25:33.940 --> 00:25:36.079 living and the dead. The Heideberg Catechism, 00:25:36.380 --> 00:25:40.410 question answer 52. In all distress and persecution, 00:25:40.970 --> 00:25:45.289 with uplifted head, I confidently await the very 00:25:45.289 --> 00:25:49.069 judge who has already offered himself for me. 00:25:50.549 --> 00:25:53.309 When you have a relationship with the judge, 00:25:54.130 --> 00:25:58.509 the consequences lessen. Though again, initially 00:25:58.509 --> 00:26:01.430 it may hurt, we understand that in eternity it 00:26:01.430 --> 00:26:04.430 won't. The day of the Lord is both a warning 00:26:04.430 --> 00:26:10.019 and a hope. Because through judgment comes refining. 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:13.559 Friends, there are consequences for action. That's 00:26:13.559 --> 00:26:17.460 why forgiveness is so important. Have you sinned 00:26:17.460 --> 00:26:20.819 against someone this week? Seek forgiveness. 00:26:21.660 --> 00:26:24.480 Has someone sinned against you? Go and show them 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:28.559 their fault, Jesus says in Matthew 18. Seek that 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:33.460 forgiveness. Do the work. But if we're honest, 00:26:33.460 --> 00:26:36.940 it's hard. It's hard because what are they gonna 00:26:36.940 --> 00:26:39.980 think? How is that relationship gonna go? Is 00:26:39.980 --> 00:26:41.920 there going to be, is that relationship going 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:45.240 to end? Sometimes it does. But if the relationship 00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:48.259 ends without the forgiveness, guess what? The 00:26:48.259 --> 00:26:52.279 forgiveness is still needed. We can unfriend, 00:26:52.420 --> 00:26:54.859 we can block, we can delete, we can do all these 00:26:54.859 --> 00:26:58.240 things. But if you're harboring an unforgiveness 00:26:58.240 --> 00:27:02.180 against them, that is active sin. And guess what? 00:27:02.619 --> 00:27:05.930 Don't plan to partake next week. in the table 00:27:05.930 --> 00:27:09.250 of the Lord. Seek that forgiveness, be forgiven 00:27:09.250 --> 00:27:13.450 by God and others, so you can come rightly to 00:27:13.450 --> 00:27:18.130 the table of the Lord. Paul doubles down on that 00:27:18.130 --> 00:27:19.789 when it comes to the sacrament of communion. 00:27:21.029 --> 00:27:23.430 Because he says, if you take it in an unright 00:27:23.430 --> 00:27:31.210 manner, you are taking anyone? Damnation onto 00:27:31.210 --> 00:27:33.369 yourself. And you're like, oh, I didn't want 00:27:33.369 --> 00:27:36.319 to swear in church. But that's what he says. 00:27:37.619 --> 00:27:40.160 Do you see the importance of being a prophet 00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:43.839 of God, of giving the word of the Lord and giving 00:27:43.839 --> 00:27:48.019 the testimony of his truth? The day of the Lord 00:27:48.019 --> 00:27:50.839 is a warning and a hope because through judgment 00:27:50.839 --> 00:27:54.940 comes refining. And as we're gonna see, we're 00:27:54.940 --> 00:27:59.440 not done just after today, restoration is on 00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:02.539 the horizon. That is one of the greatest things 00:28:02.539 --> 00:28:07.039 I love about Jesus Christ. Lord and Savior, is 00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:10.839 when He forgives, He forgives. When we forgive, 00:28:11.400 --> 00:28:15.400 we should forget, though that is hard. And I 00:28:15.400 --> 00:28:17.279 know the whole forgive and forget thing, especially 00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:19.339 in modern day psychology, gets like, well, that's 00:28:19.339 --> 00:28:20.720 kind of a dangerous thing, because you're setting 00:28:20.720 --> 00:28:23.839 yourself up to be hurt again. I push back on 00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:26.660 that. That there's forgiveness from the situation 00:28:26.660 --> 00:28:30.039 or the sin and forgetting it, it's kind of like 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:32.240 God says from the East is from the West, I remember 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:35.240 your sin no more. What that is, is I'm not tacking 00:28:35.240 --> 00:28:38.400 it to your person anymore. When I engage you, 00:28:38.599 --> 00:28:40.880 I'm not engaging that sin because I have forgiven 00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:44.559 it. I see you now as a new creation, a new thing. 00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:50.400 And 99 .9%, 100 % of us really stink at that. 00:28:51.299 --> 00:28:53.619 Because I'll forgive you. We'll be forgiven. 00:28:54.919 --> 00:28:57.259 The next time I talk to you, I may throw it in 00:28:57.259 --> 00:29:01.259 there again, or I may wait. No, we can't do that. 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:03.400 Well, Jim, doesn't that mean I'm just setting 00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:05.619 myself up to be hurt again? Yeah, if you put 00:29:05.619 --> 00:29:07.359 yourself in that situation, but that's a you 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:11.980 issue at that point. Forgive and forgiveness 00:29:11.980 --> 00:29:16.900 are two huge aspects of the body of Christ. The 00:29:16.900 --> 00:29:20.039 church should forgive. The church should be the 00:29:20.039 --> 00:29:24.440 leader in forgiveness. Friends, I love you. We're 00:29:24.440 --> 00:29:30.579 the worst at it. Oh, you sinned. I think you're 00:29:30.579 --> 00:29:34.140 out. Some of you have been a part of churches 00:29:34.140 --> 00:29:38.079 like that. A one -and -done strategy? I don't 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:40.859 see that in Scripture at all. Now, I'm not saying 00:29:40.859 --> 00:29:43.000 let's just completely sin because we know we're 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:45.740 going to be forgiven. Cheap grace? No. We'll 00:29:45.740 --> 00:29:49.420 never be a church like that either. But where's 00:29:49.420 --> 00:29:52.339 the ground the most level? at the foot of the 00:29:52.339 --> 00:29:55.740 cross. That no matter what your week has been 00:29:55.740 --> 00:29:58.500 like, whether you're wailing like Weston over 00:29:58.500 --> 00:30:02.180 your sin or you're trying to hide it, the Lord 00:30:02.180 --> 00:30:05.559 sees it and wants you to lay it down between 00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:08.279 you and him at the foot of the cross, because 00:30:08.279 --> 00:30:12.380 his judgment is coming. What do we do with all 00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:14.549 this today? We're going to kind of end these 00:30:14.549 --> 00:30:17.349 sermons in similar as to the last one, but add 00:30:17.349 --> 00:30:20.630 a very different kind of major ending. The practical 00:30:20.630 --> 00:30:24.309 stuff. What do we do with this? Zephaniah, or 00:30:24.309 --> 00:30:26.329 as I'm going to call them, Zephy, because I think 00:30:26.329 --> 00:30:30.829 we're friends. First things first, friends. Take 00:30:30.829 --> 00:30:35.769 sin seriously. Don't presume upon grace or hide 00:30:35.769 --> 00:30:39.079 in religious activity. Second, are you living 00:30:39.079 --> 00:30:41.900 with urgency in your message? The nearness of 00:30:41.900 --> 00:30:45.359 God's judgment should stir us to repentance and 00:30:45.359 --> 00:30:51.180 gospel boldness. It should. Third, return to 00:30:51.180 --> 00:30:54.460 reverence. Zephaniah calls us to be silent before 00:30:54.460 --> 00:30:58.180 the Lord. So, first and foremost to me, Jim, 00:30:58.200 --> 00:31:02.240 stop talking. Two of you didn't have to laugh. 00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:08.170 Stop posturing. Stop explaining. Start listening, 00:31:09.210 --> 00:31:12.250 confessing, and responding. Let me say that again. 00:31:13.150 --> 00:31:16.390 Return to reverence. Join me as I try to do that 00:31:16.390 --> 00:31:20.470 in my life. Zephaniah calls us to be silent before 00:31:20.470 --> 00:31:24.990 the Lord, to stop talking, stop posturing and 00:31:24.990 --> 00:31:29.289 explaining. Start listening to one another. Start 00:31:29.289 --> 00:31:33.789 confessing one to another and respond. Respond 00:31:33.789 --> 00:31:39.309 how? with the sword in the stone? No. With a 00:31:39.309 --> 00:31:43.730 hug. With a cup of coffee. With a, I forgive 00:31:43.730 --> 00:31:47.269 you. So as we're gonna end all of these, a good 00:31:47.269 --> 00:31:49.730 prophet is talking about then and talking about 00:31:49.730 --> 00:31:52.369 now. So what is Zephy trying to tell us? Then 00:31:52.369 --> 00:31:56.789 and now. Then, God's people had grown complacent, 00:31:56.910 --> 00:31:59.609 corrupt, and spiritually indifferent. Zephy and 00:31:59.609 --> 00:32:03.009 I had declared, wake up! Especially all those 00:32:03.009 --> 00:32:06.279 that are asleep now. The day of the Lord is near. 00:32:07.240 --> 00:32:10.799 What does that mean for 2025? We live in a world 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:14.920 that similarly mocks God's justice and minimizes 00:32:14.920 --> 00:32:19.720 sin. Zephaniah calls us to honest self -examination, 00:32:20.180 --> 00:32:23.319 repentance, and renewed reverence. And as he 00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:27.019 prepares to see, and as he prepares us to see 00:32:27.019 --> 00:32:30.940 that even judgment is not the end of the story, 00:32:31.420 --> 00:32:36.589 but Christ is. Let's pray.