WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.820 The book of Zephaniah as a whole encourages us to rejoice with hope, but in this first chapter, 00:00:09.339 --> 00:00:19.620 we're invited to fear God because the day of the Lord is near. So, Zephaniah chapter 1. 00:00:20.900 --> 00:00:27.679 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah, son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:33.340 the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah, son of Ammon, king of Judah. 00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:40.219 I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the Lord. I will sweep away both 00:00:40.219 --> 00:00:46.799 man and beast. I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea and the idols that 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:52.579 cause the wicked to stumble. When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth, declares the 00:00:52.579 --> 00:00:58.719 Lord, I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:04.719 every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names of the idolatrous priests, those who 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:09.840 bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord, and who 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:16.519 also swear by Molech, those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor 00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:23.899 inquire of Him. Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord 00:01:23.899 --> 00:01:29.879 has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated those He has invited. On the day of the Lord's sacrifice, 00:01:30.379 --> 00:01:34.920 I will punish the officials and the king's sons and all those clad in foreign clothes. 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:40.959 On that day, I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold, who fill the temple of their gods 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:46.919 with violence and deceit. On that day, declares the Lord, a cry will go up from the fish gate, 00:01:47.459 --> 00:01:53.619 wailing from the new quarter, and a loud crash from the hills. Wail, you who live in the market district. 00:01:54.059 --> 00:01:59.419 All you merchants will be wiped out. All who trade with silver will be destroyed. At that time, 00:01:59.899 --> 00:02:05.099 I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its 00:02:05.099 --> 00:02:11.139 dregs, who think the Lord will do nothing, either good or bad. Their wealth will be plundered, their 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:15.939 houses demolished. Though they build houses, they will not live in them. Though they plant vineyards, 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:23.439 they will not drink the wine. The great day of the Lord is near, near and coming quickly. The cry on the 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:29.240 day of the Lord is bitter. The mighty warrior shouts his battle cry. That day will be a day of wrath, 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:35.960 a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:42.280 and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner 00:02:42.280 --> 00:02:48.500 towers. I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, 00:02:48.920 --> 00:02:53.520 because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their 00:02:53.520 --> 00:03:00.300 entrails like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the 00:03:00.300 --> 00:03:07.960 Lord's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy, the whole earth will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:19.879 of all who live on the earth. Amen. Zephaniah's message, live a certain way because of that certain day, 00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:26.519 because the day of the Lord is near. Maybe we understand that, live a certain way because of a 00:03:26.519 --> 00:03:33.900 certain day. Think about in the world of education. There are times to study and to write because that 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:40.759 day is coming, the day of the test, the exam, the deadline. Perhaps if you work in the financial sector, 00:03:40.900 --> 00:03:45.519 there are times when you know it's coming towards the end of the tax year, there are accounts that need 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:53.680 to be completed. We live a certain way because of a certain day that is coming. And just as we saw this 00:03:53.680 --> 00:04:00.680 morning, this is true for the Christian life also. This is the message that Zephaniah is led to bring. 00:04:02.120 --> 00:04:14.320 Verse 7, be silent, hush, fear the Lord, honour the Lord, because the day of the Lord is near. 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:24.860 There is this future reality in view, the return of the Lord Jesus, to bring judgment and salvation, 00:04:25.860 --> 00:04:35.980 to bring punishment and purifying. And this God calls us to fear him, to respond and to be ready 00:04:35.980 --> 00:04:44.639 that that future reality would shape our present reality. Zephaniah brings that. 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:52.799 Let's do some introductions before we get going. Verse 1 gives us an introduction to the book. 00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:59.620 But to introduce the book itself, Zephaniah focuses very clearly on those themes of the judgment of God 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:07.259 and the salvation of God for his remnant. The message is really clear. Seek the Lord to avoid punishment. 00:05:07.259 --> 00:05:18.879 Wait for the Lord if you are to enjoy salvation. Zephaniah also presents us with who the Lord is, 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:24.759 his character. So in verse 1, we recognise that it's the Lord's word that comes through Zephaniah. 00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:31.759 So this word has authority. This prophecy comes from the Lord himself. And we're given pictures of God 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:38.399 through even this first chapter. So in verse 7, he's the sovereign king, he's the Lord. In verse 14, 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:49.579 he's pictured as the mighty warrior. In verse 18, he is a God who is jealous for his people's worship. 00:05:50.539 --> 00:05:56.199 One reason the day of the Lord brings judgment is because people are not truly worshipping God. 00:05:56.199 --> 00:06:05.659 Zephaniah also introduces himself, doesn't he? We have some very brief descriptions of Zephaniah 00:06:05.659 --> 00:06:12.039 and his family. A couple of interesting facts to draw to your attention. First, that Zephaniah belongs 00:06:12.039 --> 00:06:20.680 to the royal family. See, he's a descendant of Hezekiah, great-great-grandson, or great-great-great. 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:25.639 I'm useless at working that out. So he's from the royal family. And likely as well, 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:39.599 he's a son of Cushi. And he has a real interest in the region of Cush. This region of North Africa, 00:06:39.599 --> 00:06:47.539 Black Africa. So he is likely a biracial Jew. So he has this real interest in the region and what God 00:06:47.539 --> 00:06:53.620 is doing within the region. And he also stands for us as a reminder of God's design and desire to bring 00:06:53.620 --> 00:07:02.019 blessing to people from all nations. We're also introduced to the setting. Notice in verse 1, 00:07:02.579 --> 00:07:08.759 Zephaniah's prophetic ministry takes place during the reign of Josiah. So Josiah was one of the good 00:07:08.759 --> 00:07:15.639 kings. He was the great reforming king. He was the one who rediscovered Scripture after a hundred years 00:07:15.639 --> 00:07:23.419 or so where it had been lost from the life of the nation. He set about trying to purify worship 00:07:23.419 --> 00:07:32.819 throughout Judah, tearing down shrines to idols. And Zephaniah is part of Josiah's reforming work 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:41.699 as he brings this message. And the fifth thing, by way of introduction, and we'll get into this much 00:07:41.699 --> 00:07:46.439 more as we keep going, is to introduce the idea of the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord, if you 00:07:46.439 --> 00:07:52.079 read the prophets, you read the minor prophets, major prophets, the day of the Lord is a significant 00:07:52.079 --> 00:08:00.699 reality that they bring over and over. And it's brought in two ways, and we're going to see both 00:08:00.699 --> 00:08:08.459 of them here in chapter 1. There is the ultimate day of the Lord, God's final and decisive coming 00:08:08.459 --> 00:08:13.799 to execute justice and bring salvation for His people. But there's another sense in which the 00:08:13.799 --> 00:08:21.680 day of the Lord is used, and that's foretastes within history. So whenever God sort of deals with 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:28.719 His enemies and brings peace, there are times when that too is spoken of as a day of the Lord, 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:33.240 and we're going to think about both of those. But those are some introductions. But our main point, 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:38.960 it is really just one point that's repeated twice, fear God, or be silent before the Lord, 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:45.480 because the day of the Lord is near. But let's see that in the first seven verses, or in verse 2 to 7, 00:08:45.560 --> 00:08:53.060 really. Let's ask some questions of the text to help us. First question from verses 2 and 3, 00:08:53.480 --> 00:09:00.240 what will the day of the Lord be like? Listen to some of the language again. I will sweep away 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:05.440 everything from the face of the earth, declares the Lord. I will sweep away both man and beast, 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:10.779 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea. I'll destroy all mankind of the face of the earth. 00:09:12.019 --> 00:09:19.419 I think Zephaniah is led to draw us back to the book of Genesis, and to remind us of what God did 00:09:19.419 --> 00:09:27.620 in the flood, the time of Noah. That sense of wiping the earth clean of wickedness, 00:09:27.620 --> 00:09:35.580 of God decisively acting against the wickedness seen in humanity. But there's another way in which 00:09:35.580 --> 00:09:43.500 we're drawn back to Genesis, because this sounds like creation in reverse, or it's like de-creation 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:51.139 back to chaos. Because notice the way the days of creation are reversed. In the original creation, 00:09:51.139 --> 00:09:58.399 man is the climax, but here man comes first, then beast, then birds, then fish. And we're invited to 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:05.799 understand that the cause for God's judgment is because of humanity. It's our sin that has brought 00:10:05.799 --> 00:10:12.000 chaos and destruction into God's world. In fact, there are idols mentioned here, 00:10:13.139 --> 00:10:20.360 drawing to our attention the fact that we alone are God's image bearers in this world that He created, 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:26.919 but we alone are the one part of creation that chooses to turn our back on God and worship idols. 00:10:27.379 --> 00:10:32.620 We fail to do what we were made for. And so the day of the Lord is going to be like that flood of 00:10:32.620 --> 00:10:39.680 judgment and like a de-creation back to chaos. So then the next question that follows then is, 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:46.360 well, why does the day of the Lord come? Look with me at verses four to six, where we see God 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:50.200 deliberately turn attention to Judah and to Jerusalem. And that's significant, isn't it? 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:55.600 Because this represents God's people. This is God's place. This is where God's temple is. This is where 00:10:55.600 --> 00:11:05.639 God's dwelling place with man is. But what's happening now is that God's hand is stretched against Judah 00:11:05.639 --> 00:11:12.340 and against all who live in Jerusalem. Go to the book of Exodus and we think time and time again of 00:11:12.340 --> 00:11:18.420 God's hand being stretched against Pharaoh as those plagues came as judgment. But now the hand of the 00:11:18.420 --> 00:11:26.300 Lord is against His own people because they've been polluting the temple, polluting the city with their 00:11:26.300 --> 00:11:35.300 idol worship. See the mention there of Baal worship in verse four. And so Zephaniah catalogues, 00:11:35.299 --> 00:11:40.419 makes absolutely clear, here's why the day of the Lord is going to come. 00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:48.059 Verse four, I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names 00:11:48.059 --> 00:11:54.459 of the idolatrous priests. And one of the things that becomes clear is that within God's temple, 00:11:55.199 --> 00:12:01.659 you've got priests who are going about their business, but alongside them, there are the priests 00:12:01.659 --> 00:12:07.399 of Baal who are engaging in false worship and pulling the people towards false worship. 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:14.860 And the priests, well they're culpable. Just as Adam was told to guard and protect the garden, 00:12:15.059 --> 00:12:20.419 God's holy place, the priests were to protect and to guard God's holy temple, but they're 00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:27.740 failing to do so. And so idol worship is happening even in the temple. Carry on in verse five, 00:12:27.740 --> 00:12:33.120 there are those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host. There are star worshipers, 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:43.259 those who are worshiping created things rather than their creator. There's divided loyalty in verse 00:12:43.259 --> 00:12:54.100 five, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molech. I am the Lord and there is no 00:12:54.100 --> 00:13:02.500 other. These people are worshiping God with their lips, but their hearts are being drawn towards 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:11.220 idols. And then there are those in verse six, who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek 00:13:11.220 --> 00:13:18.879 the Lord nor inquire of Him. They are living in God's world, in God's city, in God's presence as 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:24.860 practical atheists. They're depending on themselves and not God. They're living by their own wisdom, not 00:13:24.860 --> 00:13:33.000 God's wisdom. And so because of this rejection and turning away from God, this is why the day of the 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:44.700 Lord is coming. Moment to pause. What are we to learn as we read about this Old Testament prophecy of 00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:52.420 judgment? Recognize, first of all, who is acting? Verse two to four, see the emphasis, here's the Lord 00:13:52.420 --> 00:13:58.660 speaking, I will sweep away, declares the Lord. I will sweep away. When I destroy all mankind, declares 00:13:58.660 --> 00:14:07.000 the Lord, I will stretch out my hand. It's the Lord who brings judgment. We're being reminded as we see 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:17.159 that all through the Bible, God is holy and God takes sin seriously. God hates sin and so should we. 00:14:17.980 --> 00:14:23.379 Whether that looks like setting up idols in our hearts where we, like these priests, are breaking 00:14:23.379 --> 00:14:30.360 the first commandment. Whether it looks like living day to day, ignoring God and His ways. Whether it might 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:36.960 even be coming to church but giving our heart to something else. God hates the sin that He sees. 00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:47.779 God is holy and God is just. God must punish every failure to be faithful to His character. 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:55.159 Just as we want justice and we believe in right and wrong because we're made in God's image, 00:14:55.159 --> 00:15:03.939 the righteous judge. Zephaniah presents us with a God who very much cares about judgment and justice. 00:15:05.100 --> 00:15:13.539 And Zephaniah is showing to us very clearly what every sin deserves. When it brings to mind that 00:15:13.539 --> 00:15:20.620 flood of God's holy anger that we see in Noah's day, we're invited to recognize that's what sin 00:15:20.620 --> 00:15:28.580 deserves. And it's no wonder then that we have verse 7, be silent before the sovereign Lord. 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:39.639 Fear Him, revere Him, honor Him, and verse 7, trust the sacrifice He provides. Verse 7, the Lord has 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:46.379 prepared a sacrifice. We'll come back to that. But we need to recognize that provision, even in the midst of 00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:54.120 judgment. There is that hope of grace if we're trusting in Jesus and His sacrifice to deal with 00:15:54.120 --> 00:16:01.879 our sins. Now let's look at that same point from a different angle. Fear God, the day of the Lord is 00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:10.799 near. Let's see it again in verse 8 to 18. This section gives us, as we said, both the day of the Lord 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:18.099 as a moment in history, anticipation or a foreshadowing, and then a promise of that ultimate, 00:16:18.339 --> 00:16:25.620 final future judgment. So let's begin with that foretaste. Verse 7 to 13, it deals with this, 00:16:26.719 --> 00:16:33.659 predicting the punishment that Babylon would bring on Jerusalem in 586. God's people would be led into 00:16:33.659 --> 00:16:40.779 exile because of their sin and their lack of repentance. Again, let's ask some questions of 00:16:40.779 --> 00:16:48.699 our text. First of all, who will face this day of wrath? On the day of the Lord's sacrifice, verse 8, 00:16:48.779 --> 00:16:54.199 I will punish the officials and the king's sons and all those clad in foreign clothes. 00:16:55.100 --> 00:17:02.079 So the political leaders are going to face this judgment. And notice the emphasis on their clothing. 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:07.240 They're wearing foreign clothes, perhaps suggesting that they're trusting in foreign powers and in 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:15.140 foreign alliances rather than trusting in their God. Verse 9, on that day I will punish all who avoid 00:17:15.140 --> 00:17:20.880 stepping on the threshold, who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit. It seems kind of 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:26.420 obscure, all those who avoid stepping on the threshold. But maybe you remember that wonderful scene 00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:33.220 as Samuel records it, when the ark of the Lord, God's ark, had been captured and brought into Dagon's 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:38.039 temple. And the people that brought it to Dagon's temple thought, ah, our God Dagon, he's more powerful 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:45.660 than the God of Israel. And two times what happened is that Dagon's statue fell to the ground. And the 00:17:45.660 --> 00:17:51.660 second time, his hands and his head were smashed and the head was smashed on the threshold. And so from 00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:56.160 that moment on, there was that superstition that appeared that they wouldn't then step on it, 00:17:56.200 --> 00:18:02.140 they would step over it. And what this is telling us is that within Israel, this superstitious false 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:08.920 worship is now taking place where true worship should be happening. So the religious leaders 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:16.960 are going to come under judgment. The verse, verses 10 and 11, also remind us of the business community. 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:23.460 Verse 11, wail you who live in the market district, all your merchants will be wiped out, presumably 00:18:23.460 --> 00:18:30.100 because of corruption, presumably because of greed. We're not told at this point. 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:37.620 And then we recognize that actually it's the whole city that comes into the spotlight. 00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:43.799 At that time, I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, 00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:50.419 who are like wine left on its dregs. There's a couple of pictures there, isn't there? There's 00:18:50.419 --> 00:18:57.240 the picture of a careful search. Here is a search party with their lamps, with their torches, making 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:04.680 sure that everybody is found, searching down every back alley. But then this idea of the wine left on 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:08.559 its dregs, you know, making sure that, you know that when you have a bottle, there's always that little 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:14.599 few drops, a real struggle to get out. Those were the people that thought, oh, God will avoid us. 00:19:14.679 --> 00:19:19.279 We'll miss the judgment. He's saying, no, every last drop is going to be poured out. Judgment will 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:26.279 certainly come, and it will be appropriate. So again, the question is, why will they face this day 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:34.079 of wrath? And three factors are brought to light. And we've already seen in verse 9, idolatry. 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:43.599 Jerusalem is now taking on false worship. Verse 9 also tells us about injustice. They're filling the 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:49.879 temple of their gods with violence and deceit. So judgment is coming because they're failing to 00:19:49.879 --> 00:19:54.980 love and worship the one true God. Judgment is coming because they're failing to love their neighbor. 00:19:56.359 --> 00:20:04.059 And judgment comes, verse 12, on those who are complacent, who think the Lord will do nothing. 00:20:04.059 --> 00:20:11.319 Either good or bad. They've dismissed God. God is passive or God is powerless. God's like the blind 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:17.299 watchmaker. He wound the world up and he set it off, but now he just sits back and he does nothing and he 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:22.700 cares little. And because of that, there is this group of people who have no fear of God. They don't 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:30.139 honor him. They don't worship him. They don't desire God or his blessing. Judgment will come. 00:20:30.140 --> 00:20:41.640 That judgment will come when Babylon comes to take them into exile. Their wealth will be plundered. 00:20:41.740 --> 00:20:50.200 Verse 13, their houses demolished. And we saw that in history. And then there's a shift, verses 14 to 18, 00:20:50.200 --> 00:20:57.000 to recognize that final judgment is coming. Notice the change in language. Verse 7, 00:20:57.640 --> 00:21:03.120 be silent before the sovereign Lord for the day of the Lord is near. Verse 14, the great day 00:21:03.120 --> 00:21:09.519 of the Lord is near, near and coming quickly. So this is moving us towards the end of history, 00:21:10.080 --> 00:21:17.360 the climactic judgment and salvation. Who will face this day? And to go to the end of our text, 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:27.979 verse 17, I will bring such distress on all people. Second half of verse 18, in the fire of his jealousy, 00:21:28.179 --> 00:21:35.299 the whole earth will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth. 00:21:36.059 --> 00:21:42.559 Here is a reminder that God is not just the creator and the judge of some, but the creator and the judge 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:51.619 of all. It was not uncommon for the nations to have their regional gods and idols. And it was not 00:21:51.619 --> 00:21:57.659 uncommon then to fall into the trap that Israel's God was a small regional God. The God of the Bible 00:21:57.659 --> 00:22:09.039 is not regional. He is global and universal. And so this day of the Lord is one that everybody 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:17.339 is going to be taken up with. And because of that, as Jesus told us this morning in Luke 12, 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:23.519 all of us need to listen and all of us need to be ready. You know, sometimes we live in a house, 00:22:23.579 --> 00:22:30.420 we live in a flat, somebody has an exam, everybody knows the day is coming, but only one person suffers 00:22:30.420 --> 00:22:36.400 it. The great day of the Lord is not like that. It is comprehensive. 00:22:39.340 --> 00:22:45.360 What will the great day of the Lord be like? There's a very important correction that Zephaniah 00:22:45.360 --> 00:22:51.300 brings for the people of his day. Because again, the Old Testament, people of God fall into complacency. 00:22:51.840 --> 00:22:57.440 Well, we've got God on our side, so we're safe. You know, God lives here in this temple, 00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:02.460 so we are secure. No matter how we're living, you know, so long as we go to the temple, 00:23:03.620 --> 00:23:08.840 you know, we make a show of worship, then we'll be fine. And so when they heard the message about 00:23:08.840 --> 00:23:12.440 the day of the Lord, they're like, this is wonderful. This is going to be good news. 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:16.759 My enemies are going to be destroyed, and I'm going to live in peace. 00:23:18.580 --> 00:23:24.880 And what happened so often in their history is that they failed to take their own sins seriously, 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:31.520 and they failed to take God's holiness seriously, and they forgot that they live under the covenant, 00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:38.500 where yes, if you obey, you receive blessing, but when you disobey, you can expect the curse of God to 00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:46.240 fall. So they were complacent and imagined that God's coming would bring good news for everybody, 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:53.100 regardless of how they were living. In our day, I suppose, people hear about the return of Jesus, 00:23:53.099 --> 00:23:59.480 or the idea of heaven. You know, people either, you know, reject the idea of the judgment of Jesus, 00:23:59.639 --> 00:24:06.139 or on the other hand, presume everybody will get there. If God is loved, then surely everybody goes 00:24:06.139 --> 00:24:13.000 to heaven. And so in our day, we can similarly become complacent and make mistakes. And so God, 00:24:13.139 --> 00:24:18.500 through Zephaniah, provides a wake-up call for His day and for our day as well, and for us 00:24:18.500 --> 00:24:25.279 personally, there are three word pictures used to describe this day of the Lord. The first, 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:30.200 I'm quite sure how to capture it, but it sounds a bit like a storm. Verse 15, 00:24:31.079 --> 00:24:35.680 that day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:43.880 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Imagine a complacent people hearing this, 00:24:43.880 --> 00:24:48.420 all of a sudden they realize the day of the Lord for them will be judgment and not salvation. 00:24:48.980 --> 00:24:55.080 They don't repent. It'll be darkness and not light. The terrifying reality of God's holy presence 00:24:55.080 --> 00:25:02.760 coming in judgment, of God's holy wrath against sin is one that they dare not take lightly. 00:25:03.620 --> 00:25:06.500 So there's the picture of the day of the Lord as a storm. 00:25:06.500 --> 00:25:14.940 There's the picture of the day of the Lord as a conquest. Takes us back to verse 14. 00:25:15.859 --> 00:25:22.039 The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter. The mighty warrior shouts his battle cry. Verse 16, 00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:28.720 a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. Here is the 00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:36.099 warrior God going into battle against wickedness. And the language that is used 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:43.599 I think is intended to remind us of the conquest that Joshua led. So remember when Joshua led the 00:25:43.599 --> 00:25:51.179 people of God into the promised land and they had battles and they defeated God's enemies and they 00:25:51.179 --> 00:25:58.379 were settled in the land. Think about, for example, when they arrive at Jericho. How is Jericho defeated? 00:25:58.579 --> 00:26:05.259 Jericho is defeated as the people of God walk around as there's the blowing of trumpets and there is 00:26:05.259 --> 00:26:14.000 a cry, a battle cry. Verse 16, a day of trumpet and battle cry. So we're being invited to think about 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:19.200 the conquest led by Joshua. And what was the purpose of that conquest? Well, partly 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:25.140 it was God executing judgment against the wickedness that existed within the land. 00:26:25.140 --> 00:26:33.880 But this in itself should have been a wake-up call for God's own people. They needed to fear God and honor 00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:40.540 him or that curse that came on their enemies then would come on them today. They were not guaranteed 00:26:40.540 --> 00:26:48.000 blessing. A further purpose of the conquest, you're dealing with enemies. It was part of it, but fighting 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:55.019 for a renewed promised land was another part of it. Because God's great desire was that he might dwell 00:26:55.019 --> 00:27:04.380 in the promised land with his people. And just to give us a preview of next week, that strikes a note 00:27:04.380 --> 00:27:11.859 of hope. Chapter 2 and verse 7. There is this promise that the land of the Philistines, verse 7, 00:27:11.859 --> 00:27:17.899 that land will belong to the remnant of the people of Judah. There they will find pasture. 00:27:19.619 --> 00:27:27.379 Verse 9, speaking of the region of Moab and Ammon, the remnant of my people will plunder them. 00:27:27.740 --> 00:27:34.659 The survivors of my nation will inherit their land. So here again, although there is judgment, 00:27:34.660 --> 00:27:42.759 there are notes of hope, hope of salvation, hope for a remnant. For those who would repent of sin, 00:27:43.259 --> 00:27:48.720 for those who would remain faithful to God, there is this reality that God is with you, 00:27:48.779 --> 00:27:54.680 that God is for you, that God will bring you to the promised land and settle you there. 00:27:54.680 --> 00:28:03.960 But otherwise, an unrepentant, unholy people can expect judgment. So there's the image of storm, 00:28:04.060 --> 00:28:09.820 there's the image of conquest, and then there's the image of sacrifice. Verse 7, 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:18.140 the Lord has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated those he has invited. So we remember why God gave 00:28:18.140 --> 00:28:27.180 sacrifice. It was a gift from him. It was a way of atonement, a way to cover over sin, a way to cleanse 00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:36.300 people, a way to deal with God's holy anger against sin as God's justice would fall on a substitute 00:28:36.300 --> 00:28:43.640 rather than on the sinner. Sacrifice was God's way to put things right and to make his people clean. 00:28:43.640 --> 00:28:52.840 And Zephaniah chapter 1 reminds us of this. There are two ways that God can put things right 00:28:52.840 --> 00:29:04.000 and be just. It's either the death of the sinner or the death of the substitute, the sacrifice. 00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:13.620 Verse 7 focuses on God's grace. A sacrifice has been prepared. An invitation has been given. 00:29:13.640 --> 00:29:22.220 Be silent before God. Honor Him. Revere Him. Let the sacrifice be your substitute. Let Jesus be your 00:29:22.220 --> 00:29:30.560 substitute, and you will be saved. But the problem that Zephaniah addresses 00:29:30.560 --> 00:29:39.200 is that by and large the people didn't accept or want that invitation. Verse 18, we see them trusting 00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:47.680 in their silver and their gold to save them. And so, there is that vivid warning at the end of verse 17, 00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:57.279 for those who have sinned against the Lord, their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails 00:29:57.279 --> 00:30:06.980 like dung. And that imagery is intended to make us think of sacrifice. Judgment falling as the lives of 00:30:06.980 --> 00:30:17.099 sinful, unrepentant people are sacrificed. Those who say no to God's sacrifice and God's way of salvation. 00:30:17.099 --> 00:30:26.819 So again, what do we learn? We learn that God hates and punishes sin. Every sin. Whether that's bowing in 00:30:26.819 --> 00:30:32.339 our hearts on an idol or acting with greed. Whether we're guilty of false worship or guilty of telling 00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:38.139 lies. Whether it's forgetting God and being cold towards Him. Whether it's empty formal worship that 00:30:38.139 --> 00:30:44.059 just goes through the motions. Whether it's rejecting God's word and wisdom or rejecting God's saving 00:30:44.059 --> 00:30:55.799 sacrifice. The message is clear that God's judgment must fall. The foretaste in history happened. 00:30:56.359 --> 00:31:05.819 Jerusalem went into exile. God's word can be trusted. So, we know that there is a day coming when Jesus 00:31:05.819 --> 00:31:13.179 will return to judge the living and the dead. Here's the last question we need to ask. How does the day of the 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:22.980 Lord connect with Jesus? So far, we've heard a lot of bad news. And we need to hear that. We need to 00:31:22.980 --> 00:31:29.220 hear the reality of God's law and God's holiness and His hatred of our sin. But it's uncomfortable. 00:31:29.380 --> 00:31:35.759 It's like being in the doctor's office and you hear the bad news of an illness. But we need that 00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:41.220 so that when we're offered the treatment, when we're offered the surgery, we're glad to receive it. 00:31:41.220 --> 00:31:50.019 And so, hearing of God's judgment in the day of the Lord gives us an opportunity to hear the gospel. 00:31:51.120 --> 00:31:56.019 To hear about Jesus. Two ways we need to see how Jesus connects with the day of the Lord. First, 00:31:56.420 --> 00:32:04.559 we need to recognize that He is the agent. He is God's appointed judge. As Paul told the people in 00:32:04.559 --> 00:32:10.099 Athens in Acts 17, as Jesus told the people that listened to Him, all those parables that speak 00:32:10.099 --> 00:32:15.240 of Jesus dividing and gathering. You know, He spoke about gathering the wheat into the harvest, 00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:22.659 but burning up the chaff. Dividing people into the sheep and the goats. As Jesus is saying, 00:32:22.740 --> 00:32:28.019 He's saying He is the one who has been appointed to bring eternal judgment or eternal salvation. 00:32:28.019 --> 00:32:35.680 Jesus is the one who both punishes enemies and purifies His people and establishes the new creation. 00:32:35.819 --> 00:32:43.940 He is the agent who brings the final day of the Lord. And so, we should be silent and we should fear 00:32:43.940 --> 00:32:52.000 the Lord Jesus. We should submit to Him and trust Him. But we also need to see that not only is Jesus the 00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:57.859 agent of the day of the Lord, but in God's grace and in His plan of salvation, Jesus becomes the 00:32:57.859 --> 00:33:05.619 object of the day of the Lord. The judgment of the day of the Lord, in other words, falls on Jesus. 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:15.920 Back to verse 7, the sacrifice the Lord has prepared is His own Son, Jesus, given to make atonement for 00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:24.360 our sin, given so we could be graciously forgiven. Think about those pictures of the day of the Lord, 00:33:24.440 --> 00:33:32.700 that picture of storm and darkness and blackness. Jesus on the cross, we know this from Matthew's gospel, 00:33:33.740 --> 00:33:43.380 was in the eye of a storm as He experienced God's holy wrath, as He became sin for His people. 00:33:43.380 --> 00:33:49.940 Jesus died in darkness, there was earthquake, the curtain torn in two, all of this a reminder that 00:33:49.940 --> 00:33:55.240 this was the day of the Lord, the day of God's wrath against sin, falling on Jesus so it might not 00:33:55.240 --> 00:34:07.040 fall on us. Jesus experienced God's war against evil as Jesus became the sin bearer. Yes, Jesus is the 00:34:07.040 --> 00:34:13.280 mighty warrior who fought and defeated the dark forces of evil on behalf of His people. He is our 00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:23.620 great champion, but He also experienced the wrath of God on our behalf so that we can testify with joy, 00:34:24.060 --> 00:34:30.840 with John the Baptist, that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:34:32.680 --> 00:34:39.760 Zephaniah invites us to fear God because the day of the Lord is near. He reminds us that all of us 00:34:39.760 --> 00:34:47.000 will experience this day. There is that urgent call to be ready to fear the Lord, to receive salvation 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:53.640 through faith in Jesus Christ. We're invited to love the one who experienced God's wrath 00:34:53.640 --> 00:35:01.860 so we might know God's welcome. To live for the one who felt a sense of being abandoned by His Father 00:35:01.860 --> 00:35:10.559 so that we might be adopted by our Father in heaven. Zephaniah reminds us that God takes sin seriously, 00:35:10.740 --> 00:35:15.840 so seriously that He sent His Son as the only way to put things right, and so should we. 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:23.260 Zephaniah ultimately is going to call us to repent and to believe in Jesus as Lord, that we might be saved. 00:35:23.260 --> 00:35:35.600 Let's pray together. Lord God, when Your Word functions as a mirror and it holds up some of the darkness 00:35:35.600 --> 00:35:44.300 in our hearts and in our lives to us, we don't like what we see. It can make us feel profoundly uncomfortable. 00:35:44.300 --> 00:35:53.120 But Lord, we need Your holiness. We need to take seriously Your judgment against sin 00:35:53.120 --> 00:36:02.900 so that we might receive that invitation to trust in Jesus, to turn to Him, to receive that sacrifice 00:36:02.900 --> 00:36:09.980 that You prepared as that way for us to be made right with You, to atone for our sin. 00:36:09.980 --> 00:36:16.920 Lord, we thank You that though our sins are many, that Your mercy is more. 00:36:18.360 --> 00:36:24.719 And so Lord, we pray that You would cause us to be silent, to have that sense of reverence before You, 00:36:24.780 --> 00:36:33.119 the Creator and the Judge and the Saviour, that we might be ready for that day by trusting in Jesus. 00:36:34.119 --> 00:36:38.000 On this day, we pray in His name. Amen. 00:36:39.980 --> 00:36:40.980 Amen. 00:36:42.480 --> 00:36:43.579 Now we're going to sing. 00:36:43.980 --> 00:36:48.059 And we're going to sing the hymn, In the Valley, Bless the Lord. 00:36:48.119 --> 00:36:51.079 And we're going to stand as we sing this together. 00:36:51.079 --> 00:36:51.280 Amen. 00:37:09.980 --> 00:37:30.059 When the path that I feared is the way He has set, and I long to give in and retreat. 00:37:30.059 --> 00:37:44.880 Still to Jesus I hope as I face every step, For the Lord He will give me His peace. 00:37:44.880 --> 00:37:51.300 Bless the Lord, He will give me His peace. 00:37:51.300 --> 00:37:57.940 Bless the Lord, He will give me His peace. 00:37:57.940 --> 00:38:10.519 And if I should remain in the valley today, Bless the Lord, He will give me His peace. 00:38:10.519 --> 00:38:30.420 When the road that I tread fills my heart with despair, And it seems that my grief has no end. 00:38:30.420 --> 00:38:31.420 Still to Jesus I hope as I face every step, And it seems that my grief has no end. 00:38:31.420 --> 00:38:43.420 Still to Jesus I hope, Who will walk with me there, And the Lord, He will give me His strength. 00:38:43.420 --> 00:38:57.420 Bless the Lord, He will give me His strength. 00:38:57.420 --> 00:39:09.420 And if I should remain in the valley today, Bless the Lord, He will give me His strength. 00:39:09.420 --> 00:39:16.420 Bless the Lord, He will give me His strength. 00:39:16.420 --> 00:39:29.420 On the road that you walked, With the way of the cross, All my pain and my sorrow you held. 00:39:29.420 --> 00:39:41.420 So to you I shall hold, You redeem every loss, For my Lord, You have given yourself. 00:39:41.420 --> 00:39:48.420 Bless the Lord, for He gives me Himself. 00:39:48.420 --> 00:39:55.420 Bless the Lord, for He gives me Himself. 00:39:55.420 --> 00:40:10.420 And if I should remain in the valley today, Bless the Lord, for He gives me Himself. 00:40:10.420 --> 00:40:21.420 Now may the God of peace, Who through the blood of the eternal covenant, Brought back from the dead, Our Lord Jesus, 00:40:21.420 --> 00:40:26.420 That great Shepherd of the sheep, Equip you with everything good for doing His will, 00:40:26.420 --> 00:40:35.420 And may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, Through Jesus Christ, To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. 00:40:35.420 --> 00:40:36.420 Amen. 00:41:05.420 --> 00:41:06.420 Amen. 00:41:35.420 --> 00:41:38.420 Amen. 00:41:39.420 --> 00:41:40.420 Amen. 00:41:42.420 --> 00:41:45.420 Amen. 00:41:45.420 --> 00:41:46.420 Amen. 00:41:46.420 --> 00:41:48.420 Amen. 00:41:48.420 --> 00:41:53.420 Amen. 00:41:53.420 --> 00:41:56.860 Amen. 00:41:57.420 --> 00:41:59.420 Amen. 00:41:59.420 --> 00:42:00.420 Amen. 00:42:00.420 --> 00:42:01.420 Amen. 00:42:01.420 --> 00:42:02.420 Everyaya is a building inside, 00:42:02.420 --> 00:42:03.420 That really brings me a庭 of grace.