ZEPHANIAH 1-3 LAST CHANCE TO RESPOND TO GOD2011 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Zephaniah 1-3 Last Chance To Respond To God

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2011.

Well, this evening as we look at the book of Zephaniah, we'll be looking at chapters 1 through 3, covering the entire book, and we're really completing the end of a section. It's a section of history that we're concluding this evening as we look at the book of Zephaniah. The last three books of the Old Testament that we'll be studying over the next few weeks are a different time period than what we've been covering thus far.

All the other prophets that we've been studying, even if you go back to Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel, and then into the minor prophets with Hosea and Micah and all these prophets that we've been studying, they've been dealing with the nation of Israel as well as the nation of Judah leading up to their judgments and their captivities.

Now Israel of course at one time was one nation under King Saul, King David, King Solomon. But under Solomon's son the nation was split in two. And the northern kingdom kept the name Israel. They were never faithful to God. They walked away and began to worship false gods immediately.

And so it was not too long before God brought judgment upon them for their idolatry and he used the nation of Assyria to do that. And so the northern kingdom was conquered by the nation of Assyria and led away captive. So the northern kingdom was no longer inhabited by the Jewish people.

Well, then you have the nation of Judah, which was the southern kingdom. And there in Judah was Jerusalem. They had the temple. And so the nation of Judah had some good kings and some bad kings. And the good kings would bring about revival in the land.

But although there was revival from time to time under the good kings, there was kind of a constant and continual downward spiral of the people as they continued to rebel against God, practice idolatry, and you're familiar with that because we've been studying it,

throughout the prophets for the past many months. And so the prophets have been speaking to Israel before their captivity with Assyria and Judah before their captivity when Babylon would come and conquer them and take them away captive. And so all the prophets, Isaiah all the way up through Zephaniah, are dealing with Israel and Judah

up to their captivity and then during their captivity like Ezekiel and Daniel they were prophesying and ministering to the people during the captivity when they were taken away by Babylon the last three books of the Old Testament

cover the time period after they come back from captivity. So when they're released and they're allowed to go back into the land, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi ministered during that time. And so we're kind of concluding an era where God has been calling them to repentance right up to the point where they're going to be conquered and led away captive. Calling them to repentance right before the judgment comes.

As we've studied through the prophets, that's a theme that we've come back to over and over again. That as God brought these pronouncements of judgment, it was also a call to repentance. We saw that was true for the people that they were prophesying to, but also we've seen that it's true for us as we've been studying these things. And so for many months now, God has been calling us to repentance.

He's been pronouncing these things to give us the opportunity to turn and repent, to turn and respond to His call to repentance. Well, as we now look at the book of Zephaniah, which kind of concludes that era, concludes that time leading up to the Babylonian captivity, that judgment upon the nation of Judah. For the nation of Judah, it's their last chance.

To respond to God's call to repentance. Now Jeremiah was also prophesying during this time. And so these guys were prophesying around the same time period. And this time period that Zephaniah is in is Judah's last chance. It's their last opportunity as these prophets are bringing forth the warnings of what is to come. And they're bringing forth the message of God to return to him, to come back to him. It's their last chance to do so.

Now we know history because it already has taken place and the nation of Judah, although there was little revivals that took place, ultimately they did not turn back to the Lord and they did experience the captivity that came about by the nation of Babylon. They were conquered, they were led away captive. And so this is their last chance to repent and there's a little bit of a revival, but it's not very deep yet.

The people do not turn back to God for very long. And so they rebel very quickly and are taken into captivity by Babylon. And so Zephaniah here, the prophet, is again the last chance for the people to repent. And as we conclude this era, as we've been studying and talking about judgment, the call to repentance...

I wonder, I'm thinking out loud, I'm asking the Lord, Lord, is this the last chance for some people here to respond? Just like the nation of Judah, you've been hearing the call to repentance over and over again, week in and week out. And God was sending the prophets to the nation of Judah to call them to repentance. And God has been doing that same work in us, here in our midst,

by having us study through these together. And so you've been hearing that call to repentance. But I wonder if some of you, some of those who are listening to this, are in the same condition of the nation of Judah, where this is their last opportunity to respond to God's message and His call to repentance. I wonder if this is, well, for you, an opportunity where God says, look, if you don't respond now...

then the judgment that I've been withholding is going to be brought upon you. And you're going to experience the fullness of the consequences in judgment for your rebellion against me. And maybe like Judah, there's been some like mini revivals that you've had. You've had like little sparks of light, little sparks of revival where you've turned back to the Lord a little bit or for a short season, but then you've gone back.

into rebellion against God, just like the nation of Judah. And I wonder, is this your last chance to respond to God?

I would ask you to consider that as we study these things together. Because again, these prophets were pronouncing this message of judgment to invite the people to repent. And we'll see that as we look at the book of Zephaniah. And so once again this evening, it's a call, it's an opportunity for you and I to turn and to get right with God. Is this your last chance? Is this your last opportunity before the hammer strikes, before judgment falls?

I read an interesting quote from David Guzik today. He said, "Often the devil's most powerful lie isn't that there is no God, or no Bible, or no truth." He said, "Often his most powerful lie is that there is no hurry." He says, "Look, many times the most effective tool of Satan is not to say the Bible is not true, you know, there is no God, but to tell us, to convince us there's no hurry.

You don't need to respond quickly. You don't need to deal with this right now. You don't need to turn right now. You don't need to respond to the Lord right now. There's no hurry. There's that complacency that creeps in and we'll see that's where the nation of Judah was. And so this evening I want to call you to repentance once again. I want to allow God to use these things to work in us that...

For those who it's their last opportunity, their last chance to respond, that they would have opportunity to get rid of those things in their life that need to be dealt with. To turn them over to the Lord. To repent and get right with Him. Well, we have the introduction to the prophet Zephaniah in verse 1 of chapter 1. It says this,

The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushai, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Ammon, king of Judah. And so here we're introduced to Zephaniah. We find out here he is of royal blood. He is a descendant of King Hezekiah. And now he is called as a prophet to the nation.

He's part of the royal family, but he's not on the throne. He's not king. Josiah is king during this time. And so we find that Josiah in 2 Chronicles, you can look at chapters, I think, 34 and 35, that Josiah is reigning and there's a revival that takes place.

The book of Zephaniah was probably written, the message was probably given in the early years of Josiah before that revival takes place. Before Assyria is conquered, because we'll see that in chapter 2, God pronounces or prophesies that Assyria will be conquered. And so it's early into the days of Josiah.

Now what does that mean to us? Well, Josiah was one of the very last kings of the nation of Judah. After Josiah, there was only four kings before Jerusalem was conquered. Two of those kings only served or only reigned for three months each. So there was about 20 years after the reign of Josiah before the final judgment came. They were conquered by Babylon and led away captive.

And so again, we see here, this is their last chance to respond. As God brings this message through Zephaniah, it's their opportunity. The last four kings are all bad kings. There's no revival. There's just continued wickedness and rebellion against God. And so this is the glimmer of hope. This is the shining light. This is the last warning before the cliff they're about to drop off of.

Calling them to repentance. Calling them to turn back to God. But let's see his message as we go on in verse 2. It says...

I will utterly consume everything from the face of the land, says the Lord. I will consume man and beast. I will consume the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks. Along with the wicked, I will cut off man from the face of the land, says the Lord. I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place.

the names of the idolatrous priests and the pagan priests, those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops, those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, but who also swear by Milcom, those who have turned back from following the Lord and have not sought the Lord nor inquired of Him. And so here's the message of Zephaniah. God says, I will utterly consume you.

I will utterly consume this land. He says, I'm going to bring judgment completely upon this land. They've experienced partial judgment where cities have been conquered, where there's been oppression, but God says, this time it's going to be complete. They're just going to be completely wiped out of the land. There's going to be a small remnant that remains that are taken captive, but the land is going to be without inhabitant. He says, I will utterly consume this land.

everything from the face of the land there in verse 2. He says in verse 3, I'll consume man and beast, I'll consume the birds of the heavens. He is going to bring full destruction upon the nation. He says in verse 4, he's stretching out his hand against Judah and against their inhabitants and then he goes on to deal with the idolatry that's happening in the nation of Judah.

And so he makes reference to Baal and he says, I'm going to get rid of, I'm going to wipe out every trace of Baal. Now Baal was a Canaanite god. It was a god that they worshipped who is the sun god or one of the main gods that they would worship.

But the worship of Baal was really filled with all types of immorality. There was prostitution involved, both male and female, in the worship of Baal. And so there was sexual immorality as well as homosexuality. There was even child sacrifice that was involved in the worship of Baal. And so it was a very wicked and perverse religion or worship.

And yet this is what the nation of Judah was practicing. They were involving themselves in these practices of the Canaanites and worshipping this false god. And so God says, I'm going to wipe out every memory, every trace of that worship, every reference to Baal. I'm going to wipe it off the land. I'm going to scrape it away.

He says, I'm going to deal with the idolatrous and the pagan priests. And so they didn't just have the priesthood there in the temple, but they had these priesthoods for these false gods that they would worship. And so they had these religious centers and these high places and these priests who would serve there to help the people to worship these false gods.

In verse 5 it talks about those who worship the heavens. And so they weren't just worshipping Baal, they were also worshipping the heavens, the creation. Then in verse 5 it also talks about those who swear to God and Milcom. Now Milcom is another name for the god named Molech. And Molech was a god of the Ammonites, who was a people on the other side of Israel.

And the Ammonites revered Molech as their protecting father. But they would worship Molech by offering children to him.

And so they would have these idols with arms stretched out. It would be metal or stone. They would heat it up really hot. And then they would put their children on this fiery hot idol and sacrifice their child to the god Molech in order to ask for favor and for protection, for security from this god that they were worshiping.

Well, it wasn't just a God of the Ammonites anymore. Now the children of Israel, the nation of Judah, God's people were practicing this same worship. They were sacrificing their kids to this false God and asking for security and protection and favor from this false God. But notice what it says there in verse 5. It's very interesting.

He says that they swear to God and milk come our Molech.

So it's not just that they turned away and they didn't go to the temple, that they didn't pray to God, but it's that they were trying to do both. And so they'd go to the temple, they'd offer the sacrifices, they'd sing the songs, they'd participate in what God had instructed. And then the next day, they would go to Molech and they would burn their child there on the altar to ask for protection and provision and security from this false god. They were trying to do both.

Worshipping these false gods along with the true and living God. Then in verse 6 he says, he's also dealing with those who've turned back from following the Lord. They at one time were walking with God, they at one time were practicing the things of God, but now they've turned back.

And there in verse 6 also, those who have not sought the Lord. Those who haven't turned to Him. Those who are not looking to Him for instruction, for direction, for what He wants to do. And so this is the reason why God is bringing this judgment upon the people. It's for their idolatry, their worship of these false gods. They're turning away from God. You know, these gods still exist today.

these false gods that they were worshipping back then. They're a little bit more subtle today but it's good for us to check our hearts, for us to examine. Are you worshipping Baal? Are you caught up in sexual immorality? Involved in sexual sin? Things that God has forbidden? We might clean it up, we might call it all kinds of different things but

When we are involved in sexual immorality, it's the same type of worship as what the nation of Judah was involved in. Or the God of Molech, which was looking for provision, for security, for safety. Is that what's the driving force of your life? Is that what you're most passionate about? I would even ask parents, do you sacrifice your kids for

for safety, for security, for protection, for career, for provision. Are those things first and foremost in your life? Are you perhaps like the people were in that day? You're making commitments to God. You're coming to church. You're involved in the things of God, but you're also tied to these other things in your life that, well, they have the place of God in your life, but they are not God.

God will not put up with idolatry. He says, I will utterly consume it. I will wipe out every trace of it. And so when we give other things the place that God deserves and belongs in in our lives and heart, we need to be warned. Again, this is perhaps our last chance to respond to those things that God's speaking to your heart. It's the opportunity for us to give it to Him.

To lay down those false gods and to put Him first. To fully surrender to Him. So it goes on in verse 7.

He says,

And there shall be on that day, says the Lord, the sound of a mournful cry from the fish gate, a wailing from the second quarter, and a loud crashing from the hills.

Verse 2.

Therefore their goods shall become booty, and their houses a desolation. They shall build houses, but not inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine. Here Zephaniah continues on with the message. He says, Be quiet, be silent in the presence of the Lord God, because the day of the Lord is at hand. The day of the Lord is the time when the Lord comes.

He says, I'm coming to bring judgment, so be quiet. This is not a good day. This is not a celebration day. This is not a day for you to talk and offer excuses and offer your opinions and thoughts and ideas. This is a day for you to be quiet because He is coming to bring judgment, to bring correction. He's preparing a feast. He's invited His guests. He's giving this picture of a banquet, a feast, where Judah is the meal.

And he's invited Babylon to come and consume this feast that he has set up and prepared for them. That Judah will be the recipients of the judgment by the nation of Babylon. He says, I'm going to punish the princes there in verse 8 and the king's children. Those who are clothed in foreign apparel. Those who are, you know, they're living it up. They're living in luxury.

In the midst of this national crisis, in the midst of this call to repentance, He says, "I'm going to punish those who leap over the threshold."

This is probably a reference to a pagan superstition where they wouldn't stand in the threshold of the temple of their gods but they would leap over the threshold. It's kind of like, you know, step on a crack and break someone's back, you know, that kind of thing. That kind of superstition was practiced by the surrounding nations.

And it seems possibly Judah was now participating in this. And so they're not trusting in God. They're believing all this weirdness, these false gods. And that happens today. Christians or those who call themselves Christians, those who attend church, we come to church and yet we hold to these superstitions. We hold to these things that are not of God. We believe like the world believes. We behave like the world behaves. And we need to watch out.

We were caught up in the things of the world. In verse 11 he says, Will you inhabitants of Maktash? Now Maktash was the section of the city of Jerusalem that was where the marketplace was.

And so that's where the trading was, that's where there was a lot of wealth and money was changing hands and that's where they would be able to make a profit. And he says, look, those who are trusting in those things, you're trusting in your wealth, you're trusting in your luxury, he says, you're going to wail because the merchant people are cut down and those who handle money are cut off. You're trusting in your riches, you're living it up in your luxury, but now it's going to be cut off and you are going to wail.

Verse 12 I think is really interesting. Really important for us to consider. He says, at that time I'm going to search Jerusalem with lamps. The idea is, you know, like taking a flashlight. He's going to go search every section of the city. For what? He says, I'm going to punish the men who are settled in complacency. I'm going to search. I'm going to go throughout Jerusalem. And everyone who's settled in complacency is going to be punished. Complacency. Complacency.

Again, something that was there in Judah that day, but something we need to be considering for our own hearts. Are you settled in complacency? Complacency is, well, the dictionary defines it as self-satisfaction, especially when it's accompanied by an unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies. It's that unawareness of danger that makes complacency so terrible.

Because it's like, hey, I'm fine, I'm good, I don't need anything. At the same time, you're completely unaware of the danger that you are in. This was the condition of the church of Laodicea as we talked about on Sunday morning. There in Revelation chapter 3, as Jesus writes to Laodicea, He says, you say I'm rich because

I'm wealthy and I have need of nothing. But you don't realize that you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. They were complacent. They thought, hey, I'm fine. I've got everything. I don't need anything. And they didn't realize the danger that they were in, that they were going to be spewed out of the Lord's mouth, that they were going to experience judgment. And again, Revelation chapter 3, Jesus is writing to a church. And so, not only are these things

meant for the nation of Judah, but these things ought to prick our hearts and cause us to consider, "Am I settled in complacency?" Am I in a situation where I think, "Hey, I'm fine. I don't need anything. I don't need to respond. I don't need to." Yeah, I know God's kind of stirring that up in my heart. He's revealed that to me. I know I shouldn't be doing that. I shouldn't be practicing this. I know He wants me to be doing these things.

But if we're not responding to those things that God has put upon our heart, we're in a position of complacency. Where we're not responding and we're thinking, well, I'm just, it's okay, I'm fine. And there's not any real danger. A complacent heart is one that behaves with the attitude, it does not really matter if I'm faithful to the Lord or not.

Because it goes on there at the end of verse 12. Who say in their heart, the Lord will not do good nor will He do evil. The complacent ones that God will be searching out are the ones who are thinking, it doesn't really matter that much. If I'm faithful to the Lord, He's not going to bring judgment. He's not going to allow me to experience consequences. He's not going to allow me to experience correction or judgment for my sin. It's not that big of a deal if I respond to what He says to me.

If I respond to the message that he's stirring up within my heart, whether it be to turn away from something or to start doing something, the complacent heart is like, well, that's not that big of a deal. It doesn't really matter much either way. And that certainly describes the nation of Judah at that time. They were convinced, hey, nothing bad is going to happen to us. We have the temple and we offer sacrifices to the Lord. God won't.

Bring judgment upon us. We've got this protection there in the temple. He won't allow his temple to be defiled. And so they figured, we're fine. As long as we have the temple, as long as we offer sacrifices, we will not experience the judgment that these guys are talking about. They were complacent. They thought, nah, God's not going to do that. He wouldn't let that happen. Again, the quote I read earlier from Pastor David Guzik says,

Often the devil's most powerful lie isn't that there is no God or no Bible or no truth. Often his most powerful lie is that there is no hurry. That's the condition of their hearts. They were like, yeah, we know that there's a God and so we have the temple and we offer sacrifices. But there was no urgency in their heart to respond to the message of God because they figured we're fine. They were unaware. They were clueless about the danger that they were in. They weren't paying attention to the message of the Lord.

And so this is a real warning against complacency. This is a real warning for you and I today against continuing on in sin. And for some, perhaps this is your last chance to respond before the judgment strikes. It's not a time to be complacent, to think, yeah, it doesn't really matter that much. It's a time to have an urgency to turn to the Lord with fervency, with passion, with repentance to get right with Him.

Going on to verse 14, it says, The great day of the Lord is near. It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter. There the mighty men shall cry out. The day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers.

Verse 1.

He goes on to say, look, there needs to be an urgency because the great day of the Lord is near. It's coming quickly. The day of the Lord is upon us. Again, the day when He comes to visit, when He comes to bring the judgment that He has been declaring is coming. And He describes this day in verse 14. It's a day of bitterness. It's coming quickly. Mighty men will cry out.

In verse 15, He says, It's a day of wrath and trouble and distress and devastation and desolation and darkness and gloominess and alarm. Does that sound like a day that you want to endure? That's what was coming upon the nation of Judah. And that's what will come upon those who live in complacency and continue on in sin. He says in verse 17, Because they've sinned against the Lord. This is the result of their rebellion against God.

He's asked them to repent. He's given them lots of time, hundreds of years to repent. But they've not turned back to Him. And because of that, this judgment is coming upon them.

The principle or the law of God is being fulfilled. The one that we often refer to as we study through these promises or pronouncements of judgment. Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 and 8. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. And if you sow to the flesh, you'll reap corruption. You'll reap destruction. You'll reap judgment. But if you sow to the Spirit, you reap everlasting life.

They have sown to the flesh. They've been complacent. They've been worshipping these false gods. They've been ignoring the message of God. And as a result, it's the law of God. It will take place. They, because they've sinned, will experience the judgment of God. And he says in verse 18, neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them. They're trusting in their wealth, their finances, their own resources. God says that won't deliver you.

The things that we trusted in this life cannot deliver us. It cannot cause us to escape the law of God. You reap what you sow. It doesn't matter how much money you have in the bank. If you continue in complacency and sin, you will experience the judgment of God. You will experience what you'll reap from the flesh. Destruction. Corruption. Even if you have 10 million dollars in the bank. It doesn't matter. Your silver and your gold cannot deliver you

From the law of God, you reap what you sow. And when you rebel against Him, when you ignore His warnings, when you ignore His instruction, you will reap accordingly, no matter how much resources you have. Well, now as we head into chapter 2, verses 1 through 3, now we have the prophet giving the people and calling the people to repentance. It's an opportunity for them to repent. Look at verse 1.

He says, gather yourselves together. Yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, before the decree is issued or the day passes like chaff, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger.

And so He's giving them this opportunity, this call to repentance. He says, gather together. Get together. And notice in verse 2, three times He says, before. Before the decree is issued. Before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you. Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you. Before, before, before.

Again, this is Judah's last chance, their last opportunity to repent. It's the last call. You better listen up. Before this takes place, here's your opportunity. Here's your chance. What do you need to do? Then in verse 3, he says, Seek, seek, seek. In verse 2, he says, Before, before, before. Urgency. Now's your chance. Now's your opportunity. Now here's what you do. Seek, seek, seek. Seek the Lord.

Put Him first. Spend time with Him. Seek righteousness. That is, do what's right. Find out God's way and follow it. Be obedient to Him. And then seek humility. This is submitting yourself to God. Admitting your failure. Admitting your need. Confessing your sin. And surrendering to God. Seek the Lord. Seek righteousness. Seek humility.

He says, "It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. Now is your last chance. Before all this happens, seek the Lord. It may be. No guarantee, because you deserve judgment, but hope in His mercy. And perhaps God will be merciful and hide you from the judgment that is about to come." And we see this is what happened with King Josiah. And you can look at it in 2 Chronicles, again about 34-35, around there.

Josiah heard the Word of God. Remember, they found the Law of God. They hadn't known about or forgotten about the Word of God for a long time. They found the Word of God. They read it. And he responded. He humbled himself and cried out to the Lord. And God said, because you had a humble heart, because you responded to My Word, I'll preserve you from the destruction that is to come.

This is the opportunity for the nation of Judah and this evening for you and I. Perhaps the last chance for you to repent, to turn, to not continue to put up with sin, to not continue to put up with disobedience. Has God been speaking to your heart about some issue that He wants you to deal with?

Something that He wants you to get rid of? Something He needs you to repent of? Or has He been speaking to you about something He wants you to do? You need to start practicing. For the nation of Judah, this was their last chance. And before the judgment came, this was their opportunity. Before God's correction came, this was the time. Will you respond to what God is speaking to your heart? Perhaps this is your last chance.

Now in the last part of chapter 2, in verses 4 through 15, we now see God pronouncing judgment on the surrounding nations around Judah.

God used Babylon to bring judgment upon Judah, but Babylon also brought God's judgment upon the nations all around them. And God looks to the west, He looks to the east, He looks to the south, He looks to the north, and He says, all these different nations are also going to experience judgment. And we'll see later on that this is as an example for the nation of Judah to call them to repentance. Repentance.

And so first in verses 4 through 7, we see God's judgment announced upon the Philistines. Verse 4 says,

For Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon desolate. These are cities for the Philistine cities. He says, They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday and Ekron shall be uprooted. Woe to the inhabitants of the sea coast, to the nation of the Cherethites. The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines. I will destroy you so there shall be no inhabitant.

The sea coast shall be pastures with shelters for shepherds and folds for flocks. The coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They shall feed their flocks there. In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening, for the Lord their God will intervene for them and return their captives. So he focuses for a minute on the Philistines. This is west of the nation of Judah.

And he says to the Philistines, names a few of their cities, he said all these cities are going to be wiped out, there's going to be no more inhabitants, and later on in history, this land is going to be for the land of Israel. This is going to be for God's people. And that's something that is yet to be fulfilled that will take place during the millennial kingdom. And so he says the Philistines are going to receive the judgment of God.

Then he looks to the east of Judah in verses 8 through 11 and deals with the nations of Moab and Ammon. He says,

Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah, overrun with weeds and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The residue of my people shall plunder them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. This they shall have for their pride, because they have reproached and made arrogant threats against the people of the Lord of hosts.

The Lord will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth. People shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations. So now he looks to the east of Judah and deals with Moab and Ammon, these two nations there on the other side of the Jordan River. And these two nations had, well they'd come against, they'd boasted against the nation of Israel, the nation of Judah,

And God says as a result, because you've done that, because you've been so arrogant, because you've made arrogant threats and reproached them, there in verse 10 He says, I'm going to bring this judgment. Because of your pride, you're going to be brought down. And because you worship these false gods, there in verse 11 He says, I'm going to reduce all the gods of the earth to nothing. Again, this is the danger of complacency in our hearts when we have these false gods in our lives.

Because those things that we trust in will be reduced to nothing. God will not allow them to continue on. He will not allow them to exist. All people will worship Him. Every knee will bow. And every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But when we are in complacency, we are like the nation of Judah. We're

Here trying to serve God and saying, I want to serve God. But at the same time, we're involved in, our hearts are tied to, we're devoted to these other things that are not God. And He's calling us to lay those gods down. To lay that sin down. To lay down our pride. To be obedient, to surrender to Him. Because He will reduce all other gods to nothing. We will worship Him.

But this might be the last chance to worship Him on the right side of eternity. This might be the last opportunity. It was for the nation of Judah. Before judgment came upon them, this was their last chance to respond to God's call. So He looked to the west, He looked to the east, and then He looks to the south. There in verse 12, He says, "...you Ethiopians also, you shall be slain by My sword."

No more explanation than that, but he just looks to the south and he says to the Ethiopians, you also will be dealt with by my sword. You'll receive judgment from God. Then he looks to the north, to the nation of Assyria.

It was the world power of the day, but God is going to use Babylon to conquer them. In verse 13 it says, And he will stretch out his hand against the north, destroy Assyria, and make Nineveh a desolation as dry as the wilderness. The herd shall lie down in her midst, every beast of the nation, both the pelican and the bittern.

shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars. Their voice shall sing in the windows. Desolation shall be at the threshold, for he will lay bare the cedar work. Yet this is the rejoicing city that dwells securely, that said in her heart, I am it, and there is none besides me. How she has become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down. Everyone who passes by her shall hiss and shake his fist."

So now he looks to the north, to the nation of Assyria, the world power of the day, and he says, you also will experience the judgment of God. And we've spent a lot of time in the prophets talking about the surrounding nations. And so I won't go into the details. We looked at the book of Nahum, which dealt with the city of Nineveh. And so there's more details there if you want to dig into it. But the point is, God's bringing judgment upon all these surrounding nations, and He's

to call His people to repentance. Verse 1 of chapter 3. He says, "...woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city."

She has not obeyed His voice. She has not received correction. She has not trusted in the Lord. She has not drawn near to her God. Her princes in her midst are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone till morning. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people. Her priests have polluted the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.

is righteous in her midst. He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light. He never fails. But the unjust knows no shame.

I have cut off nations, their fortresses are devastated. I have made their streets desolate with none passing by. Their cities are destroyed, there is no one, no inhabitant. I said, surely you will fear me. You will receive instruction so that her dwelling would not be cut off. Despite everything for which I punish her, but they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.

You see in verse 6 he says, "...I have cut off the nations, their fortresses are devastated." In verse 7, "...I said, surely you will fear Me, you will receive instruction." He deals with the surrounding nations, all the while calling His people to repentance, saying, "...Surely they'll see the destruction around them and they'll repent and turn and get right."

But he says they won't. Instead, there at the end of verse 7, they rose early and corrupted all their deeds. They eagerly, they got up early to go on in rebellion and wickedness against God. And so he says in verse 1, Woe to her who is rebellious. Woe to Jerusalem for their rebellion. They're refusing to hear the call of God. They're refusing to see the examples that God is giving for them. Verse 2 is a powerful verse to consider.

Because you see their rebellion. She has not obeyed His voice. God's been speaking. She's not obeyed. She's not received correction. God's brought, not a full judgment, but a partial judgment. Cities have been attacked. They've lost lives. They've been under siege. They've felt correction. They've experienced affliction as a result of their rebellion. But they've not responded. They've not repented. He says that they've not trusted God.

They're not trusting in God. Again, they're trusting in their resources, in their wits, in their own strength. They're trusting in everything else except for God. And they've not drawn near. They've not sought the Lord. They've not drawn near to God. Jerusalem has not responded. God's spoken to them. He's brought correction upon them. He's called out to them. He's sent prophets to them. I mean, over and over again.

But they've not responded. They've not turned. He describes their leaders in verses 3 and 4, both spiritual and political leaders. They're all corrupt. They've turned away from God. God dealt with the other nations as a warning, but they continued in their corruption. Now again, those other nations were an example for Judah, but the nation of Judah is an example for us. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10.

These things happened, these things were recorded for our instruction that we would not lust after things as they also lusted. That we would not follow their example. And so I would ask you this evening, looking at verse 2, are you obeying? As God's speaking to your heart, as He's giving you instruction, are you being obedient? Are you receiving correction from the Lord as God?

He's correcting you as He's bringing things into your life and dealing with issues. Are you receiving it or are you refusing it? Are you trusting in the Lord? Or are you trusting in your own resources, in your own strength, in your own plans, your own purposes? And lastly, are you drawing near to the Lord? Are you spending time with Him? Are you seeking to know Him more, to be with Him? Are you drawing near to the Lord? Verse 8 says,

Therefore, wait for me, says the Lord, until the day I rise up for plunder. My determination is to gather the nations to my assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them my indignation, all my fierce anger, all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the Lord to serve Him with one accord.

Verse 1.

The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies. Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth, for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid. Now as we finish up the book of Zephaniah, the focus shifts a little bit. He's still talking about the judgment that's coming with Babylon, but...

He's also talking about the end times, the tribulation period, the millennium. The ultimate fulfillment of these things will take place when Jesus rules and reigns here upon the earth. But there's a partial fulfillment when Babylon comes and conquers them. And so he will assemble the nations and pour out his indignation. He will bring Judah and the nations around them and bring judgment upon them with Babylon. But of course, globally, during the tribulation, he'll pour out his indignation upon the whole earth.

And He'll bring righteousness to the land when Jesus rules and reigns. And so there's the focus there on Babylon, but then also the far distant future, even future yet for us today, when Jesus rules and reigns. There in verse 9, when He will restore the peoples a pure language. When there will be righteousness, when there will be pure language, not foul language, not slandering, not cursing, not...

confusion but a united language, a pure language He will establish here upon the earth and all will call on the name of the Lord to serve Him with one accord. This is what will take place during the millennium, during the time when Jesus rules and reigns. He says in that time in verse 11, "And that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds." Would you think about that for a moment? You look forward to that day

Do you ever have deeds that you're ashamed of? You're like, I can't believe I did that. Of course you do. We all do. We have this sinful condition, this sinful body. It doesn't always mean that we're in outright rebellion against God like Judah was, but we still struggle. There's those things that, oh man, I can't believe I blew it like that. I can't believe I still deal with that issue. That's going to be nice.

When we enter into eternity and none of our deeds will ever be cause for shame when the redemption is complete. But that's going to happen with Israel during that millennial kingdom when they walk in righteousness. And Israel in that day will walk with the Lord. He says in verse 13, They shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies.

They shall feed their flocks and lie down and no one shall make them afraid. It will be a time of peace for the nation of Israel. And so God's pronouncing this judgment. He says, look, I'm going to bring judgment. But He's also at the same time saying, look, I'm not completely finished. I'm going to do a work. It's yet future where I'm going to bring peace and righteousness to my people. A pure language and they will be safe and secure there in the land.

When we finish it off, verses 14 through 20, it says,

The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing. I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly who are among you, to whom its reproach is a burden. Behold, at that time...

I will deal with all who afflict you. I will save the lame and gather those who were driven out. I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame. At that time, I will bring you back. Even at that time, I will gather you. For I will give you fame and praise among the peoples of the earth when I return your captives before your eyes, says the Lord."

And so again, God's looking towards that future time when Christ rules and reigns during the millennial kingdom. And as He's looking towards this, He's telling them in verse 14, rejoice in what God has done. And as He explains what God has done in verse 15, these are things that will be fulfilled literally with the nation of Israel when Jesus rules and reigns. But I would ask you to consider that these things are done for us right now in Jesus Christ spiritually.

Number one there in verse 15, he says, He's taken away your judgments. Here's why you should rejoice, Judah and Christian today. Because God has taken away your judgments. Because Jesus Christ on the cross received the judgment that was due to us. He's taken it away for those who believe in Him. For those who cling to Him. He's also, the second thing we see in verse 15, cast out your enemy. The enemy of Judah, God's casting them out.

Your enemy, the enemy of your soul, Satan, God has cast him out. He's been defeated at the cross. Spiritually, these are things that are happening right now for the believer. Then number 3 in verse 15, the King of Israel is in your midst. God is with you.

He's in your midst. He's not far off. He's not distant. He's right here with you. And then number four, you will see, or it could also be translated, you will fear disaster no more. Why should we be afraid? He who is with us is bigger, He's stronger than he who is of the world. He works all things together for good. If God is for us, who can be against us? We will see disaster no more. These are things that happen for us right now in Christ.

And so this last call perhaps to repentance is not just escape the judgment of God but receive what God has done for you and rejoice in what He has done. Let Him take away your judgments. Let Him cast out your enemy. Let Him dwell with you and be in your midst. Let Him provide you that safety of being in His will where you will fear disaster no more.

In verse 17, he talks about God rejoicing over them. You know, God rejoices over you. He's more excited about you than you are of Him. He's passionate for you. So much so that He sent His only begotten Son to die upon the cross for you. He rejoices over you. He's excited. When you draw near to Him, He's more excited about it than you are. Because He rejoices over you. He loves you.

He wants to work. He wants to set you free. He wants to deliver you. He doesn't want to bring judgment. But He can't put up with idolatry. He can't put up with rebellion. He has to deal with it. We see in verses 18 through 20 that God will gather Israel back to the land. And again, these are things that will take place during the millennial kingdom. But many of these things for us spiritually, they apply right now in Christ.

The worship team is going to come up and lead us in a song. Actually, they're going to lead us in two songs. But the first song... You guys can go ahead and come on up and get ready. During this first song, I want to ask you to consider... Again, as we conclude in era, this is the time right up to the judgment of God upon Judah for their rebellion against Him. It was their last opportunity, their last chance to respond...

to God calling out to them. Again, I would ask, I would consider, is this your last opportunity? Is this your last chance where God is calling you and He's saying, look, this is what I did to the nation of Judah. This is the judgment that was brought upon them. This is the message that they received because of the situation of their life and their rebellion. And He might be saying to you, I had you listen to this. I brought you here to hear this.

Because there's those things, you know them. I've been speaking to your heart. I've been reminding you. Maybe over and over again. And perhaps for some, this is the last opportunity. This is the last chance. Are you settled in complacency? And you're just thinking, well, it's not that big of a deal. If I don't deal with that sin. If I don't obey what He's prompting and putting upon my heart. Are you settled in complacency? Of course, we know better than to say those words out loud.

But is that how you're behaving? Look, you don't have to convince me of nothing. And I don't know what's going on in your heart. But you're an open book to the Lord. You can't hide anything from Him. He knows what He's speaking to you. He knows what you're thinking about right now. He knows what you're dealing with. He knows what He wants to do. And this isn't about doing something for people. It's about you and God. Are you complacent?

Are you obedient to what He's been speaking to you? Or are you in rebellion? Yeah, you're here, just like Israel was at the temple. But is your heart given to Him? This might be your last chance. Again, the devil's most powerful lie is that there's no hurry. Not a big deal. Yeah, you can deal with that issue. You can deal with that lifestyle. You can deal with that obedience. You can deal with that command. You can do that tomorrow, or next week, or next time.

For Judah, this was their last chance. We cannot allow it to continue, guys. We cannot be complacent. We need to respond. And so as they lead us in this song, take this time to respond. Whatever God's speaking to your heart, repent of what He's calling you to repent of. Obey what He's calling you to obey. Respond to what He's saying to you. Don't be complacent. But use this as an opportunity.

to respond to the things that God has been saying to you. So let's worship the Lord together, and you spend this time, you and the Lord, let Him do that work in you that He wants to do. Let's worship Him. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.