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Healing and restoration from the Lord… (3 things)
- 1st – The judgement of Jerusalem … vs. 1-7
- 1st – The final judgment of Zephaniah is for the city of Jerusalem… vs. 1-2
- Zephaniah gives his second and final Woe to this wicked city (first was to the Philistines)…
- Saved for last – because they should have been first to follow after the Lord…
- But instead of loving the Lord – they were REBELLIOUS (marah – bitter) towards Him…
- Instead of loving others – they POLLUTED / defiled them with their filth…
- Even OPPRESSING strangers / widows / and orphans – Jeremiah 22:3
- Mark 12:28 – A scribe asked Jesus – what was the greatest commandment…
- Jesus responded – Deuteronomy 6:5 Lord the Lord / Leviticus 19:18 love your neighbor
- All 613 commands of the Law could be boiled down into these 2 simple commands!
- The simple point being – God has given us an instruction manual for our lives – the Bible…
- So we know what His expectations are – pretty simple – Love Him / Love others…
- Jerusalem is a powerful warning of what happens when we refuse those instructions!
- How Jerusalem became a wicked city – 4 DID NOTS…
- They DID NOT obey the voice of the Lord – they though their way was better…
- And when God tried to correct them – they DID NOT receive correction from the Lord…
- Instead they took the correction as being bad – so they DID NOT trust the Lord…
- Which caused them to loose faith – and they DID NOT draw near to the Lord…
- And they became a wicked city – all because they DID NOT obey God in the first place!
- The moment we think we know better than God – we are in trouble…
- When we put anything in life before the Lord – money / career / possessions…
- When we think we will be happier if we love ourselves – rather than loving others…
- We have started walking down a path that will lead to destruction…
- Not that God will abandon us – He will try to get our attention – correct us…
- But if we do not listen – instead we harden – we will stop trusting in the Lord…
- And if we are not careful – we will find we no longer want to be around Him!
- Leading us to live a life that is bitter – polluted – and oppressed!
- Zephaniah gives his second and final Woe to this wicked city (first was to the Philistines)…
- 2nd – Woe to the leaders… vs. 3-4
- God had divided the responsibilities of ministering to His people…
- The princes were supposed to enforce the Law of God…
- The judges were supposed to judge people according to the Law of God
- The prophets were supposed to instruct people in the Law of God
- The Priests were supposed to act as mediators on behalf of the Law of God…
- The division was there to make sure the people never trusted in one person…
- Instead the purpose of the each group was to point the people back to the Lord!
- Because men would much rather look to someone they can touch and see…
- Therefore they are much more inclined to trust in a man than God…
- The problem is we are limited – and cannot always help those who look to us…
- We have limited abilities and resources – only God has limitless!
- Jesus is the only answer that we need to give to those who are in need!
- Our responsibility – it to be a billboard that says – ‘this way to Jesus’!
- But all of the leaders of Jerusalem were wicked…
- The princes were roaring lions – devouring the possessions of the people – Ezekiel 22:27
- The judges were like evening wolves – that do not even leave a bone till morning…
- The prophets were all treacherous liars – there was not one truth in anything they said…
- The priests polluted the sanctuary – by defiling / contradicting the Law of God!
- There was not a Godly leader to be found in any of the branches of the government!
- If you want to know what kind of people are in a nation – look at who leads them…
- The leaders of a nation are a reflection of the people who are willing to follow them!
- And any nation that chooses leaders they know are not a Godly men…
- Are doomed to suffer at the hand of the very men they choose to follow!
- Proverbs 29:2 – “When a wicked man rules, the people groan.”
- God had divided the responsibilities of ministering to His people…
- 3rd – Ignoring the warnings… vs. 5-7
- The Lord was in the midst of Jerusalem – He had not abandoned them…
- He was there to try and bring the people to repentance…
- Every morning He would bring justice to light – reveal the sin of the people…
- But the people of Jerusalem knew no shame – they did not care if people saw their sin!
- The Lord cut off other wicked nations as a warning…
- God devastated their fortresses – left their streets desolate – their cities destroyed…
- Hoping Jerusalem would see – receive the instruction – and not also have to be destroyed…
- But in spite of everything the Lord did – the people rose up early just to start sinning!
- The danger of a hardened heart…
- The good news is – when we sin – God fights for us / tries to get us to repent…
- He allows consequences – to try to bring our sin into the light…
- He surrounds us with example of what happens to others who are sinning…
- The question is are we listening when He convicts – are do we harden our heart…
- When I first learned guitar – my fingers bled from pressing on the steel strings…
- But eventually with lots of use – they grew calluses and became tough / felt nothing!
- When we first commit a sin – we bleed with conviction from the Holy Spirit…
- But if we continue to sin – we can create a callous on our hearts – feel nothing…
- Sin is devastating – if we refuse to repent of our sin – it will harden our hearts!
- Hebrews 3:13 – “Exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
- The Lord was in the midst of Jerusalem – He had not abandoned them…
- 1st – The final judgment of Zephaniah is for the city of Jerusalem… vs. 1-2
- 2nd – Wait on the Lord … vs. 8-13
- 1st – The day of the Lord… vs. 8
- Since Jerusalem would not repent – instead they would have to wait…
- God had incredible plans for His people / His Holy City – but their sin postponed them…
- In Luke 19:41 – as Jesus drew near the Jerusalem – He wept over it…
- The day was coming when the city would be leveled – not one stone upon another!
- Rather than exalted – Jerusalem would be destroyed – 70 AD Titus Vespasian…
- Luke 21:24 – “Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until [their time is] fulfilled.”
- When I was a young man – I had a passion to be a missionary in Russia…
- But poor choices – and a lack of repentance – delayed that calling / blessing…
- I lost 5 years being broken – humbled – and Russia closed as a mission field…
- By the grace of God I eventually did become a missionary – but I had to wait!
- God desires to amazing things in our lives – exceedingly abundantly – Ephesians 3:20
- And the only thing that will stop Him – is us – we can be our own worst enemy!
- Since Jerusalem would not repent – instead they would have to wait…
- 2nd – The remnant of Israel… vs. 8-13
- Wait until the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ…
- The day when the Lord will gather the nations together to pour out His fierce anger…
- When all of the earth with be devoured in the fire of His jealously!
- Speaking of the return of Jesus Christ and the battle of Armageddon!
- The Antichrist will gather his army to the Valley of Megiddo – Revelation 19:11-21
- It will be the place where the nations come to battle – armies of the North / East / West
- Joel 3:2 – “I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.”
- Then Jesus will come out of Heaven on a white horse – King of Kings / Lord of Lords…
- With one word he will defeat the Antichrist and his army – II Thessalonians 2:8!
- In that Day – God will forgive Israel…
- He will give them pure lips – so they could call on the name of the Lord / serve Him…
- In Isaiah 6:5-7 – the prophet saw a vision of heaven – woe is me I am undone!
- Then an angel touched his lips – taking away his iniquity / purging his sin…
- At which point the Lord asked who will go for us – Isaiah cried out – here I am send me!
- Being a sinner does not disqualify us from being used by the Lord – we all are…
- But unrepentant sin will – the Lord has to purify us before He can use us…
- The sooner we humble ourselves before the Lord – the sooner He will use us!
- In that Day – God will bring Israel home…
- From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia – God will bring home the worshipers…
- The daughters of His dispersed ones – and they will bring an offering to the Lord!
- Israel was scattered in the Diaspora – beginning with the fall of Samaria 722 B.C.
- Concluding with the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 A.D – but…
- Isaiah 43:5-6 – “I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar… from the ends of the earth.”
- Since 1948 Jewish population in Israel has surged to roughly 6 million…
- Since 2006 – first time in 2000 years more Jews in Israel than any other nation on earth!
- In that Day – Israel will no longer be ashamed…
- They had reason to be ashamed – their sinful deeds – but God will remove the prideful…
- Leaving behind a meek and humble people who trust in the name of the Lord…
- A remnant (not many) – that will practice righteousness / and not speak lies…
- They will feed their flock (family) – and lie down – no one will make them afraid!
- The 5 years I spent being broken were painful – shameful years…
- But as hard as they were – I would not wish them on my worst enemy…
- Neither would I trade them for anything – they were the crucible that molded me!
- When we loose years to foolish choices – it can be easy to want to beat ourselves up…
- But if those poor choices brought us to a place where we were broken / humbled…
- Then we have nothing to be ashamed about – in fact just the opposite!
- They are often a necessity to reach us to become people who trust in the Lord!
- Wait until the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ…
- 1st – The day of the Lord… vs. 8
Then the world knows that God can save/use anyone – I Timothy 1:16
3rd – The restoration of Israel… vs. 14-20
1st – Rejoice Israel… vs. 14-15
Seeing this distant hope Zephaniah declared – sing and shout Israel…
Be glad and rejoice in your heart – because the Lord WILL remove judgment…
He WILL overcome your enemies – and the Lord WILL dwell in your midst!
An amazing hope – forgiveness / victory / coming in the presence of God Almighty!
But this was not a hope that was coming anytime soon – it was at least 2500 years away!
We have the same hope – but not as long of a wait…
Most of us have heard of Publishers Clearing House – magazine subscriptions…
If someone came to your door saying your just won millions of dollars – sing / rejoice!
But we have ‘won’ something far greater and more valuable than green paper!
God has given wiped away all of our sin – forgiven ever mistake – I John 1:9…
He has give us victory over our arch enemy – satan – Colossians 2:15…
And we will have access into the very Throne Room of Heaven – Hebrews 4:16…
When we embrace what we have been given – like Zephaniah – we WILL sing and rejoice!
2nd – Do not fear Israel… vs. 16-18
In THAT DAY people will say to Jerusalem – do not be afraid…
Do not let your hands be weak – in other words do not give up serving the Lord…
You do not plant a seed – and expect there to be fruit on the braches in the morning…
And if you sat there and waited for the plant to grow – you would likely give up!
The solution is to keep busy – weeding / plowing – in time the fruit will come…
So often we want to see the good fruit from our efforts right now!
When the fruit does not come – we get tired – assuming nothing will every happen…
It is easy to get frustrated with the failures in our Christian walk…
It can be tempting to want to ‘give up’ – thinking things will never change…
Rather than looking for the fruit – we just need to keep busy serving Jesus – Galatians 6:9
In His time we will bear great fruit – be used powerfully for the Lord!
The Lord your God is with you – the MIGHTY ONE – and He will save you…
He will rejoice over you with gladness / His love will calm your fears / He will sing…
He will gather those who miss the feast days – who miss their fellowship time with God!
One of the hardest things about being a dad – is having to punish our kids…
Seeing their downcast faces – their doubt and fear – but when they ask for forgiveness…
One of my favorite things to do as a Dad – is hold my baby and sing to her / reassure her…
Hold her in my arms – broad smile on my face – so she knows everything will be ok!
God is not an vengeful dictator who thrives on the punishing His people…
It breaks the heart of our Heavily Father when He has to punish His kids…
And He is quick to forgive – scoop us up in His loving arms and comfort!
Psalm 103:8 – “The LORD is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love.”
3rd – Come home Israel… vs. 19-20
At that time God will deal with those who oppressed Israel…
He will deal with them by vindicating Israel – making His people great again…
God will save the lame / weak of Israel who were driven out of their Land…
And make them famous in the very lands where they were mocked and shamed!
It is amazing how many FAMOUS Jews there are even today!
Albert Einstein / Sigmund Freud / Gal Gadot / Larry King / Calvin Klein / Isaac Asimov
Stan Lee / Barry Manilow / Karl Marx / Leonard Nimoy / David Copperfield
At that time God will bring Israel home…
And when He gathers them back into the Land – the whole nation will be praised…
All the people of the earth will glorify God – because He restored the captives of Israel!
Initially fulfilled with the return of the captives from Babylon in 536 BC…
But it will be ultimately fulfilled in the restoration of Israel in the Millennial Kingdom!
God choose Israel to be His special treasure – but not cause they were the best…
In fact for just the opposite reason – because they were the least – Deuteronomy 7:7
From the very beginning they were the very last people you would have chosen…
And they never disappointed – they failed God at almost every turn…
Yet the Lord never failed them – instead He used / uses / and will use them as an example…
Showing the world exactly how amazing power of His Loving Grace can be!
God still does not pick just the brightest – beautiful – best – I Corinthians 1:27
In fact those are the exceptions – God tends to choose the ‘foolish’ of the world…
God picks us – the foolish because then the world sees God in us!
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