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We turn in your Bibles to Zephaniah 
chapter 3 as we conclude our study in this prophet in the 
7th century BC. Zephaniah chapter 3. We've already 
seen an expo announcement of the day of the Lord in chapter 
1 verses 2 to 18. We saw that day described. in 
vivid detail, I'm sorry, chapter 2 verses 2 to 13. We saw that 
day described in detail in chapter 1 verses 14 to 18. There is an 
exhortation to seek the Lord, to seek righteousness, and to 
seek humility in chapter 2 verses 1 to 3, which is somewhat of 
the core, the substance, or the essence, or the the center of 
this particular prophecy. And then in chapter 2, verses 
4 to 15, we saw that God is Lord of history, Lord of all, Lord 
of nations. He would indeed bring judgment 
to bear on those to the east, to the west, to the south, and 
to the north of Israel. And then the prophet takes up 
in chapter 3, verses 1 to 5, where he returns to the guiltiness 
of Judah, and how Judah had sinned against her Lord, and she would 
ultimately fall, that she would be judged. Remember that he's 
writing in the days of King Josiah, The godly king, but more than 
likely, he wrote in the early part of Josiah's reign, prior 
to the reforms introduced at the finding of the book of the 
law in 622 BC. The nation or the community was 
still riddled with Baalism, with syncretism. That's the worship 
of the true god mixed with worship of false gods. There was all 
kinds of sin rampant. And so the prophet comes to bring 
God's word of judgment upon the erring nation. They would ultimately 
experience the chastisement of God a few decades later, during 
the Babylonian captivity, when Babylon, led by Nebuchadnezzar, 
would come and invade the nation of Judah, taking the city of 
Jerusalem, destroying the temple, and taking people into exile. Well, I'll just pick up reading 
in chapter 3 at verse 1. 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. The Lord is righteous 
in our midst. He will do no unrighteousness. 
Every morning He brings His justice to light. He never fails. 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 punished her. But 
they rose early and corrupted all their deeds. 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 may call on the name of 
the Lord, to serve him with one accord, or to serve him with 
a single shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, 
my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring 
my offering. In that day you shall not be 
shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against 
me. For then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice 
in your pride. and you shall no longer be haughty 
in my holy mountain. I will leave in your midst a 
meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the 
Lord. 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. Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, 
O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all 
your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord has taken away your 
judgments. He has cast out your enemy. The 
King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall see 
disaster no more. In that day it shall be said 
to Jerusalem, Do not fear. Zion, let not your hands be weak. 
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 are 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 the time I gather you. For 
I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the 
earth when I return your captives before your eyes, says the Lord. Amen. We saw how the city was 
rebellious toward God, polluted, and they were oppressive. And 
there were four characteristics in verse two with reference to 
her specific indictment. She had no attention to the Lord, 
no submission, no reliance upon the Lord, and did not desire 
fellowship with Him. The leadership in Judah was corrupt, 
the princes and the judges, also the prophets and the priests. 
And then God highlights his character, his conduct, his wisdom, and 
his constancy, which brings in fine detail or brings into more 
focus the wickedness and the sinfulness of Judah. Well, here 
in verses 6 to 8, the Lord directly addresses. In chapter 3, verses 
1 to 5, The prophet comments, or the prophet is writing in 
third person about the condition, about what is. And here in verses 
6 to 8, there is a final warning in light of the day of God's 
wrath. where the Lord directly addresses 
the nation of Judah. And then we find in verses 9 
to 13 a statement concerning the Lord's preservation of His 
people, and then concluding the chapter, verses 14 to 20, the 
celebration of God in His people. Truly an amazing statement. in 
verse 17. Little Pomer Robertson describes 
in this way, says, the prophet moves into the holy of holies 
by a rapturous description of the love of God for his people. This verse is the John 3 16 of 
the Old Testament. That's verse 17 concerning the 
Lord's joy and the Lord's love for his people. But let's look 
first of all at the final warning in light of the day of God's 
wrath. Notice the Lord recounts or rehearses 
the judgments that he had already inflicted upon other peoples. These judgments were total. Verse 
6, 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. Here, the Lord 
God Most High directly, or in first person, tells the people 
of Judah what he had done to the surrounding peoples, to the 
surrounding nations. This would, of course, include 
the northern tribes of Israel, which God had judged, God had 
shut down in 722 BC, about a hundred years prior. The people in Judah should have 
learned the lesson. In fact, God says in verse 7, 
this is why he did what he did. There was a purpose in God's 
judgment upon the nations surrounding Judah. Notice he says in verse 
7, I said, surely you will fear me, you will receive instruction. God sends judgments for a two-fold 
reason, so that we'll fear Him and so that we'll learn instruction. 
We'll learn that God is a holy God, that God must punish sin, 
that God does not take lightly our defection, our apostasy, 
and our retreat from Him. You see, there's a specific purpose 
in the judgment that he sends. He says, 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 punished her. But 
notice the people's lack of response. But they rose early and corrupted 
all their deeds. Isn't that a sad indictment on 
mankind? Isn't that an affirmation of 
the biblical doctrine of total depravity? The Lord God visits 
with judgment. The Lord God does this so we'll 
fear Him. The Lord God does this so we'll 
be instructed by Him. And so that we'll take seriously 
the exhortation of chapter 2, verse 3. So that we'll seek the 
Lord. So that we'll seek righteousness. 
We'll seek humility. Isn't this what Jesus talked 
about in Luke 13 when people came to him and said, Lord, were 
these people upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, were they worse 
sinners than others? Jesus says, here's the bottom 
line, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. In 
other words, that tower of Siloam fell not for the rest of the 
people, not for the survivors to sort of stroke their beards 
and say, were they more wicked than we are? Jesus says you need 
to fear God and you need to learn the lessons that judgment brings. The book of Ecclesiastes, the 
preacher there tells us it's better to go to the house of 
mourning than to the house of joy. It is better to learn lessons 
at a gravesite. It is better to learn lessons 
in the rubble of judgment. We need to take heed to what 
God is saying through the judgments that we see in the Bible, through 
the judgments that we see in our own day and age. It is to 
promote fear in our hearts. It is to promote a responsiveness 
so that we will obey the instruction of our God. Alec Mott, you're 
commenting on verse 7, says, Zephaniah observes his people 
continuing to live in complacent unresponsiveness, even though 
they are aware of the Lord's commitment to future judgment. 
Can you see what we've already looked at in chapter 1? The day 
of God is coming, a day of wrath, a day of great judgment, and 
one of the reasons why the people of Judah were culpable and responsible 
and were worthy of judgment is because they were complacent. 
They had settled on their leaves, according to chapter 1, verse 
12. And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search 
Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who are settled in complacency, 
who say in their heart, the Lord will not do good, nor will he 
do evil." This idea that the world's just going to continue 
on without any divine interference. The world is just going to be 
how it always was. We don't have to worry about 
the Lord. He's not going to bust in with great revival blessing, 
but He's not going to bust in with great judgment either. That 
is the complacency that probably affects many of us in the church 
today, that probably affects a whole host of God's people. We have concluded He will not 
seriously revive the church, but He won't seriously judge 
us either. Let's just continue on, let's 
just do what we're supposed to do, or let's just do what we 
want to do, not giving a whole lot of obedience to the Lord. God says, I sent this judgment 
so that they would learn. I sent this judgment so that 
they would fear me. And then God brings out in verse 
8 this call to wait. He 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, and all 
the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. There 
is the inevitability of the coming judgment. Wait. It's going to 
come. Wait. It's going to be like a 
locomotive. You can't stop it. You can't 
put the brakes on it at the final moment. It's going to come. It's going to hit you. There 
is no turning back. God will not stay his hand of 
wrath forever. He is a long-suffering God. He 
is a patient God. But that patience, that long-suffering, 
will run out. that mercy of God will ultimately 
give way to the judgment and to the wrath of God. And that's 
what he speaks of here. He highlights the universality 
of the coming judgment. He says, "...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." Now, 
with Judah, 586 was a target date for their destruction. Later 
on, it would be AD 70, when Jesus was teaching at Mount Olivet. 
Both of these historical events pointed to or anticipated that 
final day of God's wrath, which is in our future, which is on 
our horizon. Robertson again says, "...the 
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 anticipated that great day 
of Yahweh, which shall consummate the Lord's judgments, even as 
did the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Even as in Zephaniah's 
prophecy, so also in Jesus' prophecy. The judgment of God on Jerusalem 
inevitably anticipates the final devastation of the nations." 
This is coming. And in Zephaniah's day, it certainly 
did not work to wake the people up. Now, under Josiah, there 
was some reform. There were some good things. 
But it was not enough to stay the wrath and anger and fury 
of God. Well, that brings us, secondly, 
to consider the Lord's preservation of his people. See, if the prophet 
ended here, you might have something of a problem. You see, God had 
given a promise. God doesn't go back on his promises. 
God's not like us. Remember, there were earlier 
references to Jerusalem's total degeneracy. They refused the 
divine word and God's way. They failed to trust God. and all of this in contrast with 
the determination of the righteous God to bring in a worldwide judgment. This cannot but have raised the 
question for the faithful to wonder if God wasn't going to 
carry out his promise made to Abraham. Remember, God said to 
Abraham that he would multiply him, that his descendants would 
be like the sand on the seashore. There was one time when God took 
Abraham outside and he said, look up into the sky. And he 
saw all the stars. And God says, can you count those 
stars? So shall your descendants be. They will be more numerous than 
the stars in the sky. There was a time when God told 
Abraham to look to the east and look to the west and look to 
the north and look to the south. Not just at these nations that 
we saw that were surrounding Israel, Paul tells us in Romans 
4.13 that God promised Abraham that he would be the heir of 
the world. Abraham had good eyesight. When 
he looked east, west, north, south, he saw the world. He saw 
us. That probably caused him a little 
bit of dismay. But you've got to see here. This 
worldwide judgment would raise the question whether God's patience 
has run out to the extent that His great promises, the promises 
of Genesis 12, Genesis 15, Genesis 22, we saw that confirmed last 
week, After Abraham was going to bury the knife at his son 
Isaac, the angel of the Lord tells him, don't do that, now 
I know that you fear God. God reconfirms the promise to 
Abraham that in him he would multiply blessing upon the nations. So, if this coming judgment is 
the way God has reported through Zephaniah, does that mean he 
has reneged on his promises? Zephaniah refuses to let us believe 
such a thing. Rather, this is in the language 
of Aleph-Matyar again, he joins other prophets in foreseeing 
a preserved remnant, Isaiah 8, Micah 2, Micah 5, Micah 7. It is not that in this way the 
Lord will perpetuate a national entity, but that he will create 
a people such as he has always wished to possess as his very 
own. So that's what the prophet now 
turns to in verses 9 to 13 under the general heading, The Lord's 
Preservation of His People. God speaks of purifying them. You see, there's a problem in 
Old Covenant Israel. There's impurity. There's ungodliness. There's oppression. There's pollution. There's not a heart for the living 
and true God. So if things are going to change, 
it must be undertaken by God Himself. And there are three 
statements given by the Lord that He will do for His people. Notice, He purifies, He preserves, 
and He gives provision for them. In this purification, He speaks 
of giving them one speech. They will have one Lord, and 
they will have one shoulder. beautiful picture of the unity 
of the Church of Jesus Christ. Verse 9, For then I will restore 
to the peoples a pure language. I didn't have time to check, 
but from what I read in one of the commentaries, the Living 
Bible translates this as Hebrew. That at this time, God will give 
everybody, you know, the ability to speak Hebrew. I don't think 
that's what's in view here. I think the remainder of the 
verse tells us what it is to have one lip. It is to call on 
the name of the Lord. And I think the backdrop here 
is the larger biblical revelation. Remember in Genesis 11, it had 
the same length. And God confused it because they 
were seeking to make a name for themselves rather than God. So the prophet is saying that 
in the New Covenant, in that day when the Lord Christ comes, 
I will restore to the peoples a pure language. He says that 
they all may call on the name of the Lord. Biblical religion 
has never been nor will ever be pluralistic or inclusivistic. There is one Lord that they shall 
call upon. This reminds us of Ephesians 
4, 4-6, there is one body and one spirit, just as you were 
called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 
one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all 
and in you all. Reverend, I submit that Zephaniah 
is pointing to the New Covenant era. He doesn't use the exact 
language that, say, a Jeremiah does when he says, Behold, the 
days are coming when I will make a New Covenant. But the very 
things spoken of by Jeremiah, the very things spoken of by 
Ezekiel, are the same things taken up by the prophet Zephaniah. He speaks of the unity of God's 
people to serve Him with one shoulder, with a single shoulder. 
The New King James renders the idiom well, with one accord. There will no longer be a time 
when everybody does what's right in their own eyes, but rather 
they're gathered under their head Christ and they want to 
serve Him, they want to glorify Him, they all want to put their 
shoulder into it, to bear the blessed burden that he gives. 
Notice how he speaks of their preservation in verses 9 to 13a. He will restore, verse 10, from 
beyond the rivers of Ethiopia from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, 
my worshippers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring 
my offering. In that day you shall not be 
shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against 
me, for then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice 
in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy 
mountain." God preserves his people, and not only the Jewish 
remnant. The peoples from beyond Ethiopia 
You see, he's gone from that unity of the one accord to biblical 
universalism. It's not just going to be those 
in Israel, but it's going to be men from every tribe and tongue 
and people and nation. He says, those beyond the rivers 
of Ethiopia, my worshippers, the daughter of my dispersed 
ones, shall bring my offering. They'll worship me, the one true 
God. See, in the New Covenant era, 
it doesn't matter if you're a physical descendant of Abraham. What is 
important is the spiritual descendancy from Abraham. Believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Those who are of faith 
are Abraham's seed. Notice that God takes away the 
shame associated with our transgressions. Verse 11, in that day you shall 
not be shamed for any of your deeds. Again, Ezekiel 36 speaks 
of this. I will sprinkle clean water on them. I will take away 
their transgressions. I will put in a new heart. I 
will put in, you know, I will put my law in their heart. I 
will put my spirit within them. He's speaking of new covenant 
immunities. He's highlighting the church. He's talking about 
the glory that we have in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9.14, with reference 
to the cleansing from our transgressions, says, How much more shall the 
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself 
without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works 
to serve the living God. What a blessed statement. What 
a glorious truth. What a wonderful privilege that 
we have as the people of God in verse 11. In that day you 
shall not be shamed for any of your deeds. We deserve to be. God has removed our transgressions. 
God has cleansed us from our sins. God has objectively nailed 
them to the cross and has given us everlasting life. God takes 
away the proud. Notice in verse 11. He says, 
for then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice 
in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy 
mountain. It's a two-fold reference to 
the withdrawal of pride there. I'll take away those who rejoice 
in your pride. I would take that as unconverted, 
those professing, those who say they're of the people of God, 
but rejoice in wickedness. God will take them out. But you 
know, God in the gospel also takes from our own heart, from 
our own disposition, you shall no longer be haughty in my holy 
mountain. Now, to be sure, we struggle. 
There is remaining sin. There is a tendency to pride 
in the best of God's people. 1 Peter 5, Peter says that we 
are to be clothed with humility. He reminds us that God opposes 
the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. But as a principle, 
brethren, when you have been transferred from the kingdom 
of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of God's love, pride, 
as it used to reign, is now dead. That's what the Lord is telling 
us through the prophet Zechariah. And then notice, God will leave, 
according to verse 12, in your midst a meek and humble people, 
and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. God leaves in Zion 
redeemed sinners who manifest likeness to Jesus Christ, humble, 
dependent, righteous, and honest, which we'll visit in just a moment. 
And then notice their provision. The end of verse 13, for they 
shall feed their cross and lie down, and no one shall make them 
afraid. A pastoral motif that finds its 
way into many of the biblical prophecies. Of course, the psalm, 
Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Various other 
psalms highlight the pastoral nature of God's care for his 
people. The end of verse 13 speaks of 
the threefold blessing of provision, rest, and security for the people 
of God. You know what we have in the 
gospel? Provision, hope, everyone who thirsts, let him come. We have provision. We have rest. Remember in Matthew 11, Jesus 
says, take my yoke upon you. All you who are weary and heavy 
laden, take my yoke upon you. I am meek, I am lowly in heart, 
and we have security. Remember the Savior's words in 
John 10. There's no one who can strip you or pluck you out of 
the hand of God most high. In the New Covenant, Jeremiah 
confirms this, Jeremiah 31, I'm making a New Covenant, not like I made before which 
they broke. One of the blessed glories of New Covenant-ism is that, it's not even Greek, 
I guess, it's not even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not even 
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not even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not 
even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's 
not even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not 
even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not 
even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's not 
even Greek, it's not even Greek, it's You can't break the New Covenant. 
When you're in, you're secure. Not because of your power and 
your ability, but because of God's power and God's ability. When He takes a sinner and puts 
them into the New Covenant, that covenant will not be broken. You can't break it. Paul asks 
the question. where Paul makes the statement 
after rehearsing every possible thing, he says, there is nothing 
that shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ 
Jesus our Lord. That is how God preserves. Summarizing this section, verses 
9 to 13, O. Palmer Robertson writes, this 
entire complex of ideas finds its fulfillment in the realities 
of the New Covenant. God's ancient people of Israel 
join with converts from the world's distant climes. They call on 
the name of the Lord with whips, purified by the Holy Spirit, 
serving Him with a single shoulder. This community of the New Covenant, 
heir to all the blessings prefigured in the Old, have all shame removed 
and all pride purged. They manifest the sensitive moral 
character of a people who will do no evil, who will not lie. 
They live in safety, with no one to terrify them. The records 
of the New Covenant attest to the fulfillment of all these 
promises, while at the same time pointing to an ultimate consummation 
in the future. Only then, in that day, shall 
a completed restoration be enjoyed to the fullest. There's that 
already and not yet. We already possess these blessings 
of the New Covenant, but it's not yet been fully realized in 
the time of consummation in the eternal state. So the prophet 
Zephaniah is simply taking his finger and he's pointing like 
John the Baptist and saying, behold, the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. He's pointing to our beloved 
Redeemer, even the Lord Jesus Christ. And that leads us finally 
to consider the Lord's celebration in His people. Verses 14 and 
15. Do you love verse 14? Sing, O daughter of Zion. Shout, 
O Israel. Be glad and rejoice with all 
your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. Wait a minute, Zephaniah. You 
depicted for us the day of God's wrath and judgment and His anger 
and His fury. He said He's going to target 
Judah. He is going to get the nations 
surrounding Judah. He's got all these promises of 
fury upon us. Now you've told us a bit of good 
news, but you know, brother, it's hard for us to see past 
all this judgment. The future prospect of God's 
blessing ought to promote in His people this kind of rejoicing. Sing, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O Israel, be glad and 
rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. That's 
a tension the Bible calls us to get, or to live in. We know that there is a day of 
judgment in the future. Right now we know that there 
is a day of blessing. Jesus' gospel is being preached. He is building his church. The 
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. How are we to be 
characterized? Are we to be characterized as 
those who see the judgments that come and say, it's all going 
to hell in a handbasket, let's just give up? Or are we to say, 
Let us shout, and be glad, and rejoice, and let us grab as many 
people as we can, and convince them, or preach to them rather, 
the glories of Jesus Christ, and seek by His grace to fit 
them for the day of judgment. Zechariah is preaching here that 
the people of God are to smile. They're to be glad, they're to 
be rejoicing, they're to be characterized by that realization that God 
is in control, that God is blessing, that God is furthering His kingdom 
on earth. The description that the prophet 
has given of God's preserving hand and character promotes praise, 
promotes worship, promotes adoration. So it is important for us to 
read, to study, to know these prophets so that we can take 
Zephaniah as we take Paul and we rejoice always in the Lord. I need to hear verse 14. Just 
quite frankly, I can look out around me and I can get very 
discouraged, I can get very depressed, I can get very downcast. I need 
Zephaniah, the 7th century prophet in Israel, to come along and 
say, what is your problem? Sing! Shout! Rejoice and be glad your God 
is enthroned! He hasn't gone away, he's not 
bailed, he's not on a holiday. He's not Melchon, He's not Asherah, 
He's not these deities of the nations surrounding us. Our God 
is sovereign. He is in heaven. He does whatever 
He pleases. He has purposed great blessing 
for the Church of Jesus Christ. What ought your response to be? 
Sing, shout, be glad, and rejoice with all your hearts. The Church 
of Jesus Christ Seeing the realization of promises like these in the 
coming and in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ 
ought to be a singing church, ought to be a shouting church, 
ought to be a glad and rejoicing church. And then notice, he speaks 
of the removal of judgment again. Verse 15, the Lord has taken 
away your judgments. He has cast out your enemy. The 
King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall see 
disaster no more. Again, mock your comments. It 
is one thing to deal with sin within the sinner so that the 
conscience no longer accuses. He's already spoken of that in 
verse 11. Right? Verse 11. In that day you shall 
not be shamed for any of your deeds. The conscience won't haunt 
you anymore. When you have that bleeding, 
risen, atoning Christ, There will no longer be that haunting, 
oppressive burden that you have undealt with sin. Sure, there's 
still remaining corruption, there's guilt, there's shame to some 
degree, but it doesn't reign. It doesn't exercise its power 
over you. It has been nailed to the cross, 
and your conscience is clean, and you can say with Paul in 
Romans 8, 1, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those 
who are in Christ Jesus. He goes on to say, though, this 
is the guiltiness of sin, verse 11. But here, verse 15, he says 
it is a different thing to deal with sin as it outrages the holy 
character of God. This is the offense of sin, and 
it constitutes a deeper and more necessary work, for there can 
be no salvation until God is satisfied. It's a blessed statement. The Lord has taken away your 
judgments. I love the language of these prophets. that we would 
advise something of these men. Remember Micah's depiction of 
the coming day of God's grace with reference to our sin. He 
says that, or he uses his own name, Micah, which means, who 
is a God like you? And he cries out, and Micah said, 
who is a God like you? Pardon me, sin. He talks about God taking our 
sins and casting them into the depths of the sea. The same way 
God cast Pharaoh and his armies into the depths of the sea, so 
God will cast our enemy into the depths of the sea. Same type 
of thought here. Same thing. The Lord has taken 
away your judgment. He has cast out your enemy. The 
King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall see 
disaster no more. Remember the larger context. 
In the description of Judah's apostasy, Yahweh complained that 
he was in her midst, but she didn't believe him. And it's highlighting this preservation 
of verses 9 to 13. Notice what's in the myths. He 
says, I will leave in your midst, verse 12, a meek and humble people, 
and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. That's great. In 
the church, we are a wannabe surrounded by meek and humble 
people who trust in the Lord. When we're gathered together 
and we're worshiping our God, it's good to know that brother 
or that sister next to you is meek and humble and trusting 
in the Lord. But you know what? That pales 
in significance in the midst of His people. That's the blessed 
promise of verse 15. The King of Israel, the Lord, 
is in your midst. You shall see disaster no more. So my brethren, when you come 
to the New Testament, read with this in your mind. Read with 
the Old Testament in the background. When you come to Revelation chapter 
1, and you see Jesus dwelling or standing in the midst of the 
lampstand, you're going to reflect and think, hey, Zephaniah talked 
about this. Zephaniah prophesied that Jesus 
would walk to Ephesus, or walk in the church in Ephesus, and 
in Sardis, and in Pergamos. Jesus would be in Thyatira. Jesus 
would be in Smyrna. Jesus would be in Laodicea and 
Philadelphia. Jesus would be in Chilliwack. 
That's a promise of the New Covenant, that the King of Israel, the 
Lord, is in your midst. As good as it is to be surrounded 
by meek and humble and trusting people, it is far more excellent 
to be surrounded by the God of heaven and earth, by the Lord 
Jesus, who is found among His people. In the notice, Joyce 
celebrated in verses 16 and 17, do not fear. Verse 16, in that 
day it shall be said to Jerusalem, do not fear. Zion, let not your 
hands be weak. Don't you love that? What does 
fear do? Fear paralyzes. Fear immobilizes. Fear causes 
inactivity. See, it's important that you 
understand what you have in Jesus Christ so that you'll get up 
and serve. It's important that you understand 
what is yours in Christ so that you will not fear and so that 
you will not let your hands hang low. There's a perfect illustration 
or display of this in the prophet Isaiah. It is in his convert, 
or what he has called the prophetic ministry in Isaiah's sense. He 
sees the Lord high and lifted up. He sees that glorious throne 
room depiction. He hears the antithetical praise 
of the angels. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord 
of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. When he's 
confronted with what John will tell us is the holiness of Christ, 
John 12, 41, Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory. 
The NIV interprets it, and I think rightly, when he saw Jesus' glory, 
the pre-incarnate Christ in Isaiah 6. Well, when Isaiah saw this, 
what does he do? He bemoans his sin. And this 
is the common response when sinners meet a holy God. They don't say, 
hey, pal. Hey, buddy. How you doing, friend? No, they say, woe is me. Cry 
him undone. Woe is me, for I'm a man of unclean 
lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips. So what does 
God do? He undertakes on behalf of the 
prophet. Dispatches an angel, take a white-hot 
coal, put it on his lips, and atone for his sin. Then God says, 
who shall I send? Who will go for us? The prophet's 
hand goes up. Here am I, Lord, send me. You 
see what the forgiveness of sins does? You see what the objective 
removal of fear does? It promotes soldiers in Christ's 
cause. If you're fearful, you're paralyzed. If you're fearful, 
you're immobilized. If you know what you have in 
Jesus Christ, if you understand that no condemnation, your hand 
will go up as the prophets did and say, here am I, Lord, send 
me. I understand the forgiveness 
of sins. I understand blood atonement. I want to go and serve you and 
preach you and glorify you. There's that progression in David's 
psalm of penance, or penitence, not penance, sorry, in penitence 
in Psalm 51. After the washing, after the 
purging, after the restoration of joy, then I will teach transgressors 
your ways. You see, New Covenant Christianity 
is not a bunch of weak-wristed, limp-hand-having, no-serving 
people. We are emboldened by the Gospel 
of Jesus Christ to go therefore and witness and testify and declare 
what great things God has done. That's the thrust of the prophet. 
And then verse 17 is, as Palmer Robertson says, that John 3, 
16 of the Old Testament. This is an amazing statement. 
The Lord your God in your midst, the mighty one who will save. 
Some say there's an absence of messianic reference in the prophet 
Zephaniah. No, there isn't. Who is the mighty 
one who will save? It's a declaration by our brother 
Zephaniah that the Lord God, in your midst, the Mighty One 
who will save, He will rejoice over you with gladness. Can you 
fathom that? God rejoicing over us with gladness? There's only one way that could 
ever happen. Because of Christ. Not because 
of good we've done, not because of law-keeping, not because of 
merit, not because we've cleaned up our act, not because we've 
morally reporned, but because Jesus died and rose again. God 
can be glad in us. What a statement. He will rejoice 
over you with gladness. What makes God happy? You ask 
the question. His people. I don't feel like 
that, to be honest with you. When I come back to his throne, 
I think he probably lifts his eyebrows and says, you again? 
But that's not what the Bible says. This isn't singular to Zephaniah. In a definitive promise concerning 
new covenant religion, Jeremiah says in chapter 32, verses 40 
and 41, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will 
not turn away from doing them good, But I will put my fear 
in their hearts so that they will not depart from me. Same 
preservation there. Don't you love that? Have you 
ever met people, oh, I'm going to put the fear of God in their hearts. 
No, you're not. God puts the fear of God in people's hearts. 
You can't put the fear of God in people's hearts. Why? We're 
Calvinists. We know that. We can't make people 
fear the Lord. But the Lord can make people 
fear the Lord. And he will put his fear in our 
hearts, notice, so that we'll not depart from him. We have 
no breakable New Covenant here. We have no apostasy or defection. 
When we're in the New Covenant, by God's grace we stay in the 
New Covenant. And then he goes on, and he says, 
Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly 
plant them in this land with all my heart and with all my 
I love the ESV rendering in the last clause where it says, He 
will rejoice over you with singing. The ESV renders it, He will exult 
over you without singing. Why should you sing loud when 
you come to church? Because He sings loud for your 
soul. He sings loud and exults over 
you. He rejoices in the salvation 
that He has given to you and I. So shall we come to the worship 
of our triune God who exalts in us? And not open our mouths? Not sing? You young people, you 
young men who think it may not be cool, there is nothing cooler 
in the world What a blessed privilege of being 
taught near you. Seize every opportunity to say 
unto the Lord, this is our God. He will quiet you with his love. What a blessed statement. You're 
going to fear. You're going to get upset. You're 
going to be all panicky. Why? The Lord quiets you with 
his love. But look at the progression in 
Philippians chapter 4, a familiar passage we often cite with reference 
to prayer, and the means of prayer with reference to the calming 
of our souls. In Philippians chapter 4 verse 
6, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, 
with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God, and the 
peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard 
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. God's peace surrenders. God's peace fortifies. God's 
peace garrisons your heart. The poem goes on. Notice in verse 
8, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things 
are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, 
whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if 
there is any virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate 
on these things. These things which you learned 
and received and heard and saw in me, these do. The God of peace 
will be with you. You see the progression. You 
pray, and God will send his peace to be with you. You do, and the 
God of peace will be with you. He will quiet you with his love. 
He will surround you with his protection. And that brings us 
finally to consider with reference to the Lord's celebration in 
his people. He speaks of vindication, verses 18 to 20. A couple tricky 
statements in there. I think the thrust of it is basically 
is that in that coming day, God will curse the wicked and bless 
the righteous. God will vindicate his Iraq. God will avenge those who cry 
to him day and night. Notice where it says, behold, 
verse 19, 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. Robertson again says, the promise 
of fame does not cater to a vain humanity's insatiable desire 
for recognition. Frequently the getting of a name 
is associated with the defeat of enemies. By triumphing over 
opponents, a reputation demanding awe and respect spreads quickly. This concept of a famous name 
applies to Abraham, David, Abishai, and Israel as a nation. Even 
God's name becomes famous as He displays His power over His 
enemies. That's what's in view, not you're 
going to get praise, you're going to get fame, you're going to 
walk down the street and everybody's going to celebrate you. No, it's a vindication 
of God's victory over His enemies. Verse 20, at that time I will 
bring you back, even at that time I gather you. For I will 
give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth 
when I return your captives before your eyes, says the Lord. The 
book of Zephaniah ends where it begins. The prophet opened 
with a scene of cataclysmic overthrow. The whole order of the cosmos 
would be reversed in the judgment of the great day of Yahweh. The 
prophet closes with another scene of cosmic scope. The earth shall 
be reconstituted in the glorious new order achieved by a return 
to the land on a proportion never before realized. The ultimate 
blessing in the covenant joins with the ultimate cursing to 
consummate the entirety of the historical process. With Revan, 
we learn a couple of things and we close. The first, the purpose 
of God's judgment. We need to take heed. We're not 
spending all this time to say, wow, isn't that neat what God 
did to Judah. No, we're learning to fear him. We're learning to 
be instructed by him. We're learning that he must punish 
sin. And hopefully, my hope and prayer 
is that as the people of God, when we know the terror of the 
Lord, that terror, that knowledge, that realization will promote 
in us what it did in Paul. Remember when Paul said in 2 
Corinthians, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, what 
do we do? We persuade them. I mean, come on, what kind of 
monsters are we, or ghouls are we, when we see some great calamity 
coming upon a neighbor? Listen, that's monstrous. That's 
hideous. That's vile. Wretched. You know that kid who 
wandered out in the middle of the street when the truck is 
coming? You say, that's too bad for the kid. You let your little 
baby, your daughter, your granddaughter, whatever, go crawling over and 
lick his finger and put it in his socket? How are you going 
to scoop her up? And you say, don't do that. Brethren, 
pray that the terror of the Lord would so work in your heart to 
persuade me. You pray for me. You pray, Lord 
God, help me with this person, to witness to them, to testify 
to them, to tell them that Jesus saves. Secondly, in this summary, 
or in this section, specifically verses 12 and 13, we get the 
character of God's people. It's interesting. Same thing 
as what we find in the New Covenant. Same thing as what we find in 
the New Testament. The people of God are saved by grace. Verse 
9, that they all may call on the name of the Lord. God provided 
the mighty one who saves. He takes away our sin and transgression. 
He is the Lord upon whom we call for salvation. When we have called 
upon the name of the Lord for salvation, and we've been justified, 
what then happens? We're sanctified. We're being 
made or conformed into the image of Son. It will be humble. Humility 
ought to mark the people of God. This is what was prophesied in 
Zephaniah. It's like proud Calvinism is 
an offense. It's an affront. Calvinism of 
all theological systems ought to promote humility. How do we 
take things that tell us we're worms and wretches and we get 
proud over this? But I know what you don't know, 
man. That's not good. We need to be 
humble. We need to be dependent. Notice 
what it says in verse 12. They shall trust in the name 
of the Lord. Remember one of the marks of 
Assyria? Assyria, according to chapter 2, verse 15, was marked 
by pride. This is a rejoicing city that 
dwelt securely, that sat in her heart. I am it, and there is 
none besides me. How has she become a desolation, 
a place for beasts to lie down? Everyone who passes by her shall 
hiss and shake his fist." Well, Judah had become very independent 
as well. Chapter 3, verse 2. She's not 
obeyed His voice. She's not received correction. 
She's not trusted in the Lord. She is not drawn near to her 
God. That's independent. That's a very long stuff. Well, 
that's not what should characterize a New Covenant Christian. We're 
to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and we not our own 
understanding. In all our ways, we acknowledge 
Him, trusting that He will direct our paths. Righteous. That's 
what ought to characterize the New Covenant believer. Notice 
in verse 13, the remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness. 
That's really for us, right? Paul puts it this way. Let your 
conduct be worthy of the gospel. Also, they were being conformed 
to the likeness of the sun. Well, the sun wasn't unrighteous. 
The sun was perfectly righteous. So are the people of God to be. And were to be honest, verse 
13, and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in 
their mouth. Honesty. That's supposed to characterize 
the Christian. That's supposed to be what we're 
marked by. I'm not going to lie. I'm not 
going to deceive. That's what the devil does. So within Zephaniah 
chapter 3, verses 9 to 13, we can picture, we can portray a 
godly man according to the scripture. Those are the characteristics 
or the character of God's grace. Everything today is extreme. 
Extreme marketing, extreme this, extreme whatever. You just buy 
something now. It's got to be extreme. The extreme 
broom. Boy, this thing just sweeps like 
there's no tomorrow. Extreme gas for your car. You'll 
just motor on. Everything's extreme. You see 
that? Extreme energy bars. OK. One man I read said, what is 
it going to do? Knock me down and chomp down my throat? Because 
it's an extreme energy bar. If we had to characterize Zephaniah's 
current extreme, the wrath of God to the extreme measure. Like, 
man, chapter one, there's a lot of wrath there. Hard, poor, severe 
wrath. But he's extremely other way. 
Love. Mercy. rejoicing and exultation 
on the part of God over His people. Praise God for this extreme prophet 
who depicts for us our extreme God, who is relentless. I mean that statement of the 
prophet Jeremiah, I will rejoice over them to do them good. And then finally, let us not 
forget the center of the prophecy, chapter 2, verses 1 to 3. If 
we haven't learned anything else, let us learn to seek the Lord, 
to seek righteousness, and to seek humility. It's a good way 
to live. As a Christian, it's a good way 
to live as a non-Christian. As a non-Christian, if you seek 
the Lord, you will be saved. And then you can seek righteousness 
and humility. As Christians, this ought to 
characterize us each and every day, in good days, good times, 
and bad times. When there is a coming Babylonian 
captivity, or when there isn't, our marching orders are always 
the same as God's people. Seek Him, seek righteousness, 
seek humility. If we do that, we will have learned 
the message of the prophet Zephaniah. Father, we thank you for the 
Holy Scriptures and we thank you for the New Covenant blessings 
that we participate in because of your grace and because of 
your mercy. We ask now that you would go 
with each one of us and pray that you would provide protection 
for those traveling. We pray for Don and Joanne, that 
you would watch over them and Oak Harbor, give them safety 
as they return to Maple Ridge. We pray for those who are sick 
or ill among us, that you would just comfort them and cause them 
to rejoice in their Lord and Savior. And God, we pray that 
you give us compassion for lost sinners. Give us a desire to 
plead with men to be reconciled with you. God, we pray you give 
us opportunity as individuals and bring people into this local 
church to hear the gospel and to be saved. And we pray through 
Christ our Lord.