Sermon Tone Analysis

Call To Worship Scripture

Sermon Scripture

Habakkuk

610 and 605 B.C.

REVERENCE GOD IN SEEKING ANSWERS (QUESTION GOD) - BE SILENT BEFORE GOD - TRUST IN GOD

The Book of Habakkuk begins with Habakkuk crying out to God for an answer to why God’s chosen people are allowed to suffer in their captivity ().

The Lord gives His answer to Habakkuk, essentially stating, “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you” ().

Habakkuk then follows up by saying, “Ok, you are God, but still tell me more about why this is happening” ().

God then answers him again and gives him more information, then tells the earth to be silent before Him ().

Habakkuk 2:

Then Habakkuk writes a prayer expressing his strong faith in God, even through these trials ().

The Apostle Paul quotes on two different occasions (; ) to reiterate the doctrine of justification by faith.

The application to the reader of Habakkuk is that it is permissible to question what God is doing, although with respect and reverence.

Sometimes it is not evident to us what is going on, especially if we are thrown into suffering for a period of time or if it seems our enemies are prospering while we are just barely getting by.

The Book of Habakkuk affirms that God is a sovereign, omnipotent God who has all things under control.

We just need to be still and know He is at work.

He is who He says He is and does keep His promises.

He will punish the wicked.

Even when we cannot see it, He is still on the throne of the universe.

We need to stay focused on this: “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights” ().

Enabling us to go on the heights is taking us to the higher places with Him where we are set apart from the world.

Sometimes the way we have to go to get us there is through suffering and sorrow, but if we rest in Him and trust Him, we come out where He wants us.

Zephaniah

635 and 625 BC.

TAKE COMFORT - GOD PUNISHES EVIL

Zephaniah pronounces the Lord’s judgment on the whole earth, on Judah, on the surrounding nations, on Jerusalem and on all nations.

Zephaniah

This is followed by proclamations of the Lord’s blessing on all nations and especially on the faithful remnant of His people in Judah.

Zepheniah 2:3

Zephaniah 3:

Zephaniah had the courage to speak bluntly because he knew he was proclaiming the Word of the Lord.

His book begins with "The word of the Lord" and ends with "says the Lord."

He knew that neither the many gods the people worshiped nor even the might of the Assyrian army could save them.

God is gracious and compassionate, but when all His warnings are ignored, judgment is to be expected.

God's day of judgment is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures.

The prophets called it the "Day of the Lord."

They referred to various events such as the fall of Jerusalem as manifestations of God's Day, each of which pointed toward the ultimate Day of the Lord.

Zephaniah had the courage to speak bluntly because he knew he was proclaiming the Word of the Lord.

His book begins with "The word of the Lord" and ends with "says the Lord."

He knew that neither the many gods the people worshiped nor even the might of the Assyrian army could save them.

God is gracious and compassionate, but when all His warnings are ignored, judgment is to be expected.

God's day of judgment is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures.

The prophets called it the "Day of the Lord."

They referred to various events such as the fall of Jerusalem as manifestations of God's Day, each of which pointed toward the ultimate Day of the Lord.

The final blessings on Zion pronounced in 3:14-20 are largely unfulfilled, leading us to conclude that these are messianic prophecies that await the Second Coming of Christ to be completed.

The Lord has taken away our punishment only through Christ who came to die for the sins of His people (; ).

But Israel has not yet recognized her true Savior.

This is yet to happen ().

The promise of peace and safety for Israel, a time when their King is in their midst, will be fulfilled when Christ returns to judge the world and redeem it for Himself.

Just as He ascended to heaven after His resurrection, so will He return and set up a new Jerusalem on earth ().

At that time, all God’s promises to Israel will be fulfilled.

With a few adjustments in names and situations, this prophet of 7th century B.C. could stand in our pulpits today and deliver the same message of judgment of the wicked and hope for the faithful.

Zephaniah reminds us that God is offended by the moral and religious sins of His people.

God's people will not escape punishment when they sin willfully.

Punishment may be painful, but its purpose may be redemptive rather than punitive.

The inevitability of the punishment of wickedness gives comfort in a time when it seems that evil is unbridled and victorious.

We have the freedom to disobey God but not the freedom to escape the consequences of that disobedience.

Those who are faithful to God may be relatively few, but He does not forget them.

Haggai

520 B.C.

TAKE COURAGE - EXAMINE PRIORITIES - LIVE UPON THE PROMISES OF GOD

Haggai sought to challenge the people of God concerning their priorities.

He called them to reverence and glorify God by building the Temple in spite of local and official opposition.

Haggai called them not to be discouraged because this Temple would not be quite as richly decorated as Solomon's.

He exhorted them to turn from the uncleanness of their ways and to trust in God's sovereign power.

Will the people of God reconsider their priorities, take courage, and act on the basis of God's promises?

God sought to warn the people to heed His words.

Not only did God warn them, but He also offered promises through His servant Haggai to motivate them to follow Him.

Because the people of God reversed their priorities and failed to put God in first place in their lives, Judah was sent into Babylonian exile.

In response to Daniel's prayer and in fulfillment of God's promises, God directed Cyrus the Persian king to allow the Jews in exile to go back to Jerusalem.

A group of Jews returned to their land with great joy, put God first in their lives, worshiped Him and began to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem without the aid of the local people who lived in Israel.

Their courageous faith was met with opposition from the local people as well as the Persian government for approximately 15 years.

The Book of Haggai draws attention to common problems most people face even today.

Haggai asks us 1) to examine our priorities to see if we are more interested in our own pleasures than doing the work of God; 2) to reject a defeatist attitude when we run into opposition or discouraging circumstances; 3) to confess our failures and seek to live pure lives before God; 4) to act courageously for God because we have the assurance that He is with us always and is in full control of our circumstances; and 5) to rest secure in God's hands knowing that He will abundantly bless us as we faithfully serve Him.

Zechariah

520 and 470 B.C

STAND ON THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST - PROCLAIM IT FAITHFULLY TO ALL PEOPLE

Zechariah emphasized that God has used His prophets to teach, warn and correct His people.

Zechariah 1:3

Unfortunately, they refused to listen.

Their sin brought God's punishment.

The Book of Zechariah teaches that salvation may be obtained by all.

The last chapter depicts peoples from all over the world coming to worship God, who desires that all people follow Him.

This is not the doctrine of universalism, i.e., that all people would be saved because it is God's nature to save.

Rather, the book teaches that God desires that all people worship Him and accepts those who do, regardless of their national or political expressions, as in the freeing of Judah and Jerusalem from their political enemies.

Finally, Zechariah preached that God is sovereign over this world, any appearance to the contrary notwithstanding.

His visions of the future indicate that God sees all that will happen.

The depictions of God's intervention in the world teach that ultimately He will bring human events to the end He chooses.

He does not eliminate the individual's freedom to follow God or rebel, but holds people responsible for the choices they make.

In the last chapter, even the forces of nature respond to God's control.

Prophecies about Jesus Christ and the messianic era abound in Zechariah.

From the promise that Messiah would come and dwell in our midst (; ) to the symbolism of the Branch and the Stone (, ; ; ) to the promise of His Second Coming where they who pierced Him will look upon Him and mourn (; ), Christ is the theme of the Book of Zechariah.

Jesus is the Savior of Israel, a fountain whose blood covers the sins of all who come to Him for salvation (; ).

God expects sincere worship and moral living of us today.

Zechariah's example of breaking through national prejudice reminds us to reach out into all areas of our society.

We must extend God's invitation of salvation to people of all national origins, languages, races and cultures.

That salvation is only available through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, who died in our place to atone for sin.

But if we reject that sacrifice, there is no other sacrifice through which we can be reconciled to God.

There is no other name under heaven by which men are saved ().

There is no time to lose; today is the day of salvation ().