Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Ignoring warnings comes with consequences.

Warnings are meant to do just that - warn - to ignore them is to disregard their entire purpose.

Maybe you can think of times where you ignored a warning, and later had regrets about it.

Other times you have listened to a warning and steered clear from bad decision, trouble or perilous danger.

God sent prophets to warn of His promised judgment - Zephaniah is one such prophet and as we looked last week we saw that His warning message was for Judah - and the desire of the warning is to seek the LORD before its too late.

Warnings are only warnings until it is too late.

Zephaniah started with the people of the LORD because judgement begins at the house of the LORD.

However judgment begins at the house of the LORD but spreads and is promised to all nations.

God is the God of all nations and the nations who ignore God’s warnings and ignore God’s laws and act against God’s people will not escape the wrath to come.

On the Day of the LORD the LORD is warning us today and promising the nations of then that all the nations, and all the people will taste the judgment of God - this morning we must not ignore the warning — Judgment is For All Nations.

God Will Act

On Behalf of His People

Zephaniah begins God’s pronouncement against the nations by naming four cities Gaza,Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron.

They are listed in order from south to north and they represent Philistia - the land of the Philistines, famously Gath is missing from this list and most likely due to Gath already being ruins from Uzziah’s devastation of it.

Amos also omitted Gath from his list.

Continues on to the seacoast nation of the Cherethites - or Crete land of the Cretans.

The judgment is that the word of the LORD is against Canaan known as the land of the Philistines.

Complete destruction is described - Abandoned, ruined, driven out, uprooted.

Verse 8 adds Moab and the Ammonites to the list of nations.

These two nations have been a sore spot in the history of Israel born of Lot’s daughters sin and given the same judgment and future as Sodom and Gomorrah.

To be overcome with weeds a salt pit and perpetual (ongoing) wasteland.

Pay close attention to the end of verse 5 - Woe inhabitants the word of the LORD is against you.

I will destroy you until there is none left.

Their destruction is coming and it is indeed coming from the LORD Himself.

God is a God of action and verses 6 - 8 show us that His action is on behalf of His people.

God acts on behalf of His people to judge their enemies and to restore their place.

God promises judgement for the enemies of His people and at the same time promises to restore His people - the remnant the remainder of His nation.

On the one hand the people will be destroyed from the land and it will be desolate and on the other hand His people will be returned and restored to the land by the direct action of God.

Judah’s future occupancy is guaranteed through the faithfulness of God’s word and God’s promises of His faithful love for His people.

In Response to Pride

God declares He is taking action because of the pride of the nations, the pride of the people.

God is not acting arbitrarily but on behalf of His people and in response to the pride of the nations and people.

God hates pride because pride raises up and causes a person to act not only contrary to God but despite God or without considering God at all.

This is why they taunt God’s people - because their pride has lifted them up and they ignore the true and living God.

God in His judgment of pride promises to starve all the gods of the earth.

To show them worthless and powerless in an effort for the nations to bow in worship of Him.

They will be terrified through this display of power because they will realize they themselves are powerless despite all their pride.

Pride is the root sin that removes one’s worship from God to put it on themselves.

God’s list of nations continues to include the Cushites (Modern day Ethiopians) they will be slain by God’s own sword.

God’s hand will stretch out against the north and destroy Assyria and Nineveh will be a desolate ruin.

Again we see God acting wielding His own sword to attack pride for God hates pride.

Verse 15 shows why.

Pride says one is secure, pride says I exist and there is no one else.

Pride rises up and declares no need of God and that we are like God.

The phrase in verse 15 I exist is the phrase “I am” - the phrase God uses for Himself because He is independent and has no needs.

These nations, these people are audacious enough to claim this for themselves.

The prideful reject God.

C.S. Lewis described pride as the sin of all sins:

“Pride is the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride.

Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”

God take pride seriously and so should we - a fitting end to the prideful is that they become the scorn of people.

Jerusalem Included (Again)

A Sinning People

Having described God’s willingness and promise to act in regards to His people and the pride of nations Zephaniah again turns to Jerusalem.

Its akin to now the warning message is flashing.

As the warning is greater and as the danger is nearer the warning starts flashing and perhaps even making siren sound.

Zephaniah directed by the message of God is emphasizing Judah to see her own wickedness and guilt in order she might seek repentance and desire to be part of the remnant of the LORD.

Jerusalem is a sinning people described as rebellious, defiled AND oppressive (not impressive but Oppressive).

The root of Jerusalem sinfulness is found in the phrase being repeated four times “She has not...”.

She has not OBEYED - The word of the LORD the voice of the LORD.

God has called, instructed, and now warns but She has not obeyed and has not listened.

She has not accepted discipline - She has not received the correction from the LORD.

Discipline has certainly come to her but she did not receive it.

It was a bad time, rough times, a downturn, terrible circumstances - she did not receive it as correction from the LORD.

She has not trusted in the LORD - God has not given a single reason He cannot be trusted or that they need to stop trusting Him.

He has never proven unworthy or unfaithful or unrighteous.

But in not trusting the LORD one turns to trusting in themselves and their own understanding.

She has not drawn near to her God - The worst offense against God saved for last.

God desires relationship with His people, but they reject and go their own way apart from Him.

In rejecting His word, His Correction and not trusting Him She has drawn away from the LORD.

The one who does not obey God’s Word, accept God’s discipline and does not trust God will also not draw near to God - they cant.

The one who remains far from God remains instead close to sin and sinfulness.

They are corrupt from leadership down.

The princes are nothing more than lions roaring and her judged are wolves which leave nothing for morning.

Even her prophets - those who are to speak the word of God are reckless and treacherous.

Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to instruction.

Instead of being holy the city was filthy and polluted with shameful sin.

God has spoken to His people but they refused to receive correction

Guilt Increased By God’s Faithfulness

Zephaniah declares the most damning truth for their sin.

God has remained faithful and true to His word and His promises.

He has not failed.

He has judged other nations and utterly destroyed them as a warning and message.

The desire was to restore the fear of the LORD and that they would receive correction.

Her dwelling place was promised not to be cutoff.

How did Judah, how did Jerusalem respond to the faithfulness of God?

They became more corrupt in all their actions.

Even in this pronounced judgment God remains faithful and true to His word and His promises towards Judah.

Judah responds by even being eager to continue in their corrupt ways.

God brought His justice to nations around Judah and instead of hearing the warning and instead of learning they dedicated themselves to ungodliness all the more.

They doubled down - He said He would judge and showed He would judge and they said we are gonna sin harder.

Our most damning aspect of our culture is that people flaunt and celebrate their sin.

Sin has always been since the garden, but our culture is now taking pride in their sin - becoming more corrupt in all their actions.

Judgment is Universal

Therefore wait for me, because the nation instead of heeding the warning chose to become more corrupt the LORD says wait for me, until the day I rise up.

There is a set time where I will come for plunder, to conquer to take from the wicked and corrupt.

God has decided how it will happen - God has made the decision to assemble all the kingdoms.

To gather them all together in their rebellion and wickedness at the appointed time.

While it has immediate application for the Babylonian captivity it also points forward to a time at the end of the tribulation period.